Athena

[Caniac89]

This is an origin story so I ask that you please be patient through the first few posts. As always, all comments are welcomed.


In the suburbs outside of Raleigh.

Lemay Manor was a very elegant mansion situated in the middle of 160 acres of prime North Carolina real estate. The mansion and surrounding property had belonged to Clan Lemay for several generations. Along with the mansion, the Lemay Clan had amassed a huge fortune that had only grown with time. The Lemay family traced their origins back to the sorceress Morgan le Fay, from the time of King Arthur, and as such, magic was in the family bloodline.

Inside the mansion’s cavernous library was the sole owner of Lemay Manor.

Megan Lemay sat at an expensive wooden table with several thick books in front of her. Megan was a very attractive 22 year old, whose red hair came down to just past her shoulders. She stood at 5’ 9” and had a beautiful athletic body thanks to years of private gymnastics lessons.

Megan’s family had been practicing magic since her first ancestor had learned the art. Each member of Clan Lemay had been devoted to honing his or her personal magical skills, while constantly seeking more knowledge, and passing all this down to the next generation. Megan’s ancestors also willingly served in the world’s armies. Some were priests and priestesses, others became mages, and still others practiced the art of healing. A select few members of the Lemay Clan, including Megan’s mother, even mastered the fine art of the Arcane Warrior; wearing armor and wielding both sword and magic on the front lines of battle. Megan’s ancestors were paid extremely well for their services, and it didn’t take long for the family wealth to grow.

There was one fundamental goal that essentially defined the Lemay family. That goal was to continue learning and expanding one’s knowledge, thereby making the family stronger. The ends always justified the means, which is why some family members were virtuous while others were downright evil. So long as a Lemay was growing in knowledge and power, he or she was doing right.

Before she passed away, Megan’s mother had passed the secrets of the arcane warrior to her daughter who learned the art well. Megan even made herself an arcane warrior outfit and kept it with her other various forms of magical attire. Now, true to her family’s traditions, Megan was seeking ways to further expand her own knowledge and power.

Megan had looked up several sorceresses and priestesses from Greek Mythology, but one name kept coming up, Elana. Looking up, Megan pointed to a bookshelf and snapped her fingers. A red glow surrounded a rather thick book and it floated over to the table. Megan quickly flipped through the pages until she came to a section titled ‘Elana Morrigan’.

According to the text, Elana Morrigan was a sorceress from ancient Greece who early in life was inspired by and studied under the Amazons. Through magic, and with the help of the Amazons, Elana became immortal at the age of 24. For years she was content to study the Amazonian texts, and her power grew. With growing power came ambition, and eventually Elana tried to unseat Queen Hippolyta and take the thrown for herself.

Naturally, Elana’s efforts failed and she was banished from Themiscera. The sorceress didn’t stop there; having failed to take control of the Amazons, Elana set her sights on conquering man’s world. Her power and evil grew so much that the Goddess Athena intervened on man’s behalf and banished Elana to the Underworld.

This new information sparked Megan’s interest. “If she’s immortal, then it would be possible to bring her back from the Underworld,” Megan said to herself, “And through her, I could increase my own power.”

After several more hours of research, the young redhead had all the information she needed to get started. Megan got up and left the library; but not before waving her hand and sending all the open books back to their proper places on the shelves.
…………………………

On an uncharted island in the Mediterranean.

22 year old Emily Welsh stood outside of the entrance to a newly discovered ancient temple.

The young 6’ 0” blonde had graduated college only a year ago with a Masters in Archeology and a Bachelors in Greek Mythology. Aside from being incredibly intelligent, Emily was also very beautiful. She had a gorgeous athletic body, thanks to years of mountain climbing and her golden blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back.

This morning Emily wore a white tank top and short brown shorts. She also had on a brown vest and several equipment pouches hung from her belt. Fingerless gloves and rugged hiking boots completed Emily’s attire.

Emily felt a hand on her shoulder and a handsome young man stepped up beside her. “Ready to get started,” Danny asked.

Doctor Danny Foster was the archeologist in charge of this current expedition. He had been Emily’s professor during college. Emily had been one of his best students, and now she was his best colleague. Years of field work had left the tall, handsome, 26 years old man in great physical shape.

“Let’s see what we can dig up,” Emily smiled as she and Danny entered the temple while the rest of the expedition team set up equipment and living quarters.

The interior of the temple was very dark so Emily cracked a light stick for illumination. The temple was bathed in a soft white light, revealing an interior made of marble with several silver and gold figures and statues.

Dan whistled in amazement, “Wow, this is amazing.”
“Yes it is, and it’s remarkably well-preserved,” Emily noted as she dropped her light stick and took out her small video camera.
“So first impression, got any idea about the temple’s origin,” Dr. Foster asked his Greek Mythology expert.
“Well it’s definitely Greek in origin,” Emily answered as she looked around, “Hard to say how old it is, we’ll have to wait for carbon dating for that.”

Danny pulled out a flashlight and started exploring one side of the temple while Emily took the other. Emily came across some wall carvings portraying several Greeks on their knees.

“I think this was a temple for worshiping one of their gods or goddesses,” Emily called out.
“I’ve got some hieroglyphics and symbols over here that support that theory,” Dan called back.

Looking around, Emily spotted an altar towards the back of the temple. She cracked another light stick and approached it. It was made primarily of marble with gold trimming and decoration.

“Hey Danny, come look at this,” Emily called to the professor.

Dan came over and shined his flashlight on the top of the altar. “Is that what I think it is,” Dan pointed to a symbol in the center of the altar.
Emily studied the symbol briefly, “Yeah, that’s the seal of Athena, the Goddess of War and Wisdom.”
“Alright, so this is a temple for Athena,” Danny replied, obviously happy to have figured out the temple’s purpose. He shined his flashlight around, “It’s kind of small though.”
“You’re right,” Emily agreed, “The other Athena temples we’ve come across were much bigger, and why is this one located on this remote island?”
Dan scratched his chin, “Good question; Greek temples were generally very accessible, making it easy for citizens to honor their gods.”

Emily stepped back and inadvertently triggered a floor switch. There was a low rumbling as several floor panels behind the altar fell away.

“Well that is certainly different,” Danny remarked as the rumbling ceased.

Emily crept to the edge of the new opening and tossed a light stick into the dark abyss. The stick stopped falling after several seconds, revealing about an 80 foot drop to the next level.

Emily looked at Dan, “Time to break out the ropes.”

10 minutes later, Emily was slowly rappelling her way down the marble wall with Dan supporting her from the main temple floor.

“How things going,” Dan called down to his colleague.
“So far so good, there are several outcropping here so let’s take it nice and easy,” Emily called back as she slowly back-stepped down the wall.

A muffled tearing sound caught Danny’s attention, “Emily, did you hear that?”
“Yeah, stop for a second,” came the reply.

Emily cracked another light stick and was horrified to see that a section of the rope supporting her was partially frayed.

“The rope is breaking,” the blonde shouted.
This sent a chill down Dan’s spine, “Alright, come back up.”

Emily started heading up when the rope tore the rest of the way through and she started falling. She reached out and managed to grab a hold of a marble outcropping. Emily banged against the wall and winced at the strain on her shoulder. A light became visible from above.

“Emily, are you okay,” Danny shouted as he looked over the edge.
“Oh sure, just hanging around,” was Emily’s pained response.
“I see you,” Dr. Foster replied as he cast his light on the dangling archeologist, “How far are you from the ground, I can’t tell.”

“Hang on,” Emily answered as she retrieved another light stick from her vest, cracked it, and let it fall. The light source revealed that Emily was about 10 feet from the lower level. She took a deep breath and let go of the outcropping.

[Caniac89]

Megan Lemay was standing in the large dining room of her mansion. She was dressed in a dark green tunic and skirt with a black unitard underneath. A pair of brown leather sandals encased her feet. On the long table that was usually used for serving meals, Megan had gathered several spell books that had been passed down through her family.

Flipping though one of the books, she found the spell she was looking for. Megan closed her eyes and began slowly waving her hands in circles. The air seemed to fill with static energy and soon a small oval-shaped portal literally tore open in space in front of Megan. The portal swirled with dark red energy and electricity.

A sexy, seductive voice was soon heard, “Who disturbs Elana Morrigan?”
Megan spoke confidently, “My name is Megan Lemay.”
There was a pause before the voice spoke again, “Lemay, I have heard this name before.”
“My family descended from the sorceress Morgan le Fay,” Megan explained.
“Ah, the sorceress from the time of King Arthur,” the voice almost sounded impressed.
“Correct, but how do you know about that, wasn’t that after your time,” Megan asked.
The voice scuffed, “Ha, I may be stuck in this hell hole, but I have been able to watch time pass and I must say, your time period is infected with heroes. It makes me sick.”
“Which brings me to the reason I contacted you,” Megan explained.
“To the point at last,” the seductive voice replied, “Speak.”

