Chapter 7: Nature Hunts Back

Chapter 6

“No, I am Spartacus!” One of the Jeebi? Jebbus’s? One of the ex-God’s bodies exclaimed.

“No, you are not. Just because we liked that movie, doesn’t mean we can change our name. We. Are. Jeebus.” Responded the Jeebus in front of us.

“You get cable?” asked Steve.

“When we put enough of our heads together ya...but we get something called the Hephestus TV. Good stuff, no idea who made it.” Steve looked kind of dumbfounded at that.

“Umm..Mr. Jeebus...sir...sirs... What just happened?” I asked. I put my weapons away. Anyone who could break into my dream, I was pretty sure they would not blink an eye and blasting me to a cinder.

“Hm? Ah, your dream,” the Jeebus in front of me said.

“A pretender and thief invaded it,” started another. “Trying to get you to give up on following and stopping him like you did before,” said a third. The first one started to look annoyed.

“So...you stopped him from going after me in my dream?” I asked.

“Essentially,” started a very well dressed Jeebus. He looked like someone going to court. As the judge. “We kicked him out of the dream scape in which you demigods utilize some more of the power you receive from your parents. It is impossible for you to do this awake. Anyways, we stopped him for now. Next time you go to sleep, he may try again, who knows. It would be more accurate to say, however, that you were invading his dream as he was invading yours. Interesting.”

“Shut up!” Screamed Jeebus Prime. Then he took a deep breath. “I am sorry you have to see me like this godlings, but time is short and your mission is too important. I have used what power is available to me to bend the magic of the catacombs. You are to treated as one individual, so only two more trials await you. If you do not hurry about them, however.”

“The pretender shall be called Sparticus, and all shall be lost!” shrieked the Spartacus-Jeebus.

“Not so much the first part, but the second part is true. If he completes his goal, then all shall be lost,” finished Jeebus prime, looking annoyed into the distance where, presumably, the Spartacus fanatic continued to rant and rave. Science Jeebus tried to get a word in but another one, who looked like a hillbilly, started to attack him.

“Why are there so many of you?” Steve asked.

“Well, I used to be the God of madness. Just madness. That meant I embodied it, as well as received worship from the mad. When they rolled my power into that upstart Dionysus I no longer became the God of madness, he did. But I still embody madness. So, technically, as long as there is a single mad person on the planet, I will still exist - I will also technically not be alone. As to why there are so many of me, by the virtue of its existence, humanity is mad, in every version of itself. There is a version of me that represents every form of madness on the planet. It gets interesting. Now, you kids had best hurry, what little power I had to influence the catacombs.” With that rather disturbing comment, the God disappeared. All of him.

I sighed and pulled Growlz out of my pocket. What? he said grumpily, yawning and breathing a little fire in my face.

“Deal with the remains of my sleeping bag please. I am going to put the tent away.” I said. Alex frowned at me, motioned for me to wait, and climbed back into the tent. Steve put his sleeping roll away. Alex got out wearing her coat and bag again. I tapped the top of the tent and it folded itself up. I picked up the cube and put it away.

Wonder why the others are so quiet. I turned around and saw why.

Surrounding us was a few hundred goat men. Yes, I do mean Goat men. Their upper bodies were human like, lower bodies furred. From the top of most of their heads were horns, and in every single one of their hands were weapons. Swords, axes, bows, maces, pistols, rifles, shotguns, the works. All pointed at us. One of them clopped up to us.

“Who are you humans? Why are you here?” he asked. Alex looked startled.

“What are all you Satyrs doing here?” She asked. Satyrs? My mind was supplying the word Faun as a description. My mind also told me that fauns are violent.

“We are the Hunters are Pan. Protectors of the Wilds, and unless you give us a good reason as to why you are here, in these catacombs, we will kill you.” The Faun said.

“I am Alex Bellona, daughter of Ares. This is Steve Smithson, son of Hecate, and Mark Uwriy, son of Hepheastus.” Alex said to the fauns. Steve looked a bit shaken at the name ‘Hunters of Pan,’ and I, personally, was wondering how the heck we were to survive this.

“Ares. We respect him, but that only answers who you are. Not why your here. But to return your curtesy, I am Heartson Rose.”

“Heartson, we are searching for an individual that has somehow stolen the shield of Ares. We do not know what he intends to do with it, but we must find him and stop him.” Alex replied. Steve flinched. Heartson raised a furry eyebrow.

“Someone powerful enough to steal a personal item of the gods. That is no ordinary mortal. That is not enough to let you pass though, however. But the importance of your mission gives you the honor of a head start. If you can escape us, reach another set of tunnels that are not under our control, then we shall let you live. You have a one minute head start. Now.” Heartson said. Then turned his back to us. So did the rest of assembled fauns.

Alex looked stunned, as if something like this could never happen. Steve started shaking, flashes of purple flame sparking along his arms.

I had no problem with running.

I grabbed each of them by the arms, and rushed them out of the cavern. I pushed them ahead of me and they continued to run. I activated my weapons and followed after them.

Chapter 8