Chapter Six
A Mysterious Wand! The Quest of Mercury

Suisei snarled angrily and launched another bolt of dark energy. The black sphere moved fast, but not fast enough to hit its target. As the attack slammed into a tree and knocked it over, Suisei whirled around.

The street which moments ago had been filled with shoppers was now empty except for a handful of people trapped beside a parked car, too terrified to move. As Suisei looked around, her face turning red in anger, Sailor NeoSun floated calmly back down to the ground. She looked almost bored as her opponent charged up another attack.

“What did you do?” Suisei demanded. “Where are you hiding them?”

NeoSun avoided another black sphere and blinked innocently. “Who?”

Suisei screamed. “The senshi! The senshi! Where are you hiding those annoying girls?”

NeoSun shook her head. “If you keep getting all worked up, you’re going to wear yourself out.”

As the goddess charged NeoSun again, Tuxedo Kamen was quietly ushering the terrified onlookers to safety. Out of the corner of her eye, Suisei saw his movement and smiled.

“You missed one!” the goddess exclaimed.

NeoSun looked up in alarm as Suisei threw her attack towards Tuxedo Kamen’s unprotected back. As the charge got closer, Tuxedo Kamen glanced up and gasped in surprise. A split second before it struck, NeoSun had shoved him aside. The two toppled over, NeoSun landing on top of Tuxedo Kamen.

“What are you doing?” NeoSun hissed. “We discussed this. It’s too dangerous for you right now.”

“You discussed it, but I never agreed,” Tuxedo Kamen said, shoving NeoSun aside as he tried to rise to his feet. “It’s my duty to defend Earth.”

NeoSun grabbed his cape and pulled him back down as another attack sailed over their heads. Tuxedo Kamen gripped his cane tightly, trying to see over the car.

“You’ll get yourself killed,” NeoSun warned, rising with him as Suisei’s attacks ceased.

Tuxedo Kamen replied by shoving NeoSun aside as another black sphere assaulted them. The two senshi crouched behind the car again, ignoring Suisei’s frustrated curses.

“Come out, my sitting ducks,” Suisei called.

“No ducks here,” a new voice said. “How about a wolf?”

NeoSun and Tuxedo Kamen stood in time to see Sailor Loki transform into her wolf form, and run at Suisei. The goddess fired a few small shots at it, but the wolf kept coming. As it prepared to leap, Suisei vanished through a portal. The wolf landed as Sailor Loki and turned away from NeoSun and Tuxedo Kamen to walk away.

“Loki!” NeoSun called.

The blond mischievous senshi glanced back, then took off at a run down the street, disappearing from view. Sailor NeoSun stared after her in shock.

“Loki,” she repeated softly.

Suddenly, her eyes rolled into her head and she fell to the ground. Before she struck, Tuxedo Kamen caught her and lifted her into his arms.

“Too dangerous for me?” he said with a grin.

“I’m fine,” NeoSun protested weakly.

Tuxedo Kamen nodded and carried the sick girl to her apartment, where another waited to care for her.

******

Ami found herself standing alone at the entrance to a huge cave. Cautiously, she took a step forward and almost stepped on a small yellow snake. It hissed at her and she smiled down at it. It was coiled in front of the entrance and although Ami could have easily moved around it, she crouched before it.

“I’m sorry, little snake,” she said. “May I enter your cave?”

The snake looked at her with large, black, unblinking eyes for a moment before nodding slightly. Ami blinked in surprise, not realizing the snake had understood her. She waited patiently as the snake slithered aside.

“Thank you,” Ami said, nodding to the snake and stepping into the cave.

The darkness of the cave seemed to melt away as Ami moved forward. The dim light from the entrance was lost from view by the time she saw her destination. A narrow, winding staircase leading down appeared before her. Seeing no other alternative, Ami began to follow it down, wondering what her guardian god had in store for her test.

******

Suisei stormed around the Hall of the Immortal Senshi, smashing things in her anger. At the far corner of the room, Sailor Chibimoon hung from the wall in a pinkish sphere. She was missing her Star Seed, but it didn’t matter anymore. She was now the bait for a much larger fish. All Suisei needed was a plan.

“There’s got to be some way to drive Sailor Moon out of hiding,” Suisei thought out loud.

“Troubles already?” one of Hodur’s shadowy minions asked.

“Shut up!” Suisei snapped, absently firing an energy ball at them.

The shadow avoided the attack easily. “Master Hodur will be displeased with you if you fail again, Suisei. You will end up like Njord.”

“Shut up!” Suisei cried more angrily.

The shadow snickered and retreated, leaving the goddess of betrayal alone with her thoughts.

“Why would the Master be displeased?” Suisei thought to herself. “Lucis is poisoned, Aion and Nyx are trapped, the senshi have fled, what more could he want?”

