Athena x Nike

#27 * End Game

Nike's pov:

The battlefield had turned to a bloodbath. The ground was a mixture of mud and blood. Shields, spears, horses and men were scattered all around.

'She did this for you.' It races through my mind.

Her soldiers fought for me. Her people died for me. Five long years sshe fought for me. Now all that's left is ruins of a once beautiful city. In the middle of those ruins the survivors still fight. She still fights... For me.

The clashing of swords takes my attention back to the battle. There fights my warrior goddess, my Athena.

Her once white chiton is now ripped and drenched in a mixture of blood, ichor and mud. Her dark brown hair, with a few braids in it, peaks from underneath her helmet. She has wounds all across her body where Aegis failed to protect her. Anger and power shine in her cool grey eyes.

Her opponent is her half brother Ares. His muscles tense as he blocks another attack from his sister. He is as always wearing a blood red cape around his broad shoulders. He too is drenched in blood. His dark brown eyes seem to reflect fire. Only there is no fire around and that's no reflection. It's real fire.

He smirks and gives Athena a blow with the hilt of his sword. It hits her right in the face, sending her a few feet back. Her helmet lands at my feet. I look up and see Ares walking towards Athena, the smirk still on his face.

"Victory is mine little sister." He says.

"I'm older than you, you blithering idiot." Athena replies ever so quickly.

Ares sighs and rolls his eyes. He raises his sword and I turn my head away. Next I only hear screaming. Screaming I've never heard before. She has never screamed before. I don't dare look until it's over.

"I'll see you at sundown tomorrow for our final battle." Ares says and he's gone.

All that's left is the sound of sobbing. Her sobbing. I've never heard that before either. I take a few steps closer and another few until I'm standing next to her. Athena had turned on her side, facing away from me.

"A-Athena?" I barely speak outloud.

She doesn't react. Slowly I crouch down and turn her over. What I see almost makes me gag. But I push it back. It sting knowing I could've prevented it. I ripped a piece from my own chiton and used it to clean off all the ichor streaming from her wounds. Ares had drawn two lines on her face with his sword. One from her left brow to her hairline and the second from her chin, across her lips, to her right cheekbone.

"The battle may be lost, but the war isn't." Athena whispers when she sees my expression.

She moves her mouth just enough to form words, but I need a second to declutter the words. The pain is evident in both her voice and expression. Tears roll from her eyes and mix with her golden blood.

"Brave as always." I whisper back, tears dripping from my own eyes.

I hold her tight in my arms, as if even the smallest gust of wind could blow her away. Not a moment her Olympian allies show up. Artemis kneels beside me and cringes at the sight of her sister.

"Apollo! Get your a** over here!" She calls for her twin.

The sun god looks up from the soldier he was taking care of and jogs over.

"Wow... Thena what happened?" He asks as he kneels next to his twin sister.

She doesn't respond, but her eyes tell me what I need to know. She wants me to tell them. She wants me to tell them.