After several failed attempts, the demigods were trying yet another method of getting the prongs out of what Chaeyoung had dubbed, “THE TAR PIT OF EVIL!” 

Their latest plan involved Momo laying on Cerberus’ leg while it hovered above the tar pit. Then she would use her spear to smack the prongs out of the black goop to where Jihyo and Chaeyoung would catch it. 

The plan was working so far; she managed to fling two out of three prongs out of the tar pit. They landed onto non-goopy ground where Chaeyoung then proceeded to blast them clean with a stream of fire. After a few trial-by-errors, they found that fire was effective in removing the black goop. (Or as Chaeyoung liked to deem it as: “TRIAL BY FIRE!”) 

It left a terrible smell though. Like we’re talking worse than burning trash or stinky old milk way past it’s expiration date. 

(“...that was oddly specific, Momo. 

“...listen—it was one time, alright!”) 

The smell was reminiscent of the strong scent of monsters. A ridiculous thought popped into Momo’s head; someone could take the black goop, burn it and refine it into monster perfume and make a fortune. Yuck! 

Momo redoubled her efforts to reach the last golden prong. Underneath Cerberus’s paw, the tar pit exhaled a big bubble. It popped suddenly, splattering molten black goop everywhere. Cerberus simultaneously let out a yelp and whine, his paw shaking a bit before stabling. Momo, startled by the sting of the molten liquid and Cerberus’s jerky movement, stumbled from the edge of the creature’s appendage. 

She could hear Jihyo and Chaeyoung cry out in the background. Their gasps of shock echoed into the chilled air. 

Momo’s hands clawed at the dog’s paw, not really doing any damage as she scrambled for purchase. The demigod managed to hang on as Cerberus quickly recovered. Her pulse thrummed as she dangled from Cerberus’ paw. She let out a shaky breath as she looked down, her feet mere inches away from the hissing black slime. 

The black goo angrily sizzled and crackled as it stirred itself. 

Momo slowly climbed back up, her sweaty hands not gaining much traction as before. Eventually, the demigod secured her position before she smacked the last prong out of the tar pit. 

Cerberus withdrew its limb as soon as the prong sailed into the air. It settled its paw and Momo back onto safe non-gooey land. Chaeyoung caught the last prong in her blazing hands. The flames ate away at the black matter, slowly restoring the tarnished prong back to its golden luster. 

Momo wiped her forehead as she slumped back onto Cerberus. “Phew... that was way too close.” One of Cerberus’s heads made a small whining noise in the back of its throat. She gave the dog’s paw a soft pat, taking it as a sign of agreement. 

Chaeyoung approached her with the three prongs gathered in her hands. Up close, each golden prong measured roughly the same height as a milk gallon. Momo eyed the sharp glint coming from the tips of the weapons. Yeesh, wouldn’t want to get stabbed by one of those. 

The Daughter of Hephaestus was about to hand them over when Momo held up her hand, interrupting her. “Wait,” She warily eyed the Tartarus pit. Nothing was happening yet the feeling of darkness and pure evil poured outwards from the pit itself. It’s gloomy and dark aura seeped into their surroundings, making the Underworld feel even more miserable if that was possible. “I don’t want to trigger anything near that.” 

Chaeyoung nodded, securing the trident parts away in Momo’s backpack. Totally understandable. She still shuddered every time she glanced at the Tartarus entrance. 

The demigods plus Cerberus moved away from the Pit. They settled themselves around an abandoned campfire, closer to the fork in the road from earlier. 

“We did it guys…” Jihyo looked at Momo and Chaeyoung proudly. A wide smile was beginning to stretch across her lips. “We actually completed Hercules’s Twelve Labors!” 

Momo and Chaeyoung slowed their movements in securing their belongings. The realization hitting them only after Jihyo said it out loud. They actually did it. They actually successfully replicated all of the legendary labors of Hercules and it only took them a couple weeks! A couple of really long weeks sure, but a couple of weeks nonetheless. 

Momo, Chaeyoung, and Jihyo found themselves in a tight group huddle, jumping and yelling as they had a mini-celebration. 

A thumping came from Cerberus, shaking the ground and the three demigods. His tail wagged as he sensed their excitement and joy. Three heads tilted in various degrees, peering down at the demigods. 

Momo chuckled and held an arm out, “Get over here big guy! You helped too!” 

Cerberus let out a few enthusiastic barks before dog-piling on them. The demigods cried out as they were knocked down and slobbered all over again. 

After a few minutes of removing giant dog saliva from their clothes and bodies (again), Momo turned their attention back to their quest. It wasn’t technically finished yet. 