Star Seeds, the response came at once.

“That’s it!” Suisei exclaimed. “Five senshi remain on Earth. If I bring Hodur one of their Star Seeds, he will forget my other failures.”

Suisei’s lips recoiled into an evil smile. “I know just the Seed to get, too.”

******

The staircase uncoiled in front of her for what felt like an eternity. Ami followed it quickly, the only sound was that of her footsteps on the stone. While she moved, her mind raced ahead of her. What would she face at the bottom of these stairs? What could she possibly do without transforming into Sailor Mercury? What if she failed? Before doubts could completely cloud her mind, the stairs abruptly ended.

Ami found herself looking across a broad expanse of water. It was dark and murky, and small waves rippled across the surface although no wind moved in the chamber. She looked up and saw that the top of this underground cavern was lost from view. Unsure where to go next, Ami turned back to the staircase only to find that it had vanished, replaced by a wall of solid rock. Turning forward once again, Ami saw a small wooden boat bobbing on the surface of the water. A single lantern hung from the prow as it sailed up to the shore and beached itself. Slowly, Ami moved to it and climbed on board. Almost at once, the boat began to move across the waters and into the unknown.

******

Kami lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She had been staring at the same point for over an hour in boredom. Light filtered into the room from the small window that rested between the two beds in the room. The other bed lay unused for several days. Kami turned her head to gaze at it for a moment, then her eyes moved to Neptune’s mirror beside it. Her sister, Akumu, locked within the talisman with the most powerful senshi. If they had not been able to stop Hodur, how could she and the Earth senshi possible face him and survive?

Kami rolled over to face the wall and try to sleep. She wished she could get out of bed and walk around for a while, but if Tansei heard her moving, he would rush into the room and tell her to rest. She inhaled sharply as a pang of pain coursed through her body, the dark poison still slowly doing its work. She knew she was growing weaker, and soon would not even be strong enough to keep up her mortal disguise. What would Tansei say if he suddenly came face-to-face with a blinding, golden, light, and she was gone forever?

“This is ridiculous,” Kami muttered.

Cautiously, she slipped out of bed. Not bothering to dress, she cracked open her bedroom door and peeked outside. The coast seemed clear, so she stepped out of her room. The hall spun dangerously, and Kami braced herself on the doorframe to get her balance. There was still no sign of Tansei as she moved down the hall.

“Tansei?” she called.

There was no answer. Biting her lip in worry, Kami entered the living area of the apartment and gasped in shock. The room looked as if a tornado had gone through it. The couch was over turned, the kitchen table lay in splinters, and black scorch marks stained the walls. The two great glass doors leading to the balcony were open, the remains of the curtains fluttering in the breeze.

“Tansei!” Kami cried more urgently.

A black dagger plunged into the wall held a note in place. Kami pulled it down, ignoring the weapon, and read it. Her eyes grew wide with fear and she felt the strength running from her legs. Slowly, she fell to the ground.

“Tansei,” Kami whispered. “Look at the danger I’ve put you in.”

The note fell from her hands. The black writing was short and to the point.

Be at the lake at sunset. Come alone.

******

The journey across the lake didn’t last as long as the trip down the stairs. Ami sat on a single wooden bench near the back of the boat, her legs drawn to her chest and her arms clasped around them. She disliked the feel of this place. It was dark and forbidding, and she found herself missing the sunlight. The boat picked up speed, as if sensing her anxiety. Ami buried her face in her arms and waited for the strange trip to be finished. Suddenly, she felt the boat bump into something solid and she raised her eyes to see the shore.

Near the edge of the water was a small house. Lights glowed in the windows and a small pillar of smoke rose from the chimney. Ami blinked in surprise at seeing such a comforting sight in such a dismal place. Stepping free of the boat, Ami began to walk cautiously towards the cottage, wondering if this was all part of her test.

As she drew closer to the house’s small, wooden door, she heard humming inside. Before she could knock, the door swung open and Ami found herself face to face with a senshi. The girl was very tall, with long purple hair that hung to just below her shoulders. Her eyes were pink and friendly, and she smiled when she saw Ami standing at the door. The senshi wore a black fuku with maroon bows, a maroon choker, and a purple broach. Her tiara was made of silver, with a maroon gem in the centre.

“Hi!” she said brightly.

“Hello,” Ami said somewhat hesitantly.

The senshi looked at her closer, her eyes narrowing. Ami raised an eyebrow questioningly until the senshi broke into a bright grin.

“You’re alive!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m on a quest,” Ami replied. “My name is Mizuno Ami.”

“I’m Sailor Acheron,” the girl replied. “Welcome to the Lower World.”

