Dark Maidens of Despair

"Goddess Quetzalcoatl!"

The roars and cheers filled the amphitheatre; green and red flowers were thrown from the stands towards Quetzalcoatl.

"Quetzalcoatl!"

"Quetzalcoatl"

"Quetzalcoatl!"

They chanted, their voices disoriented, and then everything clicked into place, syncing and ringing in unison. The combined divine voices of the gods were raucous, trembling the very sky.

Quetzalcoatl spread her hands and took in all of the applause. Flowers of green and red descended on her, adorning her ethereality. She excitedly tapped her feet on the ground. Her mouth curved into a confident smile.

Strung!

A haunting note pierced the raucous atmosphere, shattering it into shards of terror and fear.

Quetzalcoatl lost her smile. The Gods and Goddesses had their hands over their ears, and their dazed eyes flashed with their darkest of memories, their truest of fears.

A melody, a haunting melody, crashed into the amphitheatre like a stirring black tsunami, dimming the entire world. The indifferent and cold claws of darkness extinguished, one by one, the millions of stars in the night sky with a nightmarish scream.

In the boxes of the amphitheatre, Amaterasu crosses her legs, looking at the extinguished night with her raised brows. Zeus' gaze was fixed on the arena's other entrance, while Hera furrowed her brows in concern. Hela gazed at the dark sky in silence while her hand supported the bleak Brunhilde. Indra, as always, looked indifferent and detached. But they all had one thing in common: they were completely unaffected by the melody, unlike the other gods and goddesses.

Athena roared, holding a blazing sun emblem, unaffected by the darkening world.

"Everyone knows of this God! His bow and spear spark fear even in the hearts of the bravest!"

Her unwavering voice rang out with the melody, like the only light in the darkness, the only hope in the despair, jolting the Gods and Goddesses out of their despondent trance.

The haunting melody changed. The Nine Muses descended on this darkening world, dressed in dark gowns and wearing a black veil over their faces. And they raised their instruments, which were raven as their attire. Shadows swirled around them, as wailing and despairing faces morphed on it. It all coalesced into a swirling, shadowy abyss.

With wide eyes, the Gods and Goddesses gazed at the Nine Muses. Horror, an emotion that was felt by all of them. In their eyes, the Muses were no longer gentle and lovely women, but Dark Maidens of Despair, who had descended on the world just to extinguish the hope and light brought forth by Athena.

The Dark Maidens tuned their instruments, and the entire world seemed to frolic to their tune, dancing to their whim.

Hidden behind the beautiful and haunting music was a sharp and sonorous breath. It scraped and hummed like an unsheathed blade, gradually revealing its murderous intent.

The Dark Maidens strummed their godless hands across the strings. And the dark blades of despair erupted, darting for hope and light from Athena.

Athena continued her declaration, unconcerned about the Dark Maidens.

"His titles and names are numerous, so much so that many may lose their confidence in uttering them!"

Her every word seemed to carry an unseen but scary power. It lifted the light, making it shine brighter and brighter. The dark blades of despair were immediately shaded by pallets of light, melting away in burning hope.

"He is the light, the hope, and the order. The Olympian's Mightiest, the Eternal Blazing Sun, himself!"

The light burst forth in blinding brilliance, illuminating the entire planet. The Dark Maidens of Despair shivered in agony, their raven figures aglow in white flames of hope. They shattered into light particles with a roar, carrying the darkness and despair with them to their graves. And the night sky mended itself in light. Extinguished stars remerged one by one, glimmering and shimmering brighter than ever.

A divine figure materialised in the light. He was dressed in white chiton, with a golden bow on his back. His brown hair ruffled and his golden eyes surged.

His lips rose to form a gentle smile, which seemed to light up the world ever more.

"Phoebus Apollo!"

At last, Apollo descended on the arena lightly, and the Gods and Goddesses erupted with roars, while discreetly breathing a sigh of relief. Their cheers were louder than it was for Quetzalcoatl.

"Phoebus Apollo!"

In front of the amphitheatre, there was a silver stand on which Artemis hunters held a large banner with his name boldly written in gold. They chanted his name vociferously, while Artemis hurled a bouquet of white flowers—daffodils, Apollo's divine flower—at him.

"Phoebus Apollo!"

The adulation grew louder and louder, like a tsunami, quivering the Amphitheatre in excitement and fervour.

In the middle box of the amphitheatre, Death had her eyes closed, humming the dark melody that was played by the muses.

"This symphony.." Dream whispered. "It is incomplete."

"Yes." Death nodded, humming the melody. "It is missing Apollo. The Muses were supposed to be despair and darkness. Apollo was supposed to be a symbol of light and hope. They would have balanced each other. It should be a symphony of tranquillity."

"However, Apollo took a different approach, one that more than made up for his absence from the symphony."

"Our sister would have loved it." Dream spoke with his chin in his palm.

"Wouldn't she?" Death added, sighing in memories of the past.

The arena quieted down. The Gods and Goddesses reclined in their seats, making themselves as comfortable as possible to witness the battle of the gods. Their curious and inquisitive eyes were fixed on Apollo and Quetzalcoatl.

"Go and place all the bets on Apollo." Aphrodite said to Ares, as they sat in the reserved seats for the Olympian Pantheon underneath the honour boxes.

Ares grunted, his hands clenched on the seat railing. "If you want to, go ahead and do it yourself."

"Oh…" Aphrodite smiled, saying sweetly. "In bed, your manhood wasn't as fickle. Ares, what happened now?"

"Say one more word, Aphrodite..." Ares raged, and many people's gazes were drawn to them.

