Alright, Review and Response time.

Alex2947: "idk if anyone already said that to u but its herakles, not hercules, thats the roman version and he doesnt go to camp jupiter now does he?"

Response: I already sent you a PM about this. But if there's any confusion to other readers, I'll clear it up. Matt is Roman, and was conceived by Hercules, not Heracles. I knew that before hand and made it intentional, I just haven't really focused on it in this story. Also, he lives in New York, way closer to Camp Half Blood than Camp Jupiter, which is in California. Valid question though, hope I cleared it up.

Guesttt: "Lmao maybe jerk off or something I died haha."

Response: Yeah, Talon is pretty wild lol.

thesuperone342: "Damn, bro. You're cranking these out at light speed lol. Anyway, nice chapter as always. Harper is super cool with her speed and all. Kinda reminds me of a certain son of Ares. Lol jk. Anyway, can't wait to see your next chapter. I gotta get back to writing Ares vs. Zane and Percy."

"P.S. I'll just PM you about your questions sometime tomorrow. You may be a bit surprised."

Response: Yeah, man. I try to work on it every day and I write quick, usually having the idea of the chapter in my head before hand. I guess I'm like Stephen King or something, only not on that level of quality lol. And I kid you not, I legit had the idea for Harper's speed before I read your story, I swear! Oh well, at least they match up.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes Of Olympus, or Trials Of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.

Now then, on with the thirteenth chapter. It's wild west time.

13. I Become A Cowboy

Talon and I stood face to face with the bandits.

I felt like I was in a classic western, only Talon was Clint Eastwood and I was some schmuck stuck in the crossfire. It was like he was born for this. He had his hand on the gun, a perfect glare at the targets, if he had a cowboy hat on, I would have mistaken him for John Marston or something.

The tension could be cut with a steak knife, it was like a pressure was forcing all of us in the staredown, a few seconds away from death.

Talon whispered, "On three, Matt. These pricks are gonna let loose, but we're gonna catch em. Be ready."

Ready with what? I didn't have a gun. Was I supposed to throw my spear at them?

I heard Talon again, "One...two...three."

On cue, the bandits drew their guns, but they were behind. Talon quickly pulled out his revolver and held it firmly at his waist, popping six rounds in each of the criminals, cocking the hammer back skillfully with the other hand in between shots. Each of them fell, blood spewing everywhere from holes in their heads, except one. Five of the crew slumped dead on the asphalt, smoke emerging from the quarter sized bloody holes in their foreheads, while the leader got a round in the kneecap. He was on the ground, screaming in pain.

Talon spun his revolver a few times and dropped it back in it's holster at his side, walking casually to the fallen bandit, I followed, trying to process what had happened.

I had seen the bullets fly in what looked like slow motion, and only Talon had shot. That just showed how quick his reaction time was, and how accurate. Because as I looked at the other five, their wounds were all in the same spot, perfectly placed by the assassin.

Talon grabbed the leader by the scruff of his duster. "Alright, tell me where that son of a bitch Mateo is, and I might let ya go."

The leader firmly spat in his face. Saliva dripped from Talon's nose, and the assassin's eyes turned red, emitting bloodlust. He quickly wiped the spit off and punched the bandit clean in the nose, blood emerging a few seconds later.

"Where is Mateo! Talk, or the next round goes in your dick!"

The leader stayed silent, until Talon reached for his revolver, pulling it out quickly and aiming at the guy's private area.

"NO, NO, WAIT! I TELL YOU!"

Talon smirked, "Your pecker's pretty important, huh? Alright, tell me where I can find Mateo."

"Our headquarters has been in the old saloon at Finnigan's Isle, in the very back."

Talon grimaced, "Finnigan's Isle...pretty clever Mateo, not bad."

He clicked his tongue, and then finally said, "Alright, thanks for the info, now bye."

The bandit sweated nervously, "Uh, wh-what do you mean bye, hombre?"

"This." Talon pointed his gun at the criminal's head, and fired. Leaving another puddle of gore on the asphalt, and drops of blood on my face.

I looked at the assassin in disbelief, utter shock at seeing someone's brains get blown out in front of me, "Dude, you didn't have to go that far."

He put his revolver up, and scowled at me, "Toughen up, kid. Part of the demigod life, especially around here. Now come on, let's get going."

I wanted to protest, but he was already walking back to the truck, and I reluctantly followed.

Right when we got ten feet from the truck, the door burst open and the other three came out. Harper ready with her knives, Annabeth with the Drakon sword, and Percy with Riptide, all alert.

Talon waved them off, "Get back inside, all taken care of."

Annabeth noticed the pile of bodies, "Oh gods, did you do that?"

"They were gonna rob us."

I had to back him up, "It's true."

Percy stepped forward, "So you just headshot all of them?"

For once, Talon looked at the Son of Poseidon with annoyance, "Look, we ain't got time for this. They were pulling out their weapons, I acted in self defense. You guys aren't strangers to this shit, just bear with it until the quest is over."

They all looked at him uneasily, he groaned, "Get inside! Let's go!"

They did, still murmuring about the scene on the road.

He was acting a little irritable, even more than usual, maybe I could find out why.

The others went back to their spots, while Talon and I sat in the front like before.

He started up the engine and drove forward, right over the bodies.

After a couple of miles, I finally asked, "Who's Mateo Rojas?"

He didn't respond for a moment, and when I thought he was just gonna ignore me, he said, "An old buddy of mine. Known him since we were little. I was hoping he could assist us with this bull...but apparently he sent those bandits."

"Maybe they were lying."

He didn't look convinced, "Maybe. I'll find out for sure once we get there. If it's true...then that's a big knife in my back. We were like brothers growing up, we hung out together, pulled a few small robberies-"

"Wait, robberies?" I interrupted, Talon had been a thief?

He nodded, "Yeah, kid. Not many ways to make a living as a demigod in this certain part of the state I grew up in. We called it the Great Reservation. It's basically a community of demigods and mortals that are associated with the type. A bit like Camp Half Blood, only rougher and less clean."

"So you guys were friends, huh?"

The corners of his lips turned up slightly, "The best. I didn't give a shit if he was Mexican, he was family. We first met when I was five or six, I wanted to play wild west, but my stupid mentor wouldn't let me. Said I needed to focus on my training. So I snuck off, and met Mateo near Aphrodite's Oasis, which is basically a strip club for demigods I later found out, but that doesn't matter. Apparently he had snuck off too, and we met up, introduced ourselves, showed off our toy guns, and boom, best buds."

All of what I heard was a little nuts. Talon's mentor, a strip club for demigods, I was trying to keep up. But at least he was talking to me a little bit.

He continued, "He came from a line of gunslingers and banditos. Basically gunslinger meant you fought monsters that came around, protected the Reservation. I remember the two of us playing at it, when one day an actual damn monster showed up!" He laughed, a rare sound. "We pissed ourselves, but ended up killing the thing! I think it was a cyclops...hmm, not sure."

I was actually a little interested now, "Was your mentor a gunslinger?"

His face fell, darkening a bit, "Yeah. He is. He's still alive, and I don't plan on talking to that dust bag ever again."

I knew I shouldn't ask, because It was none of my business, but the nosy side of me couldn't resist, "Why?"

I expected him to yell or curse at me. But to my surprise, he actually looked a little bitter, "He...betrayed me. He was like a father, but something horrible happened, and it was like he didn't care. Just training as usual. He pushed me way too hard."

I knew it was a touchy subject now, Talon's mentor, do not mention. I tried to change the subject, "So, what else did you guys do growing up?"

"Hung around. I trained, he robbed and hustled. I joined in on some jobs, pulled a few. We mostly got into trouble and messed around with our crew. We had an awesome group of friends, nobody dared mess with us, we were tough shit back then." Then he sighed a little wistfully, "I even had a girlfriend. Man that really brings back memories. We were only twelve or so, yet we were all over each other most chances we got, we didn't even know what we were doing, just sloppily groping and kissing. But I never disrespected her, Mary was a great girl. I...really miss her."

