the demigods aren't out of the woods yet! just when they think they can catch a break, something unexpected happens. find out what as the quest party heads onto their Third Labor! 

/ 

Turns out, their showers and nap times would have to wait. About halfway through their trek out of Saratoga Springs, they ran into a strange encounter. In the middle of their hike, Jihyo had spotted something unusual; a deer was seen drinking from the lake. 

You might be wondering, what’s so strange about a deer drinking some water? 

Well, what was unusual was that this deer was enormous . And its hide was a brilliant golden color. Its antlers and hooves shone in the sunlight, reflecting the same vibrant color. 

“What the Hades?!” Momo whispered in a hushed voice, not wanting to scare it away. “I’ve never seen a deer that large—let alone a golden one!” 

Jihyo nodded strongly in agreement. “Yeah, yeah. Wait... wasn’t the Fourth Labor about capturing the Ceryneian Hind?” She whipped her head towards Momo, both their eyes slowly widened. 

“You don’t think…” Momo trailed off with disbelief evident in her voice. 

As if it heard them, the deer raised its head in their direction. It peered at them with an eerily calm expression. Turning around, it skipped off in the direction of the woods in an almost comically casual manner. 

“After it! I don’t know if it’s really the same one from Hercules’s trials but we can’t let it slip away from us.” 

The demigods were hot on the heels of the large golden deer. Jihyo ran in front while Momo trailed behind with a still knocked out Chaeyoung on her back. 

A loud, earth-shaking rumble and a startled shout stilled both parties. Jihyo looked back and saw that a towering wall of dirt and trees had risen from the forest ground. It separated her and the Hind from Momo and Chaeyoung. 

Yeah, this proves it. This is the real Ceryneian Hind we’re dealing with here. 

The Daughter of Apollo leaned over the ledge and sighed in relief when her friends appeared unharmed. 

Momo’s voice rose up from the lower ground, sounding smaller because of the distance. “Keep going—don’t let the deer get away! I’ll find a way around!” 

Jihyo was reluctant at first, she didn’t want to just leave her friends in the middle of the forest. But Momo was right; who knew when or where the Fourth Labor might pop up again. 

Jihyo glanced at the deer who seemed to have watched long enough as it began trotting away. She looked back at Momo and shouted “I’ll mark the way I’m going!” before dashing after the Hind. 

An “okay!” filtered past her ears as she summoned her celestial bronze dagger and weaved through the forest.

The large golden deer was swift and cunning. 

But Jihyo was adaptable and a fast learner if anything. 

The Daughter of Apollo quickly adapted to the woodland terrain; she ducked under branches, sidestepped thick forest trees, and jumped over fallen logs with ease. She swiped at the passing trees with her dagger during the whole pursuit. 

These marks will show Momo the way I’m going. 

The Hind managed to slip away from her every time she seemed to get close. It had already been a while since she started the chase. Jihyo didn’t know how long but if she had to guess... maybe 20 minutes? 

She wasn’t exactly sure if it was even 20 minutes. Time felt wack to her at the moment—all she could see was green trees, green bushes, green leaves, and more green green green. The deer was the only flash of yellow here. 

Are they merely going in circles? Is the deer toying with her? Or is it really leading her somewhere? 

Speaking of, the deer would stop and look at her every time she slowed down and stopped to catch her breath. It looked almost as if this chase was amusing to it. 

Jihyo’s breaths came out in puffs. “H-how…so...fast…” 

As she came to a rest against a tree trunk, the Ceryneian Hind turned to face her directly, its golden amber eyes stared right into hers. She shifted a bit, feeling uncomfortable at the deer’s sentient-like behavior. She felt like it knew who they were and what they were up to. 

Well, the Hind is a symbol of Lady Artemis. Maybe it did know what they were up to. 

As if reading her mind, the Hind suddenly tread closer to her. Jihyo raised her eyebrows in surprise and became quiet as it approached. 

