Zeus battles Poseidon's Son Part One

The storm continued to build. Clouds boiled across the sky, edged with flashing light. Rain began to fall. The fat glistening drops were slow and spaced apart from each other at first then over the course of several minutes began to increase into a steady, pounding rhythm. Bolts of lightning arched from cloud to cloud in flashes of light. Electricity sizzled and crackled. Wind shrieked, shaking the walls of Mount Olympus and rattling the windows. A clap of thunder boomed, the deep rumbling note echoing within the interior of the castle from room to room.

Inside the library, Zeus stepped out from behind Rhea and moved back into the shadows. He drew away slowly, letting his hand drop from her wrist and slip back into the fold of his robes. He paused, his back held straight, his body rigid with tension. The air around him began to grow unstable. He shot a glance towards the door. In the split second that it took for him to turn his head to the side the smile that had touched his lips moments before faded. Ignoring his mother’s grip on his arm he turned his back on her and straightened his shoulders, bracing his spine and balling his hands into fists, a snarl shaping his mouth in cruel lines. “He is close,” he whispered, his eyes pinned on the door.

The wind rose to a roar. The very foundations of the castle shook; dust sprinkled down from the roof as wooden beams cracked and splintered overhead and fissures appeared in the floor and along the walls, great ominous cracks that spelled doom. Oil lamps swayed precariously off long metal chains. Manuscripts toppled off bookshelves. A goblet tumbled off the edge of a table and smashed. A crack split down the centre of a pillar. The flames blazing in the hearth stirred wildly. The air in the room pulsed with power. The walls shuddered, buckling under the strain. The floor began to shake beneath his feet; a lesser man would have fallen to his knees, but not Zeus, he simply held his ground, still as a statue.


A shudder shook the door. A brief silence filled the air. A second jerk rattled the door. The growing sound of approaching footsteps echoed outside the room. Coming closer. Closer still. The jolts shaking the door began to grow more violent and less spaced apart; it was shaking wildly now, splintering down the middle, its frame cracking, about to burst apart. The padding noise of the footsteps nearing towards the room continued to grow louder. Boom. Boom. Boom. It went like the beat of a drum. The air in the room thickened with gathering energy, with the surge of rising power. Zeus threw back his shoulders, chin in the air, his eyes glinting with wickedness. Clouds circled above the rooftop of the castle sending forks of lightning shooting down repeatedly, stabbing knives of electricity, fuelled by anger and grief. Zeus remained motionless; he didn’t even flinch.

The tension building in the room continued to rise higher and higher with each passing second. The moment it reached a fever pitch the door burst open. It swung inward with such intense force the crash that sounded in the air when it collided against the wall reverberated throughout the entire castle. A dark silhouette stood in the centre of the doorway, power clinging to his skin. Zeus moved back a step, the arrogant gleam in his eyes fading, his breath catching in his throat. The air felt electric all around him. He recognized what he felt as the rush of growing anticipation. The shadowed figure lifted his head and stepped over the threshold of the door. As he moved deeper into the room a beam of light shone across his face illuminating his glowing silver eyes and the harsh set of his features. On the far side of the library, Rhea cupped a hand in front of her mouth and withdrew into the shadows, her eyes wide with shock as she watched her grandson move past her without a slightest glance in her direction.


The shy, awkward teenage boy, that she had first met was now gone; he no longer held himself with fear and uncertainty, for the first time since she had set eyes upon him he moved with arrogance and confidence, with the stride of a powerful God who had complete faith in his abilities. During the short period of time he had spent out of the room his shoulder length hair had become streaked with the lines of white and his eyes had changed from the colour brown to silver mixed with black. As she stared at him a fierce wind swirled around his body, tearing at his hair and clothes and rocking the surrounding bookshelves, knocking manuscripts to the floor and rifling their pages. Even from across the room she could sense the anger churning in his stomach. The depth of his rage was so strong, it grew with each passing moment until it bordered on a physical pain tearing at his insides.