I was surprised at his openness, and I caught what he had said. "Wait, what do you mean, miss her? What happened?"

His expression was hard to read due to the sunglasses, but he finally said, "She got ripped apart by a basilisk. Poison didn't even get her, it was the force of the damn thing's jaws. Master shot it dead before I had the chance to make it suffer." His voice lowered with each painful word, "That was the horrible thing that happened. He didn't give me any time to grieve, he just wanted me to keep training."

I shut up after that.

We rode a little in silence, before he said, "You're lucky you got a mom, kid."

"What?"

"Your mom. It's a good thing she's still around, and you can visit her. Make sure you keep doing that."

I was stunned, he sounded surprisingly sincere. "Y-yeah, of course I'm lucky. That Chimera almost killed her, yet she only got PTSD, and doesn't know who I am half the time." I said the last part sarcastically.

"At least she still loves you. I ain't denying the shit you've been through. I can see it in someone's eyes. Their hardships, their struggles, one of my abilities allows me to sense it. And I can tell you've been through the ringer. And that goth girl, don't even get me started. I'm not sure who had a shittier childhood, her or me."

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I pale in comparison to her. I literally saw her memories in the hotel that night. It was...unreal."

"And just fifteen, huh? At that age and she's already got bodies under belt, and a lot of hatred towards some person."

"How do you know?"

"I can sense it kid, like I said. Even If I couldn't, I've been through enough to recognize loneliness, pain, bitterness, all that stuff."

I stayed silent, a little speechless to be honest. I had never expected Talon to even talk to me other than business, but here he was being genuine.

He continued, "Also, a blind retarded squirrel would know that you have a giant crush on her, it's that obvious."

My ears turned a little hot, "Yeah, and it sucks. I wish it would go away, but it won't. I'm stuck feeling this stupid way about her, when I know she doesn't reciprocate."

He actually laughed, I looked at him with my eyebrows furrowed.

"You're really that dense? The street goes two ways kid."

"What do you mean?"

He groaned, "My point exactly. Do I have to spell it out for you? SHE...LIKES...YOU. Is that clear enough?"

No way. I mean, there was no way, right? She was...Harper. Incredible, pretty, and a bunch of other stuff that made me go nuts. What the heck would she see in me?

"No way, man."

He threw a hand up, "Whatever. I can't believe I'm actually giving advice, but I guess there's a first for everything. You want some? Here it is, tell her how you feel."

"Tell her how I feel?"

"Plain and simple. Tell her what you really think of her, then ask her out."

"And risk being embarrassed? Getting rejected?"

He shrugged, "At least you'll know for sure, and it won't be eating you alive."

I considered it. Maybe it was the best choice. I mean, I had confided in her before, she was easy to talk to, and maybe it would make things awkward, but at least I would know for sure. And there was a small chance she liked me back.

"Maybe I will. Thanks Talon."

He grumbled, "Don't thank me yet. Just remember, once we get to Texas, we're going after Mateo, and seeing what he knows about that Bull. I'm gonna put this thing in hyper drive, so we can make some good distance. You might want to tell her quickly, and hang on to something." Then he tucked his sunglasses on his nose and said slyly, "If it works out, she would be ideal to hang on to."

I blushed, nodding and walking out the door.

I saw Percy and Annabeth, sitting on the couch like before, and I stopped awkwardly in front of them.

They looked up, "What's up man?"

I tried to speak, no words would come out.

Annabeth turned the TV volume down, "What is it, Matt?"

I quickly blurted out, "I'mgonnatellHarperhowIfeelabouther!"

Woah, did I just speak gibberish?

They didn't understand, and stared in confusion.

I cleared my throat, and said quietly, "I'm...gonna tell Harper I like her."

Percy smiled, Annabeth beamed and patted my arm, "Oh, that's great! Do you need any help?"

"Help?"

"Of course he doesn't need help, what's the matter with you?" Percy said to Annabeth incredulously.

"Well, he might be like a certain Seaweed brain, and can't properly express his feelings without saying the wrong thing." She said to him, raising an eyebrow.

Percy rolled his eyes, and leaned towards me, whispering, "Lesson one on relationships, always agree with her."

She swatted his arm, and turned to me, "Matt, you should go over what you're gonna say first, so you feel confident going in."

"But I don't feel confident, that's the problem."

"And that's why you're gonna get your thoughts sorted out. First tell me, what do you like the most about her?"

I thought for a moment, "Uh, well I guess it would be her strong will. She's been through a lot, and she's stayed tough. I admire that a lot."

Annabeth nodded, Percy joining in, "What's the second thing?"

I didn't hesitate, "Her looks. She's beautiful."

Annabeth awed and Percy nodded like, that's my boy, setting the priorities straight.

"Anything else?"

"I mean, her kindness, her loyalty, her skill...I could go all day. I like pretty much everything."

Annabeth smiled, nodding approvingly, "Just tell her that. Don't overdo it, just look her in the eye, hold her hands, and tell her all of those things."

"It'll work?"

Percy nodded, "For sure, bro."

I suddenly felt a small boost of confidence, I felt a rush of adrenaline, my heart racing, and I turned to the door, walking through it.

I was met with Harper next to the furniture in the opening, practicing with her knives. She was stabbing and striking with barely enough speed to where I could keep up normally. She had such grace, yet such ferocity. She moved like a black widow and a panther, all at once.

I internally prepared myself the best I could. I was going to tell her how I felt, I could do this, I was gonna be fine.

She turned in a strike and noticed me, her mouth morphed into a smile, "Hey. Did Talon bore you to death?"

I shrugged, trying to keep my cool, "Nah, he's actually not that bad. Turns out an old buddy of his lives in Texas, and we're gonna go see him about the Cretan Bull."

She nodded, sheathing her knives in the strap around her waist, "Oh, cool."

I walked over to the couch, and nervously patted the spot next to me, motioning her to sit.

She knitted her eyebrows in confusion and sat down, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's just...I um, I wanted to um, say something. To um, you..."

She chuckled, "Okay then, go ahead."

I wouldn't meet her eyes. I mentally scolded myself, that was one of the things Annabeth said to do, meet her in the eyes.

I did, locking them with her. My brown ones against her icy blue right, and solid white left.

"Matt, you don't seem so good, are you sick?"

I didn't answer, instead I remembered what else Annabeth said, to grab her hands.

I nervously reached out and held both of her hands in mine. They were soft, the pale skin and black nails contrasting perfectly with my tan skin and short regular boy nails.

Her eyes widened a little, I decided to rip off the band aid, but remain sincere with my words.

"H-Harper, I used to be...well, a loser. I never socialized before Camp. But when I got there everything changed, this quest has changed me, and it's opened my eyes to something."

She sat there, not blinking, just waiting expectantly.

"It's opened my eyes to how I really feel...so...Harper, I-"

Of course, something interrupted us.

In an instant, the truck lurched forward at the speed of sound, leaving both Harper and I flying toward the rear. I thought quick and braced for impact on the back of the truck, losing grip with Harper's hands, I saw her on the ceiling, hanging on to a hook or handhold thing. Man, she really was a spider cat hybrid.

I hit the truck with a BOOM! The entire rear blew off from it's hinges, the giant metal door skidding and rolling in the road before instantly going out of sight. I flew back, the wind whirling in my face, causing a loud whistling in my ear. I was completely airborne, nothing to grab on to, so I just braced myself and let nature take it's course.

I fell on the hard ground next to the road, rolling and banging on the rough soil before finally skidding to a stop. I didn't feel anything, but I knew I had fallen far. I got up and looked behind me. Sure enough, the dirt was uprooted for nearly a mile due to my fall.

I shook my head to regain my composure, and turned to see that I was alone.

The truck had zoomed on, and I was left in the hot sun, the cicadas buzzing loudly around me.

I cursed under my breath. I was about to tell Harper how I felt, but yet again, Talon has perfect timing.