“I seek to bring you back to this world,” the young redhead explained.
“Do you now,” Elana’s seductive voice paused, “But you wouldn’t do this out of the kindness of your heart. No no, you seek something in return.”
“I wish to expand my power, and you have the knowledge to help me do this,” Megan answered.
Elana concluded, “So, you help me escape from the Underworld in exchange for me sharing some of my secrets with you?”
“Essentially, yes,” Megan answered.
The imprisoned sorceress didn’t hesitate, “Agreed.”

“Unfortunately,” Megan admitted, “I don’t know any spells to free someone trapped in the Underworld.”
“Minor delay, I know one that will suffice,” Elana paused, “But there is a drawback.”
“What kind of drawback,” Megan asked.
“As it is, the spell would set me free, but it would only be temporary,” Elana explained, “In order to make my freedom permanent, I require a vessel, a person to inhabit.”
“And of course, this can’t be just any vessel,” Megan concluded.
“Smart girl,” Elana remarked, “It must be one pure in both body and soul.”
Megan smiled, “What a coincidence, any one of Earth’s heroines would fit that description.”
“Yes, I have already selected a suitable target. She is still relatively new, but is full of potential and untapped power,” Elana explained.
Megan instinctively knew who Elana was talking about, “She also operates within this area, which should make her an easy capture.”
“Indeed, I shall teach you the spell. Then you will bring me Silver Osprey,” was Elana’s sexy, seductive reply.
…………………………

Emily Welsh winced as she finished bandaging the cut on her thigh, which had occurred during her fall.

“Dan, I’m on the ground now,” the young archeologist called up to the expedition leader.
“Are you alright,” Danny Foster called back.
“A few minor cuts, but I’ll be alright,” Emily answered.
“Stay put, I’m gonna get some extra hands and equipment to get you out,” Danny answered.
“Take your time, I want to have a look around down here,” the beautiful blonde replied.
“While I would advise against it, I’m in no position to stop you, just be careful,” Dan shouted before going for help.

The first thing Emily did was grab the still glowing light stick and examine the climbing rope. The end of it was heavily frayed and it was obvious that the rope had not been cut or sabotaged.

“Chalk one up for faulty equipment,” Emily muttered as she tossed the rope aside.

Looking around, Emily determined that she was in a small room that had a single hallway leading out of it. She dropped a second light stick to serve as a marker before entering the hallway. All down the hall, there were elaborate wall carvings depicting the Goddess Athena. Several pictures showed women, robed in white attire, standing before the goddess.

The fact that these women were standing perplexed Emily, Greeks always knelt in front of their gods and goddesses.

Continuing on, Emily found that the hallway opened up into a large circular room with a wide pool in the center that was only about a foot deep. Emily approached the pool and found the water to be crystal clear. Dipping her hand into the water, the young blonde was surprised to find the water was warm and very relaxing.

Emily was tempted to step into the pool when a glimmer behind her caught her attention. Looking back, the young archeologist spotted a silver tablet in the floor, Emily had walked right over it before. Looking at the tablet, Emily found an inscription in the silver. Even though it was in Greek, the young girl had no trouble translating it.

In times of peril and need, Athena will choose a young maiden and grant her the power to vanquish evil. She will be a force for justice and an inspiration to all.

Emily noticed that at the bottom of the tablet was the Seal of Athena. Without thinking, Emily touched her hand to the seal, the same hand that was still wet from the pool.

Immediately a blinding white light appeared in the center of the pool, causing Emily to drop her light stick and raise her arm to shield her eyes. Light and wind swirled around the room and Emily dropped to a crouch in order to brace herself. Almost as quickly as it had begun, the wind stopped, but the bright light remained.

As her eyes adjusted, Emily slowly lowered her arm, trying to see the source of the light. Her eyes went wide with astonishment at what she saw.

Standing in the middle of the pool, shrouded in white light, was an incredibly beautiful woman. She was wrapped in a long white toga with pure gold trimming and a pair of golden sandals were on her feet. She had a warm, friendly smile on her gorgeous face.

The woman spoke in a warm, soft tone, like a mother comforting an infant, “Do not be afraid child.”

Emily, still frozen in amazement and disbelief, could not find her voice.

The woman spoke again, “You know who I am, don’t you?”

Rising to her feet on wobbly legs and still partially shielding her eyes, Emily was able to speak softly, “You…you’re…the Goddess of…War and Wisdom…you’re Athena!”

“Come,” the goddess smiled and indicated a spot in the pool in front of her.

Emily still could not believe what she was seeing. In all the time she had spent studying Greek Mythology and exploring ancient temples, she never expected that she would actually see one of the legendary residents of Mount Olympus.

The young archeologist felt her feet moving forward as if gently pushed along by an outside force. She stepped into the pool and to Emily; it seemed as if the warm water was slowly washing away her fear. By the time she was standing in front of the goddess, Emily felt completely relaxed.

“May I ask you something,” Emily spoke as respectfully as she could.
Athena smiled, “Certainly.”
“What kind of temple is this exactly,” Emily inquired, “I’ve uncovered many ancient ruins, but nothing of this architecture. Also, I guess the most obvious question is, why are you here?”
Athena waved her hand about as she spoke, “This temple, and specifically this chamber, is used for indoctrination.” The goddess paused before continuing, “As far as why I’m here; I am here because, as you read on the tablet, in dark times I select one whom I deem worthy and grant her the power to defeat the rising evil.”

The young blonde began to put things together, “That rope breaking wasn’t a coincidence, was it?”
The goddess nodded, “Correct, I have brought you here, Emily, because I have chosen you.”

Emily paused for a moment as she processed what Athena had just said, “I know what an honor this is, and I don’t mean to question your wisdom, but why me? I’m just an archeologist and I have no experience in battle.”

The Goddess of War and Wisdom spoke gently, “True, but you have a sense of virtue that is uncommon in today’s world. On numerous expeditions, you personally discovered rare artifacts. Many people would have kept these items for themselves or sold them for a profit, but not you Emily. You showed the artifacts to your expedition leader and made sure they were studied and placed in museums, for the world to enjoy.”

Emily was about to speak, but the goddess continued, “Also, on more than one occasion, you were the first to venture into the unknown, protecting others while putting yourself in potential danger. A perfect example is when you climbed down here.”

Still Emily was unsure, “But surely there is someone better qualified like one of Earth’s heroines or something…”
The young blonde was interrupted as Athena extended her hand, palm up, “I know you are worried but do not be afraid. Step forward and take my hand, all will become clear.”

Feeling a rising sense of calm within herself, Emily took a step forward and gently laid her hand in Athena’s. Emily immediately felt a jolt as energy seemed to rush into her body. A blinding white light surrounded Emily and she was overcome by a blissful feeling of warmth, strength, and power. This glorious feeling seemed to intensify as she heard Athena’s voice in her head.

A terrible evil is coming. Thousands of years ago, a sorceress by the name of Elana Morrigan became power hungry and betrayed the Amazons. After failing to seize the Amazonian crown, she set her sights on the rest of the ancient world. Elana left nothing but death and destruction in her wake, to the point where the gods of Mount Olympus intervened. They banished Elana to the Underworld, where she would spend the rest of eternity. Now, someone seeks to free Elana from her prison. Should this happen, the sorceress will resume her quest for power, slaughtering any who oppose her. Elana Morrigan must not be set free. The world is in need of a heroine Emily, and I, the Goddess Athena, have chosen you.

Emily blinking rapidly and the white light slowly dissipated. She found that she was still in the indoctrination chamber, as Athena had called it, and the goddess was still standing in front of Emily.

Although the light was gone, Emily could feel the warm sensation of power coursing through her body. She looked at Athena, who smiled and gestured at Emily’s clothes. The beautiful blonde looked down and was amazed by what she saw.

A white sleeveless tunic with gold trim encircled Emily’s torso and a short white skirt clung to her hips. Underneath, a white sleeveless leotard with thin shoulder straps hugged Emily’s athletic body. Emily’s shapely legs were encased by a pair of flesh tone tights. Gold sandals on her feet and a golden rope belt around her waist completed Emily’s new attire. The outfit and tights all felt as if they were made from the finest silk and Emily loved how they felt against her skin.

Emily looked up as Athena spoke, “You are now endowed with the magic of Olympus. I will teach you to harness this power. Unfortunately, there is only time enough for me to teach you the basics, but you will figure out the rest soon enough.”

All of the doubt and uncertainty that Emily had been feeling seemed to vanish and she spoke confidently, “I’m ready.”

Athena smiled and it was obvious that she was pleased as she spoke, “Then let’s begin, but we must hurry if the life of an innocent is to be spared.”

