not every thing is as simple as they seem. their entire journey so far has been a constant reminder for momo. 
just when their hands seem full, the fates just love throwing another dilemma at the demigods. 
the demigods are forced to take a detour from their main quest. find out what happens in this update! 

 

/ 

 

Momo drove the truck down the sparse freeway. Jihyo sat in the passenger seat, plotting their course on the enchanted map out loud. It almost felt like they were on a summer road trip; no prophecy to fulfill, no monsters to slay, just a couple demigods living life. 

Maybe someday. The fleeting thought crossed her mind. 

The occasional car passed by and she wondered what the Mist made them see instead. Just a couple of people on a road trip? Or demigods on what seemed to be an impossible quest?  And what about the horde of carnivorous horses behind them? 

 

Speaking of—she took a quick glance in the mirror to check. 

Chaeyoung has taken Momo’s previous spot in the truck’s cargo bed. The only difference was the pile of seared dracaena limbs taking up half the space in the back. She would occasionally throw a piece behind the truck, spurring and baiting the Mares of Diomedes into following them. But it wasn’t necessary. Turns out the whistle they got from the Temple of Zeus was specifically for the Mares of Diomedes. With every blow of the whistle, the horses came galloping towards them. 

It was a strange sight; the small herd of flesh-eating horses chasing after a truck as a demigod threw ‘food’ at them like she was just casually casually feeding her pet. 

“C’mere horsies, come get your grilled snake-dragon bits.” 

 

/ 

 

SEATTLE, OREGON 

THE AMAZON (warehouse and storefront) 

 

Momo craned her neck up at the building. All this time and she only knew now that Amazon the company was actually owned by actual mythical Amazons . 

Turns out that they’re descendants of Ares. It just blew her mind. 

“Uhh… so how does this work?” 

“Well, we go inside and trade in these flesh-eating horses, and try and see if we can get the Belt of Hippolyta.” 

“Just like that?” Chaeyoung’s tone was highly skeptical. “We just waltz right in and ask if we can borrow the Amazon Queen’s Belt? JUST LIKE THAT??? ” 

“Yup.” Momo in a breathe. She was feeling nervous, for whatever weird reason. From what Jihyo explained during the car ride, the Belt of Hippolyta belonged to the Queen of the Amazons. She didn’t know if they were capable of fighting the Amazons. 

Didn’t Nayeon say they were like elite warrior demigods or something or something? Figures she would know. 

“...I mean, what other choice do we have?” 

Momo puffed out a deep breath before she started walking to the entrance of the Amazon storefront. Jihyo matched her pace. “Chaeng, you stay with the horses!” She threw over her shoulder. 

“Wha—why me?” 

“The horses like you best!” 

Whoosh! The sliding doors parted open for the two demigods before closing again. Chaeyoung stared at the door in disbelief. One of the horses neighed and nudged her. 

“Hey, cool it Marco. There’s still some grilled snake over there.” 

Yeah, she named the horses. What about it? 

 

/ 

 

Chaeyoung sat cross-legged on the pavement. The Mares of Diomedes were grazing on a nearby patch of grass. Mortals spared her no second glance and steered clear of the demigod. Whatever the Mist was making them see, she didn’t really care—she was just glad they were leaving her alone. The pile of dracaena food was growing smaller by the minute and Chaeyoung had no idea what she was going to do if a mortal approached her and the horses. They’re flesh-eaters for crying out loud!  

The young demigod sighed, blowing a lock of blonde hair out of her face. One of the Mares snorted before it resumed grazing. 

“...just eat your food, Marco.” 

 

Finally, after what felt like hours to her (in reality it was only about 20 minutes or so), Momo and Jihyo returned from the store. Chaeyoung stood up when they returned—with an additional person in tow. 

“What took you guys so long?” 

“We explained our quest to the Amazons.” 

“And?” Chaeyoung prompted, her curiosity now replacing her boredom. 

“The Queen is letting us borrow her Belt.” 

“HUH?” Chaeyoung stared at her friends in disbelief, her eyebrows were raised almost up to her hairline. Then the Amazon worker next to them took out the enchanted item. 

“Yeah, in exchange for the Mares of Diomedes.” 

Momo grinned at the next part. “She said to send it back using Amazon Prime shipping when we’re done with it.” 

“Great?? This is great!?” Chaeyoung was still shocked by how this is all playing out. 

“Oh! She even gave us Amazon Prime memberships!” 

“EVEN BETTER?!?” 

