“Thanks! See ya around!” 

Chaeyoung grinned and cheerfully waved off the truck driver with her straw cowboy hat. The semi-truck driver waved his hand out the window before the vehicle started moving. The demigods could hear the truck horn blaring down the road. 

Momo coughed a little, the air here was a bit too hot and humid and dusty. Thank goodness they managed to pick up some more water and these cowboy hats from the last pit stop. 

She turned to the ranch in front of her. This was what the map was giving them directions to. 

The ranch was the only thing of interest here, other than the miles and miles of open farmland that stretched beyond her vision. Probably something to do with the Mist and Greek boundaries. She shrugged it off, not wanting to dive into that particular rabbit hole at the moment. 

Momo frowned briefly, her mind turning back to the strange Iris Message from earlier. I hope things are ok back at Camp... 

Triple G Ranch. 

That’s what the wooden signpost read. It creaked as a passing breeze gently swung the hanging sign. The familiar stench of manure and mythical animals reached Momo’s nose, immediately prompting the demigod to cover her nose as she tried to repress her negative memories associated with the smell. (Momo failed to hide her amused snort, much to Jihyo and Chaeyoung’s confused glance. If Dahyun was here, she probably would have reacted ten times more dramatically.)

“Urgh...just when I thought we’d finally be rid of that smell.” 

Chaeyoung was empathetic and mimicked the Daughter of Poseidon, remembering their earlier encounter with Cliff and the Augean Stables. Jihyo was indifferent; nothing could phase her again unless it was another Scythian Drakian. 

The Daughter of Apollo merely wrinkled her nose in distaste and said, “The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave.” She took the lead, pushing past the already open gates and onto the main dirt path. 

On their way, the demigods passed by some mythical creatures that were casually grazing about. Chaeyoung pointed out each one to Momo, including her own opinion on them too. 

“...and there’s some horses over there. Oh and they breathe fire. Pretty cool, huh!” 

One of the mares lifted its head, it perked up when it noticed Momo. A small amount of flames flickered out from its nostrils as its gaze laid on her. “Our Lord Poseidon? An offspring?” At its words, a couple more horses perked up. 

Momo gave a small grin and a wave of her hand before her attention was caught by Chaeyoung’s exclamation. 

“Yikes! Look at the size of them!” 

She turned her head at the exclamation only to reel back in surprise. She certainly wasn’t expecting the ranch to house giant scorpions. And these are Giant Scorpions she was talking about, easily measuring almost the same size as a small and compact car, like those mini Fiats. 

Fortunately the scorpions were housed in a pit, deep enough so they don’t come crawling up and stinging anything that moves to death. Momo had a full body shudder, man what a way to go. Even if she was safely on higher ground, she couldn’t help but to be on edge—especially with the way the scorpions’ stingers gleamed ominously in the sunlight. 

They passed another pen on the way. This time it was full of what Jihyo described as Hippalektryons. Basically, they were half-horse and half-rooster; the front half being the horse and their lower half was that of a rooster. Momo eyed the lower half with wide eyes, she hadn’t seen anything like this before. The hippalektryons had huge yellow clawed feet and their tails were large and feathery. Most of the ‘rooster ponies’—as Chaeyoung affectionately called them—had either red or green-colored feathers. 

The trio’s admiration of the rooster ponies was interrupted with a deep groaning bellow from the direction of the ranch’s main house. The cry sounded alarmed and painful. The demigods rushed over to the source, a hand ready at their weapons. 

The scene they found befuddled them; a man was on the porch flat out on his stomach and tied-up with thick rope. He had stark white hair that was pulled into a short ponytail and his matching white beard was neatly braided. A cowboy hat laid strewn on the wooden floor next to him, most likely from the skirmish. His skin was tan, presumably from working on the ranch, and he wore a denim jacket that was cut-off at the sleeves showing off his muscular biceps. Essentially, he looked like someone’s cowboy-punk grandpa that went to the gym often. 

