Previously on Soul Desire (8/14):
Hercules threw one last glance over at the dying frost giant, then raced to the door. The monster groaned, a soul wrenching sound that was primal rage and sadness all at once. Hercules ducked under the door as soon as he reached it. Clark ducked under as well, letting the heavy door fall back into place. They now faced a long corridor of the same glowing crystal rock. Apprehensively, they began to follow the path.
"Sorry for interrupting with that frost giant," Clark teased.
Hercules laughed and smiled back. "Eh, he was giving me a pretty cold reception."
Clark chuckled in response. He felt perfectly at ease with the son of Zeus. In fact, he could see a long lasting friendship forming with the man.
At last, the corridor spit them out into the open again. It looked to Clark like they had traveled straight through the mountain to the other side. He took a deep breath, glad to taste the crisp, fresh, snow-tinged air again. He lifted his face to the sun, glad to be drinking in its healing rays again.
Hercules stomach rumbled and he laughed, slightly embarrassed. Clark smiled at him.
"Come on," Clark said. "I know a place we can go to get some food. It's getting late, but we have plenty of time before I want to be in Egypt."
Clark gathered Hercules in his arms and made a beeline for Italy.
*********
Clark and Hercules hovered far above the earth, waiting. They were hidden in a thick bank of clouds in a pink and orange streaked sky. Clark watched as the sun crept closer to the horizon in a ball of red flame over the desert. In the distance, he could see the three great pyramids standing proudly against the sky, a sight that always amazed him, no matter how many times he saw it. Tearing his gaze away from the sight, he zoomed back in on the Valley of the Kings and loosed a heavy sigh.
"Still not empty yet?" Hercules asked impatiently. He had long since disposed of the heavy snow gear that he'd been wearing, and was now only in his jeans and a thin t-shirt. But up this high, the air was cooler than he would have liked.
Clark shook his head. "No. There's still at least six groups of tourists roaming around."
"Well, they can't stay all night," Hercules sighed.
"Wait, two groups are starting to leave now," Clark said, still watching intently.
"Good," Hercules nodded.
The sun sank lower. Shadows grew ever longer and the sky flared into a brilliant sunset before darkening to the bruised purple-blue of twilight. In the valley below, the last group of tourists finally left for the night. Clark groaned.
"What?" Hercules asked.
"Armed guards," Clark said. "I never thought about security being left behind. But I guess it makes sense."
"Where?"
"The valley floor. If we're quiet, we can check around the upper ledges of the cliffs without being seen. I think."
"Well, nothing ventured..."
"Nothing gained."
Clark slowly and quietly descended from the sky. When his feet touched a narrow ledge around the uppermost portion of the cliffs, he eased Hercules to his feet. Below them, a group of guards patrolled half heartedly. Clark tuned his hearing to the men and listened to their rapid-fire conversation. They were complaining about their new head of security, a man with a short fuse and a smug sense of superiority. Satisfied that they hadn't been spotted, Clark tuned the men only half out of his hearing. He gestured to Hercules, signaling that it was all right to begin searching the cliff face for the entrance into the third and final labyrinth. Hercules went left, feeling along the rock for any subtle difference in the stone that might indicate a door. Clark went to the right, doing the same thing. It was now getting too dark for his x-ray vision to be of much help. He dearly wished that he could have done the search during the daylight hours, but he feared bringing attention to his task. Though he knew that Ares had said that full humans could not pass into the labyrinths, he had seen firsthand how deadly the places could be. It would be much better if the human race never found out about the existence of the labyrinths of the gods. Besides, if one half god existed, who was to say that there wouldn't be others that might wander into the labyrinth? It was infinitely better that no one else know about it.
