The Olympians: The Fall of Kin

Carrying On (Final Part)

Two months later

Liam didn't remember much. He knew that he had been taken, that much Athena had been able to fill him in on. He had woken up two months ago in a pile of rubble near Shredder HQ, and they'd found him during rescue efforts.

Apparently, he'd missed a lot of shit. A battle that had torn apart two cities, friends dead and hurt. All the loss had hit him at once. Every single one of The Shredders had spent a week in cells while the new agency, The Department of Godkin Investigation—AKA The DGI—had verified their story: That the Syndicate had been behind the whole mess. That they had framed The Shredders for the attacks on Seattle.

Most still questioned the Shredders.

"How's it coming?" Clarion patted Liam on the shoulder as he finished up work on the engine. They were in the hangar bay of a new hideout, one that sat on an estate of over fifty square miles. The building was their new headquarters. But now, they weren't overseen by the government. They were more...laterally involved. A man named Bartholomew Black had funded the building of this place a while back as his own compound. He'd gifted it to Clarion and his new team: The Olympians.

Liam wiped sweat from his brow. "It's done. Thanks to my nanites, it was pretty easy to build. Are you sure about this? It's a pretty big deal, like, world breaking."

He was referring to the ship he'd spent the latter half of eight weeks building. It was long, and sleek, with space-age polymer gleaming silver in the sun. The ship sat on a landing strip at the edge of the property. The engine was cutting edge, the first of its kind.

"Yes. When we investigated The Syndicate hideout, we found all kinds of files. Adastros...or...Karyon. Whoever it was, mentioned an army. It's out there. And we need to find it. If it's real, and it makes it here...well...this may not be over."

The thought sent chills down Liam's spine. "Right. Well, who are we sending?"

"Us," Thane said as he walked up with a group in tow. He patted Liam on the back. "Welcome back, buddy."

Accompanying Thane was Bolas Rogan, Slade Khione, Dorian, Wendigo, Asora and Deity.

Clarion popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. Then, he looked at the group. "You all know this may be a one-way trip, right? Are you prepared for that?"

Thane grinned. "We're all on board. I mean, for one, how often does a chance come along to allow exploration beyond any Earth had done before? I mean...we're gonna be the first group from Earth to ever leave the solar system."

"Thane..." Clarion said. "You're sure?"

Thane clapped Clarion on the shoulder. "Yup. Someone's gotta make sure that everything we did isn't for nothing. Gotta' keep the Earth safe, right? 'Sides, if it turns out this lead is bullshit, we'll just end up turning around and coming back, right?"

Clarion chuckled. "Gods, I love you guys." He clapped Thane on the shoulder. "Alright, well, you'll all head out tomorrow. Tonight, we goddamn party!"

Liam smiled. Things were changing too fast. And, he had a feeling that a threat was looming. Not just out among the stars... something was going down here. He wasn't sure who had taken him, but if Asora and Spade's stories were true, about clones of Liam on NorthHaven, then there was something big coming. The world was changed forever.

Athena stood in her new room. It was nice. Not as isolated or dark as her old room in Shredder HQ. Here, she had a window that overlooked a huge field of grass and trees. Artemis had planted her new garden out there, along with a set of graves for the fallen. Artemis was out there now, a mournful hand resting on Gray's gravestone. Having gotten Liam back, and with Apollo's help, they had told her something she'd feared to be true long ago. Her prolonged battles and abuse of her body had led to permanent damage. The nerves in her right leg were fried, and without a pronounced limp, she had to wear her suit.