Chapter Quote:
 "Your thoughts become things."
~Rhonda Byrne
_____________________________________________

Chapter 15: This is Bull

Bryn

She paced nervously back and forth in her room, waiting for Alec and Isabelle to come over in a few minutes. Bryn had already delivered the news to Silena and Brady about Amara currently taking residence in her body, and they'd taken it surprisingly well, especially her brother. In fact, he finished the sentence for her, which made the whole ordeal extremely anti-climactic. However, having the two of them not flip out made it easier.

Bryn hated having Amara inside her, but it was the only way to save her friends quickly. She dreaded telling Luke when the time came. Hopefully, he'd be understanding about it despite her horrible track record with making deals with immortals.

Bryn couldn't help but think how immortals had made her life miserable, even her divine relatives. She and Luke hadn't dated sooner because of the hissy fit they predicted Poseidon and Zeus would throw. The two of them were staunchly against it, and it was only later on Bryn realized it was because she was supposed to die, another thing they'd decided to keep from her until she started getting too cozy with Luke. Not to mention Zeus and Aphrodite letting Bryn believe her family was dead, or Hades for allowing Hallie to live in the hellish conditions she'd been in with a Cyclops, or the Big Three stupidly leaving their weapons lying about on Olympus for the taking. This was how the first war Percy was in started. Did they not learn?

Bryn's thoughts were interrupted by knocking at her door. She went to open it. Alec and Isabelle stood there, still in their pajamas. They shuffled into her room, taking a seat on the couch across from her.

"So what's this about?" asked Isabelle. "You sounded worried on the phone."

Bryn took a seat across from them on her bed, clasping her hands tightly to stop them from shaking. "Look, I must admit that without the two of you, I would not have gotten as far as I have as fast as I have. I know it wasn't smooth sailing in the beginning, but I'm grateful both of you stayed. I don't trust many people. In fact, the only people I've truly trusted up to this point are currently all in Silena and Derek's room or are about to be rescued from the last Eidolon. But after what the two of you have done for me and my friends, you deserve to know something about me. I haven't told you yet because I didn't want to lose the two people who were helping me, and if you want to leave after this, I completely understand."

Alec and Isabelle shared a look, and the latter inquired hesitantly, "What is it?"

Bryn took a deep breath. "In regards to how I bartered with Amara to get the cure for my friends, I had to make a deal with her. That deal required me to-"

"She's in you right now, isn't she?" Alec interrupted.

"I wish there were a better way to put it, but yes..." Bryn hung her head for a moment, cheeks aflame with shame. "How did you know?"

"You never did tell us how you got the information, and honestly? I know you survived Tartarus and all, but there's no way you should've been able to do half the things you've done after half the things you've been through. Like defeating Melinoë? Even an incredibly powerful demigod shouldn't have been able to break through the madness, even if I did accidentally punch you. I knew something was up after that."

"Then there was Brady shouting into the air asking what you'd done when we rescued him and Derek," Isabelle added. "We didn't want to ask because you didn't trust us, and we knew you wouldn't tell us."

"I'm sorry," Bryn said softly. "I understand if you don't want to continue on the quest."

"Okay, two of you just got rescued from being possessed, another two of you just got rescued from being held hostage, and you are wearing yourself thin between taking care of everyone else, taking care of yourself, and hosting an Eidolon. We're staying," Isabelle declared.

Alec nodded towards his sister without taking his eyes off Bryn. "What she said."

Bryn smiled gratefully at them. "Thank you. Thank you so, so much."

"Now, when are we going to get the helm? I'll feel a lot better if we have it rather than leaving it on a mountain for anyone to find," confessed Alec.

"I thought I'd go after I told you."

"Let us go grab our backpacks, and we'll come get you when we're ready."

"Sounds like a plan," Bryn said. "Meet me at Silena's room. I'm going to let them know we're heading out."

The three of them left, parting ways. Bryn went to her friend's room. She found the rest of their haggard group lounging on the beds and sofa. When they saw her, they perked up, demanding to know whether or not Alec and Isabelle were staying.

"They'll be finishing the quest with us, and they suspected Amara was using me as a vessel. We're going to retrieve the helm, so we should be back later," Bryn announced. To her surprise, Derek stood up and grabbed his backpack. "What are you doing?"

"I'm coming with. If Silena and Luke could sense the Trident when we first got it, then I should be able to sense the helm. Actually, speaking of the Trident, is it still in your bag?"

