(Private) The Five Demons of Sapphiria

“Then we do what we must, Zerra, Trax and Triton should be able to hold out for a while. Not to mention when Artemis wakes up, she’s pretty impressive..” he said his voice and mind trailing off at the end. Snapping back to the moment Apollo put his hand on Zephyr’s shoulder. “You and I have always succeeded, we can do this.” Suddenly Icarus’s throat cleared behind them. “By the gods Icarus, you don’t always have to be so secretive.” Apollo said. “Old habits die hard. The enemy is massing for another push, we have some time to prepare ourselves, but none to rest. Take charge you two.” Icarus relayed the news evenly. “I’ll watch over these two.”

At the mention of Blacks name Aurora dropped one of the medical items she was fumbling with. It seemed like their dinner date had been weeks ago when in reality it had been only a couple days. It had gone really well and she only hoped they would be able to continue on. In a swift motion she was able to catch the gauze before it hit the ground and shook her head to clear her thoughts. It seemed silly to be thinking about romance in times like this. Knowing Apollo and Zephyr are too alert to have missed her mishap she flashed them an embarrassed smile. Suddenly the muffled roars from the defensive line sounded through the city. Apollo looked to Zephyr with a curious glance. “Well it seems Black is really stepping up to fill the void left by Triton. Then again, I suppose those could have been the cries of mutiny.” He said with a chuckle. “Aurora why don’t you join us on the front lines. You’ve done all you can for now.” Apollo went to one of the medics and asked for word to be sent immediately if Crimsons condition changes before starting out the door his arms crossed behind his back.

Icarus enjoyed watching the Lion tribe warriors step up to advanced roles in the war. Their interpersonal relationships amused him even more. Aurora and Black are so very different yet they gravitate towards each other, it’s only a matter of time before Black makes a move or Aurora will force it on him. Apollo and Zephyr, when one moves the other moves with him. Their bond is so tight Icarus doubted anything could come between it. This will be the longest they have been apart since the day they initially met. If Zephyr survives Icarus looked forward to seeing their reunion. Triton was a spitting image of his father and dropped his boyish lazy attitude the second the current crisis ensued. With him and Trax spear heading the war plans the Tribal army would be at its best. As the warming thoughts began fade the reality of his mission began setting in again. He needed to remove Apollo from the spotlight and turn him into the weapon that would win the war. He couldn’t get too wrapped up with things here. It’s only a matter of time before the moment comes that he and Apollo will have to leave, no matter the circumstance.

“We won’t see them.” Apollo confided solemnly. “At least not yet. This is completely different than Samson. There’s two of them this time. They’re smarter, stronger, and watching out for each other. They’re planning. No more stupid mistakes in their part from here. I won’t be able to use a genjutsu again and Zephyr won’t be surprising anyone with his power. The only real question that is left is will we be ready.” Turning to his friend Apollo put his hand on Black’s shoulder. “You’ve really stepped up and done great work here Black. You’ve impressed me and bring nothing but honor to the Lion Tribe. I know Aurora still hasn’t stopped blushing since she saw you giving a speech earlier. “Good to know I can always count on you... Commander.” Apollo walked away smiling after officially naming Black with the title of commander. Even in times of darkness he found he could still find the same happiness in his friends. As he walked the length of the wall his thoughts shifted from that of his friends to Clear Sky, still out there suffering alone.

When Trax and Artemis made an appearance Apollo was there instantly holding Artemis in a tight embrace saying all the things he wish he could have when she was in the hospital bed. He wanted her to be strong and improve so that she could fight by his side when he returned. The meeting was all too quick but Apollo had left Artemis with a wrapped package with instructions to open it when she was home. Inside was a letter explaining why he was leaving and a specially made smaller replica of his signature kukri that she could grow into.

Even with his sharingan analyzing Demeter’s attacks Apollo was having trouble keeping up. He kept having to stop himself from using any chakra, having to rely on his visual prowess and taijutsu alone. The final punch hit him in the gut sending him flying back into the dirt scarring the earth. Apollo righted himself immediately drawing his kukri charging back in with a series of slashes. Hyperion almost danced around dodging the feathers still having to blast a few out of the air with powerful fire balls due to the speed of Zephyrs attack. He then held his arms straight out behind him. “Fire style: Inferno Drill!” Massive jets of flame shot out from his hands as he launched himself at Zephyr. Mid air Hyperion began spinning violently and the flames grew to cover his full body as he closed in rapidly towards Zephyr. Aurora and Kiara were soldiers in this battle as they effectively moved simultaneously tearing down enemies and covering the wounded as they retreated. She may be primarily medical warriors but She and Kiara could hold their own in this battle.

