CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN

Blood and Fyre, Part 2

Bloodfyre wasn’t alone either. A team of Chimera’s white-clad shock troopers was gathered behind her. Fortunately for Sam and Thunder, these eight soldiers had their hands full with metal containers similar to the one Sam had knocked over.

“Bloodfyre,” Thunder hissed as she stood up and faced the villainess who’d nearly killed her cousin a year ago. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”

Bloodfyre’s crimson-eyed gaze drifted lazily in Thunder’s direction.

“If it isn’t Superion’s little helper…” Bloodfyre flashed her the same fanged smile she’d given Sam. “I hear you’ve recovered. Such a rare feat to survive death’s tightening embrace.”

She gave Sam a knowing stare that was proof for him that this villainess was in league with the likes of Medea.

“The power to heal even the Blight is a mighty gift.” Bloodfyre smacked her tongue against her lips. “I wonder, how will your blood taste, Herculean?”

She moved so quickly that Sam didn’t notice her charge until the villainess was right in front of him. Her hand was raised high, a sword of blood rising from between her fingers.

“Duck!” Thunder yelled.

Sam’s ears popped suddenly, and he ducked out of the way as Thunder—her body coated in electricity—came charging in from his right side. She moved equally fast to block Bloodfyre’s sword swing with the same oval shield she’d used in her fight against Rick the Hound.

When Bloodfyre’s sword collided with Thunder’s shield, the shield’s front exploded with a garish red light that sent the villain tumbling back.

“Okay, I know your Ancile’s cool and all”—Sam pressed a node on his belt, the one to the right of the buckle—“but I still don’t like that you got it from Ares…”

The fabled shield that Ares’s alter ego had first gifted to Rome’s second emperor continued to emit a garish red light while Thunder repelled the spikes of blood that Bloodfyre launched at her and Sam from the wound the villain had cut into her palm with the tip of her sword.

“Sure, its ability to absorb and then fire back kinetic energy is awesome, but”—Onus materialized in Sam’s right hand—“can you trust a gift from the god of war?”

“So not the time, Sam…” Thunder braised her left shoulder against her shield while she cocked her right arm and summoned a lightning bolt into her hand. “And it wasn’t a gift. I earned Ancile while you were off destroying the Met with Crow-Man and the Trickster!”

Thunder pulled back her shield and then flung her lightning bolt at Bloodfyre who dodged the wicked-fast projectile at the last second.

“I didn’t mean you don’t deserve such a cool shield…” Sam couldn’t help but be impressed by Thunder’s power—the bolt struck the steel shelf behind Bloodfyre, sending chords of electricity streaking up and down its metal limbs and causing nearby containers to explode and spill their contents into the air. “I just don’t trust—”

Sam raised his free hand and conjured Bulwark’s teal-colored wall to protect them from the hail of burning debris and soul stones falling on top of them.

“Ares,” he finished, to which Thunder replied, “I know.”

She flashed him a warm, endearing smile that made Sam guilty for feeling envious of the god Thunder had once admitted had tried to get into her pants, so to speak.

Hey, love birds… if you’re done flirting maybe one of you can take care of those shock troopers who are hightailing it out of the warehouse with that cargo of soul stones, Chiron suggested.

Thunder couldn’t hear Chiron, but Sam could, which drew his attention to Bloodfyre’s supposed backup leaving her behind to escape through the warehouse’s rear doors with the containers they were carrying.

“Can you keep her busy”—he pointed at the vampire who was climbing up a steel shelf while her coat dragged behind her—“while I go deal with those Chimera agents?”

“Sure. I can babysit the bloodthirsty vampire for a while.” Thunder summoned another lightning bolt into her right hand. “Get going already!”

Sam didn’t need telling twice. He dashed toward the retreating Chimera agents without even looking back—although maybe he should have. Tendrils of blood latched onto Sam’s left ankle just as he swung his hammer over the head of the nearest Chimera agent’s retreating figure. The tendril yanked him back and Sam fell flat on his face with a groan.

“I didn’t say you could leave,” Bloodfyre called.

More blood tendrils latched onto Sam’s limbs before he could escape. They dragged him back and then lifted him into the air where Bloodfyre waited. She had one hand tethering her to the top shelf of a thirty-foot steel rack. A thick red branch had grown around its metal frame underneath the villainess’s feet, and its tendrils had both latched onto Sam while also managing to keep Thunder from climbing up to help him.

“Let him go!” Thunder roared.

The villainess ignored Thunder’s demand though. Her tendrils continued to wrap around Sam’s body, drawing him ever closer to Bloodfyre until his neck was mere inches away from her waiting mouth.

Now, Sam could have broken away from Bloodfyre’s bonds if he wanted to, but he had a sudden epiphany that Sam hoped the overconfident villainess might be inclined to answer his questions if it looked like he was already beaten.

“You want them to escape…” Sam pretended to struggle against his bonds, although he kept his power in check. “…which means your pals in Chimera need those soul stones, right?”

“Aren’t you a clever one?” Bloodfyre chuckled.

Funnily enough, no one’s ever accused Sam of being clever, which he thought might mean he was improving as a hero.