Bryn pulled Poseidon's weapon out of her backpack, the power radiating in her hands. "I want to bring it on the mission with us, but I think it best if we leave it here with Silena."

"We're literally just going to be sitting in the room, though," the Jackson girl pointed out.

"True, but you have the heritage to use it, and considering you, Brady and Bradley have all just been rescued and aren't up to full strength, I'd feel better if you had this with you."

"What about Derek? He's not wholly well either."

"No, but I have three demigods who are," Derek said. "If anything goes south, I have them. I'll be fine. I'll be back later."

"You better."

Derek kissed her on the head. "I will."

A knock interrupted the conversation. Derek and Bryn opened the door to reveal Alec and Isabelle ready to go. With final farewells, the demigods set off to the Tianzi Mountains, which were shrouded in a fine mist. Bryn felt a surge of apprehensiveness rush through her but pushed it down. She couldn't let fear get to her now.

Bryn let Alec and Isabelle lead the way while she hung back with Derek, who appeared to be silently struggling. Not saying a word, Bryn took a small vial of nectar out of her backpack and handed it to him. Derek smiled thankfully and took a swig.

"Thanks," he said.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Bryn whispered, nudging him lightly with her elbow.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I have to be. Otherwise, you three could be searching for weeks, and we don't have that kind of time."

"Fine, but if we come across any danger, hide. You're not in the best shape to fight, and I want you to save your strength for when we face Balthazar."

"I'm not ready to face him. Does Amara have any tips on how to handle him?"

"No, she's been strangely quiet. I usually hear from her by now, but not today. She's still there though, I can feel her. Besides, I think it's the same way we handled Phlegon and Damianos."

"I hope so. Maybe Balthazar will be so shocked to see her, we can use that to our advantage and take him down."

"My thoughts exactly. And once we get Luke and Hallie back, I'll return Amara back to her temple, we'll all go back to camp, and we'll return to our normal lives."

Derek snorted. "Since when have our lives ever been normal?"

"I would say whenever we're not on a quest to save the world deems as normal."

"Why do the gods keep sending us to go save the world? I wonder if this is what Percy and Annabeth felt like."

"It sucks, but I guess they know we'll succeed where others would fail."

"We can't seriously be the most competent demigods on the planet. I mean, have you seen our track record of how we won battles?"

"At this point, I'm not sure I'd trust any other demigod with these quests."

"The crappy part is, neither would I. I just want a break, you know? I want to take a vacation with our group to a part of the world where no one needs us, and we can sip margaritas and relax and not worry about anything trying to kill us."

"I can confirm that feeling is amazing."

Derek actually stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "When did you feel that?"

"When Luke and I were in Paris. I know we just escaped Snake Island, and we were heading to the next leg of our quest, but the one night we spent in Paris, I don't know... I just felt at peace, and I realized in hindsight, I went an entire twenty-four hours without thinking about monsters. All I could think about was being with Luke in this amazing city and feeling at home and-" Bryn stopped short, her voice hitching as she forced a knot down in her throat. She hadn't noticed her emotions bubbling dangerously close to the surface.

"Hey," Derek said gently, taking hold of her hand. "We're going to find him, we're going to get him back, and you two can take many, many more of those vacations."

"I know. We always do. I'm anxious, though. I'm worried about him, about Hallie, about you, about Silena and Brady and Bradley and-"

"Bryn, if we weren't up for this, we would tell you. Besides, I have a bone to pick with Balthazar for, firstly, hurting my sisters and girlfriend, and secondly, hurting my brothers, and thirdly, for making our lives a living hell. I already went to Tartarus too, so that's saying something. My rage is fueling me."

"Hell hath no fury like Derek Michaels with a bone to pick."

"I don't know. You coming to rescue us comes in a pretty close second."

"I'd be first if I didn't keep making deals with immortals?"

"I see we still have that telepathy thing going on."

Bryn smirked. "Let's go kick some ass."

The two of them started walking again. Alec peered briefly over his shoulder to see if he needed to stop. He and Isabelle had kept walking, but they'd slowed down their pace in order to avoid losing Bryn and Derek.

As they caught up to the Greenwoods, Derek asked casually, "So, Luke wouldn't tell me, but what happened in Paris? Did you and him-"

"Not going there. I am not going there."

