Nothing quite like your entire existence being turned upside down in just a couple of days. That was me, Grapevine Community School's head boy, famed 'goody-two-shoes' (I never understood the whole being 'too nice' thing), a faithful believer of Christ and now a practiced first-aid medic. 

Originally, I thought it would be nice to hangout with the lads and visit an entirely different continent before the final stretch of Year 11…

Now we're in the company of the 'Lieutenant of Artemis', Percy Jackson (a demi-god son of Poseidon), Thalia Grace (a demi-god daughter of Zeus) and Grover—a goat… boy? We just had a run in with 'harpies', a 'manticore' and even visited the 'underworld'. Oh yeah, James has angel-like wings too. 

Now… I'm not one to judge people but James isn't exactly what I would call an Angel.

There was so much that I've seen with my own eyes… that it was becoming far too difficult to deny. 

Greek Mythology was real.

There was no way around it.

But did that also mean that… the silver cross around my neck, the faith which I had followed for my entire life… was fake? A lie?

Or perhaps… it was further confirmation that somewhere in the world, God does really exist. That Christ had lived once upon a time.

One day… I would find the answer to that. 

…

Between James trying to flirt/tease our not-so-interested female companions and Dennis itching for a fight (right after being terribly wounded, might I add), I managed to keep things somewhat cordial. They both chilled out and acted normally… for once. 

'Bessie', or the Ophiotaurus as it's called, was sent to Camp Half-Blood alongside Grover for safe-keeping. Apparently, if it was sacrificed, it could bring down the gods (the Greek ones, obviously). Not something Greek Demi-Gods should be walking around with on a quest, obviously. And so, our quartet was led to the next part of our quest. Reaching Mount Tamalpais.

Apparently, we were running out of time because of the approaching Winter Solstice which led to us making the tread to Dr Chase's home. He was the father of Annabeth Chase, a close friend of both Percy and Thalia who was also a daughter of Athena. 

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart." James began to sing along the way, spinning in the skies. "But the very next day, you gave it away, you gave it away~"

"This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special, special."

"Does thee intend to singeth for the entirety of our journey?" Zoë questioned, frowning slightly. She was probably contemplating shooting one of his wings. "It is bad enough that I have to be in the presence of a knave such as thou."

"I can see that you're not a huge fan of love songs." James smiled, glancing back. "Which terrible guy broke your little heart?"

"A Hunter of Artemis has no place for love." Zoë replied rather harshly. "Much less for boys and men."

"The hunters of Artemis, huh… is it like a lesbian fangirl club?" Dennis spoke with a mocking tone.

Dennis… he was always like a loose cannon. He always said the first thing that came to his mind, without any filter. His brutal honesty was both a curse and a blessing depending on the situation.

"Lesbian relationships are not permitted in the Hunt, either." Zoë denied as if it was something that she had heard many times before… and had grown annoyed with it. "We are Artemis' companions, her sisters in arms. Our loyalty is to her alone."

"She must be pretty hot for you all to be so-."

Zoë loaded an arrow and fired it at James… but he flew to the side, dodging it rather easily.

"Bloody hell… you're no fun." James remarked, shaking his head.

"You should know that Artemis punishes men who dare to lay their eyes on her hunters." Zoë stated, glancing up with a murderous look in her eyes. "These punishments wary from losing sight, being given the choice between death and changing genders, being turned into an animal… I'm sure thou would agree that none of those sound pleasant."

"Queen Jamesetta." Dennis cracked out laughing. "Hahahahahaha!"

"... I'm sure she'd love that." James remarked, though his tone seemed a bit more serious. "Regardless, it's not like I did anything other than a little banter… and I'm not exactly a man yet."

"You sound pretty scared to me." Thalia remarked. "Making excuses, 'King James'?"

"Well, I wouldn't be all that fond of any of those options, either." Percy stated. "None of them sound very fun."

