A dreadful feeling had sunken into Momo’s gut and lodged itself there. 

It first formed when they found an entrance into the Texas station of the Greek Underground Railroad system. 

It persisted when they presented their tickets and boarded the coach train. 

And now it was in full bloom as Momo scrambled to get a grip on the top of the moving train. The wind rushing against her back did nothing but spur her adrenaline on tremendously. She swore she could feel her heart beating in her ears as she struggled with her clamminess. Her hand finally caught a grip on a piece of dull metal, a latch on the side compartment, and with a sense of terrified relief she used it to haul herself back on top of the train car. 

She laid there on her back for a moment, just to feel the air rushing desperately in and out of her lungs. The din of battle and shouting sounded muffled against the erratic thumping of her heartbeat. 

 

Momo rolled and stumbled onto her feet and faced what caused her to nearly fall off the speeding train in the first place. 

A snarling mouth, with drool dripping down the jagged teeth of the monster. It’s hot acidic breath culminated into a visible green haze with every puff of its ugly face. 

Drakons, Jihyo had called them. They were serpent-like monsters, scaly and agile and dangerous. They were small though unlike their grown and giant forms. Jihyo suspected that they were babies, only halfway into their first millennia. 

She scoffed as she took in the hideous sight of the creature once more. Momo didn’t care if they were baby serpents or not. This monster smacked her overboard with its hard-plated scale tail! 

With a twist of her ring, her sword flashed into her hand. Her hand curled around the handle smoothly, taking comfort in the now familiar gesture. She widened her feet to take on a defensive stance; she had to keep in mind that they were on a moving train. 

The drakon across from her hovered in place, its small leathery wings beat rhythmically as it eyed her warily. The demigod trained her sight on its hard-plated tail, watching as it flickered back and forth, looking for any indication of its next move. 

Her eyes drifted, spotting Chaeyoung and Jihyo fighting their own drakon a few train cars ahead. 

 

An alarming hiss brought Momo back. By pure reflex, she ducked and rolled to the side, managing to barely avoid the drakon’s sudden lunge. Still in a crouch, Momo turned around to face her enemy directly. Her eyes locked onto the monster as she spun her sword in her hand. They circled each other, both parties wary and on high alert. This drakon was faster than your average monster, Momo cataloged the fact.  

The small serpent lunged at her again with a terrifying hiss, the sound sending involuntary shivers down her spine. Momo leaped to the side but not before slashing its underbelly. It only managed to produce a shallow cut. Dark and gooey blood trickled out, sizzling as soon as it came into contact with the air. An angry snarl rumbled from the drakon, now flapping its wings in an irate manner. 

They were in a standstill—the angry drakon and her, motionless as they gauged each other. The rush of wind and the din of fighting was still present but it sounded muted as she concentrated on the creature in front of her. 

Momo dashed forward, right into the path of the drakon. The serpent appeared relatively surprised before it coiled back and launched itself at the demigod. She forced her body down into a slide, right under the monster. Momo grunted as she swung her sword straight across its stretched-out body. The hard-plating of the drakon put up a tough resistance but with the additional momentum, the demigod was able to separate the monster clean into two. 

The drakon yelped as it was cut in half, its bloody guts spilling out as it flopped helplessly to the ground. Momo didn’t have time to relish in her victory. She was still directly under the beast. That was one part she didn’t think of when she went in for that slide. 

Momo frantically threw one arm across her face, rolling away in hopes that she wouldn’t suffer too much from the monster’s acidic blood. Her long shirt sleeve barely covered her face in time as the acid splattered onto her and boiled right through the cloth. Momo cried out in sharp pain before ripping the tattered material off. 

The only damage done was on her forearm fortunately. Two inches of the area was affected, and her skin burned intensely with every second that passed. Momo gritted her teeth as she fumbled for her water bottle. She dumped it all over her forearm, flushing out whatever acid that remained. 

She breathed out in relief when it was done. Her arm still ached but at least the acid was no longer on her. Plus the water had a brief healing effect. 

Perks of being Poseidon’s daughter, ha!  

 

A touch to her shoulder startled her badly. Momo was about to jump up and start swinging her sword again. Luckily she recognized the hand belonging to Jihyo. She and Chaeyoung were alright, having been victorious in their respective fights. A peek to the side gave Momo the sight of severed drakon corpses. 