Clark felt nothing but smooth stone beneath his probing hands. The moon began to rise; full, large, and bright. With the stars, it cast enough light for him to see fairly well by. He carefully inspected every inch of rock, searching for any indication that he was in the right area. He still kept half of his attention on the patrolling guards, but they were still deep in conversation with one another and completely oblivious to Clark and Hercules' presence. Clark began to speed up his search, unsure how long their luck would hold. He took another side step to the right, his hands pressed firmly to the stone before him. As he moved, the stone suddenly gave way beneath his hands. It remained intact, but Clark felt himself fall through it, with little more resistance than water would put up beneath his touch. His foot caught on a lip of stone and before he could catch himself, and he fell face first onto the stone floor within the hidden chamber.
He pushed himself up and dusted himself off. "Well, I guess I found the labyrinth," he muttered to himself in the pitch black.
As if on cue, there was a series of whooshing sounds as torches roared into life in the darkness.
"Okay, well that solves that problem," Clark spoke aloud to himself, feeling slightly spooked. "Better tell Hercules where to find me."
He turned around and was faced with the solid-seeming stone wall of the cliff. He pressed his hand against it, half expecting to fall right through, half expecting to be met with resistance. His hand easily sank through the wall. He drew a deep breath and stepped through and out into the cooling night air of the desert. He gave the surrounding area a quick scan. The patrolling guards had drawn up a couple of beat up chairs and were playing cards in the light of a small floodlight. Clark mentally noted exactly where the entrance was, counting his steps as he made his way to Hercules.
"I found the entrance," Clark said, leaning in to the ancient hero's ear, after lightly tapping him on the shoulder. Clark's voice was barely above a whisper.
Hercules nodded and motioned for Clark to lead the way. Clark retraced his steps back to the entrance to the labyrinth, counting out his paces once more. When he'd retraced his two hundred and thirteen steps, he pressed his hand to the stone and raised his brows at Hercules. Then he stepped in, poking his head out again once he was on the other side.
"Careful," he warned the demigod, "there's a bit of a - oof!"
Hercules tripped over the lip of stone at the base of the doorway and crashed heavily into Clark's stomach. Clark caught the hero before he could fall to the floor.
"Step?" Hercules finished for him with a laugh.
"Yeah," Clark replied, unable to keep an amused smile off his face. He shot another glance at the way they had entered from. "Wow, that whole illusionary wall thing is creepy."
Hercules nodded. "I know the feeling. You never quite get used to it."
Hercules looked around the chamber they were in. A long flight of wide stone steps stood directly before them, leading into a large square room. A double row of pillars supported the roof, each one extensively and elaborately decorated with perfectly preserved hieroglyphs. Stone statues of various gods and goddesses stood at regular intervals against the walls. Glittering piles of golden trinkets stood in a numerous places, with the occasional gemstones gleaming in the flickering torchlight. Clark took the lead once more and descended the steps into the chamber. He moved cautiously, expecting traps to spring at any moment, but none did. Hercules was right behind him. The demigod eyed the gold with disinterest and did not touch it.
"What is it with gods and tribute?" he muttered darkly.
Clark, meanwhile, was eying the hieroglyphs with interest as he walked. He stopped briefly at each pillar, taking in the symbols as quickly as he could. Hercules noticed.
"What?" he asked as Clark paused again.
Clark shook his head. "Just looking for any clues that might have been left behind."
"Oh. Okay. See any?"
"Not yet."
"Wait, you can really read those?" He gestured at the symbols on the pillars.
Clark nodded. "Yes."
"Huh," Hercules said, genuinely interested. "First the language on the altar in the arctic, then the meals you ordered for us in flawless Italian, and now hieroglyphs. How many different languages do you know?"
"Three hundred and forty seven," Clark said with a shrug.
"Wow!" Hercules eyes grew wide in surprise for just a moment. "Okay, I guess that makes sense, what with all of your international rescues and whatnot. But ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs? Is there really a demand for that?"
Clark laughed a little and shrugged again. "No. Actually, I picked up the different languages well before I ever became Superman. After college, I bounced around for a while, lived in different countries all over the world. So I studied the languages as I traveled, never knowing when or where I would find the place that I would call home. And, I was genuinely interested in learning about the cultures and languages of different places."