“Lower World?” Ami repeated.

“You know,” Acheron said, “the world of the dead.”

******

Ami sat with Acheron in the small cottage, sipping tea. Inside was nothing at all like the outside world. Acheron had decorated her small room with bright colours and cheerful patterns. A large fire burned and crackled in the fireplace, and large lanterns illuminated the room against the darkness outside.

“Is it always so dark down here?” Ami asked.

Acheron nodded and poured Ami another cup of tea. “I’m afraid so. I’ve heard stories of the Upper World, though. Is there really a great ball of fire that hangs in the sky?”

Ami smiled. “The sun, yes. It gives life to our world.”

“Life,” Acheron sighed. “Very rare down here. Even more rare here, at the River Acheron. Usually spirits travel to the Styx and onto Elysium.”

“Elysium?” Ami repeated.

“It’s the world of dreams,” Acheron explained. “Every dream a mortal has is kept in Elysium, and when the mortal dies, if they’ve led a good life, their dreams become their reality for eternity.”

“And if they’ve had a bad life?” Ami asked.

“Then they cross the River Acheron and journey with me to Orcus, the prison of lost souls,” Acheron replied. “Why else would a senshi be guarding a river?”

Ami smiled. “Maybe I’m supposed to go to this prison as part of my quest.”

Acheron shook her head. “No, no, Ami-chan. You’re not even supposed to be here. No mortal can go to Orcus and live. It’s too terrible.”

Ami bit her lip. “Where else can I go? I need to complete my quest.”

“What is this quest anyway?” Acheron asked.

Ami paused, wondering if she was supposed to reveal the nature of her quest to the strange black senshi. She looked into Acheron’s eyes, which were wide eyed and full of innocence. If this was part of her test, maybe she needed this senshi to help her since she couldn’t transform on her own.

“I was sent here by Hermes. I need his help to defeat the dark god Hodur from destroying my world. I have to prove myself to Hermes before he will lend me his power to stop Ragnarok,” Ami said.

Acheron’s eyes grew wide. “Hermes sent you here?”

Ami nodded. “He is my guardian god. I’m a senshi as well, Sailor Mercury.”

The purple haired girl blinked. “There are senshi on the Upper World? Amazing! Can you transform?”

“Not now,” Ami said. “My henshin pen was taken from me so I would complete this quest without it.”

Acheron stood and began to clear the table of teacups. She placed them in the small kitchen next to the sink and turned back to Ami. Pausing for a moment, she turned back to her guest.

“I don’t think Hermes would want you to go to Orcus,” Acheron said.

“Then where should I go?” Ami asked, rising to her feet.

Acheron bit her lip. Quickly, she crossed the room and gently led Ami out the door. The two girls stood in the doorway and Acheron pointed across the flat terrain. To the right was a giant gray building that resembled a medieval castle. It was surrounded by a pale blue dome and a thick wall.

“That’s the prison Orcus,” Acheron whispered into Ami’s ear. “You can’t go through it, so you’ll have to take the longer path.”

“To where?” Ami asked.

Acheron pointed past Orcus and to the left. A large black castle loomed up over the landscape. It had a few small, dimly lit windows and huge animals were flying around its many peaks. Ami squinted at them and saw in surprise that they seemed to be winged lizards.

“That’s his palace,” Acheron said. “If you follow the path and don’t leave it for any reason, you should get there without problems. Sailor Dis will be guarding the doorway. Just tell her that I sent you and she should let you through. Be careful, though. Dis tends to be overly suspicious of mortals.”

“Whose palace is it?” Ami whispered.

“The god of the dead,” Acheron replied. “Hades himself.”

******

The sun was still visible over the horizon as Sailor NeoSun made her way to the park. She flew slowly tonight, conserving her limited strength for the battle ahead. She had told no one about the battle, but she had brought Neptune’s mirror, hidden in another realm where it could only be freed by her if the need arose. She hated to think that Tansei was in trouble because of her. She hated to think what Suisei would do to him. Images flared unbidden in her mind and she pushed them aside, concentrating on the task ahead.

Finally, the lake came into view. NeoSun flew around the area once to make sure there were no traps waiting for her, and came in for a landing. Her feet settled gently on the ground, but no one was there to meet her. As the sun sunk lower still, she began to tap her foot impatiently, wondering what was holding Suisei up.

When the last rays of light disappeared behind the horizon and only the street lamps illuminated the park, NeoSun doubled over in pain. The dark poison stabbed at her gut, draining her of energy and forcing her to fall to one knee. As she knelt in pain, Suisei appeared before her, holding a chained Tansei in one hand. Tansei’s eyes widened in fear as he saw NeoSun on the ground, but he could not move. Suisei smiled.

