Chapter 8: Pools

Siren POV:

"MMMM MONKEYYYY"

"What the fuck Siren," Samina laughed at Siren's sudden comment. Her finger tracing small circles on Siren's arms. Tai was laying on the small bed Siren had made as a pelt when she had been making baskets. Siren and Samina were each curled up on either side of his body, each having one of his arms wrapped around him. Siren's arm was resting on Tai's chest, body mostly on her stomach. Her face was leveled with his neck, while Samina was on her side, her free hand tracing Siren's arm. She was slowly working her way down her arm and back up. 

"The amount of memes that play through her head in conversations baffles me," he said, making Siren look into his eyes. From the proximity, she could easily see the small gold ring around his pupil, surrounded by a black Iris.

"You have such pretty eyes," Siren smiled, enjoying her moment of peace. Her tone was relaxed and drowsy.

"I like yours better," Tai replied smoothly, the slightly playful tone contrasting to his usual elegant tone. Siren felt her heart jump at the fact that tone only belonged to her and Samina. 

"They're just brown though," Siren said, poking Tai's stomach. She could really only describe it as soft muscle, kind of like Karma. It made sense considering neither of them were close fighters. 

"There's a sliver of purple in them at all times, it's really pretty and bright. They're captivating, almost alluring. I could never stop looking at such scintillating eyes," he said, his smooth voice teasing her.

"Ooooouuuu big words," Siren teased back despite the smile spreading across her face. She could see Samina trying not to smile in the corner of her eye. 

"I personally like your eyes when you're turned on or angry," Samina said, her Italian accent coiling around the words. The slight purr could only be described as feline.

"And why's that Gattina," Siren said asked, her eyes full of mischief seeing Samina's reaction to her Italian. 

"Well, for one it's because your eyes glow a bright purple. You look dangerous and wild when they're doing that, hair flowing everywhere. You remind me of a lion when I see you like that, just majestically untamable," her words were teasing at first. A coy smile presented itself on her face despite her cheeks bearing a slight red tone.

"Such bold words for someone who's blushing," Siren found herself teasing back, smiling back. A small beep came from Samina's outfit, a dim light appearing from beneath the folded latex fabric. 

"Shut up," Samina groaned, her head falling back from its place propped up on her arm.

"Samina," Siren said after a short pause of comfortable silence. Her voice was hesitant and soft, inquisitive but respectful. 

"Yeah?" despite her speaking softly the Italian accent still curled and coiled around words like snakes around their prey.

"You're from Italy right?" Siren said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. 

"Yeah, what about it," Samina asked, watching as Tai slowly nodded off. 

"What's it like over there?" Siren tilted her head, eyeing Samina's finger tracing shapes on Tai's stomach. She did like abs.

"It's absolutely enchanting, beautiful, and extremely dangerous. There was art everywhere, and the food was way better than this greased-up American stuff you eat over here. Most importantly, it was home. Nowhere will ever compare to it in my mind. Though this cave is growing on me," a terrible edge of homesickness crept through her voice. The tone was something Siren both relished hearing and never wanted to hear again. Seeing the more vulnerable sides of her lovers was mildly addicting.

"Why did you leave?" Though the question was spoken softly, it still sounded harsh coming out of Siren's mouth.

"I was chased out by the Serdozzi mafia, people who I had been loyal to ever since I was born. I messed up a job, so I had to leave Italy or face death by the family," Samina said. Siren reached forward and pulled her into a kiss. She knew Tai was watched since he twitched beneath her stomach.

"Sorry, but imagining you as a badass mafia hitwoman. It was kind of hot," Siren voiced with a grin. Samina threw her head back as she barked out a laugh, running her hands through Siren's hair.

"Are you gonna get that?" Tai's voice came out with a slight hint of irritation as the phone started ringing, Overdrive's name flashing across the screen. The tone caused a small smirk to come on Siren's face, she pressed her face in his chest to hide the expression from the other two. It was oddly satisfying to hear irritation come from Tai, it kind of made her want to hear it more. Nobody moved as the phone continued to ring. The sound is the only one in the cave beside the trio and the softs sound of the night. The storm had stopped during their activities, the dark night offering comfort. 

Siren laughed a little as she flicked her finger, the phone getting blasted over towards them, before catching it in her hand. The call ended before it reached her hand, and group chat was going off at a rapid pace. 

