With Atlas defeated and Luke having decided to retreat, things wound down quickly...
With no urgency to leave, Artemis decided to take some time to recover from holding the sky so that she could look presentable once she arrived on Olympus.
During that time, Annabeth's father arrived in his helicopter. We ended up taking Artemis's chariot down to Crissy Field, where Annabeth's father followed us. The two had a touching reunion, during which it seemed like the two finally were able to truly put their past behind them and decide to work on their relationship as Father and Daughter.
Artemis let out a sigh as she slowly ran her hands over her body, her clothes shimmering and fixing themselves as all the dirt and grime vanished from her figure and clothes. She looked every bit a spotless Goddess as she had when she met Penny and the others for the first time.
"I must go to Olympus," she told us. "Or else I will miss the Solstice meeting. I will not be able to take you, but I shall send help."
She gently put her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, with the spirit of a true huntress. You will do what is right."
Artemis turned her gaze to Thalia. Thalia met her silver eyes with her electric blue ones, and the two seemed to stare at one another for moment.
The Moon Goddess flicked her eyes to me with a look of understanding, and she gave Thalia a smile. "You would have been an excellent Huntress," she told her.
Her eyes moved to Penny next as she smiled. "It's not too late for you to join my Hunt, Daughter of Poseidon," Artemis offered, which surprised me.
Penny shook her head gently. "No thank you... But I appreciate the offer."
Artemis merely gave an understanding nod, before she looked to me once again. "You... Did well... For a man."
"Fuck it, I'll take that," I nodded with a chuckle.
She snorted in amusement before she climbed onto her Chariot, and Zoe quickly followed her onto it. The chariot glowed and we were forced to avert our eyes. When we looked back, it had vanished.
Not long after the sound of large wings whooshing through the air filled our ears. Four Pegasi descended through the fog: three white-winged horses and one pure black one.
'That's Blackjack,' I recalled, having had the 'pleasure' of meeting the horse a few times through Penny.
Annabeth had a quick goodbye with her father, and the four of us mounted the Pegasi and took off to Olympus.
We zipped by towns at lightning speed, Thalia and I flew alongside one another, and I had to hold her hand to stop her from gripping her Pegasus too tightly and risk ripping out some of its hair.
Finally, we approached Olympus itself.
I couldn't lie; it was a beautiful sight. The Torches burned and glowed with over twenty colours, illuminating the entire kingdom in light. The streets were full of nature spirits and demigods, riding around in chariots or chairs carried by Cyclopes. The gardens carried a strong scent of jasmine and roses, filling the air with sweetness. Music also drifted in the air, though it wasn't too my taste.
The Pegasi touched down on the outer courtyards, and the silver gates swung open for us without any hesitation.
With a bid farewell to the horses, we made our way into the Throne Room.
"Welcome, heroes," Artemis said, looking far more relaxed and comfortable now that she was sat upon her divine throne, glowing with soft silver light.
Zoe slightly behind her throne and to the left- just enough to remain visible. She gave all of us a small smile and a nod of respect, before she focused up on the meeting.
A moo filled the air, and I turned my gaze to see both Bianca and Uta together with 'Bessie' the Ophiotaurus.
Uta's eyes lit up and she began to make her way over, only to pause and look to Zeus- just to be safe. He merely waved it off, unbothered as his eyes were focused on Thalia, staring at her intently.
Uta ran over and threw her arms around both Thalia and me, smiling happily. "You made it!" She smiled at us. "I'm so glad you're both okay! Things got a little sketchy for a while back in the ocean, but we made it out the other side just fine! How are you? Was it a hard fight?"
"Not so much a fight..." Thalia snorted. "Yuno was holding out on us, just challenged Atlas to a game of Duel Monsters and he had no way to refuse."
She blinked and then snorted. "You're not serious?"
"I have never been this serious," Thalia chuckled.
Uta nodded before her smile faded. "You'll need to convince them, there's no way Bianca nor I can," she sighed.
Bianca walked up behind Uta and nodded in agreement... I noticed that Bianca was different, lacking a distinct silvery glow around her body. She looked a little shaken, but serious.
"Convince them about what?" Penny asked, interjecting.
"Heroes," Artemis spoke once more. She stepped off of her throne, returning to human size instead of being giant sized like the rest of the Gods. Zoe quickly followed behind her.
"The council has been informed of your deeds," she told us. "They know that Mount Othrys is rising in the West. They know of Atlas's attempt for freedom, and the gathering of the armies of Kronos. They have voted to act."
"At my Lord Zeus's command," Artemis said, "my brother Apollo and I shall hunt the most powerful monsters, seeking to strike them down before they can join the Titans' cause. Lady Athena shall personally check on the other Titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. Lord Poseidon has been given permission to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. And as for you, my heroes…"
She turned to look at the Gods. "The Half-Bloods have done Olympus a great service, would any deny that?"
The Gods all murmured in soft agreement at her words.
"I gotta say, they did okay," Apollo grinned. "In fact, I think I've got a Haiku for them! Heroes with Laurels-!"
"Yes, yes, first class," Hermes quickly interrupted, not wanting Apollo to start reciting his crappy Haiku's again. "All in favour of not disintegrating them?"
"Hold on just a second," Ares stopped things before any votes could be held, her eyes turning to Thalia and Penny. "The man I don't got a problem with leaving alive, but those three," She pointed at Bianca, Thalia, and Penny, "are dangerous. It'd be much safer, while we've got them here-!"
