"So where have you been all these while?!" Tlepolemus bellowed at the old man, "I thought you ran off with your tail between your legs."
Demippos frowned, his eyes glowing.
"And to think you are a son of the traitor god Prometheus," the champion sneered.
The name 'Prometheus' rippled through the crowd. The murmurs grew louder before erupting into a chorus of boos and jeers.
The demigods hurled curses and fruits toward the floating Demippos.
Wildfoot, the arena announcer, leaned forward in the top box, unable to contain his excitement.
"The crowd has spoken! The lineage of the human lover, Prometheus, finds no favor among us!"
Demippos's face remained impassive as the floating spears began to rotate slowly around him. It gradually accelerated till it became a blur.
With a flick of his wrist, Demippos sent the volley of spears hurtling toward Tlepolemus. It hurtled forward, breaking the sound barrier with a loud crack.
The champion dodged each spear with an inhuman speed. They landed scattered across the arena, causing Damon to flatten himself against the wall to avoid being struck down.
Another volley was shot down at Tlepolemus, who still effortlessly dodged them all.
It was, however,, enough distraction for Damon to charge. He grabbed one of the fallen spears.
He breathed deeply.
SHRINK!!
Damon shrank the space between himself and Tlepolemus. He leapt, aiming for the champion's throat.
Tlepolemus parried Damon's thrust with his bare forearm. Blood sprayed from the gash, but there was no pain registered on his face.
"You disappoint me, Fallenstar," he growled. "Why do you not use your darkness? Are you that scared of your own strength?"
Damon pressed forward. He hurriedly twisted the spear and aimed lower this time, but Tlepolemus leapt backwards towards a safer distance.
"You are just not worth it."
Tlepolemus slammed a hand against his forehead in disappointment. "Then I guess I just have to make you show me."
He launched himself at Damon with terrible speed, his fist connecting with Damon's jaw with a crack that echoed through the arena.
Damon staggered backward but managed to keep his footing, spitting blood as he adjusted his hat.
"That's the best you've got, son of Heracles?" Damon taunted. He circled his opponent.
Tlepolemus's response was a blur of motion. He grabbed a corpse from the ground and launched it at Damon, who barely rolled aside as the dead body crashed into the arena wall. It left a large crack. The crowd roared its approval.
Above them, Demippos had transformed his arsenal. The spears shimmered and changed. They became axes, hammers, swords, maces, and thousands of different weapons.
Each weapon distinct yet numberless. They rained down, creating a deadly cage around Tlepolemus, forcing him to swerve between falling blades.
"You might have a bit of your father's strength," Demippos called down, "but you clearly lack his wits."
Tlepolemus snarled. He caught a falling sword and swung it back toward Demippos with such force that it disappeared into the sky.
"At least my father wasn't a sniveling friend to those human insects!" he roared.
While Tlepolemus was distracted by Demippos, Damon darted in close again. He drove his spear toward the champion's side.
Tlepolemus twisted at the last moment, the spear grazing his flesh instead of piercing it. A thin line of blood trickled down his stomach.
The crowd gasped.
Tlepolemus touched the wound, his eyes widening in disbelief before narrowing in fury.
"You'll pay for that with your spine," he promised.
What followed was brutality. Tlepolemus attacked with a mad rage, each blow powerful enough to shatter the diamonds.
Damon weaved and ducked, using the champion's momentum against him, landing quick strikes where he could. Each hit felt like striking marble, and Damon's arms began to grow heavy with fatigue.
From above, Demippos continued his barrage, but he was careful not to hit Damon in the melee. Tlepolemus had begun to slow down, and an axe barely missed his head.
Annoyed, Tlepolemus snatched a chain that was whipping toward him and yanked hard.
Demippos lurched forward in the air, but he maintained his altitude.
The momentary distraction was enough for Damon to sweep Tlepolemus' legs hard. This caused the champion to begin to fall, but like a deranged beast, he balanced his body weight on his hands and swung backwards.
"Together!" Damon shouted to Demippos. "On my mark!"
Demippos nodded, gathering his weapons into a swirling vortex above him.
Damon began to run around Tlepolemus. The champion found it hard to keep up with his movements, his eyes darting left and right.
