Hera vs. Gem Queen - Palace of Pain!

Queen was too busy hearing her ears ringing and her body groaning to realize she has been picked up and thrown though she did feel the force of suddenly moving and coming to a thudding halt. As she was rolling on her side, a towering presence came over her as her head looked at what was blocking the light...
And there was an angry gladiator, with the voice of a war goddess, who was ready to tear her limb to limb.

She grabbed Queens legs, which caused her to let out a growl...

Hera almost seemed to hesitate as she tucked Queen's legs under her arms, her chest heaving as her eyes dart around. In this moment, Hera seemed... Different. She's always been an extremely intense woman, in and out of the ring, but in a cold, stoic sort of way. Dignified. Here, however, she looked borderline manic- Like a seething beast who's finally snapped.

All the while, the words of Eros echoed in her head... "A gladiatoral execution..." "To beat her, thoroughly and unrelentingly..."

The Gladiator's eyes finally catch a camera pointed right at them, ready to display the next move to the masses... And she pointed right at it, before sliding a thumb across her throat in a haphazard, threatening gesture.

"GODS SAVE THE QUEEEEEEN!!"

And without a moment of hesitation, Hera tugged on the Gem Queen's ankles and curled her strong body back, planting her knee into the small of her back and threatening to snap her in twain with an unforgiving Boston Crab!

Queen screamed aloud in agony at the powerful Boston Crab being applied on her! She had been tired out and weathered from the fight, and was unable to resist or fight back. She has blown through her stamina. Now she was truly at Hera's mercy.

Her fingers dug deep into the mat, practically drilling holes into them, as she dragged her arm through it, leaving claw marks across the mat as she screamed in agony. Her screaming was often cut in between with bouts of harsh breathing but she'd resume yelling and groaning in agony.

She kept up her screeching as the audience was roaring in approval. Cheers, hoorahs, and other cries of entertainment rang and rose at the cathartic sight of the Gem Queen being

CRACK

Hera would suddenly feel Gem Queens body twist at an unnatural angle, almost falling off, and she would see Gem vomit a gout of blood out onto the mat. The referee nearly jumped out of their skin and tapped Hera's shoulders.

If there was any doubt as to whether Hera could truly be described as "unrelenting", they were immediately vanquished with the sheer amount of torque she put on the poor monarch's body! The sounds of the high and mighty Gem Queen shrieking in pure, unbridled misery only spurred the Gladiator on, along with the positive uproar of the crowd- This was it! Victory was now hers! Any second now, the Queen would succumb to her aching body and submi--

CRACK

... What?

That sound almost immediately snapped Hera out of her adrenaline-fueled fury, her face going blank save for her wide eyes as she feels the referee frantically trying to beg her off. She loosens her grip on the Queen's legs, looking down instinctively...

"GYEHAH--!!" Hera yelped out in shock at the sight of the Gem Queen's quite literally broken body, a pool of crimson by her lips. In a panic she dropped Queen fully and staggered back, tripping over her own two feet and staring at the gruesome display in terror as her back hits the corner. What has she done...?!

The audience was mostly quiet, or reduced to murmuring. Everyone had seen and heard the crack ring out and saw the screen. Gem Queen lay in a position that was just...wrong. Her legs were turned at angles that shouldn't be, and it was clear her spine was broken. A small puddle of blood had formed on the mat near her face. She lay unmoving, groaning being the only noise coming out of her.

The referee shakily looked down at her, and slowly and surely reached out an arm to check her pulse.

And then they jumped back in fear.

Because the blood around the Queen's downed head slowly started to go back in! It actually was shrinking, slowly flowing back like as if time itself was reversing. In a short while, there was no blood on the mat, not even stains.

Then the Queen raised her arms up, and firmly planted them on the mat. She then gave a heave noise and pushed herself backwards. A noise of bones cracking was heard. Or....were they reassembling?