Bloodfyre moved her head closer to Sam’s enough that he could feel her breath on his cheek. “Medea requires the stones for her mischief. And I’ve been tasked with ensuring they make it to her destination.”

I can’t believe your ‘playing possum’ act is actually working, kid… the quality of villains has certainly gone down since the advent of social media, Chiron whispered.

Why can’t you just say ‘good job’ every once in a while?

That was me giving you a compliment, lame-brain, Chiron neighed. Now, get more intel out of her before she discovers your lame-o ruse.

In his mind, Sam nodded. That was the plan.

“Did the witch need the Trickster too?” He turned his face away from Bloodfyre’s hungry gaze. “Is that why you freed him from the Crucible?”

He felt Bloodfyre’s tongue against his cheek. It made his skin crawl.

“Yes… the fool’s connection to the very old ones is strong. He will be needed in the search for Pride’s grave.” Bloodfyre’s voice was so close to Sam’s ear that he couldn’t help shivering slightly. “As will you.”

“M-me?” Sam’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Didn’t I mention that the power to heal the Blight was an amazing feat?” Her breath was getting dangerously close to his neck now. “Well, my organization believes yours will be a useful gift for—”

“Resurrecting the Gigantes,” Sam realized suddenly.

Chiron was screaming profanities into Sam’s head. He didn’t hear most of it as his mind was still reeling from the revelation that Chimera wanted to use his healing gift to bring about the twilight of the gods, but he did catch… It’s a trap, kid! Get out of there before she bites you!

“Coldfinger and those other villains… they were told to leak this warehouse’s location, weren’t they?” Sam guessed. “But how did you know I would be the one to—”

His eyes widened in horror.

“You exploited my connections to get me here, which means you know who I am…” Sam deduced, making Bloodfyre laugh out loud in that mad cackle villains often do when a twist in the plot was revealed.

“Yes, we do know who you are, Samuel Shepard.” Bloodfyre pulled away from Sam’s neck just so she could gloat in his face. “Your confrontation with Pandora the 8th was all Medea needed to sus this truth out. Made it quite easy to lure you to this warehouse.”

The fact that an evil organization like Chimera knew his secret identity would have left him feeling helpless once upon a time. Herculean had been forged into sterner stuff by recent events though. And, although he worried for Marie’s safety, as well as the safety of everyone in the Herald, Sam knew his grandmother could take care of herself.

“It doesn’t matter if you know who I am…” Sam gritted his teeth. “I’ll still stop your crazy plan from succeeding!”

“How will you do that”—Bloodfyre’s head dipped toward Sam’s neck—“when you’ll willingly become my thrall after I sip your blood?”

It was a stroke of luck that she’d chosen his left side to bite into because Sam had a few new surprises of his own to show the evil vampire.

“I am the last Heraclid”—following Triple-A’s instructions, Sam sent a surge of life force to spread across his shoulders—“hear me roar!”

The mouth of the lion’s head carved on his left shoulder pauldron opened wide and then emitted a ‘Lion Roar’ so ferocious that even a villainess like Bloodfyre was forced into a temporary panic. Her blood tendrils were no exception either. They slackened as the lion roared, allowing Sam to break through his bonds without even needing to use Herculean’s boost in strength.

As a parting gift, Sam smacked the side of Bloodfyre’s head with Onus, and even though she managed to raise a tendril in time to shield her from the brunt of the attack, his hammer’s blow was so strong that the force of it sent the villainess crashing into the stack she’d been hanging on.

Meanwhile, Sam was falling, falling, falling—right into the arms of Thunder who’d been waiting below to catch him when the time came.

“What took you so long?” he asked.

“I had to make it look like I was struggling too.” Thunder let Sam go so he could get back on his feet. “Chiron’s text was kind of vague. ‘Stall for time’ doesn’t tell me anything, does it?”

“He texted you,” Sam repeated. “I didn’t know he could text you… What about the whole secrecy thing?”

“I’m a former Argonaut trainee,” she reminded Sam. “The wily centaur texts me from time to time. Mostly to tell me a joke about you, but serious stuff too. Sometimes.”

A loud explosion from above drew the heroes’ eyes up just in time for red branches to spread out in the air as if a massive red tree had suddenly grown from the spot where Sam smacked Bloodfyre into.

Fiery blood fell on them like a heavy downpour of rain, with each of these droplets burning to the touch. Or at least they would have if not for the numerous particles of ice appearing in the air to freeze these drops of blood as they fell.

A second explosion rocked the warehouse, forcing Sam’s and Thunder’s attention toward the rear entrance where Chimera’s agents had escaped to.

“You called for backup earlier, right?” Sam asked.

“Yes,” Thunder answered.

The new arrivals cut impressive figures with their backs blocking the hole they’d made in the rear wall like silhouettes set against the pale light of the Manhattan skyline behind them.

“Well”—Sam grinned at them—“they’re late.”

“Better late than never.” Thunder elbowed Sam happily in the shoulder before addressing the group of heroes who’d just stepped into the flickering lights of the warehouse. “What took you guys so long? Did you stop for drive-thru or something?”