Achlys looked up at her grandfather with terrified eyes. Every muscle in her body was tense as she slowly got to her feet. Her muscles were still shaky from being electrocuted. She took her hand away from her face to show a large, scorched scar like a spider’s web next to her left eye.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BNGXLxP95
Memories of being exposed to dangerous chemicals for her to reproduce as a child flashed in her mind’s eye. Remembering waking up the day night her mother died from a nightmare, only to find it real. Her mother a clammy corpse in her bed, father beaten and sobbing next to her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PrsoN7LjA
She never watched it happen, but she remembered the image her mind crafted of seeing her mother in Zeus’ place.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZD8ZKACMW
Achlys remembered her father telling her she’d be next if they didn’t run from her grandfather, only to be called together for a family meeting. Her grandfather’s cold, alien eyes glaring down at her like she was a curse.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLnNN0QHI7
Kronos’ voice snapped Achlys back to reality.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPlusNJJeO
“All the effort I put into taming you and you attempt to destroy my energy reserves. You’re a traitor, Achlys. You’re so disloyal to your own family. Don’t you remember what I told you would happen if you ever turned against me?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDI48hWf4KQ
“I remember,” Achlys choked out.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pdxDXMeL8
“You did cause anarchy at the palace and cause the fall of PISTOL, so at least you fulfilled your purpose before you scarred my creation and began to burn my fuel.” He gestured to Abyss and the land around them. “But now, I have no reason to keep you around.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Go4QPbDy7
Achlys was trembling and tears stung her eyes. “He... he’s not yours.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nqwQhKjBZ
“What?” Kronos stood up taller, towering over Achlys, nearly twice her size.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwx4OExFFpP
“A-and I’m not either.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJukEqzUQV
Kronos clenched his teeth and growled in frustration, lifting his hand to strike Achlys across her already injured face.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFrlCzzfTr
She was blown a yard away from the blow and a small line of neon green steam came up from her cheek, flowing steadily to Kronos’ face. He breathed in deeply, eyes turning from a cold grey to a menacing black.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjYAtBOO29
Coughing, Achlys choked back a sob. Her past had finally come for her before she could finish her destiny, before she could ensure the safety of the universe. She thought the hardest part of everything was over multiple times over now.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrfj5DUIlf
She thought Abyss was okay, but then he disappeared and left her behind. She thought she’d found him and be able to reason with him, but Volt came back and turned him against her. She thought she’d dealt with the one coming between her and her plans, but it just made Abyss come after her. She thought she’d dealt with Abyss and done away with any barriers or emotion that would keep her from global devastation. Instead, she was faced with an indestructible wall.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08feaP1sC2
She was staring down death.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuiiXRFgDV
He finally caught up to her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqVjPRUl8l
The moment she dreaded facing every day over the last decade.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tLdrlE8WO
Kronos slowly approached Achlys again. “Get up.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQC7TSamyHy
Achlys closed her fists around a handful of ash and shook. Tears soaked the ground below her. “Please...” Achlys whispered her plea.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fF6VNxVng
What am I doing? Please what? Please spare me? You were planning to turn the planet into a wasteland where you’d rot away slowly. You planned your own death. What makes this any different?26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyhmyrZaaS
“I said get up!” Kronos demanded, kicking her curled up from across the ashes and dirt.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigVoXILrjF
It took all her strength to finally obey. She saw no point in sitting around to be killed.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWI4Eybk6Ti
Kronos sneered mockingly, alien features communicating a sense of superiority. He again began to approach her. He reached down and grabbed her neck, lifting her with two fingers as she gasped for breath.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9piUrT3nmb
“No- no-” she meekly protested.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOlZtveaYo
She felt her breath begin to be drawn from her body. The neon color seemed to flake away from her hair and the green streak began to turn white, shortly after the black hair followed. He lungs strained for breath and her vision blurred as the red fire in her eyes faded back to a deep green before it began to fade to an empty white.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rQcIPEez9
Every muscle in her body seized up, desperate to flee but too afraid that they restricted their own movement.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxCbaPTzn6
But then electricity surged through Kronos and Achlys respectively. The two let out cries of pain. The draining stopped and as the shock faded, Achlys was dropped to the ground where she saw Abyss grasping Kronos’ ankle.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCf4Jz5vK6T
Abyssal’s eyes stopped sparking and settled on the pure black color that signified his power at work.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJe0ymcrSr
“Abyss?... What are you doing?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uniSZDOkb
“Saving you,” he answered firmly just as Achlys faded into unconsciousness.
