A new age of Divinity: Theomachy

One last Mission

Nate opened his eyes after so many attempts that every God that ever bothered to pay attention had lost track. This time, he had seen something and went to draw it. Despite him not having any level of drawing capability, he did his best to make sure it was at least understandable. It had been literally years since he had gotten a good night's sleep, or even managed to sleep at all, but he knew what he saw. Thanks to his abilities, the lack of sleep didn't have any long lasting consequences other than him randomly passing out for a few minutes sporadically. He knew it wasn't long until sunrise, but he needed to get Mikayla and the others up at that moment.
"Gulltoppr!" He exclaimed to wake his mount up, then he whistled, and slapped his own thigh to get him to come to him "We gotta tell the others, let's go!" He hopped up onto the giant horned lion's back and ran to Mikayla's house "Mikey! Get your bitch ass up! Let's go!" He jumped down and comedically kicked her door down, then dragged her out of bed, and threw her up onto Gulltoppr's saddle "Wait, hold on..." Before he jumped back onto his steed's back, he used a technique he had learned to keep everyone in a deep sleep so they wouldn't wake up during his manic rampage "Alright, now to get Eden and Kenneth."
"Ugh, what about Marc?" Mikayla asked as she slowly came to her senses.
Nate chuckled and asked "What about Marc?"
They rode around and got Eden and Kenneth out of their homes after Nate kicked their doors down in a similar fashion to Mikayla's. Eden was literally just wearing a black bra and black tights and Kenneth was literally only wearing sweatpants. No shoes, just sweat pants. They went to Nate's usual spot near the forest and Nate grabbed a stump.
As he pulled it over, Eden asked "Nate, it is Darkest Hour, you are the only one who can see. What is it?"
"I found her."
"You- I'm sorry, what? You found her?!" Mikayla exclaimed.
"Yeah, they're... either going to be, or are already here!"
"Nate, that is one of their transports. We have seen the back of them before, did you manage to see a number or anything?" Kenneth asked.
"Oh yeah, it was transport three twenty four."
"Alright, then we go in there and-"
"Eden, no offense, but I think this is something Kenneth and I should do on our own."
"Why?"
"We have known her the longest, and to be frank, we are her best friends."
"True, plus we've got more in terms of stealth. No offense, you two are kinda loud. "
"Nate, you probably woke half the camp," Eden sighed.
"Not really, I managed to put a kind of deep sleep effect on the whole camp aside from you guys. I didn't get Marc because for situations like this, he'll be essentially useless."
"Okay, I guess that is a fair point, but still, would it not be a good idea for us all to go?"
"More of us will draw more attention," Kenneth explained "The two of us tend to be a bit more stealthy around camp and train to keep our movements quiet. You two more train your powers and hand to hand combat rather than your volume in a fight. That is why we must go alone in this rescue mission."
Mikayla sighed and grumbled "Alright, fine. We'll stay here and make sure you three get medical help if you need it, but if you need us out there, we won't be able to-"
'I can put my thoughts into people's heads, remember?'
"Oh right... damn, that power's freaky."
"Alright, what's the plan?" Nate asked, "Beth's usually the strategic one."
"I have an idea," Eden replied, causing them all to look at her "Okay, wait, let me get some rocks." She looked around for some rocks and found a couple "Okay, so for reference, this will be the transport." She put a big rock on the stump "And this will be the boys." She put two much smaller rocks on the sides "Gulltoppr maybe be a little too loud, but he should definitely stay around so that if any of you are hurt, he can come give you three a ride back to town."
"Alright... let's gear up."
Nate and Kenneth went back to their cabins and got their weapons ready. Nate grabbed his light weight armor and his Asgardian steel sword. Kenneth grabbed his winged shoes and his golden chestplate. He walked out to the stump again and Nate threw him a spare golden sword he had. He caught it in the sheethe and clipped it onto his hip. They snuck through the forest and waited until the transports showed up. Nate had to dim his eyes so they wouldn't be spotted, but they almost flared back up again when he saw Beth for the first time in literally years. She looked awful, with scars all over her body, and her hair a mess. Nate had to contain his anger at seeing his best friend having been hurt the way she clearly had been.
"Get in." She was pushed into the back of the transport and Kenneth nodded to Nate.
"Let's do this," The son of Heimdallr muttered.
"We will make them pay."
"I know."
