Adult-FanFiction.org : Movies

Lines of Shadow: Sequel to Somewhere Between	By : AceMaxwell Category: G through L > Hellboy Views: 4117 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Hellboy or any related character and make no money off this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Prophecies
- 2-Reunion
- 3-Artifact
- 4-Inferno
- 5-Flightless
- 6-Valhalla
- 7-Fate
- 8-Broken
- 9-Seduction
- 10-Unleashed
- 11-Traitor
- 12-Overrun
- 13-Vows
- 14-Escape
- 15-War
- 16-Humanity
- 17-Ragnarok
- 18-Judgment
- 7
- 8
- 9
So, not beta'd so the mistakes, as always, are all mine. If you find any, please point them out. I actually do go back and edit the chapters when someone points out a mistake, so it really does help me.

Somehow, this entire chapter ended up being in HB's perspective and I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but I'm sure John will have more to say soon.

- HB

I can't really tell whether Odin is pissed at us or at Freya, but either way he's been completely silent since we left Valhalla. When I finally got John to come back to the ground (where the hell did that fear of heights go?), we were ushered into a room where we both slept like the dead. One of the Valkyries got us in the morning and Odin shuttled us to a much, much warmer location. I can only assume it's Greece, since that's where we were supposed to be going.

All around us are rows of the squat little trees almost as far as I can see, but we're not exactly in an area where you can see for miles. The rolling hills the trees are planted on keep the view limited to maybe a thousand yards or so. The land itself is rugged, rocky almost. Doesn't seem like it would grow much of anything, but that shows how much I know about farming. Zip. My knowledge ends at 'if you put a seed in the ground and give it some water, it's supposed to grow'. What can I say, my thumbs are red…

I shrug out of my coat and toss it over my shoulder. In the corner of my vision, I catch 'Scout fold his jacket over his arm. This whole going from one weather extreme to another in a matter of moments is kind of jarring. Odin doesn't seem to notice the difference. Still dressed in every fur known to man, he stomps off down the row we're standing in. We follow.

John peers at the trees as we go by, stopping once to touch whatever fruit is growing on them. He jogs to catch up with our hurried pace. "Olives," he says as he tosses one at me.

I catch it with my left hand and stick it in my mouth. No idea whether it's actually ready to eat or not, but it tastes good to me. We reach the crest of a hill and the rest of the farm comes into view. The rows of trees go a few more feet and dead-end against a low stone fence. Beyond the fence is a very large, traditional looking Grecian house with white stucco and rounded archways. It's backed up against the sea and surrounded by tall, pointed trees and colorful flowers.

I barely catch John mutter something about how beautiful it is and I have to agree. Standing at the top of the ridge with the warm ocean breeze in my face and a view like a postcard, I'd say this place is more than beautiful. If I could go on vacation, I'd go somewhere like this. "Yeah," I mutter back, sure he didn't need an answer but wanting to give one anyway.

"Stop gawking. It's just a house," Odin snaps from where he must've realized he'd lost us. He's already at the fence, one leg thrown over it. When we start moving again, he tosses the other leg over and heads up a pavestone path towards the massive patio.

"He seem grumpy to you?" I lean close to 'Scout to ask.

His laugh comes out as a snort when he tries to stop it, "No, not at all."

"Maybe he's just pissed that we like Greece better than Norway."

John snickers again, hiding a smile underneath his hand. His behavior is relieving. I don't like to fight with John. I don't think any couple likes to fight, but once he reaches a point where he can laugh at my stupid jokes, I know that the fight is over and forgotten.

As we reach the fence, a woman comes out of the house. She looks pissed. Her dark brown hair is pulled back into a loose, sloppy bun that looks like she just woke up from a nap. The spear she's holding says otherwise. If I had to guess, I'd say that she yanked her hair back to keep it out of her way during whatever fight was coming.

"You," she snarls at Odin, hoisting the spear into throwing position. "You have more courage than sense showing your face here."

Odin doesn't flinch at the threat. "Still holding on to your ridiculous grudge, Athena?"

Her scream bounces off the surrounding hills as she chunks the weapon at him. It flies like a fucking bullet, but Odin sidesteps it easily. Do all of the old gods have bad blood between them? Anubis said there were a lot of places he couldn't go, Athena and Odin seem to have a feud going on, the Mayan gods cut out other gods' hearts… And I thought people were aggressive. Gods bring aggression to a whole new level.

