ZAGREUS IS ON borrowed time. He knows this, he knows he has to act fast before the Last Breath draws his life force. He's also going out on a limb hoping to gods that any of the stupid humans he's trying so hard to save found a way to trap her or kill her. He really doesn't care if they end up killing her – or Harrow for that matter – he just doesn't want Noor to be the one to do it.
He hates to admit it. Really, he does, but there's something about having his powers again... sensing them coursing through his veins... It's exciting. Almost dizzying. He doesn't even know how he made it through a decade without them.
Because of the Bloodlust, yes, but it's gone now. He can't feel it. He doesn't have the urge to kill everything that moves, no matter if he can sense how bad they are. Though, he has to admit, if he had more time, he would turn around and get to Harrow.
He is still a god at heart. A puny, vengeful god, even if his motives are now all Noor, he can't help the worst aspects that come with living forever. Human lives are so short, no one should be stupid enough by risking theirs and hurting those he loves.
Though, Ammit is hundreds and millennias of years old, and she's still stupid enough to go after Noor. That should tell you all you need to know about her.
"You've made a mistake," Zagreus cries out, remaining in his normal form and screaming up at the gods. "I'll only warn you once. Ammit, disappear while you still have the chance."
He says it with such phlegm that for a moment, she wonders if he's serious. "Disappear?" she repeats, baffled. "But I am winning."
Zagreus doesn't feel like giving her another chance. "Suit yourself."
Projecting Shadows had always been his forte, that and ruthless murder, but he's less quick on admitting that, as it tends to throw people off.
Corporeal shadows shoot out of his hands, gracefully swirling around Ammit, holding her in place as Khonshu gets up, picking his sceptre up in slight shame that another god would help him.
Cold seeps through Ammit's bones, freezing so much that it burns, keeping her pinned in place. Her efforts at breaking free are almost laughable.
"Why are you doing this?" she cries out. "We used to be friends."
For a second there, Zagreus thinks he's about to burst out laughing. "You aimed me like an emotionless missile at any person you wished. You were barely a means to stench my Bloodlust, we never were friends." He straightens up, the Shadows tightening themselves around her. "Noor is my friend. She is my Knight." Ammit screams in pain. "She is mine."
Ammit can't answer, but he doesn't need her to. He just needs to hold her in place long enough for Noor to get out of there, or for Moon Knight and Layla to actively escort her out against her will.
Going by how weak he starts to feel, he doesn't have much time left. Which fills him with inconsiderable rage and frustration, because up until now, he had nothing but time. Used it carelessly. Spent it on stupid and meaningless things. Now that it was running out, he never needed it more, chasing after it with the desperation of a starving man seeing food for the first time.
He knows that his time is growing ever shorter, as he struggles to hold Ammit down. He should not struggle that much. He knows his abilities, he knows his strength. He is the son of a primordial god. He's a Death Deity.
And he wants to see Noor one more time.
To sum this up, Ammit never stood a chance for him. He doesn't have to grow the size of the Chrysler building to flex on them, – so he could use his Shadows to do so – Zagreus was and still remains the most powerful of Hades' children. Macaria would argue second best, but she won't ever be able to.
Whatever the stupid humans are planning, they better hurry.
As if they heard him, purple flashes of power slowly overcome Ammit, linking itself to his Shadows. He recognises this. He knows the chants he can hear from the pyramid.
And so does Ammit. "We could've made this our paradise!"
"It's too late, Ammit," Khonshu tells her. "You will be destroyed."
Slowly, Zagreus releases her as she evaporates in the purple glow, roaring and growling. "When you get back to hell," Zagreus calls out after her. "You tell them. Tell them how good of an idea it is to go after the people I love."
If he can prevent the hordes of angry gods going after Noor after he's gone, he'll take it. He can put his trust in Marc and Steven to protect her, but they'll be as useless as Ammit was against him, if the gods he expects go after Noor.
Weakness takes over him, and he falls to his knees, groaning. He can feel emptiness starting to swallow him, and he's scared. He trembles in fear, panic overtaking his body. He doesn't want to go back to the void, doesn't want to leave her alone in a world that's begging to hurt her.
As his vision darkens, the only thought he can muster, swirling in his brain is;
I wish I could see Noor one last time.
NOOR STARES AT the disappearing form of Ammit, trapped in Harrow's body. Layla told her that a very scared Osiris gave her the idea before dying. Noor figures that her little... motivation speech worked better than she could ever have hoped. She can't believe she threatened the king of Egyptian gods into freeing her soulmates, but she's not going to take it back.
"You can never contain me!" Ammit says through Harrow. "I'll never stop."