“I’ll take those now if you will.” The Amazonian interrupted to take the reins connecting all of the Mares of Diomedes. Chaeyoung handed her the shiny silver horse whistle before she led them through the warehouse entrance. In the meantime, Momo took the enchanted Belt of Hippolyta and stored it in her pack. 

 

“Only one thing…” 

Chaeyoung groaned at the hesitance lingering in Jihyo’s voice. “I knew it was too good to be true!” 

Momo’s sheepish smile drew her attention. “The Queen of the Amazon gave us the fabled belt on the condition that we help her out with something.” 

“Ok…” Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow when her friends exchanged a look. She knew that look, it was the same one Dahyun and Jeongyeon had before they spewed out a ridiculous excuse to rope her in their latest prank. “What—what is it?” 

Momo took a deep breath before saying, “We have to investigate the city’s aquarium.” 

“Huh?? An aquarium?” Chaeyoung was dumbfounded. Why would they need to investigate an aquarium. Did the fish steal something from the Queen??  

“The Amazon Queen got a tip; there’s something suspicious going down at the aquarium and she thinks its linked to the city’s recent missing cases of mythical creatures.” 

“So why are we getting involved? Wait, missing creatures?” 

A grim nod from Jihyo was all Chaeyoung got. 

“She can’t get involved—something about public spotlight. So she’s making us go in her steed.” 

“Makes sense.” Momo grunted, she didn’t like the thought of being used but this was a mutually beneficial arrangement. “Nobody would look twice at a bunch of demigods passing through the city.” 

“So it’s just a recon mission?” Chaeyoung asked. 

“Yeah, just a recon mission.” 

“C’mon, it’s this way.” Momo took the lead as she walked further in the city. 

For a second, Chaeyoung wondered if Momo had ever been to Seattle before. But then she realized and giggled at herself. Of course, Daughter of Poseidon. “Lead the way Aquawoman!” 

 

/ 

 

It was dark out, as the demigods opted to wait for the cover of night to help them sneak into the aquarium. 

Originally, Chaeyoung wanted to do this during the day. She suggested Momo use her powers to get them inside using the aquarium’s water source. 

 

(“C’mon! It’ll be like a reverse water ride!” 

“That’s never gonna work!” 

“Not with that attitude it’s not!” ) 

 

Momo was too busy laughing at the idea to object. Thankfully, Jihyo had managed to convince them otherwise with her plan. Sneaking into an aquarium after hours would be easier than in broad daylight with plenty of witnesses. 

 

The demigods scoured the perimeter of the building in search of a way in. Luckily for them, a window was left partially open near the back of the aquarium. 

Probably a staff room or something, Momo thought as she leaned against the wall, ready to lift Chaeyoung up. 

“Hup, hup!” 

Momo braced her hands and provided a foot hold for Chaeyoung to climb up. Momo and Jihyo waited for a beat once Chaeyoung disappeared through the window. 

Then they heard the telltale click of a lock and the backdoor swung open. Chaeyoung’s cheshire grin peeked out from the doorway, beckoning them inside while a giddy whisper of “Success!” fell from her lips. 

 

The girls exited the room labeled ‘Staff Only’ and found themselves hit by a blue-ish glow. Few lights were on, seeing as it was well after hours, but the remaining lights that were left on illuminated the glass walls and tanks, reflecting off the water and casting everything in a vibrant blue hue. 

Momo thought the sight was ethereally pretty. As they ventured quietly down the halls of the exhibits, she couldn’t help but admire the view. It was as if they stepped into an entirely different realm once they left the staff room. 

Colorful schools of fish and turtles and marine animals swam over their heads, the aquatic plants fluttered in the water’s current, looking like they were waving as the demigods passed by. The glass tunnel above them made her feel infinitely small, like she was floating in the middle of the sea floor, encompassed in blue. 

They were nearing the end of the tunnel. Momo snapped out of her haze when a gleam caught her eye. It was the sign for the exhibit they were entering. Shark Exhibit  

But Momo didn’t need a sign to tell her that. She could sense the creatures beyond the glass tanks, could feel their presence despite not being able to see them. 

Then a twisting in her gut made her pause in her steps. She could sense something else; something that made her feel… a sort of anguish… 

The Daughter of Poseidon didn’t have a clue to what she was suddenly feeling. But it seemed like it was bothering her greatly, enough for Chaeyoung to silently grasp her hand. 

Maybe it was the sudden change in the atmosphere. Even the air felt a bit stale. Momo was glad she didn’t ask—she wouldn’t know what to say in response. 

Momo gave her hand a small squeeze, taking comfort in her friend’s presence. As they rounded the corner of the hallway, the trepidation in her stomach grew, so much that she felt like she was going to be sick. 

