The Martians

ELYSIA MANGAL-GRAH

Thud...Thud...Thud

Elysia pounds her feet on the ground, each step echoing her growing impatience. Athena is holding Jove, gently swaying him while Romulus and Juno play, their laughter a stark contrast to the tension in the air.

Then Elysia stands, her anxiety propelling her into a pacing rhythm around the spaceship, her nails finding their way between her teeth as she bites them, her eyes darting to the hatch every few seconds.

Romulus and Juno halt their play, their eyes widening, clearly unnerved by their mother's palpable unease.

Then Athena speaks, her voice cutting through the tension, "For all the gods' sake, Mother, please sit down. You're unnerving everyone here."

Elysia stops, her gaze shifting to Romulus and Juno, who are now eyeing her with wary expressions.

Turning to Athena, Elysia's voice is laced with worry, "But your father and brother are out there. Are you not worried? How can you be so calm?"

Athena shrugs nonchalantly, "You can't do anything about what you can't do anything about. Panicking won't change the situation. All we can do is wait."

Elysia frowns, her tone accusatory, "Do you have any emotion at all?"

Athena rolls her eyes, a slight sigh escaping her lips, "I have plenty of emotion, mother; I just know how to control it. Or," she adds, her face creasing with mock concern, "do women get more emotional and panicky when they grow old?"

Elysia raises an eyebrow, her tone shifting to one of scolding, "Listen here, young lady. First off, I'm not old."

Athena rolls her eyes again, the gesture almost automatic.

Irritated, Elysia's voice rises, "Second of all, don't roll your eyes at me. I'm still your mother, and I have the right to—"

Her words are abruptly halted by the sound of a loud crash.

Elysia and Athena exchange a look, an unspoken agreement passing between them. Athena, with a protective urgency, passes Jove to Juno, her hands firm yet gentle.

Both then brandish the claws Perseus had given them, the metal glinting ominously in the dim light of the ship.

Without further hesitation, they dash outside, their footsteps echoing on the metal ramp, the air outside cold and sharp against their skin as they brace themselves for whatever has caused the disturbance.

They look up, their eyes catching a figure plummeting from the high ceiling of the space fort. Elysia recognizes him instantly and gasps, her heart in her throat as she dashes forward, arms outstretched to catch him before he hits the ground.

It's Ares, his face an alarming shade of pale, his body trembling with cold or shock. Athena quickly joins them, her expression a mirror of concern.

Elysia's hands are warm against Ares's cold cheeks, her touch frantic with worry. "What happened?" she asks, her voice trembling.

But before he can reply, Athena, her voice tight with dread, asks, "Father?"

Ares shakes his head, the movement slight but enough to shatter Elysia's hope, her heart sinking like a stone.

Athena's silence is brief, her face contorting with pain before she steels herself, her voice coming back strong, "What next?"

Ares, his voice barely a whisper, manages to say, "Take me into the ship."

They usher him into the ship, Romulus and Juno, eager to greet their brother, dash forward but pause when Elysia shakes her head at them, silently urging them to sit back down, their youthful enthusiasm tempered by the gravity of the moment.

Elysia, her voice laced with concern, asks, "Should I sit in the pilot's seat?"

Ares, mustering what strength he can, replies, "No, I'll do it," his determination clear despite his weakened state.

They help him into the seat, his movements slow and labored. He takes a moment to catch his breath, the ship filled with a heavy silence as they all wait, the engines idling, the future uncertain.

Ares grimaces, pain etching lines across his face as he forces himself to sit upright, his posture one of command despite his condition. He looks towards Athena, his voice strained but authoritative, "Do you know how to operate the controls?" She nods, her expression serious.

He directs her, "Start the engines," then turns to Elysia, "Get the seat belts on Juno and Romulus, and sit tight yourself."

Elysia moves with purpose, her heart swelling with a mix of pride and sorrow. Even in this moment of crisis, Ares is stepping into the role of patriarch, a role he's too young to take under such circumstances. She would have felt pride if not for the dark reason behind it—her husband is dead.

She pushes these thoughts aside, her hands working quickly to secure the children, her touch gentle yet firm as she fastens their seat belts, then takes her own seat.

As she finishes settling into her seat, Ares asks, "Ready?"

"Yes," she replies, her voice firm, steeling herself for what comes next.

With her affirmation, the engines roar to life.

Elysia watches Ares, her heart a turmoil of pride and sorrow, as he meticulously inputs the coordinates for their escape.

