Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs
The entire complex trembles, shaken by a fistfight on the surface. The masked woman in military uniform is the only one with permission to set foot here, but Blue Star is also escorting Noriko Null, Torn and Kari, in her Legion skintight armor.
<This is NORAD? I thought there’d be more people> Kari notes, creating ten duplicates to search the facility. Watching her use her power this close, Blue Star says:
<It’ll take some time to get used to that. Do you have any clues about this Cursed Daughter?>
<Say again!?> all eleven Kari say at the same time.
<You’ve heard the name before?> Null asks.
<Are you kidding me!? Where I come from, she’s the closest thing we have to your Devil!!!>
<You come from a place where gods are psychopathic tyrants. You need to be more specific.>
<Myridia isn’t the only planet fearing her. She’s known with many names, but nobody knows her real one> Torn reveals. Kari continues:
<We call her the Cursed Daughter because we believe she’s the daughter of Zeus himself, stripped of her name and godhood for Crimes Against Divinity, now haunting the universe seeking revenge.>
<What does mythology have to do with anything?> Blue Star asks.
<…>
<Why are all looking at me like that?>
Stygia, 50.000 light-years away
Persephone is laughing. It’s the kind of laughter you only hear from a goddess who’s using her power to morph tombstones and caskets to create a snake the size of a mountain.
The snake is fighting Elytra, though “fighting” is an overstatement: she can’t be hurt as long as she’s intangible, but even her talons of indestructible neutral matter can’t damage the beast.
Hekate is following the battle from a distance: a mortal would’ve died from having her throat ripped open, but she’s healing already. As much as she doesn’t want to admit it, she’s fully aware that as a goddess Persephone is on a whole other level.
<We thank you for exacting revenge on the mortal who dared to hurt the Triple Goddess, oh blessed Persephone. We are in your debt.>
<One more “royal we” and that snake’s going up your a##, is that clear Triple C#nt?>
<W… I shall oblige, Persephone.>
Nuclear rain falls on the giant monster, an orbital bombardment from an entire squadron of Talos robots swarming the sky. Their plasma weapons tear through the snake like a hot knife through butter, and the fight is over before it can properly start.
Three Talos break formation and head for the two goddesses. Hekate takes a step back, keeping Persephone between herself and the robots.
<LADY PERSEPHONE. SURRENDER THIS PLANET PEACEFULLY AND WE WILL NOT HURT YOU.>
<Use caution, Persephone. The might of the Talos is legendary, even among gods.>
Persephone cracks the muscles of her neck, and calmly explains while checking her black nails:
<Look, s#itcan, there’s three kinds of gods in this galaxy. The ones who mind their own s#it, the ones that just want to show everyone they’ve got the biggest d##k, and the ones who skullf##k planets for fun. Guess which one I am?>
Persephone’s body is suddenly wreathed in bright green energy, which she releases in a single wave. Hekate closes her eyes and flies away before the blast can peel the flesh off her bones.
She has to reach space to keep safe. She opens her eyes: a green dome of green energy has expanded enough to be visible from there. When it disappears, there’s a hole on planet Stygia the size of Australia. There’s nothing inside it except the ghost form of Elytra and some very confused Talos robots: they’re still intact, but everything that wasn’t composed by neutral matter was disintegrated. Except Persephone, who asks while adjusting her metal bra:
<Now go tell Hephaestus if he wants to measure d##ks he better be ready to be #########. Hard.>
Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs
The hallway is pitch black; only the light from Blue Star’s hands is able to breach it. Like twin torchlights, her hands illuminate the body of a woman who’s floating mid-air with her legs crossed in the lotus position.
<I think we found her> she says.
The lights return when the woman opens her eyes. Blue Star recognizes her as Doctor Rosenthal, one of the scientists responsible for her powers. And she’s holding the Heart of the Universe.
<Here you are. Just a sec, I’m not decent yet> she says, smiling.
The Heart activates, covering the woman with light brighter than the Sun.
<Be ready for anything> Noriko says, loading her Genius Gun.
<Great suggestion> Torn comments.
When the flash disappears, Doctor Rosenthal is no more. The middle-aged scientist has been replaced with a woman looking half her age and with the body of a supermodel. Her purple clothes leave absolutely nothing to the imagination, and the jet black long hair highlight her red eyes.
<Ah, much better. I haven’t worn a decent body for centuries…you mortals are so saggy.>
<It’s her. Oh my gods it’s really her> Kari says, holding Noriko’s arm and trying to hide behind her despite being much taller.
<The Cursed Daughter, I presume. I’m Noriko Null.>
<Oh I know. I’m, like, your biggest fan.>
<I find that rather hard to believe, since you’re working with the Empress of Shadows.>
<That? A little international terrorism, no biggie. But this…this is the big deal> she says looking at the Heart of the Universe, caressing it like a pet <I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this precious little thing longer than your entire civilization. I got so close when your great-grandfather and I discovered it…but we couldn’t get it to work. I think it drove poor Heinrich crazy.>
<Because you’re a goddess, and gods can’t use Drylon technology> Noriko realizes.