I put my left palm flat against 'Scout's chest just in case he feels like he needs to get involved in this argument. He stays put, watching the gods with wide eyes.

"It was just a few war heroes. It's not as though you were going to do anything with them. You throw all of your dead in the same damn pit," Odin roars back as he launches himself at her.

In a flash of light, Athena summons an amazingly large shield between her hands and slams it into Odin's side. She stretches out her right hand and another spear forms in it. It's strange to watch, almost like when you're looking up at the sun and an object becomes visible the longer you stare. Except the sunlight is in her hand.

"You took Achilles! He was my most beloved warrior and you know it!"

Odin catches the spear as she thrusts it at him, but Athena twists it out of his grasp and checks his jaw with the shaft. He stumbles a little, rubbing at his mouth, "Was that his name? I couldn't tell. All of your warriors look the same once they don that ridiculous armor."

With a furious cry, she slams the shield into him again, forcing him back a few steps. Athena is one seriously tough broad. Odin is at least a foot and a half taller than she is, and I can't even judge how many pounds he has on her, but she's smacking him around like he's a school kid. Even though I can tell that Odin is holding back, I think that if this turned into a full-fledged fight to the death, she'd be more than a challenge for him.

Odin grabs the shield and slings it out of her hands and across the yard, "I'm not here for this stupid fight. The gates are in peril."

"I know the gates are in peril, Anubis has already spoken with me. We're making plans now," she snaps and straightens up, adjusting her blouse, which had come open a little in the scuffle.

That shuts Odin up. They have this completely awkward moment where he clears his throat and makes a few noises like he wants to say something while she smoothes her hair back and looks around uncertainly. Odin is the first one to get his wits back together. "Then I'll leave you with these two," he motions back at us with one meaty hand. "They're here to help."

Her eyes follow the motion and 'Scout waves a little, possibly because he can't think of another way to react. "Yes, Anubis said we should be expecting a few more," she says loud enough that we can hear. "Come inside."

Athena turns on her heel, slapping Odin in the face with her hair, and marches into the house. 'Scout and I trail after her and I give din a questioning look as I pass him. He doesn't seem like he's going to come with us. I pause, waving 'Scout on.

"You comin'?" I ask.

Odin's still staring past me, towards the house. "No," he finally sighs and turns his good eye to me. In the warmer Grecian sun, his iris looks almost white. "I would hamper thins more than I would help. Athena is a brilliant strategist; she'll know what to do."

Adjusting his fur cloak higher on his shoulders, Odin turns to go. Before he gets too far, he aims that eye at me one more time, "Keep your lover safe. He is instrumental in the survival of humanity."

I glance over my shoulder to make sure John really did go inside before I ask, "Because he's the only one who can stop me?"

He stares at me long enough that I start shifting my weight from one foot to the other. Instead of answering, he disappears into a cloud of snow that really shouldn't exist in this heat.

Yeah… that's what I thought. He's probably pissed that I know my own fate. Hopefully he doesn't go chew Freya out for showing me. Maybe because I know, I can stop it from happening. That seems like a better idea than letting things just play out.

I rub the back of my neck and walk towards the house. I've never been uncertain about my future before. I've always just assumed I could shove my through to the life I planned on living as opposed to just rolling over for this apocalypse bullshit. Now I'm not so sure I can avoid it. Even with all of this planning and work to keep Gabriel away from the gates, there's a good chance he'll get to one before we do. If that happens, we'll be waging a war unlike any other.

I try to shake the thought as I go inside, but it clings to me like a bad smell. The room I enter is large, with vaulted ceilings and dozens of windows facing the ocean. All of the furniture is white or wicker, most of it facing a low, round oak table at the center of the room.

John handles the decorations at home, but if I had a view like that, every stick of furniture in my house would be turned so I can look at it. The way this room is laid out, it reminds me of the conference room back at BPRD. All it's missing is a projector screen.

I'm surprised that Abe beat us here considering we had supernatural instant travel and he had a helicopter. Although, I guess we did leave the cargo plane in Norway… we should probably call them. Abe's bent over a collection of maps at the table, marking them up with a pen. My guess is that he's keeping track of gate locations and who we've alerted.