Gotta get them gains somehow… 

The most important thing though was that his aura screamed demigod to them. 

The old demigod squirmed in the rope binding as his captor had their foot on him; the captor being a monster that had 3 heads and 3 chests. 

Momo had to do a double take. Just to make sure she wasn’t seeing double—or should she say… triple. 

The triple-figure wore a plaid button-up that was split into 3 different colors, one for each chest. It was an ugly sight for her eyes but somehow he made it work. The shirt was tucked into some jeans, topped off with cowboy boots. His face had a mean sneer as he grind his boot further into the squirming body under him. 

“Ahhhh demigods. I was just getting hungry too.” His sneer gave way to a set of sharp teeth set in a wicked smirk. If the strong stench of monster didn’t set alarm bells off in Momo’s head, that sure did. She pulled out her celestial bronze sword as he finished saying that, hearing Jihyo and Chaeyoung do the same next to her. 

“Geryon and Eurytion.” Jihyo whispered to them. Momo and Chaeyoung nodded imperceptibly, she had told them the tale of those two during their cross-country road trip from Seattle. 

“Hey kiddos! Do me a solid and help me out!” The demigod on the ground, Eurytion, struggled uselessly in his bindings. He huffed out in frustration, “I assume y’all are here for a reason. I’ll give ya what you need if you free me!” 

“Swear on it!” Chaeyoung screamed out as she adjusted her grip on her sword, spinning it in a flashy and warning manner. The way this monster, Geryon, was eyeing them made her real uncomfortable and antsy. Embers were threatening to flare from her fingertips just from the sight of his ugly mug. All three of them! 

Several things happened in the split second that came right as Chaeyoung said those words. 

One — Geryon grinded his boot harshly into Eurytion hoping to stop him. 

Two — lightning flashed and rumbled in pure daylight as Eurytion swore on the River Styx. 

Three — Momo lunged at the triplet monster and her sword swept across one of his faces, leaving a clean red line that cut from chin to cheek. 

Damn, would Nayeon be proud of her speed. The Daughter of Ares was always rambling on about “drawing first blood.” 

Geryon stumbled back clutching the face that was struck. One head growled and another snarled in response. A shield and a sword sprung out of nowhere as the monster jumped on the offensive, “I am going to enjoy eating you demigods!” 

The face that suffered the hit took a deep breath before snarling, “Especially you, child of Poseidon!” 

The three-chested monster ran after Momo who had the sense to bolt out of the way. Chaeyoung quickly followed behind, trying to land an attack as he was distracted with Momo. Jihyo ran after them trying to get a clean shot but failing from their rapid movements. 

Eurytion laid squirming on the wooden porch still tied-up. “H-hey, wait! At least untie me first!” His cries fell on deaf ears as everybody was engrossed in the fight and moved further and further away from the ranch house. 

Not an inch of the farmland was left untouched as the battle raged on. The magical animals cried out and reared up in alarm as the fight drew near them. They fled far away from the conflict, at least as far away as their fenced-in pens allowed them to. 

The demigods danced around Geryon; their weapons lashed out as they leapt and twirled and ducked around his large body. Momo and Chaeyoung used their speed to their advantage, quickly confusing Geryon’s three different minds. Jihyo struck in the openings her teammates created, stunning Geryon from time to time and allowing the two demigods to exacerbate their damage. 

Momo in a harsh breath as she rolled to the side, just managing to avoid the huge sword that came swinging down on her. Her hair was blown back as she stared with wide eyes. The blow had left a deep marr in the dirt where she was a moment ago. 

With his sword rooted in the ground, Chaeyoung took the opportunity to slash at the back of his legs, eliciting a harsh hiss from the monster’s set of mouths. In retaliation, Geryon swung his shield around and shield-bashed his attacker. Chaeyoung flew back with a yelp, miraculously landing in a pile of soft hay. She was flat on her back, dazed and sore and swearing she could see some mini rooster-ponies flying around her head. 

