Parting Ways

Time quickly passed by as Goku and the others waited for Apollo to appear. Somehow, the snow began to fall harder as the temperature in the area became even colder than before. The Hunters, relatively unphased by these conditions, packed up their supplies and broke camp as fast as they set it up. Artemis stood nearby, staring into the east in preparation for sunrise.

Goku and Percy quickly ran out of stuff to talk about, so they just huddled together in a desperate attempt to get warm. Them and Annabeth just finished explaining everything that happened during their personal meeting with Artemis as well.

Grover was absolutely petrified at the mere idea of The Labyrinth seeping into different universes and timelines while Thalia, on the other hand, was more so pissed that Camp Half-Blood was going to be plagued by the Hunters for… gods knowns how long. Bianca's decision to join them only served to make her angrier towards Zoë in particular.

However, none of them could really talk over these issues because of how freezing it was. Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia all collectively shivered in the same manner.

"Brr! Man, I wish I could have brought a coat or something." Goku winced. Getting desperate for warmth at this point, he charged up his ki and spread a wide, all-encompassing aura around the group. "Hope this will help, guys."

Percy widened his eyes in surprise. His body temperature was suddenly back to normal thanks to Goku's energy. "Yeah, that actually does. Thanks, man."

"No kidding. Thought I was going to die of hypothermia there for a second." Thalia muttered. She rubbed her hands together and held them in front of the invisible, yet supportive aura.

"How did you even do that, Goku?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, it's nothing too complicated. I just harnessed a bit of my own ki and transferred it to the rest of you. Since I have so much energy to spare, I can do stuff like this without any drawbacks."

"Heh. Can't tell if that was a brag or not." Thalia chuckled. Then again, Goku did have the proper skill and power to back that statement up.

"Does it matter? He's an absolute lifesaver in my book!" Grover bleated. He sighed in relief, enjoying the heated sensation of Goku's energy a bit too much.

Shaking his head, Percy looked toward the spot where Bianca and Nico were sitting. She was currently explaining her decision to become one of Artemis' Hunters and, judging from Nico's sad, hurt expression, he wasn't taking the news all too well.

"I still can't believe she's going through with this. How could she leave her own brother alone like that?" Percy scowled in disgust.

"I think Bianca just wanted to be independent for a change. I don't know much about her life with Nico or anything, but as a kid her age, I was already going on all sorts of crazy adventures." Goku reminisced. "That level of freedom can be hard to come by."

"That's different. You didn't have a family member to look after back in those days. She does, yet she made this big, monumental decision without even taking his feelings into account." Percy replied. He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Bianca was acting so selfishly without any consequences for her actions.

Annabeth walked up to Percy and sat near him. "Look, I'm disappointed in her too, Percy, but she's already decided and there's nothing we can do about it. I just hope she doesn't have any regrets later on."

"Of course she's gonna have regrets, Annabeth. She's a twelve year old girl who isn't mature enough to understand what she really wants." Thalia grimaced. She crossed her arms and jerked a thumb at the Hunters. "And I know for a fact that this isn't what's best for her."

Zoë openly snarled from where she was standing. "Mind thy tongue, Grace. Bianca swore to become a Hunter on her own accord, no one else's."

"Whatever, Nightshade. Don't go crying to me when she comes to her senses and decides to quit." Thalia replied with a smug look on her face.

Zoë sneered. "Hmph. On the contrary, she wouldn't be in her right mind joining that idiotic little camp of yours."

"Let's see if you keep saying that when you're stuck there for the next week or so."

Zoë, tiring of this conversation, stuck up her nose and tried her best to ignore Thalia's very existence. The aforementioned daughter of Zeus seemed proud of that last rebuke.

"You know, constantly instigating her like that isn't going to do us much favors. Remember the last time the Hunters visited camp? It didn't go well." Grover gulped. He still had nightmares about the time Zoë set fire to a number of Camp Half-Blood's cabins. It took forever to fully repair those damages.

"They weren't all that bad when I was there. Granted, monitoring my fight with Ares was their top priority, so I guess they didn't really have much time to do anything else." Goku said.

"Yeah, but that was a day, Goku. They're going to be living there for a whole damn week this time." Thalia growled. She then balled her fists just thinking of Zoë's entitled attitude. "Now, I have to deal with that stuck up, no good—"

Annabeth rested a hand on Thalia's shoulder in order to calm her down. "Okay, Thalia. We get the picture."

Goku then turned around to look over at Artemis. She stood completely still with a look of worry and determination on her face.

"Excuse me, guys. I need to check on something." He said. The Saiyan of Earth, feeling a little concerned, quickly stood up and walked over to where said goddess was.

"Right. More like someone." Thalia snickered. She would absolutely love to see the look on Zoë's face if Artemis did the impossible and developed feelings for Goku. She doubt it would ever happen, but the reaction would be priceless, nonetheless.

"Lucky jerk…" Grover muttered under his breath. Thalia deadpanned in response to his jealousy.

"You do realize that she'll never love you or any satyr back, right?" Thalia pointed out.

"But… she's so into nature. Maybe I still have a chance." Grover wistfully hoped.

She rolled her eyes. "You're nuts."

"Nuts and berries," Grover sighed, dreaming about a scenario where Artemis fed him such foods. "Yeah…"

Goku approached with Artemis with caution. Seeing how focused she was on the sky; he didn't want to break her concentration in any way.

"So… any sign of your brother?"

"Not yet. He's always been so-o-o lazy during the winter." Artemis grumbled. The sky then began to lighten from the sun's presence. "Took him long enough."

"Where is he exactly coming from? He's not actually going to ride on top of the sun, right?" Goku asked. The sun, in his universe, at least, was millions upon millions of miles away from Earth, so Apollo "driving" it this close to the surface would be impossible from his perspective.

Then again, the Olympians seemed to have direct control over these things, so maybe standard principles of science didn't apply here.

Artemis glanced over at Goku. "You'd be surprised."

Goku raised an eyebrow as sunlight burst forth from the distant horizon. Everyone suddenly felt a sensation of warmth emanate around them.

"Don't look directly at it, Goku. Not until he parks here." Artemis warned. Goku did as she asked and held an arm over his eyes.

"What do you mean by 'parks'?" Percy inquired in confusion.

Before his question could be answered, the light drew closer and, subsequently, became more intense. The demigods and Hunters felt as if their clothes were about to melt off or burst into flames, but this feeling vanished as fast as the light itself.

Mere seconds later, it took the form of a red Maserati Spyder that glowed from the sheer heat it harnessed. The moment this car touched the ground, snow melted and revealed patches of green grass underneath.