"You will not lay a finger on my daughter," Hades voice filled the room with a low, dark presence as his eyes burned with Greek Fire.
"Nor mine," Poseidon added. "They are all worthy heroes."
Zeus looked conflicted for only a split second, given Hades child was in the mix as well as Poseidon's, but he nodded in agreement. "And nor shall any harm my daughter. She has done well."
Thalia's eyes widened slightly, and she glanced away to hide the smile on her face... Before her eyes widened and she looked at Bianca. "Wait... Did Hades just call you...?"
She bit her lip and nodded. "The Lotus Casino... I learned a little bit from some arguing before you got here but... My sister and I were in there since not long after World War Two… Hades is my godly parent."
Penny, Thalia, and Annabeth gave her a stunned look.
Athena frowned. "I, too, am proud of my daughter. However, there is a security risk with the other three."
"Two," Thalia decided to speak up, cutting in. "I will not be the prophecy child."
Everyone stopped and looked at Thalia.
"My daughter, tomorrow is your birthday," Zeus reminded her.
"Then I will flee," Thalia told him. "To a place where even Prophecy cannot reach... North, far north, beyond the Gods."
Everyone's eyes widened at her words... They believed she was talking about Alaska, and she was implying things by saying North. But I knew the truth, that she was going to go to another world to avoid the Prophecy.
"My daughter, are you sure...?" Zeus asked, hesitantly. "I- the gods cannot reach you in such a far off place."
"I'm sure," she nodded firmly. "I will not be the Prophecy child... I will leave that to Penny."
"Should she live past today," Ares growled, sharing a glare with Penny.
"Enough!" Artemis hissed. "I will not punish these heroes; I will reward them!"
Zeus frowned. "But we can at least agree the creature must be destroyed, agreed?"
I zoned out at that point. There was no need for me to interfere, things had wrapped up on their own. Penny convinced the gods to spare Bessie, and the vote showed the Gods had decided to not smite Thalia, Bianca, and Penny.
And so, the party began.
I received congratulations from a few gods, and some- particularly Hermes, Apollo, Hephaestus, and Athena- all expressed interest in my Duel Disk and the Duel Monsters card game. I handed over my old Duel Disk that I no longer used and some cards that I didn't need. Why be difficult when it was easier to be cooperative?
I also learned from Bianca that, after her return to Olympus, she had realised that she couldn't leave her sister behind. She had spoken to Artemis and had left the hunt, which was why she was lacking the subtle silver glow that all of the hunters usually had.
I felt it was better for Bianca to stay with Nicole, it just showed that their bond as sisters was stronger than Bianca had truly realised. She kept the Hades figurine hidden and was determined to hand it over to Nicole herself.
I managed to make my way outside, avoiding being hit on by various nymphs and other beings, and took a seat near the balcony- staring out at New York below.
Thalia and Uta both managed to slip out as well, joining me outside.
We all shared a glance before we opened the Chatroom.
Congratulations!
Goth Thunder, Black Sun, and Sea Diva have cleared the World Mission!
Objectives
Save Artemis before the Winter Solstice (Complete)!
Bonus Objectives
Nobody dies on the quest (Complete)!
Defeat Atlas without fighting him (Complete)!
Luke retreats with his army (Complete)!
Steal a Golden Apple (Complete)!
All Bonus Missions Cleared (Complete)!
Rewards
-1x Advanced 10x Gacha Roll (Unclaimed)
-1x B Rarity or Higher Item (Unclaimed)
-100,000 Points (Unclaimed)
-Fair Duel (SS) (Claimed)
Bonus Rewards
-50,000 Points (Unclaimed)
-Master Bolt Spear (Replica) (Goth Thunder Exclusive) (Unclaimed)
-Boots of Hermes (Replica) (Sea Diva Exclusive) (Unclaimed)
-Zabaniya (Formless) (Black Sun Exclusive) (Unclaimed)
Participants will be sent back to their original world in 3 days, or by saying 'Return' with the intention to return to their world.
The three of us shared a look between each other once again as we took in the rewards that we'd obtained from the World Mission…
Six months ago, we'd began to train and had pushed ourselves to master our abilities and become strong enough to face this quest…
And, in the end, we'd done it. We'd come out the other side alive and well.
Through bruises and the occasional broken bone, and the stress and the headaches… Somehow, we had actually finished the Chatroom mission perfectly.
The three of us couldn't help it. We began to laugh, perhaps from delirium as the worries and stress faded away and oxygen rushed to our heads. Maybe it was a little bit from the alcohol we'd been drinking too, but we just couldn't help ourselves from laughing.
"Wh- when did you even do that?" Thalia giggled in amusement, wiping tears from her eyes. She hadn't missed the part where I'd apparently stolen a Golden Apple.
"After I used Swing of Memories," I admitted, chuckling and leaning back in my chair. "I grabbed twenty, how could I resist?"
"You bold bastard," Uta laughed as she leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder.
Thalia shook her head and gently rest her head on my other shoulder as the three of us stared out at New York together.
I slowly lifted up my pint of cider… It may be underaged drinking, but the three of us all felt we deserved it after all the crap we'd been through.
"A toast," I told them. "To never giving up. And to the future."
"And to six months of brutal training," Uta added, chuckling as she lifted her glass.
"And to us," Thalia lifted her own. "For seeing things through to the end."
We clinked our glasses together- and we drank.
Victory tasted so sweet.