Sea of Monsters Chapter 11:
The Argo
Medea could only stare in anger as the ship continued its approach. Of all the ships that could have intervened, this one was the worst one possible. Many unpleasant memories and feelings coursed through her mind, making her glare harder at the ship before her. The Argo was on its way, and that could only mean one thing.
He was here.
Perseus turned to Hektor with disbelief in his eyes. "HE'S your boss?!"
"Yep." Hektor answered.
Ritsuka glared at the Lancer. "I thought you'd be better than this, Hektor."
"Okay, can someone tell me what's going on?" Bombe asked.
"We're about to have a nasty situation coming, that's what." Tatsuko said.
Everyone went silent as the Argo continued to approach with silent tension. Soon, however, the Argo stopped a fair distance away. Everyone watched with bated breath as time seemed to slow down, anticipating what would happen next. Soon, a woman appeared at the side of the Argo, staring at them. She was an attractive young woman, with skin pale as snow, and a hair color to match it. Her eyes were pale blue, yet looked empty. In her right hand was a strange weapon, it looked mechanical, but it resembled a hammer, and in her left hand, a large looking staff. Artemis and Medea couldn't help but feel a familiar presence within her. It was as if they could feel Aphrodite was there.
"I have half of my mission completed, Galatea." Hektor said.
"Good work." Galatea said robotically. "Our captain is more than satisfied with your results."
"Now let us take it from here."
Everyone watched as Hektor vanished from the Queen Anne's Revenge, and appeared on the deck of the Argo next to someone. The person next to Hektor was a man with blonde hair and green eyes. He wore a white shirt in the style of Ancient Greece, and white pants alongside it. He also wore standard greaves of his era. He had a smug grin on his face, but it soon turned into a frown as he spotted the Golden Hind, and saw a certain woman on board glaring back at him.
"Medea." The man hissed.
"Jason." Medea said venomously.
The blonde Servant ignored her statement and stared at everyone on the Queen Anne's Revenge and the Golden Hind. "You all fought pretty well, given what I see here. But now you're all at my mercy. Just give me what I want, and I'll let you go."
"What do you want?" Ritsuka asked.
Jason pointed to Stheno and Euryale. "The twin Goddesses, of course!."
Medusa glared at the blonde man. "If you think I'm letting you take my sisters, then you're sorely mistaken."
"It doesn't matter what you think." Jason replied. "We're taking them, whether you like it or not."
"My my, you really are a bold one." Stheno said. "You have some nerve to speak about me and my other self as if we are trophies."
"Well I do have a goal in mind." Jason replied. "I want to create a paradise."
"Well you have that Holy Grail right there." Drake countered. "Why do you need them as well?"
"The Grail is just a conduit that will make it happen." Jason answered. "But it will need fuel in order for it to work."
Euryale's eyes widened. "You mean to sacrifice me and my other self to the Grail!"
"Correct." Jason replied. "I know how it sounds, but it's for the best."
"Well when you put it like that…..like hell we're letting you have them now!" Tatsuko shouted.
Ritsuka looked at everyone on the Golden Hind and the Queen Anne's Revenge. He could see the looks in their eyes, and noted they were all in agreement. The male Master turned to stare Jason straight in the face.
"If you think we're going to do what you ask, then you seriously need a reality check." Ritsuka said. "We're not letting you take them. So take promises, and take your dreams, and go fuck yourself!"
Jason stared at the male Master in annoyance. He then looked back at a young girl with blue hair and a thin staff and nodded. "Do it."
"Of course, Lord Jason!"
Medea felt the teleportation crystal shake in her hands and widened her eyes in horror. The blue haired Caster tried to conjure a spell to stop what was about to happen, but it was too late. Everyone could only watch in shock as the Mystic Code shattered in her hands.
"Damn! Now we're in a real bad spot!" Drake shouted.
"With this, you won't be making a quick exit."
Everyone watched as the young girl stepped forward, and when they saw her face, they were all in shock. It was a younger version of Medea.
"This has got to be a sick joke." Medea said.
"Oh like you are one to talk." Medea Lily retorted. "I have no idea what I did when I became you, but it was clearly not worth anything."
"And you are a very good liar." Medea countered.
Medea Lily sighed. "I guess this means war then."
The young girl turned to Jason with a calm expression. "Can I do it?"
Jason smiled. "Do it."
"Then please say the words." Medea Lily replied.
Jason sighed in annoyance. "I don't see why I should say something so stupid!"
"But you'll sound so powerful." Medea Lily replied. "I think they'll be frightened of you when you say it."
Jason couldn't help but grin. If she was right, then maybe they would beg for his forgiveness and give up. He then turned to his opposers and raised his hand.
"Release the monster!"
Medea Lily nodded and snapped her fingers, and a faint glow appeared around the sea. Not long after, the sea started to shake and churn. Perseus's eyes widened in horror as he felt a familiar presence within the sea. He couldn't even warn them when a large shape came up from the water, casting a shadow over all of them. Its upper body was humanoid, but its face was that of a demon, and tentacles sprouted from the sea, part of the creature's lower body. The monster looked at the two interlocked ships, and roared. Perseus turned to Jason with a look of utter disbelief. "You're insane. You'll kill us all!"
"What are we looking at here?" Tatsuko asked.
"It's Cetus." Perseus replied.
Medusa looked at Perseus and then to the creature. How the red haired demi-god managed to keep his composure when fighting this thing the first time was beyond her.
"We need to detach the ships." Gunnhild said.
"I don't think Cetus will be giving us much time to do that." Alexander said.
"I'll take care of it." Perseus said.
"You're going to need help with this one." Artemis replied.
"I appreciate the back up." Perseus said. No sooner did he say that did they rush off to face Cetus, the red haired Rider activating his flying shoes while Artemis flew alongside him.
"We're going to need a couple of people to push the ships away from each other." Medusa said. "I'll have to be one of them."
"I'll help too." Ushiwakamaru said.
"Hang on." Drake said. "Bombe, get the anchor dropped now! We need to get the rest of the crew off this ship!"
Bombe nodded, and dropped the anchor, giving everyone time to get back onto the Golden Hind. Drake turned to the two girls and nodded. "Wait until all are safe on board, I'll give you the signal."
The two Riders nodded and jumped off the ship and into the water. Medea waved her hands to them, and to their surprise, the two of them were now standing on the surface of the water. Instead of trying to figure out how this was possible, the two of them proceeded to get into position to try and push the Golden Hind away from the Queen Anne's Revenge.
"Okay what happens after that?" Alexander asked.
"We get out of here." Gunnhild replied. "After that, we all try to find an island so we can get Captain Teach treated, and we can plan our next move."
"Good idea." Okita said. "We should probably figure out where we go after we get out of here."
"That's not going to work. There's only one ship that'll be able to make it."
Everyone turned in shock as they heard that familiar voice. To their surprise, Teach was still alive, but seriously injured. "When the ships are free, I'll keep them off your tail for as long as I can."
"Holy crap, you're bleeding!" Tatsuko shouted.
"I don't have time to bleed." Teach said.
The sound of something igniting caused them to turn towards the Argo. It was then they saw Galatea quickly gliding near the surface of the water towards the Queen Anne's Revenge.
"Damn, looks like Jason isn't going to make this easy." Drake said.
"I'll take her on." Eric Bloodaxe replied. "I'll need some backup though."
"I'll help you." Alexander said.
"And I'll keep shooting at her to keep her from getting too close." Anne replied. "Mary, can you help with evacuating these guys back to the Golden Hind?"
"Got it. Just be careful!" Mary replied.
.
Not a second later, Alexander and Eric Bloodaxe leapt off the ship out of instinct. Medea immediately cast a spell on them before the Rider and Berserker touched the sea, and their feet soon landed upon the water. The two male Servants stared at their feet and to each other in surprise at the fact.
