Sea of Monsters Chapter 17:
War On The High Seas.
Day 29
The sun began to rise, yet everyone was already alert and awake. The majority of the group got into their positions to wait for the Argo's arrival. The main defenders waited on the beach, watching the tide roll in and out from the shoreline. The rest would wait for a moment to strike, led by Artemis and Orion. It was here that the huntress finally saw their quarry off in the distance.
"I can see them too." Atalante said. "And it seems that the Argo has some company…."
"How in the world did they get that many ships in such a short time frame?" Orion asked.
"Medea Lily must have created them via magic." Artemis answered.
"Then we merely adapt." Medusa said telepathically. "I can think of a few ideas to turn this around in our favor."
"Then we'll wait for your signal." Artemis replied.
Medusa turned to face the enemy ships and grinned. "Captain Drake, we're going to be changing our plans a bit."
"Don't worry, just tell me when you're ready, and we'll give them a royal welcome!"
Meanwhile on the Argo, Jason and Medea Lily watched as their armada got closer and closer to the beach. Jason could only grin smugly. Thanks to Medea Lily and Hektor's quick thinking, they magically conjured up ships, set them up with Dragon Tooth Warriors to bolster their ranks, and with that, they'd win by overwhelming them. It was indeed a foolproof-
"Hey Captain, something seems off." Hektor said telepathically. "The twins aren't on the beach."
"Well of course they wouldn't." Jason countered. "They wouldn't make it that easy!"
Hektor continued to stare at the Chaldeans and their allies as they got closer and closer. He then saw Medusa raise her hand, and the Lancer sighed. "So that's what they have planned. Good grief, they just don't want to make it easy."
The master strategist leapt to one of the consort ships, mustering speed befitting his mind. Upon landing, he forced the wheel counterclockwise to steer it away from the rest of the fleet, along with a portion of the fleet, to where he suspected one of the enemy ships may lie.
"Well, if I was in charge of an ambush here…I'd pick that place to set up my strongest ship.." said Hektor to himself.
"OI!" called out Jason, surprised by the Lancer's unexplained deviation, "Where are you taking those?!"
Simultaneously, Medusa had given Drake the signal to attack. The Hind unfurled its sails to begin its bombardment…just to come bow to bow with Hektor's ship.
"Damn!" muttered Drake, realizing that the Shining Helm was facing her down, "Guess he really is a sharp one!"
It wasn't a matter of strength per se; one consort with barely any Mystery and a few stragglers from the fleet wouldn't be a threat to the Hind. However, that wasn't their purpose.
"FIRE NOW!" screamed Drake, swallowing the lump of pride in her throat as she saw how close the group were approaching.
The cannons spewed thunder and fire as their explosive shot ripped through the air and struck the heavy wooden ships…
*SMASH*
The heavy wooden ships that Hektor had sacrificed, that is.
*ZIP*
With another leap of precise skill, Hektor abandoned his ship, landing right on the deck of the Golden Hind. He considered lighting a cigarette, but decided against it when he saw his opponents. There was the Captain of the Golden Hind herself, Mashu, and the twin Goddesses.
"Won't lie, I was hoping I'd get a bit of backup from at least one of those ships…" said Hektor, readying his spear casually, "But those cannons really were something else."
"Well too bad for you then. Because we've been waiting for this!"
Hektor raised an eyebrow as Okita and Ushiwakamaru jumped from the Crow's nest and tried to attack him from behind. The Lancer turned around and blocked the strikes with ease, and pushed them back. "How many more times are you two going to keep singling me out?"
"As many times as it takes to beat you!" Ushiwakamaru shouted.
"You caught us off guard in those last two fights." Okita replied. "Now we know how to win."
Hektor sighed. "Damn, I always get the persistent ones…."
The Lancer rushed towards Drake, his spear ready to pierce her, but Ushiwakamaru was faster, got in between them and deflected the blow with her sword. "Captain, get the ship back on course! Lady Mashu, protect her and the twins! Okita and I will deal with him!"
Drake nodded and immediately set to work as Okita rushed behind Hektor to deliver a strike, but the Lancer ducked and slammed the hilt of his spear into her gut. Ushiwakamaru swung her blade at him, forcing him back near the deck and allowing Okita time to recover to join her in the assault.
