I couldn't have been more shocked when Dianite reached out his hand and offered me a place on his side. I had always believed that our "love" was just one of his clever acts, but perhaps it wasn't.

Mot couldn't have been more horrified at the idea that both me and his daughter were on close terms with the enemy. "Jeriah, don't tell me you're going with this bs?"

It wasn't bs, at least to me, and I sure as hell was going with it. Dianite waved his hand, and a bridge appeared over his little lava moat. I ran over quickly, before any of the others could follow, and it vanished behind me. I stood behind my god and waved my bow in the air for all to see.

"I'd also like to mention that I now possess the only long-range weapon that can kill gods." I cracked a smile at the looks on the gods' faces. "Tremble in fear, Mianite and Ianite. Your time has come."

"You're a mortal, you idiot!" Mianite yelled. A second before it happened, I realized that I was in deep, deep trouble. A lightning bolt came hurtling from the sky, and the only thing I could do was stare in horror.

"Over my dead body," I heard Dianite mutter furiously as he flung himself over me. I let out a small shriek of terror as the lightning struck my god's back instead of me. He wrapped his arms around me for a second, to let me know that no matter what, he would protect me. It sent a rush of affection towards him through me, but I couldn't dwell on it for too long.

As the others continued to fight, I decided that the outcome of the war would depend on me. My decisions would determine whether or not Dianite lived and the others died. Everything came down to my choice right now, and I knew what I had to do.

"You heard him, you white-haired asshole," I growled, pointing the arrow directly at Mianite. "Say goodbye."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alyssa slip from Dianite's grasp. My heart pounded as she slowly inched her way closer and closer to the gorge. Oh my gods, she's trying to kill herself.

"I refuse to give this up to you, Dianite!" Mianite yelled back. "Threaten me all you want, but don't think for a second I'm going down without a fight!"

"A fight, eh?" the devil howled with laughter, walking to the edge of the island to smile at his brother. "What kind of fight will you put up? Your lightning is useless. Jeriah is under my protection. Everything is gone now, Mianite. Face it. You're..."

Alyssa was almost as the edge, tears streaming from her red eyes. At the last second, I turned ever so slightly and released the arrow. It flew across the island, ending up exactly where I wanted: Dianite's back.

"JERIAH! WHAT WAS..." Dianite screamed as he collapsed. I wasn't going to wait for him to regain enough strength to fight back. This is what I had practiced for all these years we had been stuck here for. Lightning fast, I put another arrow into the bow and shot it at the bleeding god. Arrow after arrow after arrow.

I put the last arrow into my bow and aimed it as his untouched face. "Kiss your petty little life goodbye, will you?" Satisfied by the horror on his face, I released the arrow. With one scream, the scarlet god exploded, fading into the sky.

The island immediately began to shrink back down, and the lava gorge filled itself back up. I dashed over to where poor Alyssa was about to commit suicide, and untied her as quickly as I could.

"You aren't injured, are you?" I asked as I removed the gag. She didn't seem to be hurt... well, besides her emotional state.

"N... no," she sobbed as she removed the remains of the rope. Thank... thank you, Jeriah."

"No problem," I said in a hushed voice as I helped her off the island. Mot, who still looked like he was about to faint, dashed forward and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Dad," she cried into his shirt. "I... I..."

"Don't apologize," he replied quietly, taking her hand and leading her away from the portal. "Ianite, if we destroy this portal here, can Dianite ever get back?"

She opened her mouth to object, then stopped to consider the idea. "I suppose not. Good thinking, Mot. Could someone help me clear out..."

"I'll do it," Spark and Mianite said together. They dashed forward and began to deconstruct the obsidian portal. I watched the shimmering purple matter fade away, and with it, the one place that had completely accepted me for who I was. I willingly let it go, and I felt no regret. Well, maybe a little.

"And one more thing, Jeriah." I turned around to face a furious Mot. "What the actual hell was that? 'My love'? What's been going on between Dianite, you, and Alyssa?"

I looked down at the shaking girl. "I cannot speak for Alyssa. But... well... this is awkward." I stared guiltily at Mot's glare. "He kind of approached me one day and said he's always been in love with me. I just went with it, because I knew something like this would happen. He could trust me, and then I would betray him, I guess."

Silence followed as everyone stared in shock at me. It was only broken by little Alyssa, who was still sobbing. "Look, everyone. I don't know what you expected from me. All this time, I've been treated like I was nobody. You could only accept me for me when I was seven, it seems. Now that I'm older and want to take part in the war, suddenly I was being 'stupid' and wasn't even allowed to carry a sword on me. Do you know how much that's affected me over the past few years?"

"You've got to be exaggerating," Spark said softly. "Alyssa, did keeping you safe really affect..."

"For the past three-or-something years," Alyssa hissed, whirling to glare at him. "I've cried myself to sleep every night. Not once had any of you cared to think about how I must feel. The only reason you tried to 'deal with' me was because I was being a burden on you. So how do you think I acted when someone with the same voice as my loving uncle, Dianite, comes and comforts me when I needed it most? He would hear me out, and he would acknowledge the fact that I wasn't a little kid anymore! He's the one who's been raising me for three years, Mot. Not you."

"Alyssa, I told you that every teenager goes through this stage..." Ianite began.

"AND EVERY TEENAGER DESERVES THE COMFORT THAT I NEVER GOT FROM ANY OF YOU!" She pushed Mot out of the way and took off on a nearby horse, still crying.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat once she was gone. "Does this mean the war is over forever? We're free."