Author's Notes

Fandom: SMITE

Fan-Fiction: Raining Blood (Part 1)

Summary: The Mayan's beautiful home is now at the mercy of fire and flames, set ablaze by invading Chaos forces and Chaac can no longer summon the rain that might put a stop to this onslaught. Though he remains ill and weak, Chaac still sets out to defend his homeland, his friends, and his people from the vile vengeance of Ares.

Characters: Ah Puch, Awilix, Chaac, Kukulkan, Thoth & Xbalanque

Warnings: Character Death

Based on 'SMITE Odyssey 2018 - The Fall of War - Chapter 1'. Enjoy!

Xbalanque grimaced. A foul, bitter, burning smell stung his nostrils. He had stupidly wondered for a moment if it originated from the cooking show he was watching on the television, but then he noticed Chaac fumbling at the kitchen in the reflection in the screen, "Chaac, you know something's burning, right?"

"Hey! I may be ill but it doesn't mean I've forgotten how to cook!" Chaac protested, not doubting himself for a moment. He was sick, fatigued and feverish with a strange illness that denied him his ability to bring the rain. He was keen for the cause to be found and for a cure to follow sooner rather than later. He was sure that whatever Xbalanque could smell, it certainly wasn't his food. Despite this, he still inhaled the air around him to make sure but could only smell the paprika he'd recently sprinkled onto the meat he was frying.

"Clearly you have and I'm telling you, something's burning! I'm trying to save your god damn French fries here!" Xbalanque finally turned around, the smell only getting stronger. He rapidly blinked, his vision slightly blurred for some reason.

"Nope," Chaac shook his head slowly, slightly irritated. He opened the oven door with a jerk to check the fries, more for Xbalanque's benefit, and they were still pale. He grabbed his apron and used it to protect his hand as he took the tray out of the oven and showed it to the other god at a distance, "Definitely not burning. You want them now or…?" He smiled, already putting the tray back in the oven before Xbalanque even replied.

"Oh my gods, something is definitely burning. Can't you smell it?"

"Alright, hang on!" Chaac stepped away for the kitchen area, so the delightful aromas of herbs and spices wouldn't interfere with his senses.

He looked rather odd, simply stood in the middle of the hub, isolated, wearing a dorky apron and flaring his nostrils. Xbalanque was quite enthralled with Chaac's expression.

The smell hit him eventually. Then, he became swamped with a wave of heat (though he was prone to hot flushes with his illness). He furrowed his brow, not out of annoyance, but because he couldn't keep his eyes open; they stung.

"X-bal', is it smoky in here?"

"I've got to be honest, I thought it was just me from looking at the TV too long," Xbalanque rubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to clear his sight but when he opened them again, it was actually worse, "Oh, wow, this isn't good."

"Where is this coming from?" Chaac quickly nipped over to the stove and turned off the heat and also the oven, just to be sure. Stood back in the kitchen area, he surveyed the space trying to pinpoint the source of the smoke.

From that point, he could see it filtering into the hub from the gaps in the planks. It was then he realised how dense it was, and how little they could see.

"Are you sure it's not your French fries burning?"

"Do you want dinner Xbalanque? Don't bite the hand that cooks for you," Chaac laughed at his words but it was short lived as the smoke made its way into his throat, and he began to cough.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Xbalanque called. He saw Chaac's partially concealed figure nod and hold his hand up.

There was a moment when his cough was subdued, "Where's Kuku' when you need him, ah?" He quipped.

The air whistled sharply as a strong wind swept through the hub. It partially cleared the smoke, and knocked an unsuspecting Xbalanque to the ground. He failed to find any amusement in the irony of Kukulkan's sudden arrival, still winded from his fall.

Chaac did, and laughed heartily as he went to greet the serpent, wafting any remaining smoke out of his way. He recoiled when Kukulkan rapidly descended. The serpent coiled its body as it hit the ground but kept his head down, and his wings up.

Chaac began his approach again, slowly, "Kuku', are you alright?" Kukulkan suddenly turned to Chaac, his whole body alert. His feathers frayed as his eyes widened and his mouth hung open but remained poised with every shallow breath. Chaac saw the serpent's amethyst eyes flutter with light. He was clearly panicked, "Kuku'. What's wrong?" He said sternly. Kukulkan closed his eyes, and brought his wings down to his sides.

They revealed a passenger he'd been carrying. Chaac recognised Awilix straight away, even though she was facing away from him. He watched her slide awkwardly off of Kukulkan's back to his other side.

"Oh shit," He heard Xbalanque quietly say, prompting him to quickly dart to Kukulkan's other side. Maybe then he'd see the full picture. He passed Kukulkan, and it was revealed to him.