It was like a dance, thought Mashu; there was a flurry of attacks and realignments. Okita's and Ushiwakamaru's blades danced in tandem around Hektor, who kept them at bay with masterful command of his spear. In an open battlefield, the range afforded by a spear gave a slight advantage, all other factors being equal. It was minor, but Hektor leveraged it to its utmost peak. Even with Okita's inhuman speed, she could never get around Hektor's spear; no matter how skillful Ushiwakamaru swung her sword, Hektor was always capable of parrying before it could get past his defense.
"Sh-Should I join the battle?!" asked Mashu, concerned for the two as Hektor seemed like smoke that couldn't be captured, "If there's three of us-"
There, in an instant, Mashu and Drake both felt the air freeze. It was the premonition of death that warriors sensed before an attack connected. On pure reflex, Mashu raised her shield and pointed it at the direction of Hektor and the two samurai.
*tilt*
Hektor's spear was ever so slightly pointed towards the direction of Mashu.
"Stay where you're at Mashu!" commanded Drake as she fired shots from her pistol at Hektor.
Even upon being assaulted by two master warriors, Hektor possessed the sense of mind to analyze his surroundings and prepare to attack an opening the second he saw Mashu. For all intents and purposes, the entire ship was Hektor's enemy and he would take any path he saw.
Wordlessly, Okita and Ushi traded a plan of attack. The two leapt back, temporarily, to align themselves; Okita on Hektor's left, and Ushi on his right. They then struck, matching speed so as to confuse Hektor; who would strike first?
*cling*
The Rider's sword flashed first, leaping into the air with her sword aimed at Hektor's neck. It was a simple, direct attack, unlike her previous indirect assaults prying at the Lancer's defense. Naturally, it was blocked without much effort.
*bzzt*
There, Okita saw her opening. Before Ushiwakamaru's attack had properly connected, she began building up speed. Once Hektor's spear blocked Ushiwakamaru's sword, he would be left open, for a moment. Part of the downside of the spear was that its longer reach also came with a greater period of recovery.
Okita gave it her all, pushing her legs as far as they she could to prevent Hektor from stopping her spear. If she could clear the inside of his defense…he would be unable to stop her!
"...Not bad!" quipped Hektor.
The Lancer let go of his spear, and with reflexes that would make a boxer crumble, used his right armguard to parry Okita's blade. Using the samurai's own momentum, he spun and grabbed the girl bodily with his now-free hand. With a strong tug, he lifted her off her feet, depriving the samurai of her greatest asset, and threw her at Ushiwakamaru, who was barely beginning to land on the wooden deck.
The two collided and were sent flying back several feet.
"But you're still too young to try that on me!"
Drake clicked her tongue in frustration, she couldn't' get the ship aligned if they died on her now. The pink haired captain drew her pistols again and fired at the Lancer. Hektor grabbed his spear and deflected almost every shot she fired at him, but the pirate managed to graze his face a bit. The Lancer did not pay any mind to the wound and readied to attack again. Euryale and Stheno readied themselves to fight the Lancer, but the two samurai Servants immediately got back up and lunged at Hektor. The Lancer anticipated this, however, and blocked their strikes with ease.
"I must say, you two definitely don't give up." Hektor said. "You've earned my respect on all fronts!"
The two samurai Servants tried to push him back, but Hektor adjusted his grip on his spear, and twisted it slightly. In doing so, it allowed him to quickly twirl the spear in his fingers, completely disrupting their attacks and flinging them back a bit. The two Servants landed on their feet quickly, and scowled at the Lancer.
Hektor twirled his spear in his hands and stopped smiling.
"Okay, I guess it's time I actually get serious now."
"Damn, looks like he caught onto our little trick." Alexander muttered.
"Don't fret." Medusa said. "This is why I had Ushiwakamaru and Okita go with them in the event he did so. However, we'll now have an easier time taking care of the rest of the armada here."
Medusa looked back towards the tree line and smirked. "Fire when ready!"
Not a second later, multiple arrows and musket shots burst forth from the trees, hitting a few of the ships closing in on the beach. The impact of the combined shots managed to sink a few, but Jason did not even flinch. Instead the blonde captain couldn't help but chuckle in amusement. Medusa looked to Galatea with a knowing glance. "Take care of those ships on the right."
