The Great Escape

POV - ELYSIA MANGAL-GRAH

Thud...Thud...Thud

Elysia pounded her feet on the ground, each step echoing her growing impatience. Athena was holding Jove, gently swaying him while Romulus and Juno played, their laughter a stark contrast to the tension in the air.

Then Elysia stood, her anxiety propelling her into a pacing rhythm around the spaceship, her nails finding their way between her teeth as she bit them, her eyes darting to the hatch every few seconds.

Romulus and Juno halted their play, their eyes widening, clearly unnerved by their mother's palpable unease.

Then Athena spoke, her voice cutting through the tension, "For all the gods' sake, Mother, please sit down. You're unnerving everyone here."

Elysia stopped, her gaze shifting to Romulus and Juno, who were now eyeing her with wary expressions.

Turning to Athena, Elysia's voice was laced with worry, "But your father and brother are out there. Are you not worried? How can you be so calm?"

Athena shrugged nonchalantly, "You can't do anything about what you can't do anything about. Panicking won't change the situation. All we can do is wait."

Elysia frowned, her tone accusatory, "Do you have any emotion at all?"

Athena rolled her eyes, a slight sigh escaping her lips, "I have plenty of emotion, mother; I just know how to control it. Or," she added, her face creasing with mock concern, "do women get more emotional and panicky when they grow old?"

Elysia raised an eyebrow, her tone shifting to one of scolding, "Listen here, young lady. First off, I'm not old."

Athena rolled her eyes again, the gesture almost automatic.

Irritated, Elysia's voice rose, "Second of all, don't roll your eyes at me. I'm still your mother, and I have the right to—"

Her words were abruptly halted by the sound of a loud crash.

Elysia and Athena exchanged a look, an unspoken agreement passing between them. Athena, with a protective urgency, passed Jove to Juno, her hands firm yet gentle.

Both then brandished the claws Perseus had given them, the metal glinting ominously in the dim light of the ship.

Without further hesitation, they dashed outside, their footsteps echoing on the metal ramp, the air outside cold and sharp against their skin as they braced themselves for whatever had caused the disturbance.

They looked up, their eyes catching a figure plummeting from the high ceiling of the space fort. Elysia recognized him instantly and gasped, her heart in her throat as she dashed forward, arms outstretched to catch him before he hit the ground.

It was Ares, his face an alarming shade of pale, his body trembling with cold or shock. Athena quickly joined them, her expression a mirror of concern.

Elysia's hands were warm against Ares's cold cheeks, her touch frantic with worry. "What happened?" she asked, her voice trembling.

But before he could reply, Athena, her voice tight with dread, asked, "Father?"

Ares shook his head, the movement slight but enough to shatter Elysia's hope, her heart sinking like a stone.

Athena's silence was brief, her face contorting with pain before she steeled herself, her voice coming back strong, "What next?"

Ares, his voice barely a whisper, managed to say, "Take me into the ship."

They ushered him into the ship, Romulus and Juno, eager to greet their brother, dashed forward but paused when Elysia shook her head at them, silently urging them to sit back down, their youthful enthusiasm tempered by the gravity of the moment.

Elysia, her voice laced with concern, asked, "Should I sit in the pilot's seat?"

Ares, mustering what strength he could, replied, "No, I'll do it," his determination clear despite his weakened state.

They helped him into the seat, his movements slow and labored. He took a moment to catch his breath, the ship filled with a heavy silence as they all waited, the engines idling, the future uncertain.

Ares grimaced, pain etching lines across his face as he forced himself to sit upright, his posture one of command despite his condition. He looked towards Athena, his voice strained but authoritative, "Do you know how to operate the controls?" She nodded, her expression serious.

He directed her, "Start the engines," then turned to Elysia, "Get the seat belts on Juno and Romulus, and sit tight yourself."

Elysia moved with purpose, her heart swelling with a mix of pride and sorrow. Even in this moment of crisis, Ares was stepping into the role of patriarch, a role he was too young to take under such circumstances. She would have felt pride if not for the dark reason behind it—her husband was dead.

She pushed these thoughts aside, her hands working quickly to secure the children, her touch gentle yet firm as she fastened their seat belts, then took her own seat.

As she finished settling into her seat, Ares asked, "Ready?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice firm, steeling herself for what came next.

With her affirmation, the engines roared to life.

Elysia watched Ares, her heart a turmoil of pride and sorrow, as he meticulously input the coordinates for their escape.