After this poor attempt at intimidation – Noor lives with Zagreus, did you really expect her to find this impressive? – Harrow goes blank in the face, just staring ahead.
And Noor waits. It's over. This is over, right? What else would they be doing? Ammit is trapped in Harrow, and it's done and gods, why isn't Zagreus back?
This is wrong. She can feel it in her bones, everything about this is wrong.
She watches as Marc turns towards her, looking past her shoulder, and she realises a bit too quickly what is happening. "Khonshu is here?"
Marc looks at her, frowning, confused to say the least, because she's always been able to see him. "Yes, he's back. Can't you see him?"
She shakes her head. "I can't."
If Khonshu is back, then that means that Zagreus should definitely be here by now. He should be, and if he's not...
An unsettling feeling settles in her stomach and her throat constricts. He promised he'd be back. He can't leave her like this. He can't leave her after everything she's learned, not when she hasn't forgiven him yet.
He has to come back to know that she forgives him for everything he did, because he is her best friend, and she can't live without him. Doesn't even know how to.
Marc yanks her out of her grim thoughts, taking a crescent moon, and looming over Harrow. Immediately, Noor turns to Layla, the only other Knight in the room. "What's going on?"
Layla shakes her head. "Khonshu wants him to kill Harrow and Ammit in one blow."
Harrow and Ammit. Everything that's happened, and she means everything has been because of them. They're the reason that Zagreus is gone now.
It's not the time to wallow and cry, on. No, not when they're so vulnerable, and she's so angry.
"I have to finish this," Marc says. "If not, I'll never be free."
Noor, for a split second, shivers at the thought that she wasn't going to hold him back. A much darker thought grazes her brain, and she moves forward, tugging at his cape. "Marc. You've always been free of being who you are. You just have to be brave enough to own up to it." Something that she definitely will practise tonight.
She watches doubt fight its way on his face, before he frowns, turning to his left. "Now, you sound just like her." He drops Harrow, and throws his weapon away. "You want them dead... do it yourself."
Khonshu, though knowing full well that Noor can't see him or hear him anymore, stares intently at her. He can see it. The vengeance in her eyes. The urge to set the score. To make this fair. Almost like... a bloodlust.
He's the only one who sees it coming, really. Layla and Marc are completely shocked and confused when Noor snatches one of Layla's swords, twirls it, and holds it inches away from Harrow's neck.
"If you don't, then I will," she says, meaning every word.
They're the reason she's alone. She was telling the truth; now is not the time to cry.
Now is the time to get her revenge.
"Noor?" Layla tries, but there's no use.
Steven fronts when he hears the pain in his soulmate's voice. "Noor, sweetie, step away, please."
He puts a hand on her shoulder, and she shrugs it off, staring deep inside Harrow's eyes, blade trembling. "He killed you. They took Zag away – give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit his throat right now."
The look in Harrow's eyes almost defies her to do it, to go through with it, to spill his blood everywhere and even the score.
"Please," Steven begs. "Come on, you were going to stop Marc from doing it, you wouldn't do it.."
She cuts through Harrow's flesh, almost out of spite. "Wouldn't I?" she asks sourly. "I've killed people, you've seen it."
"I've seen you broken up about it," he immediately says.
She huffs. "None of them were responsible for taking Zag away from me."
He doesn't know what to do. He's never seen her this angry, or this determinate. She's ready to kill Harrow, and he never expected that of her.
But Noor was never the hero. She was never one to cower away either. Maybe she was just one sacrifice away from going crazy, and taking Zagreus, well. If there was one mistake to make...
"This isn't you," he tries.
She laughs, soundlessly, and without any humour. He could swear that her eyes flash red for a second. "This is exactly me, are you kidding me? Who else would it be? No Zagreus. No Bloodlust, no Armour, just me!" She licks her lips, calming down, tears threatening to spill on her cheeks. "Just me."
Her grip on the blade falters, and it clatters to the ground. She was going to kill him, she really was. But she can't do that to Steven and Marc, can she? She can't hurt them like that, she can't make them love someone like her.
Noor knows that Marc is fronting again from the way his arm curls around her waist, softly, hand on wrapping around hers. "C'mere baby."
She lets herself go against him, lets him carry her away, holding her tightly against his chest, kissing her temple, whispering reassuring things in her ear.
He doesn't know what to do, he doesn't know what to say to her. He lost Randall years ago, this is still fresh for Noor. He just holds her, expecting her to start crying, but she doesn't.
They hear rustling on the other side of the room, and before they know it, Zagreus staggers in, holding his side, breathing heavily.
"I take it you missed me then?"
Author's Note: So tomorrow's the last chapter.............. tell you what I'll fucking cry right now