"Okay, that makes a lot of sense. But no one uses hieroglyphs anymore," Hercules argued with amusement. "What would possess you to want to learn them?"
Clark chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But I was always fascinated by them, so I took some courses during the short time that I lived in Egypt. I never thought that I'd actually need the knowledge. I always thought that I'd use it just for my own amusement when at museums and the like."
"Three hundred and forty seven languages." The demigod shook his head in disbelief. "How do you keep them all straight in your head? I mean, I've had to adapt and learn new languages over the centuries, but I can barely remember any of them, except for ancient Greek. And only because I've forced myself to hold onto that little piece of home. I'm starting to even get a little rusty on that."
"My memory is pretty good," Clark said vaguely and with a shrug, uncomfortable with admitting just how close to flawless it was. He liked Hercules a good deal but so far, using his powers before the demigod had felt a little like showing off, which he was never comfortable with.
Hercules laughed lightly. "You are just full of surprises," he observed teasingly.
Clark laughed also, relaxing once again. "Well, so are you."
"So what do the pillars say?"
"Nothing much. At least, nothing that can help us. This one has the Egyptian creation myth inscribed on it. No mention of the stone though. That one there is all about the afterlife. That one is a listing of the various gods. That one is a set of rules for the Pharaohs to follow." Clark pointed as he spoke of each pillar.
Hercules nodded, admiring the skillful work as they passed by.
Clark and Hercules soon reached the far side of the chamber, where a wide passage awaited them. Torches flickered into life at their approach, revealing walls covered in murals and more hieroglyphs. Clark stopped at the mouth of the passageway, ill at ease.
"What's wrong?" Hercules asked. "Hear something? See something?"
Clark shook his head. "No. Just a bad feeling in my gut. Think about the last two places we were at to retrieve pieces of the stone. We had to find our own torches, light our own way. There was virtually no markings within the passages that we traveled through. Some runes of power and a few riddles, sure. But this place...it's bright and almost airy, it's so large. It's filled with murals and writing and bright colors. What are the gods playing at here? Trying to lull us into a false sense of security? Or is this just meant to mimic the splendor of the tombs? Either way, this place is far more...accommodating...than the others. And that makes me very nervous."
Hercules shook his head. "Could be either reason," he admitted. "The gods of every civilization are different. Each play by their own set of rules. Most are similar only in that they are petty and cruel. I should know, I've met enough of them. I do know that the Egyptian gods are fond of this type of decorative touch though."
"Well, either way, I don't trust this place any more than I trusted the others. I think I trust this place even less, if that's possible. Stay close, but behind me," Clark said.
"Fine by me," Hercules huffed in mock indignation.
They entered the wide passageway. Clark braced for a trap and was not disappointed. Short spears burst forth from hidden slats in the walls. They bounced off his invulnerable chest. He stopped to inspect one.
"Poison tipped," he said, sniffing at the brownish stain on the otherwise shining steel point.
"How unoriginal," Hercules said. "But again, that's the gods for you." He shrugged as though it were no big deal.
They kept walking. Soon, the passage began to twist and turn. The floor sloped up and down at uneven intervals. Clark lost all sense of direction after a short time. He knew that they had been facing east when they entered the labyrinth. He was no longer sure what direction they now faced. Not that it mattered much, he supposed. They had no choice but to follow the path before them.
"You know," Hercules said, breaking the companionable silence that had fallen as they followed the passage. "I almost played you on television once."
"Oh yeah?" Clark asked, a little surprised at the admission.
Hercules nodded. "Yep. It was right around the time that Superman first started making rescues. I was between acting jobs and auditioned to play the part of Superman on a TV series." He thought for a moment. "I think that was ABC or Warner Brothers, if I remember correctly."
