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Tweak says, "The sun, the moon, the truth"

Antigone (thehighestlaw) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2020-08-20 23:41:00

Entry tags:

antigone, ares, asterion, bia

WHO: Antigone, Ares, Asterion, Bia
WHEN: Thursday night, directly following her conversation with Luna
WHERE: Outside Diogenes
WHAT: It's confrontation time
WARNINGS: TBA, we'll just update as we go. Rape mentions. And a FIGHT.

Whenever Antigone thought about confronting Ares in the past long weeks, she always imagined she'd do it with anger.

That she'd burn hot with the fire of injustice, that it would eviscerate all her fear.

It wasn't like that, though, as she followed Ares out into the night. It wasn't like that at all.

She was sad, she was resolute, and each step solidified her heart. With love, she thought. Solidified it with love. For the stranger in the bar, for the muse that'd given her a place to wash Maxwell's blood from her hands and a place to rest after. For every fellow woman that any man had ever used.

Asterion was checking in a small group of immortals when she left, she could slip out easily, through the crowded front room and into the night. The air was warm, and still, and full of voices, full of nightlife. Ares' form was unmistakable, though, so much bigger than most of the young, young things out tonight, as he cut away from them down an alley.

"You know what you're doing is wrong, Ares," Antigone called out to Ares' retreating back, her voice clear as she stepped into the alley behind him. "I know you know, and I know you don't care, but it's wrong. You're wrong."

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brawler_king
2020-08-22 01:57 am UTC (link)

Ares caught the edge of the leg sweep and grunted with pain, but he wasn't going to stop. He was reeling back for a punch when he was suddenly blinded with a flash of pain, and he stumbled back.

Something had hit him in the eyebrow. Blood burst free, dribbling down into his eye, and he blinked and looked around.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!?" He bellowed, his eyes falling on her. "You little BITCH-" He was after her like a shot, catching her hand and squeezing, feeling the bones shifting in his grip as he bent her hand back and bore his weight down on her, teeth bared and spittle flying as he hissed out his breath. "You DARE-"

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	thehighestlaw 2020-08-22 02:20 am UTC (link)
	Antigone screamed as pain ripped through her, the adrenaline wasn't enough to protect her from how bad it was, nor how terrifying. If she could, she might have said Yes - Ares - I dare - but he was twisting her hand back with such force it was bringing her to her knees and she could not speak. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	asterius 2020-08-22 03:24 am UTC (link)
	"NOOOOOO!" Asterion bellowed. He screamed in rage, and then he flew at Ares. He wanted to slam into the war god with all his weight behind him, but that might just cause him to rip Antigone's arm off. Instead he ran around her and pulled his arm back, aiming to hit Ares right in the face, hoping to make him drop his hold on Antigone's arm. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rawforce
2020-08-22 04:00 am UTC (link)

Bia was momentarily impressed by Antigone's fire (first blood! get him, girl!), but then Ares was on the girl, his hand crushing hers, and she was back in motion even before the roar ripped from Asterion's throat. As the Minotaur swung at his face, Bia ducked around and seized his arm, wrenching it back with a punishing force designed to make him release his grip. "Hey! Fight's over here, bitchtits!"

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brawler_king
2020-08-22 10:46 am UTC (link)

"You- fucking-" Ares let out a roar of anger as he received both face punch and arm grab at the same time. He swung his elbow out, aiming for Bia's throat, and shook his head as his ears rang from Asterion's hit. Dear Zeus Almighty, this was turning to absolute shit.

Ares fought everyone off, trying to get his arm free and step back out of range. Blood kept running into his eye and it stung like a bitch.

"Get her away from me or she's fucking dead!" he snarled.

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thehighestlaw
2020-08-22 10:56 am UTC (link)

Antigone hit the ground with a jolt when Ares released her, landing on her knees and her one good hand. The ground swelled and heaved like an ocean beneath her, she needed to close her eyes to try and keep her balance as she pushed herself back onto her heels. Her arm was limp in her lap; she didn't know if she could move it - she didn't try. But then, for those first few moments, she didn't try to move anything, still too caught in the heartstopping moment when it seemed like Ares would twist her arm so hard her bones snapped.