[Caniac89]

Midnight in the woods outside Raleigh

Megan, with the help of her magic, had constructed an open-aired stone and marble temple. Satisfied that everything was ready, Megan reopened her portal to the sorceress Elana.

Lightning crackled in the sky as the dark red portal opened and Elana sexy, seductive voice spoke, “At last we are ready.”
“Indeed,” Megan smiled, “The lightning and red light should get Osprey’s attention.”
“Very good,” Elana replied, “Lure her close enough to the portal and then begin the spell. You do this right Megan, and I’ll teach you all the magic you’ve ever dreamed of.”
“All in good time,” Megan responded as she looked towards the night sky.

Silver Osprey was cruising through the night sky. It had been a relatively quiet night for the heroine, just a house fire and a couple of minor traffic accidents. Sam closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of a warm breeze rushing over her. Opening her eyes, Silver Osprey enjoyed the view. The city of Raleigh was beautiful at this time of night.

A series of red flashes off in the distance caught Sam’s attention. Silver Osprey’s keen eyes focused on the flashes and she determined that they were caused by lightning. Strange, there are no storms forecasted tonight, the beautiful superheroine thought as she altered her flight path towards the red-colored lightning.

As she neared the disturbance, Sam was surprised to find an elaborate open-air structure made out of stone and marble. Strange, this definitely wasn’t here last night, the young heroine thought. It reminded Osprey of something from Greek Mythology. The superheroine landed gracefully in the center of the complex and carefully scanned for signs of danger.

“Silver Osprey, how nice of you to show up,” A young voice called out.

Sam turned and spotted a young girl dressed in a dark green tunic and black unitard. Something about the girl made the hair on the back of Sam’s neck stand on end.

Now on high alert, Silver Osprey spoke confidently, “Do I know you?”
“No, you do not,” Megan answered as she slowly started walking towards Sam.

Osprey then noticed the swirling dark red portal behind the girl and suspected things were about to escalate.

Sam widened her stance as Megan spoke, “You should consider yourself very fortunate Silver Osprey, you are about to play a key part in the rise of a very powerful sorceress.”
Osprey confidently raised an eyebrow, “Oh, what makes you think I would agree to something like that?”
“Who said you had a choice,” Megan smiled as an orb of glowing magical energy formed in her palm.

Great, magic, was all Sam had time to think as Megan hurled the orb at the heroine. Silver Osprey bent over backwards and the orb just barely passed over her chest.

Standing back up, Osprey charged at Megan who, at the wave of a hand, erected a wall of flames between her and the heroine. Sam leapt into the air and somersaulted over the blazing wall. Landing with the skill of an Olympic gymnast, Osprey threw a high kick that caught Megan in the side of the head. The young redhead went flying sideways and slammed into a marble pillar.

Sam turned and slowly walked towards Megan, who was slowly getting to her feet.

“I don’t know who you are or what you’re doing in this place,” Silver Osprey spoke confidently, “But it ends now.”
“So soon,” Megan spoke as she placed a hand against the pillar she had just hit, “But there is someone who has been dying to meet you.”

The pillar took on a strange green glow and with a loud rumble, lifted out of the ground and hovered. Oh boy, Sam thought as Megan waved her arm forward and the pillar flew at Silver Osprey.

The young heroine put her hands up and managed to catch the pillar, but she couldn’t overcome the momentum of the large marble object and both heroine and pillar went sliding backwards. With minimal effort, Sam twisted her body and managed to fling the pillar up and over her, sending it crashing harmlessly into the woods.

Brushing some dust off her costume, Silver Osprey looked up and was surprised to see Megan had a sinister grin on her face.

Megan began to move her hands about, writing strange ancient symbols in the air. At the same time, the young villain began to speak, “One was imprisoned, Sentenced to burn, With this offer, She will now return!”

Not sure what to think, Sam instinctively looked down and was shocked to find archaic symbols in the marble floor around her, forming a circle. Turning around, Silver Osprey found that she was only a couple of feet from the strange red portal, which was now swirling and pulsating with heat and dark energy. Osprey was horrified as she saw a large transparent hand appear from the portal and reach for her.

Sam jumped back, but not before several of the fingertips brushed through her. Silver Osprey stumbled backwards and dropped to a knee as she clutched her chest as a feeling of extreme cold overcame her. It felt as if someone had poured liquid nitrogen on her. The feeling quickly subsided and Sam rose to her feet.

Lightning crackled violently as the portal burst into flames and radiated intense heat. A strong wind came from the portal, causing Silver Osprey’s cape and ponytail to flutter violently. In the archaic circle that Sam had been standing just moments before, there was an explosion of smoke and bright red light. The smoke began to dissipate and the grey and black heroine was shocked by what she saw.

A beautiful woman, who didn’t look a day over 24 and was about 6 feet tall, was standing in the circle where Sam had been just seconds before. The woman’s curvy figure was wrapped in a ceremonial robe and short skirt that were colored dark red with touches of light blue. Her shapely legs were encased in dark red tights and archaic boots were on her feet and matched her robe. The woman’s hair was a mixture of raven-black and bright red.

Silver Osprey looked into the woman’s eyes and found that her irises were glowing red. Something about the woman’s red eyes and sinister gaze chilled Sam to the core.

The woman looked at Sam and spoke to the young heroine in a very seductive and sexy voice, “My name is Elana Morrigan, and your world is at an end Silver Osprey.”

[Caniac89]

Silver Osprey stood her ground and waited to see what this woman, Elana Morrigan, was going to do.

Sam didn’t have to wait long as Elana stretched out her arm towards the grey and black superheroine. Osprey felt a strong wind kick up like earlier, only this time the wind was drawing the heroine towards Elana. Sam planted her feet, but her boots were still slowly sliding along the marble ground towards the powerful sorceress.

“That’s it,” Elana’s seductive voice called out, “Come to your doom Silver Osprey.”

Thinking quickly, Sam crouched down and dug her hand into the marble ground, halting her forward motion.

Elana responded by raising her other hand, and the wind’s strange vacuum effect on Silver Osprey intensified, but Sam’s grip held firm.

“Enough!” a young voice called out.

Sam was immediately enveloped by a bright white light and she no longer felt the strong wind that had been drawing her to Elana. Osprey stood up in time to see a beautiful young blonde, dressed in white, gracefully land a few feet away from her. Sam estimated the young blonde to be about 22 years old. The newcomer’s attire reminded Silver Osprey of something from ancient Greece. The blonde lowered her arm and the white aura around Sam dissipated.

“Are you alright?” Emily asked Silver Osprey.

Emily recognized Silver Osprey from the many newspaper articles she had read about the heroine. Having seen Elana try to draw Osprey to her, Emily suspected that the sorceress needed the grey and black heroine in order to complete her transition to this world. Emily now understood what Athena had meant about sparing the life of an innocent, she had to protect Silver Osprey.

“Yep, thanks for the save there,” Sam replied.

Before the girls could become formally acquainted, Elana interrupted, “Ah, fresh blood, this is going to be fun.”

The sorceress hurled a large fireball at the two heroines, who both managed to jump out of the way.

Emily reacted quickly by going after Elana. The young blonde raised her hand and a geyser of water appeared to erupt from her palm and head straight for the sorceress. Elana calmly raised her hand and projected a circular shield of flame. Emily’s stream of water flash boiled into steam upon contact with the flames.

Seeing that her new ally was keeping Elana busy, Sam charged at Megan. Seeing Silver Osprey coming at her, Megan waved her hand in a circle above her head before pointing at the approaching heroine. A hurricane force wind enveloped Sam and sent her rocketing backwards towards a stone wall. Instead of hitting the wall hard though, Silver Osprey found herself slowly decelerating and she stopped several feet from the wall. As her boots touched the ground Sam looked over and saw the girl in the white tunic lowering her arm. Realizing that the girl had caught her, Osprey nodded her thanks before focusing on Megan again.

After catching Silver Osprey, Emily looked back to Elana, whose hands had a fiery aura around them. The sorceress raised her arms, as if she was raising something. A vortex of flame erupted in front of Emily and soon, standing before the heroine, was a grotesquely distorted and flaming grizzly bear.

The beast let out a gut-wrenching roar before it charged at Emily. Thinking quickly, the white clad heroine unleashed a spell of her own. Pieces of marble and stone flew everywhere as a giant snake made of marble ripped out of the ground and ensnared Elana’s fiery bear. The beast let out another roar as both bear and snake vanished in an explosion of fire and stone.

Elana spoke seductively as she clapped her hands together, “Impressive little one, you certainly have some skill. But beware of that sinking feeling.”

Looking down, Emily saw that Elana had transformed the marble beneath her feet into a thick liquid and the young blonde was now sinking into the ground. As her flesh-tone tight-covered legs slowly became enveloped in the liquefied marble, Emily tried to take to the air but found that her flight ability could not overcome the thick matter that she was stuck in. The heroine looked around for anything within reach that she could use to pull herself out, there was nothing.

