I understand that Raven hasn't been seen in some chapters, it is because I wanted to wrap things up on earth as quickly as possible. Please bear with it. The Raven that escaped the Source Wall is not even a fair matchup for the characters on earth, not even the gods can hope to stop her incomplete form.
More chapters cumming up.
The chariot door opened, and cold air rushed in immediately, the kind that was thin and sharp brushed against the skin, sharp mountain wind that slipped through clothes and settled deep on those with mortal bodies. That reminded Mercy of the slums. It carried altitude with it a welcome silence too, from all the city buzz, that country kind of silence.
The girls barely had time to take in the inside of the chariot before they were already stepping out of it.
"Already?" Mercy said, looking around as she stepped down. "But we just got in." She didn't sound annoyed. She was more like… disappointed. It's just that she wanted the ride to last longer, the wish of so many unsatisfied men and women worldwide.
Ares heard it, of course. He didn't react outwardly, but he was once again satisfied with her reaction. On the other hand, Mercy didn't hide the way she looked at him. She never really tried to. And right now, being this close to him, feeling the warmth that seemed to come off him naturally, she leaned into it without thinking.
'Now that he's with Lex… he should have time, right?' In her head, the thought was simple. Time for her, ah, she couldn't stop thinking about it and hated the way she swooned over him but loved it at the same time.
She stayed close to him as they stepped away from the chariot, almost clinging without making it obvious. Behind her, Tala stepped down next, catching Mercy's eye just before she moved away. The smile she gave her wasn't subtle at all. It was the kind that said everything without words.
Go on. Get him.
Mercy didn't respond, but she didn't need to, that was her mission objective. Whether or not this attraction would be her downfall she was all for it.
Lex stepped out after them, calm as ever, already looking ahead like the surroundings were just another problem to solve. The chariot didn't stay long after that. The moment they were all out, it vanished, leaving nothing behind but open air and stone.
Ares didn't like that Tala was here. That thought sat quietly at the back of his mind, steady and persistent. He didn't trust her. Not fully. Not even close. But this wasn't the moment to start arguing about it, even if he did, Lex would do whatever he wanted, so he didn't.
Instead, he took off, but not fast enough to leave them behind, but fast enough to make it clear he was leading. The others followed without question, moving deeper into the mountains, where the air grew thinner and the landscape harsher.
There was no certain path but what looked like they were ascending the mountain. Lex wondered why they couldn't just fly to the top but let the person who was leading, lead.
After a while, Ares stopped. In front of what looked like… something out of place and could be mysteriously looked over. It was Ares that had to bring their attention to it otherwise they would move past it.
It was just a pile of rocks.
He stared at it for a moment, considering something. For a second, it looked like he might ask someone else to handle it rather than himself. Then he didn't.
There's a demon amongst us.
That alone was enough to make the decision for him. He stepped forward, crouching slightly as he began shifting through the stones. It didn't take long before he found the one he was looking for—a rock marked with a faint rune, barely noticeable unless you knew to look for it.
He picked it up. For a moment, it looked like he was about to channel something into it. Divine energy gathered faintly around his hand, causing a reaction… anyone that didn't know this mechanism would fall for his ploy just now. Divine energy was not needed to operate this gateway totem.
The trick was simpler than that.
He lifted the stone, just raised it high enough above the pile—and that's when the portal appeared.
A swirl of blue light opened in the air, expanding outward with a low hum that seemed to vibrate through the space around it.
Behind him, the others reacted, not dramatically, but enough. At this point anything supernatural happening around him was to be expected.
'So… it reacts to a specific kind of presence?' Lex thought, watching carefully. He let his expression show mild surprise, just enough to match the moment. He was already trying to understand how the gateway totem worked. Nothing stayed impressive to him for long.
Ares didn't wait as he stepped through first, Mercy followed right after him, barely hesitating. Tala came next, her expression was calm but watchful.
Lex lingered for just a second longer. He looked at the portal again, just briefly, then smiled to himself and stepped through.
On the other side, the first thing they saw was the Eagle.
It was massive, Far larger than the myth's had written it to be. And it was feeding, not on small prey or kill it had just obtained but a living giant.
The titan was chained to two massive pillars at the peak of a mountain, high enough that clouds rolled beneath them like a second sky. His body was enormous, easily towering over Ares, and yet he was pinned there, unable to move.
The eagle was inside him, but not in the good way.
Its beak tore through flesh and muscle, pulling at organs with slow, deliberate motions. It didn't rush. It didn't need to. It took its time, tearing pieces free and swallowing them in measured bites, even though it could've taken more at once, but It chose not to.
Because this wasn't just feeding. It was enacting divine punishment.
The titan groaned constantly, moving it's body in agony for a pain that did not stop.
Lex raised a hand slightly, signalling the others to stay back as he stepped forward alone. His eyes didn't leave the scene. Not once.
For him this wasn't horrific to watch, rather it was exciting! This was confirmation. Myth wasn't myth, it was real, and it was right in front of him. This was one of his wishes from his teenage years to meet the one he deemed the great benefactor of mankind provided the stories were true… but that was what they were to him in the end then, stories. Except for now, he couldn't contain his excitement.
The eagle continued its work, tearing through tissue, slowing slightly when it reached deeper organs, almost like it was savouring the process. Truly, a master at it's work.
The titan's hair was brown, curling around his shoulders despite the condition he was in. His iris—red and bright. They flared each time pain hit harder, which was often.
But even through all of that—he noticed Lex.
"You there…" the titan said, his voice strained but steady enough to carry. "Please… save me… and I'll follow you." He could already sense the greed within the… human? If he would him that, before him.
There was a pause in dialogue between them. Then, both of them smiled, there was a mutual understanding between them.
Lex moved, in one moment he was standing there, and in the next, he was behind the eagle.
His hand clamped around its neck instantly, stopping it mid-motion. The creature struggled, wings twitching, but it couldn't break free.
Lex didn't even spare a glance at the bird but his attention went upward instead. The chains. His eyes glowed, green light built around them for a split second and fired. The beams cut through the chains cleanly, breaking them apart without resistance.
Ares stared like that was not supposed to happen that easily.
"…those aren't normal chains," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else, they were made by the god of the Olympians after all, they were far from normal binding chains. And yet they were gone.
Lex hovered slightly off the ground now, just a few inches, the eagle still struggling in his grip.
Behind him, The titan roared freedom.