Jihyo and Chaeyoung stood weary before her. Their clothes were rumpled and their skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat, same as her post-battle self. There were sizzling holes scattered along the hem of Chaeyoung’s shirt but she looked relatively unharmed. 

“You alright?” Jihyo asked her. Her eyes scanned her friend without waiting for her response. As expected from the medic. 

Momo nodded tiredly, “Yeah… what about you guys?” 

“Please, those squirts were nothing.” Chaeyoung jokingly flexed her arm. Jihyo snorted as she proceeded to apply one of her abundant ointments before bandaging the burned part of Momo’s arm. Momo is still amazed that the Daughter of Apollo could do all that within five minutes. 

“I picked a few of their scales off… could probably fashion some kinda scale armor…” Chaeyoung deterred off from her words, suddenly engrossed in formulating armor designs. 

Momo scanned the top of the train once more, looking for anything out of the ordinary. “Let’s get back down. Nothing much up here now.” 

 

The demigods climbed down to re-enter the train. The warmth from inside washed over them, making them release audible sighs. One of the train staff approached, thanking them for their assistance. Turns out that the drakons were from a smuggled shipment. Seems like someone wanted to sell the serpent hatchlings on the black market. 

The trio made it back to their cabin, physically slumping over in the plush seats. Momo’s back practically molded to the comfortable cushion. 

Jihyo eyed the passing scenery, “We should get some rest. There’s still  a few hours until we reach San Francisco.” 

“Sounds great! A hot meal sounds great too.” Chaeyoung’s hand stretched out to grab a menu. A round of drakon slaying and she could definitely go for some grub right about now. 

Momo knocked out as soon as Jihyo finished her sentence. The warm and toasty train, coupled with the fatigue from the drakon duel, made it easy for her to slip into comfortable slumber. 

Now if only she could figure out a way to keep those demigod dreams away. 

 

/ 

 

Dark and hazy and musty. A shroud of mist pooled into the obscure shadowy realm. 

Momo could see her hands in front of her. Nothing else though. Anything beyond arm’s reach was simply dipped in dark, deep shade. 

The mist had a tinge of green. A dull green that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her skin felt hot and cold, a sense of discomfort encompassing her. The color reminded her of poison.  

It was only then that she realized that she was wading through some sort of liquid. Definitely not land. She trudged forward, the murky liquid doing its best to slow her movement. 

Momo could sense something. It remained on the outskirts of the shadows. Or perhaps it was one with the shade. Whatever it was, it creeped in the peripheral of her vision, feeling like it was everywhere at once. A potent omniscient presence. 

She continued moving forward. For there was simply nothing else she could do. 

The green tinge gave way to red. The murky liquid turned into thick sludge that came up to her knees. She felt trapped, like prey in a pit. Horror filled her stomach as a fleeting thought passed by; was this blood she was wading through? 

Then a rumble came. 

Deep and with ill intent. The sound shook her surroundings. It echoed in the void. The mist became thicker until it felt like she was suffocating in it, like it had come alive and started to wrap around . Another rumble came, this time shaking and sloshing the murky waters violently. 

Another rumble and then— 

HISSSSSSS 

 

/ 

 

Momo bolted up in alarm, feeling like she’d just been shot with electricity. Her body was tense, her hands held the seat in a white-knuckled grip. She gasped for air as her eyes frantically darted around. 

Steam hissed outside their cabin window. It was just the train releasing steam. 

Recognizing that she was still in the train cabin, she began to calm down. Jihyo sat asleep across from her, Chaeyoung also in dreamland next to her. Her friends were here and they were safe. She was still on board the train and she was safe. Momo took a few more deep breaths, silently echoing the word. 

Safe, safe, safe…  

It was only when she raised a hand to her head and brought it down that she realized a sheen of cold sweat coated her face. With disgust smeared on her face, she went to the train’s bathroom to freshen up. 

 

When she returned to their cabin, the train was noticeably slowing down. The wheels hissed and squealed at the friction, the train itself produced sparks and steam as the momentum died down. The train let out a nice symphony of bells and whistles and horns to signal that they had arrived at the station. 

Momo turned to her companions who were just beginning to rouse from their sleep. 

“A’r...we thereee yet...?” 

