Here we go. Chapter 29 is out. I just finished writing it today and i hope you like it. It's kind of a filler chapter, but that's what I've got so far. All suggestions are welcomed with an open inbox, so don't forget to review. Review for last chapter came from Ayano's Theory of Relativity, Chasing Insanity, Slenderbrine, and 1v1MeBruh. Thank you all.

Also, Thank You, Chasing Insanity, for pointing that out. I have fixed it.

Now, on to the chapter!


Chapter 29:

Chrysaor's Lair

Christmas came and went with little EXP gains for a great majority of the players. Most of the living occupants of DHO migrated to the Camp Half-Blood servers to enjoy the snow that was falling there. The rest took advantage of the lack of crowds to get some Christmas shopping done without too much trouble. The exceptions to this were the solo players. They had few if any friends on their Friend Lists and spent time grinding for the EXP that would have normally been taken by the masses. Soon, New Year's rolled around and, while there was more activity than Christmas, most players had chosen to enjoy themselves.

After all, one could die any day in a game like Demigod Heroes Online.

It was the day after New Year's and everyone was in a flurry trying to catch up on all the EXP they had left open during the holiday season. The lower floors were a scrambled mess of activity since no one, with the exception of a group of KOB higher ups that knew the way from their commander, wanted to waste time looking for a Floor 9 Quest like the HOO and Asuna had.

The weather on the 9th floor was exceptional; the sky was blue, the grass was green, and everything else was its appropriate color. That was, until a fog rolled in. It came out of nowhere and with no warning. Boats on the water were either lost in the mist or dropped anchor to avoid drifting aimlessly. The fog stayed for nearly an hour, just long enough for the Guilds to call their members and other Guilds up and into their own meetings.

Then the fog vanished as quickly as it came. Suddenly everything was clear again, but something was different. Out on the horizon, on the edge of the floor, was an island that had not been there before. How could an island just appear? The raid group of DHO, now over 200 players strong, had a meeting for representatives of each Guild to save space in the town square. They filled the cobblestones, the doorways, and the windows, but all the Guilds were accounted for. Heathcliff led the meeting with Asuna faithfully standing on his right. Representing the Heroes of Olympus Guild were Percy and Annabeth and standing next to them was the Red-clad Klein.

"Right," the leader of the game's strongest group began as the shuffling and talking died away. "As you all know, an island appeared when a freak fog suddenly showed up. We don't know why it happened, but we can assume that the island is the Boss Room." Yelling and questions broke out within the racks of the players present. The strongest of the game tried to regain order through respected authority, but no one could hear him.

A ripple of darkness rolled through the square, scaring everyone into silence. Standing at the origin point was Kirito, clad in his usual black clothes. He walked up to the platform Heathcliff and his second in command were standing on, the crowd parting for him. Once there, he spoke in a voice barely loud enough for those present to hear.

"I caused the fog and unlocked the Boss." There was silence, so the Beater continued. "It was unlocked after a Quest on the far side of the map. I remembered it because I was the one to do it in the Beta, but the starting point had changed, so I had to go looking. You all should be glad that I waited until after your celebrations died down before doing it." Heathcliff nodded to the younger player in confirmation, his silent approval a stark contrast to the loud booing of many in the crowd.

"Thank you Kirito-kun," Heathcliff said before turning back to the assembled raiders. "Now then, we sent some scouts from the Army to gather some Intel on the Boss Room and they are due back any second. Does anyone wish to say something while we await their arrival?"

"Did you say scouts from the Army?" Kirito scoffed. "Those fools won't be back for another half an hour if they didn't flee already. Listen up!" The son of Hades turned to the crowd. "Chrysaor the Golden Sword is a Human-Type Boss that has high attack and speed stats. He fights with a single, gold sword, just as his name implies and has a few Area of Effect (AoE) skills due to his demigod origins that he activates with his free hand. Being a child of Poseidon, Chrysaor can cause a large tidal wave that washes over the map but causes little to no damage. That wave, called Flooding, is meant to push players around and disorient them, but it also affects his Sentinels. It has no affect on other children of Poseidon. That's his first skill.

"The next skill is Hidden Mist. For you people that read or watched Naruto, yes, it's just that. He summons a thick fog that we can't see through. Luckily, his Sentinels can't see through it either. Several children of Zeus working together should be able to blow the mist away.