Apollo took a half second to glance at Zephyr. It wasn’t often someone on his own side called him an idiot. Well aside from maybe Zerra. Clearly this was not the time or place for formality so Apollo dropped it. “I remember you, you’ve been away. Sapphiria is fighting for its freedom. The Lion capital fell immediately after I defeated your father during the ceremonial duels. Every other tribe has been under constant attack. We arrived just in time to save your father just after crooked died protecting him. These are the generals of heresy and gluttony and the rest I’m sure you can piece together. Apollo felt his energy being restored and took off back into the fight carving his way through the demon soldiers with his kukri in the direction of Demeter.

Hyperion stood up straight in wet clothes with a mildly annoyed look on his face. He popped his neck as he raised his body temperature causing all the moisture in his clothing to rise into the air as steam. “Demeter dear, it seems we can no longer toy with them. Let’s finish this. The lion king refuses to use his animal demon so show him how weak he truly is. Hyperion began walking towards Zephyr with visible flames in his eyes. As we walked he tore his sleeves off from the elbow down before making many lightning fast handsigns. “Demon art: blazing entombment!” He said in a chilling voice. An intense fire began spiraling and weaving around his exposed arms until flaming gold chains became visible. With a flick of each wrist a long section of the chains began dragging oalong the ground as he walked leaving a fiery trail. “Enough games!” He yelled swinging the chains wrapping them around two crocodile warriors with shocked looks on their faces. In an instant massive flames enveloped them until they died down dropping two charred corpses to the ground. Hyperion turned his fiery eyes back to Zephyr and continued marching.

Apollo’s body crashed into a nearby tree in a puff of smoke revealing a shadow clone. Nearby crouched unseen behind a boulder Apollo weighed his options. He wasn’t even sure what he was fighting anymore but it had to be worse than before. He couldn’t use chakra for a frontal attack, having to constantly avoid the mouth. The harsh reality of exactly how out of his league he was had started setting in. He couldn’t win this on endurance like with Samson, it had to be a calculated, precise attack. Forming a handsign Apollo summoned a few more clones, his mind set on a plan. Three clones leapt from cover and began running at the new form of Demeter. Once half the distance was covered the two flanking the center clone broke off formation aiming to attack from the sides. Unfortunately one clone was taken out by one of the demon soldiers before it couldn’t reach the target. Both clones closed in until all of a sudden from behind Demeter came a voice. “Susanoo!” Apollo yelled as a different purple Chakra exploded from his fist in a punch that made contact sending Demeters form flying. Apollo’s clones were destroyed in the midst of the attack. Due to the clones being a borrowed jutsu as a result of his sharingan he hadn’t mastered it yet and he doubted he could do it again. “I have to admit, Samson’s final form was much cooler. Not to mention it didn’t make him grossly overweight” Apollo chimed in smartly.

Hyperion swung the chains in an arc in front of him sending a fiery ‘x’ shaped blast that met with Zephyrs attack causing a massive explosion sending fireballs raining down on both armies’ troops. “Come now, I thought you’d fight smarter than that outcast.” With his left hand Hyperion launched another flaming dragon at Zephyr. Half a second behind the attack Hyperion used his other hand to launch one of his chains that camouflaged itself within the fiery body of the dragon. “Surprise” Hyperion said under his breath grinning maniacally.

At a nearby tree on the battlefield a small piece of the bark shimmered revealing a single red eye with three tomoe. Icarus sat silently watching the boys fight. He wasn’t as much worried about Zephyr even though he was facing the stronger enemy, the boy was a survivor, he will be able to hold him off. Apollo however was being careless, trying too hard to overcompensate his lack of power with wild strategies. Impressive strategies, but he is leaving openings the Demeter will catch on to soon enough. Icarus clinched his fist knowing that the time is drawing nearer that he may need to step in.

Apollo painfully got himself to his feet, he could feel the blood dripping down him in several different places. With his chakra constantly being sapped he was running out of strength and ideas. Even his chakra threads were useless, Demeter would take that chakra as well. Refusing to give up Apollo began emptying his arsenal of thrown weapons with expert accuracy bending the shuriken to seek out weak points.

The massive explosion in the sky began swirling into a giant sphere picking up speed and growing brighter. Suddenly the blast separated into many boulder-sized fire balls all suspended mid air above Hyperion’s floating figure. Hyperion looked different though. From his forehead two horns had grown and his skin had changed color to a dark red. His eyes were just empty sockets with fire burning brightly inside them. He laughed demonically with the sound of his chains dangling down in the air. “You fool, fire only empowers me! Time for you to suffer for your insolence!” With a whip like crack of his chains fire balls began raining down on the Crocodile tribe sporadically with no way for Zephyr to block them all. “You’re causing this destruction boy, I’m starting to believe your heart isn’t in this.” Hyperion antagonized from above as he sent volley after volley of fire destroying sections of the ice wall and blasting soldiers away.