Galatea nodded and activated her thrusters. The Berserker flew into the air and landed on one of the closer ships. The pale woman swung her hammer into one of the Dragon Bone Warriors, smashing it to pieces. One of the enemy skeletons swung its blade into her back, but the blade bounced off her skin, and the Berserker used her chisel to shatter the skeleton into pieces. Four more Dragon Tooth Warriors attacked her simultaneously, but Galatea swung her hammer and chisel into them before they could even stop themselves. Galatea immediately grabbed another Dragon Tooth Warrior and swung it into another group before flying up into the air, and came down upon them with her chisel, turning them into literal dust upon impact. Two skeletal archers shot into Galatea's chest, but the Berserker didn't even feel the arrows bounce off of her. Instead, she just threw her hammer into them, smashing them into pieces before it returned to her hand. Galatea proceeded to end the battle here as she flew up into the air, shot down like a meteor, and split the ship in half with her hammer and chisel. The Berserker flew up, and proceeded to go to the next ship. As that was happening, Jason and Medea Lily stared at the scene with widened eyes.
"Medea…why is she on their side?" Jason asked.
"I…..I don't know!" Medea Lily exclaimed. "How in the world did she…oh….oh no…."
"What is it?!" Jason shouted.
"My older self must have freed her of my control!" Medea Lily replied.
"Dammit! And Heracles is gone too! Now how are we…." Jason took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "No no…..we still have an ace in the hole."
"I'll send him out then." Medea Lily said. The Caster ran below deck, leaving Jason alone up top to scowl at the Chaldean forces on the beach. "I'll make you all pay for killing Heracles. That's a promise."
Meanwhile back on the beach, Medusa looked to see Galatea destroying two more ships alone. The Rider then widened her eyes as she saw several more ships break off from the group and sailing towards the Golden Hind. Galatea wouldn't be able to get to them in time, and the long range fighters needed to focus on the ships nearing the beach. The Rider looked at Mary and Alexander. "Can you two take care of those ships?"
"Not all of them, but we can take as many down as we can." Mary said.
"But how?" Alexander asked. "We can't run on water!"
"Then come towards me." Artemis said telepathically. "I'll shoot you both onto one ship and you can take them down one by one."
"Then send me as well!" Anne replied. "I can provide them cover while they work."
Before they could do anything, a powerful presence was felt coming their way. The Chaldean Servants and Mary looked up, and their blood froze at who was coming towards them.
Flying towards them with his flying sandals was none other than Perseus.
"Alexander, I'm leaving you in charge of the assault on those ships. Do you understand me?" Medusa said.
"Okay, just…..try to make sure you can reason with him…" Alexander replied. The red haired Rider and Mary rushed towards the tree line as Medusa stared at the incoming Servant flying towards her. Perseus landed nearby, causing Medusa to ready her daggers. "I heard that you're fighting their control over you."
"So….Galatea told you…." Perseus muttered.
Medusa nodded. "If you want me to call Galatea back here, I'll-"
"No…..I think it'll be better this way." Perseus said. "Medusa, my mind is still my own…but my body is no longer under my control."
"That explains why you're still resisting." Medusa muttered.
"Yes. And there's only two ways for me to be free." Perseus said. "Either Jason dies, or I do…."
Medusa stared at him calmly. "Then I know what I have to do."
Perseus was forced to attack. The male Rider launched himself at Medusa, but the Chaldean Servant was quicker, and dodged his overhead strike as it hit the ground where she used to be. "Be careful then, Medusa. I don't want to hurt you."
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Medusa said. "But I don't really want to hurt you right now either."
Perseus resumed his forced offensive, not even paying attention to the fact Alexander and the two female pirates flew over his and Medusa's head and landed on one of the enemy ships. Medusa dodged the strike by a hair's breadth and retaliated by kicking him in the gut. The male Rider grunted, but immediately retaliated by grabbing her leg, and throwing her into one of the trees. Medusa recovered in time before she hit the tree and landed on the side, using her feet to launch herself at her opponent. The female Rider managed to tackle Perseus to the ground, trying to pin his hands down by using her daggers to pierce his hands. Perseus's body reacted by shooting his hips up to buck her off of him, causing Medusa to lose balance. Perseus threw her off, and jumped into the air to attack, but Medusa managed to roll away in the knick of time and stabbed him in the shoulder. Perseus hissed in pain as Medusa tried to wrap the chain around him, but his body reacted by grabbing it and threw her to the ground in front of him.
