last time we saw our demigod heroes, they were into a whirlpool! find out what happens next in this update! 

/ 

The gentle bobbing waters of Lake Superior was calm. 

Until it wasn’t. 

Bubbles appeared followed by rapid swirling. A kiddie-pool-sized whirlpool formed out of nowhere. The water churned and churned until it flung out a demigod. 

Chaeyoung screamed in delightful glee as she landed near the shallow end with a violent splash. She was laughing hard as she dragged herself up to the lake’s shore. 

Shortly after, Jihyo and Momo appeared from the whirlpool in the same fashion. Chaeyoung laughed even harder as she watched them crash land. 

“That was awesome!” 

“ Never again...” Jihyo rasped for breath. 

The three dried off, which was pretty easy thanks to Momo. Just a flick of her wrist and the water just plopped right off. 

“Where are we?” 

“Hmm...Lake Superior.” Momo said after flinging the water off their bodies and back into the lake. 

“So between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Huh.” 

“What’s the next task? Why would it take us here?” 

Just as Chaeyoung finished her question, a loud screeching filled the air. No wait, scratch that. Multiple loud screeches filled the air. 

“TAKE COVER!” 

The demigods dove behind a cluster of rocks in a frenzy. Something cut through the air with a whistle and landed where they were previously standing. Momo peeked out from her cover and saw that they were sharp metallic feathers. 

“Uh...I think I know what our next task is.” A hint of nervousness could be gleaned from her words. 

“Of course!” Jihyo exclaimed as she popped her head up too. “The Stymphalian Birds!” 

“The murderous metallic birds? No way!” Chaeyoung’s head also peeked out of cover. 

“Yeah, watch out for their claws and beaks. They’re sharp enough to cut through steel.” 

The demigods screamed and ducked again as a stymphalian bird came swooping down. Its metal claws ripped a chunk out of the boulder like it was made out of styrofoam. 

“Don’t need to tell me twice!” 

Momo and Chaeyoung pulled out their celestial bronze swords and dashed out from cover. They let out their own war cries but it wasn’t nearly as loud as the birds’ ugly screeching. 

Instead of joining the charge, Jihyo pulled out her bow. From what she remembered from Sana and Mina’s lecture, Hercules’ managed to kill the birds using arrows dipped in Hydra blood, which they managed to acquire earlier. She loaded a hydra blood-dipped arrow, took aim, and lodged it into one of the man-eating birds. The creature screeched horribly as the acidic blood entered its system and started eating away at its flesh. It shook and spasmed violently before crashing into a nearby tree with an echoing c lang!  

“One down.” Jihyo released a calm breath as she loaded up another arrow. 

A shout ripped out of Momo as she swung her sword in wide overhead arcs, managing to slice one of the birds as it tried swooping down on her. It faltered from the attack and Momo jumped on the chance, slicing it to bits. 

Chaeyoung hopped from cover to cover to avoid the metal projectiles. The birds circled above them like vultures. She flung a few fireballs at them, trying to break their formation and get them agitated enough to swoop down, right in range of Momo’s sword. 

The Stymphalian Birds were no match against the demigods’ tactics and soon enough, they were down to the last bird. Momo swung her sword down, cutting off its high-pitched screeching. 

“Ahh, finally. My ears can hear again.” Chaeyoung heavily breathed out as she held her sword up. Her eyes darted around just in case they missed one. Although they’d know if any remained—these birds were noticeably loud. 

Jihyo lowered her bow only when the peace and quiet lasted. “Everyone alright?” 

Momo grunted as she pulled her sword clean from the ground. She hissed in pain after sheathing it with a twist of her ring. She touched her cheek, finding a smear of red when she brought it down. A dull ache brought her eyes down only to find a couple cuts on her forearms. “Just a few cuts here and there.” 

Being the resident medic of their team, Jihyo examined the Daughter of Poseidon. The majority of her wounds were just superficial flesh wounds, nothing that cut too deep. Although Momo’s ribs were a bit bruised, but that was from all the rock smashing from the river rapids. Nothing a little ambrosia and rest can’t fix. 

A hiss brought her attention over to Chaeyoung. The fiery smith had one of her shirt sleeves tattered and three red lines marred her bicep, courtesy of the stymphalian bird’s metallic claws. 

