The Storm Herald Series {#Wattys2018}

2.4

"Then prove it."

"I can lock on to your worst fears, your worst nightmares," Hera hisses, as we circle around each other. "Something I learned from my son eons ago."

"I have nothing to fear," I snap at her. The storm around us worsens, the wind picks up, lighting flashes across the sky. This is all because of me.

"You fear losing control. You fear losing him. You fear losing your family," Hera hisses, another smirk growing on her face. "But most of all you fear fire." A ball of flames appears in her hand, growing larger and larger in size.

I back away, holding my hands out in front of me. "Let's not get too hasty here."

"Hasty?" she asks, with the raise of her eyebrow. "I'm not the one who's being hasty." With her free hand she gestures around her, gestures to the storm.

"Two of your fears. Right here. In the open," she says. The smirk she wears is triumphant, and the fire in her hand makes her face look ghoulish.

"I'm not afraid," I hiss. But I am afraid. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I can feel the terror and adrenaline coursing through me.

"Yes. I can see it," she says, before launching the fireball at me. I jump to the side, and the wall of the building behind me explodes.

Whoops. . .

"So you are afraid," she purrs. "If you weren't, you wouldn't have moved." As I pull myself to my feet, there's a loud noise in the sky, almost like what a jet sounds like when it flies over head. Both Hera and I look up, and see a streak of grey, blue, and crimson go by.

"Go, Clark," I whisper. "God speed." Another fireball flies by me, barely missing my nose.

"Fight me," Hera hisses. "Prove me you are the Champion your father says you are."

I turn to face her, my eyes full of rage. "You want a fight, then I'll give you a fight." Lightning strikes Hera's chest, throwing her backwards and into a wall. Instantly, she's back on her feet, and launching herself at me. The Goddess' hair is a askew and she is covered in dust.

Yes, point for Team Kenzie! I think to myself, internally doing a fist pump. I turn on my heel and run, hoping she'll give chase.

Just as I hoped, she is racing after me, trying to catch up. But the years of running from my father and of being the Storm Herald has made me faster and has given me more endurance, and it's all just enough to beat this Goddess to the nearest intact building.

But how am I beating her? How!? I turn around, to face her, and see that a scowl has made its way on her face.

"You feel that, Hera? You know what that is?" I ask, smirking. "Rage."

"I know perfectly what rage is, my stepdaughter," she snaps, eyes glowing a golden color. The edges of her form is flickering, threatening to unleash a supernova and destroy me. "But do you know the dangers of the rage of a Goddess?"

A blast of lighting strikes against my chest, sending me backwards. I crash through a four foot thick brick wall, debris going flying around me.

"I've had millions of years of pent up rage against my husband's Demigod children," Hera tells me, her voice booming. "And now I can let it all out. On you." I pull myself to my feet, and look around me at the destroyed building. Paintings line the stark white walls, but a few are knocked down and face down on the floor.

Shit.

It's the museum.

Jeanne is gonna kill me.

Hera stalks towards me, almost animalistic in the way she walks. "You can't match me, Mackenzie. I will always be stronger. I will always be smarter. I will always beat you." She's now standing right in front of me, so I could literally do anything to her.

But she acts first. With a glowing hand, she shoves me into the wall. The force is enough to crack the wall behind me, nearly shoving me into the next display room of the the museum. A scream sounds from my left, so I quickly glance over to see who's there.

My eyes widen when I see multiple of my coworkers huddled in the corner, Jeanne shielding them with her body.

"Help," she begs. "Help, please."

I quickly glance at Hera, then run over to my friend and coworkers.

"Protect your eyes," I tell them all, before shutting my own eyes, and prepare for the worst.

A surge of heat explodes against my back, nearly knocking me down. A bright light accompanies it, and as it fades, I know it's safe to open my eyes. I stand, then turn to face Hera.

"Your quarrel is with me, not them."