Tommyinnit Oneshots

Theseus' Ship (Part Two)

Tommy kept his eyes peeled, edging against the forest line that surrounded the pathway. Tommy knew that Theseus went through six challenges or so before he made it to Athens, where he would be sent off to Crete to fight the Minotaur. Tommy was hoping that he met Karl before any of the challenges came to pass, or that Karl would at least be in Athens so Tommy didn't have to fight the Minotaur. Tommy had no idea how Theseus pulled that off. He could understand the trickery used against the six labours, but the Minotaur would only be defeated by physical strength and clever dodging. He couldn't trick the mindless beast who had spent years alone in solitary confinement until he went insane. Any humanity the Minotaur might have possessed was broken down by the horrible conditions Midas put the son of a queen and bull in.

        "Hello, young man! Would you care for a challenge?" A voice interrupted Tommy's thoughts. He looked up to see BadBoyHalo staring down at him with a terrifying smile. Tommy rolled his eyes as he remembered who the first threat was, Periphetes the Club Bearer. As the name implied, Periphetes was known for beating his enemies with a club. A real clever name, innit? Tommy would have left it at that, but something made Tommy think this Periphetes was more like Antaeus, someone that another hero named Heracles fought. Antaeus healed when he was touching the ground, but by the looks of the red vines crossing the path, BadBoyHalo was closer to the Egg than his counterpart who had Gaia. Tommy figured how he could take Bad on as he cautiously passed by some of the vines. Bad memories spun in his head, making him feel sick to his stomach at the thought of it. Tommy swallowed down the panic that rose in his throat as he nodded to Bad. "Great! We will fight until one of us dies, yes?"

        It seemed Bad was as unprepared for the role as Tommy was. Still, if Tommy wanted to see Karl, get back home, and guarantee that Puffy got a good ending in the messed up life and times of Theseus, Tommy would need to play this part as best he could. Certain liberties would be taken since Tommy already knew how some of the story went. He knew Bad's weakness far before Heracles knew Periphetes' connection to Gaia.

        Tommy leaned down to stand firm on the ground. He pulled Theseus' sword from the scabbard, quietly observing the area. The vines were thin, disappearing into the forest all around the road. If Technoblade told the story well enough, a gate to the Underworld would be around there somewhere. Tommy wondered if he could tackle Bad back into the Underworld like the demon he was, though Bad never acted like a rightful demon. Tommy decided that would be a more literal interpretation of  'send them to Hades'. Tommy laughed quietly at that as he dodged the swing of Bad's club that seemed so different from him. It was a basic wooden club that grew bulkier the further away it got from the handle and was rounded at the end. Bad seemed capable enough with it, however, so Tommy wasn't going to share his opinion just yet.

        Tommy maintained a safe distance from Bad, the weapon being midrange but slow. Tommy tried to find an area with few vines, but they covered almost every inch of the road. More bad memories that didn't know when it was appropriate to infiltrate his mindscape. Tommy knew it was better to end it quickly. Tommy pushed off a nearby tree, tackling Bad to the ground. Tommy kicked the club away, and pushed Bad down so he couldn't touch any of the vines. Tommy heard the whispers of the Egg in his head. Instead of letting in, Tommy sliced Bad's throat. Bad fell back, his face growing unclouded. "Huh? What am I doing here?" Bad fell back, dead as Periphetes at the end of his fight.

        Tommy continued down the road, avoiding the red vines and the angry whispers of the Egg. Tommy rolled his eyes as he kicked one of the vines before cutting the largest one in half with his sword. The Egg screeched even louder at that, so Tommy broke out into a run to get away from the annoying squealing. Tommy kept running until he tripped over a tree root that was jutting out of the ground. Tommy spat out the distasteful dirt that came into his mouth. Tommy lifted himself up on his arms to see a woman standing before him. It was obviously Hannah in appearance. She had the same redwood tree hair with bright eyes in a light pink chiton. Hannah had roses tied into her hair, wrapping around her eyes in full blooms that framed a mask. Hannah smiled at Tommy as she lifted him to his feet. "Hello, traveller! I have a favor to ask. I need to test the strength of some vines. Could I perhaps test it on you?"