They have been walking for who knows how long. The land of the dead seemed endless. And they constantly fought against the wills of the anxious dead. Luke stopped, then trained his ears over the moaning of the dead on their heels.
"Something bad is going on." He told the other two.
"How do you know?" Maya asked.
He closed his eyes and concentrated. His hair turned milky white from his blond. "I can sense when something is happening. And something is going on on the other side of Erebus."
"Will we have to worry about it?" she asked.
He gave her an unsure answer as he deactivated the form. "I can't tell yet. But it seems to be heading our way."
"Then we should keep moving," Zoë said. "Those dragons drained a lot of my abilities. We do not need to face them now."
"Okay then," he said. "The river must be ahead."
"I never imagined that Erebus would be this big," Maya said.
"It contains billions of people. In constantly expands to contain those souls."
For a brief moment, everything around them seemed to still. The souls of the waiting dead froze suddenly, and they immediately took noticed of the curious event. The dead's whispers of the dead also paused for a moment, before continuing in low, slow breaths to one another. They were puzzled until it was too late. Sounds of deep, thundering shuddering steps quickly grew louder. A giant horn came swiftly from their flank and skewered Luke in the gut, and lifted him above its head like a prize. Luke screamed in pain, gouts of blood pouring from his wound as he was tousled.
"Oh," he said weakly, trying to pry himself off. "So . . . it was this thing."
"Luke!" Zoe fired an arrow, but the monster blocked it with its other horn. It was a giant bull, the size of two double decker buses stacked on top one another. It flung him off and his body fell in a heap a few yards away. Zoë tried to run and help, but it was incredibly fast, reacting and booting her away with a hoof. She shot an arrow, accurately in its eye, but the wound seemed to do little, the arrow popping out and the wound closing.
"It's magic," Zoë growled, looking back to Luke. "And I don't have enough power to fend it off now."
"I can," Maya said. "Go help Luke."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she whispered. She reached into her pocket and took out what appeared to be a pen. It was silver and white with a golden cap. Zoë immediately noticed it's similarities to the riptide, and became even more curious. She included it, and instead of a gladius like Percy's, a broadsword was produced. Its golden hilt was ornate with carved images. White leather covered the hilt and a pummel was fashioned from a pearl. The bronze blade looked polished, yet worn down.
Without a moment's hesitation, she charged the beast. She recognized an intelligent glow within the bull's eyes as it saw her. It stomped down, but she dodged it and sliced at its calf. The fur was too thick to be sliced, but that didn't stop her. She moved like a specter, and Zoë was left to marvel at how evenly she fought the monster armed only with her sword.
"Impressive," Zoë looked on. "So this is the type of demigod a chaos child can produce? No wonder everyone feared Percy."
She suddenly pulled out a flask of water, using it to slice off one of the horns. It roared in outrage and slammed her with its hooves once again, which she couldn't dodge. She had put her sword up in defense, but still, she was blown back several meters. Some blood slipped from her lip, but otherwise, she was minimally injured.
While Maya kept the angry bull busy, Zoë came to Luke's side. He spat out blood. "It sucks that zombies can still feel pain!"
"Don't be a baby," she said, a relieved. "But your healing is slow. What did that thing hit you with?"
He winced as she bandaged the gaping hole in his body. "Magic apparently."
Maya punched the monster right in the face, sending the bull flying away. The bull got up and healed itself. Then it was going to charge again when suddenly a voice shouted.
"Moxie, heel girl," the bull stopped and looked towards the person that spoke in latin.
Then it spoke in english in a low rumbling voice. "Why must I stop when I am close to winning brother?"
"Because," the man said in English. "These are the servants of Ryan. IT seems we do indeed have much to discuss with them if we must find him."
Luke turned to him and stood. "Who are you, and what the hell is that thing?"
He held a hand and the beast was summoned into a small Crystal. The man bowed politely and then looked at them. He was a little taller than Luke. He had thick brown hair and golden like eyes. He wore a cape and a wide brimmed hat. He had a small beard that was messy and uncut.
