Bang
An explosion sounded in the room as Maia's fist crashed onto Maeron's jaw.
The floor cracked and fissured below Maeron's feet.
"Too weak Maia," Maeron's mocked a smirk bloomed on his face as he looked a the goddess facing with eyes blazing with furry.
"Get away from my son," she rasped pushing forward
"As I say, you are too weak, I could stay standing here and you wouldn't be able to make me move an inch~huh"
The smirk on Maeron's face disappeared as he felt the power in Maia's small increase drastically.
"Get away from my son!!"
Boom
After a burst of energy, Maeron was flung away his feet leaving two deep tranches on the ground.
"Oh?!"
A look of surprise appeared on his face as he touched his bleeding lips.
"Impressive, is that the power of love!" He pondered out loud, looking at Maia, who shielded her son behind her with her body.
Whoosh
Moving at an incredible speed Maia appeared in front of Maeron her body covered in divine energy.
Boom
A small explosion resounded as her small fist crashed onto Maeron's forearm pushing him back again.
'What!?' Maeron was genuinely shocked this time,
'It felt like a mountain crashed in me!' he looked at his reddened arm with surprise.
'That strike is stronger than the last one.' he thought as Maia continued to attack him with a maddening and desperate ferocity,'
The pristine healing room of Olympus was thrown into chaos as it was all around them.
Maia's fists continued to rain down onto Maeron leaving him no respite.
Even covered with divine energy Maeron was battered by that storm of fists.
He deflected avoided, blocked, and redirected, but most of the desperate attack of Maia still rained down onto his body, and even though he was covered with divine energy as a human-shaped shield.
But even with that shield powerful enough to stop the attacks of a giant he was still getting injured as cracks appeared on it.
"Is anyone here, Alida! Mila.. anyone!!" Maia shouted looking all around her for the goddess that were charged with healing her son.
With another punch, Maeron was blasted away in another room destroying others wall and furniture on the way.
'I can't give him any respite,' Maia thought following Maeron through the wall as she continued her relentless barrage of attacks while looking for a sign of the missing healers.
"Are you really worried about the healers? Touching!!"Maeron asked asked looking at Maia's expression closely, even though Maia was expending all her strength, even though he was bleeding Maeron still had a smile on his face.
They both knew that he was not giving his all and it was what gave Maia hope.
Hope that she will find a solution to her deadly predicament.
"...Oh, no." A grin spread on his face "You aren't worried for their safety right. You are hoping that they will come and help you get Hermes out of the, right."
The nervous twitch she involuntary shown made Maeron smile, it was proof he was right.
"You already realized that we are in a separate space from Olympus right. It's the only reason why even after all the chaos that you created no one showed up to help," A wicked laugh echoed in the room as Maia's expression turned grim,
If she could see the outside world she would realize that she was not just in another space but in Tartarus.
In Maeron's castle in a room made to look identical to the healing room of Olympus.
"Where are we, and what did you do to them, to my son?"
She shouted unleasing a torrent of attacks that managed to crack Maeron's shield.
"Enough!!" Exasperated Maeron unleashed a torrent of energy that blasted Maia away.
Bang
The goddess crashed helplessly into a wall destroying it.
"It's enough fun for now," Maeron said dusting the dust of his clothes his injuries disappearing under the eyes of Maia who was already standing and ready to attack again.
"You are indeed Atlas's daughter huh, not bad for someone who never fight nor train. You know if you had cultivated your talent you would have been a powerhouse..."
Boom
Before he could finish another explosion resounded as she smashed the tiles after Maeron disappeared from his previous place.
Swish
"I said that enough,"
Maeeon's expression was cold as he released his divine aura and focused it on Maia forcing her to her knees, she already knew that she was never Maeron's match but to be by his aura alone was still a blow, and yet she, she remained stubborn.
"I can't stop, I have to stop him," With incredible willpower, she managed to get up ready to continue fighting for her son
But when her eyes fell on the figure floating beside Maeron she froze, her body nearly spasming, and all the energy and courage she had gazed evaporated.
"My baby," she said looking at the helpless figure of Hermes beside Maeron, she understood the threat immediately and eve as the crushing aura disappeared she fell back on her knees even in front of Maeeon.
"I really didn't want to resort to that but you are a stubborn one,"
"What do you want?" She said with a mix of anger and helplessness in her tone.
"Don't be like that, I have been very patient and magnanimous with you despite your fiery temper,"
"What have you done to my son this time? Wasn't it enough the first time you had to come and finish him off,"
Maeron could see despite the brave front that she showned the fear in her eyes, fear of Maeron and fear of losing her son.
"Finish him off?! Huh, why would I do that? On the contrary, I am here to make sure he heals well, after all the energy I put into healing him, giving him back the power that I took from him after absorbing it was not so easy," Maeeon said slowly massaging a shoulder,
"...Wha- what?!"
"What did you say,"
"Well, I meant that after all the energy that I expended to heal him, I won't let him die, he is useful to me,"
"How?! What do you mean? You didn't save them, the girls, the healers save him.."
"By giving him her essence yeah, except not really. The essence she gave him was his own. His original one, the one I had taken from him the first time we met,"
Whoosh
Maeeon moving at incredible speed reappeared at the other side of the wall
Whoosh whoosh whoosh
He continued his demonstration by moving around the room at such speed that only after images remained.
As Hermes' mother Maia recognized that it was one of her son's moves.
"They- those whores!" Anger seeped into her voice as she realized that she and all of Olympus had been tricked "They betrayed us,"
"Betrayed!?" Maeeon showned a expression of disagreement
"Who really betrayed whom?" He asked "You had no problem torturing them physically and mentally to achieve your goal, even though they weren't responsible," Maeron said as he pointed at the floating Hermes once again beside him
She knew what he meant and pursed her lips as she knew it to be the truth, when Zeus was abusing those healers she didn't say a words in their defense and it was not just due to fear but also because she didn't care, the only thing she cared was that they heals her son.
"They are servants of Olympus, this is their duty
"Indeed." Maeron responded way cold smile "I remember that Zeus ordered them to save his sons, by... any...means...necessary..." His smile turned wicked
"And as the good servants they are, they did," pointing at the helpless Hermes he added "I can assure you that he has completely recovered,"
With a flicker of the hand, Hermes unceremoniously fell on the ground
"Of course I made a few... Ameliorations to him, oh don't worry nothing life-threatening. I have use for him, for now,"
The smile on Maeron's face bright and radiant appeared to Maia like the smile of an evil creature full of malice, her brain worked at full speed to find a solution to her predicament.
"What, what do you want? You want something right. I-I can do anything? Just leave my son alone," Maia finally said lowering her head in resignation
"You make it sound like I am the bad guy here, I am not, or at least I am not worse than you and my father... Anyway, you are right I want something, I want you."
"Huh!"
Seeing her surprised looked Maeron laughed "Yes you understand me, I want you, body and soul. You see I have developed a very twisted habit, I want to take everything of my dear father and you are one of my targets,"
Hearing that she understood, the reason he didn't killed her, the reason he let her attack him and barely resisted wasn't just to evaluate her it was to satisfy his twisted fetish.
"If I do that, will you let my son go?"
"Hahaha," a laugh escaped Maeron's mouth "Of course not." He responded coldly.
But before she could interject he continued "But if you behave I will treat you well. He is my brother... after all."
"You are a wicked creature,"