"Well this is neat." Alexander said. The two men rushed towards Galatea, only for the pale Berserker to fly over them. Anne grinned as she took the opportunity to shoot at the enemy Berserker, forcing her to dodge all of her musket rounds. Soon, Galatea was forced to lower herself near the water to try a more stealthy approach. She had no time to get closer as Eric Bloodaxe and Alexander attacked her from behind. The Berserker flew up away before they could land their attacks, and landed behind them.
"You will not be able to stop me." Galatea said robotically.
"As if we're going to let you and those guys take Stheno and Euryale." Alexander replied. The pale Berserker rushed to Alexander and quickly grabbed him by the throat.
"You two won't be enough." Galatea said. The pale Berserker was soon forced to let go of Alexander as Eric Bloodaxe tackled her, and slammed her into the side of the Queen Anne's Revenge. The female Berserker used the end of her hammer to hit her opponent in the chest before swinging it into his head. The male Berserker staggered back a bit before he recovered. Galatea rushed towards him as he and Alexander readied their weapons and clashed once more with their opponent.
As that was happening, the remaining Chaldeans aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge helped the crew of the Golden Hind return to the ship. Okita, Mary and Gunnhild kept guard on the Revenge, while Mashu and the Masters helped guide them back to the Hind safely. Unfortunately, their evacuation plan soon became complicated when an arrow hit one of the crew members, nearly causing him to fall into the water if Mary didn't catch him in time. Everyone looked to where the arrow came from, and saw a dragon tooth warrior aiming another arrow.
"Hey Blackbeard, can you concentrate your cannons on the Argo?" Drake asked.
"You don't need to tell me twice!" Teach shouted. The Rider closed his eyes and focused his attention on all the cannons he could muster on the deck, and used his mind to redirect them towards the Argo. Everyone waited and shot their guns at the dragon tooth warriors until Teach could tell he had a clear shot at the enemy ship. The moment he knew he had it, the large man set forth a barrage of cannon fire to hit the Argo. Everyone watched as the barrage continued, only to fall into shock and despair.
All of the cannon balls simply bounced off the Argo.
Jason couldn't help but laugh at the sight before him. "You definitely are stubborn, I'll give you that! But it's useless. You can't damage the Argo with that level of fire power!"
The blonde man turned to Medea Lily with a grin. "Give them a nice party."
Medea Lily nodded and waved her staff. The crew on both ships heard the sound of cackling bones, and turned to see dragon tooth warriors on both ships. Mary responded quickly by blocking an attack meant for Drake, allowing the pink haired woman to shoot its head clean off. The female captain turned and saw the dragon tooth warriors fighting on her ship. While her crew and the Chaldeans were evenly matched with their opponents thanks to the Chaldeans, Asterios and the twin Goddesses, she couldn't help but feel that they would need backup as she saw the enemy skeletons reattach themselves every time they shattered.
"Okita, back them up!" She shouted. The Saber did not need to be told twice, and leapt onto the Golden Hind, cutting multiple dragon tooth warriors to ribbons. Back on the Queen Anne's Revenge, Mary cut down two dragon tooth warriors with her cutlass while Gunnhild smashed three more with her staff, and ice magic. The blonde caster raised an eyebrow as she noticed the ones she took down didn't get back up. She then froze two more trying to attack Anne, and noted the same thing happening. Gunnhild then widened her eyes in realization. Ice can stop them from coming back.
"Hey, elf ears! Ice is their weakness!"
"I already knew that!" Medea countered. "It's much harder on my end since I don't want to hit my allies over here!"
Not a second later, something crashed into the deck of the Golden Hind, completely shattering the Dragon Tooth Warriors, completely taking them out of the fight permanently. Everyone looked on to see what caused it, only to widen their eyes as they saw the unconscious body of Artemis on the Golden Hind, groaning and out cold. This could only mean one thing. Perseus was now fighting Cetus alone.
As that was happening, the fighters on the Queen Anne's Revenge finished off the last of the Dragon Tooth Warriors. Mary resumed helping get the crew back on the Golden Hind while Anne and Gunnhild both gave support for Alexander and Eric Bloodaxe against Galatea.
"Get back to your ship, Drake." Teach said to Drake.
The pink haired woman looked to see the progress of the evacuation, and noted it was almost complete. "What's your plan on stalling them?"
Teach looked at his ship, and at the holes in it. "I have a few ideas."
Drake looked at where he was staring, and noted what he was referring to. A loud roar filled everyone's ears, and they turned to see Cetus try to catch Perseus. The Rider had to dodge and weave through tentacles and the hands of the Cetus, only for one of the tentacles to throw off his momentum, and force him to go lower. The Rider panted for a bit, sweat covering his head and terribly winded. He looked back at his allies and the others, and saw they were still struggling to get away. Perseus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to go all out now in order to make sure they could have more time. Perseus then felt lightning course and surge around his body, as if it were armor. The Rider roared and charged at the large beast before him, and punched a hole right through its gut. The force of the attack was enough for Cetus to roar in pain as it fell back into the ocean, with Perseus still inside its body as it fell into the sea. The Chaldeans and Drake looked on in horror as one of their strongest allies did not resurface.
However, the last of the Hind's crew that boarded the Queen Anne's Revenge returned to their ship. Mashu looked at Drake and cupped her hands together. "The evacuation is complete!"
Teach turned his attention to Anne and Mary. "You two, get on their ship! Let Gunnhilde cover for those two!"
"Got it!" The two women shouted. The Servant duo soon ran for the Golden Hind, allowing Gunnhilde to cover Eric Bloodaxe and Alexander. Drake and Teach looked at each other knowingly.
"Pirate's life, Edward Teach." Drake said.
Teach grinned. "Coming from you, that means something."
The bearded Servant got up, and walked towards the wheel of the ship. He gave Drake one last nod as she used one of the ropes to swing back to her ship. The moment he was sure she was safe aboard her ship, Teach pulled a lever near the wheel, dropping smoke bombs to give them some more cover.
"Get the anchor up now!" Drake shouted. "And you two start pushing!"
Medusa and Ushiwakamaru nodded and began to push the ship. After a few seconds of struggling to get it to budge, they slowly managed to untangle the Golden Hind from the Queen Anne's Revenge. The two female Riders climbed aboard the Hind just as Alexander and Eric Bloodaxe could see the silhouette of it starting to set sail. If they wanted to end the fight, it had to be now. Wasting no time, Eric Bloodaxe grabbed Galatea in a bear hug and threw her towards the Argo. Alexander finished the fight by blasting the pale Berserker with a jolt of lightning, causing her to hit the hull of the Argo. The two men saw the Golden Hind sailing away, causing Alexander to stare in concern.
"Okay, I'm going to have to figure out how I get back to them now." Alexander said.
"I know one way you can." Eric Bloodaxe said.
"What do you have in mind?"
Eric Bloodaxe grinned and picked up the young Rider by his belt. Before Alexander could protest, the Berserker looked at the Golden Hind and reared his arm back. "Hey you guys! Catch!"
Without any hesitation at all Eric Bloodaxe threw Alexander at the Golden Hind. The young Rider screamed in shock and terror as he barreled towards the Golden Hind with incredible speed. However, he did not hit the deck, and instead, fell into Medusa's arms knocking her down from the impact. The two of them slowly got up in a daze.
"Thanks." Alexander said.
"Don't mention it." Medusa replied. Alexander looked around and noticed two people were missing.
"Where's Perseus and Artemis?"
"Artemis was knocked unconscious by Cetus and is now below deck recovering." Medusa said. "Perseus….on the other hand…"
Alexander's eyes widened. "We have to go back for him."
"He fell into the ocean with Cetus…" Okita said.
Alexander looked at them all and noted the looks on their faces. They were right, there was nothing they could do now…..
Ushiwakamaru put a hand on the young Rider's shoulder with a saddened expression. "I'm sorry about Perseus, Alexander."