Emily was now submerged up to the lower portion of her skirt when Silver Osprey came flying towards her. Hovering over the distressed blonde, Sam reached her hand out. Emily quickly grasped the offered hand and, using her combined strength and flight ability, Osprey pulled the superheroine out of the ground and flew her over to a more stable section of the ground.

“Thanks for the pick up,” Emily said as she waved her hand and instantly cleaned off her costume.
“Any time…” Silver Osprey started before she spotted Elana throwing a magical blast at the two heroines.

Reacting instantly, Sam grasped Emily and put her own body between the blonde and Elana’s attack. The ball of red energy slammed into Sam’s back and sent both her and Emily flying backwards. Seeing that they were rapidly approaching a pillar, Silver Osprey quickly shifted positions and she took the full impact with the pillar while protecting Emily.

Fortunately, Sam wasn’t seriously injured and both she and Emily got back to their feet. Upon seeing Elana however, they did not attack.

The sorceress’s form had become transparent and she had a very worried look on her face.

“The spell, it was not completed,” Elana said in shock, realizing that she was returning to her prison.

“Elana Morrigan, you will not rise this day,” Emily announced with complete confidence.

The blonde reached a hand towards the heavens and called down a bolt of white lightning. The bolt struck the ground in a blinding flash where the fading sorceress stood.

“NOOOO…” was the last that was heard of Elana as her red portal collapsed and she disappeared.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief before turning to Silver Osprey, “Where’s the other one?”
“You mean the redhead?” Osprey replied, “She’s right over there.”

Sam pointed to Megan Lemay’s unconscious form in a corner of the large stone structure they were standing in. Osprey had subdued the redhead before she had pulled Emily out of the ground.

“I’m sorry that we never got to formal introductions Silver Osprey,” Emily said as she turned to the grey and black heroine.
“That’s okay, they had to… be dealt with…” Sam brought a hand to her forehead, she felt strange.
“Hey, you feeling okay?” Emily placed a hand on the other heroine’s shoulder.
“Not… sure…” Osprey was slouching now and was starting to sweat. Sam felt like there was a foreign presence inside her, she had never experienced anything like it.

Suddenly, a red aura of energy erupted and surrounded Silver Osprey. Her heart started throbbing and she clutched her chest as Elana’s seductive voice could be heard all around.

Did you think it would be that easy? During our little scrap, I implanted my essence within you Silver Osprey. There is no escape from your fate, you will be MINE!

“Aaaaaggghh!!!” Sam screamed as an explosion enveloped her.

Emily was sent flying backwards by the explosion and hit her head hard on a marble archway. Though she was stunned, the young blonde managed to lift her head and spotted Silver Osprey, face down on the ground.

Slowly the grey and black heroine began to stir. Even though she was dazed, Emily could tell that something was wrong as Osprey rose to her feet with her back to the blonde. Osprey glanced down briefly at herself before she turned around.

Looking into the heroine’s eyes, Emily was chilled to the bone. Unlike the pretty deep blue color that she had noticed when she first spoke to Silver Osprey, the heroine’s irises glowed with a dark red color that screamed evil.

Osprey began to speak, but instead of the sweet young voice of Samantha Hunter, the sexy seductive tone of Elana Morrigan was heard, “With your demise Silver Osprey, my rise to this world is complete, AHAHAHAHA!”

Horror gripped Emily before she succumbed to the blow she had sustained and the beautiful young blonde passed out.

[Blx]

Man that was cool

[Caniac89]

Thanks, I'm glad you think so. Next update will be posted later today.

[Caniac89]

When Emily came to, it was still night out. Other than a minor arching in her head from her impact earlier she felt fine. However, when she tried to sit up, the blonde heroine found that her wrists and ankles were chained and she was lying on top of some kind of stone altar.

Emily considered using her strength to snap her restrains, but tossed that idea when she saw that the chains glowed with mystical energies.

Short on escape ideas, at least for the moment, Emily looked around. She quickly spotted the young redhead from earlier, along with Silver Osprey, standing next to a table which held several large spell books. Why is Silver Osprey talking with that girl? Emily thought to herself. Then Emily remembered the final moments before she had passed out, the sorceress Elana had inhabited Silver Osprey’s body. The girl dressed in grey and black was no longer the superheroine she used to be.

Since the two villains seemed to be paying little attention to Emily, the blonde decided to listen in and she what she could learn.

“…So you’ve learned the art of the Arcane Warrior have you?” Silver Osprey spoke with Elana’s seductive voice.
“Yes, it was the last thing my mother passed to me before she died,” Megan Lemay answered the sorceress.
“That is very impressive, there are few who even know that this style of magic even exists,” came the reply.
“I’m only sorry that I didn’t get to use those skills tonight,” the young redhead replied.
“Patience Megan, perhaps our blonde captive will provide a suitable target for you to practice on later,” Osprey/Elana reassured her new protégée.

So the redhead’s name is Megan, Emily thought to herself, happy to at least have learned something.

“Mistress, may I ask you something?” Megan asked Elana.
The possessed heroine flashed a seductive smile, “Certainly, though since you helped me escape that hellhole you may address me as Elana if you wish.”
Megan smiled back, “Elana, will you stay like this, I mean, will you retain Silver Osprey’s form?”
The sorceress shook her head, “No, slowly this body will change into my real form. The time required varies based on the person who I inhabit. The stronger the will of the person, the longer the transformation takes. At the same time, the longer the transformation, the more powerful I will be once it is concluded.” The sorceress paused before continuing, “After it is finished, I think I will keep this costume as a trophy, what do think of that Silver Osprey?”
Megan cocked her head, “Who are you talking too, can she hear you?”
“Oh yes, until the transformation is complete and I’ve fully consumed her essence, our unfortunate heroine can see, hear, smell, sense, and feel everything as if she was still in control. I imagine it is a quite unpleasant experience,” Elana replied with a sinister grin.

After hearing this, Emily allowed herself a glimmer of hope. If Silver Osprey’s essence was still present, then perhaps there was a way to free her. If she was going to do something it was going to have to be soon, several strands of Silver Osprey’s silvery white hair had already turned red and she looked slightly taller.

“So you are finally awake,” Emily’s mind snapped back to the present as Elana/Silver Osprey and Megan started walking towards the chained heroine.
“When I get free Elana, you will pay for this,” Emily said confidently.
“And how will I pay? You planning on killing me? If you take that road then you will also kill the young heroine I’ve possessed. And besides…” Elana was cut off midsentence and brought a hand to her forehead.

The possessed superheroine shook her head several times before looking up and Emily was shocked to see that her eyes were blue again.

As Silver Osprey spoke, Sam’s young voice was heard, “Don’t…let her…win…no matter…what.”

Osprey’s eyes turned red again as Elana spoke, “My my, we are very strong willed aren’t we Osprey? Not many people could achieve a momentary break through like that.”

Back in control, Elana returned her attention to the still-bound Emily, “As I was saying, you will make a great subject for my new pupil to practice on,” the sorceress gestured towards Megan.

With that, the two villains turned and walked back to the table they had been standing by.

Once again left alone, Emily began trying to figure out how to free herself. She didn’t get far when she heard a voice in her head.

“Emily, you must get free,” the voice spoke quietly.
“Athena?” Emily thought back.
“Yes child, the window of opportunity is rapidly closing, Elana must not be allowed to regain her full power,” the goddess’s voice explained.
“You mean kill her, but that will destroy Silver Osprey as well,” Emily thought back.
“It is regrettable, but if you do not vanquish this evil then I fear the world will be in jeopardy,” came the reply.
The young blonde took a deep breath, “I understand, but I can’t get free.”
“Yes you can. Emily, you power stems from within, you must believe in yourself,” Athena explained, “I leave you with these final gifts, use them well.”

Emily felt Athena’s presence leave her mind. At the same time, she felt as if a veil had been lifted from her mind and she understood the gifts Athena had given her. More importantly, she knew how to use them.

Emily closed her eyes and visualized her restrains being shattered. Knowing she could do it, the beautiful blonde flexed her muscles and her chains fell away.

She hopped off the altar and called to Elana, “Your blight ends now you witch.”
The sorceress’s head snapped around, “Feisty aren’t you? I will show you what happens to those who challenge me.”

Emily wasn’t deterred by the sorceress’s comment. She placed her feet shoulder-width apart. Emily’s left hand hung by her side while her right, with fingers outstretched, reached skyward. The blonde heroine was suddenly engulfed in a raging inferno of white flames, flames that seemed to originate from within Emily herself.

After several seconds the flames became less intense, but did not dissipate. Instead they became somewhat transparent, revealing the superheroine within.

