| The girl apparently no longer a threat at this time, Thaltos turned to Balthizar. This would simply not do...the demon's hold upon him should be erradicated, not intensified. There was nothing he himself could do...however...
"Father!" Thaltos yelled to the sky.
"An ally seeks to join our fold, to rid himself of the influence of his controlling demon in favor of power in service to the Gods of Olympus! The demon has sensed the betrayal, and at this very moment attempts to redeem his hold on our one-time foe! I seek your aid, and invoke the will of the Gods!"
The sky grew dark, and ominous clouds rolled in to blanket the heavens as Zeus answered. A great booming voice carried over the thunder of lightning flashing between the clouds penetrated the skycover and echoed around the mortals below.
"My son...this man is the one I sent you to destroy. Why would I wish to grant him greater power?"
Thaltos raised his voice to be heard over the storm, and yelled in return. "You only sent me to eliminate him as a threat...not to destroy him. He seeks to mend his ways and dedicate himself to service of the Gods, as I do. He wishes to turn against the true evil here, his demon master who as we speak intensifies his hold upon Balthizar. Will you aid us?"
Zeus's reply came upon the wave of sound from a blast of lightning that incinerated a nearby tree.
"I trust your judgement, my son. The Gods of Olympus will grant you this aid."
A bolt of lightning streaked down and impacted upon Balthizar, the energy coursing through his body in a golden nimbus. The sheer force of the energy lifted him from the ground, and he convulsed in the air as Zeus's lightning purified him of the demon's influence. When the energy ceased to pour into him, he drifted and slumped to the ground, exhausted...but free, and very human.
As the clouds began to clear, and daylight began to show through once more, Zeus's voice could be heard among the dying rumbles of thunder.
"His mind is free, but he must prove his soul's intent before the power of the Gods will be his."
And then the storm was gone, and daylight shone once more. |