* * *
Achlys woke up in a hospital, the steady beeping pulse of a heart monitor sounded behind her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjvzehUFB2
“How come you were able to be electrocuted multiple times without any powers and live, but he has to be gone?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknuw7eeAoQ
Achlys’s eyes travelled to Abyss sitting at the bedside with his back turned to her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5ze018xWi
“How did you know I was awake?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzS6DSwjnJ
He just shrugged. “I can sense everyone’s lifeforce now... and I can’t feel others. I don’t know how or why.” He still wouldn’t look at her.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIHyzKazBJ
There was a long moment of silence before Achlys spoke again.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgRdeZwL4z
“Why did you save me?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjRjdslZcP
“Sometimes people just save other people, even when they shouldn’t.” 26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70ceu4ahtO
Achlys didn’t know what to think of that. She knew she didn’t deserve to be saved. She thought she was dead. She thought she’d killed Abyss, and she did kill his brother. But it still didn’t make sense why. She stared at the plain, grey floor.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGlmdcAYeF
“Thank you.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDPUhKuxMe
No response.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnr3pDtPPk
Achlys felt clamps lock around her heart.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESzfKIgESh
“And...” she added, “I know it doesn’t help anything... but I’m sorry. I didn’t plan to kill him.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4ihxVfNUx
“But you did. Twice.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRGA3RcysO
Achlys winced. She deserved that. She knew she did.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXStGFkIht
“I saved you because you happened to be there. Enemy of the enemy. Kronos had to be stopped, whether you were involved.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoVnwE5zWP
“How did you stop him yourself?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3nb1kLanP
“I had a head start. Not much you can do once you’re locked down by devour.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuQHZ8dDWe
“You can say that again.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ40XUKlp7a3
Achlys saw Abyss’ shoulders tense.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkukrI1KHT
His tone was quieter when he spoke again. “How did it feel?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoQvO11NLd
Achlys’ eyes widened and she grabbed her right arm. “It... was worse than I ever imagined.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi81sLqRd6O
“You’ve imagined yourself in that position?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlG7r7WR5W4
“...More times than I can count.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcmFk22Hte
Abyss turned around at last and looked at Achlys in the hospital sheets.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEe5aBA4Sw
“Why?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpSR3JEewz
“Kronos was the famil patriarch. I was in the line destined to kill him.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdp9k7ajxO0
Abyssal’s eyes fell to the corner of the bed. It was obvious he felt awkward looking at her. Achlys wished he didn’t.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTZpMwPLOD
“Why do you ask?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWk24lI4YrJ
“I... It was my power. It hurt others, but I never knew how bad it was.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLl0UgC4gWW
“We’ve both hurt people with our powers. I just wish I could undo it. I wish I could bring him back for you.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAB8ebwWsJ1
Suddenly, the lights flickered and the monitor flatlined before everything powered on again. But for Achlys, the strange occurrence only became worse. The echoes of Volt’s dying screams repeated on an overlapping loop in her mind. She gripped her head and stared at the sheets, curling up into the fetal position.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPYI56I9ku
“Achlys? Achlys?” Abyss said, growing worried.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLWcrSIZQa
Achlys didn’t hear him. The sound was growing to a crescendo. It was deafening. The screams pierced her ears and began to melt her brain. The world around her continued to flicker the way it did as the electricity fried Volt’s nervous system.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnurf6rbUD
Abyss touched her shoulder, and she jumped away as the earth split below them. A green light rose up and the ghost of Volt appeared. He was still tied to the chair screaming. Abyss leapt away in terror as he stared up, helpless at his brother for just a moment before the earth sealed itself again and he vanished.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecHODzaKHI
“What was that?” Abyss asked, sitting on the ground at staring at the space where he literally saw a ghost.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMFye9Oiw7
“I- I don’t know,” Achlys stammered. “I think... it was my father’s power.”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wZBjicqIO
“Hades?”26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaxc5ZbktZ
“Abyss,” Achlys said astonished, “I think we could bring them back.”
THE END
-To Be Continued-
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