The young Rider nodded sadly. "If he didn't do it, then Cetus would prevent our escape….."
As that was happening, Eric Bloodaxe climbed back onto the Queen Anne's Revenge, causing Teach to look at him curiously. "Did you push her back?"
The Berserker nodded, causing Teach to sigh in relief. "Okay you two, get out of here and save yourselves."
The two Vikings looked at each other and nodded with grins on their faces. Gunnhild then turned her attention to Teach and smirked. "We're not going anywhere."
Teach stared at her in shock. "You do realize this is a one way trip to Davey Jones Locker, right? You two don't need to follow me into it!"
Eric Bloodaxe laughed. "You think we're doing this out of duty? You're funny, Captain! We're going with you because we want to."
Gunnhild nodded. "We're going to stand by you to the bitter end, Captain."
Teach stared at them with awe. These two were being serious…. The Rider sighed, and flashed a grin. "Okay, you two, get behind me!"
The two vikings nodded and ran to his side. The moment they were in place, Teach began to spin the wheel of the ship towards the Argo.
"It's been an honor, Captain Teach." Gunnhild said. The Caster and her husband then saluted to the Rider, causing him to chuckle.
"The honor was all mine you two."
Meanwhile on the Argo, Galatea climbed back on deck to see the others staring out in the distance.
"The Golden Hind is escaping." She said robotically.
"Then we'll give chase." Jason said.
"Shall I go back out there?"
"No, you and Hektor should conserve your energy." Jason said. "I'll send others to deal with them."
Medea Lily turned to one of the Drakon Tooth Warriors at the helm. "Turn the ship and go after them!"
The sounds of cannons firing grabbed their attention.
"Hey Argonauts, remember me?!"
The crew of the Argo turned to see the Queen Anne's Revenge coming out of the smoke, it's remaining three passengers grinning like madmen.
"Oh? They're still around?" Medea Lily asked. "I would have thought they'd have scurried off or gone with them."
Hektor raised an eyebrow as they quickly approached the Argo. Why were they grinning like that?
"Why are you leaving so soon?!" Teach shouted. "We wanted to give you a nice gift! From us, to you!"
Hektor looked at the damaged ship once more, scanning it until he widened his eyes. Gunnhild was still holding onto the barrier!
"Jason, brace for impact!" Hektor shouted. Jason looked at the ship once more, and widened his eyes in shock as he saw the flames within the Queen Anne's Revenge start to converge and rise. Now there was no time to turn the ship away to avoid it!
BOOM!
Back on the Golden Hind, everyone watched with somber acceptance as the Queen Anne's Revenge rammed itself into the Argo, and blew up. Drake could only respectfully tip her hat in respect. "And so a true pirate was lost today."
"Captain, something's coming out from the smoke!" Bombe shouted.
A sense of dread filled the air at those words. Out of mere instinct they turned to see what was coming, even though they knew deep down what it was. The moment they saw it, their fears were confirmed.
Despite showing some minor damage, the Argo was still chasing them. And it was showing no signs of slowing down.
"Okay, can things get any worse?" Tatsuko asked.
As if fate was trying to punish Tatsuko, Ritsuka's communicator beeped with Roman showing up on the device with a frantic expression. "Guys, you got more company!"
Everyone turned towards the Golden Hind to see Medea Lily gliding towards the ship. But she wasn't alone. She had someone beside her, and it filled the Chaldeans with absolute dread and fear.
Running alongside Medea Lily was none other than Heracles.
"Okay, now we're in trouble." Okita replied.
Jason laughed. "Of course you are! You can't win! As if you could! Heracles traveled everywhere, fought every monster. He was undefeated, and ultimately rose to become a god! He's not like you second and third-raters. You trash mobs are fated to be ripped to shreds! And what's more, my Medea will be there to make sure of it!"
Mashu stared at the blonde man with absolute disgust. "He would send his own underlings to fight, but he will not fight himself. He is…."
"You don't have to say it, Mashu." Ritsuka said. "This guy is a real piece of scum."
"That's a funny joke." Jason said. "I can tell that you, that orange haired girl over there, and I are the same. Now hurry up you two, get me those goddesses!"
The two enemy Servants sped up their pace, causing the Chaldeans to stare in fear. They had to outrun them, but Heracles would be too fast, and Medea Lily would be able to keep on flying and catch up to them.
"Drake, get your crew down below deck." Medusa said.
The captain stared at the Rider in confusion. "You can't be serious."
"They're not going to be a match for Heracles." Stheno replied. "They will only get killed."
"There's also the fact we're going to need as much room as possible to maneuver." Mary added. "Then add that young Caster into the mix and-"
"I'll deal with her." Medea replied. Before anyone could protest Medea floated into the air, and flew to intercept her younger self. The two of them clashed with their magic spells, locked in a duel.
"Looks like we're going to have to fight…..." Drake said.
"At this point, we have no choice." Ritsuka said. "So please, get your crew below deck now. When he gets on board, we'll fight him until we can push him off."
Drake clicked her tongue and looked at her crew. "You heard them, get below deck!"
The crew nodded and immediately opened the hatch to go below deck. Not a second after the latch closed, Heracles leapt onto the ship, his stony expression sending shivers down everyone's spine.
"Okay, how do we play this?" Tatsuko asked.
"No…take…Stheno or…..Euryale!" Asterios roared. The white haired Berserker charged at the enemy Servant with absolute determination.
"Asterios, stop!" Euryale shouted. "We need to make a plan!"
"You can't fight him head on!" Ritsuka shouted. "Don't do this!"
Asterios ignored their words, and continued to charge at Heracles. The white haired Berserker raised his halberds to strike, but Heracles knocked him down with one swipe of his hand. The enemy Servant continued his approach, but Asterios got back up and attacked Heracles from behind, but Heracles blocked the strike with his ax, and punched Asterios in the gut. The white haired Berserker hit the deck with a loud thud, but his attack gave Medusa and Alexander the opportunity to try and attack Heracles when his back was turned. Unfortunately, Heracles sensed their approach and smacked Medusa away with a wave of his arm, and punched Alexander in the face, sending him flying into Drake's cabin. Heracles roared and charged forward, but Mashu was ready for him. She slammed her shield onto the deck to provide a buffer while Ritsuka shot gandr at the Berserker and Drake and Anne their guns. It did little to deter the Berserker, and he broke through Mashu's defense, but before he could smack the Shielder away, Alexander and Medusa recovered from their daze and rushed to her aid. They were soon joined by Mary, Ushiwakamaru and Okita, and they all attacked together in tandem. Alexander, Mary, Okita and Ushiwakamaru attacked at the enemy Berserker's legs to try and bring him down, while Medusa and Mashu swung at his head. However, Heracles was not deterred and knocked them all away one by one with his left hand and from his charge. Anne and Drake continued to fire away while Ritsuka fired his gandr. Euryale joined the fight using her bow, and Stheno her Greek spirit familiars.
Unfortunately, Heracles was not easily subdued and continued his approach until Asterios returned and tackled Heracles to the ground. The enemy Berserker smacked the back of his head into Asterios's face, and threw the white haired Berserker off of him. Medusa and Ushiwakamaru were the first to get up and proceeded to try and stab Heracles, but the enemy Servant blocked their strikes with his ax and threw Ushiwakamaru into Anne, knocking both down. Alexander and Mary swung their blades together to try and distract him, but Heracles did not register their attacks in his mind, and was about to attack them when Asterios and Mashu slammed into the hulking behemoth, pushing him back a bit. Ushiwakamaru and Anne got back up along with everyone else and panted heavily.
"How…in the hell….are we…supposed to pin this guy?" Mary asked in between breaths.
"I don't know." Anne said. "This guy is more of a force of nature than human."
"We have to keep trying." Ushiwakamaru said. "We can't let him near the twins."