'Scout is sitting in the chair next to him. He's leaned so far forward that his as is barely touching the edge of the seat. His eyebrows arch slightly when he sees me come in. It's a silent question. I shake my head and he nods ever so slightly in understanding, not surprised that Odin decided to leave.

I look around for Anubis and spot him in the far corner of the room. He's in an overstuffed armchair, his feet tucked underneath him and his shoes lined up very neatly against the base of the chair. Not sure why he's so upset, but he's looking around the room like everything is covered in bugs or shit or something, like it's all disgusting. I don't have to wonder too long because the moment Athena comes back from the kitchen with a few bottles of beer, Anubis starts griping.

"You're house is far too elaborate. We're not meant to draw attention to ourselves."

I catch Athena roll her eyes as she flicks the lids off the beer with one thumbnail. Each beer hisses and foams up a little, one spilling over onto the tile floor which she doesn't acknowledge. She hands one to 'Scout, gets politely declined by Abe, and holds one out to me. The label is in German, a language I actually know. It's a really good imported brand, Krombacher. I take it with my left hand with a smirk.

"Take a seat, Hellboy," Athena says curtly, motioning at the couch.

My tail curls slightly as I wonder how sturdy the couch is. Some furniture just buckles underneath me and her stuff looks really expensive. "Uh, I'll stand."

"Suit yourself," she responds, taking a sip out of the beer Abe didn't want.

In a split second, she goes from casual host to war room leader. If I hadn't seen her fight with Odin, it might've been a bit jarring. A deadly serious expression slides into place as she sets down her beer and starts talking through things, "We know that the Christian gate is no longer an option for Gabriel so he'll have to enter enemy territory to finish his plans. Tell me who has been contacted."

Abe continues to scribble on the map but he's never had a problem multi-tasking, "I had a truly enlightening experience with Shiva and his consort, Devi. Their gate is actually within Shiva's third eye and cannot be opened with the key Gabriel is wielding."

"Well, there's no way he's getting to Odin's gate, since it's inside a giant wolf," 'Scout says as he sits back in the chair, throwing his arms over the curved backrest. "Plus they're watching for Gabriel now."

Athena glares at Anubis and after a second or two, he growls and gets up to join us. Leaping over the arm of the couch, Anubis settles into nearly the same position he was in on the other chair. "Okay, I've covered a lot of bases. I dropped in on the Mayans-"

"Clearly you escaped with your heart intact this time," Athena says slyly, sipping her beer.

Anubis curls his lip and his human image fades enough that his sharp teeth are exposed in a flash. I doubt it was an accident. "Yes, I made it out intact. The Mayans are prepared to fend off the archangels, so are the Aborigines, and the Shinto Spirits. I was going to head out to America next to see if I could hunt down the Sky Lords."

"Good luck. They've been in hiding for centuries."

"But I know that they're gate is on the north-east coast. All of their prophets say that the evil will come from the east. If I find the gate, more than likely they'll come to me."

My stomach turns over. I know where the gate is, I saw it in the vision Freya pushed into my skull. Knowing I'll have to explain why I'm privy to the location, I clear my throat, "It's in the bowels of New York City, deeper than any of the subways go."

All the eyes of the room stick on me like I've randomly grown another appendage. Before anyone can start shooting questions in my direction, I add, "I spend a lot of time down there."

Abe's on to me instantly, but he's got that whole psychic thing going for him. Weirdly, he doesn't rat me out. Well, it's not that weird… He wouldn't have to pry very hard to figure out why I want to hide it from everyone and Abe's really loyal. He's been my friend the longest, so I can only hope that I can trust him not to say anything. Just in case though, I think really hard about what kind of bad shit might happen to him if he does tell.

Thing is, the wheels in John's head are turnin'. He got to see every memory of my life like he was watchin' it home-movie-style via his wolf, so I'd bet he's dredging through those memories to figure out when I encountered a hell gate in the Big Apple. He and I will start playing hardball when he comes up empty.

