The Expedition to Mount Athos - (3)

Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. A massive serpent-like monster that floats a golden sword in the air and controls it. It was born alongside Pegasus after Medusa's head was severed by Perseus... Unlike Pegasus, Chrysaor inherited more monstrous traits, and by the time Medusa sought it out, it had long disappeared.

Orthrus. A gigantic two-headed dog with a snake-headed tail. The firstborn of Typhon and Echidna, it is the sibling of Cerberus, who guards the Underworld, and Chimera, who was slain by Bellerophon.

While the most notable threats were these two demi-god-level monsters, other beasts followed in their wake, and they were no less dangerous. These included harpies, creatures with the head of a woman and the body of a giant bird of prey; moving trees; man-eating stags; giant lizards, and more.

"All those monsters that were hiding in the mountain are charging at us! Quickly, shoot down the ones in the sky first!" "Don’t back down! This is a war between us and the monsters, and the gods are watching!" "It'll take time for the messenger sent to request reinforcements from Macedonia to return! We must hold out until then!" "I dedicate my battle to the War God Ares!"

Krrrk! Roar! Hissss—

With the monsters charging in a frenzied mass, the heroes swiftly readied themselves for battle. Spears and arrows flew in every direction as the monsters closed in, eager to devour the humans.

As the two forces collided, filled with murderous intent, the battlefield erupted in a chorus of human screams and beastly howls. The clash of spears and swords against claws and fangs set the stage for a fierce battle.

Amidst this chaos, several heroes stood out.

Among them was Orion, the hero leading the expedition.

Whoosh— Thunk.

Another of Orion’s arrows pierced the throat of a beast. Known as the greatest hunter in Greece, the son of the sea god was still able to precisely target only the monsters, even in the midst of the chaotic melee. His powerful arms pulled back the bowstring once more, aiming at a new target—Orthrus, the two-headed offspring of Typhon, who was tearing through humans with both of its heads.

Thunk. Growl?!

Orion's arrow, renowned for its unerring accuracy, pierced the beast’s leg. Realizing it had been hit, Orthrus dropped the human it was holding in its mouth and charged at Orion.

"This beast...!" "Orion! It's coming your way! Be careful!"

The nearby heroes tried to stop the beast, but their weapons barely scratched its tough hide. While it wasn’t as impervious as the Nemean Lion, another child of Typhon, Orthrus’s skin was thick enough to resist most attacks.

Grrrr—

"Its hide is too thick! It's not even the Nemean Lion!" "Damn it! Orion, we need to—" "I know, everyone stand back! I'll kill this thing myself!"

Only Orion, the son of the sea god, with his immense strength, had been able to pierce its leg. Realizing this, Orion discarded his bow, pulled out the massive club strapped to his back, and readied his shield.

In the midst of the battlefield, where heroes and monsters clashed, Chrysaor was furiously attacking heroes with its venomous fangs and the flying golden sword, while the shrieks of men being torn apart by man-eating stags echoed around them.

Orion charged toward the center of the battlefield, clutching his club tightly as Orthrus rushed at him, baring its fangs.

Grrrrrr!!!

"A child of Typhon! You're the perfect prey for my legend!"

With a roar, Orthrus leaped toward Orion, and the hunter swung his mighty club.

At the palace of Olympus, Apollo stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the scene below. Although his father Zeus had accepted the sacrifices offered by the heroes as they entered Mount Athos...

"Apollo, you’ll watch over them and assist as necessary." "Understood, Father. But what exactly do you mean by 'assist as necessary'?" "Exactly what I said. Gaia is sure to try to prevent the heroes from accomplishing their tasks. She won’t allow the expedition to reach Mount Athos unscathed." "So...?" "You may intervene at 'appropriate times,' as you see fit."

Zeus had instructed him to watch over the expedition and provide aid when needed. Although Heracles had been born, Zeus feared that something unfortunate might happen to prevent him from becoming a great hero, or worse, that Hera might kill him.

Zeus's plan was to raise as many heroes as possible, increasing the chances of finding a great hero to lead the gods in their battle against the Gigantes. He couldn't rely solely on the infant Heracles; as the king of the gods, he had to prepare for the worst.

Reflecting on his conversation with Zeus, Apollo glanced down through the clouds. Suddenly, someone sat beside him quietly.

It was his younger sister, Artemis, the goddess of the moon.

