The Seven Kings

Rheta

Rheta had grown bored of the bickering.

Perseus had summoned the Horsemen to the castle before Thanatos had gotten across to all of them. They had been supposedly been patrolling the castle, but Rheta was disgusted it took so long to gather the four of them, especially with what was at stake. She had half expected Perseus to scold them for coming late, as each of them had entered the throne room with a swagger, grinning like the idiots they were. Instead, the King in the Walls smiled like an old fool, acknowledging them with a nod which they returned with a bow.

Hercules had been the first to arrive. His massive figure, as tall as Thanatos, but far more muscular, throbbed with every step he took. His bulging muscles extended his veins in a visible pattern across his body, pulsating as he breathed. Rheta wasn't surprised they had nicknamed him 'The Warrior.' His muscles weren't just for show. Anyone who faced him on the battlefield either had to be insane, a Horseman, or Rheta herself.

The giant of a man was dressed in a simple grey tunic with black pants and boots. He had no weapon by his side as the Horsemen were chosen by weapons they could summon at will, similar to the blade that had found its way into Rheta's grasp. When he entered, he gave Rheta a cold glare, his sky blue eyes hardening as he saw her. Scoffing, he had run his hand through his messy dark brown hair, before kneeling before the king. He had asked what he had been summoned for, but Perseus had requested he wait, agitating the warrior, but he said nothing.

Thanatos arrived next with Joan at his side, the duo engaged in a conversation. When she looked up and saw Rheta, she frowned, immediately rolling her eyes. Rheta smirked at her, then regarded Thanatos, who shrugged. They both knelt before the king, who ordered them to stand by Hercules and wait for the last Horseman to arrive.

Rheta stared at Joan, admiring the gentle beauty of the only female Horseman. Her soft brown eyes coupled with her pixie cut dark hair made her stand out than most women on Ceros. She was small in size, standing at a height of five foot and four inches. But despite her size, she wasn't one to be looked down on. She had her armor on, but it was missing the helmet and her gauntlets, which she never wore, regardless of who she fought.

Rheta had once tried to recruit her to the Amazons, but she was more attached to Perseus than the others. Rheta had heard she and the king had a little history together, but Rheta didn't care for such frivolities. Joan the Brutal would have been a ground addition to her troops, as she was quite the ruthless warrior. She was also known as Joan the fair, due to the fact she had a special ability that thousands swarmed her for. Joan also used the power of the earth, similar to Rheta. While many would say they were a match made in heaven, Joan resented Rheta for turning down the king's offer.

Thanatos was the only Horseman who didn't give Rheta the same look of disgust. He looked slightly less as cheerful as he had been when he had gotten her from the gates. Although it was weird for someone titled the 'Quietus' to be as cheerful and outgoing as he was, Thanatos was the unmerciful psycho path everyone thought of him as. It was rumored he was a member of the royal family, due to his overwhelming Heka and his aura, which was the same as the royal bloodline. Rheta was unsure herself, as Thanatos never spoke about himself or his background.

The last horseman to arrive took well over fifteen minutes from the point Thanatos and Joan arrived. When he did, he was dressed in a full set of Admonium steel armor, a broad sword strapped to his side.  His sandy brown hair jutted out from the corners of his helmet, strands falling over his lime green eyes. As his companions had, his face contorted in disgust when he saw Rheta. She smiled at him, agitating him further, but he composed himself and went over to Perseus, bowing on one knee and walking over to stand with the other Horsemen.

Alexander the Conqueror, the fourth Horseman and possibly the most battle crazed amongst them. Rheta had been on the battlefield with him a few times, before he became a Horseman, so she knew just exactly how competitive he was. He was quite the formidable fighter as the rest were, and he was more skilled in weaponry than the others were. He wasn't a giant like Thanatos and Hercules were, but he wasn't small either. He was exactly sixt feet tall, but standing atop his ego would make him a giant large enough to dwarf the others.

"The four Horsemen," the boy beside her muttered in awe, his mouth agape.

Rheta looked at him in annoyance, but she said nothing. Verdack City looked up to the four with respect and admiration, both which they had earned due to their hardwork and constant merit. But behind their accomplishments, Rheta knew them as they really were. Problematic, broken individuals gifted with power beyond their imagination. She had turned down the King because she simply couldn't work with them.

"Why are we here, your Highness?" Hercules asked impatiently, his deep voice rumbling as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"In a hurry as always," Perseus chuckled. "I gathered you four here because Rheta has important information for us."

"And what would that be?" Thanatos said, eager to finally know what had made Rheta as worried as she had been.

Rheta faced the Horsemen, observing their expressions. While Thanatos had a worried look on his face, the rest looked annoyed, glaring at her to speak so they could resolve whatever it was and get back to what they had been doing. Gathering her thoughts, she hesitated for a few seconds, before finally addressing them.

"Upon my return, I was met with Belphegor, who had snuck into my forces and made it inside the walls."

In an instant, the expressions changed from worry and nonchalance to shock. Hercules frowned, an ugly snarl replacing his bored gaze. "How the hell did you manage to let that happen?"