"Hmph… there are plenty of fish in the ocean and nothing here is quite worth losing my sight over."  James replied, shaking his head. "No offence, Lady Nightshade and the not-so-graceful Thalia."

"It is good that thou understands." Zoë, for once, agreed with James. "Though…"

"I am not a huntress of Artemis." Thalia looked quite offended. "And I never intend to be one."

"That's the smart thing to do. There's nothing wrong with love… sure, she can be a bitch sometimes, but love is part of being human. No matter what oath you make, no matter how hard you try to run from it… deep down, everyone is vulnerable to love." 

James turned back to the road ahead after his speech. In a way, I agreed with him. Love was a part of life. Marriage is a sacred bond, after all, and one of the sacred sacraments.

You could say that Love was even one of the most important things in life.

"Though… there's nothing wrong with being chaste, either. There are many other aspects to life." I added, countering his point. "It seems that the hunters of Artemis are similar to nuns in that respect. They're dedicated to their faith and keep the oaths they made… and I find that to be virtuous."

"People should not make oaths they can't keep." James countered right after. "Anyway… a life without love and desire would be quite dull. Wouldn't you agree, Rocky?"

"Uhm…" 

Rokas was quiet almost the entire time. Whenever he was in a larger group of people, he rarely made the effort to speak over all the other voices. He was always shy… the only time he'd talk a lot was when he was with a close friend or he was truly passionate about a topic.

"Yeah." Rokas nodded after a slight pause. His greyish-blue eyes didn't seem to know where to look. Was it one of the girls that made him act extra shy? "Love is… cool. I… couldn't make an oath like that."

"Though, you've never so much as kissed a girl on the cheek let alone on the lips, have you?" James chuckled. "Or even held hands outside of school when a teacher told you to?"

Rokas lowered his gaze, looking slightly embarrassed.

"... I… don't want a lot of girlfriends or… experiences with tons of girls. I just… want one girl to share my life with." Rokas spoke the last sentence with greater confidence than the first as he raised his head, a bit higher than it was before he had lowered it. 

"Sounds like an excuse to me for being too shy." Dennis remarked, scratching his hair. "I know some girls that you look at but never say anything to. What are you waiting for, exactly? A red moon?"

"A girl like that is as rare as me missing a goal attempt." James remarked, chuckling. "Heh, besides that… male virginity is far too overrated. Why should a bird care if you've never slid inside another before her? If anything, experience in bed goes a looong way."

"Guys… can we stay on subject, for like, a few hours?" Percy asked. "Don't you have more productive questions to ask while we walk?"

"Heh." James chuckled. "So… why did that monster eat those bullets like that without getting so much as a scratch? Is it because it's extra durable or is there a special reason why?"

"Monsters are creatures of the magical world and therefore, cannot be harmed by mortal weapons." Zoë replied with an indifferent tone. It was almost like she had gotten used to James' ways. "Weapons such as Percy's Riptide and Thalia's spear which are made of Celestial Bronze can harm monsters, however. The bows and arrows Artemis provides her hunters also slay monsters."

"Mortals are also immune to Celestial Bronze." Percy added, showing his pen which then turned into a sword. Pretty convenient and handy. "They move right through them like ghosts."

"Mortal weapons, huh…" Dennis remarked. "What about nukes? Can monsters tank those, too?"

"... There hasn't been an instance that I know of, no. I would think not." Zoë replied. 

"What kind of other metals affect monsters?" I asked. I mean, if we were going to have to fight monsters all the time, it would be best to be prepared for the worst. "And where could they be found?"

Zoë was getting a bit annoyed by all the questions, I could tell…

"Celestial Bronze and Stygian Iron are the only metals that can turn monsters into dust." Percy answered me in her stead. "There's a ton of Celestial Bronze in Camp Half-Blood so you don't need to worry about not having weapons for the future. Though… we don't have any spare ones for the present. So…"

"Well, we already beat up some monsters without shiny bronze weapons." Dennis countered, shrugging his shoulders. "We might not even need them. At least, I won't."