"Apollo will triumph." Aphrodite boldly interpreted.

Ares suppressed his rage as he noticed his father's lightning glare on him. Then he turned and tightly gripped her hand. "Keep that bastard's name off your tongue."

Aphrodite calmly retracted her hand from his grasp, then looked silently at Ares, who shivered ever so slightly in his seat. Then, she stood up from her seat and walked out without saying anything else.

"Where are you going?" Ares inquired. However, there was no response. Then, he said, looking back. "Where are you going, woman?!"

However, Aphrodite was gone. And Ares drew his gaze to her empty seat, staring at it deeply, as if questioning his previous words.

In the arena, Quetzalcoatl eyed Apollo up and down. She didn't appear to be affected by the symphony; her feet were still pounding on the ground with the same fervour and excitement.

"Hey!" She called for Apollo, who was waving his hand at hunters with a broad smile. "Little brother!"

Going with the flow, Apollo turned his attention to her. "Yes, big sister."

Quetzalcoatl said, rubbing her chin with her hands. "Are you certain you're a God of Light?"

Apollo didn't appear to be offended, saying lightly. "As certain as Death."

Unconvinced, Quetzalcoatl said. "Is it? I sense darkness, much darkness within you. Even more than light."

At that, whispers and murmurs erupted throughout the amphitheatre. Piercing eyes were cast on Apollo, observing every detail.

Quetzalcoatl appeared genuinely worried. "Are you certain you're alright, little brother?"

Apollo said. "We are here for a battle. However, if you still want to talk after your loss, I am all ears."

"A haughty brother, I see." Quetzalcoatl said, her hands raised in the air. A golden sword and shield engraved with murals appeared in her hands.

She waved her sword, spitting the air. "Well, it's no problem."

"Let the elder sister knock some sense into you, huh?"

Apollo smiled, shaking his head. Then, he looked to his side and gave a nod.

Athena appeared in the middle of them, holding an inverse scale that exuded strictness and authority.

She stated. "You can use whatever you want; any weapon and method is allowed. All but one rule in this battle: there can be no Death."

Athena raised the inverse scale high in the air. "Vow under the Ancient Order. And if it is broken, the offender will face a fate worse than Death."

""I vow."" In unison, Quetzalcoatl and Apollo declared.

Click!

An order was imposed. Then Athena continued, looking at both of them. "You can now place your bets on the sun."

Apollo bet boldly, holding his golden bow. "I bet 50% of my control of the sun."

The amphitheatre was filled with gasps of surprise and disbelief. After all, Apollo's control over the sun is only eclipsed by the strongest of sun deities.

"I place 60% of my control over the sun, my little brother," Quetzalcoatl grinned, emphasising each word.

That was met with silence. The Gods and Goddesses finally realised the importance of battle. Whoever wins this battle will ascend to the ranks of Amaterasu and Ra, the Supreme Sun Gods. This was truly an epochal battle.

The inverse scale in the hands of Athena, emitting shimmering golden light, illuminating the figures of Apollo and Quetzalcoatl.

She declared. "Your bets on the sun were recognised by the Ancient Order. It will alter the "distance," "durability," and "space" in the arena, enlarging it to the size of the Earth's surface and fortifying it to withstand even a supernova. So you can use all your power without worrying about destroying the planet."

A dark-golden pillar of light crashed into the arena, enlarging the ground to the size of the earth's surface and hardening everything to the point where the arena could even withstand a supernova.

Then, Athena held her head high and boomed mightily. "The time has finally come."

"The battle for the Unconquerable Sun begins!"

She disappeared immediately. The amphitheatre then fell silent. Gods and Goddesses held their breath. Their eyes were wide and unblinking, for they didn't want to miss a single detail.

A terrifying divine aura erupted from Apollo and Quetzalcoatl colliding and clashing in a battle of dominance. The heat in the air rose dramatically, almost reaching the surface temperature of the sun.

In the sweltering heat, Apollo readied his bow and drew the string. Light burst forth, transforming into an arrow that nocked itself into the bow.

Another smile parted Quetzalcoatl's lips as she lowered her sword. Not a single crack on the beautiful blade. There are no bloodstains either. A gorgeous and innocent sword, but with a sharp enough edge to make everyone's hair stand on end.

Then, she kicked her feet on the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the sky. In one swift motion, she began to close the distance between her and Apollo.

Apollo narrowed his golden eyes. Then, he also kicked the ground with terrifying force.

A crack of unprecedented size broke through the arena, which was now the size of the earth. And Quetzalcoatl jumped into the air, avoiding the crack, and charged through it with such grace that it appeared as if the air was nothing but her playground.

ROAR!

However, as she approached Apollo, the entire cracked ground roared like an ancient beast. A portion of it arose into the air, almost the size of Europa, as if held in place by an invisible hand of Apollo, obstructing her path.

Then, Apollo hurled the continent at Quetzalcoatl.

Quetzalcoatl calmly raised her sword and swung it down, facing the crashing continent.

And the air itself moved at her command. The soft and gentle air abruptly became as sharp as Quetzalcoatl's sword, morphing into millions of wind blades slashing at the continent, together.

The continent crumpled under the wind's assault, falling into the arena and pouring it with smoke, dust, and debris.

Through it all, Quetzalcoatl shot forth, leaving a trail of golden light, her senses as sharp as ever, knowing that Apollo's attack was imminent.

She waved her hand. And then the air exploded, clearing the smoke and dust, unveiling the arena. And Apollo didn't disappoint her in the least.

Millions of light arrows, each the size of a mountain, whizzed through the air.

It was all aimed at her!