 

(“Would you say that you’re feeling… seasick ?” 

“Damn it, Chaeng!”) 

 

Once they entered the big shark exhibit, the demigods were faced with a giant glass tank. But there wasn’t any sharks inside. 

Instead, what Momo saw made her heart sink. 

Then something else replaced the anguish in her gut—fury . 

 

“So her intel was right.” Jihyo’s words were uttered in the gravely quiet room, like she didn’t want the words slipping out of to be true. “Someone really is trafficking sea creatures.” 

In the big shark tank were roughly about a dozen sea creatures, if Momo had to guess. They all had the upper bodies of man while their lower bodies were of fish tails. She even spotted one that had a dolphin tail. 

Tritons, her brain screamed at her. Satyrs of the Sea. 

The sight of them in chains made her blood boil. She was overwhelmed by the emotions stirring up inside her. The fear, horror, shock, and anguish all piled up. 

Momo couldn’t help but lash out, her fist slamming on the glass abruptly. “How could anyone do this!” She could feel her eyes prickling as she stared at the Tritons in captivity. She lowered her eyes, resting her forehead against the cool glass. 

Chaeyoung and Jihyo appeared similarly distraught, but they knew that what Momo was feeling was amplified tenfold by her connection to the sea. 

Unbeknownst to the demigod, the water had rippled and sloshed violently after she punched the glass. All of the Tritons turned their attention over to the demigods. 

Feeling eyes on her, Momo looked up, only to meet the sea-green eyes of the sea satyrs. One Triton, the one with the dolphin tail, struggled to raise his chained hands. But he managed to do so, and blow into a conch shell he was holding. 

A melodic tune echoed in the water and Momo could feel the raging storm inside her calm slightly. 

 

A snapping of metal made Momo turn her head. Chaeyoung had broken the lock on a door that read ‘Maintenance’. 

Jihyo and Chaeyoung looked back at the Daughter of Poseidon. “C’mon! It’s jailbreak time, baby!” 

The two demigods went ahead through the door. Momo sniffled and looked back at the Tritons. Her gaze turned into a determined look and then she dashed after her friends. 

Momo caught up to the two, and the three stumbled around the dark room. She could only guess that this was the backstage of the exhibit, spying boxes of fish food and cleaning supplies. Chaeyoung almost tripped over a mop had it not been for her quick reflexes. 

“There.” Jihyo pointed upwards. Her hand led to a ladder leading up to the catwalk of the tank. 

Taking the initiative, Momo sprinted forward, being the first to ascend the ladder. The three soon reached the top of the catwalk, everything looked smaller than up here. They walked on, only stopping once they reached the shark tank. 

“How do we get them out?” Chaeyoung curiously asked as they peered down. The swirling blue waters captivated her attention. She watched as the Tritons struggled in their attempts to break free. 

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” A raspy and gravelly voice spoke lowly in their ears. 

Alarmed, the demigods turned around, only to met with a burly looking man. He had a bushy black beard, wore old leather and linen clothing, smelled like smoking gunpowder, and held a curved cutlass aimed at their throats. 

Momo gulped at the sight of the sword’s jagged tip inches away from her. But the only thing running through her mind was, a pirate?  

Jihyo had voiced her thoughts out loud. “A pirate? What’s a pirate doing here?” 

“Aye, that’s none of yer business. You three should get out now—you be trespassing on me property.” 

Momo saw red at his words. “Your property!? ” Her words were spit out in angry defiance, regardless of the sword at or not. 

The pirate had the audacity to smirk at their faces. “Aye. And you’ll best be leaving now lest you end up as an addition to my collection.” 

Collection, the thought that this guy had an entire collection of people made her sick to her stomach. 

“How about I add you to Hades’ collection!” She couldn’t take it anymore. Momo’s fury reared up and she lunged at the pirate. 

 

Once Momo sprung into action, Jihyo and Chaeyoung did the same. The three demigods drew their celestial bronze swords and engaged the pirate. But the pirate was found to be an adept fighter, seeing as he managed to fend off the three demigods all by himself. 

Slowly, the tide was turning. 

The pirate battered the demigods with his sword swipes, putting the demigods on the defense. They could only parry and block his attacks. 

Momo faltered under a particularly hard swing. The pirate took note and with a gleam in his eyes, he kicked her right in the gut. 

Momo stumbled off the catwalk winded, a shout struggled to rip out of as she fell down into the tank. 

Jihyo and Chaeyoung both screamed her name. But they couldn’t run and check up on her under the barrage of the pirate. They had to grit their teeth and strike back. 