"They do sound helpful." James countered. "Percy's blade disintegrated that monster… our normal attacks just left those harpies unconscious. To deal with the monsters more permanently, it would be wise to carry a few celestial bronze weapons around."

"Even though monsters disintegrate… they always reform, sooner or later." Percy added.

"What?" I questioned. "So… there's no end to the monsters?"

"Heh, sounds like fun." Dennis grinned.

"A war without end…" I muttered. "That means we'll never truly be safe or at peace."

"And since you know you are demi-gods now, powerful ones at that… you can never really return to a 'normal' life." Percy stated, sighing a little. "Nearby monsters will always sense you and, well, want to eat you."

"That does sound a little irritating." James remarked, frowning slightly. "So… that Camp Half-Blood is the only safe place we can go to now?"

"Mhm… at least, that I know of. It has a barrier that stops monsters from entering."

"We're getting close." Thalia changed the topic, seeming unusually quiet. "Right over there."

We reached Dr Chase's household without any other conversations sparking in the group. Since Thalia and Percy were the experts, the rest of us let them take the lead. He was a strange yet friendly man who welcomed us with open arms when he learned that we were Annabeth's friends… well, not our quartet, but the rest were. 

His household was a mess… a happy mess. There were LEGO robots everywhere, jazz music played from the kitchen, there was a winter coat on the ground. Dr Chase's two kids seemed to be having fun.

Personally, I liked to see things neat and tidy… you could call me a perfectionist in some regards. If I could help it, my house wouldn't have a speck of dust in it. 

Dr Chase led us to a room full of books, going from one wall to the other. Just about at the centre, there was a table with war toys all over it fighting along a blue painted river. 

Old-fashioned toy planes hung from the ceiling and were set at strange angles… making it look like they were in an actual dogfight. 

I thought it was cool and so did James and Dennis… but Dennis and Rokas were both practically glowing. Especially Rokas. 

"Woah…"

"Yes, the Third Battle of Ypres. I'm writing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a far greater role than they've been given credit for."

Though that battle wasn't covered in the curriculum, I had read about it. My other friends didn't seem quite as knowledgeable as they simply nodded. 

Zoë came over and read the battlefield. "The German lines were further from the river."

"How do you know that?" Dr Chase questioned, staring at her.

This was a question we all had on our minds.

"I was there." Zoë answered matter-of-factly. "Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way men fight each other. And foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste."

"You-" Dr Chase's mouth opened wide in shock.

"... How old are you?" James interjected, raising an eyebrow. "That battle was back in World War I… hell, one of my great-great-grandfathers fought bravely in it."

James was the only one of us with a deep family tree detailing many members of his extended family. Apparently, he has distant royal blood… though, realistically, many people in modern times are related to the royals, if not everyone. Especially those with deep roots.

"Immortality is one of a Hunter's gifts, idiot." Thalia replied.

Her way of speaking makes a little bit more sense…

"Conveniently, Madam Zoë never told me about that."

"Anyways-"

Immortality… I guess that was one great benefit to join the Hunters.

"You saw the Sopwith Camels? How many were there?" Dr Chase questioned with a curious, excited expression. "What formations did they fly-?"

"Sir." Thalia interrupted. "Annabeth is in danger."

"Of course." Dr Chase ceased his curiosity. "Tell me everything."

In the end, Thalia forced the issue and got us Dr Chase's car. Since we didn't have any other place, we left our luggage at his house with the promise of returning to collect it after the quest.

There was one problem, however. The car only had four seats… and there were seven of us. Dr Chase unfortunately only found use for one car so we had a dilemma. 

"I'll drive the car." Dennis stated, grinning slightly. "Out of this bunch, I look the eldest by far."

"No, I will." Thalia argued, frowning. "I bet someone like you can hardly drive without crashing."