"A car?" Goku muttered.

"Gods need a way to get around too, I guess." Percy shrugged. That was the car he always wanted to drive too, so he couldn't help feeling somewhat jealous.

Apollo got out of the car and smiled. He took the form of an eighteen year old with tan skin and sandy blonde hair. He was wearing jeans, brown loafers, and a sleeveless T-shirt. In that moment, his eyes were just as golden as Artemis' as well.

Thalia and Annabeth blushed a little. They found his current form oddly attractive for some reason.

"Wow. Apollo is hot." Thalia muttered under her breath.

"Well, he is the sun god." Percy replied.

"That's not what I meant."

Apollo perused the area until his eyes landed on Artemis. His smile became even brighter. "Eyyy! Long time no see, little sis!"

He opened his arms up for a hug, but Artemis just stood there, crossing her arms. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not your little sister. We're twins."

"Eh, that may be true, but I was technically born a few seconds earlier."

"No, you were not! We always have this same argument every millennia, yet you never—"

Apollo suddenly lost interest in the conversation. He looked toward Goku and smirked. "What's up, Goku? Glad to see you're still in one piece, man."

He held up a fist in front of the Saiyan, which Goku reciprocated with his own. "Thanks! I wouldn't say I'm all in one piece, though. I just got done fighting this alien swordsman named Kogu."

"No kidding? Heh. Well, judging by the fact that you're still here, I'm betting you kicked that guy's ass just as bad as Ares'."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Hehe." Goku chuckled. An crazy idea then came to his head. "If you want, maybe we can try sparring with each other some—"

Artemis grit her teeth and pushed Goku away from her brother. She was starting to get impatient.

"Okay, enough with the meaningless small talk. I have a favor to ask of you, Apollo. I need you to take my Hunters, Goku, and the others over to Camp Half-Blood." Artemis proclaimed. She narrowed her eyes. "Father has requested that I do some hunting, alone, and I can't afford to put them in danger."

Apollo rested a hand over his chin and nodded. "Sure thing, Arty. That doesn't seem like a difficult thing to… Wait!"

He paused and held his hands up dramatically.

"I feel a haiku coming on." Apollo announced. Zoë and the Hunters groaned in annoyance.

"Uh… this might be a dumb question, but what's a haiku?" Goku whispered over to Artemis.

"Just watch." Artemis shook her head.

The sun god cleared his throat and stood completely still.

"Green grass breaks through snow.

Artemis pleads for my help.

Goku kicks a ton of ass."

Apollo bowed his head a few times, waiting for applause. "And to answer your question, Goku, a haiku is a three-line poem with seven syllables on the first line, five syllables on the second line, and another seven syllables on the third line. I'm the god of poetry, so as you can tell, I'm pretty much a master at it."

"Whatever. You've only started reciting haikus recently." Artemis snorted.

"She's right. Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan." Zoë added.

"And I don't regret it in the slightest! That trip changed my life… well, at least this small part of it, anyway." Apollo smiled proudly. "But I'm about ready to roll, so if you're in need of some transportation for these guys, I'm your man, sis!"

He then examined each of the demigods in attendance, particularly Annabeth and Thalia.

"Hmm, let's see here… you girls are Annabeth and Thalia, right? I've heard all sorts of things about you." Apollo asked.

"Y-Yep. I'm a daughter of Athena." Annabeth stammered.

Thalia blushed again. "Hi, Lord Apollo."

"You're Zeus's girl, right? That makes you two my half-sister and my half-niece respectively. Kind of a weird family reunion, huh?" Apollo rambled on. "I'm glad you're not a tree anymore. Pretty girls turning into trees really sucks. I learned that the hard way when—"

"Ahem!" Artemis loudly cleared her throat. "I think you should be going now, brother."

"Oh, chillax, Arty. No need to rush things." Apollo rolled his eyes. He then stared at Percy with a more neutral expression. "And you're… Percy Jackson, hm?"

"Erm… yeah, that's me, sir… or I mean, Lord Apollo."

Apollo awkwardly stared at Percy for a moment. It seemed like he was thoroughly studying him.

Goku examined this behavior with a frown. "Why is Apollo looking at Percy like that? Am I missing something here?"

Apollo kept his gaze narrowed and composed until he abruptly clapped his hands together. "Welp! Let's load up, everyone. The ride only goes west, so if you miss it, you miss it."

The entire group gathered together in a malformed circle of some kind. Goku, although still puzzled by Apollo's awkward stare down with Percy, suddenly took notice of Bianca and Nico.

The two siblings were separated from one another, yet both of them had similar looks of sadness on their faces. Nico's expression, however, was laced with traces of anger and betrayal. He couldn't tell if it was directed toward Bianca exclusively or the Hunters as a whole.

He wondered if she should talk to him once they got back to camp. Talking to Bianca wouldn't be a bad idea either, even if she'd probably be more comfortable around Annabeth, Thalia, or another female demigod.

Nico looked up at Apollo with a small smile. "Cool car."

"Thanks, kid." Apollo said.

"How are we supposed to all fit in there, Lord Apollo? I don't recall your sun chariot being suitable for a large group like this." Annabeth wondered.

"Yeah, you do make a good point. I hate changing out of the sports-car mode, but duty calls…"

He rummaged through his pocket and brought out the Maserati's car keys. He pressed the security alarm button, causing its horn to beep twice before the car glowed white and transformed into a large shuttle bus.

"Huh. Didn't know it could do that." Annabeth muttered in surprise.

"I'm the sun god, babe. I'm pretty much chock full of surprises." Apollo said. He motioned for everyone to board the bus. "That being said, everybody get in."

"You heard him. Pack all of thy supplies inside the chariot." Zoë announced to the Hunters. They did as their lieutenant instructed and began loading everything from camp inside.

"Bus." Thalia corrected.

"Same difference." Zoë sniffed.

She attempted to pick up her bag, but was stopped by Apollo. He scooped up the bag and handed it to her. "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that for you."

Zoë looked disgusted by such an act. She quickly snatched the bag from his hands and glared daggers at him.

"Brother, you do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not, by any means, call them sweetheart." Artemis chastised her divine twin. Apollo held his hands up in mock surrender.

"My bad. It must have slipped my mind." He replied. "What is dad sending you to hunt down, anyway, sis? Is this some dangerous stuff you're getting into?"

"That is none of your business. I'm hunting. That's all you need to know." Artemis snapped.