Tlepolemus stretched forward in an attempt to grab Damon.
"Now!"
Demippos unleashed his arsenal at the unguarded Tlepolemus. Hundreds of arrows struck him in the back. Tlepolemus grunted in pain as Damon's face appeared in his.
He drove his spear straight into Tlepolemus's heart.
For a moment, it seemed they had him. The champion caught between earth and sky, between spear and swarm.
Then Tlepolemus smiled.
It was a feint.
Tlepolemus grabbed Damon with his two hands. His mouth salivated as he breathed in pain, the spear still struck in his heart.
"I want you to think of your family as you die." Tlepolemus sneered as he headbutted Damon with full force.
"No!" Demippos yelled as he blasted in full speed towards them. He gripped a broadsword.
"It isn't his turn yet!" Tlepolemus laughed as he threw Damon aside before turning towards the old man who was his target all along.
Damon crashed into a pile of corpses, his vision blurring. Through the haze, he saw Tlepolemus leap, not toward him, but upward, toward the approaching Demippos.
Demippos' eyes widened as he realized too late.
"Look out!" Damon croaked in pain.
Tlepolemus had calculated his jump perfectly. He soared through the air and crashed against the old man,, who could not break his speed.
They both crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud. Demippos could not recover quickly. Tlepolemus seized him by the throat.
"No more distance for you, traitor's son," Tlepolemus smiled maniacally.
Damon struggled to his feet and charged. He was too slow, too far.
With a sickening crack and a wet, tearing sound, Tlepolemus wrenched Demippos's spine from his body in one horrible motion. The old man's scream cut short as his body convulsed, then went limp.
The old man's eyes found Damon's, life still flickering in them. He smiled weakly. The light in his eyes began to dim.
"Follow... the graffiti," he whispered, blood bubbling between his lips. "They... wait..."
Then he was gone.
Tlepolemus stood, holding the spine aloft like a trophy. Demippos's body crumpled at his feet.
"I dedicate this son of a traitor to the gods!" he bellowed. "May they find more use for his bones than he found honor in life!"
The crowd erupted in frenzied cheers. Their foot stamped in joy as Tlepolemus threw aside the spine.
Wildfoot's voice boomed across the arena, "The champion stands triumphant! The blood of Heracles proves superior once more!"
Damon felt rage building inside him, but exhaustion dulled its edge. Tlepolemus turned toward him with a predatory grin.
"I deliberately saved you for last. You are like the orgasm of this entire fight."
Damon tried to stand, but his legs betrayed him. He fell to one knee, struggling to catch his breath.
"What does the crowd desire?" Wildfoot called out.
Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
Tlepolemus seized a club from the ground. He tested its weight.
"A fitting end for one who refuses to show his true nature," he said as he advanced on Damon.
The first blow caught Damon in the ribs, sending him sprawling across the sand.
The second crashed against his shoulder, dislocating it with a sickening crack.
Damon tried to crawl away, but a boot in his back pinned him to the ground.
Consciousness began to slip from him like water through fingers.
In the darkness behind his eyelids, Damon saw a vague vision. A man with eyes like his own regarded him with a mixture of disappointment and hope.
"Cub." The voice whispered.
Damon blinked in confusion. What?
"Bite back."
Damon shook his head. Fuck off
Tlepolemus lifted him by the throat. "Let's give them a show."
The first punch shattered Damon's nose.
The second nearly split his skull.
A third. A fourth. A fifth. A sixth.
The crowd chanted for more.
Damon's body went limp. His hat tumbled into the sand.
Tlepolemus raised him high, then slammed him down like a hammer on an anvil.
Damon didn't move.
The demigod grinned. "And that is how you break a loser."
Darkness.
It was alive. Damon couldn't keep it under control this time around.
It slithered endlessly from Damon's body, tendrils of pure shadow spreading like spilled ink across the sand. It covered the entire arena and continued into the stands.
The crowd screamed and scrambled away in panic as it began to drag the unlucky ones into itself. It consumed their very essence and left an empty husk behind.
Tlepolemus took a step back. "What—?"
From the ground where he lay, Damon's voice came out cold.
"You said you wanted the darkness?"
His fingers twitched. The Sky blackened.
"Well...Here it is."