"The goth girl is talking?" Dennis chuckled. "Besides that, everyone knows men tend to drive better and faster."

"That is unbelievably sexist-"

I glanced at James, who recognised what I was pointing at.

"Ladies, ladies, relax." His wings sprang out. "Dennis, as he is the heaviest, will naturally have to be in the car. As for this handsome King… I offer my flight-carrying services to the ladies as they are obviously the lightest. This would solve all the problems-"

"Thee dreameth too much." Zoë shut him down instantly. "You will not lay a single hand on me, knave."

"Sorry for trying to be logical, Madam Nightshade." James shrugged his shoulders. "Guess you can stay in the car. What about you, Thalia?"

"No way." Thalia shut him down instantly. "I am not going in the skies with you."

"You two are making me feel like I'm ugly or something." James sighed, shaking his head. "Carrying Dennis along for an extended period of time would probably break my arm… so, it'll have to be Harry and Rokas. Unfortunately, Rokas weighs like the both of you combined so it isn't very practical. But… for your own comfort, I will oblige."

"I'm not that fat." Rokas countered, taking slight offence to that. 

"That would work." Thalia agreed, nodding. "Yet, you forgot to mention the part where I'm the one driving the car."

"Over my dead body." Dennis rolled his eyes. "If you want it so bad, fight me for it."

"Gladly." Thalia transformed her Mace canister into a celestial bronze spear and her bracelet turned into a shield with a not-so-pretty face on it. "Let's see how tough you are."

"... Isn't rescuing your friend a little bit more important than fighting over who's driving the car?" I interjected, coming between them "Play a game of rock-paper-scissors or something. You said it yourself, we don't have time to waste."

"You're right." Thalia begrudgingly put away her weapons, sighing. "Come on, let's do it quickly."

"I'd prefer an arm wrestle." Dennis remarked.

"That works even better. I'll put you in your place at the same time."

So… yeah, they did an arm wrestle on the closest raised surface they could find in the driveaway. At first, Thalia's electric blue eyes sparked and she managed to force Dennis back slightly. Then he started grinning like a madman and began to exert more pressure.

SLAM.

"Aha!" Dennis raised his fist as he forced Thalia to submit. "Who's the man? Whoooo's the man!?"

"Tch." Thalia scoffed, turning away. "That was all luck. But… I'll honour the bet. You can drive."

"Alright, we're going to that mountain over there, right?" James pointed ahead, glancing back at Zoë.

"Yes… take care not to fly ahead too much." Zoë warned. "The beings present there would be far too dangerous for just the three of you to handle."

Telling James not to do something… that just makes him want to do it more.

"You care about my livelihood?" James asked with a shocked expression. "I thought you wanted to shoot me down, y'know. Or gouge my eyes out-"

"I care about the others that thee would bring down with thee." Zoë countered.

"Heh… no worries, Madam Nightshade. We won't take any unnecessary risks." He reassured her, glancing at me. "Harry'll be there to keep me in check, won't you?"

"Of course." I nodded, chuckling. "As always."

"As always." James agreed with a firm nod. "The calm to my madness."

The calm to James' madness… I suppose that was true.

He and I were like the opposite sides of the same coin.

"And Rocky too." James added, glancing at him. "Who knows what kinda ultra-powerful abilities he has hidden under those flabs? He might secretly be the strongest out of us all."

"That's a funny joke." Dennis chuckled. "No way."

"It might be just that I don't have any special abilities at all…" Rokas replied, shaking his head. "I mean, I haven't done anything-"

"You outran Harry… something only Dennis and I can do." James countered, smiling slightly as he patted his shoulder. "You should believe in yourself more, Rocky. Great things will come from you having more confidence, I'm one-thousand-percent sure of that."

"Let's get going." Thalia interjected. "We don't have all that much time to waste."

"Right, right… we'll see you lot at the mountain! Come here, Rocky, Harry." 