"I remember that," Clark said thoughtfully as a couple of memories surfaced. "I was approached by the producers for the approval so that they could use the character of Superman. I had to deny them though."
"How come? If you don't mind my asking."
"Well," Clark shrugged. "A number of things actually. I wasn't comfortable with the concept. Some of the things that they wanted to do hit a little too close to home, while others were just flat out ridiculous. They had Superman living a double life as a mailman and living in a crystal palace on the moon. And they weren't particularly open to giving over any portion of their profits to charity. I just couldn't find a way to be comfortable with the whole thing. Sorry that I cost you a job though."
"Eh, that's okay. I wound up getting offered the chance to play myself on Hercules at the same time. So it all worked out for the best." Hercules waved away Clark's concerns.
"Looks like the passageway splits up ahead," Clark noted. "Let's see if the gods have left us any directions."
They moved forward in silence once more. Images of various gods and heroes passed by on either side as they traveled down the brightly lit corridor. Clark skimmed them all as he walked, seeing nothing of any help whatsoever. He fought down his unease, trying to stay positive that they would find some sign that would guide them in the correct direction. At length, they reached the end of the passage and found themselves in a semicircular room. Eight doorways stood before them, fanning out in every direction. Stone statues of the gods peered down on them from their perches above the doorways. Clark recognized each of the deities as he scanned the room. Hathor, Horus, Isis, Osiris, Ptah, Toth, Anubis, and Ra. He glanced at Hercules. The demigod appeared to recognize the figures as well.
"Thoughts?" Clark asked, gesturing to the doorways fanned out before them. He sounded as if he had already come to his own opinion on which one to use.
"Working on it," Hercules replied, distractedly. "I'm thinking the right most passage though."
"The doorway of Ra," Clark said.
Hercules nodded. "The stone works with the power of sunlight. I'm guessing that it's a fair bet that it is located somewhere past the doorway that is protected by the god of the sun."
"My thoughts exactly," Clark agreed.
Clark took the lead once more. He stepped tentatively over the threshold, waiting for a trap to be sprung. Hercules was hard on his heels. As soon as they both stepped fully into the passageway, there was a sudden scraping sound. Heavy iron bars shot forth from the ceiling and snapped closed behind them with a thunderous clang, cutting off their retreat back through the doorway. For both men, the bars were little more than an inconvenience. For any other person, however, the bars would have presented an insurmountable obstacle.
As before, torches continued to flare into life before them, illuminating the path ahead. Whatever the cause for it, Clark was glad for it. After the last two labyrinths, it seemed somehow considerate of the Egyptian gods to provide such a service. Surely, it was a lot easier than trying to light the way with a handheld torch.
Hercules glanced at the bars behind them. "Okay then. I guess we keep going forward."
"It does seem like we're being led that way," Clark agreed with an uneasy grin, though he tried to make his voice light.
Both men sobered once more as they faced the long, narrow passageway before them. Clark started down the path before them, every muscle taut and on alert. He couldn't quite place the source of the disquiet that he felt, but it had grown stronger every moment since the bars had slammed into place behind them. His gut told him that the biggest dangers were still ahead of them. A quick glance at Hercules told Clark that the demigod was feeling the same gut instinct.
The passageway bent sharply to the left after a time, then made a series of left and right twists. Clark stayed ahead of Hercules. Each step seemed to be met with resistance as they plunged further and further into the labyrinth. After the tenth left bend, a series of stone warriors stood in a line to each side of the passage. As Clark passed between them, the massive, gleaming swords and axes that the statues held came down forcefully. Clark stayed one step ahead of the weapons with little effort, though the first one took him by surprise. The axe caught him squarely on top of his head, then shivered and splintered as the metal met the resistance of his invulnerable body. Clark would have laughed at the absurdity of it if the situation hadn't been so tense. He threw frequent glances back at Hercules, ensuring that the half god was not in any danger. Clark was glad that the trap seemed to be set to spring only once. Once the weapons struck the floor, they stayed put and Hercules was easily able to pick his way around the obstacles.