“Chaeng!” Jihyo worriedly called out to her friend, who was still in a disoriented mess. She wanted to run over to her but then that would leave Momo fighting by herself. Her hesitance made her falter and her body only allowed her to move when Momo parried another blow from Geryon by herself. 

The Daughter of Apollo uncharacteristically growled as she abruptly kneeled down, knocked back an arrow and waited. The forming bruises on her legs were the least of her priorities. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she kept her aim trained on the three-headed monster. She mumbled a prayer to her father, Apollo, to guide her arrow true to her enemy. 

The sunlight grew harsh as it beamed down on the Triple G Ranch. 

Momo harshly breathed in and out. Every swing of her sword was met with Geryon’s own counter and sparks flew at every clash and clang of metal. She could feel her frustration welling up and could barely rein it in. 

She mentally slapped herself. She couldn’t risk losing control now, not with the state Chaeyoung was in. 

Momo lifted her sword up and a loud grunt left her lips as she brought it down in a sweeping gesture. Geryon held his shield high up, covering his entire upper body including his faces. Momo grinned, her feint had worked. 

While he was still unaware, Momo leaped forward using the monster’s thigh as a launching pad. She tucked her knees in to somersault in the air. When she was above Geryon, she dug her sword into his back all the way down to the hilt and let gravity do the rest. 

The sound of howling and ripping flesh echoed in the air. Momo shivered—despite her numerous encounters with so many mythical monsters, the Daughter of Poseidon doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to the horrifying sounds of battle. 

Momo landed in a crouch right behind him, a little more winded than she expected from the feint maneuver. 

Geryon let loose three loud agonizing bellows as the demigod’s sword slashed deeply down his back. He dropped his shield in pain where it clattered to the ground with a metallic ring. His sword grip tightened until his knuckles turned ash white. He whirled around, intent on delivering a heavy and wrathful blow to the demigod who managed to inflict such a deep wound. 

Momo staggered; she rose up but her stance faltered, her body wasn’t recovered enough to move out of the way. The color seemed to drain out of her face as bricks of dread dropped into the pit of her stomach. Geryon’s sword came down upon her in slow motion and Momo struggled to even move. Her tired muscles screamed at her, feeling hopelessly like a bag of wet sand. 

It was then that Jihyo struck. 

Guided by her father’s light, the arrow she was holding onto was set free. It cut through the air with a shrill whistle. A shining glint of light beamed from inside the wood until it cracked open and turned the arrow into a bolt of pure light. 

Apollo must have heard his daughter’s desperate prayer for the bolt of light pierced Geryon just as he twisted his torso for his attack. The arrow entered from one end of the monster’s ribs with a sickening squelch and exited through the other end in a burst of bloody ichor, reminiscent of a shotgun blown at point-blank range. The bolt of light was so pure and bright that the demigods could see it traveling clean through the monster’s clothed chests. (Which was sickening gross and cool at the same time, Momo told Jihyo after the whole ordeal.) 

The momentum of the shot was so powerful that it knocked Geryon off of his feet and through the wooden guard railings behind him… and into the Giant Scorpion pit. 

Jihyo took in deep breaths, still in her kneeling position. There was sweat built up on her forehead and neck. The entire time she’d been pulling the arrow back, she was pouring all her energy into it. Photokinesis, one of Apollo’s rare gifts. The sunlight beating down on her back helped speed up the process but it still left her feeling like she just ran a 10K marathon. 

Momo, having exerted all her strength, trembled and fell back on her . She needed a moment, just to breathe and feel… well, alive. 

Geryon was right behind her a couple seconds ago, towering over her and ready to knock her down through the Earth and into the Underworld if it weren’t for Jihyo. She gasped out a shuddering breath, half because of the remaining fear in her body and half in utter relief. 

A low groan cut through the air, causing Jihyo to snap her head towards the noise. 

“Chaeng!” 

