Leon POV

The flight was going smoother than expected. The plane construct I'd made with magic was holding up, despite my earlier doubts. The wind was rushing around us, and for a moment, I could almost forget the chaos we had left behind in the town, clearly, everyone was suspicious, but it is what it is.

Then Diana's voice cut through the calm mood.

"I sense something." she said.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked, "I sense nothing."

"Monsters. They're on our tail. Armored gargoyles are the latest security beasts the underworld has been using. We shouldn't worry too much...well, I'm a goddess, I don't, but for you guys...they're trained to be as strong as a demigod, so as long as we're keeping at this speed, we should outfly them, they have stamina after all."

Before I could ask any questions of my own, her expression shifted.

"Everyone, jump! Now! Leon! Shut off your magic!" she shouted suddenly.

"What-"

"Do it!" she screamed.

My instincts kicked in, and I shut off my magic without thinking. The plane disappeared in an instant, and we were all plummeting toward the desert below. The wind roared in my ears as we fell, everyone screaming or cursing. Then, a streak of blinding light shot past us, tearing through the air so fast I barely had time to register it.

"It's Apollo..." Diana muttered under her breath.

We hit the sand hard. I managed to roll with the impact, my body sinking into the dunes as I came to a stop. The fall wasn't fun, but I'd survived worse, I guess having a strong body comes with its perks. I stood up, shaking off the sand. Around me, the others weren't as lucky. Lux had landed face-first, and Mike was coughing up a lung, but they were fine. John, though? Not so much. Being a centaur, he didn't exactly fall gracefully. His massive form was sprawled out, legs tangled awkwardly. He groaned, clearly in pain, trying to stand as Lux healed a broken leg of his.

"John, you good?"

"Yeah, I would say to give us a warning next time, but we would have died by that light beam earlier." he replied as he got his bow out.

I glanced around, trying to get a sense of where we were as I prepared myself for a fight as everyone armed themselves, but something felt off. A strange tension in the air, like we weren't alone.

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Then I felt it. The unmistakable sensation of an arrow aimed right at me.

Without thinking, I threw up a shield, a massive construct of light magic forming in front of me just in time. The arrow slammed into it with a thunderous crack, the force nearly pushing me back a step. I gritted my teeth, holding my ground as the energy from the impact rippled through the shield. The pressure was immense, but I held on, waiting until the last second before finally deflecting the arrow away. The shield dissipated, and I took a deep breath, only to feel a burning sensation shoot through my shoulder.

Before I could react, a second beam of light hit me, this time in the shoulder, knocking me back. I cried out, clutching at the wound. It hadn't penetrated fully, but damn, it hurt like hell. My entire arm felt like it was on fire, and I had to force myself to stay upright.

"I would ask how you survived his arrows, but I'm glad you did." lux said as she healed my wounds, "The guy can manifest the power of the sun into his arrows."

Another beam of light blasted down in front of us. The impact kicked up a cloud of sand, blinding me for a moment. When it cleared, I saw him. Standing there, bow in hand, was a blond, athletic figure, eyes sharp and focused. The archer stood tall, radiating a calm but dangerous energy. Apollo.

"You could have cast a barrier." he said, directing it towards Diana.

"That was faster than I expected." Diana replied, "You got better."

"I was concerned when I heard that you were used as a hostage, but you're clearly not one, based on how you're not bound, so sis..." he then aimed his bow at our group, "Why?"

"Why are you alone?"

"I came alone, I didn't really need the others."

"Archer should never be on the front lines." Diana said before drawing out dual knives.

"A huntress shouldn't be in the open either."

"I'm a huntress, brother, I can use things other than bows and guns."

Snow began to fall, delicate flakes descending over the desert sand like a strange dream. The shift in temperature was instant, the air chilling with an unnatural bite. My eyes snapped upward as the snow thickened, and out of the swirling white descended another figure. Tall, clad in furs and leather armor, a huntress...like Diana said...Skadi, she's here. She appeared like a ghost in the storm with a sniper rifle, and before anyone could react, a shot rang out. A bullet whistled through the air, aimed directly at where we stood. I barely managed to roll out of the way, feeling the wind of the bullet as it passed just inches from my face.

"Where's Nemesis!?" Apollo shouted.

"I don't know," Skadi replied, "And it doesn't matter. Capture them!"

Diana then jumped at Apollo and the 2 then engaged in combat as the sky darkened over us. I looked up just in time to see them...the armored gargoyles descending upon us like an unstoppable storm. Their thick, blackened armor glistened in the snow, wings spread wide as they swooped down, screeching.

Merith inhaled deeply before unleashing a torrent of flames, the heat roaring through the cold air as the fire consumed everything in its path. The gargoyles screeched as the inferno engulfed them, their blackened armor glowing red-hot under the pressure of Merith's fire. For a moment, it looked as if the flames might hold them back. The heat was so intense that the snow instantly vaporized, leaving steam rising all around us.

"Why can't they just let Merith have a moment in the novel already?!"

"Stop pitying me!" Merith retorted, "Evelyn, go help Artemis against Apollo, and as planned, I'll deal with swarm enemies."

"And I guess, I got the goddess."