Prism Girls 3 – Tomorrow’s Destiny

How had it happened? The immortal crown of Olympus had watched over the land for well over a millennia. Even as their people had been dominated, their conquerors knew who to respect. Different titles, different rituals, either way, they worshiped the same. However, their power began to sway, their grip slipping and giving way as a different faith began to swarm their land. Another divinity threatening their rule.

The others surrendered much too quickly for his liking. Artemis and Dionysus were particularly rather disinterested in creating a conflict, and they bore no ill will to the new faith, much less its followers. Over time, one by one, they all gave up, leaving their believers to dwindle, and their might to diminish. It was stifling. It was infuriating. He viewed them all with contempt and disgust as they shirked off their responsibilities. And then, it happened.

The god showed his true colors. Zeus was overjoyed. After so long, he could reclaim his might and reign over the land as was his right. All he had to do was fight and kill the invading god and assert himself as the true king of gods!

What a pity it was.

He could only look down upon his fallen fellows. His wife slain. His brother’s torso was vacated by a bloody hole. His children lay on the ground, their deceased eyes gazing upon the stars they once claimed as their domain. And they weren’t alone either. As that vicious hand gripped his throat, the lightning god could only gaze upon his failure as the field of corpses sprawled before him, inviting him into their lifeless embrace. Life drained from him. And then, with a final snap, it was over. As his vision faded, as his body fell, he saw the multi-winged bastard. The king of angels, the god of heaven, the man who vanquished his divine mountain, his sworn enemy.

Now, here he stood a millennia later, on a youthful foreign mountain in a far off place. The room was large and empty, the hallway leading to the freight elevator he used being the only obvious entrance to the room. There were only a handful of tables lining the walls, windows for observation decks above them, and remnants of several large machines strewn on the otherwise empty floor. In his reconnaissance, he’d learned this room was meant for all manner of tests. Testing machines and their ability to walk a distance or through obstacles. And now, the results of its last and final test shimmered before him.

He grit his teeth as he gazed upon the wobbling ether, the blank and vacuous light cracking through the air. It had become so small, but it was still there, defying the world around it, refusing death. He could relate. He chuckled. It was time, at long last to begin.

“Zeus!” a fiery voice tore through the room. He turned to face her, granting the attractive woman a grin as she advanced from the hallway.

“I see, so you’re the first to get here. I suspected as much. A bombshell like yourself must find such adversaries dull. You need a real man to satisfy you, don’t you?”

“You’re just trying to piss me off, aren’t you?” Annie snarled as she reached for her sword. “Well, congratulations, you succeeded! Whatever you’re planning, it ends here!”

“Whatever I’m planning?” Zeus chuckled. “Arrogant girl. You are a fool to believe you have any right to defy me.”

* * *

“Marina is free from their control.” Athena took a deep breath as she took in Vivi’s words. A gentle smile grew upon her face as she thought of her sister. Marina. The lonely girl who hid herself under a veil of blood lust at their father’s behest was named Marina. And she was finally free of those cruel wishes.

“What a beautiful name,” Athena said softly, partly at Jasmine’s insistence. “Is she doing okay?”

“She’s tired, but she’s okay. Annie and Grandma made sure to hold back as much as they could. She’s going to rest here and wait for the others while Grandma and I push on. Speaking of…”

“Right.” Athena took another deep breath as she refocused herself. “Melody and Tiamat dealt some heavy damage to the unidentified god, Marduk, but lost track of him in the process. We have some soldiers including some of our own magic users there to locate and subdue him with some tools Isis prepared. Mel and Tia are now heading in your direction and should be there soon.”

“Got it. What about Carm and the others?”

“Roth has been keeping in contact with them. It seems that Carm’s group are on route to meet up with Wisp and Ceridwen. It sounds like Sue and Ceridwen made sure to prepare some spells to restore everyone’s energy, and they sounded pretty energetic, so they shouldn't take too long to get there.”

“Assuming we don’t beat him first,” Vivi giggled. “I mean, we’ve all managed to take down a god at this point, so…”

“Don’t underestimate him Vivi,” Athena said sternly. “I understand your confidence, but Zeus isn’t like the others. And…”

“Athena?” Cheryl called out to the goddess. Athena looked to the side to see the youthful elven woman pouting at her. “Are you okay?”

“I…” She grimaced, Cheryl's frown deepening. “Vivi, I…” she returned her attention to the console before her. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I have this horrible feeling. Like something at the back of my head is screaming that he’s too dangerous to fight. So please, don’t take him lightly.”

“...okay,” Vivi answered after a moment, her tone more serious than before. “We’ll be careful. I promise.”

“Good. Oh, and do me a favor, leave your communicator on so we can monitor things.”