Apollo wasn't buying it. He could tell Artemis was bothered by whatever she was tasked to search for.

"Hmph. Well, if you won't tell me, I'm sure my buddy, Goku, will." Apollo exclaimed as she nudged his elbow against Goku's side. "Mind telling me what she's up to, dude?"

Goku locked eyes with the goddess of the hunt. Her composed expression didn't change by much, but he could tell that Artemis was silently pleading for him not to say anything before the winter solstice took place.

"Sorry, Apollo, but I can't. This is really important to Artemis, so I'd rather we just trust her word and let her do this alone." Goku shook his head.

While Apollo groaned in annoyance, Artemis lightly grinned at her Saiyan friend. Goku gave her small thumbs up in response.

"Doesn't really sound like something that'll end well, but fine. Be all secretive if you want." He grumbled. He then pointed his finger at Artemis. "I'll find out, eventually, though. I see all and know all."

"Just drop them off, Apollo. And don't go messing around again!" Artemis chided the sun god like a strict, overbearing mother.

"Me? Mess around? Don't be ridiculous, sis. I never mess around."

"We'll see about that, brother." Artemis rolled her eyes. She then directed her attention toward Zoë. "You're in charge of the Hunters until I return, Zoë. I will see you again by the winter solstice."

"Yes, my lady. I shall do my best." Zoë promised. She still wanted to go with her, but as a Hunter, disobeying Artemis' direct orders would be far too disrespectful.

"Do as I would do, dear one." Artemis replied with a smile. She held onto Zoë's hand and gave it a tight squeeze before parting.

She then stood in front of Goku. A period of awkward silence was shared between them. "I'm afraid this is goodbye, Goku. Please look after my Hunters for me. They may not understand or appreciate it now, but your training will be the key to their survival in this war."

"No sweat, Artemis. They already have a lot of potential as fighters, so teaching them ki shouldn't be an issue at all, I'm sure." Goku said. He then leaned closer to Artemis, so no one could hear him. "Zoë, in particular, has a lot of energy inside of her. I don't think she realizes it yet, but I can sense it."

"I suppose you're right. It's just that… if anything happened to them while I was away, I don't know what I'd do to…"

Goku kneeled down to rest his hands on Artemis' shoulders. Apollo was shocked to see him pull off such a bold move without any kind of retaliation or backlash.

"Don't think like that, Artemis. As long as I'm around, nothing will happen to them. I'll protect them from whatever monster, alien, Titan, or thing that Kronos jerk decides to send my way. I swear on it."

Artemis hung her mouth open in disbelief. She didn't quite know what to say. "Goku…"

"And don't act like this is a final "goodbye" or anything like that. I'm not… ready to say goodbye to you yet." Goku continued. If Artemis managed to get seriously injured in any way, he'd be more upset than he could really put into words. "Let's call it a… uh… "see you later" kind of thing. How's that sound?"

Artemis' smile was still small, yet it grew ever-so-slightly wider hearing more of Goku's words. She wasn't sure if Goku even realized how emotional his statement sounded to her. It was oddly sweet in a comical sort of way.

"Heh. Yes, I admit that sounds a little better, Goku." She murmured.

The moon goddess's eyes changed from gold to a shining silver mid-sentence. Her auburn hair blew in the wind as her physical age was increased from twelve to her early-30's. She now stood directly face-to-face with Goku.

Artemis, still smiling, held out a hand in front of Goku. The martial artist was surprised to have her partake in such an inviting gesture.

"See you later then… my friend." The moon goddess whispered. She then sported a playfully stern tone. "Don't get into too many unnecessary fights while I'm away, alright?"

"No promises on that one, Artemis. You should know better by now. Haha." Goku laughed amusedly. He gently grabbed ahold of Artemis' hand and shook it.

The moment was short, but it lasted an eternity in Artemis' mind. A small part of her, fearing over what Atlas, Bojack, and the Galaxy Soldiers could be plotting on Mount Tamalpais, didn't want to let go. Goku's touch was just so soothing and calm to her.

She lightly squeezed his hand once more before letting go. Within that second, Goku could sense some ailment and distress in Artemis' divine energy. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he knew Artemis would not give up on this mission no matter. Her pride as a goddess of the hunt would not allow it.

"Good luck, Artemis. Please be careful." Goku said.

"Likewise." Artemis whispered. Maintaining her more agile adult form, Artemis touched the ground in search for tracks. She looked more troubled than before.

"So much danger is afoot. The beast must be found."

Artemis then sprinted towards the woods. Exchanging one last look with Goku, Zoë, and her Hunters, she ran deeper into the forest and seemingly melded with the darkness.

The goddess of the hunt, to Goku's chagrin, was now gone. He just hoped that she could locate the Ophiotaurus without being attacked by Atlas and Bojack's forces.

"Guess all I can do is wait and see what happens." Goku thought in uncertainty. On the bright side, he was looking forward to seeing Hestia again at Camp Half-Blood.

Apollo leaned close to Goku, feeling suspicious about the whole exchange he shared with Artemis. "Say, you don't have something going on with my sister, do you?"

"Something going on? What do you mean?"

"Eh, nevermind. I must have been imagining things, " Apollo shrugged absentmindedly. "You do seem oddly close, though. Don't think her Hunters are going to appreciate that one bit."

"They don't seem to like me all that much to begin with, so it wouldn't be the first time." Goku pointed out. He'd like to believe they were warming up to him, but that might be wishful thinking on his part.

"I hear you on that one, man." Apollo chuckled. "But being honest, I haven't seen Arty smile like that in a long time. It's great that you've managed to bring out that side of her. Wish I knew how you do it."

"I just act like myself around her. I'm not sure why she's been smiling like that more often, but I can't say it's a bad thing. I like having her as a friend."

Apollo quirked a brow. He's seen parts of his life back on Mt. Olympus, of course, but he didn't think Goku would be this, for a lack of a better term, innocent. He didn't seem to have a lustful or romantic bone in his body, which was, admittedly, a good thing when it came to Artemis.

That meant there wasn't any chance her status as a virgin goddess could be jeopardized. At least, for now.

"Well, keep doing what you're doing then, my dude. Who knows? Maybe she'll direct some of that niceness towards her kind, loving brother for a change." Apollo replied.

"Tsk. I highly doubt that." Zoë spat. She still didn't know what to think of Goku's most recent interaction with Artemis. It felt far too affectionate and touchy-feely for her tastes. That should be behavior indicative of Aphrodite, not her strong-willed, independent mistress.