Chaeyoung’s sleep-addled mumbling filled the quiet space. The fiery smith could barely open her eyes and Momo chuckled at the sight. She tugged her sleepy friend up and out of the cabin. 

Jihyo, on the other hand, arose quietly with no complaints. She merely stretched like a satisfied cat before grabbing their bags. 

The demigods descended the train and stepped onto the station’s platform. Despite the train being powered by steam and godly magic, the station took on a more modern look. The only way Momo could describe it was a fusion of mythical magic and modern tech; a hybrid concept, you could say. It was fascinating but would probably give her a headache if she thought too deep into it. Chaeyoung got a kick out of it though—of course the child of Hephaestus would. 

Momo’s mind briefly wondered to a certain Daughter of Athena. Would Sana be the same? Fawning over the design of the Olympus Express and the stations? Momo hid an amused snort. Sana would probably be sprouting off facts about the architecture and when each station was built and all that. Of course she would. 

 

“Let’s get some real food. Not that what the train had was bad but… I need something more substantial.” Chaeyoung suggested as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. 

Jihyo looked at the station directory once they all agreed. Luckily for them, a little family eatery was still open and not too far from their stop. The demigods found it easily, a Greek symbol was posted next to the sign. Only visible to those with the ability to see it, of course. 

They entered the little shop. An elderly grandma greeted them and led them over to a table with a nice window view. She cooed before leaving them with some menus, some hard candies and a pinch of their cheeks. 

Opening up a menu, Momo started the conversation. “We should take a look at the prophecy again. I feel like so much has happened but we’re still clueless on what we’re looking for.” A small frown tugged on her lips, they really haven’t found anything significant yet. 

Jihyo glanced over the menu while Chaeyoung rummaged through their packs. 

“You’re right. So far we haven’t found any ‘black matter’ or any ‘evil faces’ .” 

Momo bit her lip. Suddenly the weird dreams she’s been having recently surfaced in her mind. Should she tell them about it? What if they’re just dreams… but Nayeon had said that demigods often get prophetic dreams. She internally debated with it; she had an inkling that the dreams were somehow related to their quest… but on the off chance that it wasn’t... She didn’t want to worry her friends for nothing. 

 

 

So into her thoughts, Momo flinched when Chaeyoung slammed her hand on the table. Correction: Chaeyoung slammed something onto the table. 

(Well… she wouldn’t put it past Chaeng to actually bodyslam the table.)

“Alright, gang!” Chaeyoung flipped open the notebook she had thrown on the table. With a pencil ready she said, “Let’s crack open this prophecy again.” 

And so a discussion began as they tried to recap everything that has happened since the start of the quest. The elderly grandma interrupted them halfway through, bringing the food they ordered before sauntering off to tend to the quaint eatery. 

“We have a few items from the Labors. Like that snake fang and those scales… but they could easily be related to the monsters we fought.” 

Momo munched on her food, getting a distasteful eyeful from Jihyo when she spoke with full. She stuck her tongue out and merely laughed when Jihyo retaliated with throwing a napkin at her. 

“The cursed haven is Camp for sure. All those scrambled Iris Messages proved it.” 

A sigh and some scribbling occurred.

“Still no clue on where the rays of the Sun are.” 

More scribbling. Clangs of forks and spoons accompanied it in the background. 

“No sign of any tridents either. But we did get the ‘embracing flames’ part...I hope.” 

Jihyo and Momo glanced at their third member. Chaeyoung shot them an easy grin. Momo proudly smiled at her, at least that was dealt with. 

“The Labors have led us here this far. Let’s see where it takes us next. Maybe we’ll get some answers at this Conservatory.” 

The trio finished up their little discussion and dove into their food. No point in sitting and talking when the answer was waiting for them. 

 

/ 

 

“Golden Gate Park!” 

Chaeyoung jumped from the steps of the bus. She stood still for a moment, taking in the vibrant green grass lawn and colorful flowers. Of course, they only saw a portion of the park. The entire park was about 1,017 acres after all. 

“Never thought I’d get to see it!” Chaeyoung eyed some park-goers that were chilling on a part of the field, lounging on a picnic blanket with not a care in the world. The sight reminded her of Camp, giving her heart a little ping of homesickness. Maybe they go on another picnic soon, all of them. 

