Chapter Sixty-Nine

The plan was quite simple; while Jack, Paddy, Duncan and Thor were making their way up the hidden staircase to rescue the captive Jackson Family members, the rest would break off in small groups, surround Wolfgar and Company, keeping them busy while the others made good their escape and hopefully blasting them to the Underworld in the process.  With the weapons Samantha provided, all should very easily go according to plan.

Even the best laid plans of Gods often go astray.

With the use of the Asgard ship, Thor would transport the four of them to the entrance of Ares’ old cave.  Nicholas, Daniel, Calla and Ares would travel the astral to the top of the mountain. Bink, along with the Asgard ship, would hang around for air support.  Just as Nick predicted Calla insisted that Ares accompany her while Father and Son went off together. David, Jack and Duncan would take the hidden staircase to Zeus’ Dungeon to free the captives. Daniel and Nick would take out Rasputin and the women if need be while Ares and Calla went after Wolfgar. Samantha, Morgan and Adoy would  also be whisked away to the top of Olympus on the Asgard ship but they would lay in wait to provide any back up and cover the others might require.

Just before they left Ares shook his very gray head as he looked down at his Daughter. “You can’t go to Olympus like that.” He chided as he took her in her outfit which was nothing more than an old tunic of his. “You’ll freeze to death before you can reach Zeus’ Palace, or whatever remains of it.” With a wave of his hand the black tunic was gone replaced by a gown of heavy linen over which hung a sheep skin coat that extended to  her feet also covered in sheep skin. “Better.” She was warm and she looked like the Goddess she was all dressed in white from head to toe. He materialized warm coats for the others would be braving the harsh winds and elements of Olympus. This left the matter of the weapon in Calla’s hand which she was holding as though it were a flaccid cock. “Not that like that,” Ares reached out and took the gun from her hand. “Hold it like you mean it.” He slapped the weapon into the palm of her hand. “He’s got your Children.” The God of War hissed. “Do you intend to let him keep them or to stop him in his tracks?”

Yes, he has my Children but not for long. I’m going to get them back. Calla felt the weight of the weapon in her hand. It was heavy and cold like her heart.  Her fingers closed around the grip and she closed her eyes for a moment. “I won’t hesitate, Father. May we go now?” She slipped it into the pocket of the big warm coat.

Ares, like Daniel behind her, wondered if that was true or not. Unlike almost everyone else gathered here, Calla was unaccustomed to firing a weapon and indeed had staunchly refused to learn over the years. She wouldn’t hesitate to pound Wolfgar’s ass with her magick if she were able but the gun could turn out to be another story. “Yes.” Ares agreed. “Let us be done with this and return victorious.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Jack said hopefully.

Daniel slipped an arm around Calla’s trembling shoulders.  She looked up at him with pleading eyes; tell me just one more time everything is going to be all right.  “It’s gonna be all right.” He whispered and laid a kiss on her cheek.

“Don’t worry, Callie,” David said easily, “Look around here. Ya got the General,” he pointed at Jack, “the Colonel over there,” he pointed at Nick who nodded to his Mother. “Don’t forget the Head Honcho over there,” he hitched a thumb at Ares. “Ya got a regular Army here and we all got lots of experience,” David winked at her and that made her give a genuine grin. “We’re all going and we’re all coming back.”

“I will drink to that.” Calla agreed.  One  more soft kiss for her Husband, “I love you,” she whispered in his ear before she stepped back to take Ares’ hand. “See you on the other side, my love.”

With that, they disappeared before Daniel could tell her that he loved her or that he wished she hadn’t said that.

Daniel and Nick followed. Thor’s ship picked up the rest and deposited them at their predetermined locations on the top of Mount Olympus.

Jack and Duncan entered old home and found it had been taken over not just by the Earth but by a family of wolves.  “How appropriate.” Jack cracked as his flash light fell on the pack.  The wild canines only stared back at him and made no move to attack. “They must smell him on us.”

“Indeed they must.” Duncan agreed as the troupe slipped past the wolves who only looked at them with mild interest. “Let’s keep moving, this way.” He pointed off toward the left.

“I’m in charge here, I know where we’re going, I can read a map. They didn’t make me General for nothing, ya know.” Jack sneered and then led the small group past the wolves who were huddled together against the cold.   The pack looked at them with curiosity but nothing more as they slipped through the room to the secret staircase that would take them up to Zeus’ Dungeon.

On a small ridge at the top of the frigid mountain, Sam, Morgan, Adoy and Bink hid themselves in the blinding snow with weapons at the ready.

