Chapter Seventy

This is a man's world
But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl
He's lost in the wilderness
He's lost in bitterness
It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World
Performed by: James Brown
Words & Music by: James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome

With the battle raging behind them Ares and Calla stormed into the cold ruins of Zeus’ Dungeon.  Their presence was expected.  Rushing down the corridor which would take them to the Throne Room, Ares with his thick arm around Calla’s shoulders, they were heedless of the danger creeping up from behind.  One moment she was at his side and the next she cried out in agony and stumbled to the floor. Angrily Ares turned only to see Raven Lightfoot standing over Calla.  The white sheepskin coat soaking through with Ichor from the dagger planted between her shoulder blades.

“You won’t touch my son!” Raven hissed as she swiped an Ichor stained hand across her chin leaving a bright smear behind on her dark skin. “He will rule this world the likes of you will not stop him!”

A Father’s Love is A Father’s Love, rather than toss a fireball at the bitch, Ares’ first instinct was to kneel by Calla’s side and remove the horrid dagger.  Ripping it from her flesh he took a good look at it and deemed it an ordinary, if old, knife and not the weapon of a God. She would live through the wound she sustained.

Taking advantage of the situation even though she had no super-natural powers of her own, Raven flew at Ares. In a fit of anger and rage, she hurled her entire body at him with all of the force she could possibly muster.  Ares, down on his haunches, was easy to knock off balance and onto the snow covered marble floor.  “I’m going to kill you!” She seethed as her otherwise pretty face twisted and gnarled with fury. Raven locked her strong thighs to Ares’ flanks, cocked back her ired fist and let it fly.

“Stupid bitch,” Ares said through tight lips. “Never let your anger get the best of you.” The God of War shoved the dagger into her heart.  Raven looked down in disbelief only to see it jutting from her pumping out life giving blood onto her dress and Ares’ leathers. Her mouth dropped open and a small rush of air escaped her lips as Ares held her and the dagger in place, she stared down into those onyx eyes gleaming up at her with victory. It was the last sight Raven Lightfoot ever beheld.

On the floor next to them Calla began to groan and push herself upward. “Father?”

“I’m here.” Ares grunted as he tossed the corpse off him.  Coming to her side he helped her to her feet. “You should return to Altair Ain,” Ares advised, “I’ll take care of Wolfgar.”

“No,” Calla stammered and tried to get her mind off the searing pain between her shoulders. “We’re here to do a job and we will do it together.”  She looked at the floor at Ares feet only to see Raven Lightfoot staring out into space for the rest of eternity. “You were a horrible woman,” Calla said to the body. “I’m glad you’re dead.”

Her words took Ares off guard. While Ares could certainly understand them, it wasn’t like Calla to voice such an opinion.  “Let’s go.”

Calla’s arm around his waist and his around her shoulders they continued their journey to the Throne Room.

Wolfgar sent Tula to collect Lilly as he planned to send the two girls to the old church until the battle was won. After that he would collect them once more and each would serve as his Queen. However, upon arriving in Zeus’ Dungeon she found all of the cells empty.  All of the doors still locked.  How could that be? They couldn’t use their damnable magick in here!  Her heart started to race and her mind went with it as she looked around and around wondering how they escaped and, most importantly, how she would going to tell Wolfgar of this new development.  But she had to! They’d escaped and that meant they were running loose somewhere here in the ruins of Olympus ready to attack. 

As she turned to leave the dungeon she heard a strange noise like something heavy sliding on something solid.  Tula turned around again and to her amazement saw the stone in one of the cells sliding backward. They escaped only to return?  Perhaps their exit way had been blocked.  Tula took a few hesitant steps forward as she saw a head begin to poke through the opening. It held a very familiar face. Tula stopped coming forward only to stumble to the side then lean heavily against one of the icy marble columns which held up the room. “David?” She gasped with wonder and fear. It had been so long since she’d seen her Lover. So damn long. “David?”

