"Yes, I am sure."
"Of course you won't have to stay there all the time. What kind of question is that?"
"If that happens, I will come get you."
"Audrey….We talked about this."
"You—what the hell? That's not true! I would never."
"…. Just keep yourself ready… It's almost time."
I lowered the Nokia from my ear and frowned at it.
That expression did not last long.
Despite my best efforts to suppress it, a smile tugged at my lips.
That girl…
She was much easier to deal with when she still thought that I was a bloodthirsty monster.
I placed my new phone against the jade jewel of the boosted gear and watched as it was sucked into my soul space.
It disappeared without making a sound.
My gaze lifted as I scrutinized my surroundings.
The ever-present rain fell heavily from the stormy clouds in a volume that easily outclassed anything I'd seen since arriving in this country.
The sun had long disappeared from on high, and the only things that still illuminated the dark landscape were the bright flashes of lightning splitting the air.
Thunder echoed across the sky in a steady cadence.
The active storm raging around me did not impede my own movements. My flight remained just as controlled as it would have been in a closed-off room.
The howling winds broke against the invisible layer of magic enshrouding me, and so did the pelting rain.
No sound managed to penetrate the magical barrier separating me from the furious forces of nature, and as such, my ears were deaf to the cacophony of noise surrounding me on all sides.
My supernatural sight was all I relied on to closely examine the landscape of Long Island beneath me.
I hovered motionlessly in the air, halfway between the thundering heavens above and the muddy ground, and waited patiently for my targets to appear.
It was a wait that had already dragged on for hours, but was also destined to come to an end soon.
"Are you ready, partner?" A rumbling voice filled the silence within my magic barrier.
"After this… the Olympians will know of your presence. There will be no going back."
I lingered for a moment.
"It's not like I have a choice in the matter. A deal is a deal… and I am a devil of my word."
The gleaming jewel on the Boosted Gear flickered.
"The gods of this realm… they are mercurial at the best of times. As quick to embrace and grant their favor as they are to cast judgement and curse." Ddraig hummed. "The next few hours will decide which version of them you shall encounter."
"That is precisely why I'll be using th—"
A stark light entered my line of sight.
My gaze dropped to the speeding car traversing the country road.
My pupils narrowed into slit as I activated the Eyes of the Dragon—my vision sharpening to unprecedented levels.
As a devil, the night already belonged to me.
The sunless sky was my natural habitat.
I could see as clearly in the dark as I could on a fully illuminated day. And yet, the vision of a devil still paled in comparison to the domineering gaze of a dragon.
My crimson eyes cut through the obsidian night with perfect clarity. Should I desire it, I could have counted each individual drop of rain colliding with the speeding Camaro.
It was that same clarity that allowed me to pinpoint the cause of the car's elevated velocity.
A bipedal monster chased after it in a wild frenzy.
Each of the beast's steps shattered the concrete road beneath it—such was the enormous power it exerted through movement alone.
The monster's bull head leaned forward as its hoofed feet thundered across the ground. The beast's furred legs and human arms were as thick as tree trunks.
Clasped tightly with both of its hands was an oversized Labrys. The cruel edges of the twin blades gleamed with a bronze hue.
It was a glow I had gotten intimately familiar with over the past few days spent with my blonde demigoddess.
Thunder clapped as lightning descended in a thick pillar of concentrated energy and struck the fleeing Camaro.
The size of the lightning bolt was prodigious, to the point that it could not have been natural.
The true culprit was apparent.
The Olympians were watching.
"Ddraig… it is time."
"BOOST"
Strength flooded me as all of my physical attributes were doubled in an instant.
The increase in power the boost granted me was incomparable to the one I had received in my fight against the ghoul less than a fortnight ago.
My baseline had risen.
Heavy steam clouds rose off the ruined Camaro.
The forked lightning bolt had instantly vaporized the water that had clung to its surface.
As soon as the bolt hit, the woman in the driver's seat lost control over the steering wheel.
The broken vehicle swerved into a ditch and the car flipped over. Its roof cracked open like the shell of an egg.
I descended minutely as I observed three distinctive figures drag themselves out of the wreck.
A brunette woman, a black-haired boy, and an unconscious satyr.
My head snapped to the side as the Minotaur drew closer to the hapless trio. The monster's nose rose as it sniffed the air.
"BOOST"
The mature woman and the young boy each settled one of the satyr's arms around their necks as they rushed up the hill.
The Minotaur crossed the distance between them faster than the mother-son duo could close the space separating them and the tall tree that marked the edge of the demigod safe haven.
They would not make it.
I flapped my wings.
"BOOST"
Before my mind's eye flashed the image of a letter and gilded calligraphy.
A demigod of royal blood and his mortal mother will be chased up a dark hill by the son of Pasiphaë. You will vanquish their pursuer. You will rescue the mother from the monster's grasp, and you shall ensure the boy arrives at his destination without harm…
The Moirai's true intentions were unknown to me.
