Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 27— Furies, Gorgons, And Unexpected Surprises

.

"Since when can you create jeeps out of thin air!?" Annabeth exclaimed as our SUV steered past multiple vehicles.

I wasn't some professional but I was much better than a GTA driver, so we managed to maintain good speed without crashing into anyone.

"Did you forget about those metal chains in the war?" I asked back, eyes still on road. "Where do you think they came from?"

"I heard about it." She replied, and I could hear the frown in her voice. "But I thought you prepared them beforehand and simply stowed them away in that pocket dimension of yours."

I thought back to all of our time, and realized there were a lot of my abilities that I've never shown to anyone in the camp. It wasn't as if I was trying to be secretive—a god need not hide his strength—it was simply due to my lack of presence around them.

"Well..." I shrugged. "Now you know."

"What war are we talking about here guys?" Percy butted in.

"Come on, seaweed brain. You can't be that clueless." Annabeth's exasperation was mixed with blatant mocking. And thus restarted their bickering again as we passed Lincoln Tunnel.

The dark hollow tunnel cut off all the sound from the outside. With only the aisle lights and engine noises for company, we sped through the—thankfully—mostly empty tunnel.

Which was why I never heard the flapping of wings until we were completely out in the open. Or in other words, until it was too late. Even then, the sudden start of rain managed to muffle the sound enough that had my ears been even a little less keen we wouldn't have known what hit us.

"Hold on, you two!" I called out to the back with a sigh. 'How many times have I killed them now?'

All the same, the three Furies slammed against our car with enough force to almost topple it to one side.

The path of our vehicle changed, but I drove on unconcerned. The Furies seemed like such boring opponents now, that going out there in the rain to face them felt more challenging than the actual killing part.

The car sped down multiple headlights, zigzagging through the road like a possessed horse—ignoring the furious horns and curses— as we slipped through the wet asphalt, trying to shake off the three bitches. Yet, they held on like stubborn mules that I knew them to be.

"Fuck off!" I started honking the horn loudly. in annoyance. "Don't make me come out there and cream you punks!"

The Furies stopped screeching immediately. There was some blessed silence for a few seconds but their momentary hesitation disappeared soon after, and they slammed down upon the car with renewed force.

Window glass broke inside from the force, the metal was torn apart by the claws, and I lost control of the SUV.

We were in some rural area—woods to one side, Hudson river on another—when our car left the dusty roads and hit into a tree.

Annabeth and Percy groaned in the back seat as I kicked off the car door irritably. "Fine. I'll do it myself."

Before another horrible screech could ruin my day, I leapt out of the busted car and headed straight for the three bats, my already materialized glove extending into a spear.

All three of them squeaked back but they were too slow. My spear cleaved cleaned through one of them as soon as I stepped into the air.

"Curse you halfbreed!" Screeched Mrs. Dodds as her companion turned into dust. "Why must you always ruin everything!?"

The third Fury was smart. She ignored me and dove for the crashed SUV. I would still have more than enough time to strike her down but I hesitated.

The kids gotta fight. At their age, Thalia and Luke were able to fend off all three Furies. If these two can't even handle one, I might as well pack their bags and send them home.

I turned my attention back to the Fury boss. "Why are you still here, you overgrown bat? Getting chopped up two times not enough for you?"

"This has nothing to do with you godling!" Mrs. Dodds screeched once again. "Stay out of this if you wish to avoid eternal torment!"

Snorting, I shook my head. "Why are you even attacking the boy anyway? Even if he dies, I'll still continue the quest for the bolt, you know that right?"

The fury hesitated for a second, before her face twisted in a scowl again. "Do not lie to me, Mikael Gabrielson! Your friend is the lightning thief and you know it!"

...What.

I opened my mouth to ask but the Fury quickly took a chance at my supposed 'momentary hesitation' and started flapping away quickly.

"Alright fuck off, you stupid animal." I grouched, my spear turning to a bow and rapidly letting lose a shower of arrows. "Can't be bothered to deal with your bullshit."