Several times, the passage split into two or more different choices. Each time, Clark and Hercules studied the surrounding areas, looking for a clue to tell them which way to go. Clark's x-ray vision was of no help, for the passages beyond were too dark to allow him to see anything. The torches on the walls would not light until they came close to them. Twice, they choose the wrong pathway and were forced to double-back when they came upon dead-ends. At the first dead end, the floor gave way beneath them. Only Clark's lightning fast reflexes and power of flight saved them both from a long drop into who -knew-what. The second time that they hit a dead end, the walls began to shake violently as the narrow passage began to collapse. Clark had only just enough time to grab Hercules in his arms and use the fastest burst of speed that he dared, in order to clear the passage before the walls and ceiling completely caved in on them. After that, they spent even more time at each fork in the road, choosing their path ever so carefully, though both of them grudged every delay.
Skill, or luck, or perhaps even both, saw that they hit no further dead ends.
Eventually, the passage stopped forking once more, leading them in a straight line again. Clark nearly breathed a sigh of relief, but the hairs on the back of his neck still stood at attention. He couldn't say how he knew it, but he was certain that the dangers had not yet been left behind. And he felt quite certain that even worse things still lay ahead. After a time, the passage spit them out into a large, square chamber. Clark moved to the center of the room, looking at the ornate paintings upon the four walls.
"Interesting," Clark said as he studied the murals.
"What?"
"The paintings. Do you know the story of Osiris, Seth, and Isis?"
Hercules nodded. "Seth was jealous of Osiris' position as king, so he plotted to kill him and take his place. He tricked Osiris into trying out a coffin that had secretly been made to his exact measurements. Once Osiris was inside, Seth had the coffin sealed and thrown into the Nile. Isis set out to find Osiris, fearing that without the proper ceremonies, he would not be allowed to enter the Underworld. She found thirteen out of fourteen pieces of his body and fashioned the last out of gold. Osiris was then resurrected and became the God of the Dead."
"Right," Clark said. "That's the story I've always heard too. But look at the murals. The basic story is the same, but see there? That first panel there. Notice anything out of place?"
Hercules followed Clark's glance. In the picture, Seth sat brooding upon a carved wooden chair, while across from him, Osiris sat upon a throne of gold. A dark robed figure whispered in Seth's left ear. Osiris, his back to Seth, remained unaware of the plot on his life, all of his attention fixed on a line of petitioners before him.
"Dahak," Hercules said with a sudden realization and certainty. "Dahak was the force behind the betrayal."
Clark nodded. "It does seem like that is what the mural is telling us. Look there."
He pointed to the next panel. The same robed figure stood half hidden behind a pillar while Osiris unwittingly stepped into the coffin. The representation of Dahak looked out with fiery red eyes, and although his face was hidden in the blackness of his hood, Clark could feel a sense of immense satisfaction coming from the painted figure. It made a chill run up his spine.
"Do you think it's true?" Clark asked as they made their way to the doorway on the opposite side of the chamber. "That Dahak influenced Seth?"
Hercules shrugged. "Anything is possible. Dahak is one of the oldest evils, from what I understand. It wouldn't surprise me if he had a hand in something like this." They reached the doorway. "After you."
Clark stepped through the doorway and into another, larger chamber. This time, the room was long and wide, with stone statues of some of the gods lining the room on either side. In the center of the room, a shallow reflecting pool stood smooth as glass, and flanked by two stone obelisks. The pool swept around in a wide circle, torchlight glinting off the dark, peaceful surface. In the middle of the pool, a small island stood. And upon the island, the third and final altar awaited on a raised dais. As with the previous two altars, the sapphire piece of the Stone of Creation stood in a golden cradle.
Hercules and Clark both breathed a small sigh of relief. No matter what else might happen once Clark took the stone, they were finally at their journey's end. Clark was particularly glad that they were nearly through with their quest. He had the worst, nagging, gut-wrenching feeling that he was needed at home.