“Hi, Tula.” David returned from inside the cell.  He glanced to the left and to the right to see the other cells empty as was the room.  There was only one way out of here, thankfully when Zeus created his Dungeon guns and explosives had yet to be invented. Before the others could scramble into the cell behind him, David raised the gun in his hand and fired at the lock on the cell door until it swung open.  Very slowly he walked through it. “How you been, girl? Been a long time.” David said softly. “I see what you been up to.”

“I love you,” Tula blurted, “I’ve always loved you and she took you away from me. Don’t you know I love you?”

“I love you too,” David whispered as he came closer to her.

Behind him there was movement then Jack O’Neill and Duncan MacLeod appeared in the cell from the hidden escape route.

“You love her!” Tula screeched. “Not much longer. Wolfgar will take care of your precious Calla.”  Fear rising in her, Tula backed away from David who was still approaching with cautious steps, she turned to run, to flee, and to tell Wolfgar of their unexpected company.

One, two, three steps.

“Tula!” David shouted with authority. She stopped. She turned. “I do love you.” David fired the gun dropping her where she stood with a shot to the head.  It was the kindest way he knew to take her out.  “I just love her more.” He whispered to her cooling body and the three of them made their way out of the dungeon in search of the others.

From their hiding place over Zeus’ Palace Sam, Morgan and Adoy had a front row seat to the battle still raging below.  The snow was blinding and the wind unforgiving, taking a shot in these conditions, Sam knew full well she was just as likely to hit Daniel or Nick as to kill Rasputin.   Yet, below them, her two friends were losing the battle.

“What do we do?” Morgan shouted over the raging wind.

“I don’t know,” Sam shouted back, “I….” she looked around to notice someone was missing. “Where’d he go?”

Morgan clutched her coat close to her throat against the biting cold as both women peered over the top of the ridge at the battle below only to see little Adoy gingerly making his way down the rugged rocks.  “What’s he doing?”

“More than we are.” Sam returned and gave out a warrior’s cry before she hurled herself over the ridge and started down the other side.

“Sam!”  Morgan cried out between the split second she watched Sam start her descent and the time Morgan began to follow her.

In the deep snow below Daniel and Nick continued their battle against the Mad Monk Rasputin.  Bullets bounced off him and Nick’s fireballs were continually sliced in half by those laser beams shooting from the Russian’s crazy eyes.  Tired and nearly exhaustion they resulted to all that was left; hand to hand combat.  Whatever that power was within Rasputin it couldn’t last forever, all they had to do was avoid his gaze.  Daniel thought if he could just get in close enough with the knife at his side he could plunge into whatever passed for Rasputin’s heart and be done with this.

Nick landed a round-house kick on the back of Rasputin’s head, the Mad Monk stumbled forward and those eyes closed for a moment. Daniel was closest, he pulled the knife and thrust out with it but Rasputin’s eyes opened just in time to see the knife coming down and they sliced clean through Daniel’s wrist.

In shock Daniel looked down at the newly bloodied snow to see his own hand laying there still clutching the knife.  Whether it was from the cold or the immediate cordorization the laser beams caused, Daniel didn’t know, all he did know was he didn’t feel a thing.  One second his hand was there and the next it wasn’t. Simple as that.

“Dad!” Nick called out.

Still standing there in shock, Daniel slowly looked up at the sound of Nick’s voice only to see Rasputin grinning at him. The Mad Monk reached out with one strong hand, grabbed Daniel by the neck and then lifted him off his feet. “Do you want to know something…King Daniel?” Rasputin asked in a smug voice without waiting for the answer.   “Lord Wolfgar had much fun with your daughter, Brigid,” he whispered, “before I killed her.”

“No!” Daniel shouted as he struggled for breath. “You’re lying!”  Brigid? Dead? Raped and killed? No, it couldn’t be.

“I see the news doesn’t please you, King Daniel.” Rasputin mocked.

“Let him go!”

“I’ve had about enough of you.” Rasputin said calmly as he turned around with the struggling Daniel Jackson in his grip. “You’re a little shit who never should have been born.”

For the very first time in life, Nicholas Jackson made a declaration. “I…Am…A….God!” Nick roared with all the force in his massive lungs. The sound of his voice shook Olympus top to bottom with enough force to cause Rasputin to stumble and drop Daniel to the snow.

