The Olympians: The Fall of Kin

The Tempest

            Clarion wanted only one thing in life. It was a pretty simple goal until you really thought about it. He just wanted to protect his family. His team. That's all. But he couldn't protect them from everything.

I didn't have a family. Not really.

I grew up like Artemis, really. Except I never made my way into an orphanage.

So, I made my own family. It's anything but perfect.

And still he failed at his one goal. Because Theseah's cries of agony as she battled rang out like a dying animal's whines.

Don't. Don't focus on that. Just focus on fighting.

Kaliko stood with a creepy smile. "Ooh, so are you the one I'll be fighting?"

Clarion clenched his fists. "What the hell happened to you, Kaliko?"

Kaliko's smile dissipated. "What?"

"You heard me...you—you were one of us." He said, agonized. "You were one of us, and you betrayed us. You tried to kill your best friend! You left her to die in that place!"

"Please..." She scoffed as she stood. "Don't try and act like you're any better than me. You pulled all of us into your little family, had us all convinced that on the other side of all the murder there would be peace and love, that humans would accept us for protecting them. And look where that got you! One video, barely any evidence to back it, and now you and all of your Shredders are demonized in the eyes of the humans. All your hard work gone in the blink of an eye. Tarik showed me the truth. Showed me that the world was much different. That people would never accept us unless we made them accept us."

"That's not true!"

"Bullshit. Look around us...I killed all these people. ME! Do you think they'll blame only me though? No...they'll blame all of us. This is the beginning of war, Clarion. Choose a side now."

"Fuck you." He snarled. But that was all he could say. Part of him wondered if he was on the right side of this. He said that part of himself to fuck off too. No matter what, this wasn't the right way. "Say what you will...but killing this many people is never the right way. They might blame us for this too, but if they do, that's on you. Not me. Not them." Clarion cracked his neck. "I'm done with this conversation. Bring it, bitch."

She laughed. "It's brought."

Kaliko swiped her right hand. The blood that coated the ground around her came to her, wrapped around her ankles, working its way up her body. The blood hardened on her body, caking her body in thick coats, thick as steel armor. It covered the whole of her body, until she looked like an inhuman sheen of crimson. She looked taller, more muscular. Her face was obstructed by a flat plate of blood, fingers gauntleted by blood-claws. "For what it's worth...I'm sorry it had to end this way, Clarion." She said beneath her blood armor.

"Me too." Clarion said. His body still hurt. He'd used his powers so many times in the last few days. If he used them again, especially without Liam's help, he might not recover.

He might die.

Am I willing to die for this?

Ha. That was an idiotic question.

He knew the answer already.

He'd gladly die protecting his friends, protecting this world.