Jihyo examined her wounds too. “Luckily they’re not that deep. It’ll heal but you’ll have a scar.” 

To which Chaeyoung replied with an ecstatic “Sweet!” 

Jihyo shook her head fondly. Of course Chaeyoung would consider getting a scar cool. 

Momo walked over to the lake and crouched. She cupped her hands and splashed her face, washing off the blood and grime. A bump to her foot made her look down. A small wad of green seaweed was floating in front of her. 

“Huh?” 

She had no idea where this came from. As far as she knew, the lake water was clear earlier. So how did this get here?  

Momo picked it up. As soon as she did, the plant glimmered a soft sea green color before disappearing. She blinked. Did she imagine that or…? 

“Hey, whatcha got there?” Chaeyoung approached her with a questioning grin. 

“Uh...I dunno actually. I just found it here by the shore.” 

Chaeyoung took a closer look, squinting at it up close. “You think it’s from your dad?” 

Momo shrugged with a clueless expression still present on her face. Then with a growing smirk she said, “Only one way to find out.” 

In the very next second, she slapped a piece of the green-tinted seaweed over Chaeyoung’s bicep, exactly where her cut was. Chaeyoung let out a yelp at the unexpected action. 

“What the—hey!” 

Momo laughed before peeling the seaweed off. They were both surprised when her fresh wounds disappeared. 

“No way! It’s magical healing seaweed!” Chaeyoung exclaimed before giddily laughing. She yanked the seaweed out of Momo’s hands and immediately slapped some on her other injuries. “EQUIP!” 

“+50 HEALING!” Chaeyoung slapped some onto Momo’s arm and another onto her cheek. She was totally taking this opportunity to slap her friends. 

Only to help them heal of course. 

Momo laughed holding her sides as she watched Chaeyoung and Jihyo squabble. The two demigods slapped each other with seaweed and at this point, it was just them trying to cover the other’s body with as much of the wet plant as possible. 

She peeled her own seaweed off as the squabbling died down. The cuts on her arms were now gone. She rubbed her cheek and let out a small intrigued noise as there was nothing but a faint scar left. 

“Ehh, it’s not too bad... for a chicken scratch.” Chaeyoung teasing remarked. 

A piece of seaweed flew in her direction. 

“So, where to next guys?” Jihyo asked as she stooped down to gather some metal feathers. She was left curious on how the Stymphalian birds flew with such heavy metallic wings. 

“Oh!” Chaeyoung rummaged through her backpack for a bit. She pulled out a transparent sheet of paper that was folded into squares. As soon as she unfolded it, the interface came to life with a colorful flash. “I traded with one of the Hecate kids for this enchanted map.” 

Momo came next to her and the two held either side of the magic item. The map’s interface showed the United States. The enchanted part was that the map was interactive; each city and its landmarks were labeled on the map, along with points of interest for demigods. Chaeyoung pinched the map like she would on a phone and the map moved to where they were now. A red dot showed their current location: Lake Superior, between the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

“Where was this during our First Labor?” Momo asked in wonder. This could have helped them out at the start of their quest. Like a lot!  

Chaeyoung shrugged her shoulders with a sheepish smile. “I was busy tweaking it. Plus, I had to wait for the magical portion to charge up.” 

“Right.” Momo could only nod in acceptance. She didn’t have a clue about magic so she just left it at that. “So how does it work?” 

“Alright, so that’s us.” Chaeyoung pointed to the red dot. “We just have to say a location or object of interest, then it’ll tell us the most recent location. What’s next?” 

“The 7th Labor, the Cretan Bull.” Jihyo appeared next to them after she was done salvaging what she could find. “Or the Marathonian Bull as it was later called.” 

“Right-o!” Chaeyoung waited as the enchanted map did its thing. It lit up in a circular loop like a web browser being loaded. 

The map zoomed out a bit before a section was highlighted. The demigods peered at what appeared to be their next location. 

Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota.  

“How in Hades do we get there?!” Chaeyoung raised her voice incredulously. “We’re bordering the U.S and Canada for crying out loud!” 