The engines turned on and the moment the transports began to move, so did Nate and Kenneth. Luckily, the route they were going was full of thick trees and heavy foliage. It was easy for them to keep up with the trucks while also staying out of their lines of sight. There were times when Beth would look out the window and think she saw Nate or Kenneth, but that should've been impossible. The town had burned to the ground and any time she had been out, the charred wood was still there. She had seen Nate's skeleton before the last time she had seen Estevan, so there was no way he was alive. She hadn't found Kenneth's body, but seeing as she had seen Nate's and Mikayla's brutalized corpses, it was a good bet that he had been slaughtered in the inferno as well.
'Alright, what's the plan when they stop?' Nate asked Kenneth in his mind.
'I would suggest attacking while they are distracted. They are disciplined warriors, however they are still in some way shape or form, human on the inside. There will be a time when they are distracted by something.'
'Fair point, okay. Here comes the hard part.'
They came to a stop and Nate had to catch Kenneth before he fell down toward the ground. He used his winged shoes to help Nate lift him back up and the two hung in the trees. They watched as the group walked through the forest until they found a small hut. The two looked at each other, concerned, and made their way over to the warriors to hear whatever they were talking about.
"Ah, here we are. This is the hideout of one of those cowards who escaped the Athenian Warriors and the camp," Dreama said as she looked at the house, then she turned to Beth, and ordered "Burn it." Beth looked shocked and the boys were also surprised "What is the matter? Traitors need to be taught a lesson, as you have been shown. Burn it to the ground." Beth looked at the ground and nodded, then walked toward the house with a torch.
She lit it and was about to burn the house when some kind of wind gust blew it out. She was shocked and looked down at the torch, then relit it. When she brought it close to the door again, the wind gust blew it out again. Nate knew what was going on, Kenneth was stopping her by running in front of her too quickly to be seen.
"Uh... Dreama, my torch will not stay lit," Beth told her as she threw the stick into the forest.
"Fine, then take mine." Dreama tossed it to her and Beth caught it with a sigh "Oh, is something the matter?" She turned Beth around and asked "Will you burn it, or not?" Beth looked down at the newly lit torch, then threw it away into the forest "Coward!" Dreama grabbed her by the neck and threw her across the ground "I should have just told them to kill you rather than capture you... however, perhaps this death will be a bit more ceremonious." Dreama took her sword off of her back. "You will watch while this house is destroyed and burned, much like the forest, and then... we will find the rest of your friends, and we will kill them."
She turned back to the house but Beth went into a furious rage, hearing that some of her friends may still be alive. She got up and snatched a Warrior's sword out of his hand, then charged at Dreama. She turned around and swung her blade up to block a flying downward swing from Beth. Dreama swung her sword away, spun, and swung down at Beth's head. She stepped back and blocked the attack, then ducked under a slash to her throat. Beth stepped back and the two continued to fight until Dreama kicked her in the stomach.
She went flying backwards, but despite her initial defeat, Nate turned to Kenneth, and said "She's gotten better." Kenneth nodded to this and they waited just a little longer.
Dreama walked toward Beth and said "Perhaps we will give that Eden girl to a group of Centaurs... she seems like she would be a fine piece of meat for them." At this point, all three were enraged, no one threatens their friends with sexual assault.
Dreama raised her sword above her head and was about to kill Beth when a golden sword came flying down from above. The Warrior next to Dreama looked up and was impaled through the eye. He fell to the ground and Dreama looked down at his dead body, then up to see Nate. He winked at her as he fell from the trees, then the moment he hit the ground, he mercilessly chopped three Warriors' heads off. He turned back to Beth and held the tip of his blade out at her throat in a long guard stance. Dreama turned to him, but the fire reached a gas canister in the house. It blew up and knocked everyone to the ground, including Nate and Dreama. Kenneth fell from the trees as well when his was rocked and Dreama got back up.
Beth woke up a few seconds later and crawled toward Nate while asking "Hey... Nate, is it truly you?" He was passed out and couldn't respond "Dreama... you...!" She turned around and saw that Dreama had gotten back up along with a few of the warriors "You will pay for everything..." She scrambled back up to her feet and punched a Warrior to the ground, then tackled Dreama with her hands around her throat "I am going to kill you!"
"You think so?" Dreama asked as she grabbed a cestus out of an unconscious Warrior's hand and punched Beth in the nose, which knocked her off of her "It is time for your traitorous existence to-" Kenneth suddenly jumped on her and stabbed Dreama through the shoulder with the golden sword "Argh! You and your little friends!" She threw him off of her and he was faced with five Warriors "Kill him."