Jihyo scrambled to her feet, the bow in her hands disappearing and reforming as her ring as she ran over to the demigod still lying on the pile of hay. She gently cradled Chaeyoung and helped her slowly into a sitting position. Jihyo forcefully stuffed a piece of ambrosia into the younger’s mouth, waiting until she finished chewing and swallowed before asking, “How are you feeling?” 

Chaeyoung weakly mumbled as she leaned her head against Jihyo’s shoulder, “...like I got ran over by the Erymanthian Boar.” 

Jihyo couldn’t help but laugh. If she was already making jokes then her friend was going to be just fine. “Here, drink some nectar. You took a nasty pounding from that shield.” 

The Daughter of Hephaestus gulped down some of the sweet golden liquid. The haze in her mind was clearing up at a snail’s pace and she still felt sore all over. “Yeah, literally felt all 50 pounds of celestial bronze slamming into me.” 

While Jihyo was attending to Chaeyoung, Momo used her sword as a makeshift cane to help herself up. Her legs still trembled from the close encounter of Hades. She made her way over to the wooden railing—the part that was still sturdy of course. Before they could relax, she had to make sure that Geryon was down for the count. 

(They had already ran into that mistake earlier in their journey. Long story short, it ended with a panicking Chaeyoung trying to put the fire out of her clothes, a worried and angry Jihyo patching them up, a new scar on Momo’s shoulder, and a half-century old basilisk dead at their feet. 

Momo had mindlessly stared at the serpent’s body flaking into golden dust as Jihyo fussed around her numb shoulder, swearing that she’d never put anyone in that situation again.) 

She had to make sure that the monster was gone, if not for the safety of her friends then for the sake of her still trembling body. 

...that was too close a call… a second longer and I would have… 

Momo grimaced as she peeked over the railing and down the pit. The scorpions made quick work of Geryon alright. Nothing but a large pile of golden dust remained where the three-torso-shaped crater laid imprinted on the Earth. 

Now that there wasn’t any danger present, Momo jogged over to her friends. She helped shouldered Chaeyoung’s weight as they walked back to the house. More like stagger—the two of them felt utterly tired from their head to their toes. 

“Wait! Can you grab the shield?” 

Jihyo gave her a quizzical look but still complied with Chaeyoung’s request, scooping up the banged-up bronze shield. She grunted in surprise—it was way heavier than it looked. 

“Spoil of war?” 

“Heck yeah!” Chaeyoung gave a little shout and a fist pump. “It’s even got my little face dent on it.” 

Momo almost dropped her. Thankfully, she released an amused snort that dribbled into laughter instead of her weary companion. She leaned Chaeyoung against the wooden pillar of the ranch house porch before plopping down beside her. Jihyo took the time to (finally) free Eurytion from his binds. 

“You kids are frickin’ wild.” 

Eurytion gently rubbed his red and sore hands, the rope was thick and dug into his skin during their long tussle with Geryon. His words came out in a mix of astonishment and a teeny-tiny hint of admiration. 

“Well, I oughta thank you. I’ll be free of Geryon for a couple years until he reforms.” 

“No problem, my dude.” Chaeyoung had drawn out slowly. She was still a little unsure of how Eurytion would react now that he wasn’t helpless and hogtied. “So… about our deal…” 

“Right to business I see. Well, a deal’s a deal.” Eurytion adjusted his cowboy hat, which was rightfully on his head this time. His mouth was set in a firm line as the topic of negotiating came around. “What did ya have in mind?” 

The three demigods looked at each other, wondering where they should start. 

/ 

Momo let out a sweet and long sigh. She was bruised and battered from the fight but this fruity piece of pie was simply heavenly for her taste buds. It came with a scoop of cold refreshing vanilla ice cream and a plentiful drizzle of golden nectar topped the plate off. She stuffed another spoonful into and hummed happily. 

“How’s your head, Chaeng?” Jihyo mirrored Momo’s action from across the table, but with much more grace and tact. 