"No…..hurt….. twins…" Asterios said weakly. Everyone watched as the white haired Berserker readied his halberds, and charged at the enemy Servant again.
"He's not going to back down…." Euryale muttered.
"He's a tough one." Stheno said. "All we can do is support Asterios."
"Stheno's right." Tatsuko said. "Guys, I know we're asking a lot from you, but can you-"
"You don't need to say anything." Alexander replied. "Unlike that blonde jerk over there, you guys aren't ordering us to do anything we don't want to do."
Heracles roared loudly, causing everyone to stare at him in shock. The enemy Berserker glared at the red haired Rider intensely.
"I don't think he liked you insulting Jason…." Okita said.
Heracles roared once more and charged at the Chaldean Servants and Asterios.
"Here he comes!" Ushiwakamaru shouted. Everyone readied themselves before their inevitable clash with the enemy Berserker.
As that was happening, Medea and Medea Lily continued their aerial battle around the ship, the two of them dodging and weaving from their counterpart's attacks while conjuring their own. They were more or less evenly matched, but Medea's experience gave her the slight upper hand, while Medea Lily's determination and ferocity kept her older self from making any ground. Medea saw an opportunity to shoot at her younger self, and was rewarded as she saw Medea Lily get hit in the chest, and descended slightly from the impact.
"What a disappointment." Medea said. "You're just letting others control you."
"I don't want to hear that coming from the likes of you." Medea Lily retorted. The young Caster shot a blast of magical energy at her older self, but the blue haired woman deflected the blast with ease.
"What do you mean by that?" Medea asked.
Medea Lily sighed. "Do I really need to say it?"
The young Caster shot another blast of magic at Medea, pushing back the older woman, much to Medea's surprise. "I lied to Lord Jason about not knowing what you…..what I will do as you in the future…..and I am absolutely disgusted with these actions."
Medea raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you'd say that, considering you will be doing those actions too one day."
"I do them in the name of Lord Jason." Medea Lily countered. "For the innocent lives you took, you have no excuse!"
Medea stared at her younger self in shock, only to get a blast of magic to hit her in the face and get knocked down.
"You clearly regret what you have done." Medea Lily said.
"I do not!" Medea shouted as she got back up. The blue haired woman shot a torrent of fire at her younger self. The young girl set up a barrier, but was pushed back from the impact, but she quickly recovered and clicked her tongue.
"You're clearly in denial." Medea Lily said. "I know what you truly are."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Medea shouted.
Medea Lily simply pointed her staff at her older self with disgust and loathing. "You're just a bitter old woman who wants to change, and get better. But we both know that will never happen. You can never change who you are. You will always be alone."
Medea shouted in rage and fired multiple beams of magic at her younger self. Medea Lily was knocked down briefly but got back up, and shot multiple blasts of magic back at her older self. Medea anticipated this, and fired back, both of their attacks now clashing for supremacy.
As that was happening, the battle against Heracles continued. Everyone fought well and valiantly, but the enemy Berserker proved to be too much for them to handle. Anne and Mary groaned in pain as they lay near Medusa, who was conscious, but out of commission due to a wound sustained on her leg. Alexander and Ushiwakamaru were knocked away into some crates on the deck, and were pinned down, while Okita was knocked unconscious. The only ones still standing aside from those two were The Chaldean Trio, Drake, and the twin Goddesses. Ritsuka continued to heal Medusa as fast as he could, but he was starting to overexert himself, and it was tiring him out. Mashu launched herself at Heracles, but the Berserker grabbed her leg, and threw her into the mast. Asterios retaliated by swinging his halberds at the enemy Servant, but Heracles blocked the strike, and hit Asterios straight in the chest. Drake took the opportunity to shoot at the hulking behemoth, but her rounds did not even hinder the Berserker. Asterios took the opportunity to land a couple of hits on the enemy Berserker, but Heracles merely shrugged them off and threw Asterios to the floor.
Stheno immediately sprang into action, conjuring multiple Greek familiars to charge at the enemy Berserker. Heracles did not even move an inch as the spirits stabbed him continuously, until he swatted them away with ease. However, this was merely a distraction, and it gave Euryale enough time to shoot the enemy Servant in the side. This did not do much, other than make Heracles stare at the twins and charge at them. However, Alexander, Mashu and Asterios got up and blocked his way, allowing the two female pirate Servants, Medusa and Ushiwakamaru time to recover and get up.
"Just as we expected from him." Medusa said. "The amount of damage he can take is just ridiculous."
"Then we have to take some desperate measures." Ritsuka said. The male Master tried getting up, but his sprained ankle flared up again, causing him to hiss in pain.
"Senpai, please do not get up." Mashu said. "Your injury is still not healed properly."
Ritsuka had no choice but to sit back down on the railing, allowing Tatsuko to step forward. "Ushiwakamaru, get Okita over here so Ritsuka can wake her up. The rest of you, Ritsuka and I will give you a boost to try and get this guy off the ship!"
The black haired Rider immediately sprang into action as the two Masters activated their Command Seals. The Chaldean Servants felt a rush of power surge within them, and they all charged at Heracles. Anne and Drake concentrated their shots at the enemy Berserker's chest, slowing him down enough for Asterios to swing at him, causing Heracles to stagger a bit towards Alexander and Medusa. The two Riders hit the Berserker with enough force that he was pushed back, with Mashu laying in wait. The Shielder hit the enemy Servant multiple times with her Shield, pushing him further back when Mary stabbed him in the back alongside a now joined Ushiwakamaru. The enemy Berserker swung his arm and knocked all three of them away, but Asterios was upon him just as quickly. The white haired Berserker roared as he finally pierced Heracles's chest, killing the enemy Servant.
"Damn, we actually killed that behemoth!" Drake shouted.
"It's not over yet." Ritsuka said. "Asterios, try pushing his body off the ship now!"
Asterios nodded and tried to do so, but he found his efforts to be in vain. The white haired Berserker's eyes widened in shock as he saw Heracles raise his fist, and punched him straight in the face, knocking him down.
"Congratulations on killing Heracles once." Jason said smugly. "Now can you do it eleven more times?"
Drake's eyes widened. "Did I just hear that creep correctly?"
"Yeah, we have to kill him eleven more times, and in different ways too." Ritsuka said. "Every time he's killed he gains immunity from what killed him."
Heracles roared and rushed towards Stheno and Euryale. The enemy Berserker dropped his weapon, and charged straight for them. Mashu and Medusa immediately blocked his path, but Heracles swatted them away like they were made of paper. Anne and Mary tried to halt his approach, but the Berserker grabbed them by their necks, and knocked their heads together, putting them out of commission. As if by luck, Okita woke up from her unconscious state, saw Heracles come for the twins, and immediately leapt to their aid alongside Ushiwakamaru and Alexander. Unfortunately for them, Heracles just batted them away as if they were a mere nuisance. The twins had no one to defend them now. The enemy Berserker raised his hands and roared, causing everyone to widen their eyes in shock at what was about to happen.
He wasn't going to capture them, Heracles was going for the kill.
"What are you doing Heracles?!" Jason shouted. "Knock it off, Heracles! Don't kill them! I need them as sacrifices for the Ark!"
As if on cue, Heracles was stopped from killing the twins. Asterios clung to the enemy Berserker's fists, and wasn't about to let go.
"He's still kicking?!" Jason expressed in shock. "I have to admire his tenacity. He doesn't know when to give up."
"He's definitely got spirit." Hektor replied. "It's a shame though. He'd have made a fine hero if he was raised differently."