Momo thanked the bus driver, slipping him a golden drachma before getting off. She joined Jihyo and Chaeyoung with bright eyes, taking in the fresh air of the park. “So where’s this Conservatory?” 

“Ahh,” Jihyo squinted at the map. “Here! In the northeast section of the park. It’s only a street away from this bus stop.” 

“Let’s get moving!” 

The bright sun shone down as if to accent the pretty landscape of the park. It was a weekday, so not many people were around. The sidewalks were sparse but the occasional passerby would greet them on their way. 

 

Soon enough, the demigods were standing on the steps leading up to an impressive building. Surely this was the Conservatory of Flowers. 

It was an elaborate greenhouse, stylized by its Victorian-era architecture. The structural foundation was white wood. Glass panels decorated every inch of its surface, glinting in the shining sunlight. Somehow, it reminded Momo of the glittering surface of the camp lake. In the center was the main building accompanied with a second-storied arched glass dome, easily towering at a height of 60 feet (18 m). Connected to the main housing were symmetrical wings that expanded into the west and east direction. The wings were accented with wooden arches from one end to the other, totaling an impressive reach of 240 feet (73 m). 

Chaeyoung let out a whistle, appreciating the little details of the woodwork and its ornamental style. From afar, it didn’t look like wood. More like a small and elaborate Victorian building that belonged on the grounds of a castle. 

They spent a couple more seconds staring at the building. “Do we just walk right in?” 

“I guess so…” Jihyo pulled out the golden key that gained from the Temple of Hera. It glowed brighter in the sunlight. She wondered if it was the proximity to the Conservatory. 

The demigods walked up to the main doors. From here, Momo could see a peek of the greenhouse rooms. She could sense the water flowing from the pipes inside, all the way to the rooms adorned with aquatic plants. 

Jihyo slotted the key into the door. The key turned by itself with a click and she pushed it open. She closed the door gently and locked it after they entered. Can’t risk any mortals stumbling in. 

 

“Where’s this so-called garden?” 

Momo looked west, a gallery of tropical plants. Looking east revealed the aquatic plants section. A shimmer drew her attention. Her eyes shifted back to the west tropical garden. She made her way over, trying to get a closer look at whatever caught her eye. The garden contained rows of colorful flora and a small fountain at the end of the room. 

Something was drawing her to the fountain. And it’s not the water this time. 

As they approached the fountain, the golden plaque on the marble shimmered. It was Greek, Momo knew that for sure. For a second, she couldn’t read the jumble of symbols. But then the words started shifting. 

Once legible, the plaque revealed bold, black Greek lettering that read: GARDEN OF THE HESPERIDES  

“Is… is this it?” Chaeyoung looked around the greenhouse in confusion. It couldn’t be that simple. “This can’t be it, right?” 

Jihyo crouched by the plaque, “Hold on…” 

She brushed the metal with her hands, trying to see if there was anything else. A faint glimmer appeared again, this time spreading to the rest of the pool of water. A few vines were covering the bottom of the golden plaque. She moved them aside revealing a slot in the marble itself. 

Jihyo looked back at her friends. Their faces matched her befuddled expression. Momo shrugged her shoulders, “Looks like a key slot… can’t hurt to try?” 

She turned back to the slot, this time inserting the golden key. A loud click echoed in the silent garden, the key turned itself before sinking into the slot. A panel of marble slid down, effectively sealing the slot away. More mechanical noises arose from the small water fountain, sounding similarly to gears clicking and shifting. The water sprouts receded into the fountain base and then the pool of water glowed intensely. 

The trio shielded their eyes instinctively. This was a familiar act, one that meant they were on the right path. When the intensity lowered, they turned back. The water of the fountain was glowing but there wasn’t any water present. Instead, it looked like a whirlpool of golden energy. 

 

Like a portal.  

 

“Oh great, another whirlpool.” 

“...what are the chances that’ll lead us to the real Garden of the Hesperides?” 

They stared at the glowing portal with rightful caution. No one knew where it led to. For all they knew, it could be a trap. Monsters could be waiting on the other side, eagerly waiting to gobble up foolish demigods. 

“Well,” Chaeyoung shrugging in a carefree manner. Uh-oh. Momo knew that look. “Only one way to find out.” 

“What are you—”

“YEET!”

