Chapter 40 The Holder Is Known.
The air moved past her with the throbbing pain in her neck made her woozy, she felt her legs hit the ground making her almost trip, but she still stood up with her back facing Zeus. He looked at her shocked but not surprised.
"She was able to stand after that hit to the neck... I knew she would be the one to hold it... I have to pay the figure due," Zeus thought
Shai felt the pain grow down her neck into her shoulder, heading towards her lower back. She let a hiss before moving to face him, She saw that Zeus was in deep thought before he saw that she was staring at him,
"Shai show me what power the weapon has,"
Zeus made a lightning bolt appear with the clouds behind him, Shai felt the pain slowly go away while her weapon shook in her hand, and Shai saw that it was still glowing a dark red.
"What about the other bullet?"
It shook again, Shai looked at her opponent with her weapon now pointed at him. Zeus let the lighting lose at Shai, and she moved away from it, Shai shot her weapon at him and the bullet hit near his feet, next to another bullet hole. Shai ran at him as he made another bolt of lightning and Shai raised her leg to hit him in the side but Zeus saw that, he raised his hand ready to grab her leg, but he felt pain hit his arm. Shai pushed his arm in and hit his side with her palm. Zeus felt that strike into his left side and coughed out blood, Shai felt the weapon shake, glowing a bright white. She smiled and aimed her shot while Zeus held his side, still feeling the pain in his side but tried to move but he couldn't. He couldn't catch his breath. He stared at Shai who was aiming her weapon at the ground under her,
"You can't move?"Shai asked
Shai smiled, "Too bad," She continued
She shot the weapon and the bullet landed next to her feet, They watched as Shai was thrown into the air by a gust of wind, while dark red clouds seamlessly gathered in the training grounds heading towards Zeus, he stared at where Shai should be.
"Where did she go?" Hermes hummed
He was excited to see what these red clouds are about, and the fight so far has been exhilarating. Hermes noticed that Zeus had caught his breath. Athena was watching the clouds searching for Shai thinking,
"This is new to her... how odd to have this weapon make all this, it truly of myth," Athena thought
Ares looked at Zeus before staring up at the clouds, seeing a flash of the weapon in her hands, with her eyes glowing in the clouds, almost a dark gold. He knew of the tale about the woman and thought nothing of it until he stood in front of her once more. he fought her and saw potential.
Shai felt her shake again. It glowed white again and pointed the weapon at the ground beneath her, she shot the weapon but didn't know where it went. The clouds now above Zeus had a red shine in them, he saw a small meteor fall from the cloud, landing near his feet. Hitting his sandal, Zeus tried to move his clouds to protect him, but another meteor fell. It was larger than the other meteor and fell towards Zeus. He tried to move, but a red cloud wrapped around him, leaving him there. Zeus stared at the meteor before he moved one of his arms from the cloud, lifting his hand to the clouds and making a bolt appear in his hand. he flung the bolt at the meteor, destroying it.
"Well, I'm up here what should,"
The clouds got darker as more meteors fell, Zeus threw another bolt at the falling rock and made one crash into the other. It lands on the ground on his left, far away from him. Zeus stared up at Shai trying to pull his other arm out,
"If that is all you have Shai, then fall back down and fight me," Zeus said
Shai looked down at the deities and told him,
"Who said that was it?"
She felt her weapon shake in her hand and with a smile she looked down at them, Zeus looked at her in thought before something moved near him, he saw that a piece of the meteor moved to him handing on his foot. More of the piece rushed to him. Zeus tried to make a bolt, but one of the pieces stopped him by landing on his side,
"What is this?" Zeus muttered
He tried to get the piece of him, but it did not move. More of the meteors stuck to Zeus and caused him to try to pry them off, he struggled but nothing helped him. Zeus's eyes glowed as he tried to pull away from the rock, while Shai stared at the weapon, it shook again alerting her of what was happening on the ground. She sees that Zeus is being pulled to one of the buildings in the training ground,
"What is this weapon?"
It didn't move. Shai saw that the clouds had a bright visible light in the middle of it. a loud noise could be heard from it. a bright glowing meteor showed in the clouds and it moved out of the clouds to Zeus who saw this.
"This was one of the powers it held... was not just from the elements but of one's mind."
The meteor was only a foot away from Zeus, he was staring at it with acknowledgment and felt no resentment... but that doesn't mean he struggled out of it. he was able to pull his right arm out again and place it in front of him, He could feel the heat radiating off the rock and with him pushing against the rock. He placed a foot behind him stepped towards the rock and pushed with his arm, Zeus felt his power go through his arm going into his palm and hitting the meteor, flashes of blue and red were around him while the other deities watched with each one of them having a different perspective.... but ended at the same conclusion.
"If this is what the weapon could do with their holder. The realm they are in will be protected but for how long will it last," Hermes thought
"This power can immobilize Zeus and keep him in place all from one arm. Is this Shai or the weapon? no, it's them both," Athena thought
She could see the power that both of them possessed. With the gold that showed in her vines, it was only a matter of time before the weapon would appear in her grasp.
"Why isn't he pushing the meteor away from him. what is taking him so long," Ares thought
He observed Zeus hold the meteor back with lighting sparking off his arm, the fire on the rock burned bright with how much he resisted it. Ares noticed this and continued to ponder,
"It's not that he couldn't do it. Is it that he wants to see what the weapon can do? hasn't he seen enough?"
Zeus budged having the meteor closer to him and Ares watched baffled. But then something hit him. Ares saw that the meteor was now advancing closer to Zeus,
"No. It's stronger than they have told us… then we have known,"
He glared toward Shai, finding her still in the clouds watching the exact scene he was witnessing, but with a new emotion in her eyes that he hadn't seen from her in their fight. it was not vitriol, but reverence for who she was fighting and what lay in her hands...
"Maybe the weapon..."
The meteor was only an inch away from hitting Zeus. He glanced up at Shai and observed that her vines glowing with bright gold. Her weapon glowed but not the same as hers but pale white while her eyes stared down at him, He saw the warmness in her eyes that not the heat of the rock in front of him could match. Zeus smiled with the newfound fire Shai now had.
"Shai!"
Zeus felt the heat of the meteor burn his arm, and the rock holding him tightened its hold on him. He felt his strength slowly leave his arm. It's shaking.
"The power told in the scroll is yours now to hold and watch over!"
His eyes glow a bright blue gaze up at her "Keep it with you. Don't let anything else take it... I believe that you are its holder,"
He stared back at the meteor and felt his arm fail him. The meteor hit him, sending him deeper into the building, and making a crater. The meteor broke around him with fire burning where it landed,
Shai felt the wind under her slowly stop, sending her back onto the ground. Hermes flew to where Zeus was with Athena following him,
"Zeus?" Hermes asked
He tapped the rock to see if he would move it, but nothing happened. Athena started to move the rock, but someone decided to help her,
"We should push together,"
Shai smiled at her before they both pushed the rock off of him,
"Looks like you have done him in Shai," Hermes said