Athena opens her mouth but the cell phone on the table starts ringing. She snatches it up, glares at the faceplate, and flips it open, yelling in the receiver, "I left a message specifically asking for him to call me, not his secretary, but HIM!" She pauses, listening to whatever poor bastard is on the other end. "I don't care what he's doing! Tell him to put on his fucking pants and get over here." Slamming both the phone and her beer on the table, Athena makes an annoyed, exasperated sound that I'm pretty sure only a woman is capable of making.

The rest of us are quiet while she pulls her previous calm back over herself. With how pissed off she is, I actually think that she'd deck one of us if we said something right now. Considering the pants comment and the fact that she was probably trying to contact someone important about our current apocalypse-like issues, my guess is that she was trying to get a hold of Zeus. I remember those stories well enough to know that he sleeps with anything that has a convenient opening. It doesn't even have to have two legs, or be consenting really.

I drain my beer and set the bottle on a nearby table, settling it between a bowl full of seashells and a stack of Modern Combat magazines. Interesting choice. The one on top features some kind of new guidable missile that I wouldn't mind reading about. I slide the magazine around so I can flip through the first few pages, but Athena gets back on topic before I can get to the main article.

"Alright. What about your own gate, Anubis? Who is set to protect it?"

"No one, our gate is gone."

Athena flattens her palms on the table as she scrutinizes him. That look sucks. Liz used to give me that look when I exaggerated something or told her something that wasn't true, and that woman's instinct kicked in cause she knew I was lying. It didn't usually take me too long to break under that glare. "Would you care to exaggerate on that, or are we expected to be satisfied with an inter-dimensional gate just vanishing into thin air?" Her sarcasm is acidic.

Anubis's eyes narrow into slits and I catch a low growl roll out of him. He really is too easy to tick off, in a good way and a bad way. "Horus, Baal, and I destroyed the gate in the early nineteen hundreds. Egypt was a hotbed of exploration and we didn't want anyone stumbling across it. Would you like me to get in contact with my brother so he can confirm it for you? I'm sure he's not doing something more important like readying our troops for the imminent war with Heaven."

With a tight, icy smile, Athena straightens up, "No, that won't be necessary. All that leaves are the gods of the African wilds and Allah, who despises all of us. Any volunteers?"

I come over to stand behind 'Scout's chair, not so inadvertently brushing my fingers against his arm. "We've got a man in Africa now. He's talking to a demi-god rhinoceros we know."

Both Anubis and Athena give me strange looks. I know we told Anubis about the whole knowing a demi-god thing, so I've got no idea why he'd be confused, but I think Athena has earned it considered she's only known us a few minutes. Almost in tandem, they ask me extremely similar questions.

Hers is, "A rhinoceros demi-god?"

And he goes, "A rhino? Like on two legs?"

Even though I could've handled it, Abe stops fiddling with the maps long enough to explain, "We are not entirely sure of his origin, so 'demi-god' might not be correct, but he is a bipedal creature that resembles a cross between a man and a rhinoceros. He also has some extremely incredible powers over the earth."

"Maangamizo," Athena whispers almost fearfully.

Anubis pales considerably at the name and my tail starts doing some nervous twitching. What the hell do they know that I don't? "What? What's a magizmo?"

"Maangamizo," Abe corrects me quietly. "It means 'destruction' in Swahili. I believe Torque has a more complex background than we were aware of."

I feel 'Scout tense slightly underneath my fingertips as he defends our friend, "That can't be right. We've known Torque a very long time and he's only every done good things. He works like us, protecting people."

Anubis uncurls from the couch and gets up, "Maangamizo was destroyed a long time ago, along with his brothers. It can't be the same god."

"Destroyed how?" I ask, mostly because I'm getting this weird sinking feeling in my stomach. An old conversation comes to mind, one that happened when I was stuck in the back of a hummer heading into the Turkish mountains to find the Garden of Eden. Lazarus and Torque had talked about Torque's two brothers and how they weren't a picture of civility. I know at least one of them has attacked a major city… and they didn't seem to enthusiastic to tell me anything else.

"The gods came together in a mutual decision to kill them when they began to threaten the fledgling mankind. They were massively destructive and wild, unable to see the value of human life," Anubis explains, walking to the windows and back again, not really pacing, more like wandering as he talks. "They were created by the aftershocks of energy that formed the world you know, like most of the contents of hell. But they were different from all of the other dark entities that crawled out of the planet's shadows, they were too powerful to force through a gate."