I couldn't focus on that right now, I had to catch up.

I let my instincts take over, and got into a track running position, after a few seconds of prep, I took off. The ground bursting like a grenade had gone off from where I launched off. I sprinted with decent strength, the surroundings barely even a blur around me, I was really getting it. My cheeks flapped around and my eyes watered a little, but other than that, I was good.

After a few seconds, I saw the truck in the distance, next to what looked like a large, old style western town. A straight row of old style buildings, and to the far right, what looked like a carnival, and a large gated area, what I guessed to be the rodeo.

I decided now would be a good time to stop myself, I halted my running and came to an abrupt stop, right next to everyone, who seemed to be searching frantically for me I guessed.

As soon as I appeared in front of them, they jumped and looked at me wide eyed.

"Hey guys. Got left behind."

There mouths were open, gawking.

Percy stuttered, "M-Matt, that was like...a hundred of miles you just ran."

Oh wow, didn't realize it. Come to think, the surroundings looked a lot different. We were in a desert, cacti and sun plants growing everywhere, the orange dirt covering the landscape, no cloud in sight, only the scorching sun.

"Yeah, guess I really wanted to get here."

Talon interrupted, "Yeah, yeah, we need to get in that saloon over there, so I can find out what the hell's going on."

We didn't argue, I quickly reached in and grabbed my Nemean Lion shield just in case, strapping it to my back. I signaled I was ready and we followed him. Leaving the giant truck in the dirt path.

There were some people sitting around, some on horseback, which I thought was kind of strange, but then I looked around, the place looked like something out of a wild west tale.

I mean seriously, it was like a classic western town. Old style buildings on both sides, everything from a stable to a general store, and a straight dirt path in between. The kind that two gun slinging duelists would find themselves on at sunset.

We walked together, Talon in the front, since he knew the place. I caught a few locals eyeing us, some glancing, some with suspicion, but I didn't think too much about it. One guy took a look at us, then spit a wad of tobacco ten feet from him, trying to show off I guess.

Eventually, in about the middle of town, we came across the saloon. It was wooden, a few of the boards split and old, a couple of drunks on rocking chairs out front, chuckling and guzzling the alcohol. I looked up and sure enough, the words Finnigan's Isle were displayed in almost faded fashion across the top.

Talon turned his head to us, "Alright, eyes forward, and just follow me."

He walked casually up the wooden steps, us close behind, alert on anything that might happen.

We entered the saloon, a classic piano was being played in a loud, fast, upbeat toon in the corner, filling the bar with a party energy. There was quite a crowd, people sitting at the bar and tables, talking and laughing, all wearing wild west style clothing. Some of them had pistols like Talon's on their hips.

We walked across the center, becoming the source of attention. The talking and laughing died down, people were staring, murmuring, some pointing at Talon nervously, even the piano had slowed a bit.

Talon didn't react, he only kept walking forward. A couple of drunks catcalled the girls, earning no glare from either Percy and I, we just kept our cool, walking to the back.

After what seemed like hours, we made it to a door, leading to the back room. The bartender immediately hustled over and stopped Talon with his hand, not a smart move.

"Sir, you can't-" Then he saw who it was, and his eyes widened in fright.

"T-Talon! You're back! Uh, that's great! I-I mean, how was your trip? Are you doing well?"

Talon mockingly grinned in a friendly way, and whispered something in the guy's ear. The bartender immediately whimpered in fear and nodded quickly. Talon patted him on the shoulder and made a shushing motion with his finger. The bartender did a quick little bow and scurried off to his former spot.

"What did you tell him?" Harper asked.

"Doesn't matter. We're about to confront the guy that can potentially lead us to the Bull, or the guy that I might have to shoot."

On that happy note, Talon opened the door, and we followed suit.

We emerged in a room full of furniture, Hispanic men dressed in ponchos and outlaw get ups, Mexican music blaring from somewhere above, and most strikingly, a dozen topless women. Some carrying around drinks for the guys, and some sitting with them, leaning into their bodies.

Annabeth gasped and covered Harper's eyes, Percy and I had our jaws to the floor at the sight, but Talon only pulled out his gun, shooting a loud round into the air.

The half nude girls screamed and tried to run, but I heard a loud voice shout, "HOLD UP!"

The girls stopped, everything froze, except for that annoying music. In front of us, sitting on the middle of the biggest couch, surrounded by women, was a handsome Hispanic dude.

He had brown skin, no hat on, revealing medium length black hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore a red and gray poncho, with rattlesnake designs on them. He had on dark colored jeans and cowboy boots with tiny skulls at the end.

His face was handsome, like a Casanova. He had a trimmed light goatee and a short handlebar mustache, both with black hair.

On the table in front of him sat two long revolvers. They looked really cool, just as cool as Talon's single pistol. They had white handles, with again, rattlesnakes on them, the barrels were solid silver, a black line circling around them.

Talon set his gun to his side, and said, "Hola Hermano. Or should I say traitor?"

Mateo's eyes widened, then he laughed loudly, "Talon! Oh, my dear friend! You've come back, huh! It is so good to see you!"

He turned and called to some guy in the corner, "Hey, Arman! Turn that shit off! We have a guest!" The music turned off at his command.

Talon wasn't amused, "The girls out, now. You're crew too."

The bandit shook his head, clicking his tongue, "Oh no, Talon. The girls can go, but my boys stay."

"I thought I was your boy. Come on, for old times sake. I ain't gonna do anything."

I figured that wasn't true. Mateo eyed him suspiciously, but then decided, "Ah, alright. Girls get lost, same with you guys."

The girls left immediately, the four or so guys, not so much.

Mateo held up his hand, "It's cool. I'll be good."

They hesitated, but finally nodded and left the room. Leaving just six of us.

He held out his hands beside him, "So, what brings you by old friend? I thought you were in hell?"

"I was" Talon said grimly, "But I'm out. I've been working the hitman gig."

Mateo laughed, "HA! So you finally grew some balls, huh? I always knew you were good with the guns. Maybe I can have you do a hit for me sometime eh? I'll pay you double, for old times sake. What do you say?"

Talon shrugged, "Maybe another time. Right now I'm helping these guys on a quest, and we need to find a certain monster. The Cretan Bull, know where it is?"

Mateo drunk a sip of whiskey, then made a time out hand signal, "Whoa, whoa. Slow down, hombre. Introduce me first."

Talon gestured toward us, "This is Matt Beckett, the Son of Hercules, and Harper Pierce, Daughter of Nemesis. To my left, Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, and Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena."

Mateo's eyes widened, and set his whiskey down quickly, "Wait a second, hold up, hold the fuck up. Did you say Percy Jackson?"

"Yep, that's him."

He looked at Percy, a grin formed. "That's what's up man! You're famous around here. Little kids talk about you, about how you killed the Minotaur and a bunch of Titans and all that shit."

Percy didn't know what to do, he just said, "Uh, thanks. That's...nice."

Mateo nodded, "Hey man, don't freak out, I just want to try out something..."

Then at extreme speed, he grabbed one of his revolvers from the table and fired a shot at Percy. I yelped and was about to block the bullet, when I knew that it was Percy he was aiming at, he could handle it.

Percy immediately dodged the bullet, moving his head to the side and letting it whizz through the wall. A crack boomed through the room, the smell of gun powder in my nose.

Annabeth tried to go after him, Talon stopped her, "Hey! What was that for?!"

Mateo set the gun down and held his hands up in mock surrender, "Easy there, just wanted to test his skill a little that's all. Not everyday a guy like this shows up in our humble little town."

Neither Percy nor Talon looked phased. The assassin grumbled, "The Cretan Bull, do you know where it is?"

"Oh that. Well, you know...I got a strong reading from the carnival coming in. It was weird, cause it showed up right when it came to town. Then they assembled the rodeo, and it skyrocketed. So I'd say that's your best bet."

Talon nodded, "Rodeo, got it."

We began to turn around when I heard a gun cock, Mateo called, "Whoa now. Where do you think you're going?"