James wrapped his left arm around me and the right around Rokas, raising us both into the skies with the mighty flap of his wings. It really was amazing the kind of things he could do with his newfound powers…

"Fucking hell, you are heavy… fatty." James glanced at Rokas. "Lose some weight already."

"... It's not all that easy, you know." Rokas pouted slightly. "I'm trying."

"Do you also say that when you munch on pizza almost everyday?"

"... Well… no?"

"Heh." James chuckled. "You're lucky I got superman-type strength."

…

While the car struggled with the traffic, James steadily flew further and further away from it. He said he'd wait at the bottom to regroup but I knew him better than that. He wanted to be the shining hero of the day and complete the quest before the others would even reach us.

"Damn, I don't think I can even see them on the horizon." James sighed, looking around. "So… maybe we should scout ahead?"

"No way." I outright refused. "Zoë warned us against going alone and for good reason, no doubt. She knows this place far better than we do."

"So boring." James crossed his arms, glancing at Rokas. "Rocky, what do you think?"

"I agree with Harry. No need to take unnecessary risks."

"... Fine." James shrugged. "We'll wait for Dennis, the Percy lad and those two uptight girls."

And so, we waited…

And waited…

And waited.

…

"This is taking way too long." James glanced at Rokas. "What's the time?"

Rokas raised his hand and pulled his sleeve back, revealing his silver-purple watch which was very modest for someone of his class. Despite being filthy rich, it was really the only jewellery he wore. That and his golden-purple Sagittarius chain. 

Though, he tended to hide them under clothing and didn't show off either of them.

"It's… been ten minutes."

"Ten minutes too long." James muttered, turning to the horizon. "You know what, this Goddess we're trying to save could be in grave danger and we're here just tugging one out. What if by the time they're here, it's too late?"

"Patience, James…" I tried to persuade him otherwise.

"You don't win by taking the safe road all the time." James countered, shaking his head. "It's fine if you guys want to be safe here, waiting for the others. I, King James, shall complete this quest on my own."

"... Don't be stupid." I protested, grabbing his arm. "Just because you beat up a few harpies doesn't mean you can breeze through everything so easily. Who knows what kind of monsters are up there? Did you even stop to think what kind of being could keep a Goddess chained?"

"... I'll be fine." James brushed aside my hand. "Worst-case scenario, I'll just have to leg it. Or… wing it, I guess. But I'm not going to stand around here waiting for something to happen. I'm going to make things happen."

He spread his wings, rising to the sky.

… There was no changing his mind when he had made it up already.

"... Wait up for me."

And now… surprisingly, Rokas ran after him.

They left me no choice but to join them.

I knew it was unbelievably stupid and brash but I wasn't going to leave my friends to handle a life-threatening situation on their own. I care far too much about their well-being to do that. If we were going to fight, we were doing it together…

There was only one road to the summit of the mountain, which we took directly. The mist cleared the closer we came, revealing a beautiful meadow of shadows and flowers. The grass shined with a silvery light and the flowers were all of various different lucious colours, almost glowing in the dark. 

There was a majestic tree that seemed almost twenty metres tall, every one of its branches glittering with the golden apples they held up. They weren't those green-yellow apples you could find in a supermarket, no. They seemed to be real golden apples… and their fragrance… It was the most inviting thing in the world.

It was the most beautiful place I had ever stumbled upon in my life.

But… There was one very alarming thing that none of us could not ignore. The absolutely colossal dragon coiled around the tree. Its body was incredibly thick and the monster had far too many heads to count. They all came together to form one spaghetti-like mess of copper scales.

It was… majestic yet… terrifying.

This dragon could easily eat all of us alive with its countless heads or claw us apart or squash us under its colossal feet…

There's no way we could beat it. Especially since none of us had any sort of Celestial Bronze weapons.

"That's… a real dragon. A really fucking cool dragon." James beamed, stepping closer. I was convinced he had a death wish. "I always wanted to ride one into the skies…"

"Considering how dragons are… I don't think it ever intends to leave that tree." Rokas countered, keeping his distance. "We should circle around it."

