Hello there, Out of Reach fans!

I know, I know, you all have been waiting long enough for this chapter - trust me, I wanted to release this chapter as soon as it was possible. But here it is! After all this time!

Just as always, before the chapter, time for your comments!

Crazzytony – Thank you very much. I hope that all the future chapters will be also good. That, and fight against Artemis and her hunters… Well, he will definitely have some encounters with them, especially when he will start to hunt some powerful monsters.

Brother Bov – Thanks. Well, yeah, Artemis better start searching for him fast. And yeah, Six analyzed everything. And now – hunting time!

Spyash2 – Well, if the hunters of Artemis or Amazons will behave like they used to, then yes, it will definitely end badly for them. So, if they want to survive, they better not stand in 6's way.

Cullen walsh – Well… I had some ideas about who could be a perfect match for Noble Six. As of now, I can definitely say, that now Noble Six will be focused entirely on protecting humanity. If there ever will appear an option to him get a romance, then it will be later into the story. Tho, I don't know who would be a good match for him.

StellarEngine – Thanks. And, well, Noble Six will most likely try to stay in the shadows. He is a Spartan and ONI agent, working from shadows is what he was created for. All-out war would get him too much attention.

Jason Vander Vlugt – Thanks. And hell yeah, time for the Greek Pantheon to learn the meaning of fear.

Sm0keyPanda – Thanks… I think?

Guest – Well, he will not put out the Kratos way, he will more likely strike from the shadows, but yeah, Greek Pantheon is one of the worst one in history. And they will soon pay for their crimes.

KeepingKessler – Hm… That is an interesting idea…

DOOT76 – Well, he will just see that he has more enemies, that's for sure. And yes, he does not trust anyone in the twenty-first century. He only knows people from Greek Pantheons from their stories, and they often do not portrait them as good guys. Also – remember that he does not know that Artemis is his real mother yet. And he will most likely take the Ocelot Revolver's route, at least partially. He will strike from the shadows, injecting fear and paranoia into his enemies.

Samuel Warshaw – Thank you very much, I appreciate your kind comment.

Malgrath – I am a great fan of this story, and the author partially inspired me to write Out of Reach. That and I believe he was the very first writer to actually correctly write Noble Six's character.

Iamnothere12 – First of all – no. He will not get or need a psychical or magical upgrade. And there are many reasons for that (most of which you will see in the future chapters of this story). That and about Zeus power… Well, we must remember a few things. First – he is paranoid. There is a big possibility that he was spreading propaganda about his power so that no one would dare to rise against him. That and I believe that Zeus can make hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers, but only if he would unleash his full power at once.

VGBlackwing – Well, yeah, for most of the part (at least in the beginning) he will not give a single damn about Artemis. He would either consider her as an enemy or an obstacle in his way. That and in his mind he has no connection to Artemis at all. About him being super-power since he is the firstborn… Well, in chapter 1, I gave a small hint about Noble Six and him being a demi-god. Artemis said that she could not feel "any connection to her" from him. I will explain what I meant in the future chapters, but, just please remember that hint.

Guest – Well, sure, here you go.

T3mp3rusMaximus – Well, Artemis will definitely be shocked when she realizes that the behemoth she is hunting is her son since it will not be something she would expect. That, and, well, Noble Six is not going to be interested in her at all (at least in the beginning), he will most likely see her as another enemy. I guess Artemis will be very lost and confused about how her son from a little boy became an emotionless killing machine.

Guest – Well, Six will definitely try to gather more intel. Tho when Kronos will emerge, then he will try to take him out first because he is a direct danger to the entire humanity (since he hates western civilization and thinks that humans should never unite). But it will also take a few chapters before we reach that point so, before that, Six will gather info and try to take out some lesser targets.

Griffmic000– Well, in theory, Metis is still inside Zeus' stomach and Calypso would most likely feel in love in B312 within a few days… That and creating a third party to help humanity… There are a few problems with that idea. In Six's mind, he has no right to do something like this. He is still following the ONI and UNSC protocols. If he would do such a thing, he would have to tell his faction members who he is and what is his mission – and he is not exactly allowed to that. That and it would be kind of awkward with what he's trying to do – especially with killing other gods and so on.

Lordcarroty – Oh man, thank you very much. It means a lot to me. But I am pretty sure that there are many Halo crossover stories way better than mine.

HyperUnity – To be honest... This is exactly the way I imagined it. Just a pure awkward scene between them. Artemis –since she tried to kill her only son not knowing what to do, and Six – since for most of his life he was treated as a weapon, cannot tell Artemis anything due to ONI and UNSC protocols and because of how Spartans were created… This is going to be one awkward scene… But a very important one.

CryKen – Trust me, I just cannot wait to write it down. And it's gonna be more than just one simple moment. Add also the fact that he is not allowed to say many things about himself or the past, and that will make Artemis jobs many times harder. As for Athena… God damn it, I can actually imagine her doing this!

the-lost-memories6 – Noble Six is exactly Twenty-one years old. At least at this moment.

I think it is time to start. I hope you are ready...

Link to my discord server: discord . gg/ pghekDe

WARNING! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VERY DISTURBING TOPICS AND THEMES, SUCH AS ABORTION AND MORAL DEGENERATION! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Out of Reach

Chapter 6

Of Pirates and Sorceresses

Noble Six had to relearn many things. It was something he has done many times as a headhunter. Learn how to evolve, adapt, and survive.

