the gang heads off towards their first labor! what will happen? read to find out! 

/ 

After the Camp’s little send-off, the three demigods made their way to the road leading to the Farmhouse. Argus, the many-eyed camp security guard, was waiting for them in one of the camp vans. He was to take them to their quest’s first location. 

They slid into the seats and Argus started driving down the farm road. 

“Alright, gang. Where to first?” Jihyo slipped out a thick book from her backpack. 

Sana and Mina, being the Daughters of Athena they were, brainstormed the majority of the plan. Tasked with repeating Hercules’s Twelve Labors, the two gave them a book depicting his feats and such, hoping it gave them clues on where to start and how to complete the labors. 

“First on the list is... the Nemean Lion.” 

Yikes. Momo had heard of this beast. It was a legendary monster back in the good ol’ ancient times. The giant golden lion apparently had an impenetrable hide. That meant arrows and swords were a no-no for them. If she remembered correctly from the camp’s history lessons, Hercules defeated it by strangling it. With his bare hands . 

She almost let out a snort. Yeah, right. As if she could just walk up to the giant lion and choke it into submission. No thanks, she’d be cat food in a flash. 

“It says here,” Jihyo flipped through the book. “That the Nemean Lion often frequents places of nature, even in modern civilization.” 

“Nature? In New York? But this city’s a concrete jungle. ” Chaeyoung scratched her head. “Maybe… oh! Central Park!” 

Momo nodded. Yeah, she could see it. Central Park was big enough for a giant lion to prowl. King of the concrete jungle for sure. That’s a cool cat. 

She frowned after a second. Darn, she forgot she had to fight this giant cat. 

“You heard her, Argus. We got a big cat to catch in Central Park!” Jihyo scanned the pages, hoping for another way to overcome the first task. She really didn’t think any of them were capable of strangling a lion. 

Argus nodded. He stepped on the pedal and the van peeled off. 

/ 

“Thanks Argus!” Chaeyoung said as she was the last to hop out the van. 

Before he left, Argus handed them some extra fillings of ambrosia. He waved them goodbye with a friendly close-lipped smile. 

Momo turned around, looking at the entrance of Central Park. The place was much bigger in person. Looks like they were gonna have to comb the park thoroughly for this lion. 

But it won’t be that hard right? I mean, it’s a giant golden lion. It’ll stick out against… well, everything!  

“So, any ideas? You know—against a lion whose hide is indestructible?” Chaeyoung waved at a passing dog. Awww, cute! A cute dog is the last thing I see before I potentially get mauled by a mythical lion? Love that for me.  

The three walked through the park, passing by joggers, dog-walkers, and normal mortal pedestrians. 

“Well, we can’t use our weapons against it. They’ll just break.” Momo drummed her fingers on her thigh. “Hmm... maybe use its strength against it? I mean, how do we get a monster to hit itself?” 

“I don’t know, but keep that idea on the table.” Jihyo said as her eyes surveyed the area. 

The trees in the park were clustered in bright hues, their leaves turning color as the fall season took over. Momo bet that if she were in one of the skyscrapers and looked down, the whole Central Park would look like a brushstroke of red and orange against the monochrome city buildings. 

After walking for a bit, the three decided to take a break. Chaeyoung and Jihyo watched a street performer. Momo came back with some hot dogs from a nearby vendor. 

(“You eat mayonnaise with hot dogs?” 

“Excuse you , at least I eat with my mouth closed.” 

“Shut it, you two. I’m trying to enjoy my last meal in peace.” ) 

The park was slowly emptying itself now that the Sun was close to dipping behind New York City’s tall buildings. Sunset rays lit the top of the trees while the streetlights illuminated the sidewalks. There was still enough daylight out so the three demigods kept walking on the path. 

Momo didn’t know if it was the time of day or what but they soon spotted a clearing a little off the beaten path. Tall oak trees stood guard against the edge of the clearing, almost as if they were blocking it from sight. Their orange-red leaves rained down on the green grass. The color was a nice contrast—so nice that Chaeyoung decided to snap a pic. 

“Wait,” Jihyo placed a hand on Chaeyoung’s shoulder. “Do you guys hear that?” 

They turned quiet, trying to hear what Jihyo caught. Momo didn’t hear a thing... which was the weird part. Normally, she’d be able to hear cars honking and the construction being done on nearby, or even the chirping and chitter of park animals. New York City never sleeps. 

But now, nothing. Just an eerie silence. 