Medusa did not let that stop her, and sweeped her leg under his feet, knocking him down to the ground. Perseus wasn't done yet, however, and grabbed her by the ankle. The male Rider was forced to fling her closer to the shoreline causing her to hit the damp sand with a loud thud. As she started to get up, she felt something tight against her throat, and she started to gasp for air. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Perseus put her in a reluctant chokehold, being forced to strangle her. Medusa tried to stab his hands, but the immense pressure on her neck caused her to drop her daggers and claw at his hands for a few moments to try and break free. Unfortunately, it wasn't working, and she was running out of air. She then looked down and saw his feet and immediately stomped her foot onto his. Perseus loosened his grip enough for her to grab his arms and throw him down to the ground. After getting some precious air in her lungs, then grabbed her daggers off the ground. As she attempted to stab Perseus in his elbows, the male Rider sweeped her feet with his fists. Medusa managed to prevent herself from falling by stabbing the daggers to the ground, and used the momentum to raise her leg into the air to slam it into Perseus's gut. The male Rider felt the air leave his body, and could not react in time as Medusa stabbed his hand with one of her daggers.
"Hold still so this can-"
Perseus cut her off with a punch to the face, knocking her off of him. "Sorry! I tried to stop it!"
"Don't apologize, you idiot!" Medusa shouted. "I know you're trying to resist!"
"I can't help it." Perseus said as he got up, holding the daggers. "I don't like hurting people."
"Didn't stop you from killing me." Medusa countered.
"You know I didn't want to do it." Perseus replied. "I just wanted to protect my mother, and I had no other choice."
Medusa went quiet. She always knew he wasn't a bad person, and knew his reasons. But she also couldn't help but always feel annoyed by his presence. And yet she also felt…..saddened, and sympathetic to him. She couldn't help but notice how their roles were reversed now, and it made it all the more difficult.
"I know you don't like it." Medusa said. "You really are a good man, perhaps better than most."
Perseus smiled. "Given our history, and our current circumstances, it means alot coming from you."
"Don't let it get to your head." Medusa said as she used the opportunity to try and kick him. Perseus's body reacted by dodging at the last second, and wrapped the chains connecting her daggers together around her ankle. The male Rider then spun them around, and threw her a few feet away. Medusa quickly adjusted her position and launched herself at Perseus once more. The female Rider saw his body shift away from her attack, and felt a sharp pain shoot throughout her body as his knee connected to her stomach, and one of her daggers pierced her shoulder. Medusa did not scream, however, and powered through the pain. She knew Perseus wasn't doing this on purpose, so she would not get mad. Instead, Medusa grabbed the dagger from her shoulder, pulled it out and spun around behind him stabbing him in the back before grabbing the other dagger and trying to pierce his other shoulder. Perseus immediately grabbed her hand, and threw her off of him to the ground.
Medusa tried to retaliate, but Perseus was quicker and grabbed her arm into an arm bar to force her to let go of her dagger. Medusa did not relent and managed to cut Perseus on his arm, forcing him to temporarily let go for a moment. Medusa got back up to try and pin him down, but Perseus's body reacted by rolling away, getting back up, and repeatedly punching Medusa in the gut and back. Medusa could not defend herself from the onslaught as his speed made it difficult to track him. However, soon she found an opening and leapt away from his assault and landed a few feet away. The female Rider then quickly charged at Perseus before he could retaliate. Perseus saw her coming, but could not react in time as she kicked him in the gut, sending him flying back towards the shoreline.
Perseus got up slowly, only to get kicked in the face by Medusa. The male Rider groaned from the attack but still got up. Medusa tried to attack again, but Perseus's body moved to counter her, and slammed his fist into her gut. Medusa did not let this opportunity go to waste, and wrapped the chains to her daggers around his arm, and used the momentum to fling him to the ground. Perseus's body twisted slightly, bringing her down to the ground with him. The male Rider was first to recover and was about to slam his fist into Medusa's face when Medusa blocked it with her hand, and kicked his face again. The Chaldean Servant immediately got up and wrapped her legs around his head and used the momentum to bring him back down to the ground. Perseus's body quickly retaliated by prying her away from him, and using his feet to throw her off of him.