<Am I the only one lost here?> Blue Star asks.
<The Cursed Daughter is an evil Greek goddess who’s lost her original body and can possess people; she can’t use the Heart by herself, so she’s manipulated my family to activate it for her> Noriko answers rapidly.
<It’s a little more complicated than that…you left out how I conned your friends into giving me enough technology to fund the Empire of Shadows…>
<You’re Erika Rhys!!! Kayla’s girlfriend!!!> Kari suddenly realizes.
<What? I’ve never heard that name before!> Blue Star says.
<Yeah, yeah, you’re idiots, I know. Now, would you mind dying? >
She uses the Heart to fire an energy beam, which Noriko knows from experience can vaporize a person. Torn intercepts the blast with a sword, scattering the beam in a dozen different directions; they punch holes into several feet of concrete instead of vaporizing bones and organs.
The Cursed Daughter didn’t expect Torn to react so fast, and everyone takes advantage of her hesitation. But laser blasts, energy daggers and Genius Gun telekinetic bullets disappear hitting an invisible wall before touching her.
<Really. You do realize that this little paperweight can teleport the entire complex into the Sun, right? And all you’re doing is throwing stuff at me. Disappointing, really.>
Another energy blast is deflected by Torn, who cuts it in half; as a result, multiple walls are disintegrated on impact. Noriko scolds him:
<Careful!!! This bunker was built to withstand a nuclear explosion, but not from the inside!!!>
<Interesting. Let’s put this to the test, shall we?>
A wave of pure destruction emanates from the Cursed Daughter, vaporizing everything it touches. Noriko’s mind races to figure out a way to survive it, but she’s anticipated by Blue Star: she shields the teenager with her body, which miraculously seems to absorb the energy from the Heart.
<What are you doing!? > Cursed Daughter asks, increasing the power of the blast.
<I HAVE NO IDEA!!!> Blue Star shouts, sending all power back to the goddess.
The blue stream of light is powerful enough to send her through every ceiling and several feet of solid rock. Blue Star looks at her hands, still bright for the afterglow of the blast.
<Whoa> she comments.
<Whoa indeed>– Torn deadpans.
Outside
The Army is no longer firing on the Talos. It’s clear that bullets, RPGs and anything they can throw at the robot isn’t going to help. Now they have retreated enough to allow the Air Force to unload massive amounts of bombs directly on its head.
Other than obliterating everything else, this doesn’t have the slightest effect on the Talos or Vesta.
She punches the robot hard enough to shatter glass in another city, but the Talos doesn’t even flinch: its shell of neutral matter is completely indestructible, and its mechanical muscles are powered by a plasma reactor.
<YOU LOOK. GOOD. HAVE YOU BEEN. WORKING OUT?> the robot asks with its stilted speech. It grabs Vesta’s long hair and pulls it, slamming her face into its knee.
The unexpected hit disorients her long enough for the Talos to pin her on the ground, stomping her back with enough force to shatter diamonds.
<I’VE BEEN WAITING A. LO-O-ONG. TIME. FOR THIS.>
<I don’t even know who you are> Vesta admits, pushing against the terrain: she’s able to burrow beneath the ground and fly back at the Talos, her body wreathed in flames and ready for battle.
The Talos intercepts her and grabs her by the wrists, crushing them hard enough to make Vesta scream of pain. Then it proceeds to slap her in the face.
<ARE YOU. REALLY. THAT STUPID?>
Blue Star’s stream of energy pushes Cursed Daughter out of the bunker right at this moment. The woman dressed in tight purple clothes lands hard on her head, but is protected by a purple forcefield. She gets back up, only slightly disoriented, fixing her black hair.
<So. That happened. Oh look who’s here, Daddy’s little sister getting her butt kicked.>
<You’re the one controlling the Talos?> Vesta asks, struggling to break free of the robot’s titanic grip.
<You seriously have no idea of who I am, do you? > – she asks. Her voice is coming simultaneously from the woman and from the Talos.
<My brothers are Zeus and Poseidon. I have a lot of nieces.>
<None of them like me, aunt Vesta> the woman says, shooting energy from the Heart of the Universe still firmly in her hands. At the same time, the Talos releases white hot plasma from both hands and from the power core on its chest.
Vesta screams. She’s not accustomed to pain, but she’s felt it too many times in the last months…her fights with the Talos, with her sister Demeter, with the God Eraser. But this is a million times worse: it feels like being boiled from the inside. While in a vat of acid.
<Who am I? You should have learned by now. I am the Cursed Daughter of Darkness. I am rivalry, contention, chaos, conflict, strife, discord.>
When the attack over, the Talos lets Vesta fall to the scorched ground. She coughs up blood, the first time she recalls doing so in the last 27 centuries.
The woman kicks her in the stomach and spits on her, before asking:
<Now do you understand what you’re up against, little goddess?>
<Eris> Vesta whispers, before losing consciousness.
<Took you long enough to figure that out.>
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