"No, that can't be Torque," John raises his voice, cutting into anything else Anubis was going to say.

He's adamant enough that Athena nods and dismisses it, "Well, I think we need to discuss the inevitable idea that Gabriel will succeed. If he does, humanity will be swept from our earth as dust. We need to mount a counter-offensive just in case."

"I believe everyone I've spoken to will be preparing already and I know that Odin has been putting together his army for centuries."

Athena's phone rattles on the table and starts ringing again. She snatches it, waving a hand at us like we're just supposed to wait. "When I leave you an emergency message, it would be ideal if you stopped fucking your trollop of the day and phoned me back!" Athena practically screeches into the receiver.

Gotta' be talking to Zeus. Being a goddess of chastity, Athena can't be too happy about having the most notorious Casanova in history as a father. She's the only woman to ever enter the head that's above his waist, literally. The stories all say that she sprang out of his skull in battle gear. Not entirely sure how that works, but I've seen weirder shit than that.

She goes into the kitchen to talk to him, the fading conversation calming into an explanation of what all is going on. I hear a door close and then her half of the conversation is gone.

Anubis picks up her forgotten beer and drains it, commenting, "I suppose class is out for the day. I have to head to New York anyway." He glances at Abe, "You want a lift? It's probably time to check in with your man in charge."

I can only imagine that little interaction. How the hell are you supposed to tell someone that an angel is trying to start the apocalypse and you're working on gathering up a bunch of other gods to stop him? Seems like a hard sell, even for us. Leonitus's head will probably just explode. He's been around a while, but he's never experienced one of our world-ending, earth-shattering, life-changing battles with evil. He's seen a lot of creatures and demons, but nothing apocalyptic yet. I guess that's about to change.

"Actually, Athena asked me to stay to help her check on the Grecian gate. Since it is located beneath a lake, they do not have many people who can do the job. After I'm done with that, I will return to the Bureau," Abe answers simply.

Below me, 'Scout sighs, "I guess that leaves us with the god that hates everyone?"

"I guess."

He turns his head to stare out one of the windows and curls some of his hair around his index finger. Both hands drop into his lap as he asks, "How long have those people been out there?"

Everyone follows his line of sight. Huddled underneath one of the olive trees are a man and a woman, both obscured by the shadows of the tree. Even from here, I can tell that the woman has a VERY nice figure, but I try not to dwell on it. John and I just smoothed things over and I don't want to do anything stupid, like drooling.

"Maybe they work for Athena," Anubis offers without much conviction.

The pair seem to be having some kind of discussion. He's making some small hand gestures and she laughs at something. After a few moments, she walks out into the daylight and I swear I have no control over the bolt of lust that goes through me. Her looks don't stop at the figure. Her features are perfect, fucking perfect. Her tits are just the right size, her lips just big enough that they're enticing and not puffy-lookin', her hips swaying like a fucking pendulum as she walks… To top it all off, she's wearing this gauzy dress that lets me see just enough that I'm aching to see more.

Shit!

Being with 'Scout as long as I have, I've kinda forgotten how sexy a woman can be. But I'd never fuck up what I have with John to get a piece of any kind of ass, no matter how sexy it is.

"That's Aphrodite," Anubis's voice is suddenly real low in my ear.

I jump slightly, feeling guilty that I was staring hard enough that I didn't even notice him walk over. My glare is halfhearted. It doesn't even make him blink.

"Don't let your guard down around her or she'll take you for all that you're worth." The last half is almost growled, as if he knows exactly what that's like. Before I can say anything back, he disappears into the shadowy corners of a coat closet.

I nudge 'Scout with my flesh hand, "Come on, let's go."

"You left the plane in Norway," Abe mentions while meticulously rolling up the maps.

"Then we'll take a bus," I practically snarl.

There's something going on here that's just beneath the surface. It's making me really fucking agitated. The expression on Aphrodite's face is becoming clearer the closer she gets to the house and I just can't trust it. Hiding in those beautiful eyes is a darkness I know WAY too well. Anubis's cryptic comment is helping any either. I feel like shit will be hitting the fan full speed if we're not out of this house by the time she gets here.

'Scout's confused, "A bus?" reminds me that nobody else probably feels what I do. Abe is gleaning at least a little of it from me, but I can see confusion on the edges of his expression.

