With a swift and steady hand Anahit successfully brought out her hunting knife Tir had gifted her to Orion’s throat. She was unsuccessful though. Orion was swifter, swifter than what he had been in the past and grabbed her wrist before she could successfully slit his throat.

A surge of pain shot through the goddess. Going back to her lessons with Moros she took her free hand, punching fiercely into his stomach, causing Orion to release her hand. Spinning the knife between her fingers she side stepped behind him, kicking hard against his back. The force of the kick caused Orion to fly face forward into the ground.

The victory for Anahit was short-lived though due to Orion’s quick feet. One side-sweep with his left foot knocked the goddess off her feet. The two laid on the ground, limbs twisted and arms and legs flailing. Anahit was receiving hits as much as she was giving them, causing her head to spin. Feeling a heightened vulnerability from the proximity she twisted her body out of Orion’s grasp, putting space between them.

“Are you sure you don’t want any assistance your highness?” Aries asked. Although it had an edge of humor to it his face said otherwise. Truth-be-told he could tell something was wrong with the way Orion was fighting.

“NO!” Anahit yelled out.

A loud crash alarmed all three of them, momentarily stopping the brawl between Anahit and Orion.

“What the Hades was that?!”

As Anahit looked in Orion’s direction, she could see a slimy grin forming.

The woman from the brothel, who checked them in was standing where a wall had once been. Piles of rubble fell around her. As Anahit’s eyes scanned the woman, she noticed her bloodied fist. How could she have been able to destroy an entire cinder block wall? Anahit thought. Then the answer came to her as quickly as the question did. Ah, she’s not human.

Just as she thought this the ‘woman’ before her transformed. Her entire body became gelatinous, caving in into a horribly blackened puddle. What arose was a fierce creature, its limbs popping and twisting as it did. Eyes bulged and blood shot, hair twisted into knots and blackened, as if burned off. The hands of the beast elongated in an unnatural manner while fangs emerged from its mouth. Large ink black wings, torn and wounded, protruded out of its now visible spine. It was hunched over, breathing heavily, looking straight at Aries.

An Empusa. Anahit had not seen one for centuries. It was known for first appearing as a young, beautiful woman before turning into a horridly wicked beast. Luring innocent people and feeding off their flesh was its specialty; and it seemed to have settled on its next victim.

Anahit’s gaze on the beast was broken by the surging pain of an arrow piercing her lower thigh. Orion was crouched down, ready to send another arrow flying in her direction. As Anahit pushed her body forward into a summersault to evade another arrow, she skimmed the injury. A rush of pain surged again, almost causing her to fall over. A drip of sweat formed on her forehead while her shaking hand glided over her thigh. Rich, gold blood was dripping from the wound, mixing with an ink black liquid. Poison… Anahit thought.

“I wouldn’t try moving much if I were you. That stuff is pretty potent.”

A crash came from behind Anahit before she could make a snippy retort. Aries was now in an all-out brawl with the creature, keeping its sharp fangs from his flesh through his unmet strength.

Another surge of pain kept Anahit kneeling. Seeing their fight turning for the worst she brought her hands together, as if in a prayer.

“No prayer can save you now. That poison is cursed, taken from the darkest of souls. It’s only a matter of time before you succumb to the poison coursing through your veins.”

Anahit knew not how to stop the poison from taking her but she did know off a way to keep her distance from Orion. During their time in the qanats Anahit had felt it—the water. Although it was old the lasting springs were still there deep within the earth. She was desperate.

The ground vibrated as Orion said this. His face darkened as he scanned their surroundings. The rubble that had fallen earlier by the empusa’s grand entrance now shook, the walls trembling. Distant shouts could be heard while rushing steps neared them. It was Orion’s men.

“And the Earth drowned in crashing waves… and then it was still.” Anahit whispered, a smile creeping across her face.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Although the comment was faint Orion still heard it. His face paled. “Clear the passageways!!” He roared. It was too late, for Orion’s estate was flooded in an instant. His men were swept away by murky water. As he attempted to lung forward at Anahit a torrent of water trapped him in a watery embrace.

Anahit watched as Orion splutter and gasped for air. He struggled against the fierce waters that engulfed him. She rode the wave, allowing the water to carry her safely. She heard thrashing next to her and noticed the empusa was still latching onto Aries. “Are you alright there?!” She yelled to him.

“Quite fine! I can handle it!”