As they stepped into the chamber, a heavy stone door shot down from the ceiling, sealing them into the room. But by now, Hercules and Clark were becoming used to such things, and neither the idea of being closed in nor the threat of whatever might happen once Clark plucked the stone from its holder rattled them. Still, Clark hesitated for a moment before approaching the altar, scanning the room for hidden threats.
Not seeing anything off hand, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it again. He stepped forward, into the heart of the chamber. Another chill ran up his spine, and he felt as though dozens of eyes were upon him. He threw another glance around the room, but nothing had changed. After a few moments, he reached the edge of the reflecting pool. He bent down to examine it as an odd odor reached his sensitive nostrils. He threw a handful of loose sand from the floor into the pool. It hissed and bubbled as the sand made contact.
"Acid," Clark said with a weary sigh. "The gods weren't fooling around when they constructed this place, were they?"
Hercules only shrugged, saying nothing. His weariness and disgust towards the gods were plainly written on his face.
Clark hovered a few inches off the ground and floated gently over the pool. He landed lightly on the first step of the dais, then swiftly ascended to the top. He reached out a hand and gingerly plucked the shard from its cradle. As the stone came free, there was a hiss of air and Clark barely had time to react before a spray of salt acid spewed forth from the altar. Still, Clark was the faster of the two and managed to dodge the trap, fearful of what the acid might do if Lois accidently touched a place on the suit where it might have landed.
"They really weren't messing around with this place," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Now, to put this stone together and get out of here."
Before he could follow through on his spoken promise, a scrape of stone on stone snapped his head up.
"Uh Clark, we've got company."
The stone statues of the gods were on the move, having been brought to life by some ancient magic. Clark saw it all in an instant. It was far from a representation of the entire pantheon, but it was enough. Bull headed Ptah. Baboon headed Toth. Falcon headed Horus. Jackal headed Anubis. Sobek with his hideous crocodile head. Hathor, who had the head of a cow. Sekhmet, with the head of lion. Nekhbet, who sported the head of a vulture.
"Great," Clark muttered. He zipped to Hercules' side, tucking away the last shard of the stone as he did so. "Plan?"
"Destroy them all," Hercules said simply.
"Herc..."
Hercules shook his head, his shoulder length dirty blonde locks bouncing with the movement. "It's the only way out. They aren't alive. Just enchanted stone."
Clark sighed, though he had to admit that the demigod was right. If the other labyrinths were anything to go by, a doorway wouldn't appear until they defeated the trial that the gods had set before them. He cracked his knuckles, sizing up the approaching figures as he did so. He focused his heat vision at the closest one, Toth, and blazed it as hot and intense as he could make it.
Nothing happened.
Clark abruptly stopped, shocked and confused. His shock only lasted a moment, though. With a burst of speed, he launched himself at Toth, his hands before him and curled into fists. He barreled straight into the statue's chest, colliding into it with all the force he could muster in so short a space. Clark bounced off the statue like bullets typically bounced off his own chest. He was thrown backwards by the force, landing on his back on the limestone floor.
"What the...whoah!"
Toth brought a scythe down on Clark's head. The stone weapon cracked straight across his forehead, and would have scalped him if he hadn't possessed invulnerability. As it was, the sheer power behind the blow shattered the weapon as it connected with Clark's skull. Clark rolled to one side, pushing himself up in the process. He kicked as he moved, his feet connecting with the statue's chest. This time, Clark knew how to direct his power, and managed to send the stone god reeling backwards into Nekhbet. As the two struck each other, bits of their stone bodies cracked and broke off.
"Nice work," Hercules commented approvingly. "Seems like you found their flaw."
Clark stood, rolling his neck to one side to work out a kink that had formed when he hit the floor. He put his back to the half god's.
"My pleasure," he said with grim sarcasm. "Well, this should be interesting."