The deer cocked its head as if its golden antlers were suddenly off-balance. Its eyes scanned the demigod before it, like it was scrutinizing her very soul. 

Jihyo held her breath. The Ceryneian Hind seemed even more mythical up close. The only sound in the forest now was the rustling leaves in the wind and her quietly catching her breath. 

When the deer was done doing… whatever it was doing, it moved back and turned around like nothing happened. Moving a few paces forward, it stopped and looked back at her—like it was waiting. The Hind resumed walking, now in a steady and slow stroll. 

Jihyo was left even more confused from the whole exchange but she followed after it. 

As the deer led the demigod further into the forest, a loud rustling noise emerged. Jihyo was startled when the surrounding foliage shook all of a sudden. Her grip on her dagger tightened as she got into a defensive position and waited. 

Contrary to the demigod, the Ceryneian Hind was calm and composed as it just observed the spectacle. 

Jihyo kept her eyes on the disturbance. Her heart pumped with adrenaline as the sound of branches and grass being stomped on grew louder and closer. 

It all came to a —the noise was just a few feet away now. Jihyo raised her dagger to chest level as the source of the commotion revealed itself. 

Momo’s head suddenly popped out of the cluster of forest green. The Daughter of Poseidon sported a naive face that brightened up when she spotted her friend. Jihyo sighed in relief and lowered her dagger to her side. 

“Momo!” 

The source of all that noise turned out to be Momo. With Chaeyoung’s added weight, her usual quiet steps turned into stomping. 

A sheepish grin was on Momo’s face when she connected the dots. “Heheh, my bad. I followed your marks on the trees.” 

Jihyo lightly laughed in relief. She felt a little silly about the paranoia. “It’s alright. I just thought you were a monster or something.” 

A few feet away, the Ceryneian Hind stood relaxed. Jihyo remembered its presence when it resumed its walking. She waved at Momo to follow along, “C’mon, it was leading me somewhere before you appeared.” 

/ 

A hiss and a growl emanated from the thick tree branches. The wood creaked as if it was being squeezed heavily. 

A pair of eyes glowed as they watched the demigods venture further into the forest, where it could not follow. 

The tree tops rustled as the pair of eyes disappeared. 
 

/ 

Following the Hind led the demigods deeper into the forest, like deep , deep into the forest . The signs of nature increased while the appearance of park benches and man-made trails diminished. Looking around, there was no trace of human activity at all. 

Jihyo breathed in deep. The air was refreshing, but it didn’t smell anything like the city. 

I mean, duh, we’re in a forest. What I meant was, it doesn’t feel like we’re in a national park in New York. It feels… a bit magical and out of place? 

She didn’t know how to describe it. There was just a weird aura of power radiating from within the forest. Time and space felt… different here.  

In the middle of her wondering, a sudden jolt went down her spine. She looked up startled and shocked; the entire forest area just turned dark, from day to night in an instant . The previous afternoon blue sky was now the starry night sky. The moon hung above, shining its silver illuminance down on the forest. 

Jihyo met eyes with Momo by her side. Momo had felt the jolt too, giving her a nod and a weird look to accompany it. 

Jihyo leaned closer to her and whispered, “I think we just entered Godly territory.” 

She then proceeded to pull out a watch from her bag—it wasn’t ticking at all. Time stood still here. Yeah, we’re in a different domain alright. I asked Chaeng to change the batteries this morning. 

Momo widened her eyes in surprise when Jihyo showed her the watch. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Friendly?” 

Jihyo kept her eyes on their , the Golden Hind. “I have a hunch… but be alert, just in case.” 

Momo was about to say something else but she interrupted herself with a gasp. The Ceryneian Hind had stopped in its tracks and the demigods’ jaws dropped at the sight in front of them. 
 

A pristine white marble temple stood in front of them. It wasn’t enormously large like the original Greek temples. This one was more of a medium temple shrine. Still—the visual of it was impressive. 