We turned back around, seeing him level both revolvers at us, smiling. "I just gave you valuable info, and you got drachmas, so I expect a little compensation."

For some reason, I stepped forward in a glare, "We're not paying you. And what are you gonna do to stop us, you're outnumbered and outpowered."

He laughed, "You think I really sent those guys away? I got hundreds surrounding this building right now. Things have changed Talon, I'm the guy right now, and I got a big ass crew, that will unload on you if you try anything."

I was ready to fight, to take off my Nemean Lion shield and throw it at this greedy bastard, but I was interrupted by Talon.

"Alright then. How about this. Since you say that the Bull is at the rodeo, then that means it's supposed to be ridden. You see where I'm going with this?"

Mateo nodded, grinning wickedly, "I'm getting an idea."

Talon returned the grin, "If my boy rides that thing for longer than eight seconds, it's free of charge. But if the bull bucks him off, you get whatever I'm betting. Say...fifty drachmas?"

"Hundred."

"How about Seventy Five?"

Mateo thought about it, then said, "Alright, but the kid's a Son of Strength. He'll make it eight seconds, the time should be longer, make it an hour!"

So Mateo wasn't completely stupid, although an hour was still nothing to me.

Talon stuck out his hand, "Deal."

Mateo shook it, gesturing towards the door, "Follow me then. Hope you like Bull riding."

I doubted I would like Bull Riding.

Walking after Talon and Mateo in the hot sun, towards a rodeo in which I was supposed to get on the back of a giant bull and ride it for more than an hour, with no say so whatsoever?

Yeah, this wasn't very fun.

The rodeo was still a distance away, we were trudging like beaten mules, all except Talon and Mateo, who walked on like it was any other day.

Annabeth decided to break the ice, "So Mateo...Talon tells us you guys were buddies."

The Bandit nodded, "Oh yeah. Me and this bastard go way back. We practically grew up together. A Son of Ares and a Son of Apollo, who would've thought!"

We were all confused, I looked at Talon, "Son of Ares, I thought-"

"Cool it kid." He growled.

"Yeah" Mateo said, not noticing. "I'm a Son of the Archer. Not much of a dad though, and that's fine by me. The guy's a deadbeat, no good, piece of shit prep anyway."

"Uh, I don't know if I'd be saying that, especially about a god." Percy said.

"It's the truth. Other than my accuracy, I don't attribute nothing to the stupid prick."

Wow, this guy clearly didn't have school spirit for the Olympian team.

Talon mediated, "Just drop it. Mateo, you have your views on gods, we have ours. Let's get on with the rodeo."

We walked in silence, until finally making it to the rodeo area.

A big guy was standing there, his cowboy hat too small for his head, it was almost funny.

"Rodeo doesn't start till tomorrow." He said in a monotone voice.

Talon took off his sunglasses in anger, "There has to be a mistake! We need to get in here now!" I wasn't sure why he was being so rushed about things, it wasn't that big of a deal.

"It starts tomorrow morning sir. Please step back from the entrance." The big guy said again in the monotone voice.

We walked away, Talon storming behind us.

He immediately turned on Mateo, getting right up in his face. "You made us walk all this way, why the hell didn't you tell us it started tomorrow?"

Mateo held his hands up, "Relax man. I didn't know, honest. What do you say we go back to the saloon, hang out a bit, huh?"

Talon shook his head, "Nah, we'll just stay at the motel."

"Sorry amigo, went out of business last year."

Talon huffed, clenching his fists, "Look, I can't be dawdling around-"

"Afraid your master is gonna catch wind you're here?"

Talon emitted bloodlust at the Bandit, even I caught some of it. A feeling of malice and death washed over me, filling my head with visions of killings, brutal battlefields, I couldn't imagine what Mateo was seeing.

His eyes widened for a second, but then he rebounded, and patted Talon on the shoulder, "Gee, sorry man. Didn't know it was such a touchy subject. You can stay at my place for the night, huh? It'll be fine, you can have it to yourselves. I gotta be at the saloon anyway."

I wasn't sure about sleeping at this guy's place, but I felt more at ease if he wasn't there, I was just waiting for Talon's decision.

He finally said, "Whatever. We'll spend the night over there."

Mateo nodded, looking in the distance, "Oh! I gotta get back, but it was good to see you again, Hermano. And nice meeting you guys! See you tomorrow morning!" He waved and jogged off to regroup with his crew, who were glaring at us.

As soon as he was out of sight, Annabeth said, "I don't trust him."

We all agreed.

"Totally, I mean, what if he set booby traps in his house or something?" Percy said with worry.

"I don't know man" I said, shaking my head, "Booby traps? What is this, the Goonies?"

Talon pursed his lips, "I wouldn't put it past him. But we got no other choice."

Harper stepped to him, "We could stay at your Master's place."

He made no expression, "No," he muttered firmly, "Not happening, let's get to Mateo's."

Mateo's actions may be questionable, but his house was nice.

It was like an old style fort that gangs used to hide out in. Sandstone fortress-like walls, brown shingles covering the roof, and the interior was even better, it was kind of like a Victorian mansion.

We were in awe, Annabeth said, "Did he rob the money to get this place?"

"Seriously Talon." I agreed, "The guy's a dirtwipe, why are you friends with him?"

He looked around the room as if to check if there were cameras, "Well, he didn't use to be such a dick. I guess the power of being crew leader got to his head."

After that, we milled around the house a bit, and decided our rooms. It was big enough that we could each have our own space. My room was on the second story, and looked like an old hotel place. It had a large bed with red sheets and a thin comforter, a huge mirror in the corner, a dresser, a nightstand, and a chest at the foot of the bed.

I opened the chest to find nothing in it, laid on the bed to test if it was trustworthy, and went back downstairs.

To be honest, things were quiet. A lot quieter than usual. We didn't really talk that much, I guess we were all a little tired and a little anxious about tomorrow, I know I was.

At dark, everybody turned in, I tried to sleep, but to no success. It wasn't even because of nightmares, I just couldn't get comfortable in this bed or adjust to the temperature. It was strange, because I had slept on the streets and park benches before to avoid luring a monster back to my apartment complex and endanger any innocents. But I was just gonna say it, Mateo's bed was less comfortable than a park bench.

After tossing and turning for nearly an hour, I finally got up and walked outside. Desert night's were amazing. I stepped into a wide night sky, stars scattered across it like a billion tiny dots, in full view. The sandy landscape in front of me, a few small hills but mostly flat. The air was cool, nothing near the scorching heat we experienced today. I breathed in the air, it was surprisingly refreshing. I then registered that I had missed yet another sunset.

You're probably wondering by now why I was obsessed with seeing one.

Well, like I said near the beginning, I love them. They make me feel at peace, and I used to watch them frequently. But recently, I haven't had the chance, and it sucks. Especially out here, a sunset would be the best I had ever seen.

I shook my head, promising myself I would see one at some point. Maybe with Harper...

Shut up.

I facepalmed my forehead, and walked toward the side of the house to let out some sleep stress, when I noticed a figure sitting on the ground, leaning up against the wall, it was Talon.

He had his sunglasses completely off, including his leather jacket, which was unusual. He wore a gray t-shirt and jeans with the classic biker boots. He was looking into the distance of the night, seemingly a million miles away, but also right at home.

I walked over, and said, "Can't sleep either, huh?"

He looked at me, not surprised at my sudden appearance, "Nah, I can sleep. I just wanted to sit out here for a minute. Been so long since I've seen a night like this."

I took off the Nemean Lion shield from my back and placed it on the ground, popping a squat next to Talon, leaning against the wall.

We sat like that for a minute, no noise but the night breeze and the occasional chirping insect.

I could almost fall asleep out here, when a thought came to my mind, "Hey Talon...do you think my father cares about me?"

I don't know why I said it, let alone to Talon, but I did. He didn't take his eyes off the horizon, he replied, "Do you want him to?"