The demigod inadvertently answered her own question as the magical item in her hands beeped and a robotic voice spoke, “ The distance from your current location to your requested destination is currently 836 miles.”  

The three demigods jumped, startled by the sudden voice. They all stared at the map in surprise. After a brief pause, Chaeyoung said, “...oh yeah, this thing is also voice activated.” 

“Calculating fastest route. One moment please.”  

Ding!  

“Calculation complete. Recommended route: West Wind Express.”  

“The West Wind Express? Where’s that?” 

“Calculating…Directions: head west.”  

“Oh great.” Chaeyoung threw her hands up. “Yeah that’s real helpful. Thanks a lot.” 

“You’re welcome.”  

“That’s not what I—grrrr!” 

Chaeyoung put away the magical item in an annoyed huff. Momo slapped her back as she laughed at the scene. Jihyo chuckled along before looking westward. 

Nothing but tall trees and empty roads stretched as far as she could see. 

The Daughter of Apollo adjusted her backpack and said, “Better get walking I guess.” 

/ 

The wind raked through Momo’s hair as they sped down the open road. 

She closed her eyes, enjoying the small blissful moment of peace while it lasted. 

They were ten minutes into their hike westward when a pickup truck came their way. With Jihyo’s sunny disposition—no pun intended—they managed to hitch a ride. 

Momo was so relieved—she couldn’t walk another step! 

The landscape of trees and wild plains whipped by in a blur. The demigods were all seated in the open cargo bed of the pickup truck. 

A ding! broke the serene silence between them. 

Chaeyoung rummaged through her bag with a puzzled look. She brought the enchanted map back out and it began to speak immediately. 

“Point of interest: Z’s Spring Garden.”  

“Huh? Point of interest?” 

The magic item spoke again. “Point of interest: approaching on your right.”  

As Chaeyoung fiddled with the map, Momo looked over at their right. She squinted and saw some kind of building coming up on the right. A big-lettered sign above it read Z’s Spring Garden. 

Momo looked back at Jihyo who shrugged cluelessly. “You think we should stop?” 

She didn’t know where this would lead them. But it couldn’t hurt to try, right? 

“When was the last time we stocked up on food and water?” 

Jihyo thought about it before conceding with a nod. To that, Momo patted the hood of the truck. The driver heard and slowed down before coming to a stop before the building. 

The demigods all hopped out. Jihyo went up to the driver’s window to say thanks and all that. Meanwhile, Momo and Chaeyoung stared up at the building. 

It was a quaint little store decorated with spring flowers and had a very nice paint job. Not much else was out here so Momo couldn’t really see how it was profitable. 

Her eyes wandered over the porch; there was a bench out front and next to it was a vending machine that looked like it needed a fresh coat of paint. 

Jihyo joined them after the driver gave them a wave and a honk goodbye. 

Momo pushed open the door and a jingle of a bell rang out. The demigods were hit with the smell of fresh flowers and fresh baked goods. 

The inside of the shop was very homey; large windows on the left wall streamed in sunlight, lighting up the garden tables and chairs that were sat in the middle. An open kitchen was situated on the right and Momo could smell the sweet scent of cookies and cakes all the way from the front door. The inside was decorated with cool knick-knacks and everything reminded her of a vintage cafe. 

“Hello dearies!” 

A chiming voice brought the demigods’ attention over to the kitchen. They were met with a young woman who looked to be in her late twenties. She had curly black hair that shined when the sunlight hit it just right. An apron covered her front, smeared with various colors of frosting and flour. 

“Oh! You children look tired and hungry.” The lady crooned before she ushered the demigods over to a table. It all happened so quickly; before she knew it, Momo was sitting in a comfy chair and the woman dashed into the kitchen again. 

“Sit, sit! I’ll go get some snacks for you all.” 

Momo looked over at Jihyo and Chaeyoung, meeting their amused and bewildered gazes. 

Chaeyoung had a grin on her face as she shrugged and mouthed “ free food?”  

Jihyo took the time to look around the place. Something caught her eye; the window to the back was open and she could see all sorts of flowers sitting outside. It was a pretty sight but there was something peculiar; there were more hyacinths than anything else. 