"How'd you do that," Samina asked perplexed, looking between her suit and the phone in Siren's hand. 

"I force soundwaves between two objects and then expand them fast enough," Siren explained as Samina slid her phone out of her hand. Siren rose a brow at Samina, the urge to say something petty was at the back of her mind. 

"Nifty," Tai's voice came off bored, his own phone in his hand. Siren could see the glaring 36% on the screen. If it was her phone, it would've been dead already. Siren pouted as she tried to see what they were looking at.

"The others want us to meet them outside at 10 am near the river, apparently a war has started." Tai's voice came out smooth, the rough accent of Nteri-born people gone. It was almost as if it never existed, but now Siren knew it did. 

"We've got quite the time on our hands," Siren teased, knowing just how easily Tai could get riled up. He raised an eyebrow while looking at her, giving an almost wicked smile. 

"What do you suggest we do to fill it up then," his words were also teasing, as he tilted his head down so he was speaking directly at her. Samina giggled at his choice of words, trailing a finger down Siren's arm. 

"I swear you are just so fiendish aren't you?" Siren said, her eyes flashing.

"Well I am a villain, love," the small pet name sent a fuzzy feeling through Siren. 

"That we are," she softly smiled at him before kissing him softly. She pulled away and felt Samina place a small kiss on her forehead. 

"Sleep a little love," Samina softly coaxed as three fell into a short nap. The sound of the light breeze hitting the trees luring them to sleep. 

**********RELEASE US.************

Siren woke up sweaty, her vision blurring at the edges. She leaned up looking down at her two lovers. The two were cuddled up perfectly, Siren's spot already affirmed. It was like they left a spot just for her, ready to be taken any time. 

Siren brushed a strand of hair out of Samina's face, kissing both her and Tai's foreheads softly. She leaned up, running through her hands through her hair. She knew she had a dream, but she couldn't for her life remember what it was about. Just the last words. Her mind went on a journey as she sat there for a little while, trying to see if she could remember. Nothing came to mind as she thought.

A small nip caught her attention, making her look over towards the deeper part of the cave slowly. Her gaze still mostly blurring anywhere five feet past her. She could still see the small glowing purple fox waiting for her. It floated over to her, wedging itself in between her hand and the floor. She raised her hand softly petting the small creature. 

"Aren't you supposed to be delivering messages right now?" Siren asked the small creature softly. It softly shook its small head. She continued petting the small fox as she walked deeper into the cave. Small glowing crystals littered the walls and ceilings, creating a soft light. 

"We could stay here a while and train a little, maybe upgrade our looks a bit," Siren spoke to the fox as she explored the cave. She softly scratched behind its ear, watching as it made a contented sound. It jumped away from her, laughed on the ground gracefully. It ran to the corner before fading away in the background of the layers. Siren walked over to where it was before, seeing it sit at the end of the hallway and point before it faded again. The process of dulling its presence so much, you could barely pick it out. Like trying to find one person in a crowd or one fish in the sea. You wouldn't just look at it, because your mind wasn't seeing it. It was white noise visualized. 

Siren walked forward, finding a small waterfall. It had several levels, each steep drop forming a small pool. The water seemed to glow in a nice light, the small pools reflected the soft light of the crystals. 

Siren walked along the pool before crouching down next to it. Her hair barely dipped in the water. She stuck her hand in, enjoying the nice warm feeling she got. The water was hot for some reason, it was like a natural hot spring.

Siren easily slid into one of the small pools, letting her head fall back as she enjoyed the feeling. She felt like she was being healed, on the outside and on the inside. Some random peace found its way inside of her, all the bad energy leaving her body. 

Siren fell asleep quickly, her body sliding even deeper into the water. Her worries washed away with her consciousness as her body started to glow with the water.

Karma's POV:

Karma woke up to poisonous green eyes, messy hair, and a disheveled appearance. Somehow, A Niko who had just woken up was even more wickedly stunning. He was sitting there cooking some meat. 

Karma looked outside to see a blue sky, a small rainbow catching his eyes. He groaned at the sun, the ball of light a reminder of his debt. The memory of Amaterasu declaring that he owed her being a strong one. One that burned his mood like a match. 

His bones didn't ache when he got up, he felt lighter somehow. Karma looked over his body, trying to figure out why he felt so incredibly wrong right now. 

"What's wrong," Niko's husky voice came from across the small space, his eyes looking at Karma in concern. The thought was appreciated, though Karma didn't answer. 