The truth was, I kind of do. The possibility that he had been helping me throughout parts of this quest gave me a little hope, and Percy's declaration that he was trapped on his own island, guarding Ancient Greece.

"To be honest, yeah."

Talon nodded and looked down at his knees. "Kid, I hate to be a downer, but I'm just gonna be truthful. He might care about you. I don't know Hercules, but if he became a god, and I know how gods behave...it's unlikely."

"I thought you said you've never met a god."

His face darkened, even so in the night, "I lied. I did once, when I was a baby, all twelve Olympians."

I was shocked, why would baby Talon be meeting all twelve of the Olympians? Just who was Nikandreos?

I decided not to push, I said, "Maybe he does. I think he's been helping me throughout this quest."

"That's good, then. Maybe Hercules, Heracles or whatever is different than the rest."

"Is Nikandreos different?"

"Yes." He responded almost immediately, to my surprise.

He continued, "I never knew him, but Master told me a bit about him, most of the story. A story that only the gods and few others know. It's been wiped from history."

"You told Malachi, didn't you?"

He nodded grimly, "I did. I told both him and Sera the whole truth as an act of trust. Only because Malachi told me his godly parent, and Sera hers. Although we figured it was Khione, with her white hair and all."

"Wait a second, back up, Malachi told you who his godly parent was?"

He nodded.

I don't know why I thought that was groundbreaking. He was obviously a child of Zeus, what with the wind and lightning powers, his insane strength. But that didn't explain the whole Typhon thing...

"Nikandreos, Zeus, and Khione." I muttered.

Talon looked at me for the first time tonight, eyebrows raised, "Zeus? For Malachi?"

I nodded, it was obvious, I didn't know why he was surprised, "Well, yeah."

He studied me for a second, I couldn't read his eyes in the night, but he finally chuckled, "Sure kid."

I don't know what possessed me to not ask further about the matter. If it wasn't Zeus, then who? Am I missing something here?

After another moment, Talon said, "You should know what you're walking into. The Island I mean."

I payed attention, leaning slightly closer, not to the point of weirdness, but enough to hear him better, "Okay."

"I'll tell you the truth about the island, and what went on there, what I experienced."

"Alright, I'm listening."

He stayed silent for a moment, so long in fact, that I thought he had abruptly fell asleep, or just decided not to tell me, then he finally muttered, "It was a slave operation."

I wasn't sure If I heard him right, "What?"

"A slave operation. We were slaves."

Woah, I actually wasn't expecting that. Although I wasn't sure what I was expecting, just...not that. I mean, child slaves?

"Slavery? On the Cursed Island? That's the operation that went on there years ago?"

He nodded, "Yep. Back in the second Titan War, demigods on the side of Olympus were captured, sent to that Island to be slaves. They made weapons, collected food, all kinds of rough shit to help out the Titan army. There had to have been three hundred of us."

I waited, very interested, and disturbed.

He looked to see if I was listening, and kept going, "Kronos came up with the idea. He put a magical barrier on the island, cutting it off from the gods' view, so they couldn't rescue us or alert heroes to help. We were trapped, beaten, tortured, spat on, locked up in cages and thrown in the pit for punishment."

"The pit?"

"Yeah. A huge hole dug at the center of the island. Filled with small monsters and vicious critters. If you survived them, that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the starvation, the infected cuts and scrapes, the thirst. Hell, one time I drank the blood of a monster, and even tried to eat my own dead skin, that's how bad it was."

I was horrified, I didn't know or could even guess any of this.

"I was sent there a few years back. Did my own thing, but finally had enough of it, and fought back against the guards, causing trouble. And you know I've got a temper and a big mouth, so I spent a lot of time in the pit. Until I joined up with Malachi, Sera, and some others, then we were unstoppable."

"How did you meet them?"

"Malachi was in the pit one day, and I was thrown in with him. We killed the monsters together. Him more than me. I had never seen such a powerful demigod, he was like a kid god or something, his power over lightning was insane. I knew that I had to make this guy my friend. After we killed the monsters, we talked, and found some common ground. He said he'd been looking after this shy girl named Seraphina, and that he hated her being left alone while he was in the pit."

"Why?"

"You can guess kid. She was a beautiful thirteen year old girl with white hair, who didn't fight back against any asshole that deserved it. The ages ranged from ten to seventeen on this island, and you can guess that the boys got horny, so they would harass her. Well, that shit didn't last long, because Malachi stepped in and obliderated any predator that laid a hand on her. I'm talking frying these guys. He killed them. You want to see someone more brutal than me? You should've seen that kid when someone slapped her on the ass, or tried to grab her. You would see the devil himself." Then he gritted his teeth, and added, "Or you could just look at him now I guess."

"Was she strong? I mean, could she fight if she wanted to?"

He snorted, "Hell yeah. She had power over ice, and was really strong. But she got abused as a young kid, and was too timid to stand up to anyone, hence why Malachi and I helped her out."

"So um...you guys were in the pit?"

"Oh yeah. Anyway, we became friends and once we left that Pit, we never went back. The three of us basically caused a rebellion, and pulled shit on the guards all the time." He laughed, echoing in the night, "It was actually pretty fun. Then of course after a couple years, the two lovebirds finally got together, leaving me as the third wheel. But I didn't mind, they still hung out with me just the same."

"You said a couple of years, how long were you on the Island?"

He raised his arm and showed me the line tattoos I had seen earlier, "Five lines, five years. After the end of each year, they mark you with an iron rod, burning it into your skin."

I winced, "Damn. How did you get off?"

"Get off? I mean, kid...Sera was the only hottie on the island, and she was Malachi's girl, I couldn't exactly jerk off to the ugly chicks-"

"No! Dude, your mind is in the gutter constantly! I meant how did you escape?"

He laughed, "Oh, my bad. Well, we had figured out that boats came in every month, either bringing in new prisoners or new supplies. So we devised a scheme in which we would hijack one and sail back home."

"How did it go?"

"Not good, obviously. Our notoriety had reached such a point that they called in a hitman to exterminate us. Real big, tough bastard. During all the chaos, we tried to run for it, but out of nowhere, this blonde kid with a scar on his face, Luke Castellan, I think he was called, showed up and started talking in Kronos's voice. We kept attacking him, but nothing worked. It was like our blows just clanged off him. Malachi and Sera held him off while I reluctantly went on my own. I...regret that to this day. I hated myself for so long, and still do really, because maybe...she wouldn't be trapped in ice like you saw in your vision, and maybe Malachi wouldn't have his mind taken over if I stayed."

I wasn't sure what to say, comforting Talon wasn't exactly on my to do list, but I managed, "Hey, It wasn't your fault. Someone had to get away."

"Maybe, but I can't help but wonder."

We sat for another minute in silence, before I noticed him getting up, dusting the dirt from his jeans.

"I ain't gonna be going to that Island with you guys, kid. I'm sorry, but I can't do it."

I nodded, "I understand. I wouldn't ask you too."

"But let me tell you something. When you get there, don't try and fight Malachi, what you need to do is find Sera, and free her."

"Wait, free Sera?"

"You said yourself that she was trapped in an ice block in a cavern, hidden from Malachi. And you know why? Cause Ouranos is afraid if he sees her, he'll remember everything, and turn on him."

It made sense, but if he was close to Talon, why didn't he remember anything in Central Park.

The assassin seemed to read my mind, "It might be unlikely, but it's your best shot. I doubt you can beat him in a fight kid, no offense. So I would try and free Sera, show her to Malachi, because if there's anyone that'll snap him out of it, it's her."

I thought about it, then nodded, "Okay, I'll try."

He nodded, and actually smiled, "You're a good kid, Matt. It wasn't unbearable talking to you." Then with that, he walked away, back inside.

I registered something at that moment, something that I never thought would happen. I discovered that I had just become friends with the demigod hitman.

After the conversation with Talon, I went back inside and crashed on the uncomfortable bed, getting just enough sleep to groan and stretch through my getting up process.

