Prism Girls 3 – Tomorrow’s Destiny

The air was tense as the group continued on. Three of the Prism Girls and two of their goddesses remained on Zeus’s trail. Vivi’s mind could hardly settle as her mind wandered towards the others as they fought. Even now, as she could feel the magic disperse behind them, even as her grandmother reassured her they were safe, she could only worry for their safety.

A gentle hand reached out and patted her on the head. She looked up to see Melody flying beside her, the mermaid in her fluttering dress, smiling calmly at her, it helped set her mind at ease. “Not much further now,” Melody said.

“Yes, but stay on your guard,” called out Tiamat. “We may be beyond their golems, but there are still two more divinities besides Zeus we have yet to encounter.”

“What do we know about them?” asked Annie.

“Not much. But those back at base should have more info by now,” Lilith stated, tapping her ear, the others followed suit, attuning to their own devices. “Cheryl, do you read me?”

“You’re rather audacious to leave on your own like that,” a different voice answered.

“Athena?”

“Seriously, you couldn’t just wait for me to catch up?” Athena grumbled. “I was busy helping Medi out and next thing I know you and the others had left me behind.”

“S-sorry,” Lilith muttered sheepishly.

“Don’t apologize too much,” a sassy tone commented. “She says she was helping little Medi, but really Jasmine was busy flirting with her.”

“Medusa!”

“Oh, like you weren’t enjoying it,” Medusa heckled. “Even so, it may have been a bad idea to leave her behind.”

“Why’s that?” Annie asked.

“I assume for the same reason you’re calling us. The other divinities, right?” Annie grunted in confirmation. “Right, well before that, a little update. We’ve confirmed that Wisp and Ceridwen have pacified Seth, and Odin’s been neutralized.”

“Wait, you mean he’s…?” Vivi asked before going quiet. “But Carm and Chi wouldn’t…”

“They didn’t, and neither did Riri or Sue,” Athena clarified. “Although, from what I understand of Odin’s crimes, he’d have deserved some punishment from his daughter. No, apparently one of your previous enemies awakened to a blessing and became a priestess like you for one of the other divinities.”

“Enemy priestess? We knew someone like that? And she turned against them?”

“Melody said it was the guy you fought at the mall a few months back. Gunther?”

“That bastard!?” Melody shrieked. “I was stuck in a fucking fish tank thanks to him!”

“Ah, yes, they mentioned something like that,” Medusa mumbled. “Well, it seems like she’s changed a lot since then. She’s a woman now and has sworn off loyalty to Zeus. And with Odin’s death, she’s taken possession of his divinity.”

“That’s possible?” Annie asked.

“Apparently,” Medusa sighed. “And this all apparently happened because one of the divinities allied with Zeus sought to protect her from becoming Odin’s golem, turning her into a woman and her priestess in the process. And you’ll never guess who.”

“Medusa, now’s not the time for games,” Tiamat huffed.

“That... was more directed at me…” Athena hesitated. “I had my suspicions, but… Thanks to Thermia, we’ve confirmed that one of the remaining two divinities is… my opposite… Ares…”

“The god of war?” Annie asked.

“Goddess as it turns out,” Athena said in a hushed and somber tone. “Annie… Mel… I have a favor. When you face her… please… help Vivi.”

“Help me?” Vivi asked.

“Vivi… If I’m right, she might be going through something like Tiamat did. And learning about her… who she really is… I’m afraid of what father has been doing to her… and what Odin did to her. I…” Her voice fell to a desperate whisper. “Please, help my sister.”

Vivi smiled softly. “Of course.” Athena’s breath in their ears began to lighten and soften, relief washing through her voice.

“Thank you.”

“So, the goddess is actually Ares then?” Annie clarified, Athena giving a brief confirmation. “Got it. We’ll do our best to support Vivi. I promise. That aside though, what about the last one? Any ideas who they are?”

“Not a clue. They’ve been hiding themselves for a while. Even now, I can only tell they’re nearby, but not where,” Athena explained. “It’s almost as if-”

“SHIT!” Tiamat roared as she eyed a flash of green from below. She picked up speed and dashed towards Athena, her hand morphing into a claw and swiping through the air, smashing the projectile into dust.

“W-what was that!?” Annie questioned.

“Annie!?” Athena yelped. “What’s going on!?”

“Something just attacked us!”

“Shit, no wonder you couldn’t find them! They’ve been spreading their mana around the forest!” Tiamat yelled. “They were trying to sneak up on us!”

“Where are they now!?” Lilith questioned. “I can’t get a read on them. Sweetie, can you?”