The waves took the war gods to the front of the estate, opening to a nice garden path. As the water settled Anahit looked around her, seeing Orion kneel a couple yards away, coughing up water. The empusa was thrashing fiercely, Aries between its fangs. Just as she was about to pull out another arrow another sharp pain came from her leg. It was distinctly sorer than before, and it seemed to be worsening. She felt lightheaded and clutched on the leg, attempting to tear out whatever was infecting her. Due to her god-like ability to heal, the effects of the poison were slow, but gradual. Her fingertips were covered in her blood. Shock filled her. My blood, its blackened! Sure enough, her gold blood had specks of black particles mixed in it. Whatever this poison is, I need to stop it from spreading, and quickly.

“HAHAHAHA look at you. It’ll be complete any time now!” Orion said, his eyes fixated on Anahit with a maddened expression. “How easy the goddess Anahit fell! The tales and stories won’t speak of you as a great and grand being anymore. You’ll now only be spoken of as the weak slave of me, ORION!!”

“He’s gone insane!” Aries yelled out, his hands holding back the empusa’s gnashing teeth. His hand was snagged into the beasts mouth. It let out a low growl and threw the god of war as if he was a sack of potatoes. The throw was so great that Aries landed on the top of the estate. Due to his large frame and the strength of the throw Aries landed hard into the building, leaving a massive hole and a pile of rubble in his wake.

Before Anahit could draw the attention of the creature to her it quickly ran after Aries, licking its lips in anticipation. Her eyes fixated again on Orion, who lurked near her, arrow in hand.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to plunge an arrow into your heart.” He lunged forward gripping the arrow. “It’s too boring to shoot you. I’d rather feel it as it pierces your skin; tearing through your flesh.”

Anahit evaded the strike. She kept her distance by doing a somersault. A grunt escaped her lips. Moving was becoming difficult. She hated the idea of it but she had to use her arrows again. Strike Orion, she willed. Arrows shot up around her and whirled toward Orion, digging into his skin. Orion let a sigh escape, pleasing Anahit to know she had hurt him.

He broke off the arrows and lunged again, grabbing her wrist. Her reflexes were quick, and she broke off the grasp, tripping up Orion as she did so.

The two were engrossed in a duel, too distracted to notice the light from the moon dim slightly. Anahit stumbled backward, now feeling as if she was traversing through quick sand. Her leg felt stiff. She could barely move it now.

Orion’s arrow plunged into her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain. Seizing his opportunity he slammed the goddess down, pinning her to the ground with another arrow.

“Are you feeling sluggish Anahit? It’s not like you to get distracted like that---”

Orion’s taunts here promptly silenced by the loud buzzing which filled the air. The sun was completely covered, shrouding the two in darkness. Blood-curdling screams stirred Anahit. She whirled her head towards the sound but only saw darkness. Screams rose and fell, sending shivers down the goddesses’ spine. The buzzing grew louder, and the screams rose in octaves. Panic flooded in, causing Anahit’s hands to go to her ears to drown out the sounds. It was as if Hades himself brought the underworld to the surface.

Orion’s men burst out the door of the inn, a swarm of locusts trailing behind them. Although Anahit was at a distance, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. The smell of death made its way into her nose. The men had sores and open wounds. Bone was visible on some of the men’s faces, arms, and torsos. The locusts… Anahit thought, shocked. The locusts are eating Orion’s men alive.

It was a truly gruesome sight. Any onlooker would have interpreted the scene as a sign of the ‘end of times’. Out the entrance of the estate stepped a being unlike anything Anahit had laid her eyes on. It wore a black, aged cloak around its cursed body. The hooded figure was similar in appearance to a demon, with blackened, sharp nails and two protruding horns peeking out from under its cloak. The being stepped over some of the men’s corpses, staining its footwear with blood as it did so. The actions were almost nonchalant, as if the creature was not aware that there were any bodies there to begin with. It flicked its hand, producing more locusts out of its palm.

It over-zealously sauntered. The confidence quickly faded once it met eyes with Anahit, causing it to stop in its tracks. Now shedding its hoody Anahit could see fully the face of the being standing in front of her. Anahit’s breath hitched as she beheld the creature’s ethereal beauty. Long flowing red hair cascaded down the being’s shoulders, which looked striking against its pale skin. Anahit’s heart raced, a mix of fear and fascination coursing through her. Indeed, it appeared that of a dejall, but only slightly. The skin on the being was pale, but not that of the undead. It still had a lively glow about it, making the beast appear human-like. The face was beautiful. The chin sharp and the nose that of Greek decent. A gruesome scar stretched to the length of the face, making it appear that of broken porcelain. Scarlet Death. Anahit thought, her eyes wavering at the sight of the demon.