Artemis Child

Artemis Child Ch56

  All the weapons pointed at the being wobbled in our hands. They were so heavy to each of us now. Some lost grip before others, but all the weapons fell fast to the ground like magnets. Serena still frozen in time, was being pushed aside from in front of the chest like a stone statue.
   Toni and I moved Serena back to the others. We were at the mercy of this being. Andrew tried to pick up his sword, but like I thought it didn't even budge. Cory didn't leave from next to the chest. He started growing his bones for his forearms, but he was straining to hold the healing back. Right now they were jagged bones sharp enough to use as a weapon.
   "You...you are the voice I've been hearing in my dreams, and when I was dead." He said pointing his bones at the man. "How did you guess?"
  "My ability to tell what people are from looking at their eyes or features." But two things shows up in my head when I look at you." He paused and stepped forward pressing his arm towards the beings throat. "God Tree." He said ready to attack. There was a shift in the air. Suddenly Cory was facing the chest, arm pointed at the final lock embroidered in the middle with symbols etched around it. This being must have been able to manipulate probability some how.
  The being pushed Cory's arm into the lock. The bones plunged into the lock, blood rushing down the sides filling the symbols. It hissed at us, Cory let out a low yell that seemed to be smothered by something. The air was rushing forward as his arm twisted to unlock the chest.
  The chest launched open, and nothing happened. At least not at that moment. The being reached into the box and pulled out the card he lost, only he wasn't happy with it. It was a subscription card to a restaurant he must not have noticed which card it was. "Subway!?" He said looking at the card and threw it away with a small tantrum of a throw.
  An aura showed up around Cory. A ghost form of his tail flicked slightly in the air. His ears arose like his tail as a transparent ghost of them. Serena was still a statue only, a Roman Olive branch crown sat on her head like a transparent wisp, she was taking on a spiritual representation of her ability. Toni, Andrew, Marc, Lexi, Kaylyn, and Max all had forms of wisp that showed their abilities of their parent or special patron. Toni's eyes and palms glowed bright like the brightest fireflies. Showing his healing hands he doesnt know how to use and his fathers wound seeing sight. Andrew had pulsing wisp that flowed like smoke around his whole body. Showing his enhanced durability and strength. Marc's jaw had this wisp of monster claw marks, his arms and body had these floating paw prints. Showing his keen tracking and familiarity with animals. Lexi had orbs that shifted around her changing into different shapes and designs. She had this talent to always improve on things and change the way things were. Kaylyn had pulsing wisp that wrapped tightly around her whole body. This was showing here arcane abilities that seemed to flux like the sand. Max had one arcane line that wrapped and shifted into tiny patterns all round his neck. This represented his charmspeak ability.
  The only person who didn't have anything was Jake. He had nothing to him, but he must have seen mine from his expression. I could feel the Cheshire smile wisp on my face, the transparent wings cloaked around me as if to guard me. "Jake-ie boy. Come see Santa." The being said patting his legs like Jake was a dog. Jake didn't move forward, instead he back pettled toward the back wall.
  But like a magnet to the fridge, his feet slid across the ground to the grasp of the being. The being threw him in the chest like a sacrifice, Cory was still holding his shoulder, stuck in the chest by his arm bones. We were all speechless.
  The chest glowed and pulsed. The energy brought us onto all fours. Our wisp where flying to the chest, it felt like someone was ripping my wings off. I let out a yell as one was ripped off and swallowed by the chest. "No titan powers. That's cheating." He said as all but a small flame was removed from my body. I watched as the titanness wisp of myself was swallowed by the chest, the healing factor was being ripped from Cory aswell. We all dropped to the ground. With a shut of the chest I could feel the difference of power.
  My fire came out of my hands bright orange, no longer black and purple. I launched them at the being who became ashed over like a Tom and Jerry episode. His eye balls rested on top still blinking, but seeming to be unhappy.
  "Wow. What a bitch." He said before climbing out the pile as a miniature version of his previous self. He dusted himself of and grew back to normal size. "We done being a bitch or shall we do that gain?" He asked me, so I ashed him again.
  He returned to normal again. I ashed him again. Four ash piles later. He shook it off like a dog and opened a portal. He was suddenly wearing a flight suit with flares. An exit sign appeared above the portal. "Alright everybody out." He said and threw Cory out. The bone scraping across the lock of the chest must have been excruciating, because he was unconscious when he was thrown out.
  I ran after him. We were falling into a sea of red. The air was hot and thick, the soil far beneath us was red like blood, lava surrounded a small cliff side which we were rather close to. I had no wings, but Cory would die if I didn't do anything.
  With the pandora ring I had I materialized the smoke and formed a chain. I dove through the air, practice with my wings gave me some advantage. I grabbed him, materized an anchor on the end of the chain, and let it sink into the cliff side as we passed it up. The lava below use gave welcoming plums of heat, holding Cory tight, the chain caught tension and we swung like spiderman holding an unconscious damsel. We swung to a lower cliff and got off.
   Another portal opened up to spit out the rest of my friends. This one closer to the cliff than the one that I came out of. The chain and anchor turned back into a ring. I looked over Cory. His wound was closed, symbols from the lock burned into the wound. The chest must have cauterized it. No way Cory would be able to grow anything back now, especially since he lost his monster healing factor, and I lost my titanness powers.
   I tapped his face trying to wake him up. "Cory! Cory, come on!" He grunted against my touch. He jolted up and sniffed the air. "No. No. No no no no no!" He said and gripped the soil. "What's wrong?" I asked him, not wanting to hear anything worst. "I'm here again." He said looking around. The place smelled metallic, and sometimes the wind would kick up and the smell of sulfur would take your breath away. "It's like rotten eggs in here." I said coughing and gagging slightly. "That's brimstone." He said getting up.
  "Hey!" Toni called leading everyone towards us. Our weapons materialized on us like they never left, even my first axe, only it was chipped at the very end from Leon the giant. Cory even had his arrows from before, but he still had one arm.
"Where the hell are we? North Australia?" Toni asked looking around at the terrain. "Tartarus." Cory said, locking his pupils, still diamond shaped, with all of us.