The demigod in question flashed a thumbs-up as she sipped on a glass of iced tea. A puffy bag of ice was placed on top of her head. It swayed and jiggled in time to the rocking chair she was lounging in. 

Eurytion was out in the fields wrangling up a few red cattle—the same kind of sacred cattle that was needed for their quest. After the demigods explained their dilemma, the rancher was all too willing to give them a couple of cows. It was nothing compared to the “few years of peace and quiet away from Geryon” as he put it. 

“Well, that’s 10 out of 12.” 

Momo dropped her fork on her 3rd plate with a quiet clatter. She patted her stomach gently as a content expression stretched across her face. 

Chaeyoung’s loud straw sipping was her only response. Momo rolled her eyes at the noise but smiled nonetheless. 

“What’s the 11th Labor?” 

Momo caught the map that was thrown at her. At her questioning eyebrow raise, Chaeyoung mumbled around her straw like a dejected kid being denied dessert, “‘Hyo said I can’t look at anything magical for an hour...says it messes with the healing process.” 

“You got about 25 minutes left.” Jihyo nodded in confirmation. Her friend had suffered a concussion from the shield bash. What did she expect really—the thing was 50 pounds of pure celestial bronze! 

Momo turned back to the enchanted tablet in her hands. She laid it on the table for all to see. She and Jihyo studied the interface, watching as a red dot blinked in the middle of the lone-star state of Texas.  

Jihyo brought out their handy Labors guidebook again and flipped the pages until she reached the last quarter of the book. “If I recall correctly, the 11th Labor was to get the Golden Apples of Hesperides. There’s a single tree that grows them but it’s guarded by a hundred-headed dragon named Ladon. But before we even get to the golden apples, we have to find the garden first. All we know about it is that it’s a sacred place of Hera and that it’s located in the west.” 

The Daughter of Apollo tapped the red dot. The map zoomed in and out frantically before settling. A dashed line traveled westward from their current location. It crossed over the Sierra Nevada mountain range and faded into the northern end of the golden state of California. The two demigods blinked in surprise. 

“...the west coast? The Garden is in California?” Momo looked up. 

With a shrug of her shoulders Jihyo replied in the same unsure tone, “I mean, that’s what the map shows.” 

“I guess we’re heading to California then.” 

“Wait! Don’t forget we still haven’t finished the 10th Labor.” Chaeyoung called out after she finally emptied her drink. “We have to sacrifice the sacred cattle first.” 

“Ahh, that’s right.” 

They couldn’t move on until each labor was absolutely completed. 

Momo stared back at the map. She scratched her head thoughtfully, how were they going to find this hidden garden? Her gaze bore into the west end of the map, as if the answer would reveal itself to her. She racked her brain for anything that might help. 

Eventually she sighed and slumped back in her seat—nothing was popping up. 

The sound of boots tracking through the dirt turned their heads. Eurytion was back and stringing along three giant golden red cattle. They easily matched the demigod’s height of 6-foot tall. With the reins in his hand, Eurytion spoke, “Here’s yer cattle. These are some of the more docile ones, thought ya might appreciate that.” 

Jihyo nodded with a smile, “Thanks!” 

“Oh no, the pleasure’s all mine!” Eurytion’s deep voice rumbled as he spoke, reminding Momo of a smooth narrator which contrasted with the tanned and muscle-toned rancher’s image. “Now I can tend to the ranch in peace without Geryon nagging and hovering o’er my shoulder.” 

“Thanks for your help again.” Momo stood up, slinging her pack back on one shoulder. She grinned at the rancher, “The pie was delicious!” Eurytion let out a pleased laugh at that. 

Jihyo went ahead and secured the cattle’s reins. The red cattle could sense that she was a daughter of their patron; they all moo-ed gently in greeting. Chaeyoung came up to one to pet its soft hide, the ice bag atop her head still jiggling like an animation. 

“Here. Take these.” When Eurytion dropped a bunch of translucent spheres in Momo’s hand, she tilted her head in confusion. In her palm, they were no bigger than a tangerine. 