Scrambling down the mountain side as the Earth began to shake Sam and Morgan had just enough time to glance backward. “Avalanche!” Sam shouted as she saw the rushing snow coming at them broken loose by the reverberation in Nick’s voice.  They were going to buried alive by the onslaught of snow.  Adoy was already at the bottom of the cliff, he was rocking back and forth on his small feet trying to remain upright as the ground trembled below him.  Morgan threw herself toward Sam, wrapping the woman up in her arms as the snow barreled down on them.  Then the world went dark. The only sound was thundering rush of tons and tons of snow as it enveloped them.

Still reeling and trying to catch his breath, Daniel looked to the top of the mountain as she heard the sound of a freight train coming toward them. “Sam!”  No more did he scream out her name then she and Morgan disappeared into the white. No time to mourn, no time to scramble up the mountainside to reach them, Rasputin was on him once more. Although the freak was staring right at him he did so with what passed for normal human eyes for him.  Daniel cocked back his fist to punch him, only to realize the fist was gone. When he threw the arm forward and connected the remains of his wrist with Rasputin’s jaw a blinding flash of pain went up it.  Oh, he was going to miss that hand! 

Nick grabbed the man from behind, locked his forearm under Rasputin’s chin and squeezed cutting off Rasputin’s supply of air.  He could kill him, he knew he could, right here, right now, he could kill this son of a bitch and be d one with it.

If it wasn’t for the thundering hastening snow that threatened not only to engulf them but by the looks of it, all of the remains of Zeus’ Palace as well.   “Run, Dad!” Nick shouted. “Get inside. Help Mom! Go!”

Daniel looked up at the advancing snow. “No! He killed Brigid!”  His severed hand was still lying in the snow, with a ghoulish feeling he stepped on it, holding it place so he could reached down with the hand that remained and pull the knife out of his non-existent grasp.

Overhead the sky grew dark.  The wind whipped harder. A shrill cry filled the air.

All engaged in the battle had no choice but to look up.

Bink was making a pass overhead.  The dragon’s great wings beat the already biting wind into a frenzy as he blew forth a great blaze of fire turning the advancing snow, first to water, and then to steam.

The eminent threat of being buried alive by the crushing snow gone, the battle raged on as Rasputin struggled to be free.  He couldn’t hit Nick with those laser beam eyes from behind and there was so little energy left in him. Daniel was coming at him now and he had blood in those blue eyes.

“Killed my sister?” The muscles, those long strong overly powerful muscles constricted around Rasputin’s throat. “Die!” Nick commanded from behind him as he planted one foot in front of Rasputin’s holding the man in place and using it as leverage to stretch his ancient body backward into Nick’s grasp making it even more effective.

“Yes,” Daniel agreed, “please, do that.”  Nick had the man so nicely displayed for him it took no trouble at all to stab the Mad Monk.  Brigid. Sweet little Brigid who never did a thing to anyone in her entire life…rage over took him until he couldn’t see straight. Daniel brought the knife down over and over again sinking it deep into Rasputin’s flesh

as the man struggled and cried out in pain.  Blood stained the white snow, his hands, his face but Daniel didn’t care. Brigid, Danny, Annie…how many more would he lose before this was over?

“Dad! Dad!” Nick shouted again and again when he realized that….

Something hard struck Daniel in the shin with such force as to knock him off his feet. “Dead I think he is.” Adoy said as he leaned on his cave and stared down at the frenzied Daniel Jackson. “Look, there.” He pointed up the mountainside where the avalanche had come down.

Wanting to curl up in a ball and cry until there were no tears left, Daniel gathered his strength as Nick let go of Rasputin and the man slumped in the snow.  “Sam?” He said with wonder as he watched the two women climbing out of the snow. “Sam! Morgan!” From his place at the bottom of the ridge he watched in amazement as the two waved to him and then continued down the mountain.  Daniel looked back to the dead body and wondered if he really was dead.  Rasputin had been killed many times in his life he’d been gutted, shot, poisoned, strangled and drowned still he walked the Earth.  His shield was gone now and his eyes were closed.  Daniel reached down in the snow one more time and picked up his sidearm.

