"A victeem?" Thorn sneered. "You think I am a victeem? Leetle boy, you should know your place!"
"Is the French accent necessary?" I asked him. "Mate, I can barely understand a word you're saying."
Thorn's eyes darkened. "It has been a long time since I met a Demigod who has no regard for their own life."
"Also didn't meet one who didn't tolerate your pansy ass apparently," I snorted.
His dual coloured eyes flared, the armed security guards on either side of him stepping forward. Two more stood on the next boat dock, just in case we tried to escape. Even though there were tourists around, it certainly wouldn't stop Thorn from acting. Why should he care for mortals, after all?
"Where are the Skeletons?" Penny finally asked.
"I do not need those foolish undead!" He sneered at her. "The General thinks I am worthless... But I will prove him wrong! He will change his mind once I defeat you!"
"We beat you before."
"With the help of a Goddess," Thorn smirked. "A Goddess who is- shall we say- occupied at the moment... There will be no divine intervention this time. Nobody to help you."
Zoe's eyes flared with rage, and she aimed an arrow at the Minotaur. The mercenaries trained their guns on her, cocking the hammer back.
"Zoe, don't!" Penny exclaimed, her eyes wide with panic.
"The girl is right," Thorn sneered in amusement. "Put away your bow... It would be a shame to kill you before you witnessed Thalia's great victory."
Thalia's eyes narrowed. She connected the dots in her mind. "So, that was why."
"Thalia?" Penny looked at her.
"Annabeth told me about it," Thalia scowled. "About how Luke had mentioned that he was going to let you have the Fleece once he was done with it... That was the plan, wasn't it? Use the Fleece to heal dear old gramps... Then, use the Fleece on my tree. Heal my tree, and then get me out too... He knew Penny was too set in her ways, that she wouldn't join the Titans. So, you aimed for me. Because Luke would know all about it, wouldn't he? My Fatal Flaw."
"Your Fatal flaw?" Everyone's eyes turned to her, as nobody but Uta, Thalia, and me knew what her fatal flaw was.
"Power," Thalia spoke. "I crave power. Perhaps it is part of my bloodline, or perhaps it is simply part of who I am. But when power is put in front of me, I so desperately want to reach out and grab it."
Thorn grinned slowly. "Then you should already be aware, we've prepared the ultimate power..." He cast his eyes to the water. "That Bane of Olympus... It is the Ophiotaurus. An innocent creature- but that is why taking its life will bestow great power. By killing it and burning its entrails- sacrificing it- one will obtain the power to destroy Olympus..." He chuckled darkly. "And that is what you will do. You will kill it, and burn it... And for your sixteenth birthday, you shall overthrow Olympus-!"
"Nah."
Everyone stopped and looked at her, while I just laughed in pure delight.
"W- What do you mean Nah!?" Thorn spoke in confusion.
"Maybe in the past, I would have been tempted and may have even taken that power," Thalia nodded. "But I'm different now... I already have ways to more power. Why would I waste my time on some piddly ass power that only lets me take down Olympus? I have better things waiting for me."
"I... You..." Thorn looked stunned.
I just smirked. "Uta."
Uta didn't hesitate. Her pupils dilated as the aura of the Conqueror unleashed from her body, spreading out in the area around us. All over, mortals- mercenaries and the like- began to pass out, collapsing on the ground as the King's will within Uta demanded they kneel before her.
"What-!?" Thorn looked at the mercenaries in shock, unable to believe what was happening.
I used his moment of shock and distraction to my advantage. My body melted into my shadow and jumped into his own. I leapt out, cutting his head and tail off in a single move with my scythe. He barely had time to comprehend anything before he died, exploding into golden dust and leaving behind a vial of his poison as a trophy.
"Like I said," I smirked down at the dust. "You were just another Victim to add to my kill count."
"... Okay, that was cool," Thalia admitted after a moment of silence.
"Thank you," I grinned before I looked down at the water as the Ophiotaurus popped out of the water. "But we have a much bigger problem."
We began to discuss our options... Obviously, bringing the Ophiotaurus with us wasn't an option. Even if Thalia had no interest in its power, she was the quest leader. Her 'decision' to bring it with us could likely fall under the qualification of 'A final choice.'
"We need to get it back to Camp," Penny decided.
"It will not be easy," Zoe answered. "Not only will we need the blessing of Lord Poseidon, but at least one of us- maybe two- will have to leave the quest here and help it return to the Camp... On top of that, we will need to give an offering to Lord Poseidon. Such a request would require nothing less."
There was silence as we all looked between one another...
"I'll go," Bianca finally said.
"I will too," Uta nodded.
Eyes looked to them both in surprise, clearly not expecting them to volunteer.
"But... Why?" Penny asked in confusion.
"Honestly, I feel like I've been nothing but a burden this entire quest," Bianca sighed. "I've been no help against any of the monsters, and I feel like..." She looked down. "I feel like this is too soon for me. That the last steps of this journey aren't for me... I have a lot of questions in my mind with no answers, and I'll be no help as I am right now..." She looked up. "So, I'll go."