And that was the last thing Chaeyoung said before she jumped head first into the portal. Her body disappeared cleanly through the space. 

Jihyo and Momo looked at the portal with their mouths wide open. 

“Did—did she just say yeet?” 

“...I believe so.” 

Momo snickered and grabbed Jihyo’s hand before following Chaeyoung’s lead. Jihyo let out a shout as they both fell through the portal. 

“NOT AGAIN!” 

The glowing portal hummed as golden wisps of energy curled across the void. It let out a powerful thrum—once, twice, three times—before warping in on itself. With the portal gone in a flash, the fountain returned to a pool of water with a mechanized click and whir. 

 

/ 

 

Momo had shut her eyes as she braced herself. Air rushed by her ears like she was traveling at a great speed. 

And then everything just stopped. 

She was surprised when she landed on soft grass. She was expecting something more wet. They had just jumped into a water fountain after all. A grunt came from her left, coming from Jihyo who was laid on her back. 

“You alright?” 

She asked Jihyo as the two gathered themselves from the fall. The portal remained a few feet away from them, still humming like it was back in the greenhouse. 

“I’m fine.” The Daughter of Apollo dusted herself off before raising her head. She looked around with a cautious gaze. “More importantly, where are we?” 

Momo looked around too. All around her was lush green, tall trees and blooming flowers. Even the grass looked like it was embedded with shimmery evening light. The air was of a sickeningly sweet aroma of fruit and honey. She knew this was the fabled Garden of the Hesperides instinctively. The telltale aura of the place gave it away—anything related to the Gods had the same energy. 

“I think… we’re in the Garden of the Hesperides. For real this time.” 

Jihyo grunted, still a little disgruntled from the jump through the portal. “You see any golden apples?” 

Momo shook her head at the question. “No, but I do see Chaeng.” 

 

Momo and Jihyo approached their friend, getting into a similar crouch behind a large bush. 

“Why are you crouching?” Momo whispered inquisitively. What was there to hide from? 

“Over there,” Chaeyoung whispered back and tried her best to point past the leafy bush. “The Hesperides themselves.” 

There in a clearing full of brilliantly colored flowers were the Hesperides, beautiful western nymphs of the sunset and the ocean. They guarded Hera’s Garden themselves. The caramel tone skin of the nymphs shined in the reflected light, and their silky black hair flowed like waves down their shoulders. The white Greek chitons they wore fluttered with every movement, like it was enchanted to accent their beauty. 

Behind the dancing nymphs laid the hundred-headed dragon Ladon, resting beneath a five-storied apple tree. On either side of the tree were large, black marble-polished rectangle stepping stones that were magically enchanted to stay in midair. They led themselves up, providing a clear path to the golden apples that resided on every bough of the imposing tree. 

Ladon was motionless in its rest. Occasionally, one of its massive heads shifted. The guard dragon had its eyes all over the garden, as that was its sole purpose. 

 

“Well, there’s the golden apples.” Momo focused on the golden fruit, just sitting there on the tree branches, ripe and gleaming. She could smell their ripe fragrance from here and if she didn’t know any better, the scent made her want to walk right out of her cover. A dangerous temptation indeed. 

“Got a plan?” Chaeyoung directed her question to her friends as she kept watch. 

Jihyo kept quiet as she tried to strategize. “The Hesperides are dangerous. They could easily enchant us with their singing and make us dance to our deaths, literally. On the other hand, a fight with a hundred-headed dragon sounds just as bad.” She grimaced at both outcomes. 

Momo squinted as she observed the clearing. One of Ladon’s heads snapped at a Hesperides when she got too close. The nymph shrieked before swatting the air in annoyance. A dragon head growled back at her and the nymph scurried away. 

The trio quietly observed the Garden’s inhabitants a little longer. Would they face off with Ladon? Could they even defeat a hundred headed dragon? Or was it gonna be a battle against the Hesperides? It would be a losing battle—the nymphs had centuries to hone their charmspeaking abilities after all. 

Something clicked in her mind as Momo watched their interactions. 

“Are the nymphs and Ladon friendly? They don’t look like it.” 

Still watching the clearing, Momo pointed out her observation. Some of the Hesperides avoided the dragon, others looked like they were on the edge of fighting the hundred-heads themselves. 

