Chapter 12 Antony

"Impossible!" Sal yelled as he shot to his feet, the reverence and fear he'd felt minutes ago was gone and replaced with a rage that burned in his heart, the same rage he'd felt when Peter had told him the truth, about him and about the gods. "You're lying!"

"Salome cool your temper" cautioned Bloom.

"If you were wise you would listen to the Fey girl, they are the most reasonable of all you Shaded beings" Neptune said. "Do not forget that you are in my realm, seeking my permission, to take my son on a hunt that you most likely will not survive, do not test me Phantom, I've killed your kind before, I can do it again"

Sal took a seething breath, but he didn't kneel back down, he glared at Neptune, and for the first time he felt his eyes burn.

He saw Antony gulp but Neptune just smiled and continued speaking.

"Your mother was indeed one of the most beautiful mortals I've ever seen" He sounded....proud, impressed even, and he kept his eyes on Sal, as if making sure the weight of each word pressed down on him. "her legacy as a Nightshade was evident in every thing she did, her skills, her dedication, her innate affinity for magic, everything was perfection"

"I was attracted to such perfection, it is rare to see in mortals you know, that splash of godliness. I offered my friendship to her and she accepted of her own free will, oh the things we talked about, the laughs we shared, she was one of a kind, your mother" he said, his tone changed to one of disappointment, like a father whose expectations were crumbled by their child's own dreams, "that is, until she inevitably fucked up"

Sal clenched his jaws and dug his nails harder into the palm of his hand, but his gaze never strayed from Neptune's.

"She just had to defy us, her and her husband Logan, who I must say shared some of that godliness with her, but they were just too human, had too much emotion" he said the world like it was a distasteful thing, like it was poison. "Now, emotions can be your strength or your weakness, but you are the one who decides what to make of it, and they decided wrong, they helped Lucifer, let him run free, and as a result had lost not one, but two children"

Neptune laughed, the sound filled with mockery and contempt, as if the tragedy Sal's parents had faced was some sort of amusement, a story told to make audiences laugh and chortle. For the first time since Sal got here he saw Antony look at his father with disgust, it was clear he'd been told the story before, it was clear he'd seen nothing to laugh about.

"I hadn't been surprised when she came to me one night wallowing about her problems" Neptune said, in-between laughs. "Her misery was priceless, her sadness leaking out of her eyes in rivers of tears, I had tried my best to comfort her, to "be there" and then one thing led to another and well….you can guess the rest"

Neptune smiled dreamily and Sal felt his mark burn and his eyes blur as the tears welled up, but he did not cry. Just as Boulder had taught him to, he inhaled deeply, deciding in that moment that he hated the gods, forever and ever he would hate them.

"Father, that is enough" Antony said.

Neptune looked to his son.

"But I'm not done Antony, now please hold your tongue" Neptune said, his voice like the beginnings of a thunderstorm.

For a second Antony looked like he might protest, but he backed away, not taking his eyes off Neptune as he did.

"Excellent" Neptune said.

He turned to Sal and walked forward, Sal was shaking with anger, his fingers pressed so deep into his palms he could feel them leaving indentations in his skin.

Neptune reached Sal and they were so close Sal could smell salt and water and electricity as the god spoke.

"Your mother was a warrior but she had emotion, she had a heart, and unfortunately she gave that trait to Antony, he has this thick sense of duty and responsibility, it's sickening at times but no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to make it go away, Fate has written his destiny and so there is nothing I can do, therefore before he can go on this hunt you all will need to prove yourselves"

"Just give us the fucking test" Sal said, though his voice was shaky.

Neptune smiled and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly all the statues around the temple moved and began to break apart, fissures rippled across their faces and flesh erupted from the stone as though it was nothing but a shell, what broke out were warriors, male and female, adorned in Roman armor and wielding spears of shining iron.

Casmir and Bloom shot up from their kneeling positions, Katarina already had three arrows in her bow, nocked and ready to fire.

"Father, please, just let me go" Antony pleaded.

Neptune ignored him, his eyes trained only on Sal.