However, what I did know with certainty was that I would not waste the opportunity before me.
If they desired for me to play the protector for their child of prophecy, then that was precisely what I would do.
I would follow their instructions to the letter.
My wings hardened as crimson scales grew to cover them.
I tilted my head up towards the heavens one last time and then peered back down.
The Minotaur was moments away from reaching the mortal woman.
"Let's go, Ddraig… this has gone on for long enough."
"BOOST."
—————-
"Mom!"
I crashed into the earth that separated Sally Jackson and the Minotaur like a falling star.
The ground cratered from the force of my landing and the subsequent takeoff as I immediately flapped my wings again and tore toward the monster.
I reached the towering beast before it even registered my presence and grabbed it by its ivory horns. With an exertion of will, I pivoted in the air and accumulated enough momentum to throw the Minotaur downhill.
"Wh-What?"
I turned slowly and met the woman's blue eyes with a smile.
A simple illusion spell was all it took to hide my inhuman facial features from even this clear-sighted mortal.
The woman's pupils were dilated.
Before she could fully regain her composure and shake off the awe my presence naturally inspired in her kind, I crossed the distance between us.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, miss. My name is Ladora Buné," I said softly. "I have been sent here to protect you and your son."
The woman's shoulders sagged.
"For now… I think there is someone who wants to talk to you very much." I gestured toward Percy. "Comfort him. The monster will trouble you no longer."
My well-practiced smile carried all the earnestness I was capable of showing.
"I…I understand. Thank you. Are you—No." She shook her head. "Never mind that."
She dashed up the hill to the young boy who was staring at me with wide green eyes.
The mother did not look back even once until she had embraced her trembling son and clutched him close.
Whether the seeds I had planted in her mind with my words and actions would took root remained to be seen.
For now, there were more pressing concerns that needed to be addressed .
I rounded on the approaching monster.
The Minotaur barreled towards me with unchecked aggression.
Its gleaming red eyes drilled into mine.
"Come," I said.
My body strained with a quantity of power that was almost too much for me to contain.
I planted my feet and rushed forward to meet the monster's charge head-on.
My crimson gauntlet collided with its bronze axe in a reverberating crash that matched the thunder that set the stage for our battle.
The resulting shockwave blasted away the surrounding rain and an entire sector of forest.
My eyes narrowed.
Despite having boosted my strength four times over, the Minotaur was not daunted by my might.
"Very good." I nodded.
"I've travelled far fight you, Minotaur…. Don't disappoint me."
The monster's bulging muscle tensed even further at my use of its name.
It inhaled deeply and released a booming roar.
The force pressing down on my gauntlet intensified.
My feet carved a deep trench in the muddy ground as I was driven backwards.
The more momentum the monster gained, the higher the velocity in which I was pushed back.
I gritted my teeth.
"BOOST."
The monster stopped gaining ground on me immediately.
A grin crept onto my face.
"My turn."
I pushed upwards against the enormous weapon with all the strength my enhanced human form could bring to bear.
The axe snapped backwards, creating an opening in the minotaur's guar, an opening I immediately took advantage of.
I launched myself forwards and drove my armored fist into the monster's gut.
The beast flew backwards in a straight line parallel to the ground as if shot out of a cannon.
My opponent smashed through half a dozen trees before the momentum was fully drained away.
A boom echoed when the its back collided with aged wood.
The first thing the beast did after heaving upwards was to secure its grip on the double-bladed axe.
Pouring rain mixed with the fresh blood gushing out of its mouth and formed a red stream down its body.
Burning red eyes locked onto mine.
I bared my fangs, arms spread out straight on both sides
"I am waiting… Minotaur."
A metric ton of lean muscle rushed towards me, the gleaming axe raised high.
The monster crashed it down in a slash clearly meant to split me in twain.
I repelled the strike with my gauntlet-clad arm and carved four long furrows into the beast's bare chest.
My clawed right hand cleaved through flesh like a knife through butter.
The monster's eyes bulged.
The illusion I had layered on my face vanished as the Eyes of the Dragon were fully unveiled once more. A crimson glow illuminated the devastated clearing our battle had created.
While using my eyes as a medium, I imposed my draconic will on the half-bull creature.
"Submit."
The monster bellowed and slashed at me again.
I blocked.
"Submit."
The beast's body trembled before my glare, but the grip it had on its weapon remained steady.
The furious assault it directed at me did not falter for even a moment.
Despite the hopelessness of the situation, the Minotaur denied the orders of a superior being and resisted me with all of its might.
"Submit!" I roared.
I charged forward and tore the weapon from the monster's hands. Without pause, I completed a full rotation and buried the axe into the Minotaur's right leg.
The monster roared in pain and fell down to one knee. A wide grin that I could no longer contain spread on my face.
I pulled the axe out of the monster's leg and rammed it into the same spot again. This time, the axe severed the thick limb fully.
