Hekate took a few staggering steps away as he approached her but her back bumped into a wall and she couldn't go any farther. He reached out and pulled her struggling to him, roughly smashing his lips against hers. He pulled away and she stared up at his greedy smile. She reached for her magick, her heart-stopping when she couldn't touch it.
"Mother, Crone...Kate?" she asked reaching for either of them and coming up empty there as well. Looking in the mirror above the fireplace she saw that she was stuck in her maiden form wearing nothing but a sheer black nightgown with a slit up the leg and a dip cut so low there was little left to the imagination. She looked back to Ares, whose smile had become more leering than greedy as his eyes trailed up and down her body.
"You really are beautiful, and you're all mine," he reached out for her hand again and she snatched it away and glared up at him.
"I am not all yours, you ignorant pig," she spit out her eyes shooting daggers at him. He snarled and stormed toward her pushing his body against hers effectively pinning her to the wall.
"So long as you wear my ring," he grabbed her hand and showed it to her, there on her ring finger shone a silver ring with a wine-colored stone shimmering at its center. Her eyes widened and her heart hammered against her chest. Where had he found the damn thing, she had been sure she had hidden it where no one would find it.
"So you understand your situation then," he said putting his face so close to her she could feel his breath breeze across her face, then he stepped back and turned back towards the door, "I will be back after sunset." With those final words, he walked out the door, slamming it and turning the key in the lock.
Hekate took a deep breath trying not to let panic set in. What had happened? How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was being on Olympus and fighting to get Cassandra back, she had been beating that idiot Deimos when.... her eyes widened. She had touched Phobos with her bare hands, she covered her face with her hands, she knew better that was his one great trick and she had fallen for it and now she was trapped in her nightmare.
"Damn, damn, double damn!" she stomped and went back to the mirror searching her eyes for any sign of her other faces, or Kate. She couldn't see them, she couldn't feel them, she looked down at her hand glaring at the hateful ring. What a bastard, how could he have found it? She knew it was useless but she tugged at it until her fingertips started to bleed and the skin on her ring finger had become raw. She needed to calm down, there had to be a way to break this illusion. She stared at the mirror for so long that she thought she imagined that a whisp of white smoke blew into view. She blinked and looked again, there it was, a white shape began to waver into view behind her. She turned and looked but all she saw was the ridiculous bed that made her stomach turn.
She turned back and the figure began to take shape, slowly Hekate realized who it was. She smiled hopefully and watched as Hestia appeared.
"Calm yourself Hekate, that is how you will escape this place," Hestia whispered tickling Hekate's ears, "Phobos has trapped you in your worst nightmare, but if you can face this fear, and overcome it you will be able to break his illusion."
Hekate shook her head, and held up her hand showing Hestia the ring, "I can't do anything with this cursed ring on my hand," she hated to admit it but she was beginning to panic, with the ring on her magick was gone, she was as magickless as a mortal.
Hestia only smiled, "This," she gestured around the mirror indicating the room and Hekates hand, "Is all an illusion, he has reached deep into your mind and pulled out what you see as the worst possible thing to happen to you. None of this is real."
Hekate turned and studied the room, none of it was real, the bed, the fireplace, not even the room she was in. She turned back to Hestia, "Okay, so how do I get out of here?"
"I have already told you, calm yourself, remind yourself that this is nothing but a nightmare, and then show Phobos you don't believe in his nightmare anymore."
Hekate nodded and stepped back, she closed her eyes and tried to find the place of calm inside her, she reached deep inside and finally found the spark that meant her magick hadn't been gone just dormant. She pulled on that power, letting its familiar warmth fill her. Opening her eyes she tapped into her water element and began blasting large balls of water around the room destroying everything. A bang came at the door again and she turned to see Ares standing there his eyes glowing white hot in fury. She smirked and directed her next ball of water at him. Before it exploded in his face a flare of light exploded around them.
Hekate opened her eyes and turned to see Phobos staggering away from her soaked from head to toe. She was still on top of Deimos and taking advantage of her hesitation he grabbed her under the armpits and threw her across the throne room slamming her into someone's throne. She groaned and lay there to catch her breath before she pulled herself to her feet and looked around searching for Cassandra. She found her crouching behind one of the larger thrones, their eyes locked and Hekate gestured for her to stay put.