My poison laced Celestial arrows ripped into her wings, eliciting a shriek of pain and agony just before she turned to dust.

I turned back to look at the duo and saw a scene worthy of circus. Annabeth was clinging to the Fury's back—riding the monster like a Rodeo—with her hand pressed against her leathery skin, electricity dancing along the edges. The Fury shrieked, buckling about, but could do nothing as Riptide came stabbing towards her heart, finally putting the poor monster down for good.

I clapped enthusiastically. "Well done guys, such superb teamwork! Why, if I didn't know better I'd say you were doing this for years!"

They both scowled at me. "Shut up."

I laughed aloud, before turning deeper into the woods. "C'mon, we need to go."

.

We started out trek through the woods just as the sun set completely.

"Wait, why are we going into the forest again?" Percy asked with a groan, his foot almost slipping into a wild vine again.

"The Furies knew where we were going to be." I replied, navigating my way through the dark forest effortlessly. "Which means so does the other monsters. Our quest is probably being blasted on Hephaestus T.V right now, and our name printed on the first page of Olympus weekly."

"Okaaay, but why through these woods? We've lost all our supplies in the destroyed car, how are we going to live in a jungle?"

"I've lived half my life in forests, boy. There's no one better than me to guide you through here." I replied, my eyes constantly searching for any irregularities. "Except perhaps the hunters. But I bet I could give them a run for their money."

Of course, my real reason was much more exciting than that. Atleast for me.

I knew something was different about this forest. The woods around Hudson river weren't this deep, and the air wasn't this harsh and quiet. But the most giving of all signs must be the unmistakable traces of mist and Mystiokinesis in the air. The magic was supposed to lead us somewhere, almost like a passive beacon that unsuspecting fools would subconsciously follow.

And the direction it came from was deeper in the woods, thus our current trek.

'It must be a way to lure some helpless dinner.' I concluded after coping a feel for the magic. 'But what monster lures people like this?'

Normally I'd have already flown over the area, searching every corner for the source of magic, but with these two...

'On foot like a common soldier.' I sighed, glancing at my two blundering companions. "Be ready for a fight you two."

The woods parted to reveal light up ahead; neon fluorescent type.

"Mmm...I could smell.." Percy started, sniffling the air. "...French fries? hmm...and yummy greasy cheeseburgers..."

"Me too." Annabeth agreed.

Both of their mouths were starting to water as they turned to me pleadingly.

I frowned. I couldn't smell anything, which was impossible if these two could do so. Perhaps the magic was messing with their brains?

'...Perhaps the Lamia reborn?' I wondered, feeling a small surge of anger and excitement building up.

"Keep your guard up, both of you. I've got a bad feeling about this."

I shouldn't, of course. Even if the Lamia was here, I should be able to tear her apart pieces to pieces. Her magic probably wouldn't even work on me anymore. And yet the memories of standing upon the hill, helpless at my sister's death, was too stark a reminder to ignore.

'But if this truly is the Lamia...' I felt a smile curving up on my face. This time, her death wouldn't be as quick as before.

The other two didn't look convinced but didn't question me either.

Soon we came upon an empty double lane dusty road in the middle of the forest. On the other side of the road was an abandoned gas station, with an old tattered up movie billboard. The only thing that looked to have some life in the whole area was an old building that was the source of neon light.

The smell of food seemed to have dulled their senses because both the kids started on without me. I followed with a sigh.

Perhaps it was better to let them experience the error of their ways, and they'll know to listen next time.

"What the heck does that say?" Percy asked, as we approached the low but long building—like a warehouse—with a neon sign stuck on front reading 'Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium'.

"I don't know." Annabeth replied.

Ah, their dyslexia. A good thing I wasn't plagued with the condition. Though that was most likely thanks to my mother's lineage. It felt good, being able to understand any language.

I announced the name to the kids, before stalking forward. "Be weary, you two."

"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "So it's probably open."

"A snack bar?" Percy wistfully asked.