“I can’t,” Vivi answered. “The trees all feel so weird from here. I can’t feel them down there, at least not beyond just them being there.”

“Great, how are we supposed to fight back?” Annie asked frustratedly.

“Dammit, if only I were there… Quick, find some way to defends yourselves, and then...”

“Never mind that,” Tiamat said concretely. “Keep going.”

“Tia?” Lilith looked at the goddess frightfully.

“If you all go, then I can intercept their attacks before they hit you.”

“But-”

“WE DON’T HAVE TIME!” Tiamat snapped. “If we waste time here, then Zeus will get there and who knows what will happen after that!”

“But, Tia...” Vivi whimpered.

Melody sighed. “It’s no use Vivi. Tiamat is too stubborn to be convinced. And she’s right, we’ll only waste our time like this. Besides, I trust her,” the mermaid said smiling.

“Thank you, Mel...” Tiamat gave a small grin.

Athena sighed in their ears. “I hate to say it, but she’s right. The rest of you need to push on. I trust Tia to be able to handle this.”

Vivi looked at the draconic goddess as if pleading with her to say something. “O-okay...” she finally said with a frown. Annie held her hand and smiled, both at the young girl and the goddess, nodding at the latter, before resuming their pursuit, Athena and Hori following them.

“Tia...” Lilith whispered. She took a deep breath. “I’ll be waiting for you, so you better survive this!” she shouted before flying off. Melody chuckling as she watched the goddess’s fiery temper. She smiled at her goddess and spun in the air, her tail flicking her away to join the others.

“I’ll be okay,” Tiamat said with a smile. “Now… where are you...”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She sniffed the air and her long pointed ears twitched as she focused on the subtle sounds away from her. She took a sharp breath and spat a curtain of flame, disintegrating another projectile. Before it burned away, the dragon goddess had already snapped herself into position, and with a mighty flap of her wings, she descended towards the projectile’s origin.

The trees groaned on her approach. They shook and bent chaotically, warping until a thunder of snaps severed them from their trunks, hurling them skyward. Tiamat snarled as heat built up in her throat. “GRAAAH!” she roared, a blue blaze consuming the smashed bodies of wood. She curled her wings around her and she pierced the bark laden maelstrom and crashed down upon the earth, her wings swiping at the air as she settled. She looked up and glared at the offender, a man in bronze armor with golden hair sneering at her.

“Hello, Mother,” he said, a condescending tone filling his voice. “I must admit that I’m impressed. I’d thought a dull minded whore like you would take more time to find me. I had this whole plan to destroy a reservoir nearby to bait you in, but you came right to me,” he cackled.

“Marduk,” Tiamat hissed. “I should’ve figured it would be you. A bastard like you must get along great with Zeus.”

“You could say that,” chuckled the voice as a man emerged from the woods. He stood atop a nearby ledge, hanging just above his ears was his golden hair which seemed to almost glow against his bronzed skin. He wore a simple set of plated chest armor and greaves, chain mail visibly dangling off his shoulder and a long heavy chain dangling from his shoulders, reaching down towards his thighs. Sweat glistened upon his bare arms and legs as he posed arrogantly before Tiamat’s claws. His gaze hung upon the draconic goddess, his dark eyes almost overfilling with malice. “You know, when Zeus first told me he was going to try courting you, I quietly wished that things would play out this way. Our future has no room for an archaic bitch like you.”

“You don’t have the others to gang up on me like you did last time,” Tiamat growled.

“Oh, you’re quite mistaken,” Marduk snickered. “The other gods would only get in the way of me enjoying this.” He gripped the air, a golden blade appearing in his grasp as he leaped from the ledge, throwing the blade down upon Tiamt. The goddess in turn curled her wings upon her to block his blow, opening them once more to hurl the offending god back. Marduk sneered in delight. “I’ve been looking forward to this, oh mother.”

“Repugnant child.” Tiamat’s voice rumbled. She took a sharp breath in and then exhaled, expelling a bright flame, Marduk quickly dodging out of the way. Tiamat gave chase, a single flap of her wings rocketing her at Marduk who could only shield himself with his wings. The pair crashed through the forest, Marduk’s body acting as a personal shield for the goddess as she crashed into tree after tree before finally arriving at a sizable creek. Tiamat flapped her wings again, carrying them into the air before twisting in the air and chucking Marduk into the rocky riverbed, an fierce splash tearing through the air. Tiamat huffed as she tried to recenter herself, yet keeping her eyes squarely on the water.