“Well,” she said. “It looks like Hodur was right about something. The sunlight gives you your energy, the darkness makes the poison work faster.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The smile remained on her lips as NeoSun raised her head to glare at her enemy.

“Yes,” Suisei hissed softly. “I can feel it coming to me. Your energy is very powerful, Lucis, but can you hold onto it long enough to rescue your love?”

Suddenly, the chains binding Tansei flickered and vanished. He took one step towards NeoSun before a large black sphere encompassed him. He looked around in horror, desperate for an escape. Suisei flicked her hand negligently and the sphere rose high in the air. NeoSun didn’t hesitate to launch herself skywards after him while Suisei watched below.

Sailor NeoSun reached out with one hand to touch the sphere and was electrocuted by dark lightning. She cried out and fell a few feet, all the while Tansei staring at her in terror. Steeling her resolve, NeoSun tried it again, but this time the shock was far more powerful. While Suisei laughed, NeoSun tumbled out of the sky and landed with a splash in the lake. Tansei stared after her until she was out of sight, then hung his head in sadness.

“So much for the powerful Lucis,” Suisei sighed. “How easily I defeated her when Hodur failed.”

She glanced up at Tansei, who had fallen to his knees in the sphere and was sitting with his head downcast. Suisei frowned at him and lowered the sphere until he was at eye level with her. Tansei looked up, his eyes burning with hatred.

“Now what to do with you,” Suisei mused. “You’ve obviously outlived your usefulness. Without Lucis, you’re just another stupid mortal in my way. I guess I’ll just have to kill you.”

Suisei raised her eyes and the black sphere shot into the sky like a bullet. Tansei rose to his feet, banging against the walls of his prison. When the sphere was nothing but a black speck in the sky, Suisei snapped her fingers and the ball vanished.

With nothing left to hold him, Tansei plummeted to the ground.

******

Ami stopped at the gates of Hades’ dark palace. She had followed the path as Acheron had suggested and nothing had stopped her from reaching her goal. As she passed the smooth stone walls of the prison Orcus, however, she had felt someone watching her. When she glanced up, she saw the silhouette of a senshi with strange ring-shaped hair disappearing into the prison. Ami had thought nothing of the encounter and continued on her way.

The wooden gates were intricately carved with the soul’s journey to the Lower World. Ami’s eyes traced the path down the stairs, across several rivers and deserts, and to a fork in the road where three large monsters sat in judgment. The road to the right led to a sun-shaped cavern while the other road led to a castle which looked remarkably like the one she was standing before. Taking a deep breath, Ami raised her hand to knock, only to find the gates swing soundlessly open.

“Hello?” Ami called cautiously.

She took a few steps into the castle, her shoes echoing on the smooth marble floors. A magnificent staircase spiraled in front of her, and a pair of massive closed stone doors was to her right. When she was safely inside, the wooden gates slammed shut behind her. Ami jumped at the sound.

“Who trespasses in the palace of the god Hades?” a voice demanded.

Ami looked around for the owner of the voice, but saw nothing. She took a few more steps towards the staircase without answering the question. A blur of movement to her left made her spin around and she saw another senshi standing in the hallway.

“Sailor Dis?” Ami asked.

The girl wore a black fuku like Acheron’s, with a navy blue choker, broach, and elbow pads. Her bows and silver tiara gem were mustard yellow. She had piercing green eyes, which stared disapprovingly at Ami and very short red hair. At the mention of her name, she straightened and ran her fingers through her hair.

“Yes,” she replied. “Who wants to know?”

“My name is Mizuno Ami,” Ami introduced herself. “Sailor Acheron sent me here. I’m on a quest for the god Hermes.”

Dis’ eyes narrowed. “Acheron sent you? How was she?”

Ami blinked. “Very nice, actually. We had some tea and she spoke highly of you.”

“Why didn’t she send you to the other castle?”

“She said that the prison Orcus was not a good place for a mortal visitor to go.”

Sailor Dis nodded and smiled. “Good. So, why are you here?”

“I must speak with Hades and complete my quest. The Upper World is in great danger,” Ami explained.

Dis shrugged. “If you can get through the doors, be my guest. I only have to guard the hallway.”

With that, Sailor Dis spun on her heel and disappeared through a small door on the wall. Ami watched her go, then turned to face the stone doors behind her. The first thing she noticed was that there was no handle on the door. Ami frowned and ran her fingers along the crack between the doors, but found no locking mechanism. She took a step back and noticed three strange symbols carved into the rock. One was a cross, one was a skull and crossbones, and one was a snake. Below it were some words carved in a language Ami did not recognize. Quickly, she brought out her mini computer and scanned the symbols and the inscription. The computer processed the request for a few minutes before providing her with a translation.