"A snack bar." The girl agreed.

I sighed. "You two do know that I can simply create food if you get hungry?"

They scampered inside anyway.

I was disappointed. I expected a better showing from the two, especially from a daughter of Athena. It was natural for Percy to be dumb and ignorant—he was quite new to this afterall. But Annabeth had been preparing for this very moment for half her life.

I expected better.

"A snack bar in the middle of a forest." I muttered, moving after them.

Would Thalia and Luke have made such stupid mistakes? Somehow, I doubted it. Perhaps it was harsh to compare the two pairs, but I found myself doing so anyway.

I huffed. Then again, perhaps it was better they were so different. Atleast they won't turn out like Luke in the end. And they were both alive still.

We passed through the acre wide open area in front of the warehouse. Most of the space was taken by cement statues littering everywhere. They ranged from humans to animals, adults to children, males to females. There were even some satyrs playing pipes.

I approached the statues as the excited duo moved for the warehouse, keeping my ears focused on them.

The statues had made something click in my mind. The only being I knew who'd lure people through magic, only to make a statue out of them, was Medusa.

I heard the door to the warehouse open, before hearing the sound of an old woman talking to the kids.

I frowned. Could they handle such a monster? Or was I expecting way too much from a couple of brats?

'Thalia would've handled her with ease. And she didn't have me training her for half a year...'

Could Percy do the same? Maybe, maybe not. I decided to wait and see.

'Observe' I shifted my attention to one of the Satyr statues, though still keeping my senses upon the kids and hearing every single word.

Ferdinand Underwood

Race: Statue (Satyr)

Tier: 2

Level: 154

Status: Dead

There was another option to view the statue's stats but I dismissed it. This was more than incriminating enough.

'Medusa...' I recalled the list given to me by Hephaestus.

[Medusa's head

Nemean Lion's Pelt

Chimera's blood]

These were the things requested for my armour...

It had to be luck, surely? Or was I being helped by some friendly Deity?

'Whatever.' I dismissed the subject, walking inside the warehouse—towards my innocent little companions.

I found them eating burgers from Medusa's hands.

'Fair enough.'

"Oh, my dears!" The monster exclaimed, looking like an old lady from the east, with her face covered by a thin cloth—only her eyes visible behind a black gauze. "You never told me you had a friend!"

'A false show of surprise.' She knew about me since the start.

The masked woman quickly left the food-counter to approach me. "Please dear, come with me. There is food for everyone here."

'Observe'

Medusa

Race: Monster (Gorgon)

Tier: 4

Level: 200 (Max)

Mana: 200,000/200,000

Stamina: 108,000/108,000

Health: 90,000/90,000

Stats

Strength: 184

Speed: 208

Dexterity: 212

Endurance: 216

Constitution: 180

Mental: 40

Spirit: 400

Decent spirit but...yea, nothing special. Not that I actually expected a challenge of course, but your perception gets skewed when you know you're about to face a historically acclaimed monster. Especially when the said monster was about to have the honour of being used in forging of my amour.

I wanted the strongest monsters to contribute, and Medusa fell short by quite a margin.

'I can only hope her unique ability is more...powerful.'

I let the wannabe granny escort me to the food-counter, a brow raising in amusement at noticing that she made sure to lock the door behind us.

Even as we walked, I could hear a cacophony of hisses coming from her covered head, and absently wondered how my companions were being deceived by such an amateur attempt at disguise.

Bemused, I passed the cozy warehouse alongside Medusa. We soon entered the dining area where multiple picnic tables were arranged in a messy row. The room contained everything needed for a small party; a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, a nacho cheese dispenser...

"Please enjoy the food!" The monster curtsied enthusiastically, yet it was easy to pick up the amused mocking barbs hidden in her words. "It is completely free for such...nice orphans. My treat, if you will.".

It was safe to say that she did not buy Percy's story of us being in a circus caravan.

"Thank you, ma'am." Annabeth's polite reply came.