Its Greek style architecture was prominent, with symbols of nature and depictures of ancient Greek tales engraved on the walls and roof of the temple. Fire braziers lit the exterior. Offerings of fruit and food and golden drachmas laid in piles on the white marble steps. 

When they got to the bottom of the steps, Jihyo noticed that some of the offerings looked both old and new. 

The Hind trod up the steps with a graceful air of nonchalance, it moved around like it’s been here many times before. That only further supported Jihyo’s hunch...but she didn’t want to assume. Literally anything could happen in the Greek world. 

Jihyo and Momo followed after the deer while taking careful steps. The temple reinforced the fact that they were now in some powerful being’s territory. 

If the temple exterior was a marvel, then the inside of it was just as impressive if not more. Jihyo couldn’t help but let out a small gasp when they first entered. It was like they time-traveled and stepped right back into ancient Greece. 

In the middle of the temple stood a large white marble statue of the goddess Artemis, still in great condition. In front of the statue was a marble altar; a large and round silver bowl sat atop for offerings and such. The interior walls were marked with the goddess’s symbols, many depicting the Hunters of Artemis and their epic feats. 

The golden deer laid down by the side of the altar where it proceeded to stare at them from time to time.

“What now?” Momo lowered Chaeyoung onto the tiled floor, laying her down comfortably as much as she could. 

Jihyo shrugged her shoulders, she wasn’t entirely sure either. “Let’s make an offering for now. We can figure things out after a little rest.” 

Together, the two demigods rummaged in their packs. Jihyo stepped up after a minute or two. She placed some golden drachmas, a whole slice of ambrosia, and some shiny glittery scales all into the large silver bowl. 

Nodding in satisfaction, Jihyo turned back to Momo. “Alright, let’s take a breather. We can talk about our next move when Chaeyoung wakes up.” 

Momo agreed wholeheartedly after seeing how exhausted they all really were; she looked between Chaeyoung dead-asleep on the polished floor and Jihyo who looked like she was gonna fall off her feet at any second. 

They camped in a corner of the temple, where it was generously and conveniently cushioned. Generous or not, Momo didn’t want to impose right in the middle of some godly being’s temple; She settled with her back against the marble wall and her eyes drifted shut. 

Jihyo scanned the surrounding again, only closing her eyes once she deemed it was safe enough. 

The Ceryneian Hind blinked slowly as it watched over the demigods falling into slumber. It nodded almost as if it was satisfied before it started glowing until it was unbearably bright. 

Then it disappeared. Right alongside with the offerings. 

/ 

The steady chirping of morning birds woke Momo up. She sat up from the ground with a yawn. Must have shifted during my sleep. She stretched before looking around. 

Morning light streamed into the temple through the various open holes and the open archway that acted as the windows and doors. The reminder that she was in a godly and sacred place only seemed to amplify the beauty of the temple interior… and the potential consequences. 

It kept her on edge, no matter how beautiful this place was. 

Jihyo and Chaeyoung were still asleep. Good. They needed the rest. The battle with the Hydra was more draining than anything. 

Both physical and emotional. Momo briefly glanced at Chaeyoung. She hoped her friend was alright. What she did was impressive, given her track record with her gift of fire. 

Then right after that, they went on a wild goose chase. Or rather, a golden deer chase. Jihyo basically hard-carried the team with that one. 

Momo covered another yawn that slipped out. She blinked blearily as the cold morning air drifted into the temple. 

A groan disturbed the peaceful morning, effectively catching Momo’s attention. 

She looked over to see Chaeyoung stretching her arms awake and letting out a satisfied sound as her joints popped. Part of it was from the long sleep, the other part from battle fatigue. 

“Hey there champ. How ya feeling?” 

Chaeyoung opened her eyes to see Momo and shot her a lazy grin. 

“Ugh, like I’ve slept for a fortnight…” The Daughter of Hephaestus blinked blankly before she set into a panic. “It wasn’t that long was it?!” 

Momo chuckled at her friend’s brief panic. She held her hands up in a ‘whoa, slow down’ gesture. “Nah, it wasn’t that long. Just a day and a half, really.” 

