"Land! Sweet, beautiful, solid land!"
Cyd collapsed to his knees the second his boots hit the sand, still holding a very unamused Atalanta in his arms like some tragic war hero.
Atalanta didn't even bother looking at him. "Correction: we're on land. We haven't arrived yet." She held up the enchanted compass stuck to her palm like a cursed sticker. The needle still pointed stubbornly inland. "Seems like I'm stuck like this until we reach Calydon."
Cyd groaned. "Still not there?!"
Yeah, Poseidon's blessing might have supercharged his stamina, but no divine magic could save him from the soul-sucking exhaustion of sprinting across the ocean while carrying a girl who threatened to maul him every five minutes.
"Let's stop for the night," Atalanta said, glancing at the dipping sun. "Your god-mode expires at sundown, right?"
"Yeah…" Cyd flexed his hand. The lingering buzz of Apollo's blessing was already fading, along with his ability to feel like an invincible anime protagonist. "Man, I'm gonna miss that 'I-can-do-anything' feeling."
"Well enjoy it while it lasts. Also, you're hunting dinner. I've got one hand stuck to a glorified GPS."
"You're in luck," Cyd grinned. He gently leaned her against a rock. "I did get a little gift on the way down."
She blinked. "Gift?"
As if on cue, a massive splash behind him dumped a pile of fish—still flopping—at his feet. An octopus smacked him on the head for good measure. "Thanks, Uncle Poseidon," Cyd muttered, pulling the squid off his face with a grin.
Atalanta arched a brow. "Wow. You really are everyone's favorite."
"Eh, I'm charming," he said, casually building a fire like a survivalist YouTuber. "Probably."
As the fish sizzled over the flame, the night grew quiet enough for them to breathe and talk. Atalanta stared up at the silver moon overhead. Her voice dropped, softer than he'd heard all day.
"So… what happens after we deal with the boar?"
Cyd blinked, caught off guard by the question. "You mean… like, after the quest?"
"Yeah. I'm not getting back on that ship, that's for sure," she said with a bitter smirk. "Maybe I'll go back to Arcadia. Or maybe not."
"Must be nice," he said quietly. "Having somewhere to go back to."
She closed her eyes. "Doesn't matter. Home never meant anything to me. If Lady Artemis hadn't found me, I wouldn't even be alive right now."
The fish was ready. Cyd offered one toward her mouth, wiggling it. "Wanna be fed like a princess?"
Atalanta squinted. "I will bite you."
"Just trying to help!"
To prove her dignity was still intact, Atalanta attempted to eat the fish herself—resulting in a burnt lip, watery eyes, and stubborn pride that refused to admit defeat.
Cyd watched her with a smile. A brave, grumpy, prideful little lioness. Even incapacitated, she'd rather burn her mouth than be babied.
Eventually, the fire was buried, and the stars blanketed the sky.
Time for the next challenge.
Sleeping arrangements.
"I can sleep alone," Atalanta growled, struggling to crawl her way toward a tree like a furious baby turtle. "Don't touch me."
Cyd sighed. "You can't even stand, Atalanta. If something drags you off in the middle of the night, I'll never forgive myself."
He approached carefully, hands up like he was trying to tame a wild cat.
Which, honestly, wasn't far off.
"I said—don't—come—any—closer!" she shrieked, smacking the air in his general direction.
The slaps had all the power of a marshmallow pillow. Still, Cyd humored her for about thirty seconds before scooping her up and leaping into a tree.
"I swear I'm just making sure you're safe," he said, settling onto the branch. "So… could you stop trying to crush my throat?"
But it was too late. She'd already clamped her teeth onto his neck like a lion taking down an antelope.
"Okay, wow, this is happening," Cyd muttered, half amused, half in pain. "It kind of tickles—"
Her eyes went deadpan. Silent. Unapologetic.
"I will bite through your throat one day."
He glanced at his wrist, where Hermes' green crystal shimmered faintly.
Yup. No lie detected.
"Go for it," he said, giving her a thumbs-up. "Chase your dreams."
In response, she bit down harder. Somehow, it felt less like murder and more like… a very aggressive cuddle.
She didn't let go even as she dozed off, jaw still locked on his neck.
Cyd leaned against the tree, the stars above him, the heat of her breath on his skin, and a weird sense of peace in his chest.
Meanwhile, on the Argo…
"Who are you?!"
Hercules raised his stone axe, muscles tense as a black-robed figure landed on the deck with a splash. She was small—probably a girl—but the last guy who underestimated her was currently a very realistic lawn ornament. Including Jason, the team's supposed leader, who'd made the mistake of "charging first."
"I'm just a monster," the girl said calmly, brushing seaweed from her cloak.
Hercules narrowed his eyes. "What's your goal?"
"I'm looking for someone," she sniffed the air. "He's been here recently. Stayed more than a day. But now the scent's fading… Where is he?"
"Cyd?" Hercules said cautiously.
"Mhm."
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but she actually sounded… happy at the name.
"Well… he got off the ship early."
"In the middle of the ocean?"
The temperature dropped. Her presence suddenly pressed against his skull like a migraine made of ice.
Her scythe dropped with a clang, the chain trailing across the deck.
"You abandoned him?"
"Wait—no—we didn't—"
"Then you'll all become stone," she said, lifting her hood.
Wind tore the cloak away, revealing violet hair, eyes like storm clouds, and a face carved from divine tragedy.
"Medusa," someone gasped.
Too late.
Dozens of statues lined the deck of the Argo in seconds, caught mid-breath, mid-scream, mid-denial.
Medusa stalked past Jason's stone form, dragging her scythe. "Come out, or I smash your precious captain."
"Cyd's alive!" Hercules shouted from behind a mast. "He's got Poseidon's blessing—he left on his own!"
"You expect me to believe that?"
Her scythe came down.
Clang.
A hand caught it mid-swing.
"Believe it," said Athena, stepping into view, eyes cold as ever.
"…Athena," Medusa hissed.
"He's on his way to Calydon to kill the boar," Athena said coolly. "If you want to help him, go."
Medusa hesitated… then leapt off the ship with a hiss, vanishing into the sea.
Athena sighed, surveying the statues. With a snap of her fingers, the magic shattered. Heroes collapsed across the deck, groaning.
"I leave you alone for one night," she muttered.
Then she turned to Hercules. "It's your mess now. Make sure it doesn't get worse."
He nodded, rubbing his forehead. "Right. Clean-up crew. Got it."
He looked over at Jason's twitching form.
"Next island, I might jump ship myself…"