As he stepped beneath the glass dome she saw a sudden flash fill his eyes as his powers began to rise up inside him. The floor trembled beneath his feet and drums of thunder shook the walls of the castle. He cast back his head and threw his arms upward. A bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and in through the dome triggering a resounding crash and sending a shower of broken glass sprinkling down all around him; wind and rain poured into the room whipping at his clothes and drenching his skin as the white hot spear of electricity descended into the palm of his hand. The moment his fingers wrapped around the crackling sphere it began to grow, its form elongating, widening in shape, transforming into a glowing blue trident. The clouds lit up with lightning throwing his shadow far across the floor.


Dylan lowered his head slowly, his eyes cold and hard, reflecting the rage of the storm. He brought the trident down in front of him then in a single quick motion thrust it forward in a two handed grip, his back held straight, his muscles taunt with tension. A chill wind swept throughout the room. Drops of rain splashed against his cheeks and rolled down between his shoulder blades. Zeus strode out of the darkness and crossed towards him across the middle of the room. Dylan whipped around instantly, raising his trident and pointing it towards him. Zeus froze where he stood, his body held completely still, the hard edge of his mouth set in a scowl.
Dylan returned his stare with a cold, unflinching gaze.

He stood so motionless he might have been a statue, still and hard as stone, had it not been for the smouldering heat in his eyes. The two adversaries stood facing each other several feet apart, tension building between them. Zeus swung his head towards the place where Rhea was standing, his eyes meeting her gaze. He drew in a sharp breath, then spat it out in an angry hiss. “Leave us,” he said, extending a finger towards the door. Rhea turned her head away and hung her head, her hand brushing absently across her cheek, wiping away a teardrop. She brought her hand up slowly, lashes fluttering, her eyes widening in disbelief at the moisture smeared across her palm. She closed her hand into a fist and slowly straightened to her full height, her expression hardening. She pushed past Zeus and strode across the length of the room with her chin in the air. She wrenched open the door and stepped out into the corridor. “So,” said Zeus, his voice edged with menace. “It all comes down----” His words were cut off by the hollow boom of the door slamming shut behind his mother. “--- to this, then?”


Dylan remained stoic. He stood utterly still, his chest rising and falling, his piercing gaze fixed upon him in an unblinking stare. Zeus cocked his head to the side and rubbed a hand across his jaw, his pale lips pulled back in a cruel smile. “Your appearance has changed since the last time we spoke.” He took a step to the side and began to move around him in a circle. “I take it that means you have made the decision to embrace the dormant side of your personality and turn your back on mortals all together?” he cocked an eyebrow at him. For a brief moment something dark and dangerous stirred in Dylan’s eyes then he suddenly snapped to his full height, standing tall and straight, his face etched with lines of anger. “Is this the part of the fight when we insult each other?” he asked, his voice dripping in sarcasm. Zeus’s only reply was a steady, unblinking stare. The flickering light of the candles flanking the door reflected off his pupils making it seem as if hungry flames were licking at the inside of his skull.


“We could skip straight to the part when kill you,” he whispered, taking a step forward. “I don’t mind. I would relish the chance to destroy you, Dylan.” His voice was edged with menace. “The son of Poseidon…the one prophesised to cast me down…” He reached out slowly and pressed the tip of a finger against his chest. “Are you sure this is the path you want to choose?” A flicker of anger crossed his face. “I offered you power.” A crack of thunder boomed. “I offered you the chance to rule the world at my side and this is how you repay me?” his voice began to rise. “By confronting me?” His icy exterior began to soften. “Stop and think about what you are doing. You can still walk away from this, nephew. I am a merciful man. I am willing to forgive you for daring to brandish a weapon at me.” Flashing a cruel smile, he lowered his finger and took a step back. “After all,” he said. “You’re upset because I killed that mortal woman.”


Dylan gritted his teeth together. His heart was beating so loudly he could hear the blood coursing through his veins. “She raised me,” he said in a low, trembling voice, anger gripping him. “She was like a mother to me.” He drew in a deep breath, tears springing to his eyes. “And you killed her.” His accusation hung between them as if the relentless sheets of rain pouring into the room through the hole in the roof had caught his words and were holding them suspended in the air. Zeus made a sound of disgust at the back of his throat and turned his back on him. “She was a mortal,” he said, the ice back in his voice. “By taking her life, I did what you could not do, I released you from your bonds, don’t you see?” He turned his head slowly, his eyes glinting at him from over his shoulder, his teeth flashing at him in a sneer. “There is nothing to tie you to the mortal world now.” In the dim candlelight of the room bolts of lightning flashed within his eyes. “Nothing at all.”