Suddenly… the shadows which were dormant began to move.

We all paused, looking around. An eerie yet beautiful sound coursed through the garden… a song. Four figures emerged between us and the dragon. They were young women who looked strangely alike to Zoë with caramel-like skin, dark hair and eyes. The more I looked, the more I saw the resemblance. Could they possibly be related?

Moreover, they were all beautiful.

If I found them attractive, then James…

"Ello, ladies." Without fail, he straightened himself. "To what do I owe the pleasure of gracing such beauties?"

"A young man with manners." The lead woman observed, her glassy black eyes looking at him rather… keenly. Her black hair tumbled loose around her shoulders. Her lips curled into a slight smile. "A divinely… handsome young man, for that matter. I have not seen one so alluring."

"Ah… you flatter me." James grinned slightly, stepping forward. "I'd certainly make time for a lady like you but we're in a bit of a hurry at the moment."

"Oh, what's the rush?" One rushed to his side, grabbing his arm. "Wouldn't you like to accompany us?"

"Aha…" James nervously chuckled as another grabbed his other arm. "There's a chained Goddess here, apparently. We're-…"

"Hush, goldy." The lead one raised a finger and placed it against his lips, caressing the side of his face with her other hand. "You will make time for me, won't you?"

Before I knew it, she pressed her lips against his and they began to kiss rather passionately. The leader went so far as to wave away the others, more or less saying that James belonged to her alone.

Now… part of me knew this was James' wet dream, the other thought he was being sexually assaulted and the other (and most prominent) felt completely embarrassed by what I was looking at. I sort of froze.

"Since you're so greedy and unsharing, elder sister…I'll have to settle with one of the other two." 

Suddenly, the other three turned their eyes to us - almost simultaneously. 

Two went to me… and the other to Rokas.

I had no idea what to do in this situation.

If things continued… instead of 'scouting ahead', we'd just be trapped by these very dangerous women. Who knew what intentions they had? What if they were like succubuses and would drain us of our… 

James, the strongest and most capable combat-wise out of us three, certainly wasn't in the right mind to resist.

Rokas was too shy to say no… especially to the beautiful young woman that circled around him.

I had to do something.

"Uhm…" 

The two around me grabbed both of my arms, touching me up. 

This… had never happened to me before… but I had to resist those dark temptations. 

I closed my eyes, grabbed my silver cross and took a moment to relax. 

Deep breath in, deep breath out…

"Ah… he's religious, too? Isn't that adorable." I heard a whisper in my left ear. "Good boys are so sweet…"

"We'll turn you bad soon enough~"

"No…" I protested, shaking my head. "This isn't right."

With a surge of strength, I brushed aside both of the women who had embraced me. 

Now… I didn't want to hurt them but they didn't have good intentions. 

"Why thee… ungrateful bastard."

I made a split second decision, running straight towards the dragon.

Might be the dumbest thing I've done in my life—but my body moved on its own. It was instinct. When I started running, I didn't stop.

"Wake up!"

The dragon slowly rose, some of its eyes opening while the rest remained closed. When its mouth opened, I was struck by a wave of terribly… and I mean terribly… bad breath. 

I covered my nose and gagged, feeling the urge to vomit out the cookies I ate in Dr Chase's household.

"Damn, fool, thee woke the dragon…" The lead left James' side and swiftly returned to the shadows. "If thou are wise, thou would leave the vicinity."

James glared as he turned to me. He wiped the lip marks off his mouth.

"What was that about, Harry? Not only did you stop me from having a good time, you also woke the fucking dragon." James spread his wings, rising slightly higher. "Ugh… let's get out of here. We've spent too much time in this garden."

There was no time to regroup… before I knew it, the dragon had surrounded me with its countless heads. I was doomed. 

"Harry… get out of there!-" James flew towards me.