"I'm going to take your silence as a yes."

"Take my silence however you want. I'm still not saying what happened. And you know what, why is everyone so interested in what happened between Luke and me? Why does everyone keep asking us about Paris?"

"Because you two both came back different. It wasn't hard to tell."

She sighed. "We got really close. It was just the two of us. We talked about a lot of things, and talked about the future a little bit and-"

"Are you two getting married?!" Derek exclaimed excitedly.

"No, no, no, not getting married. Not yet, at least."

"Yet?! Did you two get engaged?!"

"No!" Bryn groaned. "Aphrodite showed me a dream when we were at Pollux's, and it was of Luke and me on our honeymoon. I asked her if it was the future, and basically, it was. I don't know when it'll happen, and you can be sure I won't be telling Luke about it because I don't want to freak him out, but I really hope it is... I hope nothing changes the future I was shown."

"I'm pretty sure if you told him, he'd propose to you on the spot. But hey, look on the bright side, you're going to live long enough to see your wedding!"

Bryn couldn't help but grin. "A grandson of Poseidon and a daughter of Zeus? Who would've known?"

"Definitely not Zeus and Poseidon." The two demigods burst into a fit of laughter at the thoughts, causing Isabelle and Alec to check over their shoulders again.

After that, the conversation died away, and the four demigods set their sights on the looming Tianzi Mountains that were getting ever closer. The sense of dread Bryn felt earlier returned, and she feared what they were going to encounter. She knew Greek mythology like the back of her hand. Chinese mythology? Not so much. Maybe she should've brushed up on it before they came... but with what time? If she wasn't traipsing through a Mexican jungle trying to find an immortal being to help rescue her family, or battling it out with her family, she was sleeping to recharge her rapidly depleting energy.

In time, they finally entered the mountains, and Bryn's foot felt heavier and heavier with each step as if she wore boots made of lead. Unless her eyes deceived her, her companions were having trouble too.

Alec suddenly stopped, causing Bryn to nearly crash into him. His head swiveled around as he asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Isabelle responded. "It's just us out here."

"Does anyone else find that particularly weird? I mean, this is a popular tourist destination. Shouldn't we have seen someone by now?" Derek pointed out.

Bryn scanned the area warily. "Form up."

The demigods went back to back, weapons at the ready because despite being unable to see anything, they could undoubtedly sense it. An air of foreboding hung heavily in the air, making Bryn itch to get out of there. But whatever this thing was, she wanted to face it. She didn't like being toyed around with. She wondered what Luke would do if he were here. Probably something stupid, although it did usually tend to work in his favor, so what the hell?

Taking a step forward, Bryn challenged, "You too scared to come out and play?"

"Bryn!" hissed Alec. "What in Zeus' name are you doing?"

"Getting this monster to show itself."

"Incoming!" Derek shouted before a wall of rock erupted in front of him, narrowly saving his life from one of the most bizarre creatures Bryn had ever laid eyes on. The monster was a white bull, or at least part of it was... it also had the tail of a serpent and only one malicious red eye, which was settled in the middle of its forehead. With each step it took, the flora around its hooves wilted brown.

"Uh, any ideas on how to beat this thing?" inquired Derek, who had backed up next to Bryn.

"We're Greek demigods, not Chinese. I don't know jack about this," Alec confessed.

"Well, when in doubt, a few stabs with Celestial Bronze should do the trick," said Bryn.

"And if that doesn't work?"

"We do what we do best: we improvise." With that, Bryn charged headfirst at the weird-looking bull, sliding underneath its tail as it whipped over her head. She brought her sword up in the process, slicing cleanly through the appendage. The beast let out a howl of rage as its tail thudded to the ground, letting out a spray of green blood. Bryn deftly dodged it, muttering to herself, "That's disgusting."

Alec and Isabelle were playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse, jumping towards the bull, stabbing it, then leaping back. Meanwhile, Derek kept behind the beast, eyeing it carefully, studying it, causing Bryn to wonder what exactly her friend was about to do.

Her question was answered when the son of Hades leapt off the ground onto the evil bull's back, driving his sword deep into the monster's back. Another howl of rage erupted from the bull's mouth, but the attack didn't faze it, let alone slow it down.

"HOW?!" Derek demanded as he held on for dear life to the bucking animal.

"Try the eye!" Bryn ordered. "It can't attack well if it can't see us!"