"Come here little witch," Deimos said stomping to her, before he made it too close she pulled on her air magick creating a barrier between her and the demon spawn. He stopped just before he walked into and slammed his large fists into its walls. She could feel it shake with each blow and knew it would only be by her a few minutes. Keeping her hand up holding the barrier in place she held her other hand behind her back releasing Elani. Just as the wall gave the wolf jumped over her and landed in front of her snarling at Deimos who snarled back.
Hekate smiled and stepped up next to Elani running her hands through her soft fur, before she turned her back on him and made her way to Phobos who was frantically searching for, what Hekate assumed, was Cassandra, knowing she wouldn't attack him if he had her. She wasn't about to give him the chance and released Aithan, he appeared in a whisp of smoke, and without a word from her, he sniffed out Cassandra and planted himself between her and anything that could hurt her.
Feeling like she had some control now she approached Phobos who was glaring so hard at her she was surprised his hatred of her hadn't manifested itself. "Let Cassandra and I go and we can be done with this," she said stopping a few feet from him.
"Never, our father wants you and no one says no to Ares," Phobos' whispery voice said a hint of worry creeping in at the mention of his father.
"I have said no to him multiple times, so someone says 'no' to Ares, whether he wants to hear that word or not is not my problem," she widened her stance and gave him a bright smile.
"No, you will come with us in the end Hekate," Phobos said widening his arms and causing his capes to billow about him making him look every bit the boogeyman he was. Hekate shivered remembering his nightmare magick.
"You've got this Hekate," Kate's confidence in her filled her, and she reached for her fire magick.
"I did give you a chance to leave Phobos, my fight was never with you until you and your grandmother stole from me," she launched a stream of fire at his chest. It hit him square on throwing him across the room, into a column. The whole room shook and a snarl caught her attention, she turned and saw Deimos and Elani circling one another. She glanced back at Phobos who was down for the moment, she sent a blast of flame at Deimos' feet getting his attention just long enough for the wolf to pounce on him locking her jaws into his arm. He yowled and began swinging his arm wildly trying to pry her sharp teeth from his skin.
Without warning Hekate was knocked to the ground by an enraged Phobos, his chest smelled of charred flesh, and his elegant robes were still singing. His large spindly hands reached out and swiped across her face his claw-like nails scraping across her face. She hissed, grabbing hold of her air magick she wiped the wind up pushing him off of her, she used her water magick to create a glove around her hand, and making a fist she slammed it into his creepy face smiling at the satisfying crunching sound. He roared but instead of backing off like she had hoped he dug his nails into her shirt, she could hear the ripping as it became a sort of handhold for him. His fist connected with her stomach causing her to heave but before she could catch her breath he hit her again and again until she was limp in his hands. He dropped her satisfied with himself, he knelt and grabbed her chin making her look at him.
"Just give in already, even with your wolves there is no way to get away from your fate."
Hekate yanked her head from his grasp and glared up at him, "My fate is not decided for me," she placed her hands on his chest and called water to her feeling his blood course through his veins she let cold wind wrap around them making it colder with each breath. At first, Phobos only smiled at what he saw as her weak attempt at defense, but the cooler she made his blood the more panic began to show in his eyes. He scrambled at her hands trying to pry them away from her only to find they were engulfed in each of her elements and they weren't going anywhere. As his blood formed into ice, he began to scream the pain of becoming a living godsicle too much for even the God of Fear to handle. All of his blood finally turned to ice and he froze his eyes filled with so much hatred.
"Looks like you just can't make friends," Kate said a smile in her voice.
"Don't celebrate yet," Hekate turned back to Deimos and Elani and gasped, somehow Deimos had gotten her jaw off of his arm and both of his hands were locked around her neck as she thrashed and snapped at him. Hekate called her fire back and threw a ball of fire directly at his head. He dropped the wolf with a scream and turned his rage to her. Ignoring him she went to Elani who was laying on the floor unmoving. Hekate placed her hand on the wolf and feeling her chest rise and fall she breathed with her.