"Thou hast done well," Zoe promised her. "But I understand. If thou feels that thee must go, then go... Thee do a great deed at this moment. Never forget that."
"And you, Uta?" I asked her softly.
"I know my limits," she said simply. "Something in my gut tells me this last leg. It's too much for me, at least right now... My unique abilities can only take me so far... I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished already. So, I want to at least do my part in ensuring all of you can go to the end with peace of mind."
"Okay, then we'll entrust this to you," Thalia nodded firmly. "Penny, I think you're the best one to pray to your own father."
Penny nodded and took a deep breath, focusing on the waves.
"Dad," she spoke softly. "Please help us. Help get the Ophiotaurus, Bianca, and Uta safely to camp. Protect them at sea."
She hesitated before she nodded resolutely and removed the duster- the Nemean Lion's pelt- that she'd been wearing and held it over the water.
"Are you sure you want to throw that away?" I asked her. "After all, that's a powerful spoil... Hercules wore it."
Penny paused and looked to Zoe... And her gaze became even more resolute.
"If I'm going to survive, it won't be because of this. I'm not Hercules."
She threw the coat into the bay. It shimmered and changed, once again becoming the lion's pelt as it sank under the waves, dissolving in the sunlight.
A gentle sea breeze that felt approving rolled through the area.
"Let's go," Uta told Bianca as the two jumped into the water together, getting on the Ophiotaurus's back. "Can you understand us, girl?"
"Mooo!" It responded.
"Good enough," Uta nodded, while Bianca chuckled. "We're going to long island, buddy. It's East... Have you been there before!"
"Moo!"
"Good to know."
"You've got this," Bianca gave a nod back at us before the cow surged through the water, taking the two deep under the waves.
"Well, that is one problem solved," Thalia sighed. "But where do we go?"
"... I know where we must go," Zoe sighed. "... I had hoped to never go there again, but I suppose that some things simply cannot be avoided."
"And where is that?" Penny asked.
"The Garden of the Hesperides. I must return home."
"Home?" Thalia questioned. "You're a-?"
"I am a Hesperide," Zoe confirmed. "Or... I was. Regardless, we must go. We must reach the Garden before sunset."
"Why sunset?" Penny questioned.
I decided to cut in here. "Because the Hesperides are the Nymphs of the Sunset," I answered. "As a result, you can only enter their Garden at Sunset. If we don't make it, then we're shit out of luck."
Zoe grimaced. "The only problem is that we cannot possibly move fast enough to get there in time... We need a car."
I grinned. "We could hijack one?"
"What!?" Penny looked at me. "That's stealing!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," I lifted my hands. "Which would you prefer? Saving the world? Or not hijacking a car? I'm not saying it's the morally upstanding thing to do, but we're sort of low on options here... Unless you want to call the Chariot of Damnation?"
Penny paled and looked a little queasy. Zoe also did not look like she wanted to call the Chariot.
"We don't need to," Thalia spoke as she reached into her bag and searched around for something. "There's somebody in San Francisco who can help us... Oh, where did I put it...? I know I have the address somewhere in my bag."
"Who?" Penny questioned.
Thalia pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and held it up. "Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."
Penny's eyes bugged out of her head. "Her dad? But you know that..."
"I know," Thalia nodded. "But you know that if we want to keep things above the board, then he's our best shot... Besides that, even if hotwiring a car would be cool, I don't know how to hotwire one."
And she wasn't going to waste her points on a manual teaching her how, I could assume her internal thoughts.
"Look, whatever gets us results, I'm in," I agreed without hesitation.
Zoe also gave a sharp nod, showing she was also on board with going to Annabeth's father.
Penny hesitated... But she ultimately nodded. Even if she'd heard bad things about Annabeth's father, he was currently their best shot at getting to the garden without resorting to their worst case scenario- the Chariot of Damnation... If they even came here, there might be some magic interfering that prevented them from doing so.
"What is the problem with this... Dr. Chase?" Zoe decided to ask as they headed towards the address.
"Let's just say Annabeth has a strained relationship with her family thanks to monster attacks," Penny was the one who answered. "From what I understand, she's not on good terms with them because they just keep fighting with her... Her dad is a big science guy, so the whole demigod stuff doesn't really mesh with him."
"And her stepmom just sees Annabeth was an obstacle between her and the dad," Thalia added. "And if it's still as bad as when she was a kid, they get downright nasty."
"So, what you're saying is demigod bullshit ruining the normal life?" I asked.
"Pretty much," Thalia sighed. Her eyes became distant, having a small flashback to her own past. Back when it was just her, Jason, and her mother... Back when Zeus came back around as Jupiter, when she really felt like she could have had a complete family... And then, things went to shit. Zeus never answered her calls... And Hera took her brother away.
I put a hand on Thalia's back, and she shook her head and gave me a weak smile.
"... So, how about a sing-along to pass the time?" I suggested.
"Oh, please do not-" Zoe spoke, actually sounding slightly pleading...
But I lived to make her miserable.
"99 Duel Monsters cards on the wall, 99 Duel Monsters cards~ Take one down, trade it around, 98 Duel Monsters cards on the wall~"
"I hate everything that led me to this point in my life," Zoe looked down miserably.