The two men heard a loud thud hit the deck of the Argo and saw Medea Lily laying on the ground, groaning and dazed. They then looked back at the Golden Hind and saw her older self was in the same situation, but both girls got back up and glared at each other. They had no way of concluding their duel now, so they had to let their fight end in a draw. The older Caster turned and saw Heracles battling her cousin, and immediately shot fire at the enemy Berserker. This only annoyed Heracles as he grabbed Asterios by the wrists, lifted his leg up, turned around, and threw the white haired Berserker as he tried to step on Medea. The blue haired Caster got out of the way in time and shot a bolt of ice at him while Drake reloaded her pistols. She looked around at the Servants still on the ground and back to Ritsuka. She knew that he wanted to heal them, but they both knew that would have to wait.
"You rest up Fujimaru." Medea said. "I'll take over from here."
"But..I can still fight." Ritsuka groaned.
"Don't argue!" Medea shouted back. "You're practically spent."
"How about you teleport us out of here and we deal with this behemoth somewhere else?" Drake said as she shot at Heracles.
"No, that's too risky." Medea replied. "Without that Mystic Code, it'll be too unpredictable."
"We have no choice!" Euryale countered. "Is there a way to teleport us without this hulking behemoth coming with us?!"
"No, we can't." Medea answered. "We have to get him off the ship first!"
"I….will…..take care…of that…." Asterios muttered. "Please…focus…on…spell…"
"Hang on, don't do this!" Tatsuko said. "The others can get up, so wait until they do and you can all attack together!"
"No…time…" Asterios said. "I'm the….only…one…who can match him…."
"But why?" Ritsuka asked. "Why are you going this far?"
"Killed...innocent...children."
Everyone stared at Asterios in shock as he grabbed Heracles's fist as he was about to punch him. "Father...told me...to...do it. Father...called me...monster…"
Heracles swung his other fist, but Asterios caught it as well, and held him in a stand still. "But...it...was...my fault. I was sure...my heart was...monster."
The white haired Berserker was pushed back by Heracles's body, but he did not cave, but did buckle under the strain. "But...you...called my name. Everyone here called...my...name…"
Asterios groaned as he slowly got up from his knees, and stared at Heracles as he did so. "Even if I'm not forgiven... Even if I'm still ugly…I now have…..friends….."
Everyone watched in shock as Asterios roared in defiance, and threw Heracles with great effort. For the first time since the fight began, Heracles was brought to his knees.
"I…..will…protect….FRIENDS!"
The two Berserkers roared at each other soon after and clashed once more. Medea watched in awe as her cousin fought valiantly against the enemy Berserker. She knew that he was going to lose, but he still kept on fighting. The blue haired Caster took a deep breath and clenched her fists with resolve.
She would have to perform the spell.
Medea soon closed her eyes and focused on performing the spell. As that was happening, Asterios punched Heracles in the gut, but Heracles did not even flinch. Asterios then applied a wild haymaker to his opponent's face, staggering the enemy Berserker. Asterios roared and with great determination, performed a barrage of punches aimed at Heracles. However, Heracles dodged every single one of them, and grabbed Asterios's hand. The enemy Berserker then punched Asterios in the face before throwing him to the ground. Heracles proceeded to punch him once before Asterios kicked him off of him, but was soon overwhelmed as Heracles kept on his assault. Asterios raised his hands to protect his torso and face as Heracles let loose a barrage of punches, forcing the white haired Berserker on the defensive.
"Medea, how much longer?" Ritsuka asked.
"Not long now." Medea answered.
"Well go faster!" Euryale said. "Asterios is starting to lose."
Back on the Argo, Jason's eyes widened in shock. "Shit, they're trying to teleport out of here!"
"Do you want me to stop them?" Hektor asked.
"Do it with your Noble Phantasm." Jason said.
"I'll use my lowest setting so I don't kill our prizes." Hektor replied. The Lancer readied his spear and took aim. His gauntlet soon ignited from the thrusters installed within it and reared his arm back further.
"Durindana!"
Hektor then threw his spear right at the Golden Hind. Everyone on the ship watched in shock as the spear traveled a great distance and would be hitting them soon. Mashu slowly got up and slammed her shield down. "I will block it."
"It's no use!" Medea said. "Only something like Rho Aias or the Shield of Achilles is capable of stopping that spear!"
"Then what do we do?" Drake asked.
Asterios looked at his friends, then the spear and Heracles. The spear would be the end of most of them, but only if it hit the ship. The white haired Berserker took a deep breath, and immediately got up from the deck's floor. He then caught Heracles off guard, and held onto him tightly, shocking everyone.
"Medea….thank…you…for…being…kind to…me…as…family." Asterios said.
The Caster stared at him wide eyed and confused. The Berserker then turned to the rest of the Chaldeans with a smile. "Thank….you….all…for being…..my friends….Please…protect…Stheno, and Euryale…. For me…."
"Asterios, what are you saying?" Ritsuka asked. Asterios ignored his question and turned to Euryeale.
"I….love you….Euryale…." The Berserker muttered. "I…..treasure…..the necklace…you made….."
"Asterios… please don't do this!" Euryale shouted with tears in her eyes. "There has to be a better way!"
Asterios did not counter her. Instead, he grunted and jumped into the air, with Heracles still held by him. The Chaldeans, the twin Goddesses and Drake could only watch in horror as the spear impaled them both, and watched them fall from the sky. Euryale could only watch in grief as her stalwart protector's seashell necklace fell off of his neck and fell into the sea. Asterios looked back at Euryale and all of his friends, and with the last of his strength, gave one last smile before he and Heracles fell to the depths of the sea.
"ASTERIOS!"
Jason could only look on with a hint of respect. "I'll give it to that guy, he truly had a noble heart. However, his sacrifice was futile. Heracles can revive and simply come back."
"What do we do now?" Galatea asked robotically.
"Isn't it obvious? We keep going after them of course!" Jason said. "Hektor, you're all rested, right? I'd say it's your turn."
"Ummmmm, about that…"
Jason raised an eyebrow. "What are you still standing here for? Go after them!"
"I am very sorry, but that's impossible." Hektor said. "Asterios and Heracles sunk into the ocean, with my spear and all. And Asterios likely won't let go of Heracles until he dies…."
Jason's eyes widened for a moment before he growled in annoyance. "This is just great! Okay, Galatea, go after them!"
"Understood." Galatea said robotically. The pale Berserker ignited her thrusters and floated above the Argo for a few brief moments, causing everyone on the Golden Hind to panic. They weren't in any condition for another fight, and their only chance of escape is going to be taken away from them.
"Shit shit shit!" Tatsuko shouted. "We're not going to make it!"
"We're going to need a miracle now." Anne said.
As if on cue, an eruption from the sea caught everyone's attention. The moment they saw what caused it they could only stare in disbelief, or shock.
Flying in the air was none other than Perseus. The red haired Rider looked at the Golden Hind trying to make their escape, and to the Argo that was in hot pursuit. There was only one thing he could do now. Perseus flew right in the path of the Argo, and stopped in his tracks.
"Perseus? What are you doing?" Alexander asked.
"Get going!" Perseus shouted. "I'll hold them off for as long as I can!"
Alexander and the Chaldeans could only stare at him in disbelief. He was going to face the Argo by himself?!
"You can't!" Alexander said. "We already lost Asterios, we're not losing you too!"
"There's no time!" Perseus shouted back. "Now go!"
"But-"
Perseus looked back and flashed a warm smile at Alexander. "Don't worry, little brother. I'll be just fine."
Drake could only click her tongue in defeat. "Hey, you two! We have some smoke bombs on the deck. Throw as many as you can!"
Anne and Mary nodded and began to throw the smoke bombs into the sea. As the smoke started to cloud their vision Drake gave a small respectful nod to Perseus, one which he returned. Medusa, on the other hand, had other plans.
"Perseus!" She shouted.
Perseus looked at the female Rider who merely gave a curt nod. "Give them hell!"