"You did amazing my girl, time for rest," and called Elani back into her bracelet.
"That is twice you have ignored me," Deimos snarled spittle going everywhere, "You will not get a third chance." He ran at her, not waiting for her to get back to her feet.
She could feel her magick starting to ebb away, she needed to finish this before she was pushed out of Kate's body. Letting him knock her to the ground laid her hands on the floor and pulled but before she could even touch the earth magick she had gathered Deimos grabbed her head and slammed it into the floor causing stars to explode around her and making her lose her connection with her magick. He slammed it again and again until Hekate was sure the back of her head was oozing blood. When he was sure she would be unable to fight back he leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear.
"Father only wants you Hekate, once you are back in your body I am going to keep young Kate here as a plaything."
Hekate felt Kate's dread but it quickly turned into rage. There was no way Kate was going to let this man have her, her anger filled Hekate with all of her strength, she reached down and pulled at the earth again, all she needed was to touch it.
"No you don't!" but instead of the teeth-shattering slam she had expected his fist hit her face, "You can not win against dread!"
She tasted the blood and smiled, "You are one stupid god," she spit letting the blood fly up and splash into his face. At first, nothing happened and he sneered down at her in triumph.
"Do you think a little blood phases me goddess, I have been on the battlefield since the day I was born-" his words quickly cut off as small blisters began to form where her blood was touching his face. He screamed and reared back trying to wipe it off. She took that moment to slam her hand back onto the floor and reach out to the earth one last time. This time she finally touched it and yanked roughly at it apologizing to her mother under her breath. A vine burst from the floor and began twisting its way up his legs.
Deimos, finally getting as much of the blood from his face as he could, began to rip at the vines. Unfortunately for him with each vine he pulled off twice as many would take its place. Hekate kept her hand on the floor using all her strength to keep her connection. Finally, the vines had twisted him up so tightly that it was impossible for him to rip at them any longer.
She released her hold on her magick and slumped to the floor. She heard footsteps but there was no power left in her. She sighed and the next minute Kate was back in charge.
"Ow, ow, ow," she said coming back to her body and feeling every blow Hekate had taken from the gods. Cassandra knelt next to her and Aithan laid himself so close to her she could feel his body heat coming off him. She looked at her friend whose face was wet, red, and splotchy.
"You scared me, Kate," Cassandra's voice quivered, "Deimos is such a monster," she glared at the god who was still trying to fight against his binds.
"Deimos is not a monster," a soft voice said from the center of the room. Kate sat up slowly, she had to have at least two broken ribs and she had no desire to know what either her face or the back of her head looked like. She looked to the center of the room where Hestia was still sitting staring at the flames.
"What do you mean? They hunted me, stole from me, and beat the crap out of me, in what way is that not a monster?"
The goddess shook her head, "No, neither are monsters, they are a product of their parents."
"I am all about being aware when parents are awful, but that gives them no right to be such assholes."
Hestia chuckled, "I never said they weren't assholes, and I am not dismissing what they have done, but they did it all at the behest of Ares."
Kate looked at Phobos who was still standing as a statue and then looked to Deimos who had finally stopped struggling and had settled on glaring at them.
"What am I supposed to do with them now?" she asked Hekate.
"I will take them for now," Hestia rose from her chair and all but floated to Phobos, she raised her hand towards her fire and Kate watched as the flames circled him and he was pulled into the hearth. She turned and approached Deimos to do the same but before she could a puff of smoke appeared distorting their vision. When it cleared away the only thing left was a pile of dead vines.
Hestia shook her head, "I had a feeling their mother would make an appearance sooner or later."
"Yeah, when she knew the fighting was done," the Maiden said sarcastically.
Hestia floated towards Kate, kneeling she placed a hand on her face, "You did well Aunty, let me help you to get home." The flames floated from the hearth again and made their way to Kate's small group. Kate flinched despite herself unsure what to expect, the flames reached them and instead of engulfing them as they had Phobos, they seemed to cradle them. Kate closed her eyes relaxing into their warmth and closed her eyes. She knew this was only the beginning but for now, she was going to celebrate having her friend home.