He pulled himself up to his full height then turned and moved a step away with his back held straight and his head cocked to the side, the corners of his eyes narrowing, shadows falling across his face. Dylan maintained his stoic silence, motionless except for his eyes, which flicked and darted from side to side as Zeus circled around him, following his every movement. Zeus stopped, dropped his gaze to the ground then slowly raised his head, a cunning smile on his lips. He took a step forward, madness gleaming in his eyes, his hand rising into the air, pointing a finger towards his chest. “You’ve come here to kill me, haven’t you?” He threw back his head and let out a loud laugh then dropped his arm to his side and moved back into the darkness. “Your lust for vengeance runs deep.”

He rubbed a hand across his jaw. “Tell me, my boy, what makes you think that you will be able to lay even a single hand on me when your father, the mighty Poseidon, failed to defeat me in battle twice?” The walls of the castle trembled with the reverberations of his loud booming laughter. Dylan closed the space separating them with a single step, coming up close against his chest, his face centimetres from his own, his features twisting into a look of contempt. “I don’t have to,” he said in a low, menacing whisper, clenching his teeth together. He waited until the last possible second before thrusting his hands forward and unleashing the energy that had been bottling up inside him over the past few minutes out in a tremendous rush of power. He channelled it up through his muscles and limbs, his powers rising up inside him, making him feel on the verge of being ripped apart.

A wave of rippling energy erupted from out of his palms and slammed into Zeus, hurling him backwards against one of the bookshelves hard enough to splinter the wood. The force of the concussive blast was so strong the foundations of the castle shook. Zeus crumpled to the floor with a dazed expression on his face. He shook his head, a flash of anger crossing his face, his lips pulling back in a scowl. He pressed his hands flat against his thighs and straightened to his feet, rising upward like an apparition, shoulders thrown back and chin in the air, his long hair whipping in the air behind his back.

“So be it,” he said. He lowered his head, shivered and went still, arms spread out at his side. Slowly, his rigid body began to rise into the air. He threw back his head and raised his arms upward, drawing the bolts of lightning forking across the sky into himself, feeding on them. He felt his strength surge as he channelled the force of the storm through his body, drawing it into the palms of his hands. He lowered his head, his eyes locking onto Dylan, wide and wild with the rush of power. Tiny bolts of electricity sizzled and zapped between his fingers. The crackling sparks began to lick up and down his arms, snapping and hissing, forming into spheres, nestling in the palms of his hands. He raised his arms, his face flushed with power, and thrust his hands forward. Lighting shot from his fingertips and arched across the room. The blast of thunder was deafening. The smell of burning ozone wafted through the archives, filling Dylan’s nostrils as he dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way, his trident clutched close to his chest. He turned his head to the side, wincing as the surge of electricity struck the place on the floor where he had been standing less then a minute ago, forming a large scorch mark.

Zeus raised his arms and launched another bolt to ricochet off the far wall. The force of the blast caused a fissure to rise up the side of the wall triggering a section of the roof to collapse sending a shower of rubble falling onto the floor. Desperately, Dylan threw himself forward, crashing to the ground, his feet skidding beneath him as he began to crawl away, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his frantic gasps of air edged with fear. A cloud of billowing dust rolled out from the wreckage from behind him. It washed over him like a gust of wind covering him in a fine white power. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and lowered his head, his body flinching, a convulsion shooting through him as a fit of coughing took him over for a few minutes. With a groan, he hauled himself up into a sitting position, leaning his head and shoulders against a wall. He blinked and rubbed a hand across his forehead. His eyes---glazed and dilated---slowly cleared and focused on the dark outline of his uncle looking down at him from above. His face was pale and taunt, his features stretched, as if his skin had become too tight for his skull. A thin layer of rain drops coated his hair and lashes. His expression was one of cruel arrogance and his left eye twitched and trembled uncontrollably, a sign of the madness reigning inside him. He stared straight ahead with a frozen intensity, unblinking and unmoving as he looked down at his nephew covering on the floor. In the midst of the maelstrom he let out a loud laugh then raised his arms and unleashed a stream of electricity, aiming it straight towards his brother’s son.