The oak branches swayed with the wind. A chill went down Momo’s spine. She kept her sword hand in a loose fist, ready to pull out her celestial bronze sword at a moment’s notice. 

There!  

A flash in her peripheral drew her attention. 

Right behind the biggest oak tree was a shimmering of gold. Deep breathes emanated from behind the oak trunk, rumblings so big that she could feel the vibrations from under her feet. 

Momo looked over to her friends, all of them had their eyes widened as they realized… they had just found the Nemean Lion , sleeping deep inside of Central Park. 

“Now what?” Momo silently mouthed at the two. 

Jihyo made a gesture for them to step back, trying to get them to regroup and think of a plan. Cause they certainly didn’t have one. They backed away slowly while keeping their eyes on the golden fur sticking out. 

Momo was just about to reach the edge of the clearing when— snap!  

She looked down to see a tree branch laid at her feet, broken in two. She cursed under her breath as she and Chaeyoung and Jihyo froze in horror. 

The clearing was silent for a few tense seconds. Momo thought they were in the clear. She lifted her foot to take another step back and—

Nope. The universe really loved proving her wrong. 

Loud stomping came from the oak trees. Seems like the Nemean Lion was waking up and getting on all fours. It emerged from behind the tree trunk, its golden fur rippling as the muscle underneath stretched with every single movement. 

Sure, people said the lion was big… but no one told her it was the size of a pickup truck! 

Momo gulped as she made eye contact with the girls. She could see the panic in their eyes, definitely reflecting her own. She turned back to the lion. 

How were they suppose to win against this monster? The size of one of its limbs was about twice the height of her! 

The lion wrinkled its snout, sniffing the air. Its eyes locked onto the three demigods, immediately recognizing their scent. It snarled with all its shiny, sharp teeth before roaring menacingly at them. 

Momo winced from the sheer intensity of it. She covered one ear and her nose. Geez, what did this thing eat ?! 

Oh, right… demigods, it eats demigods.  

The Nemean Lion suddenly lunged at them. Momo dodged, barely missing the sharp claws because of her demigod reflexes and Jihyo’s loud shout of “MOVE!” 

Still—just a graze from the lion’s claws left the end of her shirt sleeve in tatters. 

She hissed as she tucked and rolled, landing in a crouch. The near death experience gave her a shot of adrenaline. She lifted her head, spotting Chaeyoung and Jihyo in the same position as her across the clearing. 

Momo was tempted to summon her sword and start swinging but she couldn't. It would only break upon impact with the lion’s indestructible hide. 

The three young demigods were trying to come up with a plan—all the while dodging and running away from the lion’s attacks. Jihyo grabbed stray branches and hurled them at the beast, drawing its attention towards her. When it got too close, Chaeyoung and Momo would throw whatever they could find at it and the lion would chase after them instead. The thrown objects did no damage to it—absolutely none at all. 

While the projectiles did no damage, Momo could see that it was more of an annoyance to the giant lion... if its antagonized claw swipes meant anything. 

Chaeyoung ducked and screamed just as the monster lunged at her. Its sharp claws dug into the tree trunk behind her, raking deep marks across the wood. Chaeyoung got away while the lion was yanking its claws out of the tree. She shivered at the sight—that could have been her if she was a few seconds late. 

Momo grew frustrated as the game of cat and mouse continued. 

Think! Momo yelped and jumped to the left, avoiding the lion’s jaws snapping shut by a hair. There’s got to be some way through this! There’s just not enough space here. We can’t do anything outside… 

The Nemean Lion missed a screaming Jihyo, pouncing onto a thick oak tree instead. 

Her eyes desperately flicked around the isolated clearing as she tried to think, to hatch a plan, to come up with something .

Wait — No space…outside... that’s it!  

An idea dawned upon Momo; a reckless and dangerous idea, but an idea nonetheless.  
 

Momo ran towards the lion instead of away from it. She picked up a stone and threw it, managing to strike the lion in the eye. It flinched and roared in anger, the tall oak trees shuddered in response. 

“Guys! I have an idea!” Momo picked up another rock, either out of pure confidence or pure stupidity is still up for debate. “First, make it angry.” 

“This sounds crazy!” Jihyo picked up a rock anyways. “But it looks like this is our only plan!” 

“If we die, I’m so haunting you guys!” 

“I don’t think it works like that Chaeng!” 

Momo found a way to laugh even in the midst of their dangerous game of tag. Eventually, all the annoying tricks they pulled off succeeded in pissing off the golden lion even more. It snarled excessively with every bit of movement. 

