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Zagreus had killed Theseus.
This isn’t anything new. The Champions’ victories over the daemon have unfortunately grown few and far between.
No, what’s odd is that Zagreus had killed Theseus first. Before Asterius.
That never happens. Theseus isn’t sure why - it’s no secret that the blackguard likes his best friend, his brother in arms, his eternal soulmate more than him (‘and the feeling is mutual!’) - but the hellspawn always kills Asterius first.
Perhaps it was to get Asterius alone again? The daemon was almost successful in severing their bond, but the fool should know that the bond between the Champions is only stronger for it! They are closer than ever before! No, perhaps it was simply to shake things up. Gods know it surely tripped them both up to have Theseus brunting most of the hellspawn’s attacks so early in the fight.
There will be time to think about it later, Theseus supposes, as he bolts from the Champions’ reserved respawn point in their abode back to the arena. As always, the ever shifting paths of Elysium part for him, and he makes it back to the Champion’s entrance in record time. Bracing an arm against the wall, panting (Theseus is dead. He is a shade. Why must sprinting be as taxing on his undead body as it was for his one in life?) the King watches the blackguard and Bull continue to fight in his absence.
Asterius, as always, is holding his own exceptionally. He is swinging his battle axe much faster than Theseus is used to seeing, leaping after the so-called ‘Prince’ in a determined rage. The ‘Prince’ too seems surprised by Asterius’ newfound speed, as he is more focused on dashing around the arena like the nuisance he is than attacking.
Both remaining combatants are showing signs of exhaustion, however. One of them will hit a breaking point soon. Theseus does briefly consider jumping back in for a moment, but no. There are rules about such things and contrary to what many would think, he does have standards. If cheering the bull man on from the sidelines to send the daemon back home packing is all Theseus can do, then by the Gods will Theseus ruin his specter-ly lungs doing just that.
“Go on now, Asterius! Finish off this miscreant and show him that we are not to be trifled with!”
Asterius, used to most everything Theseus by now, does little more than nod before continuing his attack with renewed vigor. The blackguard, on the other hand, jumps at the sound of the King (who swears he hears “He’s back already? I just killed him!” Hah. Did the daemon never notice how heavy Theseus’ shield is? And how much faster he would be without it? Perhaps he should shake things up as well, and show the daemon that he is not the only one who knows how to fight with their fists).
A swing from Asterius’ axe brings the hellspawn’s attention back to the fight. He staggers back from the hit, gritting his teeth. The blasted, cheating fool then puts one of his arms out, clearly intending to call to one of the Gods for help. Why the Gods favor this wretch is beyond Theseus’ comprehension, but this spells bad news. The Bull had already fought the daemon earlier in his own arena. That combined with how long this fight has lasted must mean that for all of Asterius’ glorious strength and fighting prowess, he can’t take much more. If he were to be struck by that blasted call-!
Except the blackguard’s call for help never happens.
Asterius, who must have known what his opponent was about to do, also put an arm out. As if he were to call out to a God for help. Asterius, a man (and bull) who understandably does not think much of the Gods, calling out to one for help? Had the daemon hit Theseus’ head harder than he thought? Who could Asterius possibly be calling out to?
“Ariadne!”
Oh.
Oh, of course! There was a feast at the House of Hades many day-or-nights ago. Not only were the Champions invited, but so were the Gods of Olympus! The Gods mere presence swayed Asterius away from going (who in turn managed to convince Theseus to go anyway, though the party was much lesser without his partner, in Theseus’ expert opinion). However, late in the party, a more-drunk-than-normal Dionysus caused a ruckus looking for his wife who had definitely arrived with him, but had suddenly and mysteriously gone missing at some point. It wasn’t until later that Asterius had told him that he saw Ariadne that night. The two must have talked about how she was willing to help her brother out in the seemingly endless battle against the traitorous ‘Prince’!
…Did she realize that also meant helping Theseus out? Is that an olive branch? Is there at least some level of forgiveness for what he did to her? Or is he reading too much into all of this and she is still rightfully mad at-
Theseus’ thoughts get cut off by the sudden sound of…hissing? The hellspawn too looked confused as he looked around the arena, ready to dash away from whatever was coming. Which turned out to be snakes. Many snakes. Snakes of all kinds (but mostly venomous ones, if Theseus if remembers which ones people would give warnings about in life) starting appearing out of nowhere, suddenly appearing into existence to swarm the blackguard. On their own, the daemon would have had no problem avoiding them, but with Asterius continuing his onslaught, herding his target back towards the snake swarm, the supposed ‘Prince’ took more than a few snake bites to his legs.
That didn’t seem to be all there was to Ariadne’s help, as a large, circular shadow suddenly appeared over the daemon. Unfortunately for him, at the same time this happens he tries to avoid yet another of Asterius’ attacks, only to trip over a snake and fall over. As the crowd (and Theseus) laugh at his misfortune, both him and the Bull notice the shadow and look up. Their gazes are met by a giant ball of thread coming hurtling down from the sky. Asterius barely has enough warning to jump back out of the way, so the foolish blackguard, down on his ass, has no hope of escaping and is summarily crushed by the giant thread ball. The arena is quiet as everyone takes in what just happened, waiting to see if the challenger survived being crushed. After a few moments, Asterius walks through the vanishing snake swarm and shoves the ball away, revealing nothing but a pool of blood that quickly cleans itself up.
The Champions of Elysium, for the first time in what feels like ages, have won.
The crowd erupts into a large roar, chanting Asterius’ name as flowers, confetti, and other miscellany rain down from the stands. Asterius barely gets a moment to breathe before Theseus launches himself into his comrade’s arms, knowing the bull man will catch him.
“Haha! Asterius! You have done it! That will surely teach the fool to not try us again! I couldn’t have done better myself!” He nuzzles his face into the crook of Asterius’ neck before scrambling up to sit on the Bull’s shoulder, taking hold and lifting one of his arms into the air. “Shades of Elysium! We have claimed victory over the daemon! Give one up for my partner and your Champion, Asterius, for securing our victory!”
Asterius can only look a little embarrassed as the crowd’s cheering renews and Theseus beams at him. The Bull takes it all in before looking up at the underworld’s ceiling, quietly speaking:
“Thank you, sister.”