But she could hear Asterion, Bia and Ares exploding just a few feet from her and Antigone put her good hand down on the ground and heaved herself back to her feet, her bad hand pressed against her stomach. Breath shuddered in and out of her lungs as Ares threatened her life.

The alley was scattered with trash, most of it banked up against the wall near the skip; there were plenty of projectiles to be had. She was shaking, and slow, but not so much that she couldn't step back and find another bottle. Standing behind Asterion and Bia, facing Ares, she raised the bottle to shoulder height, waiting for her moment, and trying not to throw up.

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	asterius 2020-08-22 11:01 am UTC (link)
	Now that Ares had let go of Antigone, Asterion did charge the war god, putting all his weight behind it, just like a bull would. He slammed into the other man with all the power he had. "You go!" he yelled as he did it. "Run away! Now!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rawforce
2020-08-22 11:28 am UTC (link)

Bia moved to duck out of the way of Ares' elbow at the exact time that Asterion ploughed into him, earning her a glancing blow across the cheekbone. As the two men grappled she spun, cursing, and was met with the sight of Antigone – pale, unsteady, clutching a broken arm and somehow still hefting another bottle, readying herself to hurl it at the enraged war god.

Damn. Girl had some serious guts to her. Bia was into it, but if Antigone didn't get out of here pronto, those guts were gonna end up painting the alleyway.

She closed the short distance between them, reached for the bottle and prised it out of her clenched hand. "Love the initiative, Tigs, but he's right, you gotta go."

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brawler_king
2020-08-22 11:46 am UTC (link)

Oh he wanted to get his hands on that impudent little whore, and once he did, he would be twisting her in half with his bare hands. "I do not run," he growled, unsure who the minotaur had been talking to, but receiving that blow to the chest was like being hit with a battering ram.

The big guy wasn't much of a fighter, Ares could tell already. He was just big and heavy. If Ares could get himself out of range, he could rally and use his superior fighting skills to take him out. Bia was more the problem, because she actually knew what she was doing with her fists, and she hit hard. He rolled with Asterion's charge, and managed to peel himself off before ending up crushed against something hard. Okay, now he was on his own two feet again. He brushed blood out of his eye, although there was a bit of swelling making him squint.

"Come on then. Just try and stop me."

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	thehighestlaw 2020-08-22 11:50 am UTC (link)
	"No," Antigone told Bia grimly, breathing hard and shallow as she tried to hold onto the bottle. Bia, though, put her grip strength to shame. Empty handed, Antigone clenched her hand around nothing instead. "No, nothing changes if I run." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

asterius
2020-08-22 12:18 pm UTC (link)

Right, this wasn't going to end until Ares pummeled his friend into a pulp. Asterion hoped Bia was going to be okay, but she wasn't really his concern. He abandoned fighting the god entirely and ran back, scooping Antigone over his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he said, taking off with her as an unwilling party. He ducked back inside the bar, joking to a few patrons who gave them funny looks, that she just needed to have a little water. Then he carried her through to the immortals area and back into the employee only zone. Only then did he unshoulder her, putting her down. "He was going to kill you," he said quietly. "Let me see your hand."

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	rawforce 2020-08-22 12:38 pm UTC (link)
	The moment Asterion seized Antigone, Bia tossed the bottle aside and launched herself back in there, coming at Ares with a flurry of rapid jabs intended to disorient as much as they were to incapacitate. Ares was fucking pissed, and she had to keep him busy at least long enough for Antigone to get away. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

thehighestlaw
2020-08-22 12:45 pm UTC (link)

Ares twisting her arm back and forcing her body to bend to her knees to stop her bones breaking had been terrifying - was still terrifying - but Asterion throwing her over his shoulder was a different flavour of bad. She struggled out of instinct, struggled against this much stronger man trying to take her somewhere she didn't want to go. When he put her down she stumbled back, trying to get some space for her head as her body continued to breathe short, shallow breaths.

The fluorescent light above them seemed impossible after stolen streetlight of the alley. The low ceiling seemed impossible after the towering walls and strip of night sky far above them. Still breathing felt impossible. Hearing Asterion's voice felt impossible. Being alive felt impossible.

She sat down heavily on a chair, hand curled on her chest, with her good fingers curled around her wrist.

"Yeah, he was," she said, looking down at her hand. She didn't feel saved. She felt cheated. Mostly, though, she just felt shocked.