“Alright guys,” Momo glanced around, “We’ve completed the Twelve Labors but we’re not entirely out of the woods yet.” 

“Remember the prophecy?” Momo ticked off her fingers as she recapped what they accomplished so far. “We still need to reveal the Evil’s face and restore the rays of the Sun to lift the curse.” 

She looked back at her team, uncertainty still clouding her. “Any clue?” 

Chaeyoung plopped onto the ground cross-legged. She placed her bag in her lap, hands already digging through them. Clunking sounds rang out as she rifled through the enchanted storage space. It kinda sounded like an entire workshop was in there. Although by now, Momo wouldn’t be surprised if there really was one inside. 

Cerberus mirrored their posture; the giant dog took a seat and placed his heads on top of his paws. 

“Well… let’s take another look at all the stuff we got from the Labors. I’m sure there’s something that can help us figure it out.” 

“Good idea.” Jihyo and Momo nodded in unison. 

It took a while but soon enough there was a small pile of items in between the three of them. 

“Ok, first up! This reptile fang!” Chaeyoung held a short sword in her hands. She had fashioned the fang into a weapon after they found it in the spoils of the Nemean Lion. 

“I thought it was a fang from the lion but look at this. It’s way too thin to be a lion tooth.” 

“Hmm… how about these?” Momo pointed out the reflective scales they found after the fight with the Lernean Hydra. It’s been a helpful tool on numerous occasions. She had a feeling that it was definitely a clue; it didn’t exactly matched the same scales of the hydra. 

“This one too. This one’s a big factor.” Jihyo held up the pouch they got from Cliff the farmer. The pouch contained vials of antidotes for a specific breed of snakes. Snakes that were especially harmful to demigods, not to mention. 

Momo examined the three clues a little closer. “Alright, so we’ve narrowed it down. All of these clues gotta be snake related. I mean, just look at ‘em.” 

“So this Evil we’re facing is some kinda snake… or serpent?” Chaeyoung tilted her head, still a little confused. “But I don’t get it. What kind of monster would go through all this trouble?” 

The campsite was quiet. Lonely screams of terror occasionally interrupted the demigods as they pondered over their dilemma. 

Jihyo was quiet. Her eyes narrowed, like a revelation just came to her. 

“I think I have a hunch…only one way to find out.” 

Jihyo suddenly got up and ran back towards the tar pit. Momo and Chaeyoung stood up in alarm. But before they could do anything, Jihyo had returned with her celestial bronze sword drawn. 

She had swabbed a piece of the black goop with her sword. Her sword didn’t disintegrate; instead the black acid clung onto to the enchanted metal and sizzled ominously. Instead of walking back to their huddle, she walked over to Cerberus. 

“Cerberus, can you trace this scent?” 

Cerberus got up on all fours, excited to be addressed once again. He came closer to the demigods, moving till his noses hovered over the three clues and the demigod’s sword. Jihyo took care to make sure to not let the black matter touch any part of the giant Underworld creature. 

Cerberus’s three faces scrunched up as he sniffed the objects. His faces contorted, especially when he sniffed the goo. Then the giant dog clambered in the opposite direction. He let out a series of thundering barks before running off. 

Momo and Jihyo scrambled to their feet in alarm before immediately bolting after Cerberus. Chaeyoung sensibly lobbed all their stuff back into her bag before following behind. 

“He must have caught the scent!” 

“Of the Evil?!” 

“Yes! If we’re lucky, Cerberus can lead us directly to the source!” 

The group made it back to the cobblestone trail, the same road that led to the Underworld’s Main Gates. They were still running when Chaeyoung yelled out, “Look! He’s starting to turn transparent!” 

Cerberus was already semi-transparent. The fact that his huge body was shifting into almost full transparency meant that he was about to— 

“Shadow travel!” Jihyo shouted. She began running faster, almost in a sprint by now. “Grab onto him! If he shadow-travels now, we don’t know where he’ll end up!” 

At her words, Momo and Chaeyoung picked up their pace. Momo breathed out her nose heavily as she ran faster. Her legs burned but she was closing the distance to Cerberus. Once she was close enough, she jumped and clung onto the three-headed dog’s leg. It was a bit awkward since he was still running and every movement shook her body. Momo couldn’t see well, her vision obscured by dog fur and wind but she was pretty sure Jihyo and Chaeyoung managed to hitch themselves onto the dog as well. 

“Hang on! Whatever happens, DO NOT LET GO!” 

Jihyo shouted out in warning. Momo registered the information just seconds before Cerberus underwent full transparency. 

Her ears popped before a dull ringing set in. Darkness encompassed them all, and the last thing Momo felt was cold and slimy sensations phasing through her body.