ARISTOS ACHAION // Awesamdude X Reader

26

Ceres made quite the entrance as they stepped into the ring. It vaguely reminded you of what Prosperine had done, though less flashy - their arms were thrown wide, like they were welcoming the cheer of the people down into them as they stepped into the light. You supposed with how many times they had fought, they probably had the entrance down to a science. It wouldn't have mattered much anyway - the crowd was going to cheer for Ceres whether or not their entrance was part of the show.

You were a bit surprised to hear some cheering for yourself as you stepped into the ring, Sam's trident in hand.

Looking up into the crowd, sure enough, here and there, there were a few citizens cheering for you. You wouldn't have thought that anyone would have cared that much to see you defeat the long reigning champion - but after killing Diana and Prosperine, it seemed you had won yourself some fans.

A strange sense of pride bubbled up in you as you paced towards the center of the ring.

Ceres mirrored eyes narrowed as you approached, catching on the trident in your hand. They themselves didn't carry a weapon - but they didn't really need to, not when they had a reputation for tearing men in half with their bare hands. Plus, that little invisibility trick was a weapon in itself.

"I see our warden lent you a replacement." They said, voice strangely melodic for a fighter.

You didn't respond, simply raising the trident in preparation to defend yourself. For something so powerful, it was strangely light - though that might have been part of the special qualities of a god given tool. Though you had never used it before, it didn't feel all that strange in your hands - Sam had been right when he'd said that it wasn't too different from a spear.

"Or perhaps you stole it?" Ceres taunted, beginning to pace a tight circle around you. You copied their movements, all of your muscles ready to spring at a seconds notice. "I wouldn't put it past someone as scrappy as you."

You ignored the goad, adjusting your grip on the trident. Ceres was only trying to get you to react, you were sure - but you weren't going to give them the satisfaction.

"You'd do well to give up now." Ceres said. "I have no intention of letting Diana and Prosperine go unavenged, and I will make you suffer just as much as you made them."

You didn't even blink at the comment, Sam's trident still held in your ready position.

Giving up on their taunts, Ceres leaped forward, charging at you with the ferocity of a lioness hunting it's prey. It was all you could do to dodge out of the way, jabbing the trident forward when you thought Ceres was off guard from the charge. You were wrong though, and they wrapped a hand around the end of the weapon, using the momentum to all but throw you across the ring, sending you tumbling into the sand.

You picked yourself up as fast as you could, bringing the trident up to protect yourself again.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" Ceres laughed, stalking towards you again. "He's wasted it on you - did he really think you could kill me?"

You were more ready this time for when Ceres charged at you again.

You spun the trident around like you had practiced with your spear, blocking the hits as best as you could as they came. Ceres was relentless though, seeing the weak spots in your technique easily and going for them without remorse. For the champion of champions, there was no honor in the way that they fought - though the colosseum was not really known for breeding honorable warriors.

You grit your teeth as Ceres shoved into you, knocking you so that you almost fell down into the sand again.

Ceres swung another arm out, and you blocked with the flat of the trident, only to catch their other fist in your shoulder, the blow sending you flying again. You barely kept a hold on the trident, using it up hoist yourself out of the sand before they could hit you while you were down.

"I don't know how you ever managed to kill even Diana." Ceres said. "You're pathetic."

Adrenaline pumping through you, you could feel the throb of your muscles under your skin. Your skin was raw from where the sand had rubbed against it in your falls, and you could feel yourself beginning to bruise already - both from the tumbles and from Ceres' blows. You mind was spinning, trying to piece together every piece of fighting knowledge you knew in hopes of something coming to mind for how you were going to defeat Ceres. You were only feeling one thing - rage.

"I am going to kill you." You spat.

Ceres tilted their head, a wry sort of grin coming over their features - a disturbing combination with the mirror quality of their eyes. "Really?" They said, mocking. "You're going to kill me?"

You gripped the trident again, pointing the prongs towards your opponent.

"We'll see about that." Ceres said.

You blinked, and they disappeared.

Your already racing heart sped up even more as your grip on Sam's trident tightened. This was the part of the fight that you had been dreading - Ceres' god given gift, invisibility. There was no way of knowing where they were going to strike, and you would only have the slightest notice to defend yourself, not that you had been doing a wonderful job of that when you had been able to see them-

A whisper of air on the nape of your neck alerted you to the blow before it came.

Ceres hit landed in the middle of your back, sending you tumbling into the sand again, this time face first. You rolled away as fast as you could, only to be met with a solid surface that melted back into Ceres' shins as they came back into view.

This time, you had more of a warning as to when the hit was coming. That did no mean that you were better prepared to stop it.