Her triumph ended as quickly as it began as a chain wrapped around her leg and tore her down from the sky. As she plummeted to the ground, she watched on in horror as yet the chain further wrapped around her, immobilizing her as she met the ground. She struggled against the tight metal loops only for them to dig deeper into her. A gross chortle met her ears. She squirmed, barely managing her way to her knees as Marduk lorded over her.

“You didn’t truly believe you actually stood a chance, did you?” Marduk sneered. “I let you bring me here. Do you know what?” Tiamat didn’t answer, choosing only to meet his condescension with a glare. Her tail tensed as it quietly drifted towards the water. All she needed was to... “Oh, Tiamat. I remember your affinity for water. Even if this isn’t an ocean, I know you should have an advantage here. That’s the point,” he said as he cupped her face in his hand, dragging her face upward. “I’ll grant you any boon you could use, and I’ll still defeat you.” He slashed his sword at the air, dispelling the jets of water that had launched at him. Tiamat gawked as Marduk looked at her, his mouth twisting into a disturbing toothy smile. “You can never defeat me.”

“You bastard! Why!? Why are you doing this!?”

Marduk howled with laughter. “You still don’t get it, after all this time? It’s simple. You’re obsolete. A useless worthless goddess who has outlived her usefulness and overstayed her welcome. You plateaued with the creation of my kin and I. You performed wonderfully with sustaining the meager mortals we reigned over.” He began frowning. “But you weren’t satisfied with that. You made more children. You sought to replace us.”

“I did no such thing!” Tiamat argued. “You tried to kill me, and-”

“You needed to be put in your place, ‘Mother,’” Marduk spat. “Your only purpose was to serve us! Not think or question! But to serve! That is the natural order of things!”

“What are you talking about?” Tiamat questioned completely bewildered.

“Allow me to spell it out for you. Creatures like you simply exist to provide for we who stand above you. Your role is to produce. Land. Water. Sustenance. You make it so we can prosper. That is why you must die,” he whispered. “I can harvest what I need from your corpse. And no one needs an uppity beast of burden. You outlived your usefulness the moment you arrogantly believed you were our equal.” He smirked. “You should’ve simply been satisfied as our caretaker.”

“You foul-” Tiamat coughed as Marduk’s foot crashed into her stomach.

“Your age ended long ago. And despite the petty yammering of the mortals you like so much, it won’t return. It’s about time these mortals were reminded of the true nature of things. They exist for us. Just as you exist to provide for us. That is nature in its purest sense.” Tiamat glared at him. “It’s time you got out of my way, Mother.” He readied his blade and plunged it forward.

Tiamt flinched, preparing herself to the imminent lethal pain, and met by… nothing? She looked down, the blade seemingly embedded in her gut, and yet there was no pain. That was when she noticed, the main body of the blade sinking into the water. She immediately took a deep breath and looked up. Marduk’s triumphant sneer promptly melted into shock and confusion. She exhaled, a plume of flame engulfing the god, its intensity and force throwing him back.

Tiamat huffed as her chains loosened. She smiled in thanks and then prepared herself for the next assault. Marduk charged at her, his sword gleaming with light as he attempted to striker her. She focused upon her hand, her scales grown and thickening, her claw growing in size. She met the blade, throwing it aside as she rushed at him with her other claw. He dodged back, preparing to strike her again, only for the tip of his blade to vanish again.

“What is the meaning of this!?” He roared.

Tiamat chuckled. “You made a mistake bring us to a place with so much water.”

“Your feeble control is nothing I can’t manage,” Marduk hissed.

“Perhaps. Freshwater isn’t my strong suit, but my priestess is more than capable.” She smirked at his bewilderment. In the next instant, a swell of water enveloped him, throwing him against he rocky shore, and pulling his plate armor away as it receded. He stumbled to his feet, coughing up water as he turned to face Tiamat only to be met by a mermaid floating in the air.

Melody floated in place, three glowing streams of lace like water draped along the back of her tail, meeting a pair of large shimmering sapphire blue ribbons at her hip, where her tail began. A frilled layered azure and white skirt fluttered along her tail, stiff fin like protrusions along her sides and back giving it an elegant vibe and exposing its iridescent underlining. Her outfit came in around her waist, multiple sheer layers of thin blue fabric clinging to her body, as if to emphasize her curves while giving her an almost ethereal and glittery haze. Her chest was graced with a shimmering blue bralette, its upper lining decorated with aquamarine, turquoise, and lapis stones and its straps flaring out to a form a cold shoulder twin layer sleeves of scalloped ruffles. A lengthy pearl acted as a choker and necklace which rested upon her prevalent cleavage. Atop her head was a glimmering tiara with a glittering blue veil which reached her shoulders, shimmering like a curtain of bubbles.