"It's a joke. We are wasting time though, so let's go," is probably the worst explanation ever, but I don't have anything better right now, just a gut feeling.

I pull John out of his chair and half-lead, half-drag him down a hall that I'm hoping goes to another entrance. We pass an alcove filled by a statue of a winged horse, go by a few doors and a stairwell before I finally spot a glass door that leads outside. 'Scout's gotten quiet, maybe drawing his cue from my mood. Or he realized that I haven't answered a single question he's thrown at me, so there's no use in asking anymore.

I yank open the door and haul 'Scout outside, stifling my sigh of relief. Now I really do have to figure out our transportation. We could use Abe's helicopter if we knew where it was parked. I didn't exactly bother asking him. I also have no idea how we're supposed to find Allah, or even if that's who we're supposed to see next.

My mind is fucking whirling. I haven't had such a strong reaction to a woman since 'Scout came along. As my heart rate slows, I start wondering if there was actually something wrong with Aphrodite or if I was just freaked out by the fact that my relationship fucking faded from my head when I saw that woman.

A warm hand touches my jaw and I jerk slightly with surprise. I look down into 'Scout's concerned gaze. "What's wrong? You kind of flipped out on me."

I can't tell him. I can't. Even if Aphrodite is supposed to be the epitome of sexiness, the fact that I wanted her… admitting that I wanted her would hurt him. "I'm fine. We just need to get out of here."

He's not convinced, but he nods and says, "Okay."

My heart swells a little at his reaction. He'll go along with me, even if he has no idea where I'm leading him or why… His trust makes me ache just as much as it makes me proud. I capture his lips with mine hard enough to bruise but don't get any complaint from John. He opens his mouth and winds his arms around my neck, giving me better access. I pull away before I can get lost in him. When I turn, Aphrodite is barely an arm's length away. Her perfect lips quirk up a little at the edges as we both jump.

"Well hello," she purrs, a full-blown smile taking over for her smirk. "I don't believe we've become acquainted."

When I can't do anything but stare, John steps towards her and holds out his hand, "Hi, I'm John Myers and this is Hellboy. You must be one of the other Greek gods."

Aphrodite takes his hand delicately and bats her eyes at me, "It is a pleasure to meet you both. You must be the ones Athena told me about."

My chest contracts at her hooded gaze, making it hard to breath. There's something familiar about this sensation, but it's not a good kind of familiarity. It's more like a sinking feeling that something really bad accompanies this sensation.

She withdraws from 'Scout and comes over to me, trailing one hand across my chest. Her touch makes my skin burn and tingle with pleasure. John's concerned expression is killing me, but I can't stop what's happening. All I can do is make a content rumbling noise and lean in closer to Aphrodite. The scent of her fills my nose, delicate and intoxicating. My demonic side howls that I should throw her down here and now.

Her breath whispers across my mouth and then I'm kissing her. It's not just a kiss. Our tongues are fucking, her taste making me insane. She's a drug. I can feel her touch thrumming in my blood like liquid fire. I pull hard at her tiny waist, practically crushing her smaller form against me. She makes a noise that's almost a whimper as I slide my flesh hand up to her breasts.

The tiny shred of sanity I have left starts dissecting the smell and the taste and the feel of her. An answer swims through all of the lust and need. My head clears as I realize that I have encountered this before, when I fought a succubus. This is seduction fueled by very powerful magic. It's not me giving in to desire, it's desire fabricated by one of the most basic and potent kinds of power.

I turn my hand on her chest and push her hard enough to knock her on her ass. Stumbling back a few steps, I lean against the building and try to work out the sexual influence she's pumped into me. Anger replaces it as I glower at her, at the wicked smile she's sporting.

Oh god… John.

I sit up and whip my head around to scour the area for him, "John?"

Aphrodite starts laughing then and I realize that I've been played like a fucking fiddle. John is nowhere in sight.

TBC…

The conflict continues to build! I actually have the next six chapters completely planned out so hopefully I can work at a decent pace… but if you're still reading this, you know me well enough by now to know that it's probably not going to be the case. I'll try my best to work on it but it's inevitable that life gets in the way.
- 7
- 8
- 9
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Lines of Shadow: Sequel to Somewhere Between