"Little sister, what brings you here?" "Brother, shouldn’t we help them? Look at how the heroes are struggling." "But these trials are necessary to forge great heroes, don’t you think? We can't just rely on that infant Heracles, whom Father dotes on so much." "But still..."

The beautiful goddess looked down at the mortal realm with a worried expression. Apollo noticed the concern, love, sorrow, and impatience in her eyes and sighed.

His sister Artemis was a chaste goddess, sworn to purity. However, he had noticed for some time now that she seemed to have grown fond of a certain mortal.

"That hero fighting Orthrus so bravely down there... couldn't we at least save him?" "...I’m not sure."

Artemis, the goddess of hunting and archery, had developed a closeness with Orion, Greece’s greatest hunter. It seemed inevitable that they would grow closer, but Apollo found it hard to tolerate.

How dare a mere mortal covet a goddess sworn to chastity under the River Styx’s oath? And with me, Apollo, watching? How dare he overstep his place...?

"...I don't like this at all." "Huh? What did you say, brother?" "Nothing. If you feel that strongly, I'll send a raven to help the mortals a bit."

Since Orion was Poseidon’s son, Apollo couldn’t directly punish him. However... what if there were an 'unfortunate accident' during his battle with a monster?

Near the Kingdom of Macedonia, the battlefield had long since turned into a bloodbath. The war between the heroes from across Greece and the mythical monsters was slowly tipping in favor of the monsters.

While many of the beasts had launched the first attack on the humans, the heroes were not without skill. Those who had trained in Thebes or honed their abilities by hunting monsters in the mortal realm were not to be underestimated.

However...

"Damn it! Somebody do something about that flying sword... Ugh!" "Huff... Is there no one left with the blood of the wind god?"

Hissss—

Chrysaor, with his hardened scales, venomous fangs, and a body that was a weapon in itself, was a significant threat. But the real problem was his ability to control the golden sword, which flew through the sky, striking down the heroes one by one.

"Ack... Guh!"

Another hero, who had introduced himself as the son of the south wind god Notus, screamed as Chrysaor's sword impaled his abdomen. While Orion fought Orthrus, who would deal with that terrifying monster?

If not for the warriors from Thebes, who seemed to have experience fighting giant serpents and managed to distract the beast, the entire expedition might have been wiped out by now. Despite the prolonged battle, Chrysaor still looked unscathed, while the morale of the expedition members was slowly crumbling.

Then, something flew overhead.

Caw—caw!

"What... what is that sound?" "That shadow... in the sky... is it a harpy?!"

Even in the midst of battle, the piercing cry of the bird caught the attention of the heroes. They glanced upward and were relieved by what they saw.

A distinct birdcall, a large black form, and the sacred energy emanating from it.

"It’s Apollo’s sacred raven!" "Isn’t that the raven that reported the affair of Princess Coronis from Thessaly?" "Lord Apollo is watching over us! Praise Phoebus Apollo, the shining god!"

Once, Apollo had a white raven that served as his messenger to Princess Coronis, with whom he had a romantic relationship.
However, when Coronis betrayed Apollo by having an affair with a mortal named Ischys, the raven immediately informed Apollo.
In his rage, Apollo killed Coronis with his arrows but soon regretted it. He turned his fury on the raven, whose feathers turned black as they were scorched by Apollo's divine gaze.
Thus, the black raven became Apollo's sacred bird, and now it appeared here.

The sacred raven soared over the battlefield and then dived straight toward Chrysaor. At first, the raven was merely a small dot in the sky, but as it descended toward the earth, it grew larger and larger, until it was the size of several men combined. The enormous raven swooped down and slashed its talons across Chrysaor’s back.

Hissss!

Blood sprayed from the monster’s back as it writhed in pain. Seeing this, the heroes regained their fighting spirit and charged at Chrysaor once again.

The flying golden sword was now busy fending off the raven, and Orthrus was being handled by the expedition leader, Orion.
If these two demigod-tier monsters could be neutralized on the battlefield, the odds would shift in the heroes’ favor!

The remaining monsters were nothing compared to the Sphinxes, Pythons, or the other great beasts the heroes had trained against in the Underworld.

"We’ve got this! We survived the training grounds of Thebes! These beasts are nothing compared to that!" "Lord Ares, lend me strength for my sword!" "Quick! Let’s finish them off and go help Orion!"

Unless some new threat emerged, the expedition would likely end in victory for the heroes.