“These’ll bring y’all right back to the surface. You guys are headin’ to the Underworld eventually, right?” At their collective nod, Eurytion continued. “When you’ve finished yer last Labor or whatever, just crush ‘em in your hands. They’ll carry you home safely. The Underworld doesn’t exactly let people out easily.” 

“Thanks. Really.” Momo stored the magic items in her pack. If they really were going to step foot into the Underworld, then they’d definitely need this. 

“Aww, s’nothing.” Eurytion adjusted his cowboy hat. “Y’all dealin’ wit something Evil here. With a capital ‘E’! It’s the least I could do.” His stomach rolled at the mention of their quest and the prophecy. The 12 Labors were no joke. Add a powerful but unknown evil entity and a curse on their Camp was like a cherry on top. How sweet. 

“Safe travels y’all.” Eurytion waved to the demigods from the gates of the ranch. “And good luck! You’ll be needing it for the last part of your quest.” 

With the big, red cattle in tow, the demigods headed westward. The 10th Labor was still in progress and wouldn’t be done until they brought the cattle to offer to one of the Gods. 

/ 

Luckily for them, a shrine for Hera was only a few miles west of the Triple G Ranch. They debated over which of the Gods to sacrifice the cattle to, but for some reason it only felt appropriate to give them to Hera. Momo only hoped the other Gods would remain unbothered, she heard that some of them could hold grudges for really insignificant reasons. 

Another grandiose temple in the middle of nowhere. Man, the Gods really know where to pick ‘em, huh. 

Jihyo led the string of red cattle up the temple steps. They really took a liking to her. 

“Ok, in you go!” 

Jihyo patted one of the cows’ hinds as they all trudged into the temple. She and the other two waited outside for a bit. A bright white light flashed and one of the cows moo-ed, its tone was rather relaxed, almost in recognition. 

When they entered the temple, it was empty, other than the usual extravagant decor and the offerings. Similar to all the other temples they’ve been in, the interior was decorated lavishly. The only difference was that the carvings weaved into the walls were of Hera and her plethora of symbols. 

Jihyo walked up to the offering bowl, getting out a couple of golden drachmas and fresh pomegranates. Chaeyoung stood by the entrance, a respectable distance between her and the giant Hera statue. She mumbled something about her old man and staying away from someone’s clutches. Momo stood somewhere between her two friends. Taking in the detailed stone depictions with wide eyes, she was still in awe that places like this existed in the modern age. 

Once done with her offerings, Jihyo dropped a torch that carried the sacred flame from the fire pit beneath the Goddess’s statue. The basin went up in flames but bore no real heat as the fire consumed the offerings. After the flames cleared, the large bowl was replaced with a few pieces of gold. 

Jihyo picked it up and the two demigods watched attentively. She turned to her companions with wide eyes, flashing the item in their direction. “I think we found a way in to the Garden of the Hesperides. Or a hint of its location, at least!” 

In her hand was a golden key. Its face was marked with a seal of a peacock, Hera’s symbolic animal. Jihyo read the bold engraving that lined the edge of the key: GOLDEN GATE PARK, CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS. 

A surprised gasp escaped from Momo. “Holy Zeus, we really are going to California.” Thunder rumbled in the distance. 

“How are we getting there though? We’re still in the middle of nowhere Texas.” 

Jihyo brought up her other hand. Apparently, Hera already thought of that since golden tickets were being held in Jihyo’s grasp. The tickets read: OLYMPUS EXPRESS - VIP ONE WAY TO SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. 

Chaeyoung spluttered out a laugh. This was like being handed a prize on a silver platter. “Hey, maybe this Labor might be in our favor this time!” 

Momo grinned at the sound of her friend’s high spirits. It couldn’t hurt to hope. They left a few more fresh fruits in the offering basin before they departed the temple grounds. The demigods eagerly made way to the nearest portal that connected to the hidden Olympus Railroad.