Chapter 48: Hekate rising
Null City, Planet Myridia
The planet's reconstruction has been astounding: anywhere else, the city would still be in ruins after the Vanguard's battle with Demeter. But no other place can count on a population with the power to create ten thousand duplicates of all of its citizens.
There is much to do, of course: it will be years before Myridia is completely healed, but for the first time in three hundred years its people can hope to remain free.
All of that changes when Demeter's mothership, the Twin Dragon, suddenly appears over Null City. The Artemis Hunters find little to no resistance: the Myridians can duplicate and have plenty of personal weapons, but nothing to withstand a full-scale invasion.
Elytra Elater flies above the battleground surrounding Null Palace. It's nice to finally be able to stretch her Lampyrian wings; as captain of the New Horizon and leader of the Hunters, she doesn't get to do that very often.
Of course someone tries to shoot her down, but every shot passes through her as she goes intangible. When she lands on top of the Palace, someone approaches her.
<Call off your men. We surrender> the man says, raising his hands over his head.
<Are you the ruler of this planet?>
<Velazer Tes, Prime Minister of the Provisional Government> he identifies himself.
<Elytra Elater. I claim this world for Lady Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.>
<We know how to treat gods here> the Prime Minister says, pointing at the giant statue of Demeter in front of the Palace: the head has been cut off. Null's symbol, Ø, has been carved over her breasts.
<I like your style. New Horizon, this is the Captain, blow up the big statue please.>
A beam of light pierces the sky, carving through the statue's chest like a knife and vaporizing the entire torso. When the rest of the statue collapses, the entire city shakes.
The edge of Myridia's solar system
Since Myridia orbits six stars, navigating through the multiple solar winds and magnetic currents is extremely tricky. Kari is doing her best to keep the ship steady, but it is far from a comfortable journey.
<Are you sure you've done this before?> Vesta asks, firmly holding to her seat.
<I did reach the Earth with this thing, didn't I?> Kari answers, not very convincingly.
<When the engine worked> Torn notes.
<Sorry if I didn't have the time to build a brand new fully functional spacecraft> Noriko answers through the Neural Headset installed in her head. The ship is so small that the others can hear her kicking the inertial dampener in the engine room.
<Whoa. I just picked up something on the scanner. Something big> Kari notes.
<The Hunters?>
<Worse. It's the Covenant of Witches> Torn says with a serious tone. Well, slightly more serious than his usually serious tone.
<Say again!?>
<Hekate's fleet> Vesta translates.
Tens of thousands of Witches surpass the Vanguard's salvaged ship. It's an immense cloud, composed only of women flying under their own power; they move like a swarm of locusts.
<Why the f##k are there witches in freakin' space!?> Noriko asks once she's reached the others.
<They're like Oracles but work for Hekate> Torn explains.
<There was no Hekate on the galaxy map. What's she doing out here? Any ideas?>
<Nothing good, that's for sure> Vesta muses, looking a billion miles away.
<I need more than that and you know it> Noriko scolds her.
<She sided with Zeus when he overthrew my father Kronos, who was the brother of her grandparents. She's much, much older than me. We haven't met since...Gaea, it must've been a hundred thousand years ago. Nobody in the family really liked her except Demeter; Hekate was the only one besides her to oppose the marriage between her daughter Persephone and Hades.>
<Makes sense. There's a Hekate sector in Demeter space> Torn remembers.
<What do you know about her?> Noriko asks him.
<Never meet Hekate unless you want to die.>
Myridia
Hekate watches over the planet as her Witches descend into the atmosphere. The three bodies of the Triple Goddess...the child, the maiden and the crone...are the same aspects of the same being.
The Child is ten years old, with short grey hair and a black tunic.
The Maiden is thirty years old, with long grey hair and a black dress with generous cleavage.
The Crone is eighty years old, with her whole shriveled body completely covered by black robes.
This is not her original form, of course. Hekate is over a hundred million years old.
<This planet smells wrong> the Crone says.
<We don't sense any goddess here. Only mortals> the Maiden nods.
<We thought we convinced Demeter to get rid of them. Honestly, these young gods never learn> the Child concludes.
Among the thousands of Witches and Hunter vessels plunging into the atmosphere, one stands out.
<We see a goddess there. One of the children of Kronos> the Maiden announces.
<Go after her, sisters. We will handle things here> the Child orders.
The New Horizon looms above the planet. The capital ship of the Artemis Hunters, it's got enough firepower to destroy a small moon. On the bridge, the main viewscreen shows the Child glowing with purple energy, targeted by every weapon the ship has.
<All weapons to maximum! This is the only shot we have!> the ship's second-in-command orders.
The Child smiles.
Her purple energy swarms inside the ship, hunting down each and every person inside. Their blood evaporates instantly, leaving behind only desiccated corpses. The males are the lucky ones, since they're left there to mercifully die. The females are reborn as dead emaciated bodies animated by Hekate's power. They are her latest Witches.
Finally, the ship explodes with the power of a thousand nuclear weapons. Even in the coldness of space, the Child's laughter is chilling.