"His last skill is Water Whip. This attack only targets one player at a time, but it does high damage and can blast you off your feet. It affects everyone including children of Poseidon. That one looks like exactly what it sounds like. Be careful. You can jump away from it, but if it catches you in the air, it does more damage and throws you farther. Yes, you." Kirito stopped, pointing at a male solo player with blond hair and blue armor that had his hand raised.

"Is there any way to block the Water Whip attack?"

"That's... actually a good question. I like you." The solo player looked uncomfortable at that information. Kirito didn't notice. "But to answer your question: not as far as I know. You'd probably need to be a child of Poseidon with a high Water Control level to redirect his attack. Otherwise rolling is your best option."

"Why are you telling us this?" another player shouted. Kirito found the source to be a woman with red hair and purple armor.

"Because I can't do this on my own and, though I don't want to admit it, there are actually some people that I like and want to survive. Unfortunately, if I told only them information, they'd likely be branded cheaters and sentenced fines or something like that. So, to protect them, I'm telling all of you." The players looked at each other in confusion. That was out of character for the Beater... "Plus people who last longer make for better cannon fodder." ...And there it was.

"Now where was I? Oh! Sentinels. The Sentinels will be pirates like to ones we fought when we first arrived. There should be... Heathcliff, how many are in the raid group?"

"A little over two hundred last we counted. Why?"

"That means that there should be between 240 to 270 Sentinels. They are armed with basic cutlasses for slashing attacks. They have little to no armor and above average health. I think it would be best if we had the children of Poseidon fight Chrysaor, weather you fight as a group or in turns is up to you. Everyone else should target the mobs. Any more questions? Yes Blondie?" He pointed to Annabeth, who had come with Percy to represent their Guild.

The daughter of Athena looked annoyed at the name, but refrained from lashing out. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Will the Athena, Zeus, and Hades players be at a disadvantage in this Boss Room?"

"I'm afraid we will," Kirito admitted. "After reaching this floor in the Beta, I did some research about Chrysaor's myth. Turns out he was one his father's favorite children at the time and was gifted a giant turtle as a pet. I say this because the island is not an island-"

"It's his pet turtle," Annabeth finished. She received a nod from the Beater in confirmation.

"And it will eat a ship or two of we approach directly. That happened in the Beta as well."

"I remember hearing something about that," Heathcliff announced. "I thought it was just weird rumors."

"I'm afraid not. Are there any more questions?" No one moved. "Good. I, ugh, I'll be leaving now." The teen's shadow quickly swallowed his form, leaving nothing but the crowd of players staring at the place where he had been.

"Well... that was a thing," someone joked, effectively breaking the growing tension that the son of Hades' exit had caused.

"Alright everyone," Heathcliff stated before the inevitable chatter could begin, "I want to see everyone by the docks three days from now at nine o'clock sharp. That's when we'll set out for the Boss Room. Someone please message Kirito-kun about the time and date. That is all."


The allotted time came quickly and all those who could muster up the courage to come were milling around the docks of floor 9. Of the Guilds, the HOO, KOB, the Army, Fuurinkazan, and a plethora of others were present. Mingling with them were the partied groups that did not have a Guild. Standing on the edge of the crowd were the solo players, walking with confidence in their own skills and, in some cases, mistrust in the other players. Standing at the end of the dock, by all the boats that had been summoned and/or bought just for the occasion, were Kirito, Heathcliff, and Asuna.

"What do you think Kirito-kun?" Heathcliff asked, gazing at their destination in the distance. "Is this fight going to be hard?"

"I can't say," Kirito replied. "We had trouble during the Beta with the seasickness and all that, but we didn't have this many people show up."

"How are you going to get there?" Asuna questioned abruptly before fixing her gaze on the Beater. "You're a son of Hades, so you can't take a boat without a child of Poseidon. Who are you going to ride with?"

"Yes," Heathcliff grinned, "you're welcome to ride with us."

"Thanks," the son of Hades responded, "but I think I'll ride with my favorite brother, if you don't mind." The teen faded into his own shadow before popping out of Nico's. The younger jumped in surprise and absolutely did NOT shriek like a girl (despite what his cousins would claim). The HOO had a good laugh at the boy's expense. If one were to look really closely, they would see a small smile on Kirito's face.