There! That’s exactly what I need!  

In one part of the clearing, a pair of sturdy oak trees were rooted. The space between them was narrow, enough for two or three people to fit through. But definitely not a lion the size of a truck. 

Momo ran towards it, making sure to stay within reach to bait the lion. She shouted towards her friends, “Make sure it’s following me!” 

She drew closer and closer to the pair of trees. The lion’s jaws angrily snapped inches away from her heels. Momo let out a yelp before doubling her efforts. 

C’mon! Just a little more!  

Upon reaching the base of the two oak trees, Momo hurriedly squeezed through the narrow space between the trunks. Once she was through, she turned around and faced the Nemean Lion who was a few paces behind her. When it saw the demigod just standing there, it lunged at her; blinded by rage, it was roaring and snarling and spitting angrily. It opened its jaws mid-lunge, intent on ripping the waiting demigod to shreds. 

But it never did. 

Momo was miraculously right in her estimate. A relieved smile appeared as the Nemean Lion was stuck in mid-air, the two trunks of the thick oak trees held its body securely between them. The golden cat was way too big to fit through the narrow opening like she was able to. 

Chaeyoung and Jihyo scrambled around the trees, coming to either side of Momo. They gaped at the sight. Grunts and snarls erupted as the lion violently squirmed and struggled to get out of the natural trap. 

“ Whoa ... you managed to trap it!” 

“What now? We still don’t know how to defeat it.” 

“I got an idea. But it’s pretty reckless.” 

Annnnnnd this was the hard part. 

She got as close as possible to the lion without it being able to reach her. 

“I need to get its mouth open.” 

Chaeyoung and Jihyo’s mouths dropped open in shock. They connected the dots and figured out what Momo was trying to do. 

Chaeyoung walked up to her side. “I gotcha back!” She smirked as she fearlessly drew her fist up and delivered a hard punch straight to the Nemean Lion’s nose. 

The giant lion paused and blinked in astonishment before opening its maw and letting loose a powerful roar. Momo knew she had to act fast, or she’d risk losing a hand to this beast. 

With its jaws wide open, Momo her hand into its mouth and twisted her ring twice. Her ring let out a shing! and morphed into her silver trident in the blink of an eye. 

The Nemean Lion’s cry was cut short. 

Momo’s triple spearhead impaled the lion from the inside of its mouth, where its indestructible and impenetrable hide could not reach. 

A burst of golden dust erupted where the Nemean Lion was once ensnared. Momo’s hand was still in the air, her spear standing tall. Below it, the pelt of the lion, some of its claws, and a large tooth laid on the grassy floor—spoils of war. 

Momo sheathed her trident, turning it back into her ring. She bent down to pick up the golden shimmering pelt and the strange tooth. There were 3 of the lion’s claws, she gave one each to Chaeyoung and Jihyo before pocketing hers. 

Chaeyoung sank down to the floor, leaning back on her hands, and huffing out a puff of air. “Whew! You did it!” 

“ We did it.” Momo grinned triumphantly, handing the large pelt over to Jihyo before taking a seat next to Chaeyoung. She brought the large tooth up for inspection. It was long, sharp and jagged. “What do you think this is?” 

Jihyo eyed it warily. “Looks... reptilian?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe it’s a clue.” 

“Here, lemme see it.” Chaeyoung wiggled her fingers. When she held it, it was roughly about the length of her forearm. 

She tried holding it in a sword grip. “Hmmm, I could fashion this into a dagger… or a short sword... maybe with some leather…?” 

Her fingers twitched before she started digging in her pack. Momo watched the younger demigod tinker, eager to test out her theory. The child of Hephaestus cried out in triumph shortly after, brandishing her new makeshift reptilian fang short sword. 

“You’re crazy ! Both of you.” Jihyo laughed as she stored the pelt in her backpack. “I can’t wait to tell the others that you punched the Nemean Lion’s nose and you stuck your hand in its mouth!” 

The adrenaline was fading and so was their sense of danger. Momo could breathe easy now that they weren’t anywhere close to becoming giant cat food. Exhaustion set into her bones, making her sag into Chaeyoung’s side. That was the most dangerous game of tag she had ever played. 

Jihyo shuffled her pack off and took out some squares of ambrosia. “Here, eat up.” 

They bit into the golden squares, feeling much better after consuming the godly food. The small scratches and minor injuries they had sustained during the epic chase slowly started to heal, and a bit of their exhaustion also seeped away. 