The two stared at each other for a few minutes, green on green, both powered down and dull. Karma tried to run his hands through the curls, feeling how tangled they were. The wince didn't go unnoticed. 

"You should ask Himari for a brush when we get to the river," Niko's tiny smirk never left, the grin a natural part of his face. 

"What time do we have to be there?" Karma asked simply, his survival instincts outweighing his bad bitch mentality for a moment. 

"10," Niko said, getting up and holding out a piece of what appeared to be deer. 

"What time is it now," Karma asked simply, standing up and walking over. He pushed the meat back towards Niko, walking straight towards the can of water. He grabbed the water, lifting the drink from it and drinking it.

"Around 9:30," Niko said casually, taking a bite out of his deer. Karma choked on his water, the liquid coming out and spraying on the floor. Karma threw the water bottle at Niko, the bottle hitting his head with a loud clunk. 

The two looked at each other for a second. Karma's face went from mad to monotone before he fell back and started cackling. 

Niko stared at the bottle trying to process the feeling he had. His gaze shifted to Karma on the floor laughing, and for the first time in a long time, he gave an earnest smile towards the sight. The soft affectionate expression went unseen by Karma as it only appeared for a few moments before warping into fake anger. 

"I'm absolutely wounded," the words came out flat and sarcastic. The tone only spurring Karma on more. He kept laughing as he got up, running his fingers through Niko's hair. The action was intimate and foreign for Niko, though Karma was used to doing this. 

"Hurry and finish your food so we can go," Karma said.

"Whatever," Niko said, tearing through the last of the meat before stomping on the fire. The two walked out of the cave, Niko walking behind Karma and letting his eyes trail. 

Karma checked his phone as soon as he got outside, seeing a missed call from Overdrive. He pressed the call back, watching as the call rang a few times before forwarding it to voicemail. 

His eyebrows furrowed as he turned off the phone, a worried expression making its way onto his face.

"Hey, did you get a call from Overdrive?" Karma turned and asked Niko. He looked down at him before shaking his head. His face had a questioning expression, his head cocked slightly to the side. A trait that Karma noticed seemed to always reside in Insane people. The ex-god shook his head to say it was nothing before walking past a few trees. 

The branches barely scratched Karma's skin, though Niko seemed to get annoyed at them.

"I fucking hate trees," the annoyance in his voice made Karma chuckle as he looked back. The trees seemed to want to get in his way, reaching towards him like swords. 

"The trees hate you. I speak for the trees," Karma snickered as he made movements that highly resembled the Lorax. The action was childish and teasing, Karma's wings becoming visible just long enough to fluff up before fading back out of existence. 

"Well the trees need to shut the fuck up," the words were harsh, though the tone itself was the same joking tone as he usually had. 

"Maybe the trees want to keep talking today," Karma teased back. 

"Maybe if the trees keep talking, they'll get shut up one way or the other," Niko said causing Karma to look back at him and stop walking. The two looked at each other for a second before Karma smirked.

"Are you saying you'd fuck a tree?" 

"NO, I'm saying I'd fuck you," Niko said, facepalming.

"We were talking about the trees though sir."

"Well, where did you action fucking from then?" The comment from Niko caused Karma to stop and think. His hand going up to curl around his jaw in a thinking pose.

"I don't know," his response was dry as he continued walking.

"That's not an answer Karma."

"Shut up Treefucker," Karma said, sitting his middle finger up at his companion.

"I never said I would fuck the trees, I would not fuck a tree."

"What were you implying but shutting up the trees then?"

"That I would shut you up by fucking you."

"So shutting up is an analogy for fucking in this case right?"

"Fucking you!" Niko shouted out, his arms waving around in playful anger. His rough voice reminded Karma of whenever Siren and Overdrive were on the game. The memory of Siren yelling that Overdrive was cheating using her power was a scene Karma had seen a million times. Overdrive usually just smirked and asked where her proof was. Karma went silent as he cherished the memory, the tiny teasing grin on his face morphing into a small earnest smile. 

The two walked in silence for a few minutes after that, both of them in their own thoughts. The sounds of forest surrounded them along with the crunch of leaves beneath their shoes. Different types of birds chirped in the trees above them, a couple of them getting attacked by the squirrels scurrying through the trees. 

"Treefucker," the word came out of Karma's mouth as a small whisper, Niko still heard it nonetheless. 