Perseus stared at her in shock before flashing a confident smile and nodding to her request. As soon as the smoke completely covered them, Perseus launched himself towards the Argo, and tried to punch Jason in the face. Hektor, however, pushed his captain out of the way in the nick of time, and ducked under the punch for good measure. The red haired Rider proceeded to dematerialize his flying shoes and brought out his shield to block an incoming magic attack from Medea Lily. Perseus threw the shield at the young Caster, hitting her right in the chest and knocking her back. Perseus leapt into the air to try and finish her, but she ducked out of the way and shot another blast of magic at him. Perseus was quicker, however, and grabbed his shield in the nick of time to block it. Hektor was upon him in seconds, swinging his fists at the Rider. Perseus ducked under the first, and bashed his shield into the Lancer's chest. Perseus kicked him away just as Galatea entered the fray, swinging her hammer down to try and bash his head in. Perseus had to dematerialize his shield and dodge to his left to prevent the hit from landing. He then grabbed Galatea's arm, and threw her towards Medea Lily.
Perseus then made a mad dash for Jason again, only for Hektor to block his route and swung at him. Perseus blocked the punch and punched the Lancer in the gut. Galatea was soon upon him and was about to swing her hammer again, but Perseus threw Hektor at her, and the Lancer took the blow instead. The Lancer howled in pain, but did not fall so easily. The two enemy Servants rushed towards Perseus, forcing him to disengage from his intended target to deal with them. Hektor swung his fists at Perseus, but the red haired Rider ducked and punched him in the gut, grabbed his body and threw him to the ground. Galatea fared much better and managed to put Perseus on the defensive, swinging her hammer and chisel to not give him any sort of breathing room. Medea Lily took the opportunity to shoot multiple beams of magic at the Rider, but Perseus simply brought out his magic shield, and redirected the beams at Galatea, knocking her back. Hektor managed to sneak up on Perseus and punched him in the face, but Perseus immediately responded in kind by elbowing him in the jaw. Hektor wasn't deterred, however, and swung again, hitting Perseus in the gut. Perseus grunted in pain but did not stagger, and in the process swung at Hektor again. The Lancer managed to grab his fist and headbutted Perseus, staggering the Rider. The Lancer then went on the offensive, swinging his fists with controlled, precise strikes. Perseus took a few blows, but managed to dodge another strike from the Lancer, grabbed his arm, and threw him into Medea Lily, knocking them both down.
Perseus panted in exhaustion. Fighting Cetus took a lot out of him, and facing all of these opponents at once was only making him more tired. However, he knew that if he didn't continue his assault, the others would be in trouble. He knew that he probably won't be making it out of this fight alive, but that was okay with him. The red haired Rider took off his cloak, revealing his silver greek armor, and proceeded to make another dash for Jason and the Holy Grail. Hektor and Galatea and Medea Lily were about to attack, but Perseus brought out his sack, and proceeded to reach inside. The three of them stopped in their tracks, but for Perseus, it was a feint. The Rider withdrew his hand from the bag and rushed at them. He punched Medea Lily in the gut, with Hektor about to attack from behind, but Perseus used a hook kick to the face to stagger him. Galatea forced him to retreat a bit, but Perseus improvised, grabbed her hammer, and swung her into the mast.
Hektor managed to hit him in the back with his fist, but Perseus swung at him. Hektor blocked the attack and punched him in the chest, but Perseus used this opportunity to grab Hektor by the arm, and flung him to the ground. Perseus had to bring out his shield again to block a magic attack from Medea Lily, and redirected the attack to her, knocking down. Hektor and Galatea lunged at the Rider, but he got rid of his shield and brought out his sack again to deter them. As soon as they stopped, he threw the sack at them, and rushed at them. He proceeded to throw a series of punches at Hektor, but the Lancer dodged most of them, and Galatea managed to hit him with her hammer, sending him flying into the mast. The red haired Rider quickly recovered and leapt out of the way when Galatea was about to strike again. The pale Berserker swung her hammer and chisel ferociously, yet with precision, to keep Perseus from landing any more blows. Perseus needed to only wait for an opportunity to find a weakness, which he finally found when Galatea raised her hammer over her chisel to try and strike his head. Perseus simply grabbed onto her chisel, spun them around, and threw her into the railing of the Argo.
This did not do much against the pale Berserker, however, since she simply shrugged off the impact, and returned to Hektor's and Medea Lily's side. Perseus brought out his sack again to reach inside, causing the three of them to stop again. Perseus then swung the sack into Hektor's face, knocking him back until he was at Jason's feet. The blonde Servant and the Lancer looked at each other, and raised an eyebrow at the strange fighting style. They knew what was inside that sack, but why wasn't he…
The two Servants' eyes widened in realization. So that's what was happening…..
"Hektor, get back in there." Jason said.
"Good grief." Hektor muttered. "This old man is just getting tired of all this…"
The Lancer did not stay down, however. He got back up, and returned to the fold. Perseus grabbed Medea Lily by the arm, and threw her into Galatea. Hektor was now upon Perseus, forcing the Rider to try and summon his sack again. However, Hektor prevented him from doing so, launching a barrage of punches that forced Perseus to block continuously. As soon as he found an opening in Hektor's offense, he took it and kicked into the Lancer's shins. Perseus then summoned Harpé into his hands, and was about to swing into Hektor's neck when a large noise came from the sea. A large figure leapt out and roared loudly.
Heracles had just escaped from his prison, meaning Asterios had finally passed. The enemy Berserker held Durindana in his hands, and threw it at Perseus.
"Shit!" Perseus shouted. The Rider had to leap out of the way from the incoming spear, but it caused Hektor to grin. The Lancer got back up and grabbed the spear before it could hit the deck. Now with his weapon in hand, Hektor attacked Perseus from behind. The Rider parried his blow, and tried to strike at his chest, but Heracles was on his tail within a second, forcing him to retreat. Perseus now had to deal with another opponent, and this was one that he didn't know if he could beat. But he had to at least keep them occupied.
The Rider dodged another strike from Heracles and rushed at Medea Lily to finish her, but Galatea blocked his path and swung her hammer and chisel at his torso. Perseus blocked the strikes with his sword, and tried to stab her in the gut, but Heracles and Hektor prevented him from landing the hit. The red haired Rider leapt out of the way as Heracles smashed the ground where Perseus used to be at, and then launched himself as Perseus tried to get away. Perseus had no time to react as Heracles punched him so hard he fell back onto the deck, knocking the wind out of him. Perseus gasped for air, and when he had enough, he could see Heracles coming down towards him with his fists ready to smash him into the ship. Perseus rolled out of the way, only to get hit in the head by Galatea's hammer. The Rider was staggered for a moment, before blocking another strike from Hektor, and then using him as a shield against Medea Lily's magic bolts. Hektor fell to the ground for a moment in pain, but he managed to swing his fist to sweep Perseus's feet, bringing him down to the ground. Galatea and Heracles were now about to land on top of the red haired Rider, but Perseus rolled out of the way in time. He then decided to stop playing around, and attacked Heracles with a barrage of attacks. Heracles dodged some, but Perseus still managed to cut him a bit. Perseus was about to swing at his head, but Heracles grabbed the Rider's arm, and threw him into the air. Perseus had no time to react as Heracles leapt up to him, and pummeled him with a flurry of punches.
The Rider coughed up some blood, but soon felt a heavy blow hit into his back, and sent him flying into the Argo. Perseus soon got up in a daze, and blocked multiple strikes from Hektor and Galatea on autopilot, but then Heracles was upon him again, and punched him away.
Perseus continued to gasp for air, trying his best to remain standing. He knew that Heracles was a powerful foe, but to actually see it in action was another thing entirely. Perseus decided to try and end this and lunged at the towering Berserker. Heracles simply raised his arms to defend himself, and took a few cuts from Harpé in the process. However, soon the enemy Berserker had enough, and summoned his ax to block all of the Rider's strikes, and forced Perseus on the defensive. Blow after blow caused Perseus to buckle from the heavy blows until Heracles disarmed him of his sword. Heracles let go of his ax in turn, and proceeded to punch Perseus. The Rider had to dodge and duck under any strike he could, but his luck soon ran out when one of his opponent's punches hit him in the gut, and sent him flying into the mast. With a loud thud, Perseus groaned as he fell onto the deck, defeated.