He finally saw Ah Puch, quivering in Awilix's arms. As his chest rapidly jerked up and down, the arrow in his chest flickered in the setting sun. Awilix too was shaken up but alas, Chaac had to prioritise who needed attention. He gasped, and that was the only moment he took to express his emotion before finally springing into action.

There wasn't much of a spring in Chaac's step. As soon as he saw Ah Puch, everything slowed down, as if he was in a dream. His movements were slow, his body weighed down the gravity of the situation. Slow gentility was what was needed now thankfully. Chaac slipped his arms underneath Ah Puch. A stern look towards Awilix and she relinquished her tight grip on him. As Chaac pulled away, he heard Ah Puch groan in discomfort from the shift. He winced, feeling guilty. He gave him a moment to recover and spoke to Xbalanque, "X-bal', go to our shrine and get Thoth here, now." They both nodded and he was off; Chaac headed towards the couch, with Kukulkan slithering closely behind.

"Chaac," Awilix began to whimper, "There's…They…He-."

"Not the time, Awilix," Chaac strained as he lowered Ah Puch onto the couch, gently allowing his head to rest on the arm of the chair. Kukulkan went behind the couch and leaned his head over the back of it, watching keenly. Upon straightening out, Ah Puch let out a far more relaxed breath, though it was short lived. His body continued to jerk in a vain attempt to help him catch his breath. Everything else remained frigid. He was scared to move in case it hurt or made things worse. His hands remained poised. He couldn't deny that he wanted the comfort. A quick glance at Chaac and he immediately took one of his hands, clasping it between his own. "Whatever it is, it can wait. We need to make sure he's okay." He let go of Ah Puch's hand, but traced his fingers up his arm as he travelled to the head of the couch. Awilix took to Ah Puch's side, knelt by the couch and held his hand instead. Eye level with the arrow in his chest, the sight of it made her feel as if it was in her own. She squeezed his hand for her own benefit, and he reciprocated the force, his grip tightening with every breath he forced himself to take.

Hovering over Ah Puch's head, Chaac removed the mask slowly, revealing his mouth which, thankfully, didn't appear to be obstructed. His eyes and nose were wet and red, tarnished by tears that continued to overflow. He'd hoped that taking the mask off would allow him to breathe more easily, but it seemed not.

"I… ah," Ah Puch tried to speak between bursts of breath, the words little more than breaths themselves, "I can't…I can't breathe," His words drifted out into another wave of tears.

Chaac shook his head, "Ah Puch, listen."

"I can't breathe, Chaac, I can't breathe!" He cried helplessly.

"No," Chaac said sternly but with gentility in his words and his touch as he held Ah Puch's head, stroking his cheeks with his thumb, "Listen, you're having a panic attack. That's why you can't breathe. You need to calm down. You're here. You're safe. Thoth is on his way. You'll be fine. Everything's going to be fine. It's going to be fine," Chaac repeated himself until Ah Puch's breaths became less intense, but they were still irregular, "'Ey, come on, it sounds stupid but in through your nose and out through your mouth. You too Awilix," He added, noticing that she too had now started to sob. There was a moment when all four of them inhaled where everything was better. It seemed to help calm things down but Ah Puch was still in pain, with what little remained of his gum riding up his long teeth every time he exhaled, as if snarling at the arrow would make it go away. It didn't work. Best to let Thoth work his magic.

Xbalanque returned, slightly out of breath himself from running from one corner of the treehouse to the other, "I've summoned him. The Egyptians have acknowledged it. He should be here soon, hopefully."

"Good, thank you Xbalanque," Chaac nodded with thanks, then beckoned for him to come over to Ah Puch's side. As he approached, Chaac gave a final pat on Ah Puch's cheek and then stood up, "Stay with him, keep him calm."

Xbalanque stammered for a moment but Chaac, and also Awilix, had already left Ah Puch's side, who then immediately began to show distress, not being able to see or feel anyone around him. Xbalanque quickly took his hand but didn't know what else to do. Thankfully, this seemed to be all that Ah Puch needed.

"Okay," Chaac began when they were adequate distance away, "How did that happen?" He gestured towards the couch. Kukulkan, sensing that he may be of help to this conversation, came over.

"He…um," Awilix hesitated as she recalled the troubling memory, "He was shot by mortal."

"A mortal? Woo…" Chaac sighed, all of his panic seemingly all for nought as it was impossible for mortals to kill a god, "At least we know it's not going to kill him. But why and…and who?

"Not one of ours."

"A Greek solider," Kukulkan added, "Ares has decided to pay us a visit and brought the cavalry along with him."