After all, not in every situation, Intel was available to him. Sometimes, the only thing saving him from an excruciating death was his ability to adapt. And so, he knew that he was forced to do it once more. It was just like in the past.

As a headhunter, he was sent to many worlds. If his target happened to be on a planet controlled by insurrection. ONI and UNSC would often have very detailed intel about the planet itself and about all the enemies he will be forced to deal with. Everything was spot on to make sure that the mission will succeed.

But planets controlled by the Covenant were a completely different case. Intel was not always available, or it was not full. Sometimes Six would just get the most basic information like who was his target and where he was. The rest was up to him.

And so, on many occasions, Noble Six was forced to re-adapt.

It was like an instinct. Learn how to hide, what to kill, and what to avoid. What was safe to eat and what was not. How and where to hide. And most importantly – how to finish his mission. And – if luck was on his side – how to survive until the UNSC or ONI would pick him up.

The situation Noble Six found himself in this time was almost the same. He was left alone, with just the most basic Intel. He had to improvise, evolve, and adapt to survive. He was surrounded by a world full of weird mutants and powerful alien-like beings controlling humans from the shadows.

Except, this time, Noble Six had no primary target. There was no mission to accomplish. There was nothing to claim or destroy in the name of UNSC or ONI. There was just him, stuck in an unfamiliar past, where, most likely, everyone was trying to either kill him or get him.

Even with the information he had from Lycaon, he still wasn't sure what to think about it. The whole picture… It was as if someone was trying to force him into believing that the magic and mythology were real, that humans were blind. But Noble Six could see the arrogance in that kind of thinking. It meant that his possible enemies were foolish, arrogant, and ignorant.

There was still just one problem. Six even couldn't understand this weird maze-like place he once again found himself in. He didn't know how it was possible that he once again found himself in this place. Or even how he traveled back in time to the twenty-first century.

So many questions he could not answer. At least – not yet. Lycaon was a good source of information, but Six knew better than to trust just one source. He needed another source, someone or something that would confront what Lycaon told him.

But that wasn't the only thing on Noble Six's mind. He needed to figure out how to travel once again to Earth. So, in other words, – Six needed someone who had some knowledge about this maze, and it worked. And Six's guts were telling him that he will learn everything he will need sooner or later.

After all, someone was watching him.

Every time Six was exploring the tunnels of the maze, he felt someone's presence. Noble Six already knew what that presence meant – someone was watching him. Carefully observing his every move. And every time, the presence seemed to be bolder, coming step by step closer to him.

Noble Six knew that sooner or later, he will be forced to confront whoever was watching him. And he could only guess the outcome of that confrontation. Will he learn something new? Will it be another target?

But for now, Noble Six had different things in his mind. The things he had learned from Lycaon… Things were happening outside of this maze, on Earth of old times. Something that had to be stopped immediately.

Meanwhile, Six's A.I. partner, Auntie Dot, was furiously trying to learn anything possible about this place. Where they were, why this entire place looked like this.

"Have you noticed that some parts of this maze look like they were made thousands of years ago, and some look as if someone just made them?" Auntie Dot asked out of the blue in Six's mind. She seemed to be too interested in everything this maze had to offer. "It almost looks like the creation of this maze started during the Minoan era and continued throughout all eras of human history."

Noble Six could not deny it. Many parts of this maze looked like they were created in different periods of human history. There were corridors full of greek or roman paintings and statues, there were places that looked as if they were created by someone obsessed with middle age torture dungeons, and so on.

Literally, every age had its own sector of the maze.

But that was not the most crucial fact he has discovered. Some of those corridors had skeletons, just laying on the floor, without care. He and Dot would always analyze every single one.

According to Auntie Dot, most of the skeletons were human. It would seem that he was not the first human to find himself in this weird and bizarre place, but perhaps what was worse, some of those skeletons looked as if they were desperate to get out of this maze. Or desperate to protect their life.

Judging from how the "native" population behaved, it was evident that most of those people were just eaten alive. Those lucky – or unlucky – to not become a mutant's dinner died either from starvation, traps, or insanity.

Some of those skeletons had the remaining clothes still on them. Thanks to that, both Six and Dot were able to identify the time from which those people came. They were people from the time of the second world war. Others were from the late sixties, and so on. There were even remnants of people from much older ages.

But there was a small problem. Those clothes and skeletons were in better condition than they should be. Most of those clothes should just already disappear, especially when you see someone wearing remnants of what seemed to be a Victorian pantsuit.

"It does not make sense. His body should be in a completely different stage of decay." Auntie Dot commented with a scientific wonder in her voice. "The clothes on this skeleton suggest that he came from Victorian Britain. But the stage of decomposition on his skeleton and his clothes suggests that he wasn't here longer than… Thirteen years…"

Noble Six was flabbergasted for a second. He could not understand how it was possible. Could it be that this person, just like him, found himself in a completely different time? If yes, then how was it even possible? Who had enough resources to simply transport through time and space random people? And why would someone do that?

After that weird revelation, Noble Six decided to look out for more skeletons. Perhaps on some of them, he could find out what was happening. Maybe one of the victims has learned something about this maze?