"I don't fuck trees," Niko groaned, running his fingers through his hair. 

"Yeah yeah ok treefucker," Karma teased again, snickering to himself.

"Are you ever going to let this go?"

"I still call Athena sheath after the one time she tripped and her spear went up in her-" 

"I don't want to hear about a goddess getting rocked by her own weapon," Niko said laughing at the vulgarity. 

"I was going to say stomach Niko," Karma said, before laughing at the annoyed face he was rewarded with. 

"Are you sure you're a god?" Niko asked, pulling one of Karma's cheeks softly. His hand was slapped away quickly.

"Yes, I'm sure. Why?" 

"You say some pretty childish remarks for a so-called divine being," the deadpan on Niko's face made Karma hit him in the back of the head. 

"Well, Hera, Aphrodite, Hecate, Poseidon, Susanoo, and Chang'e are all pretty childish in their own ways too."

"I don't even want to hear about this one."

Overdrive's POV:

Overdrive was sleeping peacefully when a jolt of panic went through her. She hopped up and quickly hopped back. A bolt of ice hit exactly where she was sleeping a minute ago. It was the dead of the night still, the time unknown to her. She looked for her phone, her eyes flickering from place to place. It was no use she couldn't see shit.

"Nice reaction time," a voice spoke through the darkness. Overdrive didn't have to see who it was to recognize the voice, she knew it by heart. 

"Irina," She stated simply, trying to look around to find where the voice was coming from. 

"Trinitie," the name was one Overdrive had not heard in a long time, a name she had given up in exchange for power. 

"It's Overdrive now," her words were blunt and monochrome as her power kicked in, the emotions from waking up shocking themselves numb. 

"Does the name bring unwanted memories?" the voice was sharp with disgust. 

"That's not of your concern," Overdrive stated as she tore her sleeves off. Her pants tore from her jump backward. Usually, she didn't have to fight much. She knew she'd need full mobility for this fight, however.

"And I'm supposed to be the ice one. Jeez, woman, you are cold," Snowflake joked as she strutted just close enough for Overdrive to see her silhouette. 

Overdrive channeled electricity throughout her whole body, the threatening taser-like sound filling the whole cave. Blue currents of electricity ran over and throughout her body, dragging along both pain and pleasure. Her eyes glowed blue as she vibrated in her spot, ready to take down the menace she knew was in front of her. 

"Only for you, snake." The words came out harshly among the sounds of circuits of electricity. 

"And to think you once loved me," Snowflake smiled at her, her white hair glinting for a second. Irina was perfectly sculpted, by doctors and her own power alike. 

"Alright then Leonidas," Overdrive smirked at the face of rage that fell on Snowflakes face for a second. She hated remembering her old state.

"Don't call me that," her words sizzled like acid as her eyes started to glow silver. 

"Looks like I'm not the only one with sore memories huh?" the words were meant to egg her on. Snowflake "Tch" ed at her, the Russian sound coming off naturally. 

"I'll take revenge for the others," Snowflake said looking for a reaction. The lack of one only confirmed what she already knew. The sounds of ice and electricity filled the cave as both flexed their powers, trying to intimidate each other. 

"Go ahead and try," Overdrive's statement was hungry. She wanted to kill the ice-bending woman painfully. 

The two made eye contact before Overdrive's hand was already blasting forward, her fist flying straight into a wall of ice. The cold bit at her hand as she shattered, glass-like shards melting before they could hit the ground. The electric currents in her hand flew through the ice and water, evaporating some of it. 

As soon as Overdrive's feet touched the ground, she launched herself to the left. Ice launched itself in the spot she was just in as she cartwheeled in the air before jumping back to avoid another attack of sharp ice projectiles. She noted how far they sunk into the ground before jumping onto the wall and grabbing the hilt of her sword. 

Overdrive launched from the wall to the ceiling, watching how the world turned upside down. She had a clear view of an ice sword forming fast in Snowflake's hands. She launched at her, the slight burn of exertion in her legs reminding her of a massage. 

The air whipped past her as she swung her katana into the ice sword, making sure to forego her technique in favor of shattering the sword to slicing it cleanly in half. She flicked the shards away quickly, before easily maneuvering her sword so it was cutting a sharp line back through the air. The bitter, cold bite in the air kept her on full alert, the warning system in her body causing her to flip back. The same ice shards she just flicked away, planting themselves in the spot she was just in.