A flicker of annoyance danced in Medusa's eyes before vanishing behind her façade.

"Quite alright Annabeth." She said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

My eyes whipped towards the girl, hoping to see some manner of suspicions...there were none.

So busy were they on gobbling up their food—double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries—that they completely missed the blatant fuck up by the monster.

I sighed. "I expected better from you, Anna lite."

Her striking gray eyes were muddled with sleep as they stared at me confused...and a deep sated fear of judgement.

"A stranger seems to know your name without you informing them, what does that tell you? What does that mean in the life of a demigod?"

As if coming off of a high haze, the kids blinked away their sleep, my words finally going through their heads.

Annabeth realized faster. widened eyes turning to stare at Medusa like a deer in headlights.

The monster quickly hid her murderous eyes behind a 'gentle' smile. "Now now, dear. That's quite an accusation against a poor old lady like me. The journey through woods must've been quite taking, so I unders—"

"Oh shut up, you scaly coffin-dodger." I stood up. "Your reptilian stench sickens my sensitive nose. Plus, you accepted them being demigods quite easily for a mortal. Shoddy actor, that's what you are."

There was a moment of silence before the monster reacted, her eyes glinting dangerously.

"You know, I had planned to preserve your statue for ages to come." Her old lady persona evaporated in a second as she came to her feet, a fearsome aura brewing around her "Now? Now I will enjoy destroying it piece by piece!"

And then the thin cloth covering her head fell off.

"Medusa!" Annabeth exclaimed, dragging a sleepy Percy with her to the ground. "Don't look at her face!"

I looked at her face. Of course I did.

[Fear negated by Gamer's mind]

[Petrification negated by Mystiokinesis Resistance (Lvl 6)]

She was an ugly thing indeed— with a grotesquely twisted sneering face that stared at me with reptilian eyes and a wide snake-like jaw. And in place of hairs was a nest of snakes that flared up at me as a single unit. "Die!"

Nothing happened.

We stood staring at each other for a few seconds before Medusa frowned. "...What?"

"I'm more god than mortal, you know?" I shrugged, reaching in my inventory to end this. "I doubt your little tricks will work on me. I'd wondered though, so good to know."

She looked incredulous for a second before screaming in rage. "I shall tear you apart myself then!"

She bolted towards me, her long and sharp claws extended, glinting in the low light.

I ducked under her swipe—entering her guard—and plunged one of my twin short swords into her throat, before sauntering out of her wild backward claw swing. She fell on the ground, gurgling blood, her neck already starting to become dust.

My second sword decapitated her head cleanly.

With a flourish, I let my sword turn into gloves and back into my inventory. I touched the decapitated head with my foot and it transformed into motes of light as well, following after Stormbreaker.

"And that, children, is why I think you two are not ready for this quest." I announced, turning to the duo.

Annabeth glanced at me, before flinching away.

I sighed. Maybe I was being too harsh on her. She was still a twelve year old after all.

"C'mon you two. I'll make us some food."

.

I did give them an earful for their less than satisfactory performance, but the delicious dinner softened the sting of my words.

We spent the night in the warehouse, with the kids sleeping on the two beds that I created. The warehouse had everything needed for a human to survive, including a luxurious bathroom to freshen up.

Medusa certainly took care of her needs.

I kept guard in the night, absently lamenting how much faster this quest would've went had I been alone.

'Does it need to, though?' A stray thought wandered in. Why exactly did I need to complete this quest so quickly? Not like a few days would matter overly much.

Maybe this was just as well. A slow quest to relax and practice my new skills. Thalia was not going to disappear anywhere. Better to enjoy the peace and stop bitching about things outside my control.

Throughout the night, there were a few monsters that attacked, though only tier 3 that could be torn apart by a single Holy Spear. Bored though I was, I let a few of them test their power against my Aegis, leveling it up by the time sun started to peak.

In the morning, before the duo woke up, I started creating us a small hovercraft to speed up our journey through the forest.