The mermaid priestess gazed upon Marduk with quiet judgment. She chuckled to herself. “You really are a proud fool, aren’t you?”

“Arrogant mortal. You dare speak to me like that?”

“You call me arrogant and insult Tiamat for being a lowly goddess, claiming ownership of her body and insinuating that our subjugation is simple nature. And yet, it is Tiamat who allowed you to live. And like you claim with her, you too fell. Your views are contradictory and self-serving. If anyone is obsolete, it is you.”

“Insolent-”

“You may reject the assistance of others,” Tiamat cut him off. “But I will happily accept it.” She smiled proudly at Melody. “Even if you are stronger than me. Together, we will stop you!”

“Heheh… HAHAHA!!!” Marduk laughed. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll still win! You can never defeat me!” He glared at Melody and then his lips began to twist into a ghastly smirk. He charged at her, readying his blade as he approached.

In an instant, Tiamat flew to meet his blade. His sneer grew as he gleefully slashed at the goddess. However, his sword was met by a jet of water from the river, cushioning its blow. In contrast, Tiamats claws swept through the water with an elegant finesse allowing her to catch and knock away the blade. Out of instinct, Marduk reached for her throat and then he howled with fury… furious pain. He glared at the offending mermaid, as she met his glare with her own as she plunged her spear into his arm. He slashed at the weapon in an effort to break it, only for the sword to pass through its watery form. The next moment he plummeted to the ground from the force of Tiamat’s fist.

He struggled to his feet, blood spilling to the ground. “Impossible…” he grumbled. “I can’t be losing to a failed woman and her damned pet fish. I am Marduk, God King of Babylon!”

“Times have changed, Marduk,” Tiamat stated. “Your time. Your era is long gone. One such as you, who seeks to oppress others has no place to rule it.”

“And you think you do?” he chuckled.

Tiamt shook her head. “I have no interest in ruling. And though my memory of our past is muddled, I am certain I held no such desire back then either. The only thing I desired was to live in peace and enjoy this world alongside these mortals, whether they be my children or not.”

“Heh,” Marduk chuckled. “Foolish ingrate. Living in peace with mortals? No. The world didn’t nor does is work that way now. The weak exist to supply for the strong. That is the way of the world.”

“Because that’s how you made it?” Melody asked. “You killed Tiamat and led the world’s civilizations to develop this way? That’s what you’re trying to say?”

Marduk grinned. “And that is how it will stay.”

Melody shook her head. “I won’t deny that you’re right. Even now, women in our world are constantly oppressed and exploited by men. But this…” she looked at her watery spear then to Tiamt. “The world is changing. And we have a chance… a choice to make it better. That may be how your world worked, but we’ll make a better one,” she asserted.

“Such a willful girl. You rather remind me of Ishtar,” he chuckled. “But let’s see where those vacuous ideals lead you to when-” he moved raising his blade, readying for a final attack. “AAAAAHHHH!” he screamed in pain as his blade rose high into the sky along with his severed hand. Tiamat took a deep breath as she relaxed her blood soaked claw and stared back at the man. “YOU!!!”

“It’s over Marduk. I won’t allow you to harm my priestess. So, just surrender,” Tiamat stated.

“YOU!!!” he howled as he shambled to his feet. “TIA-MAT!!!” he yelled as he charged at the draconic goddess once more. She simply sighed. She spun in place, her tail slamming into him as he approached, crashing just below his disarmed limb. Her tail snapped with ferocious might, hurling him over the nearby ledge and far away, vanishing into the distant forest.

“Uh… oops…” Tiamat frowned. “I only meant to slam him into the cliff face.”

“Well, I kind of doubt that he’ll pose any more trouble,” Melody giggled. “Rather humorous that a guy like him was once so powerful.”

“I’m glad he’s not any more.” She smiled. “Thank you for saving me, Melody, but why did you come back?”

“I could tell you weren’t really thinking things through back there. I felt like was just better to let you go and follow you.” Melody smiled back. “I wasn’t going to leave my goddess to die on me like that.”

Tiamat smirked. “I’m really lucky to have a priestess like you.”

“I do my best,” Melody boasted. “Now let’s get going. Vivi and the others are still going to need our help.”

“We should probably let Athena and the others know about Marduk. If we’re lucky, they’ll find him before he can cause anymore trouble.”

“Good idea,” Melody agreed. “Hey, Athena, can you hear me?” she called. “So, about the last god...”