“C’mon, let’s find some place to properly rest.” Eventually Momo stood up with her suggestion, helping the other two up as well. Something about an isolated clearing rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was just her but she couldn’t wait to leave the place. There was certainly better places to rest. 

The demigods left the clearing promptly, brushing past the orange and yellow foliage as they did. The trees and leaves swayed in the wind as they rejoined civilization; horns honked, dogs barked, and the pitter-patter of human foot traffic resumed in the concrete jungle of New York City. 

/ 

Back in the clearing, above the pair of trees where the demigods previously were… a hazy green liquid dripped down, splashing on the grassy floor. 

The grass sizzled to an extreme degree before it disintegrated. Looking up yielded nothing… but if someone were still present, they would be able to feel or sense a most unsettling aura. 

It creeped and slinked in the shadows unseen but its presence could only be described as oppressive by nature. 

It emanated all around the isolated clearing but it was mostly concentrated above the pair of narrow trees. The mysterious aura stayed for a few breaths longer before blinking away, like it was never there. 

The damaged patch of grass was the only proof that the unknown force was ever present. 

/ 

Ding-a-ling!  

The chime above the door rang as Momo pushed it open. The demigods piled into the warm and cozy shop. 

It was nighttime when the trio left the grounds of Central Park. Jihyo had spotted a nearby cafe for them to hole up in for the meantime. 

They flopped down in a booth table by the corner. For a few seconds, the girls just sat there, still trying to process that they just faced the Nemean Lion and survived . 

“Let’s get some food,” Jihyo stood up. “Then we can Iris Message the others back at Camp.” 

“Sounds good!” 

“Wait,” Momo paused, “We can do that here?” 

She looked around the cafe; there wasn’t a lot of people present as it was nighttime, but there was certainly enough to notice three girls and a floating holographic bubble. 

“Yeah!” Chaeyoung reassured her with a light slap on the back. “This place is friendly for demigods. What did you think that sign meant?” 

Momo’s mouth formed an ‘o’. Oh, was that what that was?  

At first, Momo thought her dyslexia was kicking in when the store sign started floating in the air. But then she realized that the words were shifting from Greek to English—the sign was enchanted, acting like a beacon for those with the ability to read them. 

Ok, got it. Floating signs equal safe spaces.  
 

Jihyo returned with a tray full of warm drinks and sandwiches. Momo didn’t realize how hungry she was until she was on her third sandwich. 

“Huhhm huu mmghh?” 

“Ugh,” Jihyo scrunched her nose up. “Finish your food first!” 

Chaeyoung gulped down her food before repeating, “Should we Iris Message them now?” 

“Sure,” Jihyo stood up. “There’s a fountain over there.” 

The three approached the water fountain in the corner of the cafe. There was already a mist spraying overhead, forming a mini rainbow. 

Huh. A fountain just for Iris Messages. Momo looked at it in wonder. That’s rad.  

Jihyo flipped a drachma into the misty rainbow before saying, “O Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.” 

There was a shimmer in the rainbow. 

“Show me Camp Half-Blood.” 

The rainbow morphed until an image of Camp Half-Blood appeared. The view showed Hestia’s Hearth, it’s fire flickered animatedly in the middle of the Cabins grounds. Campers roamed the grassy area as usual, immersed in their activities and camp shifts. 

Jihyo spotted Mina in the middle of it all and called her name. 

The Daughter of Athena turned around, her hair whirled around and Jihyo swore she witnessed it in slow-motion. Once Mina registered that it was her friends Iris-Messaging her, a gummy smile formed. 

Sha-la-la~  

“Hey! Snap out of it!” Chaeyoung shook Jihyo’s shoulder roughly. 

“Huh—wha?” 

Mina giggled at her flustered girlfriend. She had approached the rainbow while Jihyo was “spaced out”. 

She repeated her question, “I said, how’s your quest going?” 

“Well, we fought the Nemean Lion in the middle of Central Park.” Momo started off. “Fun fact: it’s as big as a pick-up truck.” 

Mina gasped with wide eyes. “ No way! How did you manage to get past its impenetrable hide?” 

Before Momo could recount their battle, Mina stopped her and said, “Wait, let me get the others!” 

A little while later and Mina returned with five more familiar faces. 

“Bro!” 

“Bro!” 

“Chaengie, you doing alright babe?” 

“The Nemean Lion was in New York this whole time?!?” 

“So what’s this I hear about a game of tag?” 

The three demigods laughed at their friend’s barrage of questions and comments. 

Momo chuckled, it was so good to see them again.