This chapter will be the beginning of this fanfict's second arc. Hope you guys keep enjoying it.

2nd Arc: The Golden Princess

Chapter 14: Here We Go Again

It had been more than a week since I went on a journey that basically turned my world upside down.

Quick recap: I saved a goddess, got shot in the head, lost an eye, found out who my parent really is, and then got tasked with stopping the apocalypse. In that order.

And yeah, hearing all that, you'd probably think:

"Wow, Aiden, your life must've changed like, a lot!"

And you'd be right.

Sort of.

But trust me, day-to-day? Not much has changed.

Well, you know, aside from the obvious minor things. Like the whole "I can only see out of one eye now" thing. That's been a treat to get used to.

Oh, and there's the fact I'm apparently the unwanted descendant of a maiden goddess who despises men with a passion. Yeah. That one stings a little.

Aaaand turns out I wasn't even born the normal way. More like... created. Somehow. Still trying to figure out if that makes me a science experiment or a Greek tragedy. Maybe both.

So yeah. There's all that.

But otherwise? I've been living my life like any other fifteen-year-old half-blood.

You'd think saving a goddess would've made me a legend around Camp Half-Blood, right?

Wrong.

Turns out you have to be on Percy Jackson levels of crazy to actually get a decent reputation around here.

Honestly, things have been pretty quiet since I got back from Olympus.

Too quiet.

With the help of Gary and Juliet, I've been poking around, trying to find anything about this Cerberus guy who's supposedly tangled up in the end-of-the-world situation.

Spoiler: we've found exactly nothing so far.


I held my breath, pulled back the string of my bow, and released.

The arrow flew across the field and landed just shy of the bullseye. A couple of inches off. Close enough that it wasn't embarrassing, but still.

"Great! You're getting the hang of this," Juliet said, standing next to me with her arms crossed and a proud smile on her face.

"Yeah… still a bit off my game though," I said, shaking out my shoulder. Everything just felt a little different since the accident. My depth perception had become a fun new personal enemy.

"Don't worry, you'll get there in no time," she reassured me, bumping her shoulder lightly against mine.

Then she added, "Speaking of getting somewhere… any progress with the three-headed guy?"

I sighed and notched another arrow. "Not really. Still trying to figure out where to even start looking."

"Sup', Juliet. Sup', Arrow Nerd," Gary's voice called out from behind us.

I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see him sauntering across the archery range like he owned the place, hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets.

"Oh, hi Gary!" Juliet greeted him, giving a little wave.

I let the arrow fly—it hit the target again, but still missed the center by about two inches.

Gary squinted at the target and whistled low.

"Wait, what did you call me?" I said, half-laughing.

He shrugged like it was the most natural thing in the world. He walked over and tapped the target with the back of his knuckles.

"Honestly, why are you even still practicing? You're already way better with one eye than I am with both."

I lowered my bow and raised an eyebrow. "Flattery will not get you out of training, Gary."

He held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay. Chill. I didn't come to get roasted—I came with intel."

That got my attention. I turned fully toward him, bow forgotten for the moment.

"What you got?" I asked.

Gary grinned like he'd just won the lottery.

"Well, it's not exactly a map to Cerberus's doorstep. But it might lead us to someone who can actually help."

He pulled a slightly crumpled card out of his back pocket and handed it to me with a flourish.

It said:

Larry E. Page

1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043

"They say this guy's got dirt on everything," Gary said, tapping the card. "Best shot we've got right now."

"Who's 'they'?" I asked, suspicious.

Gary shrugged like that was way too much detail for him to care about.

"My sources," he said with a wink.

I turned the card over, like maybe there'd be secret instructions on the back. No luck.

Still, it was more than we had before.

"Thanks, man. I'll look into it," I said, slipping the card into my pocket.

"No probs," Gary said, flashing a peace sign. "Just hit me up if you need backup stopping the apocalypse or whatever.

If this Larry Page guy was half as connected as Gary made him sound, we might finally be onto something.

"Larry Page… why does that name sound so familiar?" I muttered.

I shook my head.

Whatever. I'd find out soon enough.

I sighed and slung my bow back over my shoulder. "Guess I'm going to Cali, then."


I knocked on Mr. D's office door.

"Come in, come in, get it over with," came the voice from inside.

I pushed the door open to find Mr. D lounging behind his desk, playing some weird card game by himself. Chiron stood nearby, looking like he was either about to sigh or already halfway into one.

"Well, if it isn't Cyclops Jr.," Mr. D said without looking up

"Hi to you too," I said, walking up. "I need permission to go on a quest."

Mr. D finally looked at me, his eyebrows lifting like this was the most shocking thing he'd heard all week. "A quest? My, my, they grow up so fast. One day you're losing an eye, the next you're buying non-refundable plane tickets."

"I actually already found a lead," I said, holding up the card Gary gave me. "A guy named Larry Page. He might help us find Cerberus."

At the name, Mr. D's lips twitched, like he was trying not to laugh—or maybe burp. Hard to tell with him.

"Larry Page... yes, well. Good luck with that." He waved a hand dismissively. "You'll need to pay for your own travel, of course."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off.

"However," he said with exaggerated patience, "Camp Half-Blood will graciously reimburse economy class expenses." He said the wordseconomy classlike they physically hurt him. "No first class, no business, no 'accidentally clicked the upgrade button,' understood?"

"Crystal clear," I said, trying not to imagine a six-hour flight squished between a guy who smells like cheese and a screaming toddler.

Chiron cleared his throat. "Aiden, you should also consider companions for your quest. Traveling alone would be... unwise."

"Right. Of course. Companions. Got it," I said, already mentally picking Juliet and Gary. No way I was dragging anyone else into this disaster.

Mr. D leaned back in his chair, eyeing me like he already knew how badly this was going to go. "Off you trot, then. Try not to die. It's such a paperwork nightmare."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered, turning to leave.

As I closed the door behind me, I couldn't help but feel like Mr. D knew way more about this Larry Page guy than he let on. But honestly, at this point? Add it to the pile of mysteries.

And so I packed my bow and arrows (just the regular kind—apparently saving a goddess still doesn't earn you a legendary weapon on loan), stuffed my backpack with clothes, snacks, and like, three different chargers because I have priorities.

I booked the cheapest flight I could find and printed the ticket like a responsible demigod. Economy class, of course. Mr. D's rules.

I took a deep breath and stepped past the camp's borders, feeling that familiar tingle of the magical boundary behind me.

"Alright," I muttered. "California, Larry Page, apocalypse stuff. No pressure."

Then, just as I took my first step toward the road—

—everything went black.

Hey there, it has been a while, hasn't it?

About three years give or take, lol.

Don't worry, I have no plan in abandoning this story. I love this story too much to do that.

I already have the whole story outline and the number of chapters this story is going to have. Just need time to write in between my business ha-ha. But I do appreciate every single one of you that has stick around this long. I promise I will not let you down.

I have finished the whole story for the 2nd arc. And depending on the reception, I might upload one chapter a week, or I'll upload everything tonight. We'll see.

I do hope you guys will still be sticking around though.

Again, thank you for reading!

Please leave a review on what do you think so far!

And as always, see you next chapter!