Dylan barely had enough time to thrust his trident in front of him and call on his powers to summon an impenetrable wall of energy to wrap around him in a protective cacoon before the blast struck. A flash of light flared in front of his eyes at the moment of impact. He turned his head away, cringing as a series of ripples spread across the surface of the invisible shield shimmering above him. He peered from side to side. The temperature in the room had dropped so sharply he was able to see his breath.


Smoke was rising from the floor all around him. The air in the room was thick with tension. It actually pulsed with vast, unimaginable power, that was coming from his uncle. He could feel it crackling with electricity, making his skin itch. He lowered his trident. The shield around him flickered and vanished. He tilted his head back and raised his gaze upward onto Zeus. His uncle met his stare right back. His top lip lifted into a sneer. He pointed his hand at him. A whip of electricity erupted from the tip of his finger. Dylan staggered back with a gasp, his eyes wide with panic, his heart pounding hard against his chest. He rushed forward a step and raised his arm, letting the trident slip from his fingers and fall onto the floor. He reached out and caught the lightning bolt in his bare hand, absorbing the force of the blast into his open palm. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, his muscles tensing, his forehead crinkling with lines of concentration. He leaned back and raised his arm above his head, his fingers curving forward, clutching a glowing blue sphere, holding it within the palm of his hand. He brought his arm forward in a downward swipe, his eyes flashing, a guttural shout escaping his lips.

He flung the orb across the length of the room. His uncle plucked the sphere out of mid air in a flash of movement and closed his fingers around it forming a fist. He laughed, a low sinister chuckle, and turned his hand upward. Tongues of flickering flame shot out from between his fingers with a rush causing a hot red glow to shine out from within his clenched fist. “Not good enough.” He unfolded his hand. A ball of blazing fire rested in the middle of his palm. An evil grin broke across his face. He lashed out with the power of his mind without warning and seized hold of Dylan in an immobilizing, crushing grip, holding him captive. His nephew tried to protect himself, throwing up another shield in an attempt to deflect his assault, but Zeus’s attack was too strong, it tore through the pitiful defence immediately, wiping it away as if it were not there.

Dylan threw back his head and cried out as the invisible force gripped around him like a vise tightened harder around his body, lifting him off the floor. Zeus tilted his head to the side, watching as Dylan thrashed wildly, struggling to free himself from the otherworldly energy force holding him suspended in the air. “Pathetic,” he said, his voice dripping in disgust. He glided forward, his footsteps silent. He raised his arm, his hand reaching towards him, sliding up the length of his neck. He moved closer, his fingers gripping hold of his chin, arching his head back. He leaned over him, his face centimetres from his own. “Are you frightened?”

“Please,” Dylan gasped, barely able to speak as the breath was squeezed from his lungs. Zeus raised his hand, the ball of flames cupped in his palm stirred in the rising wind, casting an orange glow across his face. Horror leapt into Dylan’s eyes. “N-no,” his face was turning red, and his body was beginning to tremble as pressure mounted inside him. “No, no, no,” he sputtered. Each word took tremendous effort, yet somehow he was able to summon the strength to make his final plea. “Please, don’t.” His eyes were filled with tears.

He stiffened, unable to bring himself to look away, as the ball of flame held within Zeus’s hand began to grow, rising upward, lengthening into a long winding whip, encrusted with scales. He watched, fear crashing over him, as the flames swirled, forming an serpentine head, with glowing red eyes. The serpent rocked from side to side, its movements hypnotic, casting a spell over him. He felt a faint tug on the edge of his senses. A gentle pull that was beginning to grow stronger, threatening to drag his conscious thoughts, his awareness, and even his mind down into the trap being weaved before him. A flicker of resistance leapt into flame inside him. He blinked his eyes. His thoughts were a chaotic jumble of panic, fear and mounting dread. He struggled to rip his gaze away from the snake. It was like attempting to swim against the oceans current.