"Prove to me that you can fight for yourselves, prove to me that you are worthy to have my son, a demi god, fight alongside you, prove that you are not weak"

Sal reached behind him and wrapped his fingers around Kyrona, the silver sword hummed as it was released from it's sheath, the blade glimmering and reflecting the lights above him, he looked at Neptune and for the first time felt the god's emotions, the uncertainty, as if he was somehow suddenly wary of Sal.

"I'll show you what it means to be a Nightshade" Sal said.

Then the warriors charged.

***

Casmir lunged himself at the nearest warrior, his daggers were in his hands in an instant, the earlier burst of pure vampire instincts taking over his entire body, he felt his fangs sprout out and his nails sharpen as he threw his daggers in quick succession willing them to strike his opponent in the chest, the warrior fell to the floor with a thud then reformed as a statue not far away, immediately Casmir lunged at his next victim.

He'd been in battles before, had nearly died in many of them, this was nothing new.

He moved with inhuman speed, as the nearly blinding blur of battle took over him, he stabbed and sliced with his daggers, kicked with his legs and feeling bone crunch under the power of his feet, sending the animated warriors down with deadly accuracy.

As if from a distance he could hear the twang of Katarina's bowstring as she sent arrows flying and the thwack of each one as they pierced their target's skin.

He pushed another warrior to the floor, slitting their throat even as they reached the ground, he caught a blur of silver at the edge of his vision and turned hoping it was Sal.

It was Bloom, a razored whip in her hand shining with glyphs as she struck a warrior with such force that their head went rolling on the floor.

Casmir's senses tingled and he moved as a spear stabbed down at him, missing him by inches, he threw a dagger and it stabbed the warrior's legs, moving like lightning he leapt up and grabbed the warrior's head. He tore it out, relishing in the sound of bones and skin ripping under his hands, there was no blood which disappointed Casmir, but there was no time to be disappointed, he needed to focus.

He used the body as a base and leapt to the next warrior who was about to lunge a spear at Katarina.

Sal got there first, so fast that Casmir only saw a blur of purple and silver, and a pair of angry blue eyes, then the body of the warrior split down in the middle, falling to the floor in two equal parts and then vanishing.

Stunned and still in the air he twisted his body and saw as a spear sang inches above his head, he landed on the floor and sprang, pulling a dagger from it's sheath at his belt and plunging it hilt deep into his attackers chest.

One by one the warriors fell, arrows continued to whistle in the air, whips continued to strike through bodies, purple and silver blurs continued to tear warriors in half, whether vertically or horizontally, and Casmir moved like an animal, alternating between dagger, teeth and his bare hands until out of more than a hundred warriors, there was none left.

Sal turned to Neptune, his hair had come undone at some point during the fight and now fell disheveled over his face, some strands pasted to his skin with water and sweat, Kyrona shone in his hand and his eyes and pendant burned bright blue.

"You happy?" Sal said, his voice cold with hate, Casmir had never heard such hate in anyone before and he remembered Titania's words as if she was right there with them.

I fear for whoever stands in his way, they will know what evil truly is.

"Not yet Salome, not yet" Neptune said.

He winked and the air began to shimmer as droplets of water condensed into four humanoid beings. They were not like the warriors that emerged from stone, they wore no armor, only trousers that shimmered with chainmail, they wielded tridents of gold instead of spears, and from their pointed ears to their slitted eyes Casmir knew they weren't mortal, they gave off a subtle energy, as if they weren't supposed to exist, at least not here, not now.

"Atlantians" whispered Bloom. "How is that possible, they have been extinct for years"

Neptune smiled.

"If I were you I'd be thinking of the most effective way to kill them" he said.

"Easy" Sal said. "Like this"

He charged with a burst of speed and struck down with his sword, one of the Atlantians leapt at him, their trident raised and ready to meet Sal's strike. When the two metals clashed they gave a loud clanging sound and Casmir saw the Atlantian strain and shift backward, followed by the slight smile on Sal's beautiful face.

As if that was their cue, the other Atlantians attacked and another battle began.

Cas was only half aware as an Atlantian charged him, the speed he'd been attacked with stunned him for a second before he remembered he was in battle, he quickly blocked the strike from the trident with his pair of daggers and was pushed back several feet as a result.

He landed in a crouch and immediately sprang like a cat, slicing instead of stabbing, making a cut erupt on the Atlantians torso as he did.