Alec nocked an arrow while Isabelle distracted the animal. The elder Greenwood sibling waited with bated breath until he had a clean shot, then he let the arrow loose. Despite being a bullseye, it, unfortunately, didn't kill it.

"Is this like the Nemean Lion of Chinese mythology or something?" Isabelle griped.

"I have an idea!" Derek yelled. "It's stupid but-"

"And jumping on the back of a monstrous bull wasn't?" Alec retorted. Derek somehow managed to shoot a death glare at him before catching himself and the bull on fire. While the flames didn't hurt the demigod, the animal started screeching horrendously. Bryn took advantage of the open mouth to shoot a massive lightning bolt into its body. The bull began to bloat dangerously before exploding into nothingness. Derek dropped unceremoniously onto the ground, rolling onto his back and letting out a groan.

"Remind me never to do that again," he grunted as Bryn knelt down next to him to make sure he was okay.

"I have a question," Alec said. "Are all your missions like this?"

"Usually," Derek admitted. Bryn seconded the answer.

"All right, next question: does this just happen when it's you two, or are Luke and Silena just as bad?"

"They're just as bad. Luke might actually be worse."

"Last question: how the hell are all of you still alive?"

"Honestly? No idea."

"Uh, guys," Isabelle said.

"I'd like to attribute it to our phenomenal skills-"

"Guys, the t-"

"But it's probably sheer, dumb luck we survive."

"You need to-"

"Actually, one of us did die, but she came back and-"

"TURN AROUND!" Isabelle snapped angrily. Everyone looked to see what she was staring at only to find the monster fully reforming from the tail Bryn had sliced off earlier.

Derek sighed. "You've got to be shi-"

Then, as if the situation couldn't get any weirder, a new animal entered the fight. A fox to be exact, but instead of one tail, it had nine. Bryn actually knew about this creature from one of her late-night internet binges, where she started on one topic and ended on something else completely unrelated five hours later.

"It's a kitsune," Bryn breathed.

"Is it good or bad?" Alec whispered.

"Considering it's attacking the bull, I'd say good. At least for now."

"Should we help?"

"Probably."

"How?"

"Yes."

"That's not an answer."

Bryn shrugged. "I know. I don't know how to help, so I'm just acknowledging it's a good question."

"Next time it opens its mouth, I'm sending a fireball in," Derek decided aloud, pushing himself up of the ground.

"I'll shoot lightning," Bryn said.

"I'll fire an exploding arrow," Alec added.

"I'll be cheering for the three of you," Isabelle chirped. Her brother gave her a brief look of disdain, but hurriedly shifted his attention to the bull when it loosed a bellow of rage, giving the demigods the opening they needed. Simultaneously, Bryn, Derek, and Alec fired into its mouth. Like before, the bull exploded into oblivion, but with nothing to regenerate from, it stayed dead.

The kitsune dropped gracefully to the ground in front of the demigods, nodding its head to them and saying, "Xièxiè."

Derek leaned over and whispered in amusement, "What did the fox say?"

Bryn lightly slapped him in the stomach. "I'm sorry, we don't speak Chinese. Only English, Greek, Latin, Spanish, or Portuguese."

"While I can speak all those languages, I shall choose English since it seems to be your native tongue. I said, thank you. Not many people can survive a fight with Fei, let alone bickering with each other during the battle," the kitsune remarked. "What, pray tell, are four young people like yourselves doing in this part of the forest?"

"We're searching for Hades' Helm of Darkness. I'm his son, so the feeling of its presence led me over here," Derek explained.

"Oh, you're demigods? Goodness, it's been millennia since the last time I saw one."

"No offense, but usually when a mythical being says that to us, they end up trying to kill us about five minutes later."

The kitsune smiled. "I will not try to kill you. While some of my brethren cannot be trusted, I am one you can. I swear it on the Styx if that helps you believe my intentions are true. My name is Jiahao."

"How do you know about Greek mythology?" Isabelle inquired.

"I am centuries and centuries old. I'm one of only a few kitsunes who have earned all nine tails. I have researched and read everything I could get my hands on. Greek mythology being one. Besides, I have met Pan before. Lovely fellow. Now, the helm you seek, I can help you. Follow me."

The demigods shared a look before silently agreeing this was the best option they had, so they trekked deeper into the Tianzi Mountains with the nine-tailed fox leading the way.
_____________________________________________

Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoyed!