Thanks for reading! Wow, 30 Chapters! Thanks for sticking with me all this time 3

I would like to introduce Toby's Party-hard award!

After the success of the Wisdom award, I want you to nominate yourself for Toby's award. Toby needs no excuse to jump up and get partying like nobody's watching! He loves to turn the lights off and make some memories on the dancefloor... what about you? Are YOU the life of the party? If you're the person who always turns the music up, the person who dances when no one else will, maybe even the host of some cool get-togethers, this is for you!

You don't have to have out-of-control alcohol-fuelled parties, just be able to make any occasion fun and lively with your energy and awesomeness!

Send 'em in, and read Chapter 30…

-Silverhand9028

Toby's POV

"We catch the flight in half an hour," Veronica reminded me.

We were sitting in an empty Chicago town restaurant, with pizza in front of us.

"Yeah I know," I told her, "I can finish my pizza and Coke in loads of time!"
She rolled her eyes. "You better be able to. The I-M from Tom meant we need to get there quick. He's shadow-travelling with Bella and Nico to tell the others about Tartarus."

She paused… then suddenly sobbed and crumbled like a dry leaf, her head in her hands, her shoulders stooped, her hair shielding her face and her body shaking.

"Gods… Summer…" I heard her whisper. "I can't believe it."
I nodded. I wasn't as good a friend to Summer as I could've been, but I still mourned what Aphrodite told us was her passing.

"I know," I said, "but you gotta be strong, 'cause otherwise Tartarus will rise, and all of us, and the gods, will die."

Veronica looked up. Her eyes were red and blotchy, tears freshly wiped away. "You're right," she muttered.

I took a chunk out of a slice of pepperoni pizza. "Let's get ready for the flight," I decided, my mouth full of pizza.

"Sure," she added, sadly. "I'll ask for the check and we can-"

All of a sudden, I heard the piercing scream of a mortal. There was a smash of glass, the squeal of a car alarm, and then we saw it.

"What in Hades is that…?" gasped Veronica, as I dropped my pizza.

Charging down the street, with burning red eyes, was the biggest white bull I had ever seen.

The beast snorted angrily, its tail flicking as it cantered down the pavement.

"It's the Cretan bull," Veronica grabbed her sword and I unsheathed my shorter (but sharper) blade from my side. "It was the father of the Minotaur. Hercules killed when it was destroying whole cities…"
"Wait," I replied, "you're saying this big cow can destroy cities? Oh, sweet mother… how did Hercules slay it?"
"He jumped on its back and strangled it with his strength."
"Oh, great," I scowled. "How do we kill it?"

"It's destructive, but not too intelligent."

"What do we need?" I asked shakily, as it approached the restaurant.

Veronica's witty smile flashed across her lips. "A plan."

She turned and dashed towards the restaurant kitchens.

"VERONICA! Come baaack…" I screamed out, clutching my sword. The bull neared, it's red eyes staring. "It's getting closer…"

"Just stall it!" she yelled from behind me.

'SMASH!' the glass in the restaurant window was shattered instantly as the bull ploughed through. Yelping, I leapt onto a table as the bull stormed into the spot I had been moments earlier.

"MOOOO!" I never knew 'moo' could be so terrifying, but as the raging beast charged at the table, I was honestly terrified.

Despite my lack of agility, I managed to leap away, towards the back of the restaurant. Barely fazed, the large, ugly cow began to charge once more at me. Glancing around, I realised there was nowhere to go. I was cornered.

"HEY!" I heard Veronica's voice, clear as a bell, ringing through the room. Turning my head, I saw her by the kitchens, holding a Margherita pizza in each hand.

She threw one and it sailed through the air like a Frisbee. Confused, the white bull followed it through the air, its mouth dripping with saliva. It sniffed the air, smelling the pizza. It glanced back at us, trying to decide what would taste the nicest.

"Here, have another!" Veronica threw the second pizza perfectly; it spun up and landed on the bull's nose.

Silence.

I knew that in any second, the bull could tear through us both…

…but it didn't.

The beast dropped the pizza to the floor in front of it, and then fell to chomping it up, snorting loudly.

"Toby, it's distracted!" she hissed. "Get it!"
Realising what she meant, I swung my sword in the air… and all that was left of the Cretan Bull was a patch of white fur and a load of monster dust.

"Got him!" I grinned.

"Yup!" Veronica had a proud grin on her face, "these monsters can be calculating and clever, yet physically weak, like Lamia. Or, they can be strong but stupid, like this bull. All we had to do was distract it and kill it."

"Well, we'd better get to the airport," I remembered.

Veronica glanced at her watch, then exclaimed in horror. "Argh, we've missed our flight!"
I swore and scowled – how were we going to get back to our friends in Long Island now?

All of a sudden, I heard a loud bark from the doorway. Standing there was a huge hellhound and a man with olive skin and black hair, dressed in black clothes.

"Who are you?" Veronica demanded, swinging her sword.

"My name is Nico Di Angelo," he replied calmly. "Tom, Lilly and Leon sent me. Magenta and the others are there. They have the arrows and helm."
He gestured to the hellhound. "This is Mrs O'Leary. We can shadow-travel there."
Unsure whether to trust him, Veronica and I exchanged glances.

After the defeat of the Cretan bull, we were both filled with confidence.

"Let's go," I grinned.

Thank you for reading, I feel like I should apologise again for the big gap when I didn't update. Submit your entries for Toby's award to see your name on my profile! Thanks very much! :D

-Silverhand9028