Phoenix groaned, the pain from both hitting the ground and being toppled by Altair flooding her.

"No time to whine," Altair said, dragging her along the stony path around one of the buildings for shelter. "We need a plan."

Phoenix pushed up to rest in a sitting position against the brick wall, glaring up at Altair. "I thought your plan was for him to see me and that would fix everything."

"I thought it would," Altair said through gritted teeth, glancing around the building and ducking back as a blade of ice whizzed by. "He's getting closer."

"Well, you may have wanted a bonding moment," Phoenix said, pushing to her feet, "but I'm in the mood for a fight."

"No. Wait." Altair grabbed her arm. "You can't just--"

His words were cut off by a raging blast of wind that knocked them off their feet again. Phoenix sat up with a growl, her fists at the ready. A tall, lean man stood with his back to them, his arms held out before him. Realizing he was the source of wind, Phoenix leapt up, balls of fire blazing around her fists.

The man dropped his arms and whirled around, his eyes wide. Phoenix felt both fear and elation warring within him, but couldn't fathom why. She was struck momentarily dumb by him, the strangest feeling of knowing him hitting her, even though she had no reason to think she did.

"You can't be here," the man said, addressing Altair and avoiding her gaze. Phoenix felt a flicker of annoyance pass through her at his disregard.

She wanted him to look at her.

"Was knocking us over necessary?" Altair replied, ignoring the other man's statement.

"I had to get him away from you. He could kill you both."

"He can't kill me any more than he could kill you," Altair said, groaning as he stretched. "He's--"

"Not like the others. This is bad. Bad." The man, who Phoenix realized had to be Castor, glanced over his shoulder to the street behind him. "He's gone. I don't know what's in there, but it isn't Eric. He doesn't know me, and he nearly killed Selene."

Eric? Phoenix frowned, a strange buzz running through her at the sound of the name.

"So she said." Altair rubbed his shoulder, still unaffected. "But you can't possibly mean--"

"I mean what I say. Now go--quickly. Find Finny and get the others to safety. He's coming for all of you, and he won't stop."

As Altair opened his mouth to reply, Phoenix side-stepped Castor and moved out into the open space. The sun had crept higher, nearing the noon hour, casting shadows along the desolate stretch of road. Phoenix could sense people inside the buildings, but knew they'd shuttered inside, away from the frightening being standing at the point in the road that split off into three separate streets.

His back was to her as he considered a building. The ice around his feet had spread so far, she had to create flames around her own feet to melt it so she wouldn't slip.

"Hey, you!" she shouted, drawing his attention. She was done playing games. Family or not, he had to be stopped.

After all, he didn't mean anything to her.

Ares turned, his icy blue eyes frightening even from a distance. His brows were low, his whole face seemed etched into permanent hatred. Phoenix felt her own lip curl in a snarl as the flames climbed up her arms.

I do not like this man.

"I don't know you," Ares said, his voice deep and cold. It sent another shiver down Phoenix's spine, but she remained firm, arching a brow.

"I don't know you, either, but I know what you've been up to and it has to stop."

Ares' head tilted to the side, his gaze narrowing. "I don't trust you."

"And I'm supposed to care?" Phoenix stepped forward, itching to throw fire in his face. "You've caused enough destruction, little boy. It's time for your tantrum to end."

She expected him to laugh, to banter with her. She wanted him to bare his teeth and ask who would make him.

But he didn't.

He stood there, eerily still, watching her and didn't say a word. He was like a statue, unfeeling, unmoving, unyielding.

Which frightened Phoenix more than anything else could have.

"You know her!" a voice shouted from behind her. In her peripheral, she saw movement on both sides. Altair and Castor were moving in tandem to stand equidistant from both Ares and herself. When they both stopped, it was like a squared standoff, each of them a corner.

"You know them both," Altair said, gesturing to Phoenix and Castor. "She's Phoenix, your sister. He's Castor, your Watcher--Samson, your best friend."

Samson. A tick passed through Phoenix's expression. She knew that name.

Ares hadn't moved, his gaze still fixed on Phoenix's face. "Sister. He says I had a sister." His gaze darted to Altair, but nothing else about him moved.

"Did she die of boredom?" Phoenix called, earning a hiss from Altair. "Because I've already died once and it was way more interesting than this. A crazy woman stabbed me."

Ares focus shifted to her and for the first time, she met him eye to eye--the result was a series of images flashing through Phoenix's thoughts, reliving the moment when Canya stabbed her, but from someone else's point of view. She faulted in her step, shaking her head to rid the sudden onslaught of memory. Rage flooded her at the memory, and she shifted her stance into one of attack.