“Got it!” Vivi affirmed. “We’re heading off then.”

“Good luck…” Athena said in a hush tone. She looked at Cheryl who quietly whimpered, gripping each other's hands.

* * *

Flame split lightning as the blazing priestess slashed at the lightning god. Zeus dodged with a grin, his pricey suit unharmed by her continuing assault. He smugly brought his hand to his chin as he watched Annie angrily grip her sword. “Getting flustered?”

Annie clicked her tongue and deliberately breathed out. “Don’t let him get under your skin.”

Zeus sighed. “You modern women are far too high strung.” He chuckled darkly. “You should do what’s natural and surrender yourself.” Annie cringed. “Perhaps then you’d…” he fell silent as he looked toward the hallway and grinned at the pink haired girl as she fluttered in. “Ah, so you’ve arrived as well, distorted b-” A bullet of shadow shot towards him, forcing him to dodge out of the way. It shifted in midair, redirecting towards him. He growled as he summoned forth lightning to blast it apart. “Blasted goddess.”

“Call my granddaughter that again, and you’ll regret it,” Lilith hissed.

“I knew you were behind this,” Zeus grumbled. “Why side with these mortals?”

“Oh, please,” Lilith huffed. “Most of us aren’t power hungry bastards like you.”

“Power hungry?” Zeus chuckled. “As if you aren’t interested in revenge?”

“Revenge?” Annie asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, have you not told them?” Lilith looked at him cocking an eye brow in confusion. “Ah, I see. You’re like the others, aren’t you? You don’t remember what happened do you?”

“What are you talking about?” Vivi asked.

“Tell me, do you know the origin of this world? The origin of magic and we gods?”

“You mean that parallel world?” Annie asked. “We’ve heard about it, but…”

“Oh, it’s not some other world like you’ve been led to believe,” Zeus chuckled. “This world and that one were once one and the same.” The three looked at him in confusion. “This world was once one of magic, a part of our domain. That’s why your tales are full of creatures you describe now as mystical. Your so-called myths and legends of we gods aren’t some baseless fables, but a history you’ve forgotten the meaning of.”

“If that’s all true, then why hasn’t there been magic all this time?” asked Annie.

“Because…” Lilith muttered as she held her head. She then stared at Zeus in horror. “I… that wasn’t a nightmare!?”

“Grandma?” Vivi looked at her frightfully.

“I see. A goddess of your power wouldn’t forget that easily,” Zeus chuckled. “That’s right. That nightmare you’ve tried to put out of your mind is no mere dream, but the tatters of memory of your death. The descent of that winged bastard who denied your divinity and slaughtered you.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll admit, I was a bit jealous that some no-name god was the one who made such a conquest, but…”

“He killed you too, didn’t he? This winged god,” Annie challenged him. “You didn’t do any better did you?” Zeus gripped his hand, lightning crackling in his fist before he snapped his wrist, throwing a volley of lightning at Annie. She swatted it away with her sword. The two glared at each other.

“Do not dare to humiliate me again,” Zeus sneered.

“Big words for another dead ass loser,” Annie bit back.

“Worthless whelp!” Zeus charged yet more lightning, shooting it at Annie. She took a sharp breath as she readied to meet it head on, only for the lightning to be swallowed by shadow. Lilith stood between the two, glaring at the lightning god. Zeus exhaled. “I ask again, why side with these mortals who sleight you. They call you nothing more than a demon. Deny you your divinity. You should be standing beside me to retake what is rightfully ours, and-”

“I have no interest in ruling over humans. Nor do I have any interest in taking any men as a partner, much less a pathetic asshole like you,” Lilith stated bluntly.

“YOU!” Zeus’s hands crackled with yet more lightning. With a swipe at the air, bolts of electricity surged through the air towards the goddess. Light filled the room, a small smirk of the demoness’s lips being visible for hardly a moment before it was conquered by shadows. Zeus scoffed as his eyes met the glare of the fire graced priestess, her sword at his neck, resisted by a violet crackle. He glanced to his other side to see his other hand subdued by vines emerging from the floor. He looked up to see Vivi floating in the air, her wand pointing at him. He snickered. “Foolish.”

Lightning arced from the floor into his body, much to the shock of the three, Annie forced to back off as Vivi’s vines crumbled from the flurry of electricity. The lightning god hovered off the ground as electricity sparked about his body. “Explain to me how you thought you’d ever have the upper hand against me? I am the god of lightning. Even in your pursuit to nestle up to that winged bastard’s favor, you cannot stray from me. You have already surrendered to my might as you’ve embraced my loving hold with your technology. All I need do is take my blessing back and you become powerless before my might.”