The serpent reared up to its full height and opened its jaws, fangs bared, flames erupting from its mouth. It lashed forward. It moved so fast it was almost a blur of motion. A scream welled up into Dylan’s throat and escaped his lips, a long piercing cry, edged with terror. He felt his powers rise up inside him instantly, filling him with strength. He closed his eyes. The moment his lashes swept down his body dissolved, vanishing into smoke. The snake passed right through as if he were a ghost then snapped upward, hissing angrily, its head swinging from side to side, searching the shadows for him. A wicked smile touched the corners of Zeus’s mouth. “Hiding, are we?” He tightened his fingers around the tail of the snake. “I am going to enjoy this.” He raised his arm above his head then swung it down and cracked the snake against the floor like a whip, his laughter stirring the wind into a howl. The air in the room shook with the thunder and crackle of the mounting electrical storm building outside the walls of the castle. The shadows filling the library pressed in closer all around him.

The sound of running footsteps began to approach him. Zeus felt his heart break into a wild beat inside his chest. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” He swung his head to the side, his muscles tensing in anticipation. The serpent arched upward, swaying rhythmically, its forked tongue darting in and out of its mouth in flicks of flame. A flash of movement caught Zeus’s attention. He whirled around instantly, his robes flaring out in a ripple of fabric, swishing around his legs as he stopped and peered into the shadows. A finger tapped against his shoulder. He glanced behind him. His nephew stepped out of the darkness and slammed his forehead into his face.


Pain pierced his skull and stars erupted in front of his eyes. The cartilage of his nose gave way with a sickening crunch. Blind and dazed, Zeus staggered backwards, his teeth gritted in rage. He raised his hand to cover his face and when he let it fall it was covered in flecks of blood. He snapped the whip against the ground. The snake flashed its fangs, its eyes blazing, burning with hunger. Dylan raised the trident up above his head, spinning it around so fast it was nothing but a blur, then leapt forward. One end came down in a savage overhead strike. Zeus sprung backwards, dodging the blow, and cocked the whip back at him. The snake lunged towards his nephew’s throat, fangs bared.

Dylan rushed forward to meet the challenge, rising his trident to block the attack. The fire serpent wasn’t fast enough. It ended up coiling itself around the trident instead of striking at his face. Dylan reached out and closed his fingers around its head, his eyes flashing with hate. A faint blue light shone out from the middle of his hand. The snake thrashed wildly, panic seizing hold of it. The glow emanating from within his clenched fist began to grow brighter. A thin layer of ice spread across the serpent. It screeched, the sound eerie and unnatural, cutting into the air like a knife. Dylan released his grip on the snake and took a step back. It fell to the ground lifeless, encrusted in ice, frozen in a look of writhing pain.

The moment it hit the floor it smashed, breaking into chunks, its head rolling away, splintered down the middle. There was a brief lull in the action as the two combatants paused glare at each other, silent except for the sound of their deep, heavy, breathing. “Finally,” whispered Zeus, his voice just loud enough for Dylan to hear. “A hint of your true nature.” He began to stride towards him slowly and gracefully, head held high. He exuded an air of menace as he walked. Dylan watched him come, feeling his heart and breathing quicken as his body unleashed adrenaline into his system, instinctively readying itself for the continuation of the battle. Zeus stopped his advance several meters away and stared at him. His eyes seemed to glow. “Unfortunately, that was nothing, I’m only just beginning.” He stepped back and resumed the ready position. Dylan studied him briefly, then stopped into a defensive stance in front of him. He could feel his powers flowing through him. Zeus lunged forward, his hands clenched into fists. Dylan rushed to meet him, his muscles moving instinctively, exploding into action. He flourished his trident as he approached, the three-pronged spear carving long, languid arcs throughout the air with each step he took. Zeus dropped into a crouch. He tried a leg sweep, but Dylan anticipated the move and sprung into the air with a leap, barely giving his uncle enough time to scramble to his feet. Dylan rushed in again, his trident moving so quickly, it sliced through the air. Zeus ducked beneath his out stretched arm and seized hold of his wrist, his leg hooking around his thigh, knocking his feet out from under him. He tightened his grip around his arm and pulled, dragging him onto his upper back, his fingers sliding up the length of his arm to his elbow. He summoned a surge of strength and twisted his arm back even harder, ignoring his nephew’s sobs of pain.