Five shots rang out on the top of Mount Olympus as Daniel fired into Rasputin’s head making sure the job was done.

At first it seemed as the Throne Room might be empty when Ares and Calla crept inside. It was dark, lit only by a few candles and the dim light coming through the bowed window keeping the wall intact and the elements away from the inhabitant.

“Where’s my Father?”

Calla looked around in the dim light. “I’m afraid you’ll make do with us my Grandson.” She returned.  It was so very hard to catch her breath, the wound at her back blistered and burned. Her powers were depleted, that was for sure, yet the wound should not be gushing Ichor any longer and she could still feel it running down her back in a long steady stream.

Ares found Wolfgar first, he was standing hidden in the deep shadows of the far left corner. The God of War tossed a hefty fireball in that direction only to watch it turn to ash before it reached its target.

“You’ll have to do better than that, Grandfather.”

“Come over here, boy, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t soon forget!” Ares threatened.

From the shadows Wolfgar let out a snicker. “Next time be more careful, Grandfather, you wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt the girl.”  The hand that was tightly grasping Kiki’s hair gave a harsh tug and she gave out an even harsher cry.

“Grandma!”

“Kiki?  Let her go!”

“I don’t think so,” he chimed. “Where is my Father?” He paused a moment. “Oh, excuse me, where is our Father?” In the darkness he gazed down at the little girl trembling in front of him with malice.

“I don’t know but your wicked bitch of a Mother is dead.” Ares hissed. “You’re soon to follow if you don’t let her go.”

“You lie,” Wolfgar accused. It wasn’t that he had any strong emotional attachment to his mother, Raven Lightfoot, indeed he did not. Wolfgar found such things an encumbrance but, if she wasn’t around, who was he going to fuck when he needed a little relief? Who would bring him his dinner?  Certainly he wasn’t going to do those things for himself.

“I killed her myself.” Ares said with a tone of pride.  “With this.” He held up the dagger Raven used to stab Calla.

At the sight of the knife Wolfgar knew Ares’ words were true but he knew something else as well and he ventured from the shadows with Kiki in front of him.  “Why, Grandmother, you don’t look so well.” He cooed. “You look…pale.  Tell me, did my Mother manage to stab you with it before my Grandfather took her life?”  Wolfgar’s eyes captured Calla’s and he gazed deeply into them. “I see the Underworld awaits you after all, Grandmother. I can take you there, peacefully, calmly, with no pain.” He invited. “He waits for you, he loves you, Grandmother.”

“I love Daniel,” Calla said in an unsure voice. She loved him, no doubting that, he was the Love of Her Life. It was Wolfgar’s other words which were now settling into her head along with the reality of them.

“Well, there’s no accounting for taste,” Wolfgar mused glibly, “I’ll even let Kiki go, Grandmother, as a gesture of good faith.”  From the corner of his eye he watched as Ares looked down at the dagger in his hand and then back up at Wolfgar. “Yes, Grandfather, it’s my knife. It is the weapon of a God.”

“You’re no God.”

“It would seem Fate disagrees.” Wolfgar returned with a glimmer in eye that matched the one in his voice. “She’s already dead.”

“Enough talk!”  Ares charged at his Grandson, drawing his sword as he ran, the metal burst into flame.

If the Old Man wanted a fight then Wolfgar would give him one. He shoved Kiki away and down with such force that she hit her head on the marble floor and was knocked unconscious.  “Come on Grandfather, give it your best shot.” Wolfgar dared as his own blade appeared in his hand.

The clashing sounds of metal against metal rang out in the hollowness of Zeus’ Throne Room.  With the ringing of metal and Wolfgar’s words in her head, Calla went to Kiki, she scooped the girl up in her arms meaning to take her to safety and away from the battle but the pain in her back cried out against it when she lifted Kiki’s limp body, more Ichor broke free from her flesh.  Struggling to keep hold of the girl Calla stumbled toward the open door.

“I don’t think so, Grandmother.”

The heavy marble door closed with a thunderous clap trapping all inside.