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brawler_king
2020-08-22 01:34 pm UTC (link)

Ares and Bia fought quickly and hard, and they were both going to come off with bruises the next day. He knew what she was doing, though. Once Antigone was gone, he backed off. Fuck this shit.

He spat onto the ground and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, eyeing Bia up.

"Tell your little airhead SJW not to pick fights she can't win," he said, keeping loose in case Bia just wanted a fight for the sake of it.

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	asterius 2020-08-22 01:41 pm UTC (link)
	Asterion moved to the ice maker and he scooped some of the ice into a glass. He carried it back, holding it out to her. "For your arm," he said, "I don't understand why you would fight knowing you'll die." He took a breath then, "but I want to. I think you're brave." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

rawforce
2020-08-22 02:46 pm UTC (link)

Bia backed up a step, her eyes never leaving Ares, watching for any minute shift in his stance that might signal a second onslaught. Blood welled at a cut in her bottom lip, and she swiped it with the back of her hand.

The fight had set her blood pumping in a way it hadn't in years. This was the essence of her: pure force, bodies in violent motion, fists pounding flesh, slamming into the immovable object and beating that fucker into submission. Hell yeah, she could go for round two if he pushed it.

But Ares was clearly done with it all. And though Bia was Force, she was also Enforcer. She upheld Zeus's justice, and she always got the mission done. This was a mission she'd chosen for herself, but the same still held true. She could start shit with War on her own time.

She gave him a curt nod. "You stay out of her way, I'll keep her out of yours." As she turned, she flashed him a crooked smirk. "Well, this has been a real fuckin' hoot. We should do it again sometime. See ya round, Ares."

She strode out of the alley, heading back for Diogenes to rendezvous with the others.

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thehighestlaw
2020-08-23 06:54 am UTC (link)

Antigone looked up at him for a long moment, but then closed her eyes and just sat there, cradling her arm, for another. She didn't know about brave. Brave would have been doing something sooner. Brave would have been doing something alone. "Do you think Bia's alright?" she asked, afraid to look at his face while she waited for his answer (brave really was the wrong word.)

She wasn't even brave enough to open her hand and see if it was broken, and she flinched again at the memory of Ares' strength, forcing it back, his huge fingers crushing her hand. "We shouldn't have left her," she said, just as Bia burst into the room. Another impossibility. Antigone stared at her, and eventually remembered to breathe again. "You're not dead," she said, in relief, and shock, and guilt. If Bia had died and she hadn't...

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rawforce
2020-08-23 10:43 am UTC (link)

Bia paused in the doorway, regarding Antigone with a faintly bemused grin that pulled at her cut lip. She'd taken a good few blows that were certain to bruise – that hit to the cheek was already blooming red, and the strike Ares had scored to her side was gonna sting like a bitch in the morning – but she was confident she'd given as good as she'd got. Antigone was the only one who'd come close to dying tonight!

She shrugged, grabbed for a paper towel to dab at her lip. "Nah, Ares is a little bitch. Once you guys motored he got bored pretty quickly. Probably ran crying to Aphrodite."

The grin slowly faded as she eyed Antigone, cradling an injured arm, quite probably still in shock. "You, though," Bia jabbed an admonishing index finger at her. "You, he would have stomped into a red fuckin' paste. You know that. Like, sis, don't get me wrong, I love the fire, but what the hell?"

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	asterius 2020-08-23 11:00 am UTC (link)
	"I like this one! What she said about paste, what the hell?" he asked, moving to get some ice for Bia as well. He returned with a glass full of it and handed it over. "You fought well," he said to Bia. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

thehighestlaw
2020-08-23 11:10 am UTC (link)

Antigone flashed a smile to them both, quick as a bolt of lightning across her face. "He's been hurting my housemate," she said (though Ares' voice, confident, arrogant, disgusting but certain" I've seen her after you leave, begging for my cock thundered through her mind when she did.) "And you should have heard what he said to that girl in the bar. Won't stand for it anymore. Can't."

She wasn't looking at them as she spoke, though; Antigone was looking down at her hand. Slowly she used to good fingers to pull her wrist away from her chest, wincing sharply through her nose. She ran her fingers over her arm, from wrist (bad, hot, sore) down to her elbow (less bad, still hot, still sore) as if her eyes could not be trusted, and only her own fingers would prove that no skin had broken, no bones were jutting out of her flesh.

