The hours passed by slowly as I intermittently attempted to overcome my aerial phobia. Whensoever I would endeavor a peek through an eyelid, I would inevitably tempt a furtive glance downward, the result of which was a sensation of vertigo so intense I could not help but crease them again tightly. Lilith, for her part, stayed mostly silent. Her warmth against my hands and back were all that allowed me to relax, if only minutely.

Surprisingly Lucifer was mute as well. Each attempt I made at contact was met with silence. I could still perceive his presence within me, so I assumed his silence was due to my unabated fear. I consoled myself that he likely wished for me to conquer it on my own.

In an effort to divert my attention, I recalled the memory of our first meeting. The sensation of the wind brushing past my face as I stood upon that slim bridge was softer then, not the hellacious gust I now felt. He had been harsh at that time, yes, but also kind. We were also under a precious time constraint, so the lack of a few niceties could be forgiven.

He had saved my life that day, and I his. If not for that Basilisk I would still be typing away at my desk forever doomed to slave for a faceless corporation; While he would still be stuck within that cramped cage, forever wallowing in his own filth.

*****

With effort I continued to distract myself with thoughts of the past, until finally the chariot seemed to stumble in the sky, lurching downward as the Pegasi flew us in for a rather unceremonious landing. Vomit burned in my throat as I held it back, swallowing the bile into the pits of a frustrated stomach as the gravitational force of our descent turned my gripping knuckles white.

"Easy there, big guy. We'll be getting off soon." Lilith cooed sarcastically as she tightened her grip on me, using her superior strength to hold us in place. The hard pebbled earth beneath jostling us dangerously as the chariot came to a slow halt.

Safely grounded at last, I pried my fingers free of the chariots ledge, wobbling awkwardly onto the dry cracked dirt beneath us.

"I'm never doing that again!" I shouted to the party as my knees gave way and I let myself fall face first into the earth. The sweet sensation of stillness turned the edges of my lips upward into a full and unapologetic smile. The echo's of laughter rang out behind me as Theseus and Asterion chuckled amongst themselves.

"Get your lazy ass up, don't forget that we have a vengeful god of the hunt hot on our heels." Lilith teased as she kicked into the side of my hip, blossoming new pain within and staunching my growing relaxation. Groaning through the discomfort I rolled over and stared up into the sky, its pristine blue hue greeting me through squinted eyes.

The scent of ocean salt flittered into my nostrils then, and I realized we must be near the beach. Jumping to my feet I strode to the nearest ledge, but found only trees and shrubbery in every direction.

"Are we near the ocean?" I asked, turning to Theseus and Asterion. They each nodded. Theseus's lips parted to reply, but was cut short by Athena.

"Yes, we are within the outskirts of my city, Athens. A hand maiden of mine prepared a portal here several days ago. As the demon said, you must go with haste. Before Artemis arrives with her hunting party in tow. I'm afraid my chariot was not quite so nimble as I had hoped.... They are close." Her words were rushed, and bristled with a sense of urgency that bled into each of us.

My heart rate pulsed rapidly, returning to its heightened state from before. I turned back to Athena, the ocean long forgotten. I watched her closely as she wordlessly wandered into the dense thicket of woods that surrounded us, her gaze focused as she diligently searched for something. With mere flicks of her wrist she parted several trees using her magic like a machete cutting through a jungle.

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Moment after unpleasant moment passed as we followed her far from the trail we had landed until she found whatever indication she sought. With a sigh of relief she gestured to what appeared to be an engraving of an owl on the bark of a single solitary tree surrounded by soft green bushes.

"Good, it appears she had no issues with the engraving, nor the spell.... We must move quickly, I fear we have run out of time..." Athena spread her fingers wide over the bark, whispering some foreign incantation I could not comprehend; the fruits of her labors were easy enough to understand though, as a swirling blue portal spun into life under her palm.

"Quickly now, into the portal." She offered a weak smile as she gesture for us to be on our way.

