The S.S. Olympus -under refurbishment

Chapter II: Chimera

She could not look away as flesh stitched itself back together and the flow of blood was staunched, "you have magic?" She shook, she was so cold. 

He smiled and poked her on the nose, "not quite magic, little damsel." She grimaced at the title, damsel was the last thing she wanted to be called. It was up there with princess or lady, but she was not about to contradict him.  "Underneath the dirt, I can see it, she's a pretty one." 

Hades rolled his eyes, "Apollo, do you have to be so--," he made a frustrated gesture and then pommeled the chimera with another jolt of electricity. 

The man-god called Apollo, stood up and as walked away from Cornelia with a groan of inconvenience. As her vision cleared with the lessening of her pain and blood loss, she realized that his clothes were not like anything she had ever seen. He was covered in colored leather and it wrapped tight around his legs. He pulled a strange silver weapon from his side and it made a sound that seemed like a hoarse bird cry. It began to glow and then a beam of light shot out of it and hit the Chimera on the side. It roared in pain and she caught the smell of burning flesh. With that, he was gone from her side leaving her to watch this terrifying dance of gods and monsters. 

A green woman leaped from the forest camouflage. Her feet barely seemed to touch the ground as she ran through the grass. She launched herself into the air and released a volley of silver arrows into the beast, "both of you focus! Hercules grab it by the tail!" Cornelia could barely see her as she moved, she only got a vague concept of deep purple long hair that flowed behind her as she moved and the same strange vermillion leather clothing that wrapped tight around her body. 

 An enormous man with yellow eyes, who must be the Hercules she referred to, crashed through the brush to the back of the Chimera. His skin had a strange silver shimmer, and he wore less clothing than any of the others. As if modesty was not part of his modus Operandi. He wore a gladiatorial skirt, and nothing else, not even shoes to protect him from the hazards of the forest floor. He did not respond to the woman verbally. He just followed orders and seized the creature by all three tails. While the three gods divided up the heads between them.

"Artemis, on your left!" The voice of the yellow-eyed giant that they called, Hercules, had a surprising lack of emotion in the command. The green goddess responded with a volley of arrows that found their way into the throat of the snake's head. Cornelia had never seen a bow or archer that could fire with such precise efficiency.

The lion head roared in frustration and snapped at the green woman. Its attack was cut short as two streaks of blue lightning cut off its path and Hercules hoisted the creature into the air and slammed it into the ground.

Artemis pulled a glowing sword from her side, it's light cut through the night dark sky, "Hades, now!"

Blue lightning balled up in the glowing man's hands and as in two deft motions, he hurled balls of crackling light at the monster that struck it in the heart. It screamed in agony and then the call was silenced. The chimera remained motionless in a smoldering heap on the blood-soaked ground.

Cornelia blinked away the spots that danced in her vision. She refused to pass out. She had to stay awake, had to stay aware. She could not risk being unconscious for what could happen next, but she felt so weak. Her body fought her every movement, begging for her to lay on the soft sweet grass and rest. 

Cornelia needed to keep her mind busy if she allowed it to rest she would succumb to her weakness, her vulnerability. She could not allow that, could not show these gods that she was so pathetically human. She turned her attention to the boy, she saw his eyes begin to flutter open. She looked back at the horrific carcass of the Chimera, the inexplicable shining men, and woman that circled around it. He cannot see this.  She did not know why, but she knew that he could not return home and tell others of what he saw. She must protect those that had protected her.