Chapter Sixteen: Natalie. A Friend Unleashes Some Ra Power

Here is chapter sixteen of Heroes: The New Level.

A Friend Unleashes Some Ra Power
The lamiae dragged me down deeper and deeper... How deep were the rivers here? Did the Duat make them deeper? I didn't even want to know. I just had to get out of there. But how...?

Then an idea struck me like a bolt from Tlaloc's storms. Tlaloc wasn't just a storm god. He was also... A river god.

Tlaloc, aid me, I silently prayed. I felt the river currents shake violently until the lamiae on me was forced off. With my now-free hand, I took Maldito and sliced through the lamiae attackers.

The river responded to me, through Tlaloc. In a few seconds I was on the surface, slicing lamiae left and right with Phoenix, Eddie, Nico, Annabeth, Carter, and Reyna.

Cam thrust his blade straight through a lamiae's heart. Jason took a gold coin from his pocket and flipped it. An offering to the Roman gods? A good luck charm? Deciding on a course of action?

Nope. The coin turned into a sword and proceeded to destroy lamiae at Jason's command.

Zia shouted words at the lamiae - words that sounded like Ha-di! - and watched the creatures explode afterwards.

The pendant around Raymond's neck lit up and fired a beam of flames right at the lamiae. Raymond's expression became one of pure shock. We'd have to look into that after the battle.

I looked at Phoenix. "Phoenix, we can use Tlaloc's power to get rid of the lamiae."

His eyes widened. "Of course... he's a river god as well..." Then we both spoke at once. "By the power of Tlaloc, lord of rivers, we command the lamiae to leave from this vessel!"

I have no clue where the words came from, but, hey, they worked. In seconds, the lamiae swam away, just as the Ahuizotl had. "Is everyone alright?" Cam asked.

Eddie wiped some blood from his lip. Lamiae blood. "It was easy."

"How badly is the boat damaged?" Carter asked. "'Cause if it breaks, I am not gonna be the one who tells Sadie."

"It's frayed," Eddie said. "Damage to all sides, though the infrastructure is stable and we should be able to get to the temple without losing the boat. Provided there are no other attacks. But if there are, Natalie and Phoenix can use those mad skills they pulled out on the lamiae."

"Raymond, what happened with your pendant back there?"

"I have no clue." He fingered the small symbol.

"The mark of Ra," Zia explained. "Ra channeled himself through the pendant to use its power. Being a sun god, Ra's power turned the pendant into Raymond's personal flamethrower."

"I have my own weapon?" Raymond asked. "A personal weapon, like Maldito or Vicis Tincidunt Vivamus or Paradosiakos Thánato?"

"Yeah," Tara said. "Now just give it a name."

"Re Khet?" Raymond asked. "Sun Fire."

"A great name," Cam smiled. I flashed back to the memory that Cam repped for the Aztec sun god. That probably explained why he was being so kind to Raymond.

"We're here," Reyna said.

I looked around. "This doesn't look like where the temple had been."

"Not here as in the temple," Reyna explained. "Here as in as close to the temple as this river will take us. However, we are still almost thirty-four miles from Tenochtitlan."

"So we'd best get moving," Jason finished.

Additive Words
Now Raymond has a personal weapon - that makes all four Merge heroes. And Natalie and Phoenix seem little short of invincible when it comes to rivers. Another thirty-four miles to Tenochtitlan - a lot can happen in that distance. What will happen between the Bobos and the temple? Who is it that lies there, controlling lamiae and a sphinx? What will happen to the twelve heroes in chapter 17?

Here are the links.

Prologue: Lan. It May Start Soon

Chapter One: Tara. Some Weird Kid Fights Something

Heroes: The New Level

Wait for ch. 17, coming soon.