Aurora was blasted to side by one of Hyperions blast. One of the demon army soldiers leapt above her for the finishing blow. Mid air Kiara came out of nowhere her ferocious bite tearing apart the soldier saving Aurora. As Aurora got back to her feet she realized that she and Kiara were surrounded by the enemy. She dropped down into a ready stance beside the Lion. “Looks like this is it girl, let’s show them how fierce the Lion tribe is until our last breath!” Kiara answered back with a fierce roar and the two began defending against the impossible threat around them.

Apollo gasped for a breath the sharp pain in his sides made his vision blur. The only thing he could make out was the sharp teeth getting closer. His kukri had flown from his hand during his last hit and he had no options, he was finished. The earth shimmered below Demeter as a palm shot up from the ground colliding forcefully with her underside. Simultaneously a silver blur sliced the arm pinning Apollo off, the limb falling to throw ground with a thud. Demeter shot up into the sky crashing through the trees creating a huge hole in the overhead tree line. “Particle style: Atomic disassembly!” A glowing transparent cube took form between Icarus’s hands before shooting out after Demeter. The box grew and surrounded Demeters massive form, trapping her inside. The box began glowing brighter and brighter until it burst apart sprinkling down shining dust particles in the breeze, leaving nothing left where Demeter once was. Icarus stood in the new clearing just created looking up into the sky. He could see two figures in the air, their movement halted and focused on him. Quickly he picked Apollo up heading back into the marsh towards the city. “This jeopardizes everything, we have very little time young King. We will get you patched up and head out immediately.” Icarus instructed quickly. Apollo just stared in amazement through the trees at the icy battlefield and drifted off into unconsciousness with feelings of disappointment in himself. Some king he was.

Hyperion caught the trees exploding from the corner of his eye. He used a forceful palm to Zephyrs chest to create distance between the two as he observed Demeter’s demise. “That jutsu...” his eyes focused in on the figure standing in the opening. Hyperion’s eyes grew wide recognizing Icarus instantly. “You... quite the turn of events.” Hyperion turned back to Zephyr. “I really enjoyed our time together outcast. You’ll be seeing me again soon.” With a devilish grin Hyperion burst into a fiery explosion before disappearing from the battlefield.

Aurora didn’t need to look around to see who the user of the ice jutsu was, in her heart she knew immediately is was Black. With her keen sense of smell she was able to locate him instantly and her eyes grew wide with worry as she saw him start to fall to his knees. She took off dodging crocodile warriors and frozen demon soldiers alike as she arrived just in time to catch Blacks head in her lap. “Rest now, you were amazing.” She said to him with a warm smile before kissing him on his fore head. She then looked around taking everything in. “Truly.... amazing.”

“Majorly due to your quick thinking and incredible jutsu. That was an impressive feat Black. Your improvised jutsu saved countless lives today and caused the entire battlefield to come to a halt. I would like to work with you when we return.” Icarus spoke first commending Black showing interest in his potential. Apollo sensed an interest in Icarus. Only something of great significance would cause Icarus to not want to be working alone. Apollo stood up from his chair. His body was extremely sore but most of his cuts had healed already do to his healing factor. Only the bigger cut in his side wasn’t healed yet. He walked over and put an hand on Black’s shoulder and another on Aurora’s. There was clear uncertainty in Apollo’s expression, even if he was trying to cover it up with false confidence. “I know I’m leaving things in good hands. Take care of yourselves and each other, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He got a sincere hug from Aurora before pausing to pet Kiara whispering a goodbye to her as well before making his way over to Zephyr. “Well, I have to admit, this is going to be really strange without you by my side. This will be the longest it’s ever been since we’ve known each other. Stay safe brother, I’ll need you by my side when I return, and next time I won’t be a liability.” Apollo leaned in close to Zephyr. “Protect these two and Triton as you would me. We need the Lion Tribe at full strength when we take back our home.” Stepping back Apollo thrust out his fist, a symbol of the two’s friendship with an underlying promise between each other. It was a gesture that has been repeated throughout their lives building their intense bond. “I’m counting on you!” Apollo said with a friendly smirk.

Icarus opened the window and leaned out over the edge. Putting two fingers to his lips he whistled a loud high pitched note. A few moments later Fenrir landed smoothly in the room. “It’s time to go.” Icarus stated moving to stand by the wolf. Apollo waved one last goodbye to his friends forcing a smile. Before putting his hand on the wolf disappearing into a puff of smoke along with Icarus and the wolf. An eerie silence spread over the room. Kiara began to lay down with a sad groan. “So what’s next Zephyr?” Aurora asked trying not to focus on the tears forming in her eyes.

Herakles eyed Hyperion with interest. “From what we hear the Crocodile tribe was not a success by any means. Why are you here?” He asked menacingly. Hyperion kept his cool. “Oh it was a complete failure. I dare not speak a lie. Circumstance had to pull me away. It seems the one we were all told to watch out for has returned. He’s playing bodyguard to the Lion King. Took Demeter out in one go.” Hyperion explained with intrigue seeing how the generals would take the news. Herakles looked to Lucifer with concern.