It had a lean and dexterous body of a paddle boat, with a small hole in the front for Stormbreaker to rest in its spear form. Almost like a steering wheel really.

Actually, it worked exactly like a steering wheel.

I heard footsteps behind me just as I fixed our ride. Glancing back, my eyes took in Annabeth's figure standing quietly. She was clearly curious about the flying boat but seemed too hesitant to ask about it.

'Aww, the poor girl's still embarrassed about yesterday.'

I sent her a small smile and answered her unasked question. "This is our ride out of the forest. It would've been better if I just picked you up and ran, but I doubt you will survive that."

"...Alright." The girl mumbled, her cheeks flaming pink.

Sighing, I approached the girl. "Relax, Anna lite. You made a mistake like any being. Make sure not to repeat it and all's fine."

Unfortunately, it seems like I completely misunderstood the reason for her hesitance, as her cheeks went from pink to glaring red super fast when my hand came to rest upon her shoulder.

Ah yes, she still had a little crush on me, didn't she?

'...Let's just ignore it.'

I dropped my hand and proceeded inside. "Wake Percy up, would you Anna? We'll be taking a train to Los Angeles. I'll fix us some breakfast."

.

After Percy woke up from his nightmare—which must've been pretty scary considering how panicked he looked—we ate a quick breakfast before leaving the lair of Medusa on our new hovercraft.

"Oh this is gonna be so cool!" Percy bubbled with excitement as we took our seats, with me in front, Anna in middle, and Percy the last.

"Hold tight." I advised the excited duo. "I don't want you to break your necks by tumbling down the ride."

This time, they obediently followed my words.

And then we were off, zigzagging through the woods at a slow speed—around 80 miles/ hour. Though perhaps my perceptions were truly skewed considering how scared the kids were about me crashing us through a tree.

Which was just ridiculous. And insulting.

Me crashing into trees at such a slow pace? That's like saying you hit a rock every time you walk. I'd have to be blind and drunk for that to happen. And not just physically.

We soon found the Amtrak train railway, and followed the tracks to the station. Quite a few people pointed at us. Apparently a 'three seated scooter' was a rare thing to see around here.

Maybe I should've actively hid us, instead of letting the ever-present mist do the work.

We boarded the train without any problems—creating money was easier than food—and soon found ourselves off to Los Angeles.

The next two days of our quest passed in the train, travelling through hills and over rivers, bounding down to our destination in the west.

Both the kids were irritably restless the entire time, though we didn't see a single monster.

Not for the first time did I thank Gabriel for not giving me ADHD. I could only imagine the horror of sitting quietly in a small train compartment with an ever-constant need to do something, especially knowing you could walk faster than your current transport can travel.

Which is why I created a few board games for us to pass the time, Chess being my first choice.

If there was one game you would never get bored of, even when thrashing noobs, it was Chess. There was just no single fixed way for a game of chess to proceed afterall, so even when playing with opponents whose every move was predictable, I could keep things interesting by playing different openings or going completely out of theory.

Though one thing was certain after a while, both of my companions were definitely noobs in front of me. Even Annabeth was only around master level 1 or 2. And in no time, both the kids became too annoyed to keep playing with me anymore so we moved on to other, more luck-based, games.

Percy's restlessness reached a new level when we found his picture in multiple newspapers. The boy was looking like a right menace, swinging a metallic baseball bat at an old elderly lady. I almost laughed at the Fury's granny looks. Though even more funnier were the captions.

'Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing into the forest after accosting several elderly female bystanders. Their car was founded exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with two teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.'

I snickered. "Poor Percy. Your luck is really horrible."

"How can you laugh at this?" The boy moaned in despair "I'm probably going to some juvenile prison for this."

"Don't worry," Annabeth said. "Mortal police could never find us."

"Indeed, don't worry." I stretched my limbs with a yawn. "Even if the police finds you, you should be able to run away easily. You are dozens of times faster than the fastest car."

He looked conflicted for a second, for obvious reasons. Running from Police might be right nightmare for a teenage.