Jihyo quietly brought her fist down on her other hand, Momo could physically see her friend’s aha! moment. It was cute. “Back then, the Hesperides originally were to guard the golden apples. But Hera didn’t trust them very much, so she placed Ladon in her garden as an additional security.” 

“You know…” Chaeyoung rubbed her chin deviously, “Maybe we don’t have to fight this time.” 

A smirk grew on Momo’s face as she locked eyes with Chaeyoung. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?  

“If we can get the nymphs to fight Ladon instead, then maybe we can swipe one of the golden apples unnoticed. We only need one right?” 

Jihyo nodded along. She bit her lip, worrying over it in contemplation. “Right. But how are we gonna do this? Ladon literally has eyes everywhere—like a hundred pairs.” 

“We’ll just have to get Ladon to focus all its attention on the nymphs.” 

 

“Follow me and stay quiet.” 

Momo slipped into a crouch, followed by the others. They skirted the edge of the clearing, hiding behind the large trees and shrubbery. They got as close to the golden apples as much as they could. 

Momo brought out a shimmery, iridescent scale. One of the scales she picked up after the battle with the Lernean Hydra. Guess it was worth hanging onto. She waited until a few of the Hesperides ambled closer to Ladon. The demigods were tense as they hid, nothing but the nymphs’ sweet singing was heard in the garden. 

Once a nymph got dangerously close to Ladon, Momo used the reflective properties of the scale to reflect a beam of sunlight into several of Ladon’s eyes. Making sure that the dragon was properly irritated and moving, she directed the light into the black, starry eyes of the nearest nymph. As soon as the nymph shrieked, she pocketed the scale and laid low. 

The offended nymph shifted her attention to the hundred-headed dragon who was closest to her. She began hollering at it, complaining about the stab of light in her eyes without a clue of what was actually happening. Ladon agitatedly puffed out a cloud of smoke from one of its mouths, several more heads rose to attention from the shrill noise coming from the nymph. 

The other nymphs looked at the scene; they halted their melodic singing and made their way over to crowd around. The offended nymph argued with Ladon’s heads, her voice rising higher and higher the longer she was yelling. Ladon offered growls and snarls in response, no point in hiding its animosity and annoyance. Several dragon heads puffed out more smoke clouds as the squabbling escalated. 

The scene was ridiculous to watch. The demigods would have found it hilarious if it weren’t for the fact that this plan could backfire on them at any moment. With them caught in the cross-fire. 

 

Luckily for them, the nymph had just about had it. 

 

Ladon puffed out another dark cloud of smoke and this time it went straight to the Hesperide. The nymph was so shocked that she froze up. The other Hesperides gasped in disbelief, one even clutched her chest and her pearl necklace! The smoke dissipated quickly but the damage was already done. The once pristine white chiton was turned into ashy grey cloth. Her caramel skin turned dark and reddish as anger filled her face. The nymph shrieked a battle cry, which was super loud and enhanced by her immortal prowess. 

Momo winced and covered her ears. The angry shriek reached all the way to the edge of the clearing. Damn! What a pair of lungs, girl!   

She was engrossed in watching the fight break out until there was a nudge at her side. “Now’s our chance!” 

The Hesperide had launched herself at Ladon in a fit of rage. She clambered onto one of the dragon’s heads, batting the lanky limbs with her bare fist. The other nymphs either egged her on or joined in on the fighting. Apparently they had quite a few years of repressed emotions to air out. 

Momo led the way as they crept through the flora. The demigod sneaked a peek at the commotion, wincing just as a nymph got thrown off the top of a dragon head. Yikes, is their relationship that bad?  

“Man, they must’ve been at each other’s throats for centuries!” 

“Whatever the case, let’s hurry!” Momo stood under the giant apple tree. She checked out the unfolding battle before hiding behind the lowest stepping stone. 

Jihyo nocked back an arrow, took careful aim, and fired a quiet arrow at a golden apple. It knocked the stem loose, the apple swaying back and forth before it dropped. Momo had to slide onto her belly to catch the apple. She landed with a muffled grunt and hoped she was quiet enough. 

“Nice! Let’s get out of here!” Momo slipped the golden apple into her pack, making sure to secure it properly. It’d be a shame to lose it after all that effort. 

