The Olympians: The Fall of Kin

The Battle in Seattle

"Wh—what the hell is happening?" Athena shouted as she came to stand beside Kyn. Even from this distance, they could see the thick plumes of smoke that blanketed the skies and turned them black and gray with ash.

Kyn clenched his fists. He knew exactly what this was. This was his brother. Or, at the very least, it was his backup plan if Hamir wasn't able to defeat him. That was just like Adastros, thinking two steps ahead.

"It's probably my brother's Lieutenant. Maybe more of them. Now it all makes sense. He sent your father to pull you out of hiding. He knew I'd come along, so he'd get rid of our best strategist and one of the only other Omegas in one fell swoop. And, even if that failed, he still had us separated from the pack. It'll be a couple of hours before the others get here, maybe longer. We have to go down there! People are being slaughtered."

"What? No. No way. You just listed two reasons why we can't." Athena said. Kyn hadn't noticed until then, but she wasn't in great shape. Her small, yet toned body, was draped in her black nanite suit, save a carved-out piece near her midsection. It almost appeared as though she'd practically been gutted. "If we go down there, we'll be doing exactly what they want. We should wait them out and make our way back."

She was right. It sounded cold, to agree with such a brutal idea. But the assassin in him knew that challenging his brother on any terms except his own was a good way to die.

And yet...

"It doesn't matter." Kyn pointed out at the horizon, where the smoke rose like a mountain, its image consumed all sky in view. "I'm done letting people die. This is just like that day. Worse even. When I lost control and all those people died because of me...this is the same damned thing. If I just stand by, knowing that I could save them, but choosing not to, I'm not sure I could live with myself. Not after all the lives I took, both on that day and during my time as a paid killer."

She smirked. "There's not a thing I could say to change your mind, is there?"

"No. You can stay here. Go find Artemis and Curie. Make sure they're okay. I'll stop them."

Athena tried to hold back a smile. At all times, since she'd met this man, there was this air of sorrow that surrounded him. Like a black cloud was following him, everywhere he went. And, despite that, he could still have this kind of heart. The heart that sought to protect everyone, human or Godkin. In a world where all its inhabitants held nothing but contempt for each other, he alone wanted to protect all life.

He was a walking contradiction. A Godkin of death, who wanted to protect life. An assassin who sought redemption. And, in that moment, despite his illogical decisions, she couldn't help but admire him. "Alright...Can't argue with that." She said, trying to hide the inspiration he brought about.

"Asshole." Athena grinned as she heard that harsh voice erupted from the trees. No one had that kind of attitude, save her friend.

"Artemis, that you?" Athena laughed.

"Yeah, bitch, it's me." Artemis laughed as Curie helped her through the trees, into the clearing Kyn had made in his fight with Hamir. "Your Dad?" She asked.

"Not dead. I snipped his spinal cord." Athena said with a calculating glare, making a pair of scissors with her index and middle fingers to illustrate.

"Damn, that's cold. I'd have just killed him." Artemis said. "What about you, Asshole?" She brought her attention to Kyn. "Hamir dead?"

Kyn stepped out of the way, his black coat swooping with the wind and waning rain, his white blond hair wet and clinging to his neck. His black eyes were lit with remorse. Athena couldn't be sure, but she had a feeling that there was something that he wasn't telling them, but she'd ask about that later.