“Abandon hope all ye who enter here, for this is the throne of the god of death,” Ami read to herself. “If ye be of strong heart and mind, chose your guide and enter the hall.”

Ami closed her computer and regarded the symbols more closely. All three were associated with death, but what did the inscription mean by ‘chose your guide’? Ami was tempted to touch the cross and let God take her forward, but she reminded herself that this castle was older than the Christian faith. The skull and crossbones she dismissed immediately, since death itself would hardly be a fitting guide. That left the snake. Ami was reminded of the small snake coiled at the entrance to the cave, the one who had given her permission to enter the Lower World.

“He guided me then,” Ami muttered, reaching out with her hand.

The image of the snake sunk into the rock at her touch and the two massive stone doors slid open until Ami was left facing a long, dark hall. A massive red carpet ran the length of the room and at the end, clothed in shadow, two sets of yellow eyes stared at her.

“Come,” a deep, booming voice said.

Ami took a deep breath to calm her nerves and started forward. Behind her, the stone doors slid closed again, plunging the room in almost total darkness.

******

Tansei screamed as he fell. Suisei could hear him faintly from her place on the ground. She smiled in excitement, knowing the climax would be worth her patience. Around her, the park lamps began to grow brighter. Suisei barely noticed it at first, but when the light became almost blinding, she tore her eyes from Tansei’s descent to see what was going on.

At that instant, a shot came from the lake. A pillar of pure golden light raced through the air, arching slightly to intercept Tansei’s fall. Suisei immediately returned her gaze to Tansei and saw that the golden pillar had reached him and stopped his fall.

“No!” Suisei cried in anger.

Sailor NeoSun landed smoothly in front of Suisei, holding Tansei beside her. Her brown eyes narrowed as she stared at Suisei, her arms never letting go of Tansei.

“You said sunlight strengthens me,” NeoSun told the goddess, “but you were wrong. Any light will sustain me, even from lamps.”

Sailor NeoSun gave a triumphant smile and launched herself and Tansei into the air, heading home. Rage burned in Suisei’s eyes as she watched the two fly higher. With a scream of fury, she let forth a blast of her dark energy at one of the nearby lamps. Sailor NeoSun lurched in the air and almost dropped Tansei, but she continued on. Suisei took out a few more lamps and finally, Lucis was unable to stay aloft. She landed softly on the ground a short distance from the lake and the evil goddess approached her with a sneer.

“Run,” NeoSun whispered to Tansei

“But,” Tansei tried to argue.

The Light senshi stared hard into his eyes, and Tansei knew this was one of those times when he should not argue. Without another word, he headed for cover in the nearby trees. Suisei was so intent on her target that she barely noticed him leaving NeoSun’s side.

******

Two nearby torches suddenly flickered into life and their sickly blue light filled the dank chamber. Ami now saw a large three headed dog squatting in front of the next door. The black animal had two heads awake while the third’s yellow eyes were closed in sleep. One of the other heads whispered something in the sleeping middle head’s ear. It blinked its eyes and yawned then stared down at Ami disapprovingly. This head seemed to be the one in charge.

Ami looked meekly at the giant monster, knowing it to be Cerberus. She opened her mouth to speak, but the middle head silenced her.

“I know who you are and why you are here,” it growled.

Ami took heart at this because there was no malice in his voice.

“You needn’t fear us, child,” the head continued, “we are simply here to warn you of the nature of your quest. Within these doors you will face your test. Your computer will do you no good as its power is blocked by the magic of the room. Also, you will need to rely on your other skills instead of your mind. To prove yourself worthy, you must also prove yourself versatile.”

“But without my powers and my brain I have nothing,” Ami sighed.

“You trust to little in yourself, child. Look inside your heart and you will find the answer. Now, go.”

The beast moved away from the doors and the slight girl grasped the cold handles, pulling the doors wide open.

******

Suisei laughed as she advanced on the weakening NeoSun, blasting more lamps as she moved until the park was nearly plunged into darkness. NeoSun watched the goddess come closer, a sphere of black energy crackling in her hand. The senshi was too weak now to rely on her own power, so she raised her hand and pulled Neptune’s Deep Aqua Mirror from its hiding place.

This only made Suisei laugh more, “Are those two pitiful senshi still trapped in there? How sad for them. Well, they’re dead now.”

She blasted a crackling black ball at the mirror, which NeoSun turned backwards with a smile. The energy struck the back of the mirror and disappeared. Suisei blinked in confusion, noticing that her attack had done nothing. Suddenly a crack appeared in the back of the talisman and the black energy of Suisei’s attack spilled from the mirror and flowed to the ground. The energy flickered and began to rise, slowly taking the form of the two imprisoned senshi. With a final blast, the darkness disappeared.