She swung her sword, driving her power into the sword. The handle vibrated in her hand as she swung it, a sharp current of electricity flying past Snowflake. Overdrive landed on the ground across from her enemy, a pang of satisfaction hitting her as she watched a long line appear on Snowflake's arm. 

A sharp ache resonated from her leg, causing her to glance down at it for a second. The sting of frostbite crawled up her leg, originating from a small cut on her leg. 

Overdrive growled at little at the sight before launching back at Snowflake. The two entered a dance of blows, trading blow for blow with their swords. Ice spread and shattered while Electricity bounced and crackled. They were both in laser focus, the word moving in slow motion around them as they slowly sped up. 

Overdrive grabbed Snowflake's shoulder, launching herself over the girl while pointing her hand down. A barrage of lightning came from her hand, aiming to kill any and everything under it. As she landed, she jumped back to avoid more ice shards. 

She pushed more electricity through her, blasting towards her enemy with pain searing through her. She swung her sword multiple times, with the speed and accuracy of an assassin. She felt a hand grab her foot, and Ice crawled up her other leg and up to her waist. 

She channeled electricity through her legs, cracking the ice and feeling it fall off. Her gaze stayed on the opponent below her. Snowflake had cuts all over her, a large part of her hair burnt off. Burns were littering her arms and stomach, her lips blue from overusing her power. She was still looking dead into Overdrive's soul with rage as Overdrive yanked her foot out of the ice queen's hand. 

Her legs felt burnt and numb all at once. A part of her back the same as her legs, while a couple cuts rested on her arms. She ignored them as she reeled her foot back and launched it into Snowflake's face. She felt the loud crunch with her foot and heard it bounce in the cave. The sound made her smile. Her eyes lighting up as her eyebrows scrunched in what could only be described as absolute pleasurable satisfaction. 

She peered down at the woman's face, a large bruise forming on her crooked, bleeding nose. She still had that disgusting look in her eyes. Overdrive pulled her foot back again, launching it into her side. Several pops and cracks came from the kick, the feeling of her foot breaking multiple ribs only making her smile wider. 

"You know you look almost as ugly as you did when you were a guy," her words were harsh as she launched another kick into Snowflake, watching her fly to the other side of the cave and hit the wall. 

Overdrive smoothly followed her, despite the pain in her legs slowly spreading. Her gaze never left her prey as her steps echoed one by one. She watched as Snowflake gritted her teeth before she sat on her back, the broken rips not being able to support any of her weight. One leg on each side, she reached forward and slowly wrapped her hands around Snowflake's throat. 

A tiny noise of panic came from the girl as she tried to claw herself away, throw Overdrive off, or even flip them. Overdrive's grip only got tighter. She could feel her pulse beneath her throat, going faster by the second. She chuckled at the sounds of Snowflake's gasp, as she tightened her hands more. She pushed her remaining power into her hands, watching as electricity sizzled and burned Snowflake's neck. The ice woman released a warbled scream, her clawing getting more desperate before her eyes rolled back into her head. Her head hitting the floor with a loud smack. 

Overdrive could still feel her pulse, unfortunately, but she tried to look on the bright side. At least, she could keep causing Snowflake pain until she actually died. 

She walked over to her phone, picking it up. It immediately turned on and showed a 98 percent, still charged from being next to her. She swiped on it, pulling up Karma's contact. She called him first, getting frustrated as the call went to voicemail. She rolled her eyes as she went over to Samina's contact, calling her instead. The phone rang the whole time before going to voicemail too. She sighed before calling the group chat, hearing a phone ring behind her.

She turned around quickly, right as she felt immense pain in her chest. Her eyes boring straight in another pair. A hand going straight through her chest. A tear fell down her cheek and onto the ground as she coughed, blood coming out and landing on the ground. It dripped down her jaw, staining her clothes and body. She just hung there for a second in shock, before she cursed.

"You traitor," her words came out strangled and rough as she cursed the person in front of her, more tears falling down her chest. 

The hand was ripped out of her chest, her body falling to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Blood pouring from her body as she felt her heart slowing down. Her eyes closed on their own accord. She listened as the person picked up her phone and turned it off, before walking over and grabbing Snowflake. They walked out of the cave slowly. Overdrive was completely alone as her consciousness faded out.

Then, she died.

A/N: Honestly, big oof.