I made it downstairs to find that Harper and Annabeth were in the kitchen, searching for stuff to make breakfast with.

"I didn't know you guys could cook" I teased, more Harper than Annabeth. The Daughter of Athena was technically an adult, kind of weird questioning her skills in the culinary arts.

Harper smirked, "Yeah, I picked up a thing or two. Olympus knows Dad never made anything."

I winced. Crap, I shouldn't have said that.

She noticed and said, "Oh no, it's fine, really. I'm glad I learned, it's actually a valuable skill."

I sighed, relieved that didn't turn awkward. "No doubt" I said.

"How do you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled."

"Got it." She winked at me, causing the butterfly farm to go nuts again in my stomach.

I walked in the living room, to find a surprising sight, Percy and Talon with their swords locked.

Uh, that came out wrong.

I mean, they were literally sparring in the living room. Not being serious, just parrying and striking lightly. They seemed to be enjoying it.

After a moment, they noticed me and stopped, Percy saying a little out of breath, "What's up, man. Want a turn?"

"Uh, no thanks."

Talon beamed, "This guy is freaking good! Oh man, I can't wait for our serious fight!"

Percy looked uneasy, "Uh, about that. Do you mean a fight to the death?"

"You want it to be a fight to the death?" Talon's grin grew wider.

"Uh, no, just a regular match would be fine."

After a few minutes of goofing off, we ate breakfast. Turns out the girls were pretty good. I wolfed down everything as per usual, my starving self.

Once we were done, we got ready and exited the house.

We were met with Mateo and a few of his guys, standing outside waiting for us.

"Hey, Amigos, Amigas! How was your sleep, eh?"

Talon waved him off, "It was fine, man. Now, let's get to this rodeo."

Mateo laughed, "Right to the point, huh? Very well then, follow me!"

We walked the opposite of the rodeo and into town, we didn't know what the heck this guy was up to, and Talon called it out before I could.

"What the hell are we doing here? I thought we were going to the rodeo."

Mateo chuckled, "Ah, we will, take it easy. We just need to get you guys dressed properly, can't go into the carnival dressed in those orange shirts."

Annabeth didn't look happy, "Maybe we like these Orange shirts."

"Hey, no offense to the camp, eh. Chiron's a good guy, no disrespect meant. It's just a courtesy here, you dress to impress, right?"

We weren't sure, but ended up agreeing with it. Before we knew it, we were in the general store, getting outfitted with cowboy get ups.

First was Talon of course, who picked his out immediately. A black leather duster that came down do his knees. A gray vest underneath, belt buckle and holster at his waist, menacing black boots on, and the sunglasses still over his eyes.

Mateo patted him on the shoulder, "Wow, man. You look just like you did back in the day, way better than the Sons of Anarchy get up, huh?"

"Sure man."

Next was Annabeth, who reluctantly put on a red flannel with the sleeves rolled up, jeans tucked inside of gray cowgirl boots, which at the tip had little metal owls.

To be honest, it suited her, like she was meant for it.

Percy was in shock, "Annabeth...you actually fit well in that. Were you a cowgirl or something?"

She shrugged, "I grew up in Virginia, although...we never dressed like this."

Mateo interrupted, turning to Harper, "Okay! Green Day, you gotta change this."

She crossed her arms, "Not happening."

Talon groaned, "Just do it. It's only for a day."

She shook her head, "I'm not walking around like some Wild West girl, no way."

Mateo was getting miffed, and some of his boys were pissed off too, I figured I'd better mediate.

"Harper, come on. Just bear with it for today. I'll look even worse, so it'll be alright."

She hesitated, then threw her hands up, "Ugh! Whatever, I'll put something on."

A few minutes later, she emerged in an outfit similar to Talon's, only her jacket was shorter, and the jeans were tighter. She looked like a female bounty hunter.

"Whoa, you guys could be siblings." I teased to the two.

Talon and Harper both grumbled, leaving me to pick out an outfit.

I rummaged through, trying to find the least dumb thing to wear, when I finally stumbled on a red long sleeve button up, a black cowboy hat, and blue jeans with regular boots. It was tough to strap my Nemean Lion shield on, but I managed and I put it on, and walked back out.

Next was Percy, he picked out pretty much my outfit, only in the color blue.

It didn't suit him.

I mean, even worse than me, it looked pretty funny to be honest.

Annabeth was trying not to laugh, "Oh gods, Percy."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Let's just get this over with."

We exited the General Store and entered the rodeo, which was on full blast now. A bunch of spectators were in the stands, cheering at some guy on a horse trying to lasso a small bull. Wow, weird entertainment.

We walked in a row of gates before arriving at a large pin, a few big guys were standing around it.

Mateo stepped up to them, "Hey boys."

They looked and became alert, "Oh, hey Mateo, what do you need?"

"Cretan Bull, right?" He pointed at the beast, it was hidden in the pin, and I couldn't get a good look at it, but geez, that was a big holding pin, the Cretan Bull wasn't that big right?

They nodded, "Yep, the main event. Can't get a rider though...you up for it?"

Mateo laughed, "Hell nah. This kid right here is, though." He pushed me forward.

I stood awkwardly, these guys were like six foot six each, "Uh, yeah, I'm gonna ride it."

They studied me for a moment and then guffawed.

"Kid, you sure about that?"

I was about to get defensive when Talon intervened, "Look beefheads, he's the Son of Hercules. Let him ride the damn bull. We got a bet on this."

They apparently didn't want trouble with Talon, because they ignored the beefheads part, "How much?"

"Seventy Five."

Their jaws dropped, "Oh yeah! Let us in on that!"

Mateo shook his head, "Nah. Private bet gentleman, sorry. Now, can the kid ride or not?"

They murmured and then turned back to us, "Well, since we can't get nobody else...and if the kid really is the Son of Strength, it should be good. Yeah, he can ride."

We all sighed in relief.

"Wait, when do I ride it?" I asked.

"Right after this event, so...about five minutes."

"Oh alright-wait, WHAT?!"

They just chuckled and turned back to work.

I looked at everyone wide eyed.

Harper tried to reassure me, but It wasn't working, "Hey, you'll be fine. You threw the Hydra, this is nothing, right?"

I wasn't sure, that Bull seemed a lot stronger and bigger than I expected. Its aura was insane, way more than the Minotaur's.

I nodded, "Alright, where do I go?"

Mateo pointed across the field, "That pin over there. They'll put the bull in, you get on its back, and hold like hell."

They all wished me good luck, and I trudged over to the pin Mateo pointed at.

The dude ended up lassoing the small bull, wrestling it to the ground and letting it go, the crowd cheering all the way. I stood anxiously at the pin gate, a bunch of big guys standing next to me in anticipation.

Before I knew it, the dude, his horse, and the small steer were gone, and the circle was empty.

A huge semi-truck was being pulled around to our area, and eventually a dozen big guys surrounded the back. No way...that bull was in there.

They opened the door and quickly grabbed the Cretan Bull, their bodies blocking my view of it, but I could tell it was enormous. They struggled with it for a few feet until finally guiding it to the pin. Once they locked the gate, the bull stood there, huffing angrily. It was then that I finally got a good look at it.

Imagine the biggest rhino you've ever seen at the zoo, that has nothing on this thing. It was twice as big as the Minotaur, which was nuts. There was no way this thing was supposed to be that big. It was the size of a full grown elephant, if elephants ate other elephants, because this thing was literally beefed up.

Dozens of muscles bulged through its slick brown skin. Horns as wide as car spread out on either side of its head, every time it breathed, I could see a puff of it, and it would send the dirt scattering.

I could feel it's aura, it was more powerful than anything we had faced so far, besides Malachi of course, but I was shocked. There was no way it should be this strong.

I asked one of the big guys, "Hey, has it always been this big?"

He furrowed his thin eyebrows and replied, "Actually, no. It's twice as big as when I last saw it...huh, that's weird."

You're damn right it's weird, I was gonna have to ride the thing.

