Leodocus felt the warmth surrounding her before his eyes could be acquainted with the monster. She was above them on the ceiling of the cavern.
"The spawn of the mother and father, oh I am positively drowning in my own saliva." Empusa mused.
"I imagine it has been quite a long time since your last meal." He couldn't help but scoff. Leodocus' patience was running dangerously thin with every taunting exhalation of her voice. But what did he expect with a being that had been locked away for longer than he has existed, cut off from civilization and the mortal world and most likely with a bounty on her head should she step out of line? She probably wanted to make the most of the meal that had fallen into her lap, a goddess and a Hemitheos. But Leodocus had no intentions of being the ichor flavoured prime cut of meat for this meal.
He did not want to kill Empusa but anything that stood between him and fixing things for brothers would receive no mercy from him.
"Quiet bold, you are a true Olympian!" Empusa cackled boisterously. Her warmth surrounding her fire was getting nearer and nearer.
"So what's the plan?" Pythia asked behind him since they had got into a back-to-back position once they heard the voice encroaching.
"Subdue her."
"And should that prove to be difficult?"
"Then kill her, it. I refuse to leave without that amulet." He spat before drawing his swords and looking up at the cavern ceiling.
"I have not come to harm you---"
"Oh spare me! You are not the first to come here and I can venture a guess as to what you seek. A precious and powerful amulet." Empuse's sinister voice rang out closer.
"It is the only thing of value in this hovel."
"Oh, how you wound me my prince…though I suppose it seems inappropriate to refer to you by that title since daddy dearest yanked it away!" she was laughing, not a snigger even but a full belly laugh.
His jaw ticked in annoyance and against his logical mind, her words bothered him. Since he had been exiled, the very abysmal interactions he had with others seem to always bring up his history. It was always said in an underlying taunting tone and he hated it. But the words spewing from Empusa impacted him the most because as much as she was an obstacle to climb he and she were in a similar predicament.
Empusa had been imprisoned here because her natural violent nature became too much for this world and the mortal world. The gods made their judgement to her being a threat and that was that. He could empathize with her. After all, he had been plucked from his life because he posed a supposed threat. The gods made their judgement of him and his brothers and that was that.
So yes he empathized with her but considering she was planning on making a meal out of his flesh he put their shared suffering aside.
"Give us the amulet and we will be on our way." He made his voice steadier and bolder to show her he meant business.
"Asking nicely? Are you certain you were sired by the king and queen? They never ask for anything, they take so if you want the amulet then come and take it from my hands, sweet prince!" Her voice crescendoed sucking all the air out of the cavern. As much as he was impatient he knew Empusa was starving and it seemed she had enough of playing with her food.
He jumped a few feet apart from Pythia anticipating her move as she descended from the ceiling and landed with a thud in front of them.
Now he had only heard legends of her from his uncle since he is the one that corralled the beast here. Empusa was a ghastly creature taking on the shape of a woman resembling an Amazon in height and stature. Her skin was aflame on one side and the other her pale skin was as smooth as porcelain. Her left leg is that of a donkey and her right was encased in glimmering bronze armour.
"You like what you see?"
"Hardly, this is your last warning. Hand over the amulet now or this cavern will be dripping in your blood." Leodocus glared at her with his sword pointed at her.
"I have never been fond of easy pickings so bring it on!" she released what could only be described as a war cry as she charged at them. He steeled himself as the fight encroached as he did when facing Pythia's elemental beast. He took himself to place that nothing else mattered but his ramming through his target. If Empusa thought she would be getting an easy fight she was in a for a rude awakening.
With his sword in his right hand, he felt the tingles in his skin jumping as summoned the lightning. Pythia knowing the cavern was about to rumble moved away from him but that did not deter Empusa as she threw a jagged spear at Leodocus.
With the bright of the electricity and the glow of his eyes Leodocus levitated out the way even though the spear grazed his left bicep slightly. Feeling the tiny cut and the golden ichor dripping down his arm Leodocus let out a rumbling roar as he aimed a bolt straight at her.
The blow knocked her several feet into the air and ultimately against a wall. She slid down in a dusty heap but her recovery time was swift as she stood up again racing to him as she avoided a blow from her right flank coming from Pythia.
Empusa launched herself to the ground to retrieve her spear and as soon as she did the inferior metal clashed with that of Leodocus electrically charged stainless blade. They both put all their upper body into striking each other and seemed they were evenly matched but just as she gain leverage on him Pythia shot a fireball at her side.