A sickening crunch pierced the air. Screaming, Dylan collapsed, his free hand slamming into the ground as he braced his fall. His arm was broken. As soon the thought entered his mind, he felt his bones begin to heal. His foe was on him before he could have a chance to rise to his feet. Zeus crushed his fingers beneath his foot, grinding them into the hard stone floor. A knee came up, fracturing his cheek and jaw bone with a thunderous crack. He slammed his fist into is face. Bits of tooth shot out of Dylan’s mouth and blood clogged his throat. Zeus stepped behind him, dropped low, seized hold of him, then lifted him as if he were a child and hauled him across the length of the room. Dylan felt another bone snap as he crashed to the ground. The breath whooshed out of his lungs. A tingling sensation began to spread throughout his chest. He could feel his ribs, broken mere minutes ago, start to mend themselves. A shadow fell over him from above.


Dylan threw himself into a roll, narrowly missing being struck by a bolt of lightning flung in his direction. The flash from the blast was so strong it burned his retinas, forcing him to place a hand in front of his face. He stirred, his eyes blinking rapidly, glancing upward. Zeus stood directly above him, looming like the spectre of death itself. Mindlessly, Dylan sprung upward and shoved a hand against his uncle’s chest, panic gripping hold of him. Zeus staggered backward, his eyes narrowing, glinting with annoyance. Dylan scrambled to his feet and dashed past him, his head twitching from side to side in desperation, his eyes sweeping around the room. He spotted his trident lying on the floor several meters away and extended his hand towards it. The weapon sprung up into his open palm humming with power. He whirled around, spinning the trident with a flourish, his face lined with determination. He bent his knees and took a leap into the air.


He plummeted down from above, twirling the trident in a quick, complex sequence that brought it under his right arm, behind his back, over his left shoulder, around to the front and then over again. Zeus thrust out with the power of his mind. An invisible surge of energy erupted from the palm of his hand and slammed into Dylan, catching him in mid air and flinging him backwards, straight on top of a wooden table. He landed with such force the piece of furniture collapsed beneath his weight. He fell onto the floor with a dull thump, the impact sending a cloud of dust rising into the air all around him and causing his trident to slip out of his fingers and fall into the shadows. He blinked and lifted his head. Zeus launched himself into the air and leapt across the length of the room in a single bound. He crashed down on top of Dylan pinning him flat against the floor.


He lowered his head, his hands circling around his throat in a choke hold, his face inches from his nephew’s terrified gaze. He raised his leg and shoved his knee into his stomach. Dylan lurched upward, his eyes snapping open. He opened his mouth and let out a scream but all that came out was a rattling gasp. He sagged back against the ground, panting heavily, his eyes glazed with pain. Zeus bent closer, the tips of their noses touching, his warm breath stirring tendrils of hair around his face. “This is growing tiresome.” He reached forward and buried his fingers into his nephew’s hair, his hand tightening, balling a fistful of the strands into the centre of his palm, wrenching a shout from Dylan’s lips. He stood upward, straightening to his full height, lifting the teenager up off the floor with a single hand, his eyes glinting with laughter. Tears of pain leapt to Dylan’s eyes.


A trickle of blood rolled down his face. His scalp was beginning to tear. Zeus held him out at arms length and studied him as if he were a fish dangling on the edge of a hook. “Pathetic.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. Dylan swung his head towards him and brought his leg up between his thighs in a kick aimed at his genitals. His foot slammed into Zeus’s testicles with a thud grinding them beneath his boot. A split second later his uncle let out a grunt and doubled over as pain ripped through him. He dropped to his knees, swayed from side to side for a moment, then toppled over and collapsed into a heap, moaning and clutching his groin. Dylan back flipped away, then dropped into a crouch facing his opponent. He closed his fingers around his trident and rose upward, breathing heavily, head held high. Zeus glanced up at him. Without warning the two figures lunged, coming together with a thunderous crash, moving so swiftly it would have been impossible for an observer to have been able to tell which one of them had taken the first step. They stood toe-to-toe, locked in a deadly ballet with each other, neither one backing down.