He nods, then takes control, the ship responding to his touch as it begins to rise from the ground, lifting off from the space fort.

As the spacecraft ascends into the Martian sky, Elysia turns her gaze outward, witnessing the destruction below. She closes her eyes, unable to bear the sight of their home in ruins.

...

The ship breaks free of Mars's atmosphere, leaving the red planet behind. Elysia exhales a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, a sigh of relief that feels like the first in ages—but it's short-lived.

Suddenly, claw, monstrous and unexpected, pierces through the hull from above, the screech of metal against metal echoing through the ship.

Elysia's heart leaps into her throat, panic replacing relief in an instant.

ARES MANGAL-GRAH

The sound of metal being torn apart jolts Ares from his focus; he whips his head around to see it. A K'tharr claw, piercing through the ship's hull. Panic grips him; how is this possible? He had sealed the pocket dimension from which they were spawning. Who could have undone it?

The claw continues its destructive path across the ship's body. Ares knows immediate action is required before the claw breaches their safety, potentially harming one of them.

Athena rises, intent on confronting the threat, but Ares stops her with a firm grip on her arm, his eyes locking onto hers. "Are you sure?" she asks, her voice laden with concern.

He nods, his actions deliberate as he buckles himself in, staggering slightly under the ship's turbulence before steadying himself.

For the first time since they left, he looks at Juno and Romulus, forcing a smile that's meant to be reassuring. They respond, their smiles fragile but genuine, their fear momentarily subdued by his presence.

His gaze then finds his mother. She's about to voice her concern but bites back her words. Instead, she hands him a claw.

"Come back to me, Ares," Elysia says, her voice a blend of command and plea.

Ares nods, but she shakes her head, "No, swear it, that you'll come back to me safe."

He locks eyes with her, his face pale yet serious. "I swear it.

Elysia smiles, her nod one of both acknowledgment and encouragement.

Ares inhales deeply, filling his lungs with air, aware that he can't rely on the vacuum of space to breathe. Martian physiology allows for significant air storage, a survival trait now crucial. Once he feels his lungs are sufficiently stocked with oxygen, he signals to Athena. With a grimace of resolve, she activates the airlock, the door sliding open with a hiss.

He navigates his way to the top of the ship, each step a struggle against the lack of gravity and his own weakened state. Once he balances himself on the hull, the K'tharr lunges for him. Reacting with the speed of desperation, Ares slashes with his claw weapon, severing the creature's hand. The K'tharr shrieks, its cry echoing in the vacuum, a sound of pain and rage.

Ares tenses, every muscle ready for the next assault. The K'tharr shifts, but then halts, its gaze turning towards Mars as if called by some unseen force. Confusion washes over Ares, yet he remains on high alert, his eyes never leaving the creature.

The K'tharr's attention snaps back to him, its features twisted into a mask of rage and malice. But instead of attacking, it begins to retreat, only to pause once more. With deliberate malice, it drives its claw into the spacecraft's engine, a final act of vengeance before it leaps away, disappearing into the void as if it had never been there at all.

Ares curses under his breath as the engine starts to sputter, the sound a death knell for their journey. He knows with a sinking heart that they won't make it; their escape has been sabotaged.

Ares rushes back towards the engine, his heart pounding with urgency. The engine, once a marvel of Martian engineering, now looks like a wounded beast. The claw's damage is evident; jagged tears in the metal casing reveal the inner mechanisms, now twisted and smoking. Wires hang loose, sparking occasionally, while coolant leaks out in a slow, hissing stream.

The once harmonious hum of power has been replaced by a concerning, irregular clatter, the heart of their ship beating its last.

Ares, with a grim determination, reaches the engine. He places his hands around the damaged parts, feeling the heat and the vibration of the failing machinery.

With all his might, he forces the ruptured components back into place, his fingers wrapping around the torn metal to hold it together.

He braces himself, muscles straining against the force trying to pull the engine apart, buying them precious moments by sheer willpower and physical strength.

Ares looks up, his eyes catching sight of Earth, its blue and green expanse growing closer. They're so near now, the planet almost within reach, but his lungs are screaming for air. Will they make it to Earth before his body gives out, or will the void claim him first?

The tension wraps around him like a vise, the outcome uncertain, each heartbeat echoing the ticking of a bomb set to go off inside his chest.

...

3...2...1

Ares loses control of the engine, the tension in his muscles giving way as the damaged machinery sputters its last. His vision blurs, the edges of his sight going dark as his body, starved of air, begins to shut down.

But before he loses consciousness, he sees they've entered Earth.