Jihyo and Chaeyoung entered a mindless trance as they dueled. Their strikes on the pirate were calm and calculated, but the strength in their blows were fueled by their anger. The pirate drew back slowly—now he was the one on the defense. 

 

Once Momo hit the water, everything turned calm. Her raging anger was soothed by the sensations around her. Sea green eyes and shiny, hard scales greeted her when she opened her eyes. 

A moment passed as she took in the sight of the Tritons. She had never seen one up close before. Majestic, was all she could think of. Their scales were iridescent, never taking one single color as they shimmered in the faint light of the tank. Their skin looked pearly white and silky smooth, Momo would believe them if they told her they actually used pearls in their skincare routine. 

 

But then the shiny glint of chains ruined everything. 

 

A flame rekindled inside of her. Momo drew her celestial bronze sword and got to work. One by one, all of the chains were broken. 

All that’s left is that dirty old pirate.  

 

Momo felt a surge within her. Using that feeling, the demigod kicked towards the surface. But she didn’t stop there. She commanded the water to propel her back up to the catwalk and landed in what Chaeyoung would later describe as a superhero landing. 

The pirate gasped at the sudden column of water, “A spawn of the sea!” 

In his distractedness, Jihyo managed to sock him right in his eye. Looks like he was gonna need a second eyepatch. 

The pirate howled in pain, and it doubled when Chaeyoung kicked him right between his legs. 

Momo grit her teeth and swiped her arms out at him. The water from the tank followed her command. Unlike previously, the water came lashing at the pirate, almost in an irate and stormy fashion, reflecting the wielder’s state. The pirate hollered as the water swept him off his feet and battered him on the rails of the catwalk, before dragging him down to the tank below. 

The Tritons had been circling the tank once they were set free. And when the pirate had fallen right into their laps, they descended on him like sharks. 

A fitting name, Momo thought back to the sign of the exhibit as the water turned into a reddish tint. 

 

She slumped down onto the catwalk, the combined exertion of energy and rush of emotions finally taking a toll on her body. 

Jihyo and Chaeyoung were by her side in seconds. The three hauled themselves up and stuck together, feeling drained after the fight. 

The Tritons resurfaced in the tank. Now they bobbed in the water, staring patiently at the demigods. 

“Momo, we have to get them out of here.” Jihyo gently said as she shouldered her weight. 

“How.” Momo croaked tiredly. 

“Anybody got a water tube straight to the ocean?” Chaeyoung mirthfully laughed into Jihyo’s shoulder. 

“Very funny, Chaeng.” Jihyo rolled her eyes but that didn’t stop a smile from forming on her lips. “But I was thinking of the sand dollars we got from Cliff.” 

Momo snorted. “So you want to summon a water roller coaster instead?” 

It was a good idea. How else would they be able to transport the Tritons out of this aquarium. Roll a bunch of water tanks out into the city? They weren’t anywhere close to saltwater, not close enough for the sea satyrs to get home safely anyway. 

 

Momo rummaged inside her bag for a sand dollar. Once she found it, she waved at the Tritons. The Triton with the dolphin tail, she assumed that was the leader, nodded in recognition at the sand dollar. 

For a second, their eyes meet and something happened. Sea green suddenly encompassed all of Momo’s vision and she feels like she’s been transported away. But she can still feel Jihyo shouldering her weight, can hear one of Chaeyoung’s silly jokes fall from her lips. 

But in the moment, Momo sees the bottom of the ocean floor; watches as mythical sea creatures she’s only ever read in ancient Greek scriptures back at Camp swim by her, becomes mesmerized by the beauty of a grand underwater palace—knows that somehow it’s her dad’s.  

And then she’s on a beach, a salty breeze blows by and softly caresses her cheeks. The sun is just beginning to set and she can see the telltale sign of hippocampi swimming among the crystal blue Mediterranean waves, the shiny scales of the horse-fish glinting in the low light. There’s someone holding her hand; it fits her hand just right and the warmth from their connection seeps into her very being, keeping the cold of the night at bay. The presence is so familiar and just when she’s about to turn to face them—

 

She’s transported back to the aquarium, sea green still peering at her from the tank below. 

Momo has questions, has tons and tons of questions about the vision that just overtook her brain. But she knows she doesn’t have time. The quest must go on and they have a camp to save and these Tritons need to return home. 

So she lets go. Because she wants to go home too—whether that be Camp Half-Blood or in the arms of a particular blonde Daughter of Athena. 

She flips the beige coin in the air and lets it fall. The demigods watch as a whirlpool appears soon after. After a few minutes, the swirling dissipates and any trace of the sea satyrs are gone. 