"Hey! With that attitude…" Apollo rebuked as held up the keys to his sun chariot. "…you'll lose any chance you have of driving this bad boy."

He grinned at the rest of the group and jangled the keys in front of them.

"Any takers?"

Once the Hunters all got into the bus, they purposely sat as far away as possible from Apollo, Goku, and everyone else. This was likely per Zoë's instructions, but even Bianca followed their example and separated herself further from Nico. Thankfully, the boy was too excited by the idea of riding in the sun itself to notice.

Goku still couldn't quite wrap his head around the concept, but he preferred not to say anything too ignorant. He didn't want to add more fuel to the Hunters' already heated displeasure towards him, especially in regards to his intelligence.

Nico sat down in the driver's seat and began jumping in place from excitement. "This is so cool! Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them, and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"

"Who and who?" Goku asked. He under the impression that Artemis was the only god that controlled the moon.

"They're two Titans that used to have power over the sun and moon. Their jobs were taken over by Artemis and Apollo at a later point in history." Annabeth informed.

"Well, I wouldn't say we took them over exactly. It's more like the Romans couldn't afford to offer sacrifices to so many gods at once, so they laid off those two and put their respective duties into our own job descriptions. Sort of like downsizing in a way."

This just raised even more questions in Goku's head. "Romans?"

"Dude, that's a whole can of worms you don't want to open up." Thalia warned.

Goku understood her point. "Ah, gotcha. I just feel like I've been asking way too many things lately."

Percy patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "Join the club, man. This mythology stuff is all sorts of weird and complicated."

"Yeah, like how does any of this stuff even work? I thought the sun was some big fiery ball of gas!" Nico wondered.

Apollo ruffled Nico's hair in amusement. He must have heard this same question for the past millennia and over. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas."

"That raises a lot of weird implications I don't want to think about." Annabeth winced.

"Trust me, babe, it's not literal. Don't look too deep into it." Apollo chuckled. He then looked down at Nico. "Seriously, though, kid, it depends on whether you're talking about astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to talk about how humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun… er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"

Nico stood completely still for a moment, pondering over Apollo's verbose explanation. He then shook his head. "Not really."

"Have to agree with, Nico. That's not how the sun worked back in my world." Goku scratched his head in confusion. "Sure, I could draw energy from it and all, but that didn't result from how I perceived its level of power or anything. That's just how it was."

"Exactly. That's your world, man. Last time I checked, the place you came from didn't have its own sexy and awesome god there to help control the sun. Sounds a bit more lame, if you ask me." Apollo snarkily replied.

"Makes me wonder if that's such a bad thing…" Annabeth whispered over to Thalia. She was starting see why Artemis was so annoyed by him.

"But look, I'll offer a compromise. Just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car that draws light from the sun like your Spirit Bomb did. That better?"

"I guess I can understand that, sure." Goku nodded.

"Can I drive?" Nico asked.

"No. You're too young."

Grover eagerly began to raise his hand. "Oo! Oo!"

Apollo tapped his chin in contemplation. "Hmm, nah. Too furry."

He then sized up Percy for a moment before disregarding him as well. "A son of Poseidon wouldn't do much good in the air, I'm afraid…"

"Oh, come on! It's a car right now. I'm old enough to figure it out." Percy protested.

"Maybe in another few years, little bro." Apollo smirked. He expressed similar sentiments to Annabeth. "Daughters of Athena are usually pretty smart, but you don't look ready to drive either. Too bad."

"Thanks… I think?" Annabeth muttered. She couldn't tell if that was a compliment directed toward her or Athena's children in general.

Suddenly, his eyes met with Thalia's. He snapped his fingers in some sort of eureka moment. "Aha! Daughter of Zeus! Lord of the sky. Perfect."

Thalia grew uncharacteristically nervous and shook her head. "Oh, no. No, thanks. I'm good."

"Oh, come on. How old are you?"

She hesitated. "I honestly don't know."

Annabeth glanced at her in sympathy. Thalia had been turned into a tree when she was twelve years old, so although seven years had passed since then, she hadn't aged much physically. She was older for certain, but nowhere near the age she should be, which was nineteen. Chiron estimated that Thalia was still aging as a tree, but in a slower amount of time than normal.

At times, Annabeth still felt a bit guilty that this happened to her, even if Thalia would insist that it wasn't her fault in the slightest. That's just the type of person she was.

Apollo attempted to make an educated guess based on her physical appearance alone. He tapped his fingers to his lips and said, "I'd say you're about fifteen, almost sixteen."

Thalia crossed her arms. "How do you know that?

"Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know this stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week."

"Wow, you're right! That'll be my birthday! December 22nd."

"Which means you're old enough to drive with a learner's permit!" Apollo proudly announced.

Thalia shifted her feet in nervousness. "Uh… I still don't know if…"

"You don't know if you're worthy enough to drive something as sacred as the sun chariot?" Apollo finished her sentence.

"That's not what I was going to say at all, but…"

"Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of the sky, right?" Apollo laughed assuredly. No one laughed along with him.

"I get what you mean, Lord Apollo. I just don't think this is such a good idea." Thalia continued to protest. "I mean, I've been a tree for almost a decade. I haven't even though of driving a car in that time."

"Seriously, girl? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If not you, who else is gonna be able to do it? Besides yours truly, of course." Apollo insisted. He kept pushed her closer to the driver's seat, much to her clear reluctance.

A crazy idea suddenly came to Goku's head. Cars were a lot different back in his version of Earth, obviously, but he has driven a few times upon Chi-Chi's request (or demand depending on her mood).

"Well… if Thalia's not comfortable with it, I could." Goku offered.

The bus suddenly became dead silent. Everyone awkwardly stared at the Saiyan warrior in a mix of surprise and disbelief.

"Wait a minute… you know how to drive?" Percy asked.

"Yep! Never really did it all that often, but I do have my driver's license. I had to take the test a few times, though. The first time with my friend, Piccolo… didn't go too well. Hehe." Goku chuckled. He still remembered the goofy pair of clothes Piccolo had to wear that day.

"But… you can fly… and teleport. Why would you even need a license in the first place?" Annabeth asked.

"And why are you hanging out with musical instruments?" Grover added jokingly.

Goku didn't pick up on the meaning of that last joke and decided to ignore it. "My wife wanted us to get a car, so she could get from place to place without walking. Apparently, she got attacked by some boar after shopping for groceries one day."

"Sounds a lot like an average day in Greece." Apollo murmured. There were a lot of boars wandering around back in ancient times, especially ones created by Ares.