Emily’s entire look had changed. Now she was dressed in a white sleeveless unitard with thin shoulder straps. The sandals on her feet had been replaced with silvery armored boots with a gold trim. She had a golden band on each upper arm and in her right hand, Emily gripped a sword. The weapon was a work of fine craftsmanship, featuring a silver blade and a black handle with enough room to be gripped in two hands. The blade, hilt, and handle all featured gold decorations. Emily’s flaming aura stayed with her as she stepped forward, ready for battle.

After looking over the transformed heroine, Elana looked skyward and called out, “I knew I sensed your foul presence Athena!”
“I will deal with her,” Megan Lemay spoke confidently.
“I like your confidence,” the sorceress held up a hand, “But this is a perfect time to begin your teachings. Lesson one, let minions do the dirty work.”

Elana, still possessing Silver Osprey, waved her hand out in front of her and the marble floor began to crack. Several boney hands burst out of the ground and a dozen sword-wielding skeletons crawled out of the ground.

“An undead army, go figure,” Emily muttered to herself as she raised her sword.

[Caniac89]

Many bones rattled as the skeletons charged Emily. With phenomenal swordsmanship, the blonde heroine met their attack.

The first undead warrior closed within melee range and swung its sword in a mighty downward arc. Emily blocked the attack, spun around, and brought her own sword slashing through her attacker’s midsection. The boney soldier broke apart and disintegrated.

Emily performed several back flips and narrowly avoided a pair of swords that clanged harmlessly against the ground. The blonde heroine landed on her feet just in time to parry the attacks of several undead minions. Emily quickly counterattacked by kicking one of her attackers, who stumbled backwards and became entangled with another solder. Emily’s sword took on a white glow and with a loud war cry, she slashed horizontally through both skeletons, causing them to vaporize.

As Emily stood back up, she noticed that the nine remaining skeletal minions had surrounded her and were closing in.

Wasting little time, the blonde cutie began twirling her sword rapidly in both hands. Soon the blade was spinning so fast that it almost looked like a transparent disk. Emily raised the weapon over her head and a bright white aura of energy and flame shot out in all directions.

The young heroine lowered her weapon after several seconds and the white aura dissipated. Bones and shattered swords were scattered about the immediate area and only two undead soldiers remained. Being nothing more than lifeless husks, the two soldiers staggered forward, unfazed by the bones scattered about.

Changing strategies, Emily stabbed her sword into the ground, freeing both hands. She then held her hands just in front of her chest, palms facing each other with about 6 inches in between. Emily closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few moments Emily’s chest began to glow and the white glowing spirit of a wolf seemingly sprang out of the young girl’s chest.

The spirit snarled and lunged at the approaching skeletons. The minions slashed at the spirit, but their attacks passed harmlessly through it. The wolf’s attacks however, were much more effective. It pounced onto the nearest enemy and knocked its skull clean off. Without a second’s hesitation, the spirit wolf then charged the remaining attacker. Latching onto its femur bone, the wolf shook the skeleton apart in seconds.

Having dispatched the remaining threats, the spirit turned and bounded gracefully back to Emily. With a single leap, the spiritual predator seemed to pass back into Emily and disappear.

The blonde heroine started walking forward as she pulled her blade out of the ground. The sword, despite being stabbed into marble, was undamaged.

The sorceress Elana, still possessing Silver Osprey’s body, was unfazed as she turned to Megan, “And now we have seen the skills of our foe. Next we call more powerful minions to fight, let’s see what you can think of.”

With a slight grin, Megan nodded and began to concentrate; she already had a creature in mind. The young redhead began to wave her hands out in front of her, causing an aura of flames to appear in front of her.

The ground shook as the flames grew and reached 20 feet in height and began to take shape. The fire quickly vanished, leaving a grotesque figure in its place.

The figure stood 20 feet tall and had dark grey skin that was heavily scarred and bulged with rock-hard muscle. Black tattered cloth was wrapped around the creature’s waist and feet and it hefted a steel mace in one of its large hands. The beast’s head looked like a distorted and elongated form of a gorilla with curved horns growing out of the top of its skull. Its jaws were filled with crooked white teeth and the creature’s black eyes looked like death itself. Raising both arms above its head, the creature let out a deep primal roar that shook the general area.

Elana/Osprey clapped her hands in admiration, “An ogre from the Age of Dragons, very impressive. Allow me to make one adjustment.”

The sorceress snapped her fingers and Emily gasped as the one ogre became three.

Receiving a nod from her mentor, Megan pointed at the blonde heroine and the beasts lumbered forward, shaking the marble beneath their large feet.

Despite the almost overwhelming sense of fear gripping her, Emily charged forward and met the ogres’ attack head-on.

The lead creature swung its mace in a mighty downward arc. Knowing that strength alone could not block the impending blow, Emily rolled out of the way and the large weapon smashed into the ground. The force of the hit cracked the marble floor and shook the ground violently, nearly knocking the white-clad heroine off her feet.

Thinking quickly, Emily jumped onto the mace and, using it like a spring board, launched herself up and over the creature. The ogre swatted at the heroine and missed as she sailed over its head. In one smooth motion, Emily slashed at the back of the beast’s neck before sliding down its grey back and rolling to the ground.

For several seconds, the ogre didn’t move. Finally, it shuttered and tumbled to the ground, revealing a clean cut in the back of its neck that was oozing dark red, almost black, blood. A red glow enveloped the vanquished monster and it vaporized into the night air.

The two remaining creatures roared as they charged Emily. The blonde jumped aside, avoiding one of the ogre’s giant fists as it hammered into the ground. The monster followed by swinging its mace in a horizontal arc, which Emily was able to duck under.

Unfortunately, this brief exchange had left Emily distracted and unaware of the second ogre. The young heroine paid for this as the beast smashed its mace into Emily’s back and sent her rocketing into a stone wall, shattering the structure. Stunned by the hit, the white spandex clad blonde tumbled along the ground for several feet before she came to a stop, face down.

“Ohh…” Emily moaned in pain as she slowly managed to rise to her feet. She clutched her left shoulder that, having taken the brunt of the impact, was throbbing.

Despite tears forming in her eyes, Emily pushed past the pain and waved her good arm about her. A green glow encircled the young girl as she healed her injuries.

Her pain healed, Emily located her dropped sword, and with a flick of her wrist, the weapon returned to the superheroine.

One of the ogres, the one that had clobbered Emily, lunged toward the recovered heroine, intending to finish what it had started.

Emily’s feet seemed to barely touch the ground as she raced towards the charging creature.

The monster’s arm stretched back as it wound up its finishing blow.

The blonde heroine gripped her sword in both hands as she leapt into the air.

The 20-foot beast swung its heavy metal weapon forward.

Heroine and ancient monster met and the ogre let out a bone-chilling roar.

The large creature stumbled and fell backwards with a loud thud. It twitched once and ceased all motion as Emily yanked her sword out of its chest. The white clad heroine then flipped off of the lifeless ogre as it took on a red glow and vaporized.

Emily took a second to catch her breath, but this proved unwise.

A large hand grabbed the heroine and lifted her off of her feet.

The third and final ogre had seized the opportunity, literally, and now had Emily in its clutches. The blonde heroine winced and the creature’s vice-like grip tightened around her torso and raised her to be level with its grizzly face.

Time slowed as Emily stared into the beast’s hatred-filled eyes. The ogre brought Emily closer as it let out a deep, primal, roar.

The blonde heroine gripped her sword tightly in both hands as she was drawn towards the creature’s gaping maw. Her timing had to be perfect or she was dead.

Waiting until the last possible moment, Emily swung with all her might. The ogre’s roar was cut off and it ceased to move.

A thin incision began to appear around the creature’s neck as it began to glow red. The large beast vaporized, and with nothing holding her up now, Emily dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch.

Megan gasped, “What, how?”
The possessed Silver Osprey placed a hand on Megan’s shoulder as Elana spoke, “Clearly our foe is more skilled than she appears, perhaps your arcane warrior skills will be needed after all.”

As Emily stood up, she noticed that Silver Osprey’s hair had more red than silver in it now, time was running out. Her thoughts were interrupted as Megan whistled to get the superheroine’s attention.

“You handle that sword pretty well,” Megan called out, “Let’s see how you do against someone with actual skill.”

The redhead waved her hand and a swirl of green fire enveloped her. A few seconds later the flames subsided, revealing Megan now dressed in her arcane warrior outfit.

The top consisted of a dark green leotard with black sleeves and a black V pattern. Megan’s athletic legs were encased in a pair of dark grey tights and dark green boots were on her feet. A long, black cape hung from her shoulders. The redhead held a sword in her right hand and in her left was a red and black staff with a dark red gem in its head.

Raising her sword, Megan called out with an evil smirk, “Let’s dance.”