Outside the Throne Room the reverberation of the shutting doors was enough to make the ruins of the old Palace tremble. Daniel, Nick, Sam, Morgan and Adoy were making their way to the Throne Room with much haste when the doors so abruptly shut and the ground began to shake. The ceiling above them began them to crumble raining down large chunks of marble upon their heads and they ducked for cover as the once grand entryway crumbled to the ground around them. Leaving them to choke with the marble dust stuck in their throats as it blocked their path.

David, Jack, and Duncan were deeper in the ruins when the doors shut, they were coming through a small corridor that should lead directly to the Throne Room if Ares’ map was right.  This close to where the four ton doors slammed shut the ground not only trembled it rocked each man off his feet and onto his ass.  Massive chunks of marble fell from the ceiling crashed into the floor and the walls bringing more of the ruins down around them.

“Ahhh!” Duncan cried out in pain as a chunk of the ceiling fell from above and pinned his leg to the floor below, he heard the bones snap and then felt the shooting pain make a bee line from his leg to his brain.

In the Throne Room Ares and Wolfgar were locked in mortal combat.  Sparks flew from their blades and lit up the room in a ghastly light.  Wolfgar spun in the air bringing the blade down in a slicing motion, Ares ducked in time but not by much and the blade went on through thin air until the boy completed his rotation. Before that could happen, Ares struck out with his own blade to pierce Wolfgar’s flank and the sight of his own muddled Ichor infuriated Wolfgar.

Calla couldn’t carry Kiki anymore, instead she dragged the girl toward the closed doors not knowing how she was going to open them only knowing she had to get her out of here.  On hands and knees, on the cold marble floor her eyes were met with a large stain which had sunk deeply into the white marble. Blood.  So much blood.  Who?  Calla let go of Kiki and reached out to touch the stain.

“Why do you defend her?” He asked breathlessly as his hand went to the wound. “She’s brought you nothing but pain and misery all these years.” Ares was coming in again and Wolfgar struck out with a hard left hook to land it on the jaw of the God of War and send him reeling backward. “She’s a WHORE!”

Ares’ gaze narrowed on Wolfgar until he could see nothing but the rotten bastard’s eyes and hear nothing but his heart beat.  His nostrils flared with the heat of the battle.

BANG!

The single shot rang out in the Throne Room.

It was Wolfgar’s turn to stumble backward.

Ares turned to see Calla unsteady on her feet, tears streaming down her alabaster cheeks and the smoking gun in her hand.

Brigid’s blood. It was Brigid’s blood that had soaked into the marble. He killed her.

BANG!

The Xerinium bullets sank into Wolfgar’s muscular body but they did not bring him down.

Calla pulled the trigger again.

BANG!

The bullet stopped in midair before it fell harmlessly to the ground.

“She was very sweet, Grandmother.” Wolfgar said with delight before he used his power to lift Calla off her feet and then send her flying backward against the marble doors.  Her head and wounded back connected with the solid unforgiving stone and she slumped to the floor.

“Calla!”

Even through the thickness of the fallen stone Daniel heard Ares bellowing for his Daughter. “Come on! Dig! Get this shit out of the way!”

In the corridor where David and the others were pinned the same digging was going on at the same furious pace.

“I’m going to kill you, boy.”

“Come on then, Old Man, finish this.” Wolfgar dared as his muddled Ichor dripped from his bullet wounds. “Come get some.”

Ares didn’t hesitate to take the impudent little son of a bitch up on his offer.  The deafening sound of metal clashing against metal rang out once more in the Throne Room.  Both men covered in sweat until it stung their heated locked eyes.  Across the Throne Room and back again they went blazing sword to blazing sword and fist to blazing fist.

On the floor Kiki started to come around. “Grandma?” She mumbled in the darkness. “Grandma?”

Calla let out a groan and Kiki groped blindly in that direction as the battle went on behind her.