After a minute of getting a saddle thing on it, they tried to hoist me up like a child, to which I waved them off and climbed on the mountain of beef myself.

I sat on its back, my legs feeling like they were doing a split from its width.

"Easy, bull, just take it easy..." I said gently.

The Cretan Bull freaked out, it started banging the gates and bellowing. I held on for dear life, and at that moment, the guy with the microphone yelled, "OPEN THE GATE!"

The gate opened, and it began.

Once we got out in the open, I gained balance, I held on with one hand, the other in the air (That's what they said to do.) I stuck on with ease. Hey, this wasn't so bad at all, I was practically putting no effort-

In an instant, the Cretan Monster cranked it up.

It was like being in a giant washing machine going at the speed of light. The Bull bucked and bucked like crazy, spinning around with enough force it created a small tornado. Literally, a dust devil formed from the ride, blowing sand everywhere and pulling off people's hats.

I put a little strength into my hand, still holding on with ease. The Bull jumped ten feet into the air, landing back on the ground, creating a crater, and repeating this process over and over. I held on still, not even trying.

This wasn't so bad, I was doing it, no problem. After a while of this, I noticed that the hour was almost up, and I hadn't even broken a sweat.

This was freaking easy.

I had to give it to the bull though, he had an infinite amount of stamina. He never slowed down, only got more ferocious with his bucks and turns, but I held on tight, not even budging.

Finally the hour was up, and I decided to end things.

With a rush of adrenaline, I actually laughed. I don't know why, but I laughed at the lack of challenge in this. I jumped off of its back, and landed in front of it.

"You aren't so tough. Even at triple size."

The Bull bellowed and charged its head at me. Hundreds of tons of force, and I stopped it with one hand in its tracks.

I stuck my hand on the bull's head, stopping him completely. I grabbed both of his horns and held them tight, only using a fraction of strength.

The Bull bellowed and struggled, seemingly getting even bigger and madder. Huh, that was strange, it was kind of like what happened with the Hydra...

I held fast, the Bull couldn't move. I then put a little more strength in my arms and stamped my foot forward, giving me balance to lift the thing.

I pulled upward and the bull went airborne. I lifted it over me and quickly slammed it into the ground. A thunderous boom shook the entire rodeo, a giant asteroid crater held the Bull now. It was groaning and kicking.

One kick caught my leg, I didn't feel a thing. I reared my fist back, and prepared to end it.

But yet again, a voice told me not to kill, just like with the Hydra.

What was that? Why did it keep telling me that?

I didn't understand it. What was the point of going after these monsters if we don't kill them?

The voice urged me, stronger than before.

I hesitated, but let my fist down. I acted on instinct, and put my hand on the Bull's head.

Free it. A voice said.

I had no idea what was going on, but I muttered, "You're free now."

The Bull huffed lightly, and disappeared in a regal dust, not dead, but fading, just like the Hydra.

I stood up, everyone was silent. Then after a second, they roared in approval, chanting my name. I was so confused to even register it though, who was that voice?

I walked back to the pin and was greeted by my friends and Mateo's group. My buddies probably expected the outcome, and were patting me on the back, but Mateo and his crew were wide eyed.

"Y-you, but, h-how did you...what the fuck?!"

"What?"

He stumbled over his words, blinking furiously, "What the, how are you, how...How are you that fucking strong?!"

I shrugged, "Son of Hercules. Now hold up your deal."

He remained stunned, before finally shrugging, "Damn, I guess I lost. Alright then, free of charge...that was quite a show."

Harper beamed, "At this rate we'll get to the island in no time!"

Percy nodded, "Yeah, seriously Matt, you're making it too easy."

"Just going with my gut."

Annabeth looked confused, "But why did you spare it again? Was it the same situation as the Hydra?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I heard the voice again, telling me not to kill it."

She thought for a moment, "It doesn't make sense, who's speaking to you?"

Mateo interrupted, "Doesn't matter, eh? A display of strength like that, definitely deserves some celebration."

Talon stepped forward, "Uh, appreciate the offer man, but we gotta-"

Mateo put a hand on his shoulder, "Oh c'mon, your master won't find out you're here. It's just for a little while. Come back to the saloon, have a few drinks!"

"But the kids are fifteen-"

"They have soda. Don't worry, hombre. You guys have been traveling, you're weary, huh? Just relax a little."

I didn't like how he kept persisting, it gave me a suspicious vibe, like he was trying to lure us.

But if he was lying, he was really good. Because he seemed genuine about it.

Talon debated in his head, then decided with a smirk, "Alright, fine. I guess a few minutes wouldn't hurt."

Mateo laughed, "That's the spirit! Follow me, I'll show you all a good time!"

We followed him back to town, still a distance away. We were now in the area between the carnival and town, a sandy open space filled with next to nothing.

I felt like something was off, this was not good. I was very aware of the way his crew surrounded us as we walked.

Annabeth whispered, "Something's not right."

"No kidding."

We didn't say anything else, but we remained alert.

Talon and Mateo were talking, Mateo was laughing, "Yeah, man. That kid sure is strong, woo wee, talk about a shocker."

Talon chuckled, "Yeah, looks like you won't be getting those Seventy-Five drachmas."

Mateo kept laughing, a little more sinister this time, and said, "Oh, I don't have to worry about that hombre. Ouranos pays more."

It took us a second to catch on.

Talon turned, "Wait, what did you say?"

Mateo sneered, "You heard me." Then he quickly pulled out his revolver and shot a round in the air. Harper thought quick, and blurred in front of him, knocking the gun out of his hand and tackling him to the ground. But in the same instant, another blur grabbed her and threw her towards me. I caught her fall, and felt a dozen auras closing in on us, two of them far stronger than the rest.

Mateo's boys tried to jump us, but Talon quickly flipped a coin and held his pump shotgun firmly, blasting slugs in all of them, covering the area with blood. The unidentified blur kept darting around us, it's aura really strong. I couldn't keep up with it, and I looked at Harper, and my stomach dropped. She was barely keeping up with it, that's how I knew whatever it was, was fast.

A legion of storm spirits appeared around us, Percy and Annabeth vaporizing a few, Talon blasting them, Harper stabbing them, and me punching their core.

All of a sudden, Talon's gun was thrown from his hand, the blur zooming by and catching it, circling us and kicking up sand like a motorcycle doing a donut.

We were caught in the circle, all of us standing back to back, Mateo outside of it.

I heard a stranger yell, "FIRE!"

In an instant a dozen flaming arrows soared down at us. I thought quick and pulled out my Nemean Lion shield, blocking all of them, sending them sideways into the ground.

Immediately after, two jars of that green explosive stuff landed in the middle of us. I grabbed them and threw them out, they exploded in mid air.

After a second of the blur circling us, and Mateo standing outside smirking, everything slowed down, and the blur stopped.

It was a girl.

The blur I mean. It was a girl causing it. She had short hair on the sides, but long on top, it was swept to one side. She had on strange earrings I couldn't make out, a punk-like outfit, and a mischievous face, like she was a born thief.

Next to her, a blonde kid about average height stepped up. He was dressed in full battle armor and had a rugged face. His blonde hair was short, he was lean, and had a sword at his waist.

They were standing relatively close to us, Mateo a little behind them, and two dozen storm spirits and demigods surrounded us, standing ten feet behind the three.

I could read their auras. Mateo was pretty strong, but not as strong as any of us. The blonde kid and the fast girl however, were pretty close in power. Both very strong. Far more than Mateo, but I couldn't really compare them to us. I knew though that they would not be easy to fight.

Talon roared at the fast girl, "Give me back my damn gun!"

She fiddled with it, tossing it in the air and catching it, "Oh, this old thing? Nah, I think I'll just keep it." Her voice was light and playful, she had to be around fourteen or fifteen.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The blonde kid answered, "Well, I suppose it's worth knowing who's going to kill you. I am Grayson, Son of Athena."

Annabeth gasped a little at that, looking at him in disbelief.