Chaeyoung had slightly open, a day and a half? She was confused as she looked around the place they were in. Her jaw dropped as Momo filled her in on what happened while she was out cold. 

“Ooh, is that why she’s still like that?” 

The two of them turned to look at their third companion. Jihyo was still sound asleep, snuggling into a plush cushion. 

“Yeah, she did most of the chasing. You were still knocked out and surprisingly, that whirlpool took a lot more out of me than I expected.” 

A moment of comfortable silence was present between the temple walls. Then Momo slowly broke it. 

“So…,” The Daughter of Poseidon turned to Chaeyoung slowly. “How are you feeling… after all that fire you let out.” 

Chaeyoung took a second to answer. She flexed her hands back and forth, studying them with a sense of newfound curiosity. It almost felt like a dream…

“I feel… surprisingly calm.” Chaeyoung replied softly. The soft chirping of birds continued to fill the silence within the temple. 

“There’s still a sense of… fear when I see an open flame. But it’s not as… intense as before.” Chaeyoung smiled slightly; it looked a little bittersweet to Momo. “Granted, that’s to be expected. It’s not as if one single use of my ability will wipe away my past trauma right away.” 

Momo nodded silently as Chaeyoung continued. 

“To answer your question though… I feel better—better than I’ve been feeling for a long while.” 

Momo reached out a hand and ruffled Chaeyoung’s hair. “That’s good! One step at a time, kid.” 

The Daughter of Hephaestus laughed and swatted away Momo’s hand. “I’m not that much younger than you!” 

After a little chit-chat between the two demigods, Momo looked over at Jihyo. 

“Let’s give her a little more time to rest. In the meantime, remember the offering I mentioned?” 

Momo got up sluggishly, nodding towards the marble statue of the silver goddess. Chaeyoung followed her and the two stood before the altar. 

“Huh?” 

A confused expression took over Momo’s face as they peered into the large offering bowl. Instead of the sight of their offering from last night, something else greeted the demigods. 

Chaeyoung’s eyebrows rose as she examined the new items: A large silver net, three canteens full of godly nectar, a bundle of silver-tipped arrows, and a piece of parchment. 

“Lady Artemis’s blessing.” Chaeyoung explained to Momo. “I’m guessing this is the reward for the chase with the Ceryneian Hind.” 

Momo’s confusion was still apparent on her face so Chaeyoung elaborated a bit more. “In the myths, Hercules didn’t kill the deer—he only captured it.” 

“Ahhh.” Momo said upon realization. “ Sweet. This will definitely help us on our quest.” She began placing the canteens of nectar into each of their packs. She held onto the bundle of silver arrows—Jihyo would make the most use out of them. 

“Wait, what’s this?” Chaeyoung took the parchment and unfolded it. Some golden slips of paper fell out prompting Momo to pick them up. 

“Uhh… looks like train tickets.” She held them up so Chaeyoung could see. ‘Olympus Circuit Express’ and ‘One-Way Trip’ was printed boldly on the golden paper slips. “To Rochester from Saratoga Springs. Oh, that’s where we are now!” 

Chaeyoung looked back at the parchment. A drawing was revealed; snowflakes and a giant boar. 

Wow, this drawing is pretty bad —er… 

She looked up at the marble statue of the silver goddess looming over the room and then nervously looked back down. 

— I mean… heheh, it’s a fine drawing.  

Chaeyoung cleared . “I think this is where we have to go next. The next labor after the Ceryneian Hind was…” She grabbed their guidebook and flipped through the pages. “...the Erymanthian Boar! It says here that Hercules captured it by driving it into a snowbank.” 

“Looks like our next step has been revealed.” Momo looked back at her sleeping friend. “We can finish packing once Jihyo wakes up. Never know when we can rest again.” 

Chaeyoung nodded and grabbed the large silver net. She was already fiddling with it as her mind churned out potential ideas.