The two Servants got up, panting heavily. Medusa felt the pain of her wounds starting to take hold, but she saw Perseus and noted he was equally injured and exhausted. Normally Medusa would be shocked that she lasted this long, given he would have the advantage over her, but she knew why she managed to live this long.
His mind and body were not in sync. He was holding back because his mind was his own, but his body was under the enemy's control. If it wasn't for that, she'd have had no chance of winning.
Perseus tried to take steady breaths as he stared at Medusa. It was clear the fight was wearing her down, but she wasn't giving up. He wanted to smile at her resolve, but he didn't want her to misunderstand his intentions. That was when he felt his body starting to move on it's own again, and a familiar signature rushed through them both.
"Oh no….no no no no!" Perseus shouted. "This can't be happening!"
Medusa's eyes widened in horror. "They're making you use that Noble Phantasm?!"
"I'm sorry, Medusa, but I can't stop it!" Perseus said. "You've got to cancel it out with your own!"
Not a second later, Perseus summoned his pegasus to his side, and flew into the air, and soared over to the sea. "You've got to stop me now!"
Medusa took a deep breath as she saw him fly higher and higher into the sky. "I understand."
The female Rider brought one of her daggers to her neck, and sliced into it a bit to get blood onto the ground.
"I'll destroy you gently."
The Rider waited until her own Pegasus appeared to her side, and mounted it. Medusa then flew into the air to meet Persesus as he finally made his quick descent. The two Riders stared at each other sadly as they knew what would happen next. It truly was a tragedy for both of them, but all they could do now was roar out their shared Noble Phantasm as they clashed.
"Bellerphon!"
Alexander shot forth a bolt of lightning at several Dragon Tooth Warriors who ran towards Anne and Mary. The two pirates followed his lead in dealing with the enemy skeletons as much as they could. Mary swung her cutlass at one of their legs, giving Anne enough room to blow it's head off with her musket. Anne then proceeded to smash the butt end of her musket at a Dragon Tooth Warrior that got too close to Mary, and shot two more that got close. However one of the archers came from behind, and shot Anne in the shoulder. Anne grunted in pain, but she did not fall. She turned around and shot the skeletal archer in the head, shattering it's ruined skull. The blonde pirate pulled out the arrow, and slammed it into the head of another skeletal warrior as it tried to attack Mary from behind. Alexander took care of the last skeletal warriors on the ship they were on, and looked back at the other ships. This was the last ship they cleared, so now there was only one thing left to do. The red haired Rider looked back at his companions and noted Anne's wound.
"I'll be fine Mary." Anne said. Mary nodded reluctantly as she wrapped her lover's wound with the bandages she had on her.
"Okay, when you're done, it's time to blow up the other ships." Alexander said.
"Got it." Anne said. The two pirates procured numerous bombs from their persons, and threw them all at the empty ships barring their own. As soon as the last bomb was thrown, the three of them covered their ears and braced themselves as the ships blew up to smithereens. As they did so, the three of them looked to the sky, and watched in shock as Medusa and Perseus were about to collide on their pegasi.
*BOOM!*
None of them said a word as they saw the huge explosion from the impact of their Noble Phantasms. Alexander could only watch in sadness as he saw both Riders falling from the sky until they plunged into the sea below. Alexander took a deep breath and looked at the two pirates.
"Let's go help the Golden Hind."
"How do you plan to help them?" Anne asked. Alexander whispered into her ear to explain his idea, causing her to grin and nod. "Okay, let's do it!"
(Meanwhile)
Back on the Golden Hind, Ushiwakamaru and Okita panted heavily as they continued to stand. Mashu could only watch as Hektor remained stationary, but panting heavily. It was clear now that despite getting serious, he was now getting worn down by the two samurai. The Lancer stared at his opponents, but he did not even try to make even a wisecrack. Okita took the opportunity to lunge at him from the front while Ushiwakamaru got behind him, but the Lancer jumped out of the way to get some distance.