 

The demigods sneaked their way back to the portal. Thankfully the fight between the Hesperides and Ladon had escalated further. Now there were a dozen more nymphs hanging off the many heads of the guard dragon. Ladon roared and shook its entire body roughly in an attempt to fling the nymphs off. 

Momo breathed out in relief when the golden portal was in sight. She didn’t hesitate as she ran straight into it and emerged on the other side in mid air. She flailed her arms before landing on all fours. 

Oh my Gods, my hands and knees! A painful whimper escaped her. 

Jihyo and Chaeyoung emerged from the portal as well. They didn’t have time to stick the landing seeing as they collided into each other in mid air. Jihyo groaned while pushing Chaeyoung off of her. 

The portal thrummed once again before warping itself close. The water sprouts resumed their job of spraying water. The water fountain was no longer a portal and the key slot from earlier remained sealed. 

There wasn’t a single trace of the portal anywhere. 

Momo had a feeling that this was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. She sent a quick thanks to Lady Hera. After all, it was one thing to allow demigods into a Goddess’s sacred garden. It was another to allow the taking of a Golden Apple of immortality. 

Jihyo hauled herself up with the help of Chaeyoung, the child of Hephaestus gave a cheeky grin in return. “Did you guys see that? Those nymphs went all WWE Smackdown on the dragon!” 

Momo laughed hard at that comment. She doesn’t think she’ll ever forget the image of a Hesperide jumping off one of the tall marble steps to elbow slam a dragon head in the face. 

 

“Let’s get a move on. I don’t wanna be here if Ladon and those Hesperides decide to continue their wrestling match here.” Jihyo adjusted her backpack, already moving towards the main building of the Conservatory. 

The demigods returned to the intersection where the main doors were now in their sight. But just before Jihyo could turn the doorknob, Momo stopped in her tracks. 

...something felt off... 

Call it her gut instinct or the Fates at play. Whatever it was it prevented her from leaving, like they still had business left in the Conservatory. 

She turned around trying to figure out what the weird feeling was. She paused, coming to a complete stop when she spotted something highly unusual—and that’s saying something for a demigod! 

“Hey guys… am I tripping or was that there before?” 

At Momo’s doubtful tone, Jihyo and Chaeyoung turned back to look at her. They followed her gaze to the middle of the room. A pristine fluted marble column sat in the center of the room. Its surface was perfectly flat, almost as if its purpose was a pedestal for a specific object. The height of the column came up to her waist. 

“Yeah, ok… that definitely wasn’t there when we got here.” 

Chaeyoung nudged Momo with her elbow. “...why don’t you go take a look.” 

Momo turned to look at Chaeyoung. The demigod had a cheeky expression on her face. This was probably payback for the Mares of Diomedes. “Wha—fine.” 

 

 

Momo released a reluctant sigh as she cautiously approached the marble column. Up close, it looked normal enough. She placed her palm on the flat surface and blinked in confusion when a square portion of it sank down. 

Nothing happened. 

She blinked again before repeating the motion. Still nothing. It was like the pedestal was for something of a specific weight. Her mind traveled—what could the pedestal be waiting for? 

A few long seconds passed before she muttered, “Oh. Oh.” 

The Daughter of Poseidon opened her pack, looking for the object she had in mind. She pulled out the golden apple with an “aha!”  

Chaeyoung and Jihyo were a few steps behind her watching curiously. Momo hovered her hand above the pedestal, only hesitating briefly with the golden apple in her grip. She looked back at her friends for… well, anything really. She was met with a confused shrug and a casual smile. Thanks guys, love that confidence…  

Momo snorted at them before turning her attention back to the pedestal in front of her. 

“Here goes nothing…” 

She placed the golden apple down on the pedestal. Stone panels grinded against each other as the marble platform sank down slowly... then it halted. 

Nothing else happened. The demigods were quiet and still clueless. Momo opened to say—

 

 

Then the entire column let loose a powerful thrum ! 

 

The golden apple began physically humming as it flared out pure light. It was too bright for the demigods, making them back away and look elsewhere. The light from the apple transferred to the column, turning the white marble into a radiant block of gold. The pedestal rumbled as its hidden mechanisms were shifted into motion. The flat surface holding the golden apple sank further down until it was out of sight. 

But the rumbling noises continued. 