The lady returned with a tray of fresh cookies and glasses of iced tea and lemonade. She told them to dig in and hey, who was she to deny such nice hospitality? 

Momo took a bit of a cookie and man was it soft and delicious. Chaeyoung easily went for seconds… and thirds. 

“You can call me Aunty Gale.” 

Aunty Gale took a seat at the table, sipping on a glass of iced tea. It had a pink drink umbrella with colorful pieces of fruit sticking out the end. 

“What brings a couple of demigods all the way out here?” 

Momo was too busy gulping down her glass of lemonade and Chaeyoung was too busy devouring her handfuls of cookies. Jihyo responded and told Aunt Gale that they were looking for the West Wind Express. 

“Oh! Well, why didn’t ya say so.” Aunty Gale smiled pleasantly. “You came to the right place!” 

“Uncle Z owns this place and he’s in charge of the West Wind Express. The fee is only 3 drachma per passenger.” 

Momo looked at her friends after hearing that part. That totally worked out for them! 

Chaeyoung swallowed her mouthful of cookies and said, “Great! Where do we go?” 

“Just follow me to the backyard dearies.” 

Aunty Gale led them through the back door and into the open backyard. The demigods gasped at the rows and rows and rows of spring flowers that decorated every inch of the place. 

“They’re so pretty…” Momo’s words trailed off as she spun around slowly, trying to take in the view. It was like a scene straight out of a movie. The flowers literally took up every inch of space available. She noticed that a good portion of the flowers were Hyacinths. 

“Yes, yes. Uncle Z simply adores Hyacinths.” Aunty Gale held a wistful gaze as she looked at the flowers. “But onto more pressing matters!” 

She turned to the demigods. “Where would you all like to go?” 

Chaeyoung stepped up and said, “Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota.” 

“Oh! I hear it’s delightful there this time of year.” Aunty Gale clapped her hands together with such gleeful joy, the three demigods couldn’t help but smile. “Alrighty, just step a little closer. And stand together now—don’t want you three getting separated during the process!” 

Momo looked perplexed for a second, “Huh? Separated?” 

“9 drachmas please.” 

Jihyo reached into her pack before giving her nine golden drachmas. 

“Thank you!” Aunty Gale stepped close and began waving her hands in a graceful and fast pace. Momo swore she saw colorful sparkles coming off her hands. 

Buckling and zipping noises sounded out and in a flash, there was a seatbelt connected to all three demigods. 

“Huh? How’d she do that?” Momo muttered curiously as she tugged experimentally on the secured belt. It looked like a rollercoaster harness to her.  

“Now hold onto this and—“

Aunty Gale handed them a brown rucksack tied with rope. She connected the bag to their safety harness before she pulled the rope loose. 

With the rope loose, the sack released a startling large amount of air. They were all shocked as it easily lifted them up in the air. 

“—enjoy your trip!” 

The sack propelled them upwards before whirring steadily. Then the demigods were zipped away in a blink of an eye. 

Warm and gentle wind ruffled Momo’s hair. She looked down and could see that they were traveling as fast as an airplane. “Wow…” 

The green patches of nature and blue bodies of water all looked so small from up here. 

Chaeyoung and Momo took in the view with quiet fascination. As Jihyo watched the landscape pass by, she kept muttering under her breath, “Uncle Z… Uncle Z…” 

Momo turned to her friend with a curious look. “What’s up?” 

Jihyo snapped her fingers and her face lit up. “Aha!” 

Momo let out a noise of surprise at her friend’s sudden action. 

“I figured it out!” Jihyo exclaimed in a pleased tone. “Uncle Z is Zephyros! The God of the West Wind!” 

“Ohhh, that would explain all the spring flowers; especially the Hyacinths.” Momo nodded along. It all made sense now! No wonder Aunty Gale had a sad look when we mentioned the Hyacinths.  

“And I bet Aunty Gale is a wind spirit. I mean—c’mon, gale?” 

The wind gently ruffled Chaeyoung’s hair. She had a childish grin on her face as she watched the passing landscape in fascination. “Wind spirit or not, she makes the best cookies I’ve ever eaten!” 

Momo laughed at Chaeyoung’s comment. But she was right, that woman made the tastiest cookies she’s ever eaten.