The fast girl waved cheerfully, "And I'm Cherry! Daughter of Hermes, fastest demigod around!"

Talon didn't care about introductions, "Mateo you son of a bitch. You work for Ouranos?"

The bandit chuckled, "No, amigo. I simply knew that he was looking for you guys, and I decided to give him the location, in exchange for a lot of money. Four hundred drachmas! It's fucking incredible!"

Cherry frowned and turned to him, "Don't use that kind of language please." Then she smiled, "Or I'll rip your limbs off!"

Oh crap, she gave me the creeps.

Mateo laughed nervously, "Uh, yes ma'am. Anyway, these guys are top demigods for Ouranos. Their part of the Big Four."

"Wait a minute, the big four?" I blurted.

Grayson nodded, "A silly name. But that's what has been dubbed to us. It consists of myself, Cherry, Axel, who's a Son of Hephaestus, and-"

"That cloaked guy!" Cherry interrupted, "I don't like him! He's mean, and he turns into crows! It's disgusting!"

"Yes. We are the best servants of the new age, of Ouranos. And we have come to relinquish you."

Annabeth glared at him, "As a Daughter of Athena myself, I'm ashamed to be related to you. Are you stupid or something?"

He looked at her, "The wisest strategy is to side with Ouranos. Although even if I weren't a child of Wisdom, my affiliations wouldn't be different."

We stayed in a staredown for a while, until I finally decided to make the first move.

In an instant, I put some strength in my legs and darted around, I quickly punched the dozen demigods in rapid succession. I hit them in the face, the stomach, you name it, shattering bones and killing them on impact. I hated it, but if this was war, there was no playing nice guy.

After I did that, chaos ensued. Cherry tried to come at me, disappearing in an instant, but was then tackled by Harper, who had caught her with her own speed. Grayson was going at it with Annabeth, dodging every single one of her moves without blocking a single time. Annabeth was skilled, and a little older than this guy, yet he was dodging like it was a walk in the park. There was no way he was doing it based on skill, something told me he had an ability that allowed him to anticipate, or see an attack before it comes.

Percy was dealing with the storm spirits easily, and I noticed Mateo with what looked like a blowgun. What was he...oh no.

I was too late, he shot the poison dart at Percy, hitting the Son of Poseidon in the leg.

Percy yelped and dropped, lazily swinging his sword and moving a lot slower. Rage filled me, and I was about to attack the Bandit, when Talon yelled, "MATEO!"

Mateo noticed and quickly pointed down the other side of town. I looked in the direction he was pointing, and was surprised to see our truck we had used to get her, up in flames, no longer usable. His crew walking away from it with gas cans.

Even more rage filled me.

Talon exited the chaos, sprinting after Mateo, who was running the opposite direction.

I ran in line besides Talon.

"I'm gonna have a chat with this piece of shit!"

"I'll help you!"

He nodded, and together we ran after the slippery traitor. I knew I could catch him in an instant, but this was Talon's target, so I stayed the same speed as him.

We emerged in the center of town, it was abandoned it seemed. No one was in the streets or on the porches of the buildings, it was just us, and the orange sky above.

Mateo had hidden.

Talon and I ran around, looking, but to no avail. We finally stopped and stood in the middle, the sun was setting, only I couldn't see it yet again, due to this fight, but I could still glance at the orange and red streaked sky above.

Talon cursed, "We look for him, no matter how long it takes, and once we find him-"

"I'M RIGHT HERE, FUCKER!"

Mateo stepped out from behind a building, thirty feet from us.

Talon glared, taking his sunglasses off, "You treacherous bastard."

"Money's money man. Sorry, I had to do it."

"We're friends! What the hell kind of friend does that!"

Mateo shrugged, "You left for a long time, hombre. We're not friends no more, and I gotta do what I gotta do."

Talon looked hurt by this. He grimaced, "Fine then. If all those memories mean nothing, then how about we settle it once and for all."

Mateo laughed, "A duel?"

Talon nodded, very serious, "Yes. And I ain't talking about the fake ones we did as little kids, but a real one. One shot for each, one person dies."

Mateo narrowed his eyes, "You seriously challenging me?"

"Yes. A duel, classic style."

Mateo spit on the ground, "Fine by me, pendejo. I been waiting for this all day."

"Line up then. And take your last breaths."

Mateo laughed, and got in position, so did Talon. They stood parallel to each other, thirty feet apart, backs turned, hands just above their pistols.

"Talon, you sure about this?" I asked.

He said nothing.

After a moment, Talon yelled, "On the count of ten, we draw, and fire!"

Mateo yelled back, "Very well!"

I waited patiently, the tension building up to the point of insanity. At around eight seconds, Mateo turned around quickly and fired.

The bullet bounced off Talon, ricocheting into a wooden building. No blood, not even a scratch on the assassin.

Mateo's eyes widened, he dropped his gun, "Wh-what the hell-"

Talon turned, and to my surprise, his eyes were watery, he had an expression of pure sadness, but at the same time, hatred.

He raised his gun at his old friend.

"A cheater to the end. No surprise, but the memories were good, thanks for that, Mateo." Then he pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit the bandit in the head instantly, blood spraying every which way, and the demigod slumped on the ground, moving no more.

Talon put his revolver up, and walked slowly to Mateo. I followed. We ended up in front of him, and stood in silence for a minute.

Finally, Talon closed his eyes, and said, "Adios."

He grabbed Mateo's twin revolvers and placed them parallel to each other on his chest, a sign of honor. More than the greedy traitor deserved.

I was speechless, I simply stood there, letting Talon go through this.

He nodded, and said, "We should get back to the others."

Oh crap, I forgot about them!

We turned and started running back in that direction, when we saw the very same people we were going to rescue emerge from the corner of town.

Only they had another person with them now.

We met each other, and strangely, I could feel Talon's aura spike in anger, whoever this new guy was, he hated him.

They walked up to us, the newcomer in between.

He was tall. Maybe six foot two, he might've been in his sixties or seventies. He wore an old gray leather duster that came down nearly to the ground. He had on a black vest underneath, jeans and wicked boots on. He had a gray mustache, no beard on his chin. His gray hair was long, and came down over his back. It was straight and smooth looking, like the guy never had a bad hair day. He wore an outlaw cowboy hat, which covered his eyes. I notice he had a revolver at his side.

I felt his aura, and...woah. It was crazy strong. This guy was unreal, I couldn't believe it. He had to be an old demigod.

Talon emitted more bloodlust than I had ever witnessed at the old man, "What are you doing here?"

The old man had a deep voice, "Saving your friends. I bought a little time, we can hide out at my place."

Talon shook his head wildly, "I ain't going nowhere with you, old bastard!"

Before I could question why he was yelling at our friends' savior, Annabeth inputted, "He saved our lives, the others said they had called reinforcements."

Harper looked at me grimly, "They said Malachi was on his way."

My stomach fell, this was really not good.

I looked at the old man, "Your place, is it secure? Hard to find?"

He nodded, "It'll take em' a little while to find it. And if they do, I can stall em for as long as needed."

Talon emitted more bloodlust, but the old man was unphased, he didn't even seem to notice it.

Talon yelled again, "Under no circumstances will I-"

The old man interrupted, "You may hate me, boy. But think about your friends. You want them to die?"

He hesitated, then struggled with himself, finally throwing his hands up angrily, "FINE! We'll go, but don't expect any favors from me."

The old man shrugged, "Wasn't planning on it. We need to move, now."

We all jogged after him, A sudden question popped in my mind. If we were gonna be hiding out at this guys' place, we should at least know who he is.

"Hey old man, what's your name?"

He turned slightly, "I'm Jack Colter. Your tracker doesn't want to admit it, but I'm his former mentor."

(000)

There it is! Talon's backstory was explored a bit, and we got to meet more of Ouranos' forces.

Also, Talon's mentor is finally revealed, Jack Colter.

Satisfied with how this turned out, and it looks like we're gonna see Malachi again, that should be fun to write.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Until Next Time.