Hercules chuckled, sounding somewhat thrilled at the prospect of another fight, though Clark imagined that the demigod had to be getting tired. After all, it had been a very long day so far for them both. And who knew how long this battle was going to last?
Hathor rushed at Clark, head and body bent low. Her horns caught Clark in the ribs, driving him backwards a few steps, and thereby pushing Hercules at Nekbet. Clark grabbed hold of the cow goddess' horns and pushed back, giving Hercules some space to edge backwards if the need arose. Clark twisted his arms sharply, flipping the massive statue over and onto the floor. He was on the fallen statue instantly, lifting the writhing body into the air. He flew above the crowd of spelled sculptures, eyeing his target. Nekbet was doing battle with Hercules, a long spear in her stony hands.
"Herc! Bombs away!" he called out.
Hercules deftly flung himself to one side, rolling away from the vulture headed goddess. As soon as Hercules was clear of the path, Clark threw the statue of Hathor down. The representations of the two goddesses smashed into one another. The force of the throw caused the two to fracture and explode out in all directions. Hercules was pelted with a fine shower of small chunks of stone.
"Thanks," he called up to Clark. "That's two down. But you know I had that under control, right?" His voice was light and teasing as he pushed turned to face bull headed Ptah.
"Plenty left for you to fight," Clark assured him with a wink. "I can just hang out up here if you'd like."
Hercules laughed deeply as he grabbed Ptah by the horns and began to wrestle with him. "Eh, I'm feeling generous. Feel free to join in the fight."
Clark chuckled, amused at the demigod's ability to joke around in a fight. Then he zoomed back down, planting his feet into the back of Sekhmet. The lion's face changed into a snarl as the statue stumbled forward, before whirling around to face Clark. Sharp claws sprung forth from the chiseled human hands. She leapt at Clark, pouncing into his chest. Clark saw the move and let her come at him. The instant she was upon him, his arms closed about her. He squeezed tightly, but was unable to cause a single crack in the enchanted stone. Sekhmet managed to loosen one arm free from Clark's vice-like grasp and tore at his face with her claws. The first swipe would have removed his left eye, had he been a normal man.
"Hercules," Clark called out.
The demigod was still wrestling with Ptah. Both seemed pretty evenly matched, and it was hard to say if either one had the upper hand. Hercules heard Clark's call, and with a burst of strength, wrenched Ptah around enough so that he could face his friend. Clark held Sekhmet before him, like a protesting stone shield. Hercules took the hint. He pushed against Ptah while Clark moved forward with Sekhmet. The distance between the two statues closed.
"Brace yourself," Clark warned Hercules before spiking Sekhmet into Ptah as though she was a football.
With a great cracking sound, the two stone gods met. Rock splintered and crumbled, leaving nothing behind but rubble and dust. Hercules kicked a small section of rubble with his foot.
"Halfway there," the son of Zeus grinned at him. "And the fun's just getting started."
"Herc, behind you!"
Hercules spun on his heel, but it was too late. Crocodile headed Sobek launched himself at the demigod. Massive stone jaws opened as he came at Hercules, then fastened around his bare left forearm. Knife-like teeth tore into Hercules' flesh and the ancient hero cried out in pain as his blood started to flow. He tried to pry open the god's jaws, but with only one free hand, he was unsuccessful.
"Clark," he called out in pain and desperation, as the jaws continued to tighten.
Sobek twisted his head, trying to tear Hercules' arm from his body.
"Hang on," Clark replied as he punched Toth in the face, sending the statue reeling backwards. "I'm coming."