There was a pause. Small bolts of lightning crackled around Chaac's twitching eyes, a measly show compared to what his anger could normally produce. How dare he, he thought. How dare Ares assault their land? There was anger, but no such element of confusion or surprise in Chaac's expression.

Awilix noticed this, "Chaac," He winced at the sound of his name. She didn't miss a thing. He looked at her, now with great pain in his eyes, and remained silent. She pressed him, "Chaac, why are they here?"

Kukulkan sharply drew back a snarl before relaying his take on the situation, "Why? Why? There is nothing-. No reason exists, that they should come onto our land uninvited and start burning our villages."

"B-burning?" Chaac's attention was quickly drawn to Kukulkan but then Awilix let out a sudden yelp, which even shocked her. She drew herself in and closed her eyes as she began to sob. She didn't have to wait long before Chaac took her by the shoulders and pulled her into his arms to comfort her, but it just made her cry more.

"They started a forest fire," She gasped, "It was so hot. That's why Ah Puch got hurt," Chaac began to shush her, but her upset quickly turned to rage, "No! Chaac, why would they do that? How could they? They start a fire. When we go to look at it… When they spot us, they attack us. Why?"

Hearing Awilix so distraught, such a drastic change from her usual self, made Ah Puch quiver in anger, and he shed another tear. He arched his neck in an attempt to get up. Xbalanque thought he'd have to pin him down but didn't want to, knowing how much Ah Puch hated being restricted in any way, even if it was for his own good. Thankfully, he gave up, his head slumping back onto the arm of the couch. Everything ached when he moved, especially where the arrow was embedded. He seethed at his own weakness. Xbalanque whispered softly, "She's alright, don't worry." He squeezed Ah Puch's hand as he hesitantly wiped the stray tear away from his face.

Chaac was trying not to focus on Ah Puch's upset, now that Awilix was in a far worse state. Truly, everyone was in shock. For a while, no one said anything, completely at a loss at what to say or do. But Chaac knew. He knew that he had to face the consequences that came with getting involved with the matters of other pantheons.

The main representative of his pantheon, he was the first to receive the news of the happenings in Greece: Zeus murdered and Anubis the prime suspect, and Hades taking the throne on Olympus with haste. He kept it to himself, not wanting to involve anyone with this conflict (or cause someone to worry). The moment they would've known, they would've formed an opinion and taken sides. It could've divided them or made them a target for whoever disagreed with them.

When he happened upon Anubis in their territory, he reassured Chaac that he wasn't to blame. Chaac knew a liar when he saw one and Anubis wasn't one. He sent him on his way, having no inkling that Ares would follow. Alas, he was here and though there was no way he could've known, Chaac felt guilty, for not preparing his pantheon for something like this. Even now, as he kept this from them, he was the only with enough knowledge of the situation to attempt to reason with Ares.

"Where are they now?" Chaac seethed.

"Heading towards your temple," Kukulkan replied.

He sighed, "Okay," He squeezed Awilix tightly before relenting. She distanced herself and looked up at him, her expression still pained, hoping he had a plan, and he did, "Stay here. Make sure everybody is inside. I will deal with Ares." With purpose, he strode towards the opening to the hub. He did so with haste, knowing they would protest, and they did.

"You can't-. Chaac!" Awilix quickly caught up with him and pushed back against his chest, "You're sick. You can't fight Ares. You can barely summon the rain. What about the fire?"

He hadn't thought about the forest fire, the thought of not being able to stop it making him more angry. In some fantasy, he hoped the strength would return to him when he needed it, "I have to try."

"Let me go with you," Kukulkan slithered to his side, stretching his wings, ready for flight.

"No," Chaac said firmly. His next words were then somewhat shaky, "This is my mess. I-," He was deliberately vague, still not wanting them to know to extent of the crisis, "I don't want any of you to get involved. This is not your fight."

"Chaac, what are you talking about?" Ah Puch snarled through gritted teeth, frustrated by the lack of answers.

"No one else is getting hurt today, not by my will."

Awilix shook her head in anguish, "Chaac, what is happening?"

He quickly shushed her, cupping her wet cheeks in his hands, "It doesn't matter. I will solve it. I promise." He quickly kissed her on the forehead and before anyone else could get in his way, he leapt from the treehouse.

Author's Notes

So I've had to split this up because there's so much that's going to happen in this moment. Like, you already know what happens next though if you watch the Odyssey clip linked at the top.

This isn't the chapter where the 'thing' happens. That's the next part. I didn't want to leave it like this, but it was getting way too long. Splitting it up like this will give you guys a break from all of this depressive bullshit.

Please add this story to your favourites if you enjoyed it! It really helps me out! Also, follow this story to get notified when I post the next part. Thanks for reading!