It was not really that hard to find more decayed bodies. A civilian worker from the second world war period. A confederate soldier. It was now evident for Six that there were many humans, unfortunate enough to find themselves in this horrific place. And judging from the way those people were killed, no one was even close to finding an exit.

But some skeletons were also different. They were only… mostly human.

"The D.N.A. on this body… is not entirely human. This girl was mostly human… human-hybrid if you prefer. Perhaps she was one of those demigods Lycaon told us about?"

Soon, Noble Six found another skeleton. Judging from the look and size of the skeleton, it belonged to a teenage boy, no older than sixteen. He was wearing simple clothes, now mostly eaten away by time. But near the skeleton, Six has found something… unusual—a piece of paper.

The paper itself was still in good shape, and most importantly – it was still possible to read what was written on that paper. The letter was written in old English, but Noble Six was still able to read it through.

Anno Domini 1718,

To whoever is reading this, t'is a message where I, Edward Teach, eke known as the Blackbeard, am asking for help.

I desire yond dram Tim wast able to reacheth anyone who is't wouldst beest able to holp. I toldeth that gent what signs that gent shouldst searcheth for, but I can only prayeth to mine own father yond this peat is a clear-sighted mortal.

We w're capture on an Elysium island, on the flote of monsters. We w're did trap by the naughty beldams known as Circe.

To anyone brave enow to saileth to yond curs'd island and saveth us, I offer richness beyond imagination

Blackbeard… As a kid, Noble Six heard that name a few times. Blackbeard's legend, one of the most famous pirates, was still known even in the distant future. And it would seem that Noble Six has found one of his crew-mates.

As Noble Six went through the letter, he started to analyze every bit of information he just found.

Clear-sighted mortals… As the name stated, those were most-likely people who were able to see through the mist, the very same one that Lycaon mentioned. But why would famous Pirate hope that this boy was one of those clear-sighted mortals? Was Blackbeard one of those so-called demigods?

Another thing… Circe and the Elysium island… Those words sounded familiar in Six's head, but he just couldn't say from where. The instructors on Onyx didn't mention anything about Circe during his training days, and yet he could swear that he heard those words somewhere.

"Sorceress Circe and her paradise island" Suddenly, Auntie Dot appeared on his hud, with her minimized version. "Homer mentioned her in one of his books, in The Oddysey. She was a powerful sorceress, known for her ability to use magic and knowledge of herbs and drugs. Mostly famous for turning all males who happened to find themselves on her Island into pigs."

The Oddysey… It wasn't a book that Noble Six know much about. And as of now, everything started to become even crazier. It was as if whoever created this place was really obsessed with Greek Mythology.

Magic… No, this Circe… She must have been either one of those hybrids or an alien herself. And she also must have had access to exceptionally advanced technology. Unknown technology plus drugs – that is how you can make people believe in magic.

And that whole turning males into pigs thing? Somehow this Circe must have found a way to transfer consciousness into a different body. But why would she do it? Why just the male population? And what would she do if a woman found herself on that Island?

And the most important question – was she in any way connected to this place?

So many questions appeared in Noble Six's head. All of which could be answered if he would find the way out of this maze.

Meanwhile, Auntie Dot was analyzing the teenage skeleton. She wanted to find some kind of connection, create a theory, do anything that could be useful to her Spartan. She compared the speed of decay and the date on the letter… Now it was apparent to her what was happening.

"Noble Six." Auntie Dot's voice was calm as always. "I analyzed the body and the letter, and I compared them to our other findings. If no one is trying to manipulate us, then I believe that within this place, we can observe a phenomenon known as 'Time Dilation.'"

Space Dilation. Anyone who ever wanted to know anything about space travels, or was forced to tell about space travels, knew what space dilation was. Sometimes called as time debt as a joke. But in other and much simpler words, it was the difference between the first-person perception of time and another. Because, according to relativity, time was… well, relative.

"I have calculated the difference in time between Earth and here. It would seem that the time moves twelve times faster here than on Earth. In other words, every five minutes here equals one hour on Earth. That is, assuming that no one is playing with us and is not just leaving dead bodies picked across the time…"

Noble Six didn't know how to take this news. One part of him was already trying to figure out how to use this place to return home. But on the other hand, Noble Six could not just simply trust this hellish place. Something was very wrong here. That and Six could not just forget about what he had learned from Lycaon.

"Dot." Noble Six spoke up, with a hushed voice, while still thinking about this place's possibilities. "How long would we have to wait in this place to go back to our times?"

For a second or two, Dot was silent. It would seem that even A.I. had some moments of doubt.

"That depends on what do you understand as our times…" Finally, Auntie Dot decided to answer the question. Her voice could not contain the dubiety. "If you are asking about returning to Earth after the fall of Reach… I would say at least forty-five years and six months."

It was definitely long. Six was never sure for how long he will be alive. No one ever told him about his lifespan after the augmentation process. It was not necessary to know. After all, most Spartan III would never live longer than a few missions.

On the other hand, forty-five years is a much better option than five centuries… The problem would be only in surviving long-enough…

"That is, assuming that we are in our universe…" Auntie Dot quickly added, knowing what her Spartan was thinking about.

The only answer both of them would get is if they would wait until 2021 and see if the International Society of Civil Engineers will rise… With the time dilation effect, they would not have to wait that long… But something was not right.