The Atlantian didn't seem phased and immediately attacked again.

Casmir moved again, this time turning to dodge the Atlantians strike, and sliced with precision, making another cut appear on the Atlantians torso.

He continued in that way, dodging and slicing, and as he did he could hear the clangs of metal on metal, the sound of Bloom's whip slicing the air, there was no sound of whistling arrows, but he could make out the sound of an oak bow desperately striking against a trident.

Suddenly, in what seemed to be a desperate effort, the Atlantian threw his trident at Casmir. He dodged to the side, the trident sailed inches away from his face and struck the wall behind him. Casmir felt his cheek sting, and when he raised his fingers to it, they came away wet with dark red blood.

Focus, he told himself.

He looked to his opponent and sized them up, the Atlantian was in a crouched position, their hand still outstretched and their slitted eyes glaring at Casmir. There were cuts everywhere, long and deep and spilling red blood.

Feeling confident Casmir sped forward and kicked the Atlantian in the chest, the combined power of vampire speed and strength sent the Atlantian crashing down to the floor, he moved before the Atlantian could get up and stood over them with a foot planted on their neck. He pressed down and saw the Atlantian strain under the force of his feet.

Casmir smiled and clutched his dagger tighter, ready to give the finishing blow.

The Atlantian raised one hand up, their mouth open as the other hand clawed at Casmir's feet.

"Are you trying to beg me?" Casmir said.

The Atlantian closed his fingers in a fist, and before Casmir could register what the Atlantian was doing it was too late. He heard metal whistling through air, too fast for even him to react, and felt the trident rend through his flesh and bone, stabbing through his back and shooting out in front of him.

Casmir, who had stabbed himself more times than he could count, did the only thing he had done every single time.

He swore.

***

Sal struck again at his Atlantian opponent, his sword quivering as their weapons made contact once more. He was surprised he'd made it this far, this was his first actual one on one fight, not to mention his opponent was near perfection. Yet he struck and struck again, the knowledge of swordfighting finding it's way to the front of his mind as he fought.

He parried another attack and struck with his legs, then twirled and responded with a backslash, he was in another world, a world of adrenaline and ultimate survival, he couldn't get distracted, if he did he was dead.

Then he heard Katarina scream.

Sal turned and saw Katarina, a dead Atlantian at her feet turning to water, there was a broken bow beside her and both her hands were on her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.

Sal traced her vision and saw Casmir standing, his head bent and looking at the trident punctured through his chest as if his body was a pin cushion, dark blood ran over his armor and pooled up slowly at his feet. His lips moved, the word "fuck" coming out in no breath at all. He looked up and his eyes met Sal's, then he smirked as if everything was alright, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell to the floor.

Sal felt his blood run cold.

"No" he whispered.

He was about to move when there was a sharp pain sending him to the ground with a thud, Kyrona flew out of his grasp and scraped the floor as it skidded to a stop. He landed hard, feeling his bones crack and then heal immediately after, he looked up to see the Atlantian standing above him, the sharpened butt of his trident raised and ready to pierce Sal's heart.

But all that went through Sal's mind was Casmir, he registered nothing else, not the butt of the trident as it came down on him, not it's piercing through his heart, not the pain shooting through his body like an electric shock and the world shuddering around him.

All that went through his head was this.

Casmir is dead.

***

Power, power was all that flowed through Melchior's veins, the chaos and destruction the sea could bring erupted across his vision, he saw electricity arching through the sky and lancing down towards the water, spreading across the ocean's surface in ribbons of energy.

Then everything was disrupted by a single cry.

Melchior's vision cleared, the power still hummed inside of him but it only made what he was seeing clearer, he saw Bloom first, her whip dancing across the air and striking her Atlantian with deadly accuracy, the weapon curled around the Atlantian's neck and with a jerk of her hand it snapped, the Atlantian fell, turning into water as they did.

Then he saw Katarina holding a broken bow in her hand, using it to fight desperately until she landed a blow with the sharp edge of her weapon, stabbing through the Atlantian's chest, and staring in astonishment as it fell and turned to water as well.

Everything seemed to be going fine until Katarina turned and screamed.

Melchior looked in the direction she faced and saw Casmir, an Atlantian at his feet, and a trident shooting out of his chest.

He smirked, that beautiful, playful smirk that made you want to smile with him, and then he fell to the floor on his side.

The Atlantian that was once at Casmir's feet stood, rubbing at their throat. They limped, the scars all over their body like strokes of red paint, then they placed a foot on Casmir back and pulled the trident out slowly. Casmir screamed, the sound was like glass shattering against the floor, and only stopped when the trident was out. He rolled to face upwards, the blood pooling faster, his dark hair frayed over the floor and his face as his silver eyes became more and more unfocused. The crystal light's above made the scene beautiful, enchanting, and horrible.

No.

Melchior shot from his cross-legged position at Neptune's feet and ran towards Casmir, he'd thought the god would do something to entrance him again, but there was nothing, only the power humming in his veins in response to his urgency.

The Atlantian raised their trident over their head, ready to stab through Casmir once again, ready to deal the finishing blow.

Melchior felt speed he'd never felt before, the power ran from his heart that suddenly ached terribly, to the rest of his body, into his hands and his legs. Before he knew it the Atlantian was right in front of him and Melchior wasted no time to grab them with his hands, and as he did the power shot out.

Melchior screamed as bright green bolts of electricity charged through the Atlantian, their body convulsed, and the trident fell to the floor with a clang as electricity raced through their body. There was a sizzling sound, and the smell of burning filled the air around him as the Atlantian turned to steam.

Melchior looked at his hands as the Atlantian disappeared, surprised by the power he felt, the burst of magical energy he'd experienced was unlike anything he'd known in his entire life.

"Mel?"

Melchior turned, and the incredible feeling melted away as soon as he laid his eyes on Casmir.

His hand lay across his stomach, his silver eyes staring up at the dome and reflecting the light emanating from the crystals, but they weren't focused, they seemed to be focusing on a light that Melchior was sure only Casmir could see.

Melchior knelt down beside Casmir, his hands shaking and unsure of what to do as dark red blood flowed out of Casmir like a slow fountain from the three puncture wounds the trident left in his chest.

"Don't" Casmir managed, his voice was bare of any melody now, barely any life, still he smiled. "You'll get your hands wet"

Katarina immediately appeared at Casmir's other side and fell hard to her knees, her dark blue hair and armour clinging to her skin with sweat and sea water, her eyes dark with fright.

"Don't worry Casmir, you'll be alright, you will heal" she said.

Casmir shook his head as though it was an effort, blood bubbled from his lips and trailed their way down the corner of his mouth.

"Through my heart, Kat", Casmir choked, "I won't heal"

"No" gasped Melchior.

He reached down, and somehow his hands found their way to Casmir's hair. He raked his fingers through it, feeling the silkiness that lay entailed in his dark locks.

"That feels nice" Casmir said, his silver eyes growing distant. "Sal, is Sal okay?" he asked.

Melchior looked behind him and saw Sal's body on the ground, the butt of a trident stuck through his heart, the Atlantian looking down at the body with no emotion before their slitted eyes focused on them.

"He might be" Melchior said, unable to form a lie even now.

"That's not a yes, Mel" Casmir said.

"Neither is it a no Casmir" Melchior said.

Casmir smiled again and he focused on Melchior, as if he was the only one that knelt at his side.

"Could you do me a favour then Melchior?" He coughed, blood came out of his mouth and over his lips. "Just this once?"

Melchior leaned in closer, a hand placed on Casmir's cheek.

"Speak to me of any desire Casmir and I will grant it"

Casmir smiled as his face began to crack, lines rippling over his body, his skin turning from pale to charcoal black.

"Tell Sal that I care for him, that I have fallen and I will continue to fall, could you do that for me?" Casmir said.

Tears fell as Melchior felt his heart break slowly and painfully. What a tragedy to know at the moment you lost someone that they were never yours to have in the first place.

Still he swallowed his despair in silence and nodded his head.

"I will Casmir, I will"

Casmir chuckled, the sound like the grating of a thousand shards of broken glass.

"Thank you" he said.

And then in Melchior's arms he closed his eyes and breathed his last, he broke apart into a million pieces and dissolved into a pile of ashes, leaving nothing behind but the ruby ring that had once been on his finger.