Wolfgar took a swing at Ares head with the sword, Ares ducked in time but didn’t anticipate the foot that planted itself in his chest as he crouched low to the ground to avoid the swing.  Wolfgar was strong, certainly as strong as a God. His blow lifted Ares not only off his feet but sent him flying high in the air where he crashed against one of the column holding up the remains of the Throne Room.  The room shook as debris fell from the ceiling.  The pain in his back was blinding and he used it to keep himself going. Landing on his feet with Wolfgar coming in once more, Ares pretended to duck the coming blow, Wolfgar’s sword connected with the column and stuck there for a moment. Ares grabbed the dagger from his belt and planted it in Wolfgar’s flank, keeping good hold on the hilt he ripped upward with it and sliced through muscle as well as bone.

Wolfgar grabbed Ares hand pulling it away from him along with the knife and threw his head back only to bring it forward harshly landing a cruel head butt on Ares’ cranium. For a moment, the God of War actually saw stars as he heard his skull crack open. Turning the wrist in his hand backward, Wolfgar was pleased when he heard it snap, Ares’ hand hung limp and useless from his wrist.

Down on his knees in front of his Grandson was not a place Lord Ares ever thought he’d find himself. With his free hand he curled up his fist and planted it in Wolfgar’s well-toned gut knocking the air out of the boy. Struggling to his feet, he grabbed Wolfgar by the back of the head and smashed his head into the column.

Effective but not well thought out.

The column let go from the force of the blow. It crumbled to pieces and the ceiling above creaked loudly as it threatened to come down on them.

Time seemed to stretch out forever as Daniel and his crew dug their way through the fallen marble. Nick threw stones the size of small boulders aside as though they were pebbles as they struggled for freedom.  Finally, there was an opening in the cave-in Daniel could see clear through the stone. The Throne Room was just ahead of them.

With the air gone from his lungs and muddled Ichor dripping into his eyes from the new wound on his forehead, Wolfgar brought his knee up into Ares’ balls. It was a cheap shot but in times like these cheap shots were just as good as any other. Ares went down to his knees.

The battle was over.

Wolfgar stood over him with his blazing sword held high in his hand ready to take off the head of the God of War when something sharp plunged into his back.  The sword in his hand teetered in his grip. “Grandmother,” he muttered without turning around, “don’t you ever learn?”  Well she would learn now, this would be a lesson that she would never forget.  Should he do it slow or should he do it quickly? Which was would she learn best? Turning just his head to her, to see her standing a few feet away from him and knowing she’d flung the knife at him, he ran Ares through with the sword, the blazing metal entering through his massive chest jutted out through his back.

“Father!” Calla cried out. “Father!”  Ichor bubbled up between Ares lips and spilled over his chin. “No, Father!” She stumbled forward, away from Kiki who was weeping on the floor and toward her Grandson.

Wolfgar roughly pulled the blazing sword from Ares’ body and the God of War slumped to the floor lifeless. “No one can save you now.”

“Maybe you better think again.”

Wolfgar turned toward the unexpected intrusion of the familiar male voice. “Father how nice…”

From behind Nick suddenly appeared the entire troupe of them; Daniel, Nick, Sam, David, Duncan, Jack, Morgan and some little creature he didn’t recognize.

“FIRE!”

Each pulled the trigger on their firearm, their new firearms with Xerinium bullets. A hailstorm of gunfire rang out in the Throne Room. Calla fell to the floor and covered Kiki to protect her. Wolfgar was struck over and over again by them and yet he continued to advance in defiance even as they sliced through his heart, his lungs and whatever passed for a brain in his head. Until he was as riddled with holes as Swiss cheese and yet he stayed on his feet until he stood in front of Nick.

The gunfire stopped abruptly.

Wolfgar stood there reeling on his feet dying from loss of blood. “I hate you.” He spat at Nick.

Nick didn’t hesitate. He just reached out with his big right mitt, grabbed Wolfgar by the throat, reached out with the left to grab the back of the man’s head and gave one quick harsh jerk breaking his neck. “Feeling’s mutual.” Nick spat and watched his bastard son slump to the ground dead.

“Calla,” Daniel rushed to her side. “Sweetheart?” He rolled her away from Kiki. “Oh, no, no, no, no.” He scooped her up in his arms but he was too late.

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