Having bought himself a few precious seconds, Clark rushed to Hercules' side. He gripped the reptilian head, one hand on the upper jaw and the other on the lower. With a grunt of effort, he began to pry the clamped jaws open. It was a tougher task than he'd thought it would be. The magic that was bound to the sculpture gave it a strength that nearly rivaled his own. But bit by agonizing bit, he forced the crocodile's jaws open. As soon as he could, Hercules yanked his arm free. Blood issued forth from at least a dozen wounds, if not more. It trickled down his arm, over his hand, and dripped off his fingertips to the floor below, making tiny red pools. Hercules clutched at his injured limb for a brief moment, then seemed to steel himself for the rest of the battle. There was no time for tending to wounds. Anubis and Horus were converging on the two men.
Clark dug his fingers into an even tighter grip on Sobek. He lifted the statue by the elongated snout, flipping the god into Toth. The two collided and disintegrated with a sharp boom. Hercules moved to meet with Horus, while Clark faced the jackal headed Anubis statue. Horus swung a great stone sword at Hercules. The demigod had barely enough time to duck out of the way. At the same moment, Clark sidestepped as Anubis rushed at him. The blow that Horus had meant for Hercules caught Anubis in the left arm. The stone cracked as the limb severed at the elbow and fell to the floor. It wriggled for a few moments, then lay still as the magic bled out from it.
Horus whirled around again, his sword broken off at the hilt from the force of the blow. He threw the rest of the weapon to the floor. It hit the floor with a heavy thud. Hercules stooped low, grabbing up the discarded arm, his eyes never leaving Horus. But the move cost him. Horus came at him with a sped that belied his heavy stone self. He caught Hercules around his neck and began to squeeze. Hercules gagged and tried to wrestle his way free. He swung the arm like a club, managing to chip off chunks of the falcon's beak in the process, until the statue opened what was left of the beak and yanked the makeshift weapon away from Hercules.
Clark, meanwhile, was doing battle with Anubis. The god wheeled at him, not slowed down in the least by the loss of his arm. His good arm clenched into a fist. He reared it back and slugged Clark in the gut. Clark's attention had briefly shot over to Hercules, so the punch caught him off guard. The strength behind the punch sent Clark flying backwards. He cleared the pool of acid and smashed into the alter. It collapsed as he made contact with it. Clark coughed and clamored to his feet as he took a breath, all of the air having been forced from his lungs from the impact.
Anubis watched silently, then turned to Hercules. Clark flew at the god, barreling into Anubis with all his speed and power behind him. Together, they smashed into the far wall of the chamber. Clark was instantly up and on the move, racing back to Hercules. The demigod was turning colors as the air was cut off from his body. Fear fueled Clark as he grabbed Horus' arm, tearing it free from Hercules' throat in one savage motion. Hercules sank to his knees, gasping for breath. Clark immediately made a second grab for Horus. Lifting him up above his head, Clark shot back across the chamber, pushing Horus into Anubis. In a shower of stone chips, the two broke apart into a thousand pieces.
Grimly satisfied, Clark raced back to Hercules' side. He knelt beside his companion. Hercules was still coughing and gasping for air.
"Are you all right?" Clark asked, putting a hand to the man's shoulder.
"Peachy," Hercules choked out with a nod. "The statues?"
"Destroyed," Clark confirmed.
"Good," Hercules wheezed. "Let's get out of here."
"First things first," Clark said gently. "Here, let me see your arm."
Hercules gingerly lifted his injured limb for Clark's inspection. The arm and hand were a mass of blood, but Clark could easily see each of the wounds where Sobek's teeth had punctured the demigod's skin. He quickly x-rayed the limb, and was relieved to see that it wasn't broken as well.
"We need to stop the bleeding," Clark said.
"No time," Hercules said. He made to tear the waist of his shirt as a makeshift bandage.
"Wait," Clark said. "I can help. This might sting a little though."
With quick darts of his heat vision, Clark swiftly cauterized each of the demigod's wounds. Hercules clenched his teeth against the pain and discomfort, but to his credit, he did not cry out. When Clark had finished, Hercules inspected his handiwork.
"Not bad," Hercules said approvingly, flexing the arm.
"Now we can go," Clark said with a grin.
To Be Continued...