Ares matched her, and as though they were of the same mind, they launched at each other. Phoenix didn't break eye contact, and as they collided, it was like they moved with one mind. Each punch she threw, he dodged and vice-versa. Even when the connection broke as they shifted, tumbled, and punched, neither could land a blow.

Phoenix rolled away from him, throwing fire back in his face. He brought his arms up and the flames disintegrated in a blast of ice. The dance continued, each missed hit expounding Phoenix's frustration. With a cry of rage, she created a ring of flames before her, blasting it toward her opponent. He mirrored her with one of his own in ice.

Before either could touch the other, a roaring wind extinguished her fire and the ground shook in a tremendous quake. Phoenix fell to her hands and knees, finding her balance so she could attack once more.

"Enough!" Altair boomed, and the earth rumbled again. He and Castor closed in, both of them mirrored images of anger and disappointment.

"You'll try and kill each other?" Castor asked, shaking his head. "Are you no better than--"

An earsplitting screech cut off his sentence, and through the pain slamming into her eardrums, Phoenix heard a name.

"EEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC."

All four pairs of eyes looked round to the south end of the street where the entrance to the city stood. A woman with wild, ratty and pale hair stood in the center of the road, her gaze fixed on Ares. Phoenix's throat constricted as she recognized the woman.

Canya.

As though they weren't even there, Eric stood and walked past Castor and Altair. Both reached out to grab him but found their feet frozen to the ground.

Phoenix felt the world slow around her.

Ares marched, his left hand at his side as a spear of ice extended from it, preparing for the kill. Canya stood steady, making no effort to run or hide. Her passive expression piqued Phoenix's curiosity. She couldn't sense any anger or malice from the woman.

Only sorrow and regret.

A sudden protective urge filled her, and Phoenix realized her feet were already moving. She ran at a dead sprint toward Ares, who had picked up his pace, lifting the spear to hurl it at Canya. With a cry, Phoenix jumped into the air and wrapped her arms around Ares' torso, curbing his throw and slamming him into the ground.

Before he could get up again, Phoenix pinned him down, sitting on his stomach. Emotion finally twisted his expression as he bared his teeth up at her.

"Let me go!"

"Never." Phoenix shouted back down at him. "Not while you're hurting people. I'll sooner see you burn."

She placed her hands on either side of his face, ready to sear his skin until only his skull remained. As their skin touched an overwhelming stream of memories hit Phoenix like a roundhouse kick to the jaw. She couldn't breathe beneath the weight of them, and they weren't her own.

She saw a small blond boy, barely old enough to walk, being handed a sword by a woman in black. She saw the same boy grow older, learning to fight better than those three times his size. She saw him become part of the Army, traveling from town to town without incident.

Until he met another boy and girl - two average, nothing special people who played with him and taught him about friendship. The boy returned home, punished for his friendship until he was ready for something more.

The boy became a leader, commanding the Army and executing those who would come against them. He saw his friends again, but behaved as though he didn't know them to keep them safe. It didn't work. The more he was around the girl, the more he changed and questioned his purpose.

He began to change, his whole body transforming. Markings showed up on his arms, and a new power developed within him. He longed to understand but didn't until the girl turned up again, this time as his sister, filling in the pieces of his life he hadn't known he'd lost.

A battle broke out. He watched her die. After that, there was nothing--a black nothing that grew cold and lonely until only a shell remained.

Tears dripped from Phoenix's nose, splashing onto Eric's cheek. He'd closed his eyes, but she saw color in his face again, the deathly blue fading to a normal pink.

"Eric," she said through her tears. "Eric it's me."

He didn't open his eyes. "I don't believe you."

"It's me. I swear it's me. You know it is." She smacked him on the shoulder as she shifted her weight off of him. "Open your eyes. I'm here. I'm alive."

A single tear slid down the side of his face into his hair, and Phoenix forced him up into a sitting position, wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm here," she said into his hair, marveling at how long it had gotten. "I'm right here."

Slowly, his arms around her until they both sat in a puddle of their own grief and gladness.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay! They sibs are reunited! Older bro and younger sister back together again.

But wait!
What about Canya standing right there as Canya and not Audra?

What about Trey? What about Altair? What about Samson/Castor and Phoenix?
What about Maverick and Gwen and Bainon?

We ain't done with these guys yet. More reunioning coming your way! Maybe then you'll be so happy you won't worry about what's going to happen to Roman and Noelle...