II. Gods and Monsters

1. The New Arrival

It had all spun out of control so fast. Oli had come to fulfil his contract with the Devil and rid himself of the curse placed upon him. He was then forced by Hades, the god-like creature which was hunting him, to watch as he brutally murdered those Oliver needed to gain vengeance on in order to lift his curse. A vicious battle had ensued, attracting the attention of Fifth Street and police alike. Now he lay on the floor, Hades standing beside him, and a humongous robotic... thing staring the pair of them down. Or that's what he thought was happening; it was impossible to tell with that visor it wore. It stood a head taller than Hades, with a body the colour of pure silver. Giant mechanical wings stretched out from either side of its back, ending in 'feathers' as sharp as swords. It looked like some cybernetic knight, its casing a twisting maze of reinforced metal bands and plates.

"You have arrived sooner than expected... brother," Hades growled.

"Oh shit," Oliver thought, "Now I have to deal with two of them."

"You lost the right to call me brother long ago," the robot (which had introduced itself as Metatron) replied in its synthetic tone.

"Is Heaven so desperate to try me that it sends you so soon to trap me?" Hades sneered.

"There will be no trial," Metatron growled, to Hades' apparent shock, "This world is to be purged of Hell's influence, and I shall be its exterminator."

Oliver started to drag himself backwards, slowly, along the floor. He did not want to be in the way of these two when they inevitably clashed.

"Assessing threat level..." Metatron stated, "Initial target: Hades... Retrieving data..."

Metatron's head swung to face Oli.

"New target: Enhanced individual. Type: Possessed. Host form scanned for later identification. Deep scan identifies possessing spirit as Zarathos; current spirit of Vengeance. Threat level; secondary. Initial target still primary objective."

Metatron raised its left hand to face Oliver and a white flash erupted from its palm. Oliver turned from the light as its intensity blinded him, an excruciating ringing now screaming in his ears.

Meanwhile, Metatron had retrieved a small, cylindrical object from its belt. It held this in its right hand as the cylinder extended at both ends. Within seconds, it had become a full-length spear. A blade sprung from Hades' right forearm. The giants charged each other down, each thrusting their weapon at the other, hoping to deal the first blow.

Once Oli's eyes finally cleared up, he saw the pair locked in vicious combat, snarling like animals. It was like watching a pair of lions fighting for territory. And a fight Oli needed to get away from before the lions remembered he was there. He put his hands behind him and tried to push himself to his feet, but whatever Metatron had hit him with had completely disorientated him and forced him back onto his knees. He raised his swimming head to watch this clash of titans. Hades had gained the upper hand. Metatron was on the back foot as Hades dealt blow after blow. After pummeling Metatron over and over, Hades plunged his sword into Metatron's stomach. Oliver watched in awe as the silver warrior sagged against the blade now jutting from its back. Hades withdrew the blade, allowing Metatron to fall.

Silence fell as Hades turned his flaming skull skywards.

"You see this? You see what I am capable of now?! I am coming for you next! You and your adversary! I will destroy you both!" Hades screamed at the sky.

Without warning, Metatron sprang upright, giant hand enclosing around what was close enough to a throat that Hades had. All watched as the metal of its body flowed over the gaping hole in its chest, sealing it shut.

"I will not be destroyed that easily Hades. I have evolved beyond your comprehension. And as such, I shall lay your soul to waste."

Metatron's next blow sent a shockwave across the entire courtyard, splintering Hades' helmet and launching Oliver far away from the duelling pair. He felt himself being pulled back further as a distant voice ordered: "Now!"

A grenade was tossed and found its mark on the side of Metatron's face. The blast only turning its head to one side. When it turned back around, a hole had been made in the left side of its faceplate, revealing a glaring, red, artificial eye. A low, guttural growl emanated from Metatron as its wings unfurled. Before anyone knew what was happening, Metatron launched itself into the air, its mechanical wings carrying it out of sight before a sonic boom was heard. Hades followed suit, vanishing through a portal before anyone could stop him.

Silence fell, Oli slowly realising he had now been left alone with the police and Fifth Street. He had finally recovered from whatever Metatron had done to him and was able to hold himself upright. Two officers had pulled him from the fight but now remained close to him, eyes following his every move.

"YOU!" Oli heard a familiar voice scream at him. Oli was not ready for this.

He turned to see Andrew Taylor, the father of the love of Oli's life, as well as a cop, storming towards him, his pistol raised in front of him as an incentive for Oli not to move.

"Mr Taylor, I can explain..." Oli began.

He had to duck as Andrew Taylor swung his gun at Oli's head.

"You attacked us! Murdered one of my colleagues! Tortured another! Threw me across a hallway! You terrified Charlotte beyond what she could possibly take! Then you have the nerve to step foot in my house?!"

"I wasn't in control!" Oli replied desperately.

"You can tell that to the judge. You're under arrest Oliver Knight." Andrew clearly wasn't listening. Tears of rage and betrayal streaming down his face.

As he started to read Oli his rights, Oli sent out a mental command. He could feel the response as a distant roar of an engine fast approached.

"ANDREW!" Oli heard Detective Blake yell as a black, 1969 Dodge Charger came careering around the corner. Its wheels and engine alight, leaving trails of hellfire in its wake. Andrew Taylor leapt out of its path as the hell charger drove straight into Oli, enveloping him and carrying him far away from the situation.

Oli's mind raced almost as fast as the vehicle which he now drove. He had to find out how to fix this mess. And he knew just where to start.