"Well," Heathcliff said to his second-in-command, "it's time. Shall we begin?"

"Yes, Heathcliff-sama."

"Alright everyone!" Heathcliff exclaimed as he turned around. His words called everyone's attention to his form. Hearing no one speak, he continued. "Welcome! I'm glad we are all here. First question: does anyone not have a ride to the island?" There was no response. "Very good. Next question: does everyone know the plan, or do I need to remind you all?" Again, there was no response causing the broad son of Ares to smile.

"Wonderful. Now, let's go clear this floor. For our survival!"

"FOR OUR SURVIVAL!" The mass of players echoed. They moved forward and into the boats, ready and willing to risk their lives for a chance at freedom.


The fleet, if it could be called that, approached the mass that housed the Boss Room of Floor 9. The winds summoned by a few of the more experienced children of Zeus that could resist the sickness that came with sailing quickly pushed the boats toward their destination. The ships banked starboard to avoid the monster's mouth, ensuring that no ships were lost at the price of a longer route. As the turtle/island loomed closer, more details began to take shape. Details like the fact that the turtle they were trying to land on was moving.

The creature was much bigger than Percy thought it would be. If the son of Poseidon were to estimate, he'd say it was probably about the size of Pax, the city they had just come from. The shell that was visible was covered in a layer of green, undersea plant life, but the cover itself, under closer inspection, proved to be a grey/brown color. Only one of the creature's legs could be seen, the appendage shifting slowly as the monstrous pet swam lazily through the water.

The boats made their way to the turtle's side and the players despawned the crafts that they could. It was moments like that that made Percy glad the boats could be summoned at any port in the game; moving it everywhere would be a massive hassle.

The large group trudged forward along a barely-defined path that cut through the undersea foliage. No monsters blocked their path and no traps were sprung. The only obstacle in their way was the shifting of the turtle under their feet.

The course they took lasted for almost 25 minutes, but the group was able to arrive with no casualties. They found that the main area was directly in the center of the turtle's back, an arena of sorts that was ringed by a circle of risen shell. The players didn't know if that was physically possible, but they were trapped in a life-or-death VRMMORGP and fighting a pirate on the back of a giant turtle, so they did not question the area.

Sitting at the far side from the players' entrance point was Chrysaor himself upon a golden throne, his sword leaning on the right side of the glorified seat. He had not changed since the last time he and the players had faced each other. Next to him, Tacitus' granddaughter, Calista, sat on the ground with a golden collar locked around her slim neck and chains connecting her to the Boss's chair. Her blond hair was wild and matted, not at all like the silky locks she had had when the players had last laid eyes on her and her skin looked far less smooth. Her clothes were in tatters, barely covering her modesty. As they watched, Chrysaor yanked on the chain. The sight caused by the action resulted in many of the guys having... problems. No doubt a ploy by the creator to distract them. It worked.

The Boss in question lounged with the chain in one hand. A helmet still rested on his head, but this one was different than the last one. The last helmet had been pure gold and rather plain, but this one seemed to be his battle helmet. And what a helmet it was.

The mask looked like a monster, but not one the players had seen yet. The majority of the coloring was a sickly green with a scaly pattern. The mouth was twisted into a snarl, fangs protruding from both the top and bottom of the green lips. The top of the mask was dressed in a myriad of various snakes. Copperheads, pythons, rattlesnakes, and many others so realistic that they seemed to be frozen in time mid-strike.

But to was the eyes that drew attention, not the snake hair or the rough-looking skin. The eyes of the man behind the mask were not shown, but they were no less terrifying. Slitted pupils surrounded by irises the color of acid. The whites were anything but; yellows of all shades mixed in a catastrophe of horror that pronounced the fear instilled in the hearts of the demigods.

"Medusa," Annabeth breathed, taken aback by the hideous sight of the Boss's helmet. "Of course. Chrysaor's mother was the gorgon Medusa."

"So you know of my mother, I see," the man guarding the tenth floor said, rising from his seated position and drawing his weapon from its sheath. "But that knowledge will not help you here. This is where you all fall. Come at we, pesky demigods, and feel the wrath of my golden blade! Feel the wrath of The Gold Sword, Chrysaor!"

End of Chapter 29


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