Queen then spun herself onto her side, with her legs moving with her body again, as sickening crunch and crack was heard, causing her to give a piercing yell. After an agonizing 10 seconds....she sat up, wiggling her feet, and even raising a leg and lowering it.

The crowd was dead silent.

The referee quickly raised Hera's arm.

"WINNER!"

The response this time of the audience was quiet. That was, until some clapping and cheers came, and then slowly the effect spread through the audience. It took a while for the whole arena to clap and cheer for Hera, some of them chanting "GLA-DIATOR GLA-DIATOR".

Nobody was accusing Hera of anything, but there was this odd feeling people were cheering this quickly despite what they saw.... because everyone wanted to not think about that.

... What in the hell?

That was the closest thing to a coherent thought Hera could muster as she sat still and witnessed the... Reeeecovery?... of the Gem Queen. An brutal, sickening display that completely caught her by the wayside. A multitude of scenarios flickered in Hera's mind as she sat bug-eyed and slack-jawed: Was this a strange nightmare? Did she accidentally take some strange substance and started hallucinating? Had she actually lost and was now stuck in a coma? More and more absurd ideas came to her, each seeming at least slightly more plausible than the reality in front of her--

Then, the feeling of her hand being lifted to the air, the hesitant but gracious thunder of approval from the audience, and the bewildered yet spirited cheering of Hermes somewhere behind her hit all at once...

Oh shit, this is real.

Through the roaring audiences and the announcer singing out Hera's name, the Queen sat there, looking down at her legs she had somehow reattached the spine to. How had she even done that, let alone get all of her lost blood back, was a mystery.

Nevertheless, her head turned to Hera's direction, as her lips were in a blank expression. Then she cracked a smile.

"Well......that was..... different."

Hera blinked. Even now as everything started to sink in, her face still maintained that vacant look of awe as Gem Queen sat in the center of the ring, totally fine. Behind Hera, Hermes was frantically patting the Gladiator's bicep- "HAHAAAA, WHAT I TELL YA BABY? KNEW YOU HAD IT!" She couldn't see, but despite the glee in his voice, Hermes' eyes were also expanded in shock...

Hera could only pay attention to the Queen however, still at least somewhat worried for her well-being... Until she turned to look at Hera, leaving the victor's breath to hitch in her throat. A smile...?

Absent-mindedly, Hera pulled herself up and broke away from the ref and Hermes, who both seemed too abuzz to mind. She walked right up to the Gem Queen... And offered a large hand to her, reluctantly. "Are--... Are you alright...?"

The Queen took Hera's hand, and gave a small chuckle.

"Yes, I'll live. My back just isn't what it used to be."

The referee then quickly came to Gem, handing her her cape and her...tiara? Draping the cape back on, she looked up at Hera.

"I won't deny though, you certainly surprised me." She stroked her chin, observing Hera up and down. "Exceeded my expectations, even." Her smile turned into a smirk, like as if her spine just hadn't been snapped a short while ago.

"I presume I've got your curiosity, no? If so, you can find me quite easily. Anyone can." With that, she turned around, sliding the tiara back into her head where it used to be, the sickening sound of flesh being cut and pierced by metal coming, as she walked towards the ropes.

Just before exiting, she stopped and said, "Good luck for your career, Gladiator."

Hera assisted the Queen to her feet, and watched her intently as she spoke- It was strange how their demeanors contrasted each other. Hera had won in quite possibly the most decisive fashion possibly, yet she remained reserved, put off by visceral aftermath- As intense as she is, the Gladiator ironically was not at all a fan of gore.

The Gem Queen on the other hand remained dignified even in crushing defeat- If anything, it almost seemed like she enjoyed the loss. Even if she couldn't see any eyes, Hera could feel the monarch examining her carefully for reasons she could only guess- And she'd be lying if she denied the Queen's claim about having her own interest.

She watched the Queen take her leave- Before promptly averting her gaze and wincing at the sound of her sinking her tiara in. Gods, she hated that...

WINNER: Hera, the Unrelenting Gladiator!