“No!” Suisei screamed in frustration as a bewildered Aion and Nyx appeared on the lawn, squinting in the dim light.

“Sister!” Nyx exclaimed, looking at NeoSun as Aion tightened her grip on Pluto’s staff.

“You won’t win this easily,” Suisei snarled, charging up for another attack.

“That’s enough,” a masculine voice commanded.

Suisei straightened and rolled her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she turned to see a portal close behind her and Hodur standing in the park. From his hiding place, Tansei gasped in fright. He recognized the man who had just appeared as the one who had kidnapped him before, and the man from his dream.

******

Ami walked into a large chamber that was also lit by the blue torches. In the center of it on a large black throne sat Hades. He had a dim, black glow around him and dead eyes. Other than that, her looked like a normal person to Ami. His smile was grim but his eyes looked sad.

“Hello Miss Mizuno,” he motioned for her to move closer, “You are here for your quest I presume.”

“Yes,” she answered unflinchingly.

Hades nodded and smiled sadly at her. Ami swallowed hard, her insides fluttering, but faced the god of death bravely.

“Now, please close your eyes,” Hades ordered, leaning forward in his throne.

Ami obeyed and she felt a light pressure on her forehead as she was led into a waking dream world. But this was no dream, it was a nightmare. She stood on a barren battlefield. Bodies were heaped where trees should have been and fires smoldering nearby filled the sky with a smoky haze. Ami leaned on her sword and looked around her pushing the bangs out of her eyes. Rei was dead and Minako too. Only she and Usagi were left. The first two, the last two. And she was next.

She heard a moan behind her and she turned to find Usagi as Sailor Moon dragging her sword and trying to keep from crying. There was a strange look to her eyes, a hard look and it left Ami feeling unsettled. Ami stepped backward and Sailor Moon’s eyes seemed to harden, but the tears came fiercer than ever. Ami was still unprepared when her best friend sheathed her sword in her body. Sailor Mercury gasped at the exquisite pain. Her innards were on fire and she felt her body stop working. Usagi twisted her sword inside of her friend and drew it out, putting her foot to her stomach and pushing her down to the ground. She made no noise as she fell back, only silent tears ran down her face as her princess collapsed in front of her, free of the demon that had poisoned her soul.

******

Hodur brushed past Suisei to stand in front of Sailor NeoSun. Nyx and Aion moved to place themselves between the weakened senshi and the dark god, but Hodur tossed them aside with a wave of his hand. As Aion and Nyx flew toward his hiding spot, Tansei could not tear his eyes away from what was happening.

Suisei fell into step beside her master. “I was about to present her as a gift to you, Master,” she said. “You interrupted me.”

Hodur smiled without taking his gaze from NeoSun. “You have done well, Suisei, but this is a gift I would like to take myself.”

Suisei nodded and backed away, concealing her scowl from Hodur. The dark god stepped closer to NeoSun and the senshi doubled over in pain, turning pale.

“The poison continues to work,” Hodur said approvingly. “Already you wither and die.”

He held out his hand and a black leather-like leash sprung from his hand and fastened around NeoSun’s throat. NeoSun gasped and tried to claw the collar off her neck, but it was no use. Hodur sent a blast of energy along the leash, and NeoSun cried out in pain.

“Now, you are mine!” Hodur smiled.

Tansei’s eyes grew wide with shock as Hodur held up his hand, his palm facing NeoSun. A thing ray of black energy shot from his palm into NeoSun’s chest. She screamed again, this time her cry far worse than any Tansei had ever heard. It lasted only a few second before her brown eyes went dead and a glittering yellow diamond appeared from her body.

The light of the diamond was far brighter than the street lamps had been, and it illuminated the park. Glancing around desperately for help, Tansei could see the unconscious forms of Aion and Nyx nearby. He turned back to NeoSun in time to see her diamond fly to rest above Hodur’s hand. NeoSun sank to her knees, her wings hanging limp and her head slumped against her chest. With a laugh, Hodur pulled on the leash, causing NeoSun to topple over as if dead.

******

Ami’s eyes flew open and she blinked a few times trying to remember were she was. Then she noticed Hades sitting in front of her and she remembered. A hand strayed to her middle, checking for any wounds, but she found herself whole and without pain.

“You have a choice Mizuno Ami,” Hades’ deep voice rumbled, startling the blue haired girl, “Do you wish to continue your quest and live out your futile life until this terrible end? Why do that? Would it not be better to give up now? Return to your life as a normal girl, safe and sound, without the weight of the world on your shoulders. You would be at peace at last.”

Ami was almost lulled by his soothing voice and comforting words, but she fiercely shook her head.