He nodded, then took control, the ship responding to his touch as it began to rise from the ground, lifting off from the space fort.

As the spacecraft ascended into the Martian sky, Elysia turned her gaze outward, witnessing the destruction below. She closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight of their home in ruins.

...

The ship broke free of Mars's atmosphere, leaving the red planet behind. Elysia exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, a sigh of relief that felt like the first in ages—but it was short-lived.

Suddenly, a claw, monstrous and unexpected, pierced through the hull from above, the screech of metal against metal echoing through the ship.

Elysia's heart leaped into her throat, panic replacing relief in an instant.

POV - ARES MANGAL-GRAH

The sound of metal being torn apart jolted Ares from his focus; he whipped his head around to see it. A K'tharr claw, piercing through the ship's hull. Panic gripped him; how was this possible? He had sealed the pocket dimension from which they were spawning. Who could have undone it?

The claw continued its destructive path across the ship's body. Ares knew immediate action was required before the claw breached their safety, potentially harming one of them.

Athena rose, intent on confronting the threat, but Ares stopped her with a firm grip on her arm, his eyes locking onto hers. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice laden with concern.

He nodded, his actions deliberate as he buckled himself in, staggering slightly under the ship's turbulence before steadying himself.

For the first time since they left, he looked at Juno and Romulus, forcing a smile that was meant to be reassuring. They responded, their smiles fragile but genuine, their fear momentarily subdued by his presence.

His gaze then found his mother. She was about to voice her concern but bit back her words. Instead, she handed him a claw.

"Come back to me, Ares," Elysia said, her voice a blend of command and plea.

Ares nodded, but she shook her head, "No, swear it, that you'll come back to me safe."

He locked eyes with her, his face pale yet serious. "I swear it."

Elysia smiled, her nod one of both acknowledgment and encouragement.

Ares inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with air, aware that he couldn't rely on the vacuum of space to breathe. Martian physiology allowed for significant air storage, a survival trait now crucial. Once he felt his lungs were sufficiently stocked with oxygen, he signaled to Athena. With a grimace of resolve, she activated the airlock, the door sliding open with a hiss.

He navigated his way to the top of the ship, each step a struggle against the lack of gravity and his own weakened state. Once he made his way to the to, he balanced himself on the hull, the K'tharr lunged for him. Reacting with the speed of desperation, Ares slashed with his claw weapon, severing the creature's hand. The K'tharr shrieked, its cry echoing in the vacuum, a sound of pain and rage.

Ares tensed, every muscle ready for the next assault. The K'tharr shifted, but then halted, its gaze turning towards Mars as if called by some unseen force. Confusion washed over Ares, yet he remained on high alert, his eyes never leaving the creature.

The K'tharr's attention snapped back to him, its features twisted into a mask of rage and malice. But instead of attacking, it began to retreat, only to pause once more. With deliberate malice, it drove its claw into the spacecraft's engine, a final act of vengeance before it leaped away, disappearing into the void as if it had never been there at all.

Ares cursed under his breath as the engine started to sputter, the sound a death knell for their journey. He knew with a sinking heart that they wouldn't make it; their escape had been sabotaged.

Ares rushed back towards the engine, his heart pounding with urgency. The engine, once a marvel of Martian engineering, now looked like a wounded beast. The claw's damage was evident; jagged tears in the metal casing revealed the inner mechanisms, now twisted and smoking. Wires hung loose, sparking occasionally, while coolant leaked out in a slow, hissing stream.

The once harmonious hum of power had been replaced by a concerning, irregular clatter, the heart of their ship beating its last.

Ares, with a grim determination, reached the engine. He placed his hands around the damaged parts, feeling the heat and the vibration of the failing machinery.

With all his might, he forced the ruptured components back into place, his fingers wrapping around the torn metal to hold it together.

He braced himself, muscles straining against the force trying to pull the engine apart, buying them precious moments by sheer willpower and physical strength.

Ares looked up, his eyes catching sight of Earth, its blue and green expanse growing closer. They were so near now, the planet almost within reach, but his lungs were screaming for air. Would they make it to Earth before his body gave out, or would the void claim him first?

The tension wrapped around him like a vise, the outcome uncertain, each heartbeat echoing the ticking of a bomb set to go off inside his chest.

...

3...2...1

Ares lost control of the engine, the tension in his muscles giving way as the damaged machinery sputtered its last. His vision blurred, the edges of his sight going dark as his body, starved of air, began to shut down.

But before he lost consciousness, he saw they'd entered Earth.