[Caniac89]

Both girls charged forward and swords clashed. Heroine and villainess blurred into a frenzy of attacks, parries, and counter-attacks with neither gaining the advantage.

The gem in Megan’s staff began to glow as the redhead swung the magical rod at Emily. The blonde heroine leapt into the air and twirled about before landing behind her opponent. Megan crossed her sword and staff, blocking Emily’s next attack.

The redhead pushed with red energy and Emily was blown backwards, but managed to perform a back-flip and land on her feet, skidding to a stop.

The white-clad superheroine reached her hand skyward and bolts of lightning began striking the ground around Megan. Megan dodged and rolled out of the way of the electric onslaught before raising her staff and pointing it at Emily.

The blonde looked up to see several flaming boulders hurling at her like a miniature meteor shower. Emily twisted and spun out of the way of the falling rocks. She skidded to a stop as one meteor just barely missed her and spotted a large one on a collision course with her. The blonde heroine swung her sword in an upward arc and managed to split the flaming meteor and the fragments flew harmlessly past her.

“Here, cool off,” Emily called as she raised her free hand and shot a stream of water at Megan.

The evil redhead was propelled backwards before slamming her back against a stone wall. Dripping wet, and now angry, Megan rushed at Emily and sparks flew once again as steel clashed with steel.

Megan went into a rapid spin, attacking with her sword and staff in rapid succession. Emily found herself being forced backwards as she tried to fend off the redhead’s latest attack.

Finally, Megan managed to break the blonde heroine’s defense by jabbing Emily in the stomach with her staff. The heroine coughed violently and was unable to protect herself as Megan followed through by smashing the pommel of her sword into Emily’s beautiful young face.

As Emily staggered backwards she dropped her sword, which was quickly kicked away by an advancing Megan who was determined the end this fight. She fired a blast from her staff that knocking Emily onto her back. Seeing her opportunity, the villainess raised her sword over her head and, with one hand, swung it in a downward arc.

Raising her right hand in the nick of time, Emily caught the blow and winced as the edge of the steel weapon bit into her hand, stopping the blade mere inches from her face.

For several tense moments the girls remained locked. Megan was leaning over Emily, putting all her weight on her blade, determined to finish the white-clad superhero. Emily’s faced was gripped by pain and defiance, she would not give up.

Emily’s free left hand took on a white glow as she cracked Megan hard across the face, knocking the villain off of her and sending her into a nearby column.

Emily rose to her feet and clinched her injured right hand into a fist. A light blue glow surrounded her hand as the cut in her palm healed. Reaching out with her rejuvenated hand, Emily recalled her sword as Megan caught her second wind.

Once again, both girls raced forward and locked weapons. The pair blurred into a rapid sequence of attacks and parries, each waiting for the other to make a mistake. It didn’t take long.

Megan attacked with a downward thrust that Emily was able to step out of the way of. Unfortunately, the redhead had put too much force behind the attack and as a result, threw herself off balance.

Emily capitalized on this error by placing a booted foot on Megan’s sword, pinning the weapon to the ground. At the same time, the blonde heroine threw a left hook that left the villainess spinning and dazed. Emily then kicked the sword away, leaving Megan with just her staff.

Even with her blade out of reach, Megan was far from defenseless.

The young redhead stepped forward and started swinging her staff with the skill of a martial artist. At the same time, the young woman began throwing magic blasts with her free hand, forcing Emily backwards.

The young blonde managed to raise her weapon and block Megan’s newest onslaught. The redhead spun around, intending to strike Emily with the tip of her staff. Anticipating the move, the blonde superheroine brought her blade up and locked weapons with Megan.

For several tense moments, the two women seemed frozen in place, each pressing against the other.

Seeking to break the stalemate, Megan’s eyes began to glow a light blue color and bolts of electricity began arcing from her body. Emily winced as the bolts began striking her. The blonde’s face was a combination of pain and determination.

Emily sank to a knee, the electrical attack was taking a lot out of her. Emily now held her sword above her head with one hand on the grip and the other supporting the blade as Megan stood over her, her magic staff mere inches from Emily’s face.

“So you’ve finally learned to kneel to your superiors, good,” Megan snickered.

Emily was too preoccupied to reply, but Megan had plenty more to say.

“After I defeat you, maybe I’ll have Elana teach me how to possess you,” the redhead grinned. “I would make you do all kinds of humiliating things, and once I was done, I’d absorb your power and essence, sending you to a customized prison in hell, just for you.”

“NO!” Emily cried out. She jumped to her feet, knocking Megan off balance. Raising her left hand, the superheroine blasted her assailant with white energy that hit Megan like a brick wall. The villainess skidded along the ground for several feet before coming to a stop, unconscious.

Emily’s breathing was heavy, the night’s actions had taken a lot out of her. As she heard a sinister laugh, the blonde superheroine realized that the battle wasn’t over.

“Very nice young lady,” Elana/Silver Osprey announced as she clapped in approval.

Despite the fatigue she was feeling, Emily spoke with confidence and resolve, “Elana your minions are defeated, it’s over.”
A sinister grin spread across the possessed Silver Osprey’s face, “Honey, you haven’t faced me yet, it hasn’t even begun.”

Emily tightened her grip on her sword as she sized up the possessed superheroine. Much to the blonde heroine’s dismay, Emily noticed that the silver streaks in Osprey’s raven black hair were now completely red, was she too late to save Silver Osprey?

[SGWriter]

C, sorry it took me a while to comment. This is another excellent story! Love Athena as a new heroine and Megan as a magic wielding villainess. Morrigan too is is a nice nasty (oxi-moron I know). The fight scenes have been great so far. Looking forward to the big showdown.

[Caniac89]

Thanks for the kind words Sgz6, here's the next part.


Elana addressed Emily, “You have some remarkable talents young one, but I could teach you so much more. What do you say to becoming my next protégé?”
“I say go to Hell,” Emily fired back.
Elana/Silver Osprey’s eyes narrowed, “So be it, there will not be another offer.”
“Good, I’d hate to have to waste my breath again,” was Emily’s confident reply.
“Girl, you have no idea how big of a mistake you’ve just made,” Elana spoke in a sinister tone as the possessed body of Silver Osprey took on a dark red glow.

Elana’s form began to slowly grow. At the same time, her figure started to twist and contort and before long was no longer recognizable as a human shape. Soon the glowing figure was over 30 feet tall and had sprouted extra appendages. As the dark red glow subsided, Emily took in what she was looking up at.

A muscular, black, scaly body with a long neck and tail stood before the blonde superheroine. A pair of large, black, leathery wings protruded from the back while four powerful legs supported the body on top of long, sharp claws. At the top of the long, scaly neck was a spiny head with an elongated snout. The spines came out of the back of the reptilian head and pointed straight backwards while a set of powerful jaws were lines with long, oversized teeth that were angled slightly outward, allowing the creature’s mouth to close. A black eye was set on either side of the head and seemed to burn with a hatred that stemmed from Hell itself.

Despite the monumental foe she now faced, Emily managed a bit of sarcasm as she muttered to herself, “A dragon, really? Could this night get anymore cliché?”

With a flap of its mighty wings, the dragon rocketed skyward and quickly out of sight in the clouds. Emily’s light blue eyes frantically searched the sky for the creature. She didn’t have to wait long as a speck appeared overhead. The young woman quickly dove out of the way as the dragon landed with a violent crash, almost on top of Emily.

The beast let out a high-pitched primal roar as it turned its head to face Emily, who was just getting to her feet. The superheroine dodged to the side as the dragon lunged and its jaws snapped shut, missing Emily by mere inches. The young woman reacted by swinging at the back of the creature’s head, but her sword glanced harmlessly off the boney spines on its head.

This only served to anger the dragon, which took a swipe at Emily with a massive claw, but the blonde superheroine was able to jump back and out of the way.

Pushing off her back foot, Emily dashed forward and managed to slash the dragon in one of its back legs. The creature’s response was to kick with the injured limb, which sent Emily skidding across the marble ground. The young heroine rolled to her feet just in time to see the dragon launch a fireball at her. Emily dropped to a knee, held her sword horizontally across her front with the palm of her free hand against the flat part of the blame, and concentrated. A white glow began to appear just in front of the superheroine. The fireball impacted the glowing shield and exploded.

Though Emily did feel some residual heat, she was physically unscathed by the actual explosion. However, the young woman’s breathing was heavy as she got to her feet, “This fight…gone on…so long… I’m so tired…magic reserves…low…”

As if sensing Emily’s exhausted state, the dragon lunged forward in an attempt to snatch the superheroine up in its jaws. Forcing herself to concentrate, Emily dove forward, bringing herself closer to the creature while avoiding its latest attack. Having slipped past her foe’s defense, the white clad superheroine managed to deliver a cut to the dragon’s shoulder. The beast roared violently as dark red, almost black, blood oozed from the wound.