No one knew if Wolfgar would sense the presence of the Mortals around him but all were certain he’d know the instant the Olympians stepped foot on the mountain top.  Time would be short.  The wind whistled through the ruins of Zeus’ Palace while the snow whipped around them.   It was hard to breathe and hard to move in the biting cold, air froze in the lungs and the cold sunk deep into their joints.  Calla shivered as the white breath escaped her chilly lips. The Palace was huge but easy to survey in its current condition. There were few places even an Olympian could take shelter from the unforgiving storms that always raged here.  “That’s the Throne Room,” Ares said as he pointed off to the left trying to make his deep voice heard above the howling winds. “He’s there.”

“Yes,” Calla agreed. “He knows we’re here. He’s waiting for us.”

“Let’s not disappoint him.” Ares returned in a dry voice.

A blinding flash of red light lit up the gray of the air and the illuminated the stark white snow in a crimson glow.  Rasputin appeared to block their path. “Ah, Ares, it’s been so long.” He chimed. “So nice to see you, Calla. So good of you to come right to our door step this way.”

“He’s all yours!” Ares shouted out.

The crimson glow that had begun to disappear as the Mad Monk materialized suddenly grew bright once more as arrows of fire rained down through the snowstorm.  Gunfire rang out through the mountain echoing off the rocks and caverns.  Rasputin managed to disappear before he could be harmed. Ares and Calla rushed past where he was standing while Nick and Daniel continued their advance.  “You have to do better than that, boy!” Rasputin spat as his eyes began to glow with white heat so intense it turned the falling snow around him to rain.  The glowing eyes turned to beams of light that sliced through the falling snow searching out their targets.  “Feel the wrath of a God!”

“You’re not a God!” Daniel shouted. “You’re a FREAK!”

The insult caused the Mad Monk to turn sharply in Daniel’s direction and away from Nick, those beams of light slicing through the air shooting so far out from the man as to melt the snow clinging to the ridge behind them. Daniel ducked and rolled away before they could slice through him, he had no doubt that whatever that light really was it would cut him in two like a Samurai sword.  From behind him Nick let loose with a fireball but Rasputin hadn’t gotten this old by being stupid and he anticipated the move. He turned in time to slice the fireball in two with those glowing eyes, it fell to the snow where it melted a deep hole.

Making their way up the narrow winding staircase, Jack suddenly stopped and held up his fist to signal the others to stop as well. “Do you hear that?” He whispered.

“Footsteps,” David said. “Someone’s coming.”

There was no place to hide there was barely enough room to walk. Jack held his gun at the ready while Duncan did the same.  Somewhere up ahead of them, around a corner, a light began to glow; a torch.

“Careful,” a familiar voice whispered.

“Colleen? That you?” Jack called out.

“Uncle Jack?” She called back. “Uncle Jack!”

There was a great sense of relief among all.  They escaped the Dungeon.  The relief didn’t last long as the troupe came into view and the sight of what appeared to be Amy’s dead body lay limp in Aiden’s arms.  “What happened to her?”

Athena related the tale to them as they rushed down the stairs and back into Ares’ old home.  “Your magick should work from here,” Duncan told them, “get her to the SGC.”

That was a good idea. “Can you take them?” Aiden asked Colleen. “Or are you too weak?”

“All of you are going.” Jack commanded. “We came here to get you out, you’re out, you’re staying out, that’s it.”

“That son of a bitch raped and killed Brigid!” Aiden shot.

“She’s dead?” David asked from behind them. “Oh, man, Danny’s gonna freak.”

“He killed her right in front of Amy,” Athena spat, “then that Rasputin almost killed her. We’re not going anywhere until Kiki is free and they’re dead.”

“You’re going home,” Jack said in a strong voice, he understood their rage and need for revenge, hell he even agreed with it but if he let them stay here without a fight and something happened to them, he’d have Calla to deal with.  He wasn’t looking forward to that. “Your Mother said  you’re to go home and home is where you’re going. We’re wasting time, get out of here.”

“He’s right,” Colleen said and rushed forward over the mumblings of her siblings protestations. “Look, if something happens to us then Wolfgar wins. It’s what he wants, to destroy all of us.  We have to take Amy to the SGC and we have to return to Altair Ain.”

“Is that an order, Your Fucking Majesty?” Aiden shot.

“Yes, it is.”

“Fine,” Aiden said through tight lips. He’d take Amy to the SGC and he’d pop over to Altair Ain but, like Athena, he’d be back shortly no matter what the Queen had to say on the matter.

Jack, Duncan and David returned to ascending the staircase while the others departed Mount Olympus.

End of Chapter Sixty-Nine
Golden Years
by Moon Mistress
a/k/a Lisa Beth Darling
Go to
Chapter Seventy