"My name is John, and I am from Torlak," he said politely smiling. "I'm sure you've heard of me."
"Torlak?" Maya asked.
"It's the name of Crete in Ryan's dimension," Zoë said. "A land filled with magic. And if you are the John that I'm thinking of . . . "
"Head wizard in all arts, councilor of Torlak. Jon Smithe."
"What is a Tolakian Wizard doing here in this world?"
"To bring Ryan home of course," he said in an upbeat tone. "The godslayers have gotten word of some of his exploits. So me and godslayer Maxx tracked him here. And as you can see, it has been a very bad ride so far."
"You think?" Maya asked him. "So far everything has been a disaster since he showed up."
He laughed nervously. "Can't stop fate, my dear. Now, where is he?"
Zoë felt uneasy. It has been a while since she has encountered another godslayer like Ryan, and Jon himself seemed trustworthy. But there was something off-putting in his tone. She said. "He said he was looking for another piece to a weapon he is creating. I have no idea where."
"That is troublesome," he said. "And I cannot track godly life forces such as his. I guess I will meet with him later. But tell me, what is this weapon for exactly?"
"The destroyer, Typhon. He is slowly rising. Ryan plans on using his essence to make a portal back to your world," Luke told him. "That may be a bit of my fault."
He thought about this. "Yes, this seems to be the best course of action. Typhon has the most abundant life force on this planet at the moment. Creating a breach should be easy enough."
"Wait," Luke said. "You can't open a portal yourself?"
"Undergoing such a procedure takes too much of my energy. It'll take thirty days to replenish that much magic. Diana can't even create one so accurately, and she's the god of magic. Ryan usually can, but his magic is thankfully suppressed. Creating a portal to another place is hard enough. But bending two different threads of reality at the same time? It's incredibly brutal and could cause death for those who are unskilled in the arts."
"How convenient," Zoë said. "So, we will have to take this fleece to the river Styx."
"Then we will join," he said. "It's not everyday one meets Achilles. Moxie, are you done yet?"
"Of course brother," a small female voice yelled. He held out his hand and The crystal glowed faintly. The bull had reshaped into a woman with wild orange-red hair. She had the same intense gold eyes, but hers seem madder. Like she was touched by Midas. She had a cruel smile with a toothy chipped. She seemed like a pirate of sorts, and talked like one too."
"Are we done here?" She asked apathetically.
"Now now," John said. "We are not here to fight. This is my sister, Moxie. The queen of pirates and a powerful sorceress."
"Nice to meet other friends of Ryan," she said. "Now, where . . . is . . . he?"
"Looking for the last piece," John said.
She suddenly exploded, literally. Her hair became a fire, her skin was grey and her eyes were like burning embers. "That son of a bitch. When I find him-"
"We will take him home," John interrupted. "We have been showering several dozen universes in tracking spells, looking for him. Thankfully God intervened and lead us here. We apologize for any inconvenience he may have caused you."
"Wait, you have spoken to god?" Maya looked at him in wander.
He nodded and smiled. "He has mentioned you, Maya Jackson. He has taken quite a liking to you and your family. Michael's favorite. Now, let us stay on topic. Please."
"Of course," she said, still taking in what he said. "Now, tell me. What do you know about that Sorceress that attacked us a few miles back?"
He seemed confused at her qujestion. "I do not understand."
"Don't play dumb," she said. "You too have been trailing us for quite some time. Tell me. What was she?"
He looked reluctant, but he eventually smiled and began talking. "Followers of Ryan. Or more specifically the warbeast Kym. A very powerful being. And if they are here, then she is to. It could signify the end of this world if so."
"And the one you fought was a simple soldier of his," Moxxie said. "His generals are a lot worse. Especially his wife. Fell, Fay, and Pagus are all here. And they will tear this world apart just to find Ryan."