"Not happening!" He got back up and grabbed the sword, then ran through the group, slashing all of their spinal cords, and causing them to fall to the ground.
Beth reached down for an axe and Nate yelled "Beth!" She looked up at him and smiled, but then when he pointed his sword behind her, she turned around to see Dreama "Kill her, damn it!"
Beth nodded and stood up to face Dreama, who was now holding a long spear. Beth ran toward her and when an Athenian Warrior stepped in her way, she just swung the axe through his chest. Blood splattered all over her as he fell and she jumped up into the air. She swung the axe down at Dreama's head, but she blocked the attack by holding her spear horizontally above her head. Beth used her strength and the weight of her weapon to push down at Dreama's head.
Dreama decided to bite the bullet and let the axe's tip dig into her shoulder and growled "You are a disgrace to her name."
"Prove it, zealot." Beth pushed her back and their rematch began.
Dreama spun around and swung the tip of her spear at Beth's head, but she ducked under the attack. Beth got up and stepped forward, swinging the axe down at Dreama's head. The leader of the group was surprised that Beth was actually swinging the heavy weapon with one hand and was forced backwards. Beth swung wildly, clearly running fully on rage and vengeance. Dreama had to pace backwards quickly and swing her spear up to block the attacks. Beth smashed her axe down onto Dreama's spear again, which pushed her back against a tree.
"Alright... my turn, you insubordinate bitch."
She pushed herself off the tree and swung down at Beth's head, but she just blocked with an axe swing. Beth stepped back and swung down at Dreama's ankles, but she knocked the attack away. She spun around and swung horizontally at Beth's head, but she ducked under the attack. Beth spun around while moving backwards, then got up, and swung down at Dreama's head again. She blocked the attack and the two continued on their path while Nate and Kenneth easily dispatched of the rest of the Warriors.
"Come on!!!" Beth yelled through the blazing inferno they were surrounded by.
She leaned back to dodge a swing at her throat, then swung her axe above her head. Beth swung the axe down at Dreama's head and she used the pole of her spear to block it again. Beth pushed down at her head, which caused Dreama to slide backwards in the dirt.
Dreama growled and pushed Beth's axe down, then backfisted her across the face while grunting "Enough!" She raised the spear up again and swung it down onto Beth's trapezius "You know there is nothing you can do that I will not see coming!"
"Shut up!" Beth yelled as she relocated her shoulder and swung down at Dreama's head.
She swung down twice at Dreama's head, which gave her a need to block, and step back at the same time. Beth swung at her neck, but Dreama stepped back to dodge the strike again. She kept going backwards while swinging down at Beth's knee, but she blocked the attack with her axe. Dreama tried to attack Beth's head, but she just batted the attack away. She side kicked Dreama in the stomach, which caused her to stumble backwards.
"Still think I can not beat you?"
"Silence, blasphemer!"
Beth blocked a stab to her stomach, then brought her axe above her head to block another swing. She began to push Beth backwards and she fell down to one knee. Beth suddenly pushed herself up quickly and hook punched her in the jaw. Dreama stumbled backwards and Beth ran at her, but this was what she hoped for. She struck her with the spear in the shoulder again, then spun, and smashed it against her chest. Beth was sent sprawling to the ground and she groaned as her back was burned by the flames. Dreama's spear was shattered by the attack so she threw it to the ground and picked up a crossbow.
"Now... this will be goodbye," She said as she pointed it down at Beth's head "Now is it just me... or does this whole situation seem somewhat... familiar?"
"Hey!" Someone yelled behind her and she turned around to see Nate and Kenneth, the former of the two holding the final corpse of her division of the Athenian Warriors in one hand, this corpse seemed to have been choked to death.
She pointed the crossbow at them and said "You two, not another step. You would not dare move!" Nate looked down at the ground, then cheekily took a step forward "What the fuck did I just say!?!" She shot at the two in an enraged manner, but Kenneth just ran away, and Nate made small but precise movements to dodge them.
"I'd say we aren't your main concern at the moment," Nate said.
"What are you talking about-" Someone turned Dreama around and slammed her across the face with a spiked, flaming bat.
Dreama picked up another spear as she stumbled backwards again and growled "Insubordinate... disrespectful... traitor!"
Beth was about to attack again, but then she lowered her weapon, and replied "Yeah, maybe I am a traitor, but at least I would never forsake my friends." Dreama scowled at her, although she could barely feel her face from the hit she had just taken. "When we lost our fellow warriors, you would simply forget them. Now, I am going to ask you this once, what would Athena say about leaving your allies in the dust?"