Something inside was telling Six to check that Circe… After all, even if this was not his humanity, he still swore an Oath that he will protect human lives. And now it would seem that he had found a world taken over by Alien civilization…

As of now, this so-called Circe was his only lead. And so, Noble Six made his choice. His first target – learn what was going on with this place. Then learn who were the so-called gods, and what their plan was. And maybe he will also catch whoever was constantly watching him.

And so, with a straightforward goal in his mind, Noble Six marched forward. Find Circe, and interrogate her. Take every piece of knowledge she possessed.

Soon, a blinding light once again appeared before him, taking him somewhere completely else…

Noble Six was visited by something he did not expect.

At first, he noticed that he was underground, most likely in a cave of sorts. It didn't take him long to find an exit from the cave. But when he got out, he realized that he was no longer in the maze… or at least, he believed that he was no longer there.

He found himself on a beautiful island, surrounded by amazing clear-blue water, clear sand, green palm trees, and many unique flowers. It looked like one of those private islands where rich people would often go on vacation.

Noble Six took his time to walk through the sandy beach. Everything was quiet; he could not hear a single mutant – or monsters like they preferred to be called – in the area. Everything was so peaceful.

For a moment, B312 could not believe that such a place exist. He could often only remember seeing worlds ravaged by the Covenant or Inni's that he had to hunt down.

"Yes! I do have a connection to the satellites!" Auntie Dot brought him back to reality with her excited voice. It would seem that she has found something important. "As you know, while we are in the maze, I am unable to connect to the satellites, but as soon as we left the cave, I was able to reconnect myself! And yes, our inner clock moved differently. Inside the maze, there is indeed time dilation. And just as I predicted, time inside the maze flows twelve times slower!"

It was indeed, impressive. Now only to learn if they are in their own universe, and then they could use the maze to get back home.

And so, Six once more moved forward, trying to find anything that would tell him about his current location. The sun was just rising, so he had plenty of time.

While Six was marching forward, Auntie Dot seemed to be interested in the world around her. Through Noble Six's eyes, she watched the beautiful Island. She could not help herself but wonder, like a small child, how she would love to live in such a place. Where there was no war, no insurrection, even where she was not just A.I.

She started to imagine how she would walk through that Island every day, how she would watch the perfectly clear sky at night, watching stars like most people of this age. It would be a perfect life.

At that moment, she has also realized what she was doing. She was dreaming, imagining things.

All of it was still new to her. She could not understand everything. All those sudden emotions, dreams, feelings, she was created as nothing more than a Dumb logistic A.I. And yet now, she could feel herself, being alive.

She wanted to know everything. How to deal with those emotions. How humans were able to simply live with them.

She was still just learning. Learning how to feel alive – that is, how a Smart A.I. understands being alive. She wanted to know exactly what she was feeling.

On many occasions, she wanted to ask her Spartan about emotions. But she already knew that would be pointless. Spartans were created to be nothing more than emotionless killers. The only thing they were able to feel was the focus and rage.

Or at least, this is what most people wanted to believe.

There was one big downside of being connected to someone's brain. Auntie Dot was not only able to communicate with Six much faster and boost his already impressive abilities. But she also had full access to his mind and to his thoughts, memories, feelings.

She would often watch them, just to try to understand all those new feelings she had. But every time she would wander into his mind, she would see pain, suffering, and loss—first his parent, then most of the Beta Company, and lastly – Noble Team.

Even now, she still grieved all of them. She was supposed to protect them. Instead, she was forced to watch them die, one by one.

She wanted to know how to deal with the pain of loss. But Noble Six's mind was not giving any answers. After all, Spartans were not supposed to feel anything.

And so, she decided to watch the current world through Six's eyes. He was focused, in a defensive mode, ready for anything that could attack him. In a way – ironically – he was behaving more like a machine than a human.

But that wasn't a good time for philosophical wondering. She was on a mission.

She noticed that something was wrong with the signal between her and many satellites flying in orbit. While she had no problem connecting to them, she had numerous issues with receiving the signal back. It was as if something in this place was messing with the signal. The only thing protecting her from succumbing to those signal disturbances was that she was superior to anything from this age.

And so, she started to dig in. Information from UNSC and ONI. Planets that had massive communication problems due to the atmosphere, radiation, or issues with the magnetosphere. And it would seem that this place was no different.

She searched further. Earth, problems with communications, possible missing vessels, weird anomalies… And bingo. A few possible locations. Now to triangulate the position, analyze the climate and weather.

Location confirmed. She and Noble Six were on one of the islands placed on the very famous Bermuda Triangle.

"Noble Six. I was able to narrow down the possible places where we are." Auntie Dot immediately reported Six of her founding. "Due to problems with the signal, it took me a little longer, and I could not pinpoint our exact location. I am sure that we are on one of the islands within the Bermuda Triangle. Search for some crashed ships or airplanes. Maybe we will find more useful information."

Noble Six only made a quick nod.

Not even an hour later, while they walked through the beach, they have found the first wreck. It was on an old American bomber.

"This is one of the Boeing B-50 Superfortress. It belonged to the United States Air Force. Perhaps we will find somewhere inside?"

Inside, the Boeing was just empty. It looked as if the crew members took all the necessary things and just left. This was weird since this fortress could be literally a safe-place for them, where they could live until someone would find them.