Zeus threw his arms into the air, lightning surging through his grasp and crackling into the air, amassing around him. “Now! Kneel!” he declared as the bolts rained down upon the three. In an instant, the trio rose their guard, the lightning crashing against their flames, shadows, and plants.

Vivi flinched as one of her plants beside her exploded. As she reeled she saw the other two barely managing to hold their ground. She took a deep breath and concentrated directing the wand at the ground and motioning it to her side. More thick woody tendrils erupted from the ground to get battered by the surging sparks as she carefully made her way to the other two. The two gave her a nod of understanding as they slowly maneuvered towards her as well.

“I said KNEEL!” he roared, the onslaught intensifying,the three buckling under the pressure halting their movement just a handful of feet apart. Vivi looked at Annie and Lilith, exchanging a frightful gaze as the three questioned their fate for a final fleeting moment.

And then, as the moment began to pass, a hiss began to echo from the hallway, summoning Zeus’s gaze and distracting him for just long enough for Vivi to join the others. Lilith embraced her, smiling at her granddaughter before the pair looked toward the entrance, the sound intensifying into a cacophony. And then finally, Zeus relented, his eyes bulging as he flinched at the incoming threat.

A swell of water exploded from the hallway washing away the tormenting volts, Zeus willing himself away from the wave. He clicked his tongue in anger as he tried to reposition himself only to be met by a set of draconic talons bearing down on him. Tiamat swiped at him, slamming him to the ground. He attempted again to spew a splatter of sparks, this time at Tiamat only for the settling water to gather upon him, absorb his attack in its mass, and splash it all back at him, leaving him with the bitter tingle of failure.

“Tia! Mel!” Annie called out to the two as Melody emerged into the room. Melody passed her a satisfied smile as she swam through the air and stopped just above Zeus.

“So, we finally meet in person,” Melody said scornfully. Zeus opened his mouth to say something only for the water to swell again and assault his gaping maw.

“Do I know you?” Zeus questioned.

“Don’t play stupid Zeus,” Tiamat snarled. “Thermia abducted her on your orders to be your pet. Or did you try to forget that humiliation after she became my priestess?”

“Humiliation?” Zeus grumbled. He then chuckled sinisterly to their confusion. “Now, why would I retain such a thing when I make certain to wipe out such errors?" Electricity covered his body as his eyes fell upon Melody with a predatory look. Tiamat immediately moved, covering the mermaid from the sudden blast of lightning, liberating Zeus enough for him to return back to his feet and off the ground a small series of splashing sounds filling the room as the water settled. “You’ve certainly become rather arrogant in your short time away, haven’t you Tiamat?”

"Your poor tactics must've rubbed off on me. Don't worry, I'll drop them like I will you," she scoffed. “Face it Zeus, you’re not half the god you pretend to be.” Zeus glared at her angrily once again. “Now, give up and…” she fell silent as noticed Zeus’s scowl begin to turn upward. She immediately noticed the splashes from before hadn’t stopped. In fact they were growing in number and speed. She spun in place, her wing extending outward just in time to deflect a sword falling upon her. “Marduk!?”

“Thought you’d get away with slamming me into the forest like that, bitch!?” Marduk cackled as he pushed upon his sword. Her eyes darted around the room, noticing how the others scrambled to support her only to be attacked and pinned by Zeus. “You’re not getting away that easily!”

“How did you even get in here!?” Tiamat questioned.

“Oh please, you thought that failure of a boy was protecting the only entrance?” Marduk cackled. “But enough of that. Let’s finish this! ZEUS!” She jerked her head to the side to see Zeus to her side, a strange glowing orb of energy in his hand, a hungry smile on his lips. “NOW!”

Zeus threw his arm down, the sphere of energy plummeting towards her. She took a sharp breath, unable to dodge and a pang of fear gripping her. Then, a sudden tug pulled at her abdomen and a swell at her feet pulled her away from Zeus, much to his agitation. As she tripped and fell to her knees, Melody catching her from behind, she watched Marduk’s eyes widen with shock, confusion, and fear.

“W-wait…” Zeus only smiled as Marduk’s words feebly echoed through the room.

A bright flash filled the room. As the light faded, Melody helped her goddess to her feet, the pair looking to see Marduk’s body shimmer, a building light gathering at his chest and erupting from it like a geyser. They followed the stream of light and looked up at the lightning god as the light gathered in his palm, reforming the brilliant ball of light, only now its light had shifted, taking a more golden hue.

“What a shame. I was hoping to save that fool for later and take one of you our first, but I’ll accept this.” Zeus looked to Tiamat and grinned. “I loathe to admit it, but you are right Tiamat. I am much too weak, especially to take on my true adversary. That’s why I lured you all here. If you won’t join me and take your place above these worthless creatures, then I’ll just have to take your divinity for myself.”