"It took a while, but eventually, I got the hang of driving and we got a car like she wanted. So if you're in need of a driver, then I'm your guy." Goku grinned enthusiastically.

The Hunters exchanged nervous glances with one another. Despite what he claimed, they could not trust Goku's word at all.

"If that buffoon so much as touches the wheel, I am walking out." Zoë announced as she attempted to get up from her seat.

"Same here." Phoebe agreed.

"Aren't you guys jumping to conclusions? All Goku's done is help us so far. I think we should trust him on this one." Bianca tried to give the martial artist a chance.

"That man has a brain the size of a drachma coin, Bianca. It's either we walk to that repulsive camp on foot or fall out of the sky to thine deaths." Zoë warned. Bianca looked a bit more nervous after listening to what she said.

"Yeesh. Overdramatic much? Like Apollo said, we're only going from Maine to Long Island. Nothing bad could possibly happen during that short of a drive." Percy said in Goku's defense.

"You're going to jinx us with that kind of talk, man." Apollo whispered to Percy. He then grabbed ahold of Goku's shoulder. "But what the hell? If Goku here has proper the experience, then who am I to refuse?"

He patted the driver's seat and gave Goku some room to arch his body back.

"Take it away, my friend." Apollo beamed.

"Alright. I'll try my best." Goku nodded his head. He then placed his hands on the steering wheel, much to Zoë's abject horror.

Her tan skin suddenly became much paler. "Oh my gods. I am going to die here…"

She held hands with Phoebe, Bianca, and the other Hunters, praying to their mistress, Artemis, for safety.

"Now, speed equals heat, Goku," Apollo instructed. "Start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."

Goku slowly nodded his head. He cautiously gripped his hands on the wheel and hovered his foot over the accelerator. "Right. Got it…"

Annabeth frowned. She didn't like the look on his face. "You do know what altitude is, right?"

"Course I do. It's how high I am in relation to the ground." Goku said confidently. "I can fly, Annabeth. I'm fully aware of that kind of stuff."

"Good. Just checking." The daughter of Athena sighed in relief.

He then looked from the steering wheel to the windshield in confusion. "But… what I'm not aware of is how I even make this thing go…"

Goku foolhardily pulled the wheel backward. Due to his superhuman strength, the bus launched into the air way faster than anyone expected.

"…uppppp!" He yelped. The Hunters all bumped into each other's sides while Percy, due to standing on his feet upon takeoff, fell back and crashed directly on top of Grover.

"Ow." The satyr groaned.

"Sorry."

"Slow down, man! Slow down!" Apollo shouted. Goku gulped and steadied the bus's movement.

"My bad. I think I pulled it a bit too hard there."

"A bit?" Thalia choked out. She was beginning to feel even more relieved that she wasn't the one driving.

Annabeth steadied herself and looked out the window. Thanks to Goku's sudden takeoff, a large ring of trees caught on fire and left a vivid trail of smoke in the sky. "Well, you just scorched a small part of that forest there, but at least it wasn't the whole thing."

"Whoops." Goku cringed. Maybe he should have tried applying for a pilot's license as well.

"Don't worry about that. Just lightly press your foot on the accelerator and veer south for Long Island." Apollo calmly continued his instructions.

"Right, right. South… south…" Goku nodded his head. He then glanced over at the sun god. "Which way is south from here again?"

"Oh, by the gods! This is infuriating!" Zoë growled as she held the sides of her head in frustration.

She promptly got out of her seat and stomped over to where Goku was sitting.

Bianca grimaced. "Zoë, please don't—"

The oldest di Angelo sibling tried to stop Zoë from leaving, but Phoebe grabbed her arm in protest.

"Just let her go, sister. She's too difficult to reason with like this." Phoebe said in dismay. Bianca, although reluctant, understood her point and continued sitting down.

Goku, still trying to keep the bus stable in midair, was surprised to see Zoë hovering over him. And she did not look happy in the slightest.

"Uh… Zoë, what are you—"

"Turn that thing left, fool." She growled. Apollo wasn't sure if he should be concerned or amused by what was taking place.

"Wait, but Apollo said we were veering south. Is that where—"

Cursing to herself, Zoë forcibly placed her own hands on the steering wheel, despite not knowing a single thing about how to operate a motor vehicle or anything similar.

"I said… turn it left! Thou art going to get us all killed with thy poor sense of direction!" She fumed. The huntress jerked the wheel with all her might, causing the bus to be blown off-course.

The other Hunters uncontrollably bounced out of their seats and Percy, once again, smacked into Grover. This caused the satyr to yelp from pain.

"Woah!" Thalia gasped. She used her spear to prevent herself from falling face-first into the ground. "What in the actual hell are you doing, Nightshade?! Are you insane?"

"No… All of thee are insane for letting this lummox operate such a vehicle! He is not even aware of what direction we're heading in!"

"He was doing a fine enough job til' you decided to butt in! How about you actually follow your precious Lady Artemis' advice and respect Goku like she does?! It seems like you're not even trying to follow her orders." Thalia glowered. She roughly tugged Zoë away from the driver's seat; an action which made her act even more furious. "Some lieutenant you turned out to be."

The other Hunters gasped in shock. Zoë, practically shaking with pure rage, pulled out her bow and aimed an arrow at Thalia's head.

"How… dare thee question my loyalty to milady?! Who do you think thou art, half-blood?" She snarled.

"Oho, just try it, bitch. I dare you." Thalia sneered. Electric sparks shot of her spear's tip as she held it in front of Zoë.

Goku broke out into a nervous sweat. Their argument was starting to make it difficult to focus on driving.

Apollo looked over at the nearest window. The bus was so high up in the sky that everything down below was pitch black. Under those circumstances, even he was struggling to remain calm.

He sighed and stood in front of the two girls. To their surprise, he effortlessly huddled both of them close together with his arms.

"Ah… okay, I really do appreciate a good cat fight and all, girls, but…" He said. "Cape Cod's kinda freezing over right now. You might want to go a little lower, Goku."

"A-Alright. I can do that." Goku complied. He slowly tilted the wheel down, making it so the bus was ready to land at a steady enough pace.

"Good. Just keep doing that and we'll be home—"

Unfortunately for him, Zoë managed to break away from Apollo's embrace and attempt to interfere with Goku's driving once more. It appeared that Thalia's prior altercation made her all the more anxious to get off.

"That's too slow. Go a little faster." She ordered. The Persian huntress wretched the wheel downward, causing Goku to panic and struggle to bring it back to normal.