Soon Noble Six has found the crew's journal. The last date written in the journal was January 8, 1962. According to the data, B-50 left the U.S. East Coast and flew towards the Azores. Obviously, they have never reached their destination.

It didn't take long for Six to find another wreck. This time, it was a sizeable Proteus-class collier, U.S.S. Cyclops.

Since the ship was rather large, it took Six some time to check out the entire thing. Like the last time, there were no bodies left on the boat, most of the personal belongings were taken. All that was left was the cargo – at least a few thousand tons of magnesium was left inside the wreck.

It turned out there were more wrecks in the area. Sometimes they were just small planes, able to carry two people, sometimes they were ships, even older than one century.

It would seem that Noble Six has indeed found himself in the Bermuda Triangle. With information about missing vessels that some people would kill for.

After a few hours of searching, Noble Six had found a rather modern-looking yacht. It was an immense yacht, obviously one of those more expensive ones. It would seem that the yacht itself wasn't left here too long ago from the outside look. It was still a fresh one as if it just docked here a few months ago.

The inside had some mold inside, but it wasn't something that would bother B312. He was forced to work in worse places. A slimy fungus would not be able to slow him down.

"Noble Six! It seems that it is still possible to turn on some of the onboard computers." Auntie Dot could not hide the excitement in her voice. Noble Six even started to wonder if all A.I.'s were enthusiastic about everything.

It wasn't that hard for B312 to turn on the onboard computer. The electronic parts were not in too bad shape, and they were still responding. After a minute, the onboard computer turned on, showing on many screens, the coordinates, local weather, and so on. It would seem that the lone wolf finally had some luck.

The lone wolf gazed at one of the screens. The monitor was displaying a set of coordinates: 25°02'06.7 "N 70°44'57.5" W.

"According to those coordinates, we are in the middle of a place called Bermuda Triangle" Noble Six only frowned when he heard Dot's voice. He never heard about such a place. Sensing his confusion, Auntie Dot continued with a lecture-like voice. "It was a very famous area on the east coast of the United States, For centuries. Within this area of the Atlantic Ocean, many ships and airplanes have gone and disappeared without any trace."

It was all obvious for Noble Six why there were so many ships and airplanes around that Island. It would seem that at least some of them found a way to this Island. But why would they never leave this place? Why anyone has never decided to return?

And most importantly – where were all the people? He expected to see at least skeletons of the old crews, but as of now, he had found nothing.

But it wasn't enough to stop Noble Six. He continued to search for any possible information he could. And now, he had something that could help him get the answer.

The technology in this ship was way outdated, but it was simple to learn and use within seconds. And so, B312 soon has found a personal journey of one of the crew members of this yacht. The journey itself was made out of audio logs. All that was left for Six was just to press play.

Log June 1 20, 1998

I cannot believe how lucky I am! All the works and extra hours, it all paid off! I was finally able to rent this yacht! Of course, with a few friends' help, I was able to rent the boat. My wife and my son were so happy when I told them!

The whole vacation group consists of me, my wife and son, Raul and his fiancé, and Mark with his pregnant wife, Rebecka.

We are all so happy now. I feel like this is going to be the best vacation of all time!

End of log 1

According to those logs, this yacht was a private ship, used mostly by citizens. Noble Six could not understand why anyone would try to rent a boat. Still, Noble Six wasn't created to understand civilians. He was designed to protect them.

And so, he played another file.

Log June 2 22, 1998

We are still heading towards Puerto Rico. As of now, I can confirm without any hesitation that this is the best idea I have ever had. We are all so happy! To be honest, at first, I was against the idea of going through the Bermuda Triangle. Still, Mark and Rebecka told me that there is nothing to be worried about. That it is all just a myth.

Well, I hope they are right.

End of log 2

Log June 3 23, 1998

I do not know how none of us noticed that we have somehow swum straight into the storm during the night, but it happened. Raul said that we must go straight into the eye of the storm since it is the only safe place.

I know I should have not listened to Mark and Rebecka to simply use the south route… Good thing that Raul is a sailor. I don't know what I would do without him.

We are all scared. My wife is hugging our son and telling him that everything will be alright.

God, I really hope that everything will be alright. I hope that this stupid storm will become nothing more than a memory to laugh at.

End of Log 3

According to those logs, those people have somehow ventured into this triangle and found themselves in a massive storm. There was still nothing that would indicate anything unusual in this.

Log June 4 24, 1998

God, thank you with all my heart for our survival. And that you for Raul and his sailor's skills. Without him, we would all be dead right now.

Somehow he was able to get us out of the storm. Unfortunately, our yacht had taken some damages, and we were forced to swim into this Island. I don't know if we will repair this yacht, but I really hope that someone will find us and take us back home.

I keep sending the S.O.S. signals. My wife is angry right now, saying that this is all my fault. And to think that yesterday she was so happy and thankful for this trip. Well, she will calm herself down eventually.

Meanwhile, maybe we will find something useful on this Island.

End of Log 4

Now Noble Six was sure. Whatever happened to those people, it happened on this Island. Obviously, some people from the other ships and airplanes were lost due to storms and accidents. Still, it was now evident that something was hunting them here.

Log June 5 25, 1998

To be honest, this Island is amazing. Even if we are trapped here, I cannot deny the fact that this Island could as well be an Eden. But that is not the best part.