Instead of weakening it, this only enraged the dragon, which reared up on its hind legs and opened its mouth wide. There was a violent whooshing sound as the scaly creature let loose its fire breath that engulfed Emily in seconds. For nearly 20 seconds, a continuous stream of fire turned the ground glassy smooth. Finally, the dragon cut its breath off and dropped back on all fours, shaking the ground in the process.

In the center of the smoldering circle, was Emily, who was unharmed. The young blonde was kneeling behind her sword, which was impaled in the marble ground. A light blue aura encompassing the superheroine dissipated as she stood wobbly to her feet. Beads of sweat had begun to form on her forehead. The protective aura Emily had summoned had almost completely drained her.

The ground shook as the dragon lumbered towards the exhausted superheroine. The young woman stood her ground, her golden blonde hair flowing in the night breeze as she looked up at the approaching monster.

This time Emily was first to act as she charged forward. Unfortunately, the dragon was quick to react and swiped at the superheroine with one of its claws. The attack caught Emily in her side and sent her crashing into a nearby wall, obliterating the stone structure and losing her sword in the process.

“Ohhh…” Emily moaned as she struggled to her feet. She was so exhausted that no sooner had the young woman gotten to her feet that her legs gave out and she collapsed onto her hands and knees.

There was a bright flash that quickly subsided. Emily found that her unitard was gone and she was back in her tunic, skirt, sandals, and tights. “Wha…what happened?” the weakened heroine asked no one in particular.

The dragon didn’t give Emily a moment’s pause as it whipped its tail at her. Emily raised her hand in an attempt to put up a protective barrier, but was only partially successful. The creature’s mighty tail easily broke through the pitiful excuse for a shield and sent the young blonde flying. Emily landed with an “OOF” as the wind was knocked out of her lungs.

“So…weak…energy…gone…” the young woman muttered as she lay exhausted on her back.

There was a loud crash and Emily cried out in pain as the dragon pinned the superheroine to the ground with one of its claws. The creature raised its head and gave a victorious roar into the night air.

[Caniac89]

The dragon lowered its head and snarled as its snout stopped just feet from Emily’s face. The monster’s black eyes suddenly took on a red glow. The blonde heroine was trying to figure out why she was so exhausted when Elana’s voice seemed to come from all around.

“And yet another mortal falls to my superior power,” the sorceress’s voice thundered.

“Why aren’t my powers working, Athena said they came from within,” Emily though to herself as she searched for a way out of her current predicament. Then it seemed like a light bulb went off, “Maybe I’ve relied too much on my magic, perhaps I need to stop being afraid and focus on ending this madness.” Emily tried to concentrate, searching within herself to draw out what little magic she had left. Then she sensed it, it wasn’t much, but it was there. She wouldn’t be able to use it to generate spells, but it would allow her to get back on her feet.

The dragon placed more weight on the claw that held Emily down, causing the superheroine to wince and break her chain of thought.
“So blondie, any last words before I tear you apart?” Elana’s voice taunted. Emily’s hand reached out and she tried to speak, but it came out in mumbles. “Speak up little one, it’s hard to hear you from way up here.” The sorceress’s voice continued to taunt.

Emily lifted her head up and spoke with authority, “Get…off…me.” The blonde’s dropped sword returned to her outstretched hand and she jabbed the weapon into the claw that had her pinned. The dragon roared in pain and withdrew the injured appendage, freeing Emily who rolled to her feet.

As she widened her stance, she drew from the small energy reserve stored in the blade and white flames started from Emily’s sword-carrying hand and quickly spread across her entire body, dressing the superheroine once again in her white sleeveless unitard, silver boots, and golden bands.

“I’m going to enjoy ripping you limb from limb,” Elana’s sinister voice announced as the dragon tensed, ready to strike.
Emily assumed a battle pose, sword at the ready, “Bring it on witch.”

The dragon lunged forward and Emily dove under its snapping jaws. The blonde superheroine found herself underneath the beast and seized the opportunity, thrusting her sword upward. The creature anticipated this move however, and swung its tail underneath itself, swiping Emily away in the process. The young woman found herself on her back and rolled to her feet just in time to avoid what would have been a fatal blow from the scaly creature’s tail.

The dragon began furiously smashing the ground with its tail, trying to squash Emily like a bug. The beautiful blonde jumped, ducked, rolled, and dove with the grace of a gymnast to avoid the thrashing tail. A couple of times Emily had to use her sword to block the swinging tail. Eventually the dragon turned around and hurled a fireball at the superheroine.

“Yikes!” Emily exclaimed as she dove out of the way and rolled to her feet.

The dragon reared back and created a strong wind bust by flapping its wings. This wind gust threw Emily back and sent her tumbling along the ground. To follow up, the creature slashed at Emily and sent chucks of marble and stone flying as the superheroine just barely got out of the way.

Getting to her feet, Emily raised her blade and charged her scaly foe. The dragon, in turn, lunged at the young heroine with one of its claws. Superheroine and beast slashed and passed each other before coming to a stop. Neither turned to face the other for several seconds.

“Ohh…” Emily sighed as she dropped to a knee, clutching her side. Her hand felt something wet and as the superheroine looked down and pulled her hand away, she was shocked to discover that blood coated her hand. There were two slashed in her uniform and the skin underneath was lacerated and oozing blood, which was beginning to soak into the white fabric.

The injured superheroine winced as she struggled to her feet. Emily knew that, in her weakened condition, she could not spare the magic required to heal herself; it would leave her too drained.

The dragon didn’t give Emily a moment’s pause as it charged again. The young blonde tried to ignore the pain she was feeling and met her attacker head on. The scaly beast slashed and swiped at Emily, who fought back valiantly. Unfortunately, due to her injured state, Emily was only delaying the inevitable.

Emily cried out as a whip from the dragon’s tail caught her in her injured side, causing pain to explode from the wound. The evil creature followed with several more tail-whips and ended by hitting Emily with the back of one of its claws that sent her crashing into the ground.

The blonde superheroine lay on her back, exhausted and in pain. Emily was having trouble keeping her eyes open as blood slowly trickled from her nose.

“It can’t…end…not…like this…” Emily whispered to herself as she felt the ground shake, signaling the dragon’s approach to finish her off. The young woman’s hand tightened around her sword as the dragon’s ugly head appeared directly above her.

Opening its jaws wide the dragon snatched up Emily and tossed her into the air. It then tilted its head back, jaws open, ready to devour the seemingly lifeless superheroine.

As she felt herself falling, Emily opened her eyes and twisted in the air, avoiding the beast’s gaping maw and landing on top of its head. The blonde delivered several quick slashes to the animal’s scaly head. The dragon shook its head violently in response, trying to fling Emily off. The superheroine held firm by using one of the spines on the dragon’s head to hang on as she continued her attack. The monster finally managed to knock Emily off with a swipe of one of its massive claws.

The dragon continued shaking its head violently and roared in pain. Pressing her advantage Emily jumped into the creatures claw, leapt onto its shoulder, and finally up onto its back. Since the creature’s head was currently lower than its body, the blonde superheroine slid down the elongated neck before proceeding to hack away at the base of the dragon’s skull. The dragon let out one final gut-wrenching roar before thundering to the ground, sending Emily flying to the ground.

Emily wound up face down on the ground as the dragon’s body began to glow red and reduce in size. The young blonde looked to her side and instead of the dragon, Silver Osprey was lying on her side a few feet away. However, Emily noticed that the heroine’s hair was still streaked with red, Elana still possessed the grey and black clad superheroine.

Emily winced as she got to her feet. Picking up her sword and clutching her side, the blonde superheroine approached the possessed Silver Osprey. Using her booted foot, Emily rolled Elana/Osprey onto her back causing her to open her eyes, which were still red and burning with the evil sorceress’s hatred.

Still holding her injured side, Emily knelt down and straddled the possessed superheroine. The blade of Emily’s sword became engulfed in light blue fire as she raised it one handed over her head and spoke with authority, “Elana Morrigan, you are a blight upon this world and have no place here. Go back to Hell.”

Emily then plunged her sword down and through Elana’s heart, embedding the blade in the marble ground beneath her. Elana shrieked and thrashed about as red energy swirled out of her. Elana Morrigan gave one final cry as there was a bright red flash.

Emily blinked and looked down. Silver Osprey’s hair was now streaked with silver once again. The superheroine’s eyes fluttered briefly before they slowly opened, revealing a set of beautiful blue eyes. Osprey’s gloved hands slowly wrapped around Emily’s blade, still stuck in the young woman’s chest. Sam looked up at Emily and managed a slight whisper, “Thank…you…” Osprey’s eyes slowly closed and her head rolled to the side, she looked like she was at peace.

Emily quickly placed two fingers on Silver Osprey’s neck searching for a pulse, there was none.

