Xanthippeia was outside her body. She was high in the sky looking down at herself. She was on the ground feeling the earth tremor from the impact and she was in the air being swept away by the waves of sheer power flowing out of her.
She saw his attack before he even made connect with her body, stretching out her fingers she shot him with a ball of energy and he went soaring into the sky, out of sight.
All that fuelled her body was a lethal combination of rage and fear. Xanthippeia, in the space of a few seconds, had acquired the will to fight for her life but in doing that she unconsciously let her new powerful aura completely take over her actions. Her eyes glowed like never before, that purple she had seen twice was now magnified tenfold and the power exploding out of her was like being caught in a strong storm. She could not even see the fear in the civilians' faces as they fled from the supernatural phenomenon. She could not hear their scream as the wind raged on like a tornado.
Her only instinct was to survive and attack those that would mean to harm her.
"THIS IS FOR MY BROTHER!" Methios shouted as he charged to Xanthippeia and delivered a punch to her face. A strong punch from a god would send anyone plummeting to the ground but not her, her head snapped her side to glare at him before her tentacles like energy wrapped around his throat. Methios' eyes widened but it was too late she flung him into the ground.
He landed with a thud, cracking through the hard tar even though there was not even a scratch on him. As he opened his bright cachemirine eyes a fury settled within the god. Whatever leniency he was going to offer this little mortal was long gone as he quickly stood up, fists clenched, the ichor in his veins heated up and he took off again to show her a god is not one to be trifled with.
With Methios going for the direct attack, Zar had the perfect opportunity to come at her back. It was quite simple really because all he had to do was get his hands on her temples. However, with her power shielding her entire perimeter like a dome he would have to get through that. He closed his eyes and focused on creating several mirages to act as a distraction so he could get close enough and it worked a treat. For a moment he was amazed at how much it must have taken for the girl to used to fight so many forces coming at her at the same time.
Just as he was about to reach out to touch her he heard Methios loud growl and he knew his brother was fast losing his patience. He looked over and his suspicions were true because Methios was raising his hands up high and summoning a bolt of lightning.
"NO! Brother you cannot!" Zargreus shouted at his brother.
"It might be the only thing to—"
"You will kill her! We still need her for all this to work remember? Put it down now!" Zar pleaded and even though he could see Methios shaking with anger he obliged.
"Fine but she is stronger than we thought so do what needs to be done when I tell you."
"What will you do?"
"Just wait for my signal," Methios smirked as he once again prepared to charge at her but this time he put everything into it. He had to bring her down to the ground where he had an advantage.
He charged and not even her power barrier could stop his speed and he managed to tackle her into the nearby park. They both crashed in a heavy heap of soil as they broke the ground. As soon as Methios had her on her back he used his power of the earth and summoned the deep roots of a tree to bind her wrists. He turned his head up to his brother that was floating a few feet above the sky.
"Now Zar!" he shouted and Zar flew down and in the nick of time because Xanthippeia was fighting against her restraints even with Methios straddling her to keep her immobilised.
Only an inch from Zargreus' hands making contact with Xanthippeias' skin she screamed like a banshee and her power struck both brothers and the plants meant to hold her.
"I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO KILL ME SO EASILY!" she shouted in a deeper and layered voice as her glow turned blinding.
A little ways away through the voices of humans running for their lives, police sirens and chaos had insued, Arcus finally located Athenios. He was laid unconscious in a once beautiful dandelion field covered by the flowers and dirt. Luckily the place was empty so he moved quickly to tend to him. He retreieved a small vial of a healing smoke and blow it onto his brother. Minutes later Athenios opened his aquamarine eyes and he shot upright. Arcus put his hand on his shoulder to steady him because he seemed somewhat disoriated.
"Carefully now brother."
"Where is she? Where is that fucking mortal bitch!" Athenios seethed as he stood up to his full stature. Arcus could understand why his brother was fuming, not only had the girl bested him but she did it in way that rendered him unconscious.
"Zar and Methios are handling her."
"Handle her? Does that looked handled to you!?" Athenios exploded as he pointed to the sky. The clouds had turned grey and wild. That meant that either the girl had comand of the skies like them or his two were struggling to wraggle her in. Athenios rolled his eyes as he dusted himself off and stalked off to help his brothers.
Xanthippeia had been free of her constraints and she was now floating once again but her fury had tripled and she held nothing back as she went on the offensive this time. Methios and Zargreus had not been prepared for the blast of energy she shot at them and found themselves on the ground.
The brothers knew not to underestimate her any longer and launched into a full out attack. In the sky was a barage of celestial physical strength and somehow Xanthippeia was holding her own.
When Athenios and Arcus finally made it back there was no time to get their barrings about them. They went into attack mode trying to immobilize the girl. Arcus and Zargreus were airing on the side of caution only because they knew how important it would be to Leodocus for her to be kept alive.
"AHH!" Xanthippeia screamed as she had been shot in the back with a bolt of lightening coming from Athenios and she fell from the sky like a returning rocket ship.
"What are you doing!?" Zargreus shoved him in anger.
"I have had enough. Something had to done." Athenios shrugged as they all descended down to where she had crashed.
They walked to unconscious body sprawled out and stood over her trying to assess what do do next.
"Is she dead?" Arcus asked.
"I for one hope so." Methios sneered. Part of him was still vexed at how this little girl could have had them bested when they were gods and she just a mortal blessed with godly abilities. It was an insult to him so if the girl should parish all the better.
"No she's breathing look." Zargreus pointed out and proceeded to kneel beside her.
"I am going to stablized her" he put his hands on temples and attempting to reach a part of her mind and inject some calming energy into it.
"Arcus open a portal, we need to transport her now while she's docile." Athenios instructed as he saw the humans around the area start to trickle in. They had not expected to extract her so soon but now they had to disappear before the mortals make a scene. Once she was completely knocked out Zargreus carried her in his arms as a portal ripped through the air that would take them to the gate of Fama.
"I will cloak her so no sudden movement otherwise she wakes up and we will get caught." He announced as he cast a spell on the petite girl asleep in his arms. Some part of him felt a pang of guilt for taking this girl from her home without a garuntee that she will come back alive. But the larger part saw the greater necessity for ridding her of her power.
He observed how out of control she had seemed during the altercation and saw it as a mercy to liberate her. He just hoped Leodocus would return to meet them in one piece and this whole thing will be over with.