Okita and Ushiwakamaru proceeded to get in close, swinging their blades at the Lancer in their exhaustion, but Hektor blocked all of their strikes with as much force as he could. The Trojan prince pushed them back and thrust his spear at Ushiwakamaru, but the Rider dodged the strike. However, Hektor anticipated that, and quickly thrust his spear at her feet, cutting into her Achilles Tendon. Ushiwakamaru fell to the ground and clutched her ankle, leaving Oktia all alone in her assault on Hektor. The Saber thrusted her blade towards his gut, but Hektor deflected the blow and knocked her down with a punch, knocking the wind out of the Saber.
Okita coughed up blood as she fell to the ground. Hektor raised his spear to end the Saber once and for all, but a shield bash from Mashu prevented him from delivering the blow. The Lancer groaned but managed to knock the Shielder back, but she remained on her feet. Mashu launched herself at Hektor, hoping to protect Ushiwakamaru and Okita from him at all costs, but the Lancer blocked her strike and aimed low. Mashu managed to dodge in time, but Hektor remained on the offensive. The Trojan prince found an opening in her defenses and slammed the butt of his spear into her gut, but Mashu grabbed it to bring him close to her fist. Hektor caught her fist with his free hand and threw her to the ground. The Lancer proceeded to pin her down by stomping on her gut. However, that proved to be his greatest mistake as his back was turned towards the others.
Hektor snarled and hissed in pain as he felt something hit both of his Achilles Tendons. He looked down and saw that one arrow each hit them. He looked back and saw that Euryale, holding her bow, and Stheno, having summoned a Greek warrior spirit to be the culprits. Hektor tried to use his spear as a crutch to get up, but Drake shot his shoulders, keeping him pinned. Hektor did not fall, however, and continued to try and rise.
*Bang*
Hektor coughed up blood as another gunshot was heard, but no one saw where it came from. They all looked around until they finally saw the perpetrator.
Sailing towards them was none other than Alexander, Anne and Mary. The white haired pirate steering the helm while Anne took aim once more and fired again into Hektor's chest. The Lancer barely had time to breathe when he felt two blades pierce his Spirit Core.
Ushiwakamaru and Okita panted heavily as they kept their blades in his chest. Hektor just took a few more deep breaths, before falling to the floor and dissipating into golden dust.
Mashu got up and everyone looked on in disbelief as the realization sunk into them.
Hektor was finally dead.
But there was no time to celebrate, for Okita started coughing up blood profusely. Mashu rushed towards her, only to see that she was now unconscious. She lifted her onto her back and opened the hatch down below deck.
"Mr. Bombe, can you please make sure Okita is looked after? She is not feeling well and will not be able to continue to fight."
"Aye, give her here and we'll make sure she stays nice and dry." Bombe said.
Mashu nodded and gave Okita to the first mate. Then returned to Ushiwakamaru and used a healing scroll on her. The Rider felt her tendon healing but it wasn't going to be perfect. It only took a few moments, but her wound healed up enough to walk, but it still felt uncomfortable.
Alexander looked at Mary and gave a small nod. The white haired pirate nodded back and turned their ship around towards the Argo.
Drake took this moment to get into position, and turned the ship to get the best angle for the shot.
Meanwhile back on the Argo, Jason began to shake uncontrollably. Having felt Hektors passing, the captain of the Argonauts could hardly believe what was happening.
"This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening!" He muttered to himself.
"Lord Jason, it'll be fine." Medea Lily replied. "We can still win this. That Medusa woman is out of the fight, and Galatea is being pushed back, see?"
Jason looked back onto the battle in front of him, and saw that Medea Lily was correct. While Galatea's betrayal and her sinking numerous ships of theirs was a shock, she couldn't get to all of them and was being forced back near the beach, and even the Archers were now struggling with keeping their pressure. With this, Jason grinned and laughed. "Looks like I have nothing to worry about after all!"
"Don't be so sure about that, you damned bastard!"
A chill ran up both of their spines as that familiar voice rang through their heads. They slowly turned around, and both of them saw the sight before them. Jason could only go pale while Medea Lily scowled in annoyance.
The fleet of Colchis was right behind them, and on the flagship was none other than Medea and the two Masters. The three of them scowled back at him, and all he could do was freeze in terror. Medea Lily looked to him to see what she could do to snap him out of it, but his shaking proved to be evidence enough that he would not be able to continue. It was at this moment that the ships of Colchis broke off and surrounded the rest of Jason's fleet, destroying some of the remaining ships, allowing Galatea to take one of the remaining ones and steered it close to the Argo. As that was happening, Alexander's own ship finally reached the Argo, and both ships rammed themselves into the Argo, causing Jason to snap out of his stupor.