"I'll go first, this might still be a trap and Yarhibol is on the other side..." Lilith mumbled with a glare upon Athena's porcelain face.

"If you must." Athena replied with dead grin, shifting herself away to give her the space to enter.

Lilith walked into the portal with a proud strut, her dagger resting defensively in her palm as she stepped through, her blonde locks the last thing to dematerialize as she vanished before us.

Asterion moved before the goddess and bowed deeply again, his unspoken appreciation apparent for anyone present. She nodded in reply and beckoned him through, to which he promptly followed.

"You go first, Desmond. I have something I would like to say to Athena in private, if you don't mind. I won't be long." Theseus put on a brave smile, but I knew that internally he was likely toiling with a depression that I only partially understood. When this was all over, at least I could comfort myself with thoughts of returning home... He could not.

I stepped forward and reached for the portal, my palms leaked openly with a nervous sweat as I drug them across the fine fabrics Athena had gifted me. The sensation of hairs standing on end came seconds too late as I felt a jolt of pain cripple my left leg. A sweeping sensation took me as I fell flat on my face, dust and dirt lodging itself in my eyes. Now left blind to the scuffling going on around me, a sharp yank pulled at my left leg me towards something -or more likely- someone.

"Damn it!" Theseus shouted aloud as I heard steel leave scabbard. A feminine war cry shrieked into the air that I assumed to be Athena's. I was left with no way to unblind myself as I scratched frantically at the earth, pieces of dust and rock cutting under my fingernails as I continued doing everything to stop the dragging of my body toward what I assumed had to be Artemis.

"Desmond, roll to your right, now!" Lucifer commanded. Instinctually I followed his instruction, barrel rolling over to my right, pain shot through my left ankle at the effort, telling me that I had likely been stabbed with something. I jerked to a halt as a tree trunk slammed into my legs, to which I promptly threw my arms around with.

"Desmond!" Theseus shouted over the sound of steel against steel. "Hold on tight, I'm coming!"

"Are you just going to let him come get you? Or are you going to get up and save yourself for once?" Lucifer's tone was cold- Icey even.

Clenching my jaw with frustration, I sought the now all too familiar sensation of divinity. As Lucifer willingly fed his strength into me, my body tensed with raw power. With my abilities enhanced, I afforded myself the opportunity to wipe the debris from my eyes. Blurred trees met my gaze as I quickly inspected the source of my pain.

A single wooden arrow with a golden tip lodged itself through my leg just above the ankle. A golden thread hooped through its end lay taught and tight as it vanished into the trees behind me. Whoever it was was pulling, or more accurately- reeling me in- hard.

"I'm getting real sick of the color gold..." I growled with anger as I snapped the arrow in two.

"You and me both, my friend." Lucifer echoed, his frustration was evident as I stood, partially hobbled but dulled to the sense of pain. I prepared myself to follow the wire as it quickly retreated from where I stood, its target now free and its tension laxed, but Lucifer coached me otherwise. "Do not lose yourself in the heat of battle Desmond. We are not here to fight, we are here to flee!"

Chiding myself, I spun and ran for the direction I heard Theseus fighting. 'When was I going to get better at all this combat nonsense...'

"Theseus! I'm okay, just get to the portal! I'm right behind you!" I shouted for him, searching the dense thicket of trees for any indication of his presence. Unbeknownst to me a thick fog had begun to roll in, and the sounds of fighting seemed to echo as if we were on a battlefield of war.

"What the heck is going on here?" I shouted as I lost my orientation. "Lucifer, where was the portal?"

"I'm afraid I too am not sure... This fog is unnatural, Desmond. On guard. Let them come to you." I nodded in response to Lucifer's guidance. Unsheathing Argos, I held it fast at the ready.

"Yes, that's it. Do not play into their hands." Lucifer instructed. His attention was focused as well, likely peering through all three monitors for any inclination of our attackers. In light of that fact, I purposely left my back exposed, searching only the area in front of me, trusting Lucifer to command me when the time came.

Fortunately, I did not have to wait long.