"Too much! Too much!" He shouted. The bus was now heading straight down to the Atlantic Ocean at what seemed like a thousand miles per hour. Heat was accumulating throughout the entire vehicle, causing everyone, with the exception of Apollo, to sweat profusely.

"No, Zoë! You're going to make us crash, you dumbass!" Thalia cried. She clutched Zoë's shoulders and yanked her away from where Goku was sitting. They proceeded to punch and claw at each other on the floor in rage.

Apollo himself was thrown to the very back of the bus. "Whoa!"

""AHHHHHHH!"" Grover and Percy screamed together in unison. They both clung onto each other for dear life while Nico, in contrast, treated this experience like an extra bumpy rollercoaster.

"Hehe! This is awesome!" He laughed as he held his hands up in the air. Bianca overheard this and glared at him.

"Again, Nico. This is definitely not awesome!" Bianca screamed. Nico ever-so-slightly darted his eyes toward his older sister.

"Hmph. Like you'd even care, anyway…" He grumbled. He turned his head forward without another word.

Bianca, in spite of the decision she made earlier, was hurt by this cold response.

"Nico…" She murmured.

Nearby, Annabeth tiptoed over the still-fighting Thalia and Zoë, so she could properly see what was going on.

"Get it under control, Goku! We're getting dangerously close to the New England coastline." Annabeth warned. Her blonde hair was standing on end from being thrashed about so many times.

"I'm trying, Annabeth! Zoë must have messed up the steering wheel somehow!" Goku said. With enough effort, he slowly brough the wheel back into place, but it still didn't quite fix the issue they were facing.

Apollo climbed up the rows of seats and reconvened with Goku. He tried not to look too worried, but it could clearly be seen on his face.

"E-Eh, it's not a big deal. It's not like there's any serious damage being caused or—WHOA!"

Apollo saw a snow-covered town in New England catch fire before his very eyes. The snow on the buildings, trees, and lawns instantly melted before bursting into flames like birthday candles set up in a single-file row. If they didn't take action soon, the entire town would be rendered a pile of smoldering ashes.

Percy pushed Grover aside and shouted, "Pull up, dude! Pull up!"

Deciding to focus his energy and keep his breathing under control, Goku pulled the wheel up. The bus quickly drove away from the burning village, causing cold air to snuff out any lingering signs of fire that remained.

"Phew! That could have been bad." Apollo slumped his shoulders in exhaustion. He pointed from where he was standing. "Long Island's dead ahead. Just keep it slow and land when I tell you."

Goku lifted a little of his foot off the accelerator and kept driving. He recognized some of Camp Half-Blood's main locations, including the cabins and dining pavilion. "Cool! I can see the camp from here!"

"Don't get distracted, Goku. Just keep focused until we're closer to the ground." Apollo reminded him.

Goku nodded. He kept his eyes focused on the upcoming destination and took deep, soothing breaths.

"Steady…"

They were too distracted to notice Zoë slowly picking herself off the ground. There were a few scratches and bruises on her face, but the little "argument" she had with Thalia was essentially over.

"Steady…"

Right as Goku was about to successfully land the bus, Zoë bolted forward. "Stop the chariot now!"

"Gahh!" The Saiyan flinched from surprise. He accidentally tugged on the steering wheel too hard and ripped it completely off of the dashboard.

Everyone's eyes collectively widened in horror. Apollo, in particular, looked like he was about to cry.

"Uh oh…"

At unimaginably fast speeds, the bus spun out of control and was about to crash right smack dab in the middle of Camp Half-Blood.

"Hit the brakes! THE BRAKES!" Apollo screamed. Goku rapidly pressed his foot on the brake pedal, but to no avail. The bus simply wouldn't slow down enough before the impending impact.

With no other options left, Goku narrowed his eyes and rested two fingers over his forehead.

"Damnit! Hold on, guys!" He growled.

"Goku! You can't just leave the—"

Closing in on the bus's energy, Goku used Instant Transmission to teleport himself directly in front of it. He then transformed into a Super Saiyan and encompassed his entire body in a golden aura.

At this point, the bus was engulfed in flames rivaling the very temperature of the sun itself. Trees inside Camp Half-Blood's forest were starting to burn to a crisp, so Goku thought fast and stopped the bus with his own two, ki-imbued hands.

"HYAAAH!" He screamed. The intense heat was somewhat difficult to bear, but Goku pushed through and slowly lifted the bus upward.

Everyone inside slid down the bus's aisle way and were smushed together against the windshield. Nico was plopped in front of the center, so he was able to get a good look at Goku's Super Saiyan form.

"Sooo cool!" He mumbled against the glass.

Keeping the bus cool by surrounding it with his golden ki, Goku speedily flew above Camp Half-Blood's lake and slammed it into the water. This caused a huge splash that scared away a few naiads attempting to weave some wicker baskets.

Steam billowed off of the bus as it became submerged in the lake's waters. Though it wasn't as hot as it was a few seconds ago, some canoes were still half-melted from the resulting crash.

Inside the bus, Percy, Thalia, Annabeth, and the others were all thrown away from the glass in various directions. They all groaned in pain as Apollo inspected the damaged steering wheel in disappointment.

"Man, after I just got it detailed too…" The sun god grumbled and shook his head.

Goku, still maintaining his yellow hair and green eyes, floated above the bus to make certain it wasn't too damaged. Apart from two hand-shaped craters impeded into the bus's metallic grill, everything else seemed salvageable at best.

"At least everyone's still in one piece." He smiled. He then went back to his base form and flew inside of the bus to check up on everyone.

"Everybody doing okay in here?" Goku asked.

Percy struggled to stand up straight. He held a hand over his mouth, trying his best not to throw up.

"We're… ugh… good. Thanks for the last minute save there." Percy said.

"Too bad it wouldn't have had to happen if Zoë just kept her mouth shut for a change." Thalia hissed. She used her spear for extra support as Annabeth helped her stand up.

"Tsk. I was only telling Goku to… brake, as thee say. It's not my fault he didn't see me stand up when I spoke." Zoë sniffed, refusing to take accountability for her actions.

Thalia bared her teeth. "Lord Apollo was already giving him enough instructions, you pompous, little—"

Apollo clapped his hands together like some sort of instructor or caretaker. "Alright, alright. Break it up, girls. Everything is under control now, so let's just end this little spat and call it a day. We cool? We cool."

The two girls continued glaring at each other, waiting for one of them to back down. In the end, they both… begrudgingly heeded Apollo's words.

"Fine." Thalia whispered.

"We're not cool, as thou say, but fine." Zoë crossed her arms. She then walked over to the rest of the Hunters in concern for their injuries.