"What in the world is going on?!" He shouted. "How did they manage to out maneuver us like this?!"
"I do not know, Lord Jason!" Medea Lily replied. "Wait….oh no!"
"What is it?"
"The Servants stationed here….they weren't just protecting the Ark, they were stalling!" Medea Lily answered.
Jason felt his heart stop. "No…no no no…..then that means…"
"We fell into their trap!" Medea Lily shouted. "We have to think of something to get out of this!"
"Oh! I know, I'll just summon another Servant with this Holy Grail!" Jason answered back.
Unfortunately for him, he would not be able to do so as he looked back and saw Chaldea's Medea raise her hand, and summoned a bolt of lightning down upon them. It cracked and ruined the deck of the Argo, but that was not the worst of their situation.
Drake sailed the Golden Hind towards the Argo, and was now taking aim at the enemy ship itself. By the time this was happening, Galatea, Alexander and the two pirate Servants jumped ship and got to relative safety. The Berserker used her thrusters to get away and the other three leapt towards the Golden Hind to return to their comrades. As soon as the flagship of Colchis and the Golden Hind were close enough, Drake took a deep breath and shouted to her crew mates.
"FIRE!"
Volleys of arrows from the island, and numerous cannonballs pelted the Argo furiously, and combined with Chaldea's Medea's magic, the Argo was taking more and more damage. Jason could only curse and howl in rage as his entire world crumbled around him.
"Dammit!" Jason shouted. "How can this be happening?!"
"Lord Jason….I'm sorry….." Medea Lily muttered.
"Damn right you should be!" Jason shouted. "You were the one who suggested this whole thing! Now how do you plan on getting us out of this?!"
Medea Lily stared at him sadly, but rose to her feet calmly. "I am not apologizing for failing you. I am apologizing because what you envisioned was never going to happen…."
Jason looked at her in disbelief. "Wait, are you saying that you lied to me?"
Medea Lily shook her head. "Oh, I have been quite honest with you, Lord Jason. And you were indeed chosen to be the wielder of the Holy Grail…but now I am faced with a dilemma. How can I ensure that I do the bidding of my Master, but also protect you?"
"But I AM your Master!" Jason shouted.
SCHLICK!
Everyone watched in absolute shock and disbelief as Jason gasped for air as Medea Lily shot a shard of ice into his gut and took the Grail from him.
"That is where you are wrong, Lord Jason. You never summoned me. It was someone else who did."
Medea Lily raised the Grail in her hands and took a deep breath. "O Holy Grail. O ultimate vessel granting my desires. Manifest. Remember. You are one of the 72 Demon Gods."
No one could move a muscle as they heard Jason let out a bloodcurdling scream as his face started to melt, and his body contorting and twisting in unnatural angles.
"I shall give you the strength to fight. I shall give you the strength to rise up." Medea Lily continued to chant. "Let us fight together for the sake of destruction."
Jason's cries soon died down as a large shadowy figure rose from where he once stood. The Chaldean Trio and the Chaldean Servants present widened their eyes as they saw the familiar form of the creature standing on the deck of the Argo.
"Now then, rank number 30. Sea Fiend Forneus. Use that power to put an end to your journey!" Medea Lily shouted.
Forneus did not say a word, and instead let out a blood curdling screech that forced everyone to cover their ears. As they continued to recoil from the shriek, the Chaldeans could only realize the sheer horror of their situation now.
They were about to face another Demon God Pillar.
—-AUTHOR'S NOTES—-
OC: Hi everyone, Owen Chaser here. I apologize for how late this chapter came out, but Yatsu and I had a busy week, so we had no choice but to postpone this chapter until now. We will hopefully get back in the swing of things for the next chapter, but please understand that conflicting schedules and other unforeseen events may prevent us from being able to post the latest chapters on time for the foreseeable future. This is no one's fault. It is just we both have been incredibly busy, and that is just how it is. Nothing serious, just work piling on, and other prior commitments.
However, I would like to thank you all for reading this chapter, and we look forward to next week as we finally end the Okeanos saga next chapter. Owen Chaser, signing off.