Sunlight danced on the point of the deadly blade as it hovered inches above my chest. I held my breath, afraid that any slight movement would get me skewered.
"Get up, Stormie!" Nix called from somewhere to my left.
The Spartan glanced toward her. I took the split second to roll to my right. The soldier reacted with inhuman speed. He plunged the pike downward. The asphalt where my face had been splintered and erupted. Tiny chunks of stone rained down on me as I jumped to my feet.
The Spartan wrenched the weapon out of the ruined pavement and was ready to attack again as soon as I stood up. He thrust the pike forward so fast I couldn't dodge it. The point slammed into an invisible barrier of wind that surrounded my body. There was a split second when both the soldier and I stared at the pike, wondering what had happened. Then he recovered and jumped backward.
"This is your chance to attack him!" Typhon instructed.
How? I don't have any weapons or armor? I thought and raised my fists to at least try to defend myself. The soldier reached over his head and pulled a bronze shield off his back. I scanned the alley, looking for something I could use as a weapon.
"You are the weapon. There is no stronger force than the storm," Typhon said.
That sounded good, but I didn't feel like a storm at that moment. I did feel the churn in my stomach, but that seemed more like a hindrance when my reaction time could decide whether I lived or died.
"Give in to your power."
The churning got stronger as the Spartan took two quick steps forward and then thrust the pike at me again. It was aimed at my face. In a panic, I jumped backward. A gust of wind from the bottom of my feet slammed me into the brick wall behind me. The soldier continued his strike, but again his pike slammed into the barrier. The impact was so heavy that the brick cracked around my body and sent jagged cracks spidering off up the wall.
"Do it now, use your power."
The only power I had any idea how to use was the acid vomit. While I did feel the churning inside of me, I wasn't nauseous. That wasn't going to work this time. I could try spitting. Maybe my saliva was also acidic. It wasn't the best idea, but it was all I had. I spat at the soldier. It worked!
A thinner, more liquid version of the green acid shot out of my mouth and splashed on the Spartan's shield. The shield started to smoke and sizzle as the acid burned holes in the shiny bronze. The Spartan stumbled away from me, prying the shield off its arm. He threw the shield to the ground with a loud metallic clang.
I stepped away from the wall, wondering what to do next.
"Acid spit is so gross and cool!" Nix yelled.
I looked over at her. She was sitting on a roof, looking down at me. Her normally pale face was flushed with excitement. I stared at her a second too long, enjoying how she looked, smiling the way she was. When her eyes suddenly bugged, I snapped my attention back to the fight.
I turned around just in time to watch the Spartan thrust the pike into my gut. It hit the wind barrier, but the left hook he threw at my exposed jaw didn't. The punch landed, and the world around me spun in a blur of color as my head rocked to the side.
I stumbled backward as pain rocketed through my jaw. The soldier didn't let up after the first punch. He slammed the shaft of the pike into my chest. That knocked the breath out of me as I slammed into the wall again. He followed that attack with a kick aimed at my stomach. It hit the wind barrier and knocked him backward.
"You have the power to destroy gods. Use it!"
I was dazed and seeing double, but I did as Typhon said. I raised my right hand and pointed at the soldier. The churn I felt in my stomach raced up through my chest and down my arm. Before I reacted to the strange pulling sensation, I felt acid sprayed out of my palm as if I were a human fire hose.
My aim was off, and I missed. Shock spread across the soldier's face as he dove to the side. I followed it with my hand. Part of me wanted desperately to watch it melt like Mike's face had done. I was too slow. In one motion, the Spartan dove into the air, spun toward me, and threw his pike at my face.
I barely had time to dodge the attack. I dropped to the ground as the pike embedded itself in the wall above my head. I looked up just in time to see the Spartan grab me by the throat and hoist me off the ground. The second his massive hand wrapped around my throat, I stopped breathing.
I punched his arms, trying to break his hold. It didn't work. In an act of pure desperation, I gripped his arm with both hands. I thought about the electricity I had seen under Nix's feet. Then I imagined that same thing happening in my hands. I watched as thin streams of green electricity ran down my arms. The hairs on my arms guided the streams down my arms and across the backs of my hands. The Spartan started groaning when it started crackling across his arm. I knew it hurt because his arm began to tremble and his grip loosened.
My attack worked, but not the way I wanted it to. Instead of dropping me. He hefted me into the air like a baseball and tossed me at the building behind me. I smashed through a window and crashed through a wooden table before landing in a heap in a dark, musty room. The smell of mildew and dust lingered in the air.
Pain radiated out of every part of me as I lay on the floor, staring up into the darkness. I attempted to sit up, and a hand touched my shoulder. Before I could freak out, the person spoke up.
"Don't move, your body needs time to recover," Nix's voice said.
The room was so dark that I couldn't see an inch in front of me. Plus, I was hurting so bad that a little recovery time seemed like a good idea. Nix's hand gently rubbed my shoulder, and a safe feeling settled over me.
"How did you find me? It's pitch black in here?" I asked in a strained whisper.
"Oh, I'm doing that," Nix said.
The darkness in the room suddenly vanished as if it were a tablecloth that was yanked off. Sunlight streamed in through the broken window to my right. I was lying in an open area surrounded by old furniture that was covered in tarps. Nix kneeled over me. Her face wore a mixture of concern and warmth.
"So, how do you feel?" she asked, moving her hand from my shoulder to my dusty cheek.
Her soft, warm touch was a nice counter feeling to the white-hot pain encompassing most of my body. I gave her a weak smile. Behind her, the wall exploded. The darkness swallowed us again.
"You're doing well so far, but I feel like maybe you should call this one for now," she said.
Heavy footsteps came from just outside our bubble of darkness. My breath quickened. I wasn't in any condition to keep fighting. I could barely move. A tactical retreat sounded perfect.
"The storm does not retreat," Typhon said.
A big part of me wanted to agree with him and continue fighting, but I knew that would be foolish. It would more than likely result in the Spartan turning me into a human kabob. A chill ran through me as I considered that. I nodded my agreement to Nix.
"Good, I'll get you to safety."
She grabbed a handful of my shirt, and the darkness around us started moving. It bent and shifted in a swirl that made me want to vomit all over her. I closed my eyes and breathed slow, deep breaths to fight the feeling. When it suddenly stopped, the surface beneath me was softer.
I opened my eyes and saw the familiar eggshell-colored ceiling of my bedroom. I was lying in my own bed. I bolted upright, ignoring the pain that tried to keep me lying down. Nix sat beside me, staring out the window.
"How did you do that?" I asked.
There was no way I was really back home. She looked at me and smiled again.
"I have so much cool stuff to show you, Stormie. That can wait till tomorrow, though."