Apollo pinched the bridge of his nose. Try as he might, he just couldn't seem to understand those Hunters. Not being attracted to him was bad enough, but their icy, self-centered attitudes were even worse.

One of them being the indirect cause of his sun chariot being damaged just served to give him a headache. Thanks to Goku, however, it managed to not be completely destroyed, at least.

The aforementioned Saiyan sheepishly stroked the back of his black hair. "Sorry for damaging your… uh… ride, Apollo. Zoë took me a little by surprise back there."

"Ah, it's not your fault, man. I'm just thankful you were able to stick the landing like that." Apollo smiled. "Gotta admit, that Super Saiyan thing of yours sure is impressive."

"Thanks. Hehe. And considering what we're dealing with now, I'll be using it more often for sure." Goku proclaimed cheerfully.

"Suppose you're right, man. Haha." Apollo laughed in a similar manner. "Well, seeing as how we were a clothesline away from burning Camp Half-Blood to kingdom come, let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

Apollo then helped everyone out of the bus, so they could properly meet up with Chiron and Dionysus. Goku, after all, had his position as the new counselor to look forward to.

Meanwhile on Mount Tamalpais, San Francisco - Friday, December 14th, 2007 (Age 775)

Atlas was growing impatient. He rigidly paced back and forth, waiting for any sign of Dr. Thorn or Kogu's presence. However, what little patience he had left was wearing thin thanks to Luke's constant groans of pain and anguish.

He clenched his teeth in annoyance. "Will you stop whimpering, Castellan?! I'm trying to concentrate here."

Luke's arms were practically pulsating under the weight of the heavens. Drool could be seen trickling out of his mouth as he struggled to talk.

"A-And…gah…I'm trying to concentrate… on making sure the entire sky… ergh… doesn't flatten me like a damn pancake…" He spat. His skin was almost completely pale from sheer exhaustion. If no one were to switch with him, Luke would most definitely pass out right then and there.

Atlas waved him off with little care. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just suck it up until the blonde half-blood arrives. That is why you wanted her here, right?"

The son of Hermes grimaced. He wouldn't say it out loud, but a part of him just wanted to see Annabeth again.

"Y-Yeah…" Luke lied. His voice was hoarse, yet just audible enough for the Titan General to hear him.

"Then wait like the rest of us, boy. Kogu should be back here any moment now." Bojack growled. He was still leaning against a marble column with his arms crossed. His followers were placed in similar positions.

"I still don't think Kogu should have went there alone. He's prone to being too cocky for his own good." Zangya noted as she brushed her hair back.

Bujin, currently sitting on the floor, smirked mischievously. "And you're implying that you'd do a better job? You're the weakest of us by far."

Zangya glared at the short Hera in annoyance.

"Oh, please. Like you have any right to judge anyone on their power level, Bujin."

"Psychic abilities are better than nothing at all, dear." Bujin snickered. He telekinetically picked up a rock and flicked it at Zangya's forehead.

Blood seeped out of the small wound, much to her outrage. "Ergh! You slimy, little—"

"Enough, you morons! Just do as Master Bojack says and wait for Kogu!" Bido shouted. It was clear that his loyalty to Bojack was the strongest out of all of them.

Bido and Zangya looked away from each other in revulsion.

"Much appreciated, Bido." Bojack muttered. He then sensed a fast-approaching ki signature.

"Ah, speak of the devil. There he is now."

He caught sight of Kogu flying towards them. To his displeasure, there was a large, gaping wound in his stomach.

"But… he's alone. There's no sign of the Saiyan or those demigods anywhere." Bido pointed out.

Bojack narrowed his blue eyes. "I can see that…"

The Hera swordsman shakily landed on Mount Tamalpais. Fresh blood splattered from his wound as he collapsed in front of Bojack. The remains of the Devilish Blade bounced atop his boots as well.

Seeing that sword in such a pathetic state caused Bojack's mood to worsen considerably. He didn't even bother saying a word.

"I've returned… alive, Master Bojack…" Kogu stammered. Returning to the mountain took every last ounce of energy he had left.

"And where, might I ask, is the manticore, Dr. Thorn?" Atlas demanded to know.

"Destroyed. He almost escaped with the blonde girl, but Son Goku was too fast for him."

Atlas slammed a fist into the ground in anger. A huge crater was imprinted into the concrete as a result. The mountain seemed to ever-so-slightly shake from his strength alone too.

"Damn it all! That means we lost those two demigod brats as well!" Atlas cursed himself. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that imbecile to get the job done."

"It's not entirely his fault. We underestimated how strong Son Goku was and—"

Bojack suddenly kicked Kogu straight in the face. The swordsman was sent flying in the air, causing more blood to splatter from his fractured nose.

"Dwah!" He gasped. Before he could hit the ground, Bojack dashed forward at speeds faster than light and slammed his fist straight through Kogu's open wound.

Kogu couldn't even say anything. The pain he was feeling was the worst he's ever experienced, especially when it was coming from his own leader of all people.

"You underestimated nothing. You shouldn't have even given the fool a chance to transform. Or better yet, you should have been smart enough to not leave yourself open to this… kind of attack." Bojack chastised his injured subordinate. "Now, look at you. You have no sword and no sign of victory to speak of. You would have been better off being incinerated by his Kamehameha Wave bullshit. At least you would have died with some dignity."

Kogu tried to defend himself, but his voice gave out. Bojack proceeded to twist his arm within Kogu's wound, causing more blood to ooze from every corner of his stomach.

The other members of the Galaxy Soldiers remained completely silent. None of them were in protest of Kogu's punishment at all, except for Zangya.

Her eyes widened in fear. She may have badmouthed Kogu before, but she didn't think his punishment would be this brutal and sadistic. It made her terrified to think what would happen to her if she somehow managed to disappoint Bojack.

Right as Kogu's eyes were starting to roll into the back of his head from pure agony, Bojack quickly pulled his arm out of the wound. Kogu gasped and plopped onto the floor like a dead, lifeless fish.

Bojack inspected his arm. It was stained red with Kogu's blood, much to his clear revulsion. "Feh. What a disgrace…"

He then calmly walked in front of Atlas. The space pirate paused for a moment, thinking of another way to punish Kogu for his failure.

"Have to admit, I didn't expect to witness such savagery from you, Bojack. I respect it." Atlas chuckled.

"That's nothing. Wait until you see what I do to my enemies." Bojack laughed in a sadistic manner. He then darted his eyes toward the now-quiet Luke. "How about we give the Castellan kid a much-needed break for a change?"