[Blx]

Oh shit! What's gonna happen next?

[Caniac89]

Emily gently withdrew her sword from Silver Osprey’s chest and laid it aside. She then moved Osprey’s gloved hands from her chest, revealing the wound over her heart where she had been stabbed. Emily laid her palm over site and concentrated.

A blue glow started at Emily’s shoulder and slowly began flowing downwards. Swirling over her arm and through her hand, the blue energy passed through Emily and into Silver Osprey’s chest, forming a slight aura around the fallen superheroine. Sweat was forming on Emily’s forehead as she fought to utilize every remaining bit of magic within her. After several tense moments, the glow dissipated and Silver Osprey gasped as she drew in a deep breath. Emily breathed a sigh of relief as she fell on her side, completely drained. There was a faint white glow and Emily’s attire changed back into her tunic, skirt, sandals, and tights.

Samantha Hunter sat up in complete surprise as she took several deep breaths, she was certain she had been dead not minutes before. “Wha…what happened?” Osprey asked no one in particular as she brought a hand to her forehead.
“Glad…to have ya…back,” an exhausted Emily managed with a weak smile.

Sam looked at the white clad girl next to her as she tried to process all the night’s events, fighting alongside the new superheroine, being possessed by some sorceress, stabbed, and killed. Osprey’s eyes widened as she felt her chest, surprised to find that her uniform was intact as if nothing had happened.

Osprey looked at Emily and was shocked at seeing her injuries. “Oh my…are you okay?” Sam asked as she scrambled over to Emily.
“Yeah,” Emily coughed, “It’ll heal in a few minutes,” she lied.
Osprey insisted, “You sure, I could fly you to the hospital.”
The young blonde waved off Silver Osprey, “No really, it’s okay. Besides, she needs to be handed off to the authorities,” Emily indicated towards the still unconscious Megan Lemay.

Sam thought about continuing to insist that the blonde get medical attention but decided against it. Sam still didn’t fully understand all that had happened tonight and decided it would be wise to listen to the white clad superheroine, who seemed to know what she was doing.

Silver Osprey got to her feet, she was feeling stronger now, “Can you wait here, I have some questions.”
“Yeah, I’ll be here,” Emily replied as she placed a hand over the wound on her side.

Sam quickly gathered up Megan Lemay’s unconscious form and took to the air. She wanted to be quick since she still didn’t feel comfortable leaving the young blonde, whoever she was, injured and alone.

After Silver Osprey left, Emily tried to sit up, but found that she was too weak. She had really hated lying to the grey clad superheroine, but Emily knew that Megan could still be a threat. That’s why she had insisted that Osprey quickly get the redhead to authorities. But now, laying on her back and still clutching her side, the blonde superheroine wondered if she would still be conscious when Silver Osprey returned.

A white light caught Emily’s attention and she looked to the side to see the Goddess Athena standing next to her. “I’m sorry…” Emily managed to whisper.

The beautiful goddess knelt next to the exhausted blonde, “Emily, you managed to defeat Elana and save Silver Osprey, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“But I almost lost, and now I’ve got nothing left,” Emily referred to her drained state.
“Emily,” Athena’s tone was calm and soothing, “Though it is regrettable that it happened this way, you now know the limits of your powers. Using too much magic in too short a time frame leaves you drained of energy. I will aid you this one time though.”

The Goddess reached out with her hand and gently touched Emily’s cheek. Almost immediately, the young woman felt a surge of energy and the lacerations in her side quickly healed. Feeling a hundred percent better, Emily gracefully got to her feet.

By this time Silver Osprey had returned to the now ruined marble and stone structure. Sam was surprised to find that there was a beautiful woman standing and talking with the white clad superheroine who had undoubtedly saved her life. Osprey kept her distance from the pair, allowing them some privacy.

Athena stretched out her hand, palm up, “The threat has passed, there is no need for you to carry this burden any longer.”

Emily hesitated, even though tonight’s battle had been nearly impossible, the young heroine had never considered her powers to be a burden.

Emily looked down, “Athena…”
“What is it child?” Athena asked, sensing that Emily was conflicted.
After a moment’s pause, Emily spoke, “This never felt like a burden to me. And with all the wrong and people that need help in this world I have a chance to make a difference. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to keep these powers and use them to help others.”

The Goddess of War and Wisdom lowered her hand. Emily expected Athena to be upset but instead, a smile spread across the beautiful woman’s face. “I was right to choose you as the bearer of these gifts,” the goddess replied, obviously pleased with Emily’s response.

“Thank you,” Emily smiled.
Athena nodded, “Now that you have decided on this path you should know that with practice you will be able to cast spells using less magical energy.”
“So I’ll be able to last longer before needing to rest?”
“In time, yes,” Athena nodded, “I would also suggest that you find someone who could help show you the finer details of being a superheroine.” The goddess looked towards Silver Osprey.

Even though Sam had distanced herself from Athena and Emily, her sensitive ears accidentally picked up bits and pieces of the conversation. The grey and black clad superheroine could hardly believe what she had heard, the Greek Goddess Athena was standing no more than 20 feet from her. Osprey was even more surprised when Athena looked at her and began walking towards her.

Not knowing what else to do, Sam bowed her head respectfully. The young superheroine soon felt the goddess’s gentle, soothing touch as Athena lifted Osprey’s face, “You are very brave and courageous Silver Osprey, I’m sorry that you had to become involved in all this.” Sam was a little confused, “Involved in what exactly, I still don’t understand what all this was all about.”

Athena nodded in understanding and proceeded to tell Osprey all about the sorceress Elana Morrigan and the events leading up to tonight. The goddess did leave out details about how Emily got her powers, that was Emily’s to disclose.

“Wow,” Sam replied once she understood the full scope of what had happened. Turning to Emily Osprey spoke, “If there is anything you need, you can usually find me around Raleigh.”
Athena spoke up, “I have a request for you Silver Osprey.”
“Sure,” Sam perked up.
“She,” the goddess motioned towards Emily, “Is new to the superheroine role; I was hoping someone with a little experience, such as yourself, would be able to advise her.”
Osprey smiled, “I’d love to help out.”
Upon hearing this, Emily spoke up, “Any advice right now?”
The grey and black clad superheroine nodded, “I’d suggest picking a name. You really don’t want to use your real identity when fighting crime and the like.”

Emily thought for a moment before turning to the goddess who had empowered her, “This may sound a little weird, but could I use your name?”
The goddess smiled, “An excellent idea, you have my permission.”

“So Athena, nice to officially meet you,” Silver Osprey smiled at Emily.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Emily replied.

The Goddess Athena saw that Emily was now in capable hands, “Now that things are back in order I must take my leave but before I go I leave you with this. Athena and Silver Osprey, you with both face many challenges in your careers, some alone, some with friends, sometimes you will fall. In those dark times remember, all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.”

With that, there was a bright flash and the Greek Goddess was gone.

Silver Osprey and the new superheroine Athena looked at each other, wondering what to do next.

Sam broke the silence, “If you’d like Athena, we could go back to my condo and you could ask me any questions you want.”
The young blonde felt that she could trust Silver Osprey, “Emily, Emily Welsh, and I’d like that.”
Osprey was surprised that Emily had revealed her identity so quickly but decided to extend her the same courtesy, “Samantha Hunter, or Sam if ya like.”
“So Sam, are you sure we won’t be disturbed back at your place?” Emily asked.
‘Oh yeah, my boyfriend’s out of town so the place is ours,” Sam explained.
“Boyfriend huh?” Emily replied as the two superheroines took to the air.
Osprey smiled, “It’s an interesting story, you can ask me about it when we get there.”

Emily was glad that Sam was willing to help her out. Especially since Emily was going to have a tough time explaining to Dr. Danny Foster how she vanished from their expedition in the Mediterranean and re-appeared in Raleigh, North Carolina.
…………………………

Back at the stone and marble ruins left over from the battle, there was a sizeable pool of dark blood from when Emily had defeated Elana’s dragon form. Slowly, the liquid began to bubble. As the boiling intensified, dark mystic energies began to swirl about. Eventually the blood flash boiled into a pink and dark red cloud. The cloud slowly dissipated, revealing Elana Morrigan, standing in her robe, tights, and boots.

The villainess looked down at her hands, which began to glow with dark magic. “Well this is a delightful little surprise,” Elana’s seductive voice spoke as she felt her full power coursing through her body. The sorceress continued to think out loud as a sinister grin spread across her beautiful face, “You may have delayed my ruling this world Athena, but the act of conquest is half the fun.”

THE END

[Caniac89]

I hope everyone enjoyed my latest contribution since is was a blast to write. A huge thanks to everyone who commented on this story.

[Blx]

Great! Thanks!

[SGWriter]

Again sorry for the late praise but that was an awesome story looking forward to more adventures of Athena in the future!