The Rider slowly tried to get up, but he fell to his knees to catch his breath.
"Well well, you definitely caused quite the fright." Jason said. "However, you overplayed your hand."
Perseus coughed as he stared at the blonde man. "Please, do enlighten…"
"You did the same feint three times." Hektor said. "You acted as though you were going to bring out Medusa's head from the sack."
"What are you getting at?" Perseus asked.
"What Hektor and I are trying to say is that we know your little secret now." Jason said. "You can't use Medusa's head at all….or rather, it hasn't been working properly since you came here."
"What's more, you seem to be unable to use your Noble Phantasms in conjunction with one another." Hektor said. "You can only use them one at a time. If you were able to do that, then this fight might have been more difficult for us."
Perseus's eyes widened, causing Jason to laugh. "You put up a good fight, unfortunately, it was all for nothing. We will soon catch up to the Golden Hind, and get the twins."
Perseus let out a weak, labored chuckle. "I don't think you'll be finding them for a while."
Jason looked back and saw that the smoke was gone, and the Golden Hind was no longer there. Medea's teleportation spell got them out while Perseus kept them distracted. However, Jason laughed again. "Did you really think that smokescreen was enough to hide their escape? And do you really think that Medea's teleportation spell is enough for us to lose the trail?"
Perseus's eyes widened as Jason looked at Medea Lily. "Can you track them?"
"Yes, I analyzed their Magical Circuits on contact." Medea Lily answered. "I can find them as long as they're somewhere in this world, however, I do suggest that we do not go after them right now. This man managed to land some injuries that need to heal, and the Argo needs to get some repairs."
"That won't be an issue as long as we know where they are." Jason said.
"Well in the end, it seems I still won, Jason." Perseus said. "With you guys needing to recover, they will be licking their wounds, and will stop you."
Jason laughed. "If you say so. In any case, we have another thing to find. And they will be instrumental in helping us find it!"
"Can you find the location of the "Ark?"" Hektor asked Medea Lily.
Medea Lily nodded. "Yes. Even without searching for it, they will find it for us."
"Excellent!" Jason said. "Then here is what I suggest, once Heracles and Galatea are all healed up, they should be the forward scouts and try to find them."
"Good idea." Hektor said. "With both of them, they should be able to capture them with no issue."
"It will be done." Galatea said robotically.
Jason grinned as he looked at Perseus. "Now, what to do with this nuisance…..oh I know!"
The blonde Servant turned to Medea Lily with a sinister grin. "Do it."
Medea Lily nodded, and conjured magical cuffs that trapped all of Perseus's limbs. A sudden shock ran through his body, causing him to grunt in pain. Soon, however, the Rider felt some odd thoughts worming their way into his head.
"What are you doing to me?" Perseus asked.
Medea Lily giggled. "I'm brainwashing, silly goose. You're too powerful to kill off, and because of that, you would be a wonderful asset to the team."
"Try all you want." Perseus said. "It won't work on me."
"You know, Galatea here said the same thing when we first met her." Medea Lily said. "She was so unruly and mean, but now she's a valued member of the crew."
Perseus looked at Galatea in shock. He saw into her empty eyes, and could see the truth. She really was being controlled by them. This shouldn't be possible under normal circumstances, so there was only one thing that he could think of. Something was indeed wrong here. Another shock ran through his body, and more thoughts and feelings wormed their way into his head. The Rider grunted in pain as he saw his captors staring at him as he was resisting their control. However, as he looked back to see the Golden Hind gone, he knew that in the end, he won.
Chaldea and Drake escaped, and he bought them precious time to lick their wounds. He could only pray his allies will be able to stop them from doing any more damage.
OC: Damn….I…..I don't have any words to describe how I feel right now…..
CV: I don't either, but I know how the Chaldeans feel right now.
OC: They may have escaped this fight, but this is perhaps their greatest loss so far. It was all they could do just to get away, and the cost was incredibly high this time.
CV: And this is only the beginning, they still have to deal with all the rest hunting them.
OC: Only this time, while they have the manpower, they are now too exhausted and injured. And no Asterios to help them now…
CV: Sure, but there was no other way for them to get out of there. It's not like you can stall Heracles with that team, you need a Castoria and a Merlin for that.
OC: You're probably right. But this brings us to our very special, and very brave guest tonight. A person who gave everything he had to protect those important to him. A person…nay… a human, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his friends, and the girl he loved. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with a very….very conflicted heart that we introduce our special guest tonight, Asterios.
(Asterios walks into the studio, through a custom made door)
CV: Hi there big man, glad to have you here! How are you feeling?
Asterios: Where….am…I?
OC: It's okay, Asterios. You're safe here.
Asterios: Safe….?
CV: Yeah, nothing can happen here. Except when things happen here, but not today.
OC: So, how do you feel?
Asterios: Is…..everyone…okay? Did….they….make it…out?
CV: They're safe thanks to you big man.
Asterios: I….am….glad…..
OC: And you were incredibly brave. So, so brave.
Asterios: Not….scary…for me…It….was….comforting….knowing….I….helped them.
CV: You were a real hero buddy, never forget it.
OC: Now Asterios, it's customary for us to ask our special guests some questions. So if you don't mind us asking some, here is our first one; out of everyone in Chaldea you want to hang out with the most, who would it be?
Asterios: Euryale…
CV: Yeah that checks out.
OC: Yeah, I should have expected that one. Onto the next question; What do you think of Stheno?
Asterios: Lack….of…..presence…..and….also mean…
CV: She is very mean. Ritsuka is a stronger man than me because I would be like "You want Stheno? Here, have her" to the Argo.
OC: Well to be fair, I think handing her to Jason is a fate worse than death. And I wouldn't wish that upon anybody…..except for two particular people who tried to hurt Mashu, of course.
Asterios: What?
OC: Nothing important for now.
CV: Key words, for now. For later though…
OC: Now last question. What do you think of the Chaldean Trio, and Medea?
Asterios: Ritsuka….is…..kind to me…..He…..taught me….to swim…when he…did not…have to…. Tatsuko…..is also….nice….she….likes….helping….take care of….my hair… she is…. A little loud…though….Mashu…..sweet…..I…..hope….she finds….happiness…..Medea….is….nice…..she is….family to me…..I…..am….happy…to…have…gotten…to know…her….
CV: That's very heartwarming, although I wouldn't call Tatsuko just 'a little loud'.
OC: And with that, our interview is now at a close. Thank you for everything you have done Asterios.
Asterios: Wait….before I…..go…I….have a….question…..
CV: What is it?
Asterios: Did I…..do good?
OC: Oh buddy…..you did great…oh just come here already!
(OC and Vlad hug Asterios for a few minutes before letting him go)
OC: Oh wait, hold on! There's one last thing we have for you. Vlad, do you have it?
CV: Oh right. Hold on, I think it was… Over here…
(CV hands Asterios the shell necklace Euryale made)
OC: We found it for you as you fell into the sea. I know for a fact Euryale would be happy to know you got it back.
Asterios (Smiles and puts on the necklace): Thank….you…..
CV: Any time buddy, we'll always be here if you need anything.
OC: Okay, sorry to have kept you for this long, but thank you again for everything you've done.
(Asterios nods and walks through the door)
OC (sniffles): Damn, that was harder than I anticipated…
CV: Be strong Owen, be strong for him.
OC: You're right….Okay…Okay, I think I'm good now. Sorry everyone, but considering all that happened in this chapter, I was starting to get a little misty eyed.
CV: It was a really heavy one.
OC: You don't need to tell me twice. There was so much more death this time around. I'm just going to say it. This has been perhaps the darkest chapter of Chronicles so far.