Her hand was the worst, he'd squeezed it so tightly (another pitchfork of fear at the memory, right through her stomach). Bracing herself for worse, she twitched each finger, and then bit down on a scream as hot pain washed down her arm when she straightened them. "Fuck," she whispered, turning her wrist (ow) to examine each side. It hurt and it was swollen and already discoloured, she didn't know enough to figure out what was broken.

"Can you pass me a tea towel?" she asked Asterion, feeling distant, but pragmatic. Ice would be easier to apply wrapped in something like a towel, more than a glass.

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rawforce
2020-08-23 01:03 pm UTC (link)

Bia took the glass of ice from Asterion with a quick smile. "Back atcha. Thanks, bro." She pressed the chill surface of the glass to her cheek as Antigone spoke, not entirely surprised by what she had to say. She'd told Bia that night they'd met at the bar that she had beef with some rapist perv of a god, too powerful and connected for her to touch. That she was drinking because confronting him would only get herself killed. So, what, did she have a death wish now?

Seeing the sharp twist of pain flash across Antigone's face as she tried to move her injured hand, Bia set down the glass and moved with a purpose to crouch at her side. "Here. Lemme take a look." She caught Asterion's eye. "You got a first aid kit in here, man? Might need some splints."

Then she fixed Antigone with a hard look. "Listen, that fucking sucks about your housemate. But this, right here? This doesn't help her. You getting pulped? Doesn't help anyone."

Nike would have pissed herself laughing, to hear Bia of all people counselling somebody to think before they threw a punch. But punching first was kind of a part of Bia's job description (or at least if it wasn't, it should be), and she had the distinct advantage of being able to take on pretty much anything she threw herself at. The rules were different for civilians. If Antigone threw herself at Ares, she'd break.

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thehighestlaw
2020-08-23 01:46 pm UTC (link)

As Asterion rifled, discovered, then presented Bia with the first aid kit, Antigone looked back at Bia, her return gaze only unsteadied by pain and by shock and not by the words Bia was using. "You sound like my sister," she said dryly, though not harshly. Sounding like Ismene wasn't a necessarily a bad thing, it was just almost always the opposite of what Antigone would say (and gods and monsters, despite all that, despite the onslaught it would bring, Antigone wanted to curl up on Ismene's couch tonight.)

"He needed to be told he's wrong," she said. "That's all."

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rawforce
2020-08-23 02:27 pm UTC (link)

"I sound like my sister," Bia said, with a low huff of a laugh. She ran her fingertips carefully along Antigone's hand, trying to suss out any breaks in need of setting. For someone who was built to deal out pain, rather than to relieve it, her touch was surprisingly light. Bia might be a tough-ass bitch, but much as she'd punch you in the throat if you said it to her face, she wasn't exactly invulnerable these days, either: by necessity, she'd picked up some practical field first aid skills over the years.

"I'm right, though," she added as she straightened to flip open the first aid kit and rummage through its contents. "So you told him he's wrong. Know what he's gonna do now? Whatever the fuck he wants." Bia shrugged, bluntly matter-of-fact. "Words don't mean shit. You wanna actually stop him hurting that girl, or you wanna feel righteous for the sixty seconds it takes for him to squish you and then forget you even existed?"

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thehighestlaw
2020-08-23 10:28 pm UTC (link)

"He's a god, he can't be stopped," Antigone said, just as matter-of-fact as Bia, only her sentence ended as she tried to flex her fingers again and winced, again. Every part of her hand hurt, but all of her fingers did move, a fraction. It was if the pain was too big to let the full instructions from her brain through.

Ismene might have had something to say about other disruptions to instructions from her brain. Something tired and resigned. Something that said I wish you weren't quite so... you. "The thing about being immortal," she pointed out. "Death can't stop me anymore either."

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	asterius 2020-08-24 01:44 am UTC (link)
	Asterion didn't have much to say to all this, his words always pretty inadequate for high-emotion moments. Instead, he sort of loomed a little behind them, watching carefully in case anyone else tried to come and threaten them. "Can stop you for awhile," he said quietly. "Can make him think he won." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)