Dreama hesitated for a moment, then asked shakily "Why would she believe a story like that?"
She looked around at her fallen soldiers and then turned and shot at her two friends. It was even less effective this time and Beth ran at her with the club. Dreama fired at her head, but Beth slid underneath the bolt. She grabbed a sword off the ground and cut Dreama's hand off, causing her to scream out in pain as blood spurted out of the stump that was left. Beth spun around and slammed the club against Dreama's ear, which caused her to stumble back in front of the burning house. Beth stepped forward, grabbed the axe off the ground, and rammed the tips into Dreama's kidneys. She fell on her back right next to the house and looked up at Beth once again.
"You have always been scum," She wheezed.
"Victorious scum," Beth said, then she kicked her into the flames, making her death an absolute certainty.
"Is it done?" Kenneth asked "Is it over?" Beth looked at him and smiled.
"Hel... fuckin'... yeah!" Nate sighed as he fell to his knees "Oh, I've been sick of thi..." His speech suddenly began to slow and Kenneth's movements did as well.
"What the..." Beth noticed that she was seemingly the only thing still moving at normal speed "No... no, no, no! Just let me be rid of you!"
"Silence!" A booming, familiar voice shouted behind her "You have become reckless and sentimental. These are nothing I have ever taught any of my warriors." Beth turned around and saw Athena glaring down at her "You have clearly gone soft, and you know what? I think your old friends can attest to that."
"Do not-"
"Put your feelings toward them aside," Athena told Beth as she appeared behind her "I made you into a warrior who I hoped would be able to lead the rest. I have no idea what went wrong with your upbringing, but I warned you not to fail my test, but you did... so now, I take my leave."
"Mother-"
"This way, you will not disappoint me or cross the line into disobedience!" Athena yelled as she generated a powerful shockwave that pushed Beth backwards "Now that everything is over, you can keep your friends, and I will keep my soldiers!" She turned into an owl and flew down at Beth, who could do nothing but put her arms up and try to defend herself "Now that I will leave you, there is nothing you can do to waste my time nor disappoint me." She knocked Beth to the ground while scratching her face, then she began to fly off "Now, I close our door because this, to you, is my goodbye." Suddenly, a sword flew through the air and cut into Athena's wing, which knocked her down to the ground "What?"
"You know, that's just like you. Not sure why Beth's so surprised," Nate said as he walked toward her while Athena returned to her human form "All you Gods are selfish, they're prideful and vain. See the difference between us is that whenever someone we fight with dies, our mind carries more and more strain." Nate ripped the sword out of her arm, the blade covered in golden ichor as Athena's arm healed almost instantly "You think a title that you lend is worth your children or anyone never sleeping at night again? I wanna remind you that we could've been friends... but nah, that's done." She looked down at him as he turned away "Now that you're out of her head, you can't plague our lives anymore. This way, we're out of your sight and you're out of our minds." He walked over to Beth and reached down for her hand "You know what? I think this is just what you wanted because now you can save your time and focus on all those other morons who think you're some righteous savior of men. So you know what, bitch? Just let us go and have that damned goodbye-" Athena grabbed him by the shoulders and held him in front of her, not even focusing on Beth anymore.
"You were never looking for a mentor, I have never searched for any friends!" Athena yelled at him "I wanted you or Beth to be generals, but this was my biggest waste of effort!" Nate grabbed her by the face and shoulder, then swung her around, and slammed her against a tree.
"You know what? We know who and what we fight for, Athena, but you still fight just to be known!" Nate told her as he punched her across the face, which knocked her down to one knee "You always say you're so much wiser than us!" He yelled, in a way that Beth nor even Athena had ever heard, his voice was shaking and cracking as if he was about to break down into a fit of laughter or rage "But if you are, then explain why you've always been alone!" He picked his sword up and flipped it into his underhand while kicking her down onto her back "You're all alone!" She looked up at him as he stabbed his sword down right next to her head, severing part of her hair.
He got up off of her shakily and they saw that her mindscape had failed, so the three began to walk away, as she called "You will understand what I am saying to you one day! That day may not be today, but it will come... and yet... maybe I am wrong, because after all you are-"
"Still human!" Nate yelled as he turned to face her while Kenneth helped Beth walk "Today, you've severed your relationship with your daughter! You cut the line with me! This is the day you lost it all, just say it once, just say a damned goodbye!!"
"Fine then, this is goodbye..." She sighed as she got up, dusted herself off, and disappeared.