Now it was the brightly lit golden column that sank into the ground in a spiraling motion. Down and down it went into the tiled floor. Replacing the spot of the column was a solid glowing circle. It pulsed a few times before the glow spread across the floor. 

Momo stepped back to get out of the range of the moving light. She didn’t notice it before but there was an intricate circular carving on the floor. The golden light rhythmically pulsed as it began filling in the circular carving. In her eyes, it looked like golden nectar was flowing through the circle’s carved channels. 

Only when the light finished spreading did she realized that it was actually a star map. A star map! Who even uses those anymore.  

Golden lines criss-crossed all over the circle. Connected to them were golden dots that littered the floor, they glowed similar to the stars in the sky. There was a single large dot that pulsed at a constant pace. 

“Uh… anybody know how to read a star map?” Momo asked the question out loud with a stunned look on her face. 

To be honest she was still stunned by what just happened. It kinda felt like she just witnessed art in the making. The carving on the floor, now filled with golden light, looked like a constellation plucked straight out of the night sky. 

 

“Oh! Hold on a second…” Chaeyoung exclaimed, hurriedly pulling out her enchanted map from her bag. 

“I think there’s some kind of related feature on here…” Chaeyoung murmured as she started messing with its interface. 

A little button smashing here and some screen swipes there happened before Chaeyoung yelled, “I got it! Try turning that gear-looking section right there.” 

With a hop and a skip over, Momo did as told and turned the glowing jagged gear on the star map. She was surprised that she could even touch it; with how fluid the golden light appeared, she thought it was some form of liquid. Turns out it’s actually solid! 

The golden dot pulsed faster after Momo’s physical interaction. The ground rumbled again and then the entire carving shifted. Each section of the star map rotated clockwise before moving in different directions. 

In an attempt to get a closer look, Momo crouched down; she could see that there was actually a hidden mechanism embedded into the ground and all along the carving. She guessed that its purpose could only be started with a golden apple. That would explain how dusty the mechanism was; almost nobody dared to enter Hera’s Garden and take one of the apples. 

The mechanism stopped moving after a final click . The star map transformed into a more familiar image—a modern map. The light was still fixated on a particular area. 

The golden light pulsed again. This time, all of the light gathered in the center, culminating into a golden luminescent ball. It hovered for a bit before flying towards Chaeyoung and hitting her map straight on. 

“What…?!” 

The tablet in her hands lit up upon impact. Its interface warped in a continuous pattern until it refocused, showing a clear and specific location this time. 

“...I didn’t even know it could do that.” Chaeyoung quietly muttered in awe. Her eyes gazed at the map trying to decipher the new image. 

“Look guys! It’s still showing California.” 

“Good.” Momo and Jihyo moved to her side. “That means we don’t have to travel far.” 

A bright red circle was pinned to the map. The words Los Angeles, California floated above it, along with the words DOA. Then the circle moved beneath it. 

“Any clue on what DOA stands for?” 

Momo shrugged, she was as clueless as the others were. “No clue. Let’s hurry though, we’ve finally reached the last Labor.” 

“And another step closer to this ‘Evil’ .” 

The demigods nodded grimly at the reminder before moving along. 

 

The star map faded back into an intricate floor carving when they finally exited the Conservatory. Momo could hear the distinct sound of gears shifting as the floor returned to normal, just as the door closed shut. 

Sinking beams of sunlight hit them, accompanied by a chilly breeze. The sun was much lower than it was when they first arrived, almost nearing nighttime. 

“How long were we in there for?” Momo was confused. Didn’t they just get here? The 11th Labor didn’t take that long… did it? 

“Time must pass differently in the Garden.” Jihyo supplied when she saw her confused face. “Mortal rules don’t always apply in sacred places. The rules are always in favor of the owner... most of the time.” 

She added the last part almost like an afterthought. Or maybe a memory. 

If they weren’t in such a rush, Momo would have asked about it. But seeing the flash of unreadable emotion in Jihyo’s eyes, however brief, made her reconsider. Maybe another time.  

“Ahh.” Momo nodded. “Well then, let’s go. Can’t waste anymore time here.” 

Chaeyoung took the lead with her map. Their feet hit the pavement as they followed the red dot like a GPS. Curious thoughts and anxious excitement swirled in their minds, wondering what was in store for them next.