"..Yeah" He said at last with a sigh. "Yeah, you are right."

And yet, the boy's mood wasn't in our games anymore, and he spent the rest of that day pacing the length of the train back and forth or looking out of the window.

We passed a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field with arrows knocked in their bows. The young fowl waved at us and I cheerily waved back.

"Relax, Perce." I told the fretting boy as he looked around us in alarm. "Mortals will just see a group of grazing horses."

Annabeth and I went back to our chess game for the rest of the afternoon. Honestly, She was good. Very good. She could easily calculate 4-5 of the next best moves, had a solid positional evaluation skills, and had a very good long-term memory to hold onto her calculations. But she just didn't have the patience to be more than a chess master, probably around 2200 or 2300 rated. A very skilled chess master, but not quite at the level she could be with just a touch of patience. Her ADHD did her dirty in here.

I, on the other hand, was atleast at the GM level. I didn't have anything to accurately compare my system level with the real world's, but I felt confident in beating anyone below a super grandmaster. I would actually love to participate in a chess tournament and play against the likes of Magnus Carlsen, especially considering he wasn't a world champion yet, but sadly my circumstances were too fucked up right now.

'...Could Carlsen be a demigod here?' I wondered absently. 'A son of Athena, maybe?'

Actually, that seemed like an interesting idea. Would the famous people of my previous world be reborn as Demigods in this one? Usain Bolt could be a son of Hermes...or some other god, perhaps. Greeks weren't the only horny lot over here afterall.

A whistle of awe came from beside me, breaking my thoughts.

"...That is one huge lion." Percy muttered, pointing outside the window. "Or is it really a lion? We don't have wild lions in America, do we?"

I was in the middle of trapping Annabeth's Bishop, but the incredulity in his voice made me turn around to take a look.

There was indeed a lion, alright. And it was huge—at least the size of a rhino. It ran through the woods faster than any earthly animal could hope to, with its pure golden mane shining under the sun's glare, almost glittering like Stormbreaker. The claws on that thing was at least half a foot in length, looking like they were made out of pure polished steel.

Anticipation beat in my heart as I recognized the beast.

"The Nemean lion." I announced, and both the kids pressed their noses against the window hurriedly.

"The Nemean lion!?" Percy exclaimed in surprise. "The one Hercules killed by squeezing its throat?"

"The very same." I replied, quickly thinking of giving a chase.

The monsters listed in Hephaestus' list were mythical beings no one had any hopes of tracking down. My plan had just been to scout the entirety of America and hope I came across them. And yet, in just two days I already had Medusa's head in the bag—well, in my inventory but same gist—and now had the opportunity to get the Nemean lion's pelt as well.

I shot a subtle glance at Percy. 'The protagonist power in full effect. I have a feeling I'm about to reap some truly sweet rewards by the end of this quest.'

"We're lucky we don't have to fight that thing." Annabeth stated. "According to camp's history, most of the demigods do not survive their encounter with the monster, and those who do only manage to escape through the sacrifice of their teammates. It's fur is said to be immune to even Celestial Bronze weapons, while its claws could cleave through any godly metal. It is also faster and stronger than any demigod alive right now, almost at the level of some minor gods."

"Yeah, very lucky." Percy replied with a shudder.

I hummed, observing the creature.

Nemean Lion

Race: Monster

Tier: 5

Level: 450

Mana: 100,000/100,000

Stamina: 448,800/460,000

Health: 470,000/470,000

Stats

Strength: 430

Speed: 435

Dexterity: 455

Endurance: 460

Constitution: 470

Mental: 18

Spirit: 100

Yeah, it would be a breeze. Only complication would be it's invulnerability to Celestial Bronze, if what Annabeth said was correct. And she always was, in these kind of things.

Still, worse comes to worst, I'll simply squeeze it to death like Hercules did. Plus it's eyes and mouth were said to be vulnerable weren't they?

Couldn't hurt a try.