CV: Right, right. This is just the tip of the iceberg tho, there's still the latter half of Okeanos to go through.
OC: That is very true. However, I also noticed that this chapter is incredibly unique compared to the others we wrote. For the first time ever, there was no scene change or three scene structure like we always do. Instead it was just one big scene. And for those wondering, this type of format will be making a return for certain chapters. Especially for a particular moment in the endgame of the Grand Order Saga.
CV: We had to do it for this one because it was very BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEG.
OC: That is true. In fact it is so big, we finally beat the old record holder of chapter 7 being the longest! Ladies and gents, chapter 66 is now the longest chapter of Chaldean Chronicles!
CV: Surprised it wasn't the end of the other Singularities that broke that record first.
OC: Well this is the longest so far. I'm sure we will break it again one day.
CV: Probably during Camelot.
OC: And with that, it's time to break down the chapter. Now I know a lot of people will be confused with why Ritsuka had zero patience or tolerance for Jason here despite only just meeting him. Well here's the thing…Jason is a fucking dick. I know he has redeeming qualities and all, but considering everything Ritsuka knows about Greek Mythology, is is really any surprise he has it out for that blonde seaweed?
CV: You need to really get to know Jason personally to like him, and that's still 4 Singularities, 4 Pseudo Singularities and 5 Lostbelts away from happening.
OC: That's gonna be an awkward reunion…..Anyway we also had another big surprise in the form of a new enemy. Ladies and Gentlemen, Galatea has arrived!
CV: The first waifu to ever exist.
OC: An accurate statement. Now I know a lot of people are wondering why we're introducing her here instead of the Lostbelt Saga. Well it's kind of similar to Kriemhild in that we felt she had more potential if she was introduced earlier. That and her event….well it kinda sorta felt like filler instead of anything with substance….except for the comedy. That shit was gold.
CV: When FGO isn't doing stuff like Learning with Manga and Grand Carnival or whatever the fuck it was called, they usually have good comedy.
OC: Too true. And I know a lot of people will be asking why she's an enemy here instead of an ally. Well remember when we said that the enemies in Okeanos were too small in number? Well this is one of those times we decided to increase the number to actually balance everything out. And I know we didn't really show her actually kicking ass, but that's because there were other things we needed to take care of, but make no mistake, we will show how strong she is at a later date.
CV: After she uses her NP and flies to fucking space.
OC: Yep. However, her appearance actually signaled the beginning of the alliance between the Queen Anne's Revenge and the Golden Hind. I can't think of a more badass way for things to go down than have them immediately see the bigger threat, and agree to form an alliance.
CV: It was an epic team up. And made for a really entertaining fight.
OC: It definitely was. Especially with how Teach handled himself here. Originally we agreed to make his death similar to how it was in the game where he died to Hektor, but after writing this chapter, I guess we both decided that we wanted to give him a much more badass send off. Him dying on his own terms, and ramming the Queen Anne's Revenge into the Argo to buy Drake and Chaldea time to get out of there. And like any good captain, he went down with the ship.
CV: He decided to go out the badass way, and I fucking dig it.
OC: And it also marks the end of Gunnhild and….Eric Bloodaxe. Their last words to Teach was incredibly heartwarming, and I love the fact that out of everyone on that ship, it's the viking Servants, especially the most forgettable male Servant in the game, they were the ones to truly consider Teach a friend, and stayed by his side to the bitter end.
CV: They were much more united here than in canon, so it was fitting that they would be there until the end.
OC: And then we have the fight with Heracles. This was one of those things where it was difficult because of the amount of Servants he was going up against, but it really didn't matter because it's fucking Heracles. He's a freaking unit, and they were not really going to stop him.
CV: It basically became a raid boss fight from an MMO.
OC: Actually I was going to compare it to Toyotomi Hideyoshi from the Sengoku Basara anime. I mean seriously, the amount of strength both of them have is fucking terrifying! And we will be getting back to this anime later in this discussion hehehe.
CV: Fair enough. Actually FGO would really work as a warriors-style game. Would be pretty dope controlling a Servant and just bulldozing 100 enemies in a hit.
OC: Well we gave the fans just that here. The fight against Heracles here wasn't really a fight. It was a complete curbstomp battle in Heracles's favor. They may have killed him once, but with the amount of damage they all took there, they weren't going to win this one. And we really wanted to show just how terrifying facing this behemoth was, and I think we did a fair job.
CV: In the words of a true sage: This was a 'boss fight' in quotations, because most people would classify it as a fucking suicide.
OC: Yeah…..suicide…..
CV: Oh right, it did end up happening…
OC: Yeah…..Honestly the brave sacrifice of Asterios was incredibly difficult for me to write. In fact, I rank it up there with writing Olga's death as one of the hardest and heart wrenching to make. He knew he wasn't going to survive, and so he said his final goodbyes to the friends he made, grabbed Heracles, and jumped up to take Durindana, and performed an incredibly brave feat. The worst part was Euryale's reaction and grief, and I am going to be completely honest, I almost cried.
CV: A really heavy moment, especially for the fact that it's barely temporary.
OC: And for our viewers, I have a special little treat for you to do when you read this moment. Remember me mentioning Sengoku Basara? Well you should listen to the track called "Edge of a Sword" from Sengoku Basara the Last Party. And for the moment of Asterios, I heavily suggest going to the 2:10 mark….This was what I was listening to when I wrote that moment, and it just made it even more tear jerking.
CV: Music can really complete a scene, truly perfect.
OC: And there will be more music choices to come. However, that will be for later in the notes here. Now we should discuss perhaps one of the most badass ways to make a comeback. Perseus defeating Cetus offscreen in the ocean, being heavily tired and winded, and still had the strength to fight these unique Argonauts by himself, and managing to hold his own to buy his allie's time to escape.
CV: Yeah he kinda decided that last stands were epic and decided to make one.
OC: And boy did he make it a memorable one. Now I know he could have used more of his Noble Phantasms here to either end the fight or to prolong the fight, but the problem is Bellerophon would have made the fight anti-climatic. The Helm would have been great for sneak attacks due to invisibility, but they would have caught on eventually, and his sandals would have been less than useless. So we decided to have him use more cunning and try to fake out his opponents.
CV: He held them for a good while, but in the end…
OC: Well he was against more opponents this time and they weren't going to be taken by surprise. He definitely gave them a good workout, however, in the end I think the fact that he lost despite how strong he was shows that these guys weren't fucking around. Also I have to say it, did you really think he was going to be HERACLES? Are you all nuts?! It doesn't matter how strong Perseus is, Heracles would end up eating him for breakfast!
CV; There was literally no way he could defeat him on his own. This was the best he can do.
OC: Also now back to the music choices! And once again we have another Sengoku Basara choice in the mix, and it's completely for Heracles. And it's incredibly fitting that the song choice I listened to for this was none other than Hideyoshi's theme "This is a fight to change the world"! Seriously whenever he makes his entrance here and steamrolls everyone, this is the song I listen to for Heracles.
CV: Sounds cool, I'll have to check it out later lol.
OC: Now speaking of larger than life things, we also decided to add Cetus into the mix. I know people will be disappointed not seeing the actual fight, but all things considered, it was more of an obstacle and a road block, so not really much to see. However, Cetus did knock out Artemis, and in doing so made the fight against Heracles more of a disadvantage for Chaldea.
CV: He was just there for support, never supposed to be an actual combatant.
OC: Fun Fact, we based the appearance of Cetus here to the Kraken of the 2010 version of Clash of the Titans. One of the only good things I'll say about that movie is that that monster looked hella badass.
CV: The only salvageable thing from that film.
OC: Yep. Oh would you look at the time. Thank you all for reading this behemoth of a chapter. Please stay tuned next week for Chaldean Chronicles. And please remember, make sure to give Asterios lots of love and headpats. He's more than earned it.