We have found civilization! Well, not a new one, but it seems that we have discovered a private Spa resort. It's called C.C.'s. Spa and Resort. And it appears that there are many guests here. Just I don't know why all the guests here and all the workers are women.

Well, it seems that we have found ourselves an island straight from the teenager's wet dream. Well, it could be much worse.

End of Log 5

A spa resort… Noble Six was already thinking about what kind of trap it was. It wouldn't be the first time he heard about criminal organizations luring innocent people into their traps while using the same tricks. And so it was evident that they have found an Island that belonged to a crime syndicate.

But that would not make all the sense. According to Auntie Dot's intel, the oldest Bermuda Triangle accidents were in the times of Christopher Columbus! And by that time, no one in that region had the capabilities to create such a syndicate.

There were, of course, other options. Perhaps one of the countries was using this Island as its black ops H.Q., Or this was the place for some kind of weird world Cabal. One that decided to use the myths about this place and have their own business here.

Noble Six knew he would have to dig deeper. He had to know the answer.

Log June 6 26, 1998

This place… It's weird. I don't know why, but I can feel it in my guts – something is wrong with this place. Why are we the only males here? What happened to the rest of the people? None of it makes sense. Everyone from the personnel here starts to look weirdly at us. As if they were trying to hide something.

Meanwhile, there is something wrong with my wife. Not only her – the same with Rebecka and with Nina – Raul's fiancée. It's almost as if they don't see the world outside of this place. Within just one day, they started to treat C.C. like their guru or something.

And to make it worst… My wife… I don't know what happened to her. She was listening to C.C., and our son came to her, trying to say something. And then she, instead of listening to our son, like she always used to… She just… She just slapped him! And then, without any care about him, she just continued to listen to C.C.!

Hell, no one cared! Our wife, friends, or that woman C.C.! She… she just smiled and continued!

I was too far away to react instantly, but I was near my son within a moment. I tried to confront my wife about what happened, but she just yelled at me to "Shut the fuck up," and then she called me a pig.

I talked with Raul and Paul about this… They say similar things… It's almost as if my wife and her companions were brainwashed within one day.

What the hell is wrong with this place?!

End of Log 6

Brainwashing, change of personality… Not many Insurrectionist organizations were using such a tactic… They were mostly using anti-UNSC propaganda. But it wasn't something Noble Six was unfamiliar with.

It was apparent that someone was messing with people's minds here. But for what purpose? Why were they choosing just females? What would happen here to the males?

Noble Six looked at the screen – there was just one last log. Perhaps some answers will come out.

Log July 7 1, 1998

This place… This place is a nightmare! To whoever will ever find this… Just run! Don't make this Island deceive you! This place is straight from a horror movie!

They… They have tried to poison us with something! I don't know what they have used, but I think they were trying to drug us…

I saw... I don't know. I think I am still doped… She turned Raul and Mark into… Guinea Pigs… And that witch… C.C. and all the women there… They were all laughing. Why? Have their all lost their mind?! Why they think it's funny

I… It all… My wife, Rebecka… Every female here… They were like possessed! They… They were just so inhuman! I… I could no longer recognize my wife! It was as if someone just replaced her! All of them.

I remember. They have captured us… Raul's fiancée… She punched Raul with a metal cane… His legs were broken, just because he tried to break free. I remember how my son was terrified! He tried to scream, but they have put tape on his mouth… Then… They took us… To a massive library… There I met my wife again.

God… She looked beautiful… Almost like a goddess… If not only for the fact that she no longer behaved like she used to.

Her smile… It was a sickening smile, just like all the women around us. They did not care what will happen to us. It was as if it was a daily activity for them. And then… My wife… She just came closer to our son… With a weird-looking knife in her hand… She grabbed his hair… He was continually crying… He was so scared, and I could not do anything to help him!

She grabbed his hair… She raised her knife and… God… She just… She stabbed him… Everywhere she could… She… My wife, she… She killed… Slaughtered our son… She stabbed him so many times that he barely looked like a human after that…

And she… she just continued smiling! She gave C.C. the knife and just said, "The little piglet is gone. I cannot believe I could give birth to such a disgusting creature… I feel sick just by recalling how I could even live with it for so many years." And that C.C… she only smiled and said that now she is free and soon all women will be free from the dominance of the pigs… And that now she needs to help her friend get clean…

Then… Rebecka came… She was naked… She was standing like she was about to give birth… But she was just in her eighth month of pregnancy… She was supposed to give birth.

Mark and Rebeca… I remember how happy they were… They were so happy that they were going to have a son… And then I saw her… Saying to C.C… "Mistress Circe, please, cleanse me! Remove that disgusting pig from my womb!"

Then… C.C., my wife, and other females… They started to… Punch her stomach. And Rebeca… She just kept laughing and repeating… Kill that pig… Kill that pig inside me… After that, she…. Gave birth to what was left of her dead baby… It looked as if she just had bloody diarrhea… I want to vomit just by remembering it…

After that… C.C. took something that looked like a magic wand… She turned Raul and Mark into… Guinea Pigs… While saying that her dogs also need some food… I… I don't know what happened after that… I just saw red in my eyes… I think… Oh, God… I have killed someone! Oh, God… Please… Let this nightmare just end! Please, let me just wake-up in my home, let it be just a horrible nightmare!