“I will not leave my friends and the world to suffer alone. If I can do something to help, then I must do so. Ragnarok can still be stopped and if I quit here without trying I will just be a coward.”

Hades’ smile faded and he sat back in his throne. “You have sealed your fate then.”

He snapped his fingers and to his right appeared a black serpent-like thing with four legs and three heads. The huge monster flicked its tongue, tasting the air and Ami’s scent, and decided she would make a good snack.

“A hydra,” she muttered as she backed away from the dais.

The creature advanced on her and one of its heads flew at her. She rolled to the side and ran behind it. For a second, the brute was confused, but then it caught her scent and two of the heads turned and dove at her. She managed to avoid it a few more times, but she forgot to watch out for all three heads and one snuck up behind her and bit her in the leg. Ami screamed and clutched at her leg, falling to the ground in a wave of dizziness.

The poison was slowly seeping into her body and flowing into her bloodstream. In a short while, her heart would stop and then, her brain would shut down and she would be dead. Lying there on the ground, she heard Hades laugh and tell her that she would face her death now. He sounded as though he were yelling at her while she was underwater.

A shinning light appeared over her eyes and she blinked at its brightness. A man in a long cape and strange winged sandals stood over her, his kind face smiling sadly down at her.

“I must be close to death now,” Ami thought.

“Mizuno Ami, Sailor Mercury, do you want the pain to stop?” the shinning man asked.

“Not if I die without doing any good,” she whispered hoarsely.

The girl pushed herself up off the ground and staggered to a standing position. She took a few steps to the door before collapsing. The man caught her in his strong arms and she looked up at him dazedly.

“You would continue to carry this pain inside you?” the man asked.

Ami nodded. “My pain means nothing if the world would die. My death means everything if it causes life to continue.”

“Ami,” he smiled down at her in his arms, “I am your guardian god, Hermes. I have come to tell you you’ve succeeded.”

With that, a glowing wand formed in his hand. It was quite tall and had a serpent wrapped around it and two wings spread out near the top. He touched her heart with it and he world came sharply into focus again for the now healed girl.

When Ami had completely revived, she found herself with Hermes in a shapeless gray void. He handed her henshin pen to her, which now had his symbol on it. She took it and slipped it into her pocket. Hermes also held out his wand and gestured for her to take it.

“I could not take your caduceus,” Ami protested.

“Why would I give it to you if I did not deem you worthy? Even Hades was quite impressed with you. He was reluctant to help us at first, but now he is glad he did.”

“Help us? He almost killed me!”

“Only because he believed in your ability to pull through. Hades isn’t all bad, you know. He just has a tough job that gives him a bad rap.”

“Is that why he looked so sad when he summoned the hydra?”

“Yes, that and what happened to his senshi, he hasn’t been the same since she was kidnapped.”

Ami blinked in confusion. Hermes smiled at her.

“Much like I am your guardian, Mercury, Hades was the god of Sailor Pluto. Now, you must take this and go; you and the others must stop Ragnarok for us all. We believe in you.”

Ami nodded as she grasped the wand and shimmered out of view.

******

“Kami-chan!” Tansei screamed as NeoSun fell to the ground.

Suisei glanced over at him and her eyes narrowed in anger.

“There you are, little mortal,” she sneered. “No one left to save you now!”

Suisei advanced toward Tansei, who scrambled to his feet and prepared to take off. His eyes lingered on NeoSun’s limp form as Hodur watched his minion with interest. Suisei fired a ball of dark energy at Tansei with a triumphant cry and Tansei swallowed hard, accepting his fate.

“Eternity Sweep!”

The purple scythe-like energy blades knocked the dark energy off course, causing it to smash harmlessly into a tree. Suisei turned her head to see Sailor Aion and Sailor Nyx standing to one side.

Aion straightened from her attack as Nyx placed herself between Tansei and Suisei. The senshi of Eternity turned to Hodur and pointed her staff at him.

“Don’t even try it! I’ll break her star seed and then she’ll never be born again!” Hodur threatened.

Aion moved her staff away from him and frowned.

“You know as well as I do what will happen if Lucis should fade,” Aion warned him.

“Of course I know,” Hodur snapped. “Do you think I would disregard that? There are some laws even the gods cannot fool with.”

Hodur tugged on the leash and NeoSun began to rise. Her eyes were still open and dead looking as she hovered in mid air before Hodur. He moved NeoSun’s Star Seed and placed it over the middle of her chest. The Star Seed floated there as he pulled a piece of darkness off himself and prepared to join the two together.

“Stop!” Aion cried. “You will cause a fate worse than Ragnarok!”

“In your opinion, maybe,” Hodur smiled.

Suddenly, a flash of light interrupted the god. He blinked against the light and when it subsided, Ami had appeared between Aion and Hodur. Taking in the situation, she threw her hand into the air and called out:

“Mercury Immortal Power, Make-up!”