The Minotaur attempted to grab onto me with its newly emptied hands.
It found only air.
I backed away and watched as the mighty beast fell.
"You really should have submitted when you had the chance… now… I will hurt you," I whispered.
I raised the axe high into the air and brought it down in a cut that cleanly disconnected the monster's arm from its shoulder.
I heaved a deep breath and repeated the strike, reducing the legendary Minotaur to a one-limbed monstrosity.
The beast did not even come close to reaching me when it lashed out with its jaws.
I crouched down and put my steady palm flat against its bloodied chest. With a casual application of force, I pressed down, and the frantic attacks ceased.
A red glow ignited from where our skin touched as I engraved my mark onto the monster's body.
My brows furrowed as the connection between me and what was supposed to be the newest addition to my hoard failed to form.
"Impossible," I muttered.
"You're too weak to resist me in your current state… What did you—"
My draconic eyes stared down at the twitching monster.
Something inside the beast was protecting it from me.
I see… somebody else already owns this one.
A shame.
I clicked my tongue.
"No use keeping you around then."
The clawed hand resting the monster's chest curled inwards, breaking through its rib cage and tearing out the still-beating heart with the same ease as plucking fruit from a tree.
All the while, my gaze remained locked with the Minotaurs.
The monster glared at me with burning red eyes even as its body dissolved into golden sand.
It resisted me until the very end.
Towering pillars of lightning descended down from the heavens.
Some of them landed so close that they missed me by mere inches.
The heat they radiated was enough to instantly evaporate the surrounding rain.
I was blind to it all.
My vision had constricted to the size of a single, bloody heart.
A red haze fell over my eyes.
My nostrils flared as saliva gathered in my mouth.
I… I really shouldn't.
——————
"Percy, listen to me…. You need to leave me here." Sally said, her voice hoarse.
"Humans cannot cross the boundary, but you can. You must!…. Only then will you be safe—"
"I don't want to!" Percy cried. "What happens to you if I leave you here? That monster attacked you, Mom! They aren't just aiming for me like you said."
Sally's eyes trembled as she pulled her son into another tight hug.
"Oh, Percy… you don't have to worry about me. I will be fine. I promise, help has arrived." She brushed his hair. "What truly matters is your safety… my beloved son. I should have brought you here sooner…like your father said."
She choked up.
"Please forgive me… I was selfish."
A cluster of tears gathered in the her eyes as she gripped her most precious treasure close to her chest.
Percy did not understand a single thing that had happened today.
His best friend was half goat, his mother talked like they would never see each other again, and a boy with scaled wings had fallen from the sky to fight against the Minotaur.
A monster he had just recently learned about in Mr. Brunner's Greek mythology classes.
Be that as it may, no matter his confusion, when his mother held him like that, the only thing he could do in response was to hug her back just as tightly.
Another shockwave rolled over them from where the strange boy was battling the Minotaur.
"How… do you know he's here to help? We've never seen that guy before!" He frowned. "He could be just another monster in disguise—like Mrs. Dotts!"
"No." Sally shook her head. "He has been sent here to protect us, I am sure of it. He is trustworthy."
She drew back. "As for what he is… that is why you have to go now, Percy." She forced a small smile. "Everything will become clear once you cross that barrier. I…cannot den you your true heritage any longer… This is your birthright."
Percy truly did not understand what was going on.
What true heritage?
What birthright?
"Mom, what—"
The sound of battle behind them ceased abruptly-a sickening crack rolled across the land.
Driven purely by instinct, Percy snapped upwards.
He averted his gaze from his mother and rotated toward the supposedly trustworthy boy.
His jaw dropped.
—————
When I finally came back to my senses, the rain had stopped falling.
The silence was broken only by the occasional thunderclaps that served as a reminder of the god-king's displeasure.
"RESET"
The intoxicating power that had previously suffused my body vanished as quickly as it had come.
My shoulders dropped as I dismissed the Boosted Gear.
I stared down at my hand and then brushed my left thumb over my lips.
While it was still pouring, the rain had washed away the blood messily smeared across my mouth.
My gaze darted around the empty clearing.
I winced at the signs of devastation all around me.
This… did not go the way I planned…at all.
I slowly turned around and directed my gaze upward.
Percy and Sally stared down at me with wide eyes.
My posture softened when I recognized the look in the woman's eyes.
The seeds had taken root.
That was good, it would have been a shame if my brief loss of self-control had already ruined my schemes.
The sounds of strings being drawn snapped me out of my thoughts.
From behind the tall tree at the top of the hill, a group of armored figures marched out.
Numerous bows pointed at me—the tips of their arrows bore a familiar gleam.
At the head of the small army stood a bearded centaur.
On his right, a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes studied me closely.
While to the Centaurs' left…
My eyes widened.
A deep voice cut through the night.
"You are outnumbered! Surrender… Monster!"