The Duel of the Gods
The journey of lust and exploration in Rome gave way to a bloodlust that even the most expensive wine or silk sheets could not satiate. Eron felt Ares' essence bubbling in his veins, a war venom that demanded the full feast. He didn't want just the crumbs of the relics; he wanted the heart of the God of War.
They tracked Ares' presence to an ancient fortress in Greece, a place where time seemed to have stood still while the rest of the world self-immolated in World War II.
The Pact of Blood and Pride
Ares' fortress rose above a cliff battered by the Aegean Sea. The sky was permanently crimson in that region, fed by the sacrifice of millions on the battlefields of Europe.
Before crossing the massive bronze gate, Diana stopped. She grabbed Eron's arm, and the strength of her fingers made his electricity crackle under the skin.
— Eron, stop — she said, her blue eyes shining with a determination he knew well. — I am the Princess of the Amazons. I was raised to face the evil that Ares represents. This fight... this vengeance... it is mine by birthright.
Eron let out a dark laugh, his eyes flashing with the bluish light of the stolen divinity.
— He is a God, Diana. You saw what I did to the mortals. Ares is not an infantry captain. He will try to shatter your soul.
— I am no mortal — she retorted, stepping so close he could feel the heat of battle emanating from her. — Promise me. Promise me you will not interfere. I want to face him alone. I want to prove that the daughters of Hippolyta do not need lightning to topple tyrants.
Eron watched her for a long time. He felt Ares' lust driving him to take the lead, to crush everything in his path. But he also saw the Queen he had chosen. He respected her bloodlust.
— Very well — Eron growled, his voice vibrating like distant thunder. — I will watch from above. But hear me well, my queen: the moment I see the light fading from your eyes, the moment he brings you to the brink of death... I will descend. And there will be nothing left of Ares to tell the story. Not even dust.
Diana nodded, a fierce smile crossing her lips. She unsheathed Athena's sword, the metal shining with a pure light against the bloody sky.
— He will not have that chance.
Diana kicked the bronze gates, which flew into the fortress as if they were made of paper. Inside, on a throne made of melted rifles and the skulls of fallen heroes, sat Ares. He did not wear classic Greek armor; he wore a gray military greatcoat, steeped in ash and blood, with a helm that concealed his face in black flames.
— The little Amazon and Zeus's bastard — Ares' voice was the sound of a thousand clashing swords. — Have you come to return what you stole?
Eron did not answer. He leaped to the top of a ruined column, crossing his arms. He stayed there, a living statue of electricity and arrogance, watching as Diana advanced.
The fight began like an explosion. Diana was a silver blur, attacking with a speed that defied human vision. Ares struck back with brute force, each blow of his axe cracking the fortress's marble floor.
Eron watched, his fingers throbbing with the urge to fire a bolt through Ares' skull. He saw Diana being thrown against the walls, saw the blood trickling from her brow, but he also saw the glory in her eyes. She was wounding a God. She was cutting through Ares' divine flesh, each strike tearing away a red smoke of his divinity.
Ares, furious at being challenged by a "woman of clay," roared and summoned the souls of all the soldiers killed in the war. Ghosts in tattered uniforms surrounded Diana, but she spun her lasso, obliterating them with the truth of her strength.
However, Ares was the Lord of War. He seized an opening and delivered a punch that shattered Diana's shield, sending her violently against the throne of bones. He walked toward her, raising his axe for the final blow.
— Where is your lover now, little princess? — Ares mocked.
From high above, Eron uncrossed his arms. The air around the fortress began to ionize. The smell of ozone became unbearable. If Ares took one more step, Eron would break his promise and turn that place into the epicenter of an electric apocalypse.