In a flash of ice and water, Immortal Sailor Mercury, brandishing the caduceus, replaced Mizuno Ami. Her fuku was similar to what it had been before, except that her leotard now exposed her midriff, like Aion and Loki’s fukus.

“Stop right there!” Mercury called.

Startled, Hodur raised his head to look at the new threat.

Sailor Mercury crossed her arms over her chest, holding her caduceus in one hand, her eyes closed and her head slightly bent. She opened her eyes and raised her head to stare at Hodur.

“Mercury…”

She raised her wand in the air and waved it in a side sweeping motion across her body. As the wand passed, it caused a rip to appear through the air.

"Frozen Hellfire!"

Icy blue fire exploded from the rip and rushed toward Hodur. As it drew closer, the fire turned into ghostly blue hands which tried to grab at him and pull him into the tear. Taking advantage of the situation, Aion leapt forward and grabbed NeoSun from Hodur.

“No!” Hodur cried when he realized his prize was gone.

The hands struck him and he back off, surprised that the attack would penetrate his shield. Glaring at Sailor Mercury, he vanished into a portal. Mercury’s attack died down and she whirled around to face Suisei.

“Go away,” Mercury ordered.

Suisei, seeing that she was outnumbered and outgunned, stuck her tongue out at the senshi and stepped into a portal which had appeared behind her. Alone at last, the senshi let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Lucis,” Nyx gasped, running over to where Aion held her sister.

The senshi of Eternity lay NeoSun down on the ground. Her eyes stared straight up at the night sky and her Star Seed twirled lazily above her chest.

“What is that?” Mercury asked.

Nyx shot a look at Aion, who bit her lip.

“It will be revealed to you at a later time, Mercury,” Aion replied. “Right now, we’ll just say that it is called a Star Seed and it is what Hodur is searching for.”

Tansei came over and collapsed next to NeoSun. Smoothing her hair off her face, he looked up at the other senshi, his face filled with worry.

“She’s not… dead, is she?” he asked quietly.

“In a way, yes,” Aion replied. “But not for long.”

Aion gently scooped the Star Seed in her hands, and guided it back into NeoSun’s chest. The light shimmered brightly for a moment before vanishing. The assembled senshi waited with baited breath until NeoSun blinked and her eyes began to focus again. She smiled up at her saviors.

“Aion, sister,” she murmured. Her eyes settled on the third senshi and she blinked. “Mercury?”

Sailor Mercury smiled. “I’m back from my quest and ready to fight.”

“You should have seen Hodur’s face when she got him,” Tansei laughed.

NeoSun smiled weakly. “One by one, the senshi of this world will return to us. They will either have completed their quests successfully, or failed. Either way, welcome them back and soon we will be strong again.”

Tansei picked up NeoSun and began to walk with her back to the apartment. Aion and Nyx were a few steps behind him when suddenly, Nyx turned around and ran back to where Mercury stood.

“Thank you for saving us,” Nyx said somewhat shyly.

Mercury smiled. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re free of the mirror.”

Nyx made a face. “At least I had company. Congratulations on your quest and welcome back.”

“You too, Akumu.”

The young senshi waved and ran to catch up with her companions. Still holding Hermes’ wand, Mercury watched them go. After facing death itself, Mercury thought, Hodur doesn’t seem that scary at all.

******

The dark god paced angrily around the Hall of the Immoral Senshi. His hand still tingled from when it had held NeoSun’s Star Seed, the power of the Light leaving its mark. He had been so close, he had held the key in his hand. Hodur stared down at his palm, imagining the brilliant Star Seed to be there. With a low growl, he clenched his hand tightly and threw himself into the Golden Throne.

“Suisei!” he called.

In an instant, the goddess of betrayal appeared before him. She bowed low in greeting, then straightened and waited patiently for her orders. Behind Hodur, she could see the two skulking shadows of his minions.

“You’ve failed again,” Hodur said calmly.

Behind him, the shadows laughed. Suisei frowned, but ignored them. Hodur gazed at his hand again, not looking at Suisei as he spoke.

“I had it in my hand,” he continued, “the most powerful part of my collection, and you let the senshi take it from me.”

“Actually,” Suisei began.

“Silence!” Hodur yelled, raising his eyes to meet hers.

Suisei lowered her gaze from his and bit her lip to keep back her comments. She wanted to point out that he had lost the Star Seed and that she had got it for him, but he was far too powerful to deal with now.

“I need power, Suisei,” Hodur continued. “Get me more senshi for my collection and hurry before the rest return with new powers.”

“Yes, Master,” Suisei replied, choking on the last word.

“And don’t fail me again.”