Oh, God… They are here… I can hear them… They came for me…

End of Log 7

You have finished all the audio logs.

Noble Six heard enough. Now he knew what kind of people he will deal with. A fanatical misandry cult, full of dangerous people, They were too dangerous to exist. And according to the UNSC law, there was one punishment for what they have done to all those innocent people.

"I… I do not think that there were any Insurrectionist organizations so… Diabolical. I am afraid that we cannot allow anyone from this cult to be left alive." At first, Auntie Dot's voice was hushed, as if she could not believe what horrors this Island was hiding. But soon, her voice turned from a terrified child to a commander giving orders. "Noble Six. All the intel leads me to conclude that we are on Aeaea, an island occupied by Circe and her cult. Your target – eliminate Circe, her cult, and destroy any evidence of its existence."

Noble Six only gave an affirmative nod. Mission was clear.

Soon, Six and Dot heard a scream coming from the outside. Six was able to soon locate the source of the scream – a woman, probably in her thirties. The volume of the cry indicated distress, possible panic.

Noble Six jumped out of the yacht and sprinted towards the scream's source with his Spartan speed. He was there In less than a minute. He passed the beach, palmy forest, and soon reached was seemed to look like a S.P.A. resort – the only thing weird about it was that it was partially destroyed.

The fire was burning everything it touched. What was once a very nice-looking S.P.A. resort now looked like a war zone. All around, people running around – people who looked like pirates straight from the eighteen century, women dressed in vacation clothes… It was chaos everywhere.

"Take what you want, lads! Take everything from that wicked witch Circe!" Suddenly Six heard a harsh voice coming from one of the buildings. It belonged to someone who looked like a pirate captain. "So, what now tell me, Circe, ya' whore? Your entire Island belongs to me, Blackbeard, the greatest pirate of all time!"

Noble Six observed how "Blackbeard" mocks a woman kneeling before him. She had a black dress and many cuts on her skin. But what was weird, instead of blood, from her wounds leaked a strange gold liquid.

"Go to Tartarus, you pig! I will have my revenge! I should have slaughter you like the rest of your kind! You pigs! You all deserve to be slaughtered!" A kneeling woman yelled at Blackbeard with a voice full of hatred and disgust.

"Hm… Interesting… It would seem that Circe and her cult was already attacked… By a Blackbeard no less…" Auntie Dot analyzed everything from the inside of Six's mind. She was intrigued.

"What should we do?" Six asked with an emotionless voice while taking out his M392 DMR. He was hidden outside of the resort. And patiently waiting for orders.

"Pirate known as Blackbeard and his crew were among the most dangerous pirates in the eighteen century. They were famous for robbing and killing many people. That and they were most likely part of many slave trades. Orders are the same. Eliminate the cult and the pirates."

Noble Six only gave a confirming nod. Then, he opened fire.

This day was most likely the worst in Hylla's life.

This is not what she could expect from Aeaea island. It was supposed to be a paradise for her and her little sister, Reyna. And for a while, it was.

She could still remember her home in Puerto Rico. Their life with their father, who was progressing PTSD. They were soon forced to run away from her home to find a new one. And after drifting through the ocean, she and Reyna had found themselves in the Circe Spa resort.

Of course, she knew the legends about this place. She knew what Circe would do to any man who would dare to enter her sacred Island. But she didn't mind, as long as her sister was safe and both had a safe place to stay.

Soon, Hylla and Reyna became Circe's attendants. Their new mistress would teach them mystiokinesis, and many other things. She was a fair boss in Hylla's opinion, and she was glad that she and her sister had a new home.

That all changed when a particular pair of demigods came.

She thought that they were just another demigods visiting Aeaea. That the blond female, a daughter of Athena, would soon become her friend, while her black-haired male friend would be quickly turned into a guinea pig. Sadly, she was very wrong.

Her little paradise soon transformed into a nightmare. Somehow, the black-haired kid, a son of Poseidon, managed to escape with the help of his friend. Soon, both demigods have stolen an old ship called "Queen Anne's Revenge" – the very same that belonged once to a well-known pirate – and soon drifted forward the sea of monsters.

But his escape brought unexpected consequences… Just as the son of Poseidon has found a way to release himself from Circe's spell, he had also released Edward Teach and his crew.

Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, was eager for revenge. That and he was also furious about the fact that someone has just taken away his ship.

And so, he and his crew soon started rampaging on the entire Island. They would burn, pillage, and do other monstrosities to Circe island and attendants. Hylla thought that it will be easy to defeat them since we were all very talented sorceress' students. Still, somehow Blackbeard and his crew became immune to Circe's magic.

Most of Circe's students were hardly experienced in hand-to-hand combat or with a sword fight. Most women here were just ordinary mortals. There were not many demigods or legacies within our ranks, and even fewer members were capable of fighting without magic.

And so, the pirates were winning. They have almost destroyed our entire Island and done many terrible deeds to Hylla's friends.

And that was the moment when it came.

Hylla was fighting against some of the pirates with swords. She managed to tear away from one of the pirates. She tried to attack while also defending her sister Reyna, hiding behind my back, with a similar sword in her hands.

Some pirates were impressed with how the sisters could fight. Even some of them looked at them with some kind of form of respect. But all of it changed with the sounds of thunder.