Decision made, I quickly grasped the metallic frames of the window and tore it away with a light tug.

"What are you doing!?" Annabeth shrieked behind me.

"Going after the lion." I replied. "I need it's pelt."

"Can I come too?" Percy begged. "Please?"

"Sorry, Perce. I'll be flying for this task."

"Are you two crazy!?" Annabeth yelled at us, before slamming her hand on her mouth and looking around in consternation.

No one was looking. Of course not, I was actively manipulating the mist to warp their minds.

"Don't worry, Anna lite." I said soothingly. "I'll be back in a jiffy."

"Yeah," Percy nodded, surprising me. "He beat Hercules, who killed the Lion. So he can kill the Lion too."

I snorted.

"Thanks, Perce. Impeccable logic as always."

The boy gave me a cheeky thumb's up.

I climbed out of the window, before glancing back at them one last time. "Stay in this compartment till I come back."

And then I was off in the winds, jumping out of a train travelling around 100 miles/hour with no problems.

I glided through the sky, scanning the wild woods for the lion. I found it sprinting along the edge of the forest with urgency, almost like a spooked animal escaping poachers.

Was the monster intelligent enough to know I was hunting it? Did it read the news about our quest on Hephaestus TV as well? That seemed a little far-fetched but the golden beast was definitely running from something.

The sound of a hunting gong blared throughout the forest, and I realized with a start the lion wasn't running from me at all.

'The hunters are here.' I frowned, certain in my conclusion.

The hunters of Artemis. Only they would have big enough balls to hunt down the Nemean lion.

The question was, should I confront the group and snatch their prey? Or should I just leave them be?

I really wanted a heated confrontation with the hunters—see how stupidly arrogant they truly were, and if possible, make them pay for it—but a fight with them will tie me down. Especially as the lion ran further away from the train.

It wasn't worth it for now. I had a quest of my own.

With a sigh, I flapped back to the train. I couldn't leave Percy and Annabeth alone for a long period of time. That was a recipe for disaster.

The Hunters can wait.

AN: And finished! So the quest has started, excitement is on the way, and some twists and turns that'll introduce my main plot in this very arc.

Also, is anyone annoyed by me not making a completely new plot for this? I felt it was unnecessary for now. While there would be some obvious differences ahead, which you'll see soon, completely rewriting the PJO plot will just make things less exciting. So I'm keeping the foundation of original while building my own plot upon it. That seems like the best kind of setup for this arc.

Don't get me wrong, completely unique plots are great as well, especially considering PJO Fanfiction is choked full of betrayed-Percy fics, but the main focus of MGO is Mikael's journey to the top as a Gamer God. You'll see some completely new stuff after this arc of course, and the crossover effects as well, but the main general formula is just like canon for now...at least, until the climax.

Another thing I wanted to talk about: I got a review saying they don't like PJO and when Dxd will start. If you meant to ask when will Dxd characters (like Khaos Brigade, etc) be introduced in the plot? Soon. Very soon. If you meant to ask when will Mikael meet Gabriel (and other Satans) again? Soon. Very soon.

But if you meant to ask when will we leave PJO behind completely? Not for a long time. The Titan war hasn't even started yet, and it'll take more than 20 chapters for PJO to conclude (tho many Dxd characters will be showing up; friends and foe). If you don't like PJO/think it's too boring, then this fic is most likely not for you. At least, for now.

Anyway, that's all for today. Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you lot in the next one.

Till then, take care and good day/night!

My discord: discord .gg/9wpfysDGsz to discuss fics and chill.

My Pat reon: www. Pat reon com/ Robs511 (No spaces and a dot before com) for anyone who wants to read upto the next three chaps of all my fics.

P.S: Sorry for the chapter delay! Those who read my other works probably know why it got delayed. From the next time, if you're unaware of the next update, just go to my profile and see when Mystique Soldier was updated. MGO's next chapter will always come 3 days after that (usually). For now, the next MGO chapter will drop on 20th (as long as all my other two fics get updated on time)