Dylan charged, thrusting his trident forward, hooking it around Zeus’s neck. He took a step away, dug his heels into the ground and arched his head back, gritting his teeth together. Zeus staggered forward, eyes bulging, a gasp rising into his throat. He tripped and fell to his knees, a flash of anger crossing his face. He reached out at the last possible second and wrapped his fingers around Dylan’s left ankle pulling him down with him. The two of them landed in a heap together. They leapt to their feet simultaneously, mirror images of each other, and rushed forward to meet one another. Dylan stepped forward with a quick thrust. Zeus spun out of harms way, narrowly missing injury, and raised his arm above his head.

A bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and in through the hole in the roof above his head straight into the palm of his hand. He closed his fingers around the crackling sphere and grinned. The glowing orb began to grow, widening in shape, lengthening into a long curved sword. Immediately the two adversaries descended upon each other again. Dylan blocked, deflected, parried and blocked again. All of his attention was focused on the fluid movements of the unfamiliar weapon in Zeus’s hands. A chorus of metal upon metal rang out as his uncle’s blows rained down upon him like rain. Overwhelmed, Dylan staggered back, floundering with the desperation of a doomed man. The clash of their colliding weapons echoed throughout the room. Zeus stabbed and thrust his sword at him endlessly, one blow after another, forcing him to retreat further backward.


A brief lull fell between the two combatants. Dylan moved in close, seizing his chance, and began to attack Zeus with strike after strike. His uncle flipped away, out from between the rows of bookshelves and into the centre of the room. Dylan was relentless in his pursuit, leaping forward and coming within a centimetre of landing a crippling blow to his uncle’s leg. Zeus whirled away in a ripple of cloth, knocked his strike aside, and lashed out with a spinning kick towards his left leg, shattering his kneecap. Dylan threw back his head and screamed as pain shot up his thigh and pierced his skull. He crumpled into a heap on the floor clutching his leg. A grinding noise caught his attention. He could feel his crushed kneecap beginning to heal. A split second later a dark shadow fell over him from above. He threw himself to the side and barely had enough time to raise his trident to block Zeus’s next slashing attack. His uncle stumbled back a step. Dylan pressed his hands flat against his thighs and straightened upward, rising to his full height. He stood still for a moment then broke into a run and rushed towards Zeus again.


His uncle stepped forward with a quick jab from his sword. Dylan parried the blow with a spin from his trident then followed it up with a series of powerful thrusts and stabs. Zeus sprung into the air with a leap, spinning and twisting, his blade slicing down at him from above in the split second that it took for him to somersault over the top of his head. Dylan switched to defence, blocking the blow with his trident even as he threw himself to the side and dropped into a roll. Immediately the two adversaries spun away from each other and dropped back into defensive positions, gasping for breath. Dylan stood in the centre of the room breathing heavily, stooped over ever so slightly, his head slumped forward. His soaking wet hair dropped down in front of his face in tangled locks and puffs of mist blew past his lips with each breath of air he drew into his lungs. His clothes were drenched and hanging off him in shreds and his muscles glistened with sweat. His teeth were clenched together and his face shrouded in shadow. A fog of exhaustion clouded his mind. His thoughts were a jumbled mix of panic, dread and desperation. A low, wicked edged laugh stirred the air all around him, causing his breath to catch in his throat. He lifted his head slowly, his eyes glinting, reflecting the turbulent emotions dwelling within him. Zeus met his gaze right back. A cruel smile touched the corners of his mouth.“The end is near.” His voice seemed to come from far away, faint but unmistakable, on the verge of laughter. “Do you feel it?” His words reverberated off the walls, growing louder, drowning out the sound of his nephew’s drumming heart.

See Part Two for the rest :)