"Yeah. How wouldn't you sense a demon among your women? A general for that matter?" Joan added.

"Like you said, he's a general," Rheta sighed. "Besides being a general, Belphegor is also one of the Seven Sins of Tartarus. It's no surprise he was able to hide without me detecting him."

"Where is he then?" Alexander smirked, his hand on his sword hilt.

"He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" Hercules asked. "You fended him off?"

"More or less," she shrugged. "He wasn't here for much. He just wanted to pass a message across."

"What message?"

Rheta hesitated, looking at Perseus, who nodded at her in approval. "Alright. Belphegor came for a weapon I salvaged during our ventures outside the walls. He said unless I hand it over to him, the demons would launch a full scale attack on the city."

"Then hand over the damn weapon," Joan said. "Isn't that the most logical thing to do?"

"No," Alexander snarled. "Handing it over means we're proving to them how weak we are. They've oppressed us for too damn long."

"You war-crazed fool," Joan cursed. "We don't match up to their numbers! Just hand over the damn thing."

Alexander gave Joan a nasty look, staring her down. "Are you hearing yourself?" He turned to Perseus with his arms open wide. "A demon within the walls? And a general for that matter? We must prepare for war immediately!"

"They got in by nothing but sheer luck. Another attack on the city is something we can handle," Thanatos said. He had been so quiet Rheta was worried the news might have scared him to death.

"We are talking about the full force of the demon army, Thanatos," Rheta sighed. "We only have seven days to prepare for the extinction of our race."

"I believe Joan is right on this," Hercules butted in. "Return the weapon instead of aggravating them. Taking them on in this state will finish us."

"How dare they enter the city in the first place?" Alexander growled. "And even if we return this weapon, what makes you think they'd screw off?"

"We should prepare at once to defend the city. The Riders that have ventured out should be called back," Thanatos added.

"This is foolish," Joan scoffed. "Rheta, return the bloody weapon."

Shaking her head, Rheta frowned. "I'm not handing it over. It could be the key to defeating them once and for all."

"If something like that existed, why the fuck would it fall into your hands?"

"This is not time for your senseless talk," Rheta hissed. "Belphegor was afraid when I used the sword to fight him."

"Bullshit. A general afraid of a mere blade?" Hercules laughed. "Try another one. Even the weapons we wield aren't enough to hold them at bay."

Rheta looked to Perseus, who sat on his throne, reclined, seemingly lost in thought. Only he could tell his subjects that without Tizona and maybe the rest, like he had said, they were fucked. But he wasn't the one that spoke. Instead, the boy she had dragged along with her, Rashim, spoke up, silencing the surprised Horsemen and drawing the attention of Perseus.

"She's right," he yelled, halting the argument at hand. "He was hesitant when she used the sword to fight him. I was there. If it had that kind of effect on a Sin, and if there are even more, we may be able to finally do something about the damned intruders in our realm!"

Rheta had seen many things in her twenty-five years alive, from gruesome torture to merciless slaughter. She thought nothing would ever make her surprised again. But the sight of a boy, barely even twenty, a peasant aspiring to be a Rider, standing up to overwhelming mages, Rheta was taken aback. Her mind went back to when she had faced Belphegor and he had approached them. For someone who still had ways to go, he was immensely courageous. Rheta smiled, respect for the by forming.

The others didn't take it so well. Rheta could tell Hercules and Joan were insulted by the fact he had gone against them and that he had spoken despite his age and status. Thanatos looked insulted as well, but relief washed over his face instead, as the boy had shut the argument down. Alexander on the other hand grinned at Rashim.

"Atta boy!" he whooped. "Even this kid has some bolts screwed well in his head."

"How dare he spe-" Joan snarled, clenching her fists, but Perseus finally spoke, bringing the room to order.

"That's enough," he said, looking pointedly at his Horsemen. "The boy is right, with the weapon Rheta has and the others, we may stand a chance against the demons."

Hercules grunted. "How can you be so sure, your Majesty?"

"The weapon in her possession is Tizona, one of the Seven Hakai forged eons ago with the sole thought of protecting the realms. It's an old story passed down along my family, old enough to be a myth." He fixed his eyes on Rheta, a small spec of hope in his eyes. "But seeing Tizona, I'm sure that the others are out there somewhere."

"How do we get them then?" Rashim said, surprising the Horsemen once more.

Perseus smiled at him warmly. "There's no need for that." Gesturing his head at his guards, he issued them an order. "Go gather seats for my guests and the Horsemen. There is a lot you all need to know."

The guards scampered out immediately, marching out one by one as fast as their armor allowed them to. Rheta closed her fist, careful not to summon the weapon. She was glad it wasn't the only one and even more happy Tizona had fallen into her hands. By the time Perseus had briefed them fully, then she'd be a hundred percent sure if the mages truly had any chance of reclaiming Ceros.

"It's about damn time," she muttered under a smirk, walking over to the chairs the guards had just brought in.

It was going to be a long day.