At first, Hylla thought that her mother – Bellona – came to save her and Reyna. Or perhaps Trivia, who came to seek revenge on anyone who dared to attack her daughter.

But she could not be more wrong.

As she and her sister came out of the building, she noticed the pirates' corpses who were trying to fight her just a minute ago. And near them, corpses of many Circe's attendants. Some of them died from stab wounds – most likely, they were killed by pirates. But the rest of them, just like all the pirates, had bullet wounds.

In other words, someone was using mortal guns against them. And whoever it was, it decided to kill both pirates and Circe's students.

And soon she noticed it.

It looked like a golem. A giant behemoth in black and silver armor. With a gold visor in the middle of its head. In his hands was a rifle that Hylla could not recognize even as a war goddess's daughter.

Between her and the behemoth, there were ten meters of distance. It just merely looked at her, analyzing and most likely making a decision. Meanwhile, Hylla clenched the sword's hit in her fist. She knew instantly that this thing was like nothing she had ever faced. Perhaps it was the most terrifying monster in her entire life.

And this monster was looking straight at her.

But before she could do anything, she heard more incoming pirates. They all had swords in their hands and were eager for slaughter. She knew that she will be forced to fight. She wasn't even sure if she will survive this night. But she knew that she will do anything to protect her little sister.

And yet, the attack never came. Before the Pirate could even close the distance, a symphony of thunder played with its deadly effect. Not even a second, and all the pirates were dead—all with holes in their heads.

She didn't even notice when this behemoth aimed. Now she knew that this giant before her was more deadly than anything. And everything inside her was screaming at her to run, run as fast and never look back. Her instinct was telling her that she is near death itself.

Soon, from the other corner, three students of Circe came, trying to run away. They were in their thirties, with their make up mixed with both sweat and blood. They all looked first at Hylla and then at the monstrosity.

Hylla tried to yell at them to run as fast as possible, but no word came out of her mouth. She was too scared to do anything. And the silver monster… It started to slowly march towards the three sorceresses. At first, they were too stunned to do anything. But it all changed when suddenly one of them fell to the ground, with her throat sliced.

And once again, Hylla could not believe what happened. She could not see when this monster moved. He was standing before her just to simply vanish and reappear a second later near the three sorceresses. She didn't see him moving. She didn't see him switching weapons. She didn't see him attack.

She didn't see anything.

"Putric-aaaugh…" One of the sorceresses tried to scream, with her voice full of dread, but before she could even call her dead friend, the giant moved again and sliced another throat.

"You pig! You will pay for it!" The third one, the last alive of the trio, yelled and tried to use her magic against the giant. In her hands, a blue aura started to glow, signalizing that she was about to cast a spell…

But instead of a spell, there was another thunder.

On the last sorceress eyes, there was only one emotion – puzzlement. She could not understand what happened, why she could not finish her spell. Why everything became so quiet and dark.

But Hylla knew. This monster just blew a hole in her head with something similar to an oversized handgun.

Now Hylla knew. This creature… It didn't come to help. It wasn't a sign that their mother – Bellona – was watching over them. It wasn't Trivia's rage, It was something else. And it came to cleanse the entire Island, to purge anything alive.

And it once again looked at her. Emotionless and motionless. Analyzing and making decisions.

"Run." For the first time, the thing has spoken. It took a second for Hylla to realize that this thing just said something. With a harsh masculine voice. It gave her an order. And for the first time in her life, she felt she should obey the order.

And so, she grabbed her sister's hand, and soon both sisters started to run. Forward and as far as possible.

They only looked back once, just to see the monster slowly turning away and moving towards the fire. And after that, they fleed the Island. With the haunting memory of the black and silver monster, obliterating everyone on its path…

And that's it! I hope you like it!

Noble Six starts his hunt and begins to fully notice how disturbing and disgusting the mythical world can be. And trust me – this is just the beginning of his adventures in the strange and twisted world that only a Spartan can make right.

Also - if you are wondering why Noble Six let Hylla and Reyna go... Don't worry. It's all planned. Everything will be explained in the future.

If you are wondering about all those themes – to be honest, it should be obvious for you all now, that I am not using only Riordan verse as an inspiration – I am also using the normal Greek mythology – but not the one you most likely learned in school (the one in schools is heavily censored. Trust me, Greek Mythology can be very disturbing). In a few myths, there are many implications of how much Circe hates men. And also how much she is manipulative and dangerous.

Don't get me wrong – I do love Riordan verse and I will stick with its lore and story, but I will simply add something extra from a real source, to make this story a little darker. (I mean, for example, even in Riordan verse it is heavily suggested that Artemis actually enjoys killing men... And in the adult version of Greek Mythos... oh boy, she is just terrifying).

I hope you don't mind this kind of twist. I really hope.

Then again, I don't want to create a pure edgy story. So don't worry about it.

Anyway, we are reaching the end. I hope you are ready for the next chapter because I prepared something special for you... Then again, when I did not prepare something special for my readers?

Before we go – first, a big thank you to Rogue-El, for being my beta-reader and being able to bear with me – thank you very much!

Also – check out my discord server – I am putting there all the information about the current progress of my all projects and where also you might be able to send me your ideas (such as who should be B312's girlfriend...)

Link: discord . gg/ pghekDe

Anyway, I think that's it. See you in the next chapter!