The water returned to a calm stillness and Momo let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. The feeling in her gut had eased, mirroring the calm of the water. She hasn’t met her dad yet but she feels like the Tritons will put in a good word for her. 

“We did it.” She said quietly. 
 

The moment of peace shattered when Chaeyoung snorted, “Just a recon mission, my .” 

 

/

 

The demigods returned to the Amazon store, more tired and rumpled than before they left. 

The same Amazonian greeted them, reporting their success back to the Queen. 

“You’ve held up your end of the deal. We’ll hold ours.” 

Momo nodded. Another labor done. 

Before they left, Jihyo gave the Amazonian a folder. At the warrior’s questioning glance, she explained. “The pirate mentioned a collection.” 

“We’ll deal with that.” The Amazonian’s eyes hardened into a cold, steely gaze. Momo couldn’t help but shiver. But this is good, she thought. They’ll take care of that collection he mentioned.  

 

The demigods found themselves back outside the Amazon store. 

Back where they started. 

Except this time, no flesh-eating horses accompanied them. And they had the notch of the 9th Labor under their belts too. 

“Alright so what’s next.” Momo wasted no time, eager to get back on track. Although freeing the captured Tritons was a good thing, it did make them take a detour from their main quest. 

“The 10th Labor.” 

Chaeyoung opened up her enchanted map. Her two friends huddled around her, each grabbing a side of the tablet. 

“Show me where the Cattle of Geryon is.” The three waited as the map did its magical thing. 

The map glowed and glowed until only one part was lit up. The trio widened their eyes at the next location. 

“I guess we’re going yeehaw.” 

“I—I can’t believe you just said that.” 

“What? What’s the matter with a little yee hawing?” 

“Stop, make it stopppp—” 

“YEE HAWWW” 

Chaeyoung could barely hold onto the map at this point, she was too busy holding her stomach laughing at the exchange between her friends. Tears from laughing so hard started welling up in her eyes but she could still make out Momo’s figure teasing and taunting Jihyo with exaggerated cowboy gestures. 

 

The highlighted section of the map steadily blinked, ultimately deciding their next destination: TEXAS. 
 

/ 

 

Loud honking filled the air accompanied by the crunch of tires on asphalt. 

The demigods were at a highway rest stop after taking directions from the Amazonian at the store. It worked out for them; they got to stock up on food and supplies and also find some transport to Texas. 

That’s what Chaeyoung was busying herself with—finding a way to the 10th Labor which was somewhere in Texas. 

 

While the Daughter of Hephaestus was busy with that, Momo suggested they contact Camp and see how everyone was doing. 

And that’s why she’s standing in front of a water fountain, waving at it like a madwomen and forming mist. 

“A little more… there! Hold it! That’s it!” The mist was proper enough to form a rainbow. 

“Keep it steady!” Jihyo exclaimed before she tossed a golden drachma through it. The coin shimmered and disappeared as soon as it made contact with the water vapor. 

 

“O Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.” 

 

The misty rainbow shimmered vibrantly until an image came into view. It was a little fuzzy, reminding Momo of a static tv signal. 

“What’s up with it? Is it suppose to do that?” 

Jihyo replied to Momo’s question with her own unsure mumble, “I don’t know… this shouldn’t be happening; Camp Half-Blood is one of the most secure places to hold an Iris Message.” 

“Wait—I think I see something!” 

The image cleared up a little but the scene was almost as bad as the static tv from earlier. 

The Iris Message showed the Camp’s training grounds. It was dark and foggy, which was highly unusual for the camp grounds. Their view turned out to be the archery range and the javelin range, and it was a mess ; arrows and javelins and spears littered the ground, sticking out in all sorts of odd places. The target boards were overturned and one of them was on fire . The once pristine grass appeared muddled and trampled with footprints. 

Nobody was present to receive the Iris Message. Momo didn’t think anyone would have even noticed it either. 

Even though nobody was in sight, Jihyo and Momo could hear campers in the distance. Screaming and yelling echoed as well as something that oddly sounded like sharp whizzing. 

“What the—” 

Momo was interrupted by a stray javelin suddenly piercing through the mist, which effectively cut off the Iris Message from both sides. 

“Oh no… I got a bad feeling about this.” 

“The curse!” 

Momo and Jihyo had exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other anxiously. 

 

It was then that Chaeyoung returned. “Hey guys! I manage to get us a…” 

Chaeyoung’s enthusiasm trailed off as she studied their faces. She didn’t like the look on either of them. Or the glance that they shared after. 

A small ball of dread started to form in her stomach, getting heavier and heavier the more she looked at their distressed faces.