The outskirts of Null City
Noriko wipes the dust off her leather jacket of a horrible shade of green. Kari does the same with the dust stuck on Noriko's hair; she's now wearing the duplicating skintight armor she stole.
-You know, just once I'd like to have a safe landing – Noriko notes.
Vesta is putting out the fire around the wreckage of their ship, looking worried at the sky filled with Witches and spaceships fighting each other.
<Poor planet. I don't think we'll be able to save everyone this time.>
Kari places a hand on her shoulder to console her, while Noriko adjusts her N-Watch.
<You forget you're with me. Activating Anti-Oracle Defense Grid...now.>
An invisible energy sweeps the planet. Designed to nullify the telekinetic abilities of Demeter's minions, the Anti-Oracle Devices interfere with the Oracle's ability to use their powers.
Demeter's Oracles simply revert back to humans. But the Witches are corpses reanimated by Hakete's power: without it, they can't even prevent their own flesh from falling apart.
Once the Grid is activated, dead bodies start to fall all over Myridia.
<It's raining Witches!> Kari exclaims with a mix of excitement and disgust.
<There's more coming> Torn adds, pointing at something approaching their location at high speed.
<You're on> Noriko says to Vesta.
The Maiden and the Crone land. Even at a distance, their purple energy is sickening.
<What are you doing here, Hestia? This planet is ours> the Maiden says.
<The name's Vesta now. And this planet doesn't want to have a goddess anymore.>
<We don't care about the planet. We only want the Drylon device inside it> the Crone explains.
<So that you can try to duplicate yourself again?> Noriko asks.
Her friends look at her; it's clear they don't know what she's talking about.
<Think about it: one goddess, multiple bodies. Except we know Drylon technology doesn't work on gods. You tried to use it, but something went wrong and you're stuck like this. Am I getting close?>
<Don't address the Triple Goddess unless spoken to, mortal> the Maiden says, pointing her finger at Noriko. She's ready to incinerate her, but Vesta grabs her hand.
<I don't want to fight you, Hekate. Go back to whatever dark corner of the galaxy you're from.>
<You presume to give orders to the Triple Goddess? Daughter of the Titans of Necromancy and Destruction?> the two Hekate asks simultaneously, their bodies engulfed in the fiery purple energy.
Vesta's body catches fire; the ground beneath her is vitrified thanks to the extreme heat.
<I am the Firstborn of Kronos, Lord of the Titans, the Devourer of Gods. My title outranks yours.>
Even Noriko takes a step back. She knows Vesta is bluffing, but it's still a scary sight. Vesta wasn't able to overpower Demeter, but Hekate is hesitating; she hasn't met Vesta for so long, it's possible she really has become as powerful as her father.
None of this matters, however, since the Twin Dragon chooses this moment to fire the God Eraser.
For Vesta, it's like having a billion needles stuck under her skin while someone pours acid into her brain. The God Eraser creates interference within a god's mind, making it impossible for them to use their powers. As Demeter proved, intense exposure can even kill them.
Hekate screams. The Maiden and the Crone phase in and out, their image flickering like a bad TV signal. Not only they're not used to pain...something common among the gods...but they share the same mind, meaning the damage is greatly amplified.
Noriko, Kari and Torn are completely unaffected. All they hear is a deep humming sound.
<Hang in there, Vesta, we got this> Noriko reassures her. The N-Watch creates a tridimensional hologram of the Twin Dragon, showing the blueprints and highlighting the location of the engine.
<Are you sure you can do this? You only get one shot> she says to Torn.
<I know> he answers, creating a bow and an arrow of red energy.
Noriko can't help but wonder how he's able to do this. He can't be a god because he's not affected by the God Eraser. Presumably he's not a demigod for the same reason. Can his powers come from Drylon technology? He's earned his privacy, but she can't help but wonder.
He fires the arrow, which flies right through the ship's hull and walls. Something inside the Twin Dragon explodes, and the ship starts to rapidly lose altitude.
No longer under the influence of the God Eraser, Vesta wants to fly under the ship to prevent it from crushing the city. Before she can do it, however, something unexpected happens.
Someone else catches the ship. Someone with large, white angel wings.
<Nike!? What's she doing here!?> Vesta wonders, catching her breath.
The Crone and the Maiden are returning to full power as well. And it's clear from the madness in their eyes that they have all the intention to kill Vesta.
<You will pay for this insolence, spawn of Kronos!> the Maiden threatens her.
Before they can do anything, lightning strikes the ground between them. When it's over there is someone else in front of them: a woman in full Ancient Greek armor, wielding a shield and a spear.
<Ladies. Let's keep things civilized, okay?> she asks.
<Athena!!!> Noriko recognizes her.
<Hi kid. You look thin; have you been eating enough?>
The Crone jumps at Athena, filled with rage and deadly purple energy, ready to kill.
<THE TRIPLE GODDESS WILL NOT>
Athena stabs the Crone in the heart, and one of the aspects of Hekate falls to the ground with a spear in her chest.
<The Triple Goddess will shut up> Athena says.
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