Kogu's eyes widened. "W-Wait, Bojack… Give me another chance! I can still—"

"Eh, why the hell not? It'll make a good substitute for that little Athena brat he failed to bring here." Atlas complied with Bojack's suggestion.

The leader of the Galaxy Soldiers then roughly grabbed ahold of Kogu's foot and tossed him where Luke was standing. Flecks of blood stained the ground as he smacked against it.

"Uh… what are you—"

"Shut up, boy. You're switching shifts with this loser. Take it or leave it." Bojack growled. Luke just barely managed to smirk in relief.

"Works for me…"

As Luke rolled out of harm's way, Bojack dragged Kogu directly underneath the sky. It was materialized as large chunks of black rock.

"But… but… I can still… f-fight…" Kogu hacked. Not wanting to be crushed to death, he just barely held up the heavens with his arms. It would have been easier without the gaping hole still presiding in his abdominal area, but Bojack didn't seem to care.

"Yeah, I know you can. That's why you'll be holding up the sky here until someone else can take your place." Bojack explained with a shrug. "Consider it mercy for failing your mission so badly."

"Y-You're… not even going to heal me first?" He asked in disbelief.

Bojack shook his head and prepared to walk away. He slightly turned around to smirk at him.

"If I did that, it wouldn't be a proper punishment now, would it?"

The sky proceeded to add even more pressure to Kogu's arms and current injuries. He tried to endure it, but the hole inside of him was just too much.

"Damnit!" He screamed. His body was quickly coated in beads of sweat, which Luke found a bit disgusting.

"Man, good thing I don't have to deal with that anymore." Luke said.

"Don't get too comfortable, Castellan. There's still work to be done." Atlas scowled.

"I know the drill, General. You don't have to remind me." The son of Hermes sighed. He loosened his joints and stretched in order to get back to normal.

Bojack scooped up the scraps of Kogu's damaged sword and threw them at Luke. "Take this, kid."

"Whoa!" Luke just barely managed to stop the pieces from slicing him. "Geez, man. What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I don't care. Reforge it into something new or whatever." Bojack said. "Kogu's not going to be using it for a while, so you might as well take advantage of that."

Luke examined the sword. Apart from it being snapped in two, it was undeniably a well-crafted weapon.

"I mean, I already have Backbiter, but sure. I'll see what I can do with it." He nodded.

"Good then," Bojack cracked his neck and knuckles anxiously. "So, what's next, Atlas?"

"Isn't it obvious? We hunt down and capture Artemis, of course." Atlas reminded him. "Something tells me that her search for the Ophiotaurus will bring her straight to us on Mount Tamalpais. That's why we need to overpower her and make certain that she can't escape."

"Seems simple enough. I can go out there and take her down myself." Bojack sneered, hoping to finally participate in a real fight for a change.

"No, Bojack. I don't want a potential repeat of this last mission." Atlas shook his head in uncertainty. "I suggest that your three remaining subordinates and I go capture her. I understand how powerful you are, but considering that she's my daughter's mistress and all, I want to make this a more… personal encounter."

Bojack quirked a brow. "All of that against one goddess?"

"This won't be the same as that mindless brawl Son Goku had with Ares. Artemis is far more cunning and intelligent than Ares ever was. It'll be best to overpower her through numbers, not raw power alone."

Considering that Atlas was the Titan of endurance, Bojack was smart enough to go along with this strategy, even if it meant standing on the sidelines for a little longer.

"Fair enough." Bojack reluctantly nodded. "You heard the man. You three shall go with Atlas to fight this moon goddess."

"Hehe. Sounds fun." Bujin snickered.

"What will you do while we're gone, Bojack?" Zangya asked.

He jerked a thumb over at the heavens. "I'll be watching over Kogu. Gotta make sure the weakling doesn't drop dead before his punishment is over."

Kogu's body shivered underneath the clump of black rocks. It crumbled a bit with each movement of his arms. "I-I'm not a weakling! Goku was just too… too…"

"Save it for someone who cares." Bojack rolled his eyes. "I'll see you all later. Don't repeat the same mistake Kogu did, you hear?"

"We won't let you down, boss. The goddess is as good as ours." Bido laughed sinisterly. He, Bujin, and Bido simultaneously charged up their ki, and prepared for takeoff.

"Castellan, ready a battalion of monsters around the mountain. We'll be needing something to distract Artemis before the true battle begins." Atlas ordered with a devious glint in his brown eyes.

"On it, General." Luke replied. Still holding onto the Devilish Blade, he walked over to a lower part of Mount Tamalpais without another word.

Atlas stood in place, taking a deep breath. He unleashed his Titanic Energy, sending a shockwave that uprooted trees that were hundreds of yards away from the mountain.

"Let the hunt begin." He powerfully uttered.

The four of them then parted from Mount Tamalpais and began their search for Artemis.

Somewhere else in the United States…

Artemis kept dashing from forest to forest at breakneck speeds. She attempted to locate any trace of the Ophiotaurus' whereabouts, but, sadly, no proper leads could be found. Even tracking the beast's energy wasn't doing her any good. It was as if it didn't have an energy to it at all.

She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Part of her wished that she accepted Goku's offer to help, but logically, this was her task alone to complete. She's performed countless hunts in the past without any difficulty, so why should this one be any different?

The goddess of the hunt sighed. Just thinking about the child-like Saiyan was interfering with her concentration. "I just hope nothing bad happened on Apollo's chariot…"

She pursed her lips and cast away such thoughts. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about Goku, Apollo, or even her Hunters. Saving Olympus from its impending destruction was, first and foremost, her top priority.

She closed her eyes, trying to regulate the flow of her Divine Energy. A silver aura trickled around her body until a disturbing image appeared subconsciously.

"Gah!" Artemis cried. She knelt down and clutched her aching forehead. For a split second, she could have sworn that she sensed Atlas' massive Titanic Energy and heard his booming voice.

What was even more disturbing about this vision was that he said her name. Artemis widened her eyes.

"Does… he know that I'm here?" She thought in worry. She stood up straight as her long, auburn hair was blown against the wind.

Shakily clutching her silver bow, Artemis followed the direction that the wind was blowing toward. She narrowed her eyes and placed a hand over heart.

"Father… give me strength…"

Upon saying these words, a loud clap of thunder could be heard in the distance. Artemis then regained her lost composure and kept trekking through the forest.

She speedily moved onward, inching closer to her planned destination and potential endpoint: Mount Tamalpais.