The creature lost her balance and was shaking with pure rage and she aimed at the goddess.
"Pest, you will pay for that!" Empusa shouted and in three powerful strides, she whipped her hand sending Pythia's body flying. With no time to taste victory, the young prince raised his sword while the beast was distracted and sliced a long line across her back. She turned and started swinging wildly as if Leodocus was an annoying fly in her face but he would not give her the chance to hit him again. His movement was as quick as they were graceful. He was quite literally flying in the air but hovering enough over Empusa that his blows were impactful.
It seemed like this was a dance between the two but in the corner Pythia shook her head of the dizziness and jumped onto Empusas' back trying to turn the monster's head in the direction of her powerful eyes.
"NO!" the beast shouted as she ignored Leodocus just for a second so she could grip Pythias' arms and break them and flip her over onto the ground. The goddess landed with a scream as her two limbs lay limply at her side.
Leodocus reacted rushing to her side but before he could there Empusas' bronzed legs kicked up high and into his chest that he broke his concentration he fell to the ground. Empusa let out a laugh as Leo groaned in pain on one side and Pythis attempted to crawl, she strode to the goddess. "What happens to all the souls you steal when I pluck out those cursed eyes of yours!?" she emphasized the power struggle between them by stomping her heavy bronzed leg onto Pythias' legs. The sound of the distinctive crack resonated in the cavern followed by the goddess' cries of pain.
Outside a blank-faced Hades turned his head at the sounds of screams and the earth under him shaking. It would seem his nephew and the goddess were struggling to tame the beast. It would be convienent for him to wander in there and take care of the problem once and for all but that would make the lesson and world experience Leodocus would earn from completing this mission on his own mute.
In truth that amulet they were after was the only reason, the creature was still drawing breath in this world. He was intent on killing it a long time ago but saw it as an opportunity to rather put the beast to work in stead. She was the guard for the precious and ancient piece as countless others have come pillaging for it. Hades could not risk it being found by the wrong sort so he charged Empusa with it's protection. He could have easily commanded her to hand the amulet to Leodocus then end her but his nephew took on his quest as a challenge and he was not one to stand in his way.
The lord of the underworld folded his hands across his chest and leaned his head against the tree and closed his eyes to sleep until he was truly needed. He exhaled without a worry in the world as he trusted Leodocus to get this done by dawn as they agreed.
Leodocus was struggling with his breathing as his chest still contracted painfully from the kick but he had to get to Pythia fast seeing as Empusa had her in a chokehold and her fingers were pressing at her intented target, Pythias' eyes. Her wales of pain shook the foundation but Leo added to that effect by bringing down the ceiling onto both of them. He calculated that Pythia would be fine but he needed that as a distraction to stop her from gauging out the goddess' eyes and it worked a treat. Like a rabid dog Empusa refocused her target on what angered her at that moment and let go of Pythia and made her way to him but before she could reach Leo picked up her own spear and stabbed her abdomen with his telekinesis.
She fell to her knees on the ground but looked angrier than ever as she pulled it out from the other end and launched herself on top of him. They both tumbled to the ground in a mess of fists and electricity but he had to be careful he did not get burned because even though it would heal it was still incredibly uncomfortable.
He reared his head smashed it into hers to get her off of him but as he stood to summon a deadly bolt of lightning, Empusa swiped his sword and used it to stab him just below his healing ribcage. He went down and she jumped up with the intent of wrapping her hands around his neck and ripping his head right off body.
"Pathetic boy! We will see if you heal without your head!" She put her weight on him and strangled him. His breath was non-existent as his eyes glazed over, his body falling unconscious. The open wound coupled with the tension she was inflicting on his neck in an attempt to tear it put Leodocus in panic mode. So he did the only thing he could do in this situation, he succumbed to the feeling of drifting away. His heart rate stopping and just as he took his last cold breath, in his mind, he unlocked a box, that he only used for survival. Leodocus channelled all his energy, his powerful aura was one of darkness and light with the black shadows mingling with the bright burst of purple just like his eyes.
He was glowing from within and Empusa was none the wiser as she bared down to deliver the last squeezed to decapitate Leodocus but as soon as she did everything started to rumble violently. The fire on her body went out as if some dosed it with water. It was dark and her grip on his neck went slack but it was already too late to avoide the impact as Leodocus' encased in light in shaddow buzzed to life…