Olympus: The Agency (Book One)

17: The Sword, the Snake & the Sickle

The sewer grate was closed behind them, and the team was alone in the sewers. Kurt was not at the head of the group, with his rifle ready. It was on single-shot mode, in case the bullets ricocheted. Less likely to hit someone.

At the front was Thanatos, with his blade ready. In a close quarters fight, in made sense the guy with the sword be in the best position. At the back was Enyo, holding her own handgun, and with her was Dionysus. In the center of their formation was Minnie and the new girl, Marcella Winters.

Marcella's hair was shaved down into a buzz, and her eyes were a bright ice blue. In her hands was a shotgun that hummed with energy, likely some type of laser weapon.

'This place smell like poop,' Enyo muttered, and Minnie smirked.

'It's a sewer, Enyo,' Kurt said quietly, "It will smell like that.'

Thanatos stopped and Kurt held his hand up to stop the group. Thanatos tightened his grip on his sword. 'We are not alone...'

Shots were fired from the tunnel ahead. Thanatos ducked and Kurt moved forward, activating the device on his wrist. A circle of blue energy generated from it, forming a buckler of light that deflected the bullets.

'Olympus, fire!' Kurt ordered.

Kurt ducked and the corridor was filled with the joint fire of Dionysus, Enyo, Marcella, Minnie and Kurt. There were cries of pain, then an order in another language. Kurt recognized it as Orcish.

'Damn,' Kurt growled. 'Thanatos, get ready. What you're about to fight is going to take everything you have.'

As soon as Kurt had said this, an Orc charged down the corridor. Thanatos stood and charged right back, and the two clashed with a flurry of metal and electricity. Kurt looked around for another way through, checking the walls, then realized Marcella was an Alliance soldier. That meant she had Det-packs.

'Marcella,' Kurt ordered. 'Load a Det-pack on this wall. It's brickwork, so it'll blow easily. We'll go through the sewers literally.'

Enyo was disgusted at this prospect but said nothing. Marcella nodded and took a pack from her bag and started to set it. Kurt aimed at the Orc, trying to get a shot but there was nothing clear. He didn't want to hit Thanatos.

'It's ready,' Marcella said softly, then pressed against the wall to the side. Enyo and Dionysus sat behind her, and Kurt and Minnie took the other side. Marcella blew the pack, and the bricks crumbled, then filled their corridor with faeces. Enyo vomited at the smell, then every put their helmet on.

'Go!' Thanatos called behind him. Kurt growled, then directed everyone into the pipeline. Marcella and Dionysus went first, followed by a very reluctant Enyo. Minnie and Kurt entered last, with a final glance Thanatos's way.

'Good luck, sir,' Kurt murmured, then started going through the pipeline.

Thanatos was kneeling on the ground, coughing and wheezing from exhaustion. The man was surrounded by the carved corpses of the orcs he had slain, and the water on the ground was thick with blood, both his and the dead.

'Father, please grant me the strength to hold this line from the enemy. Guide my blade to their demise. And if this should be my final battle, grant me forgiveness.'

The roar down the hall signaled he would soon have company, so Thanatos forced himself to stand, tightening his grip on his blade.

Zeus and Epione slowly made their way across No Man's Land carefully, waiting until Tartarus cleared them forward for each turn and alley, hiding from the enemy snipers and soldiers when they investigated their areas. Finally, Zeus and Epione arrived at the crashed shuttle, but something was amiss.