The dragon moved one of its heads, headbutting him to the side. James collapsed into a bed of flowers with a bloodied face. Rokas was too shaken to do anything. I didn't blame him, I was scared as all hell too. 

If James couldn't do anything… What good were we?

No… that's how Dennis thinks.

Despite the terror in my heart… I managed to relax at the last moment.

Beating your opponent isn't the only way to win…

"We're not enemies." I spoke out, somehow blocking out the terrible smell. Or rather, managing to ignore it. I raised my hand and petted one of its heads. Yes… I treated the hundred-headed dragon like a good boy. "We didn't come here to hurt you or steal any of the golden apples."

The dragon seemed to relax a little, its eyes focusing on me with… curiosity?

"Fool… Ladon could not be tamed by thy hand."

I heard one of the young women, the eldest, speak from the shadows.

"We just want safe passage ahead and nothing more." I assured the dragon. "Also… I'm sorry for waking you up. My friends were in deep trouble and you helped them out of that. You have my sincerest gratitude for doing so."

The dragon's eyes blinked at me.

"Deep trouble…" James got up, brushing off the grass and flowers that remained with his hand. "Yeah, right. I was doing just fine."

"I uhh… got this Snickers bar." I reached out into my pocket and took it out, raising it up for the dragon. "I bet they don't let you eat those delicious golden apples, do they? And it doesn't look like there's anything tasty around here… so… you have to be hungry for something nice, right?"

A Snickers bar.

Yes… that's the only food I had in my possession. It was worth a try, at the very least.

I unwrapped it and laid it down on one of the heads… giving it space. It wouldn't be nice if it ate my entire hand accidentally. 

The dragon observed the relatively miniscule Snickers bar. One of its closer heads went in and licked it up, resulting in another wave of its terribly bad breath breaking out.

Almost instantly, the dragon rose… all of its heads leaving the ground.

To say I was scared was an understatement…

Maybe it was more of a Milky Way person. Or Malteasers? Though, generally, Snickers was pretty popular.  Obviously, I'd give it some type of meat, probably lamb, if I could…

"Hmmm…" The dragon's tail rose, waging from one side to the other.

Or… was it that the dragon liked it?

Considering it hadn't clawed me in half, that was likely.

"Unfortunately, that's everything I had." I looked up, managing a nervous smile. "But… you know, after this, if I'm alive, I can go shopping and get you some really nice food. Don't you like the sound of that?"

It wagged its tail more intensely… like a hyper-excited dog.

"... Awesome." I smiled, nodding firmly. "I feel as if you're a very dedicated creature when it comes to this tree. Though, it also looks like things can get very lonely here. I assume your master doesn't visit often…"

The dragon nodded, dozens of heads at once.

"Well… I could take care of you from time to time, when I can. I don't believe anyone should be left alone, especially a majestic and understanding dragon like you. You deserve the very best in life."

I don't know what I was cooking… but it was working.

"... You're really a magician." James remarked, his baby-blue eyes widening in surprise. "Jesus Christ, you tamed that big ass dragon."

"Don't use the Lord's name in vain." I reminded him.

"Right… right." James smiled slightly as he looked upon the dragon. "Guess we got a new friend, huh? Well, that's fine to me. Rocky is the rich one here so he can ship in a van-load of meat, snacks and all of that—just for you."

The dragon seemed elated at the prospect.

Yes… we had befriended the hundred-headed-dragon. 

Somehow.

"Well… now that we got the situation under control. Or rather, you got it under control." James glanced at me. "I… want to say sorry to the both of you. I let my passions get in the way of the quest and, as a result, you both had to go through awkward situations."

"Yeah, you are a helpless baboon sometimes." I remarked, rolling my eyes. "Maybe think with your head instead of your third leg."

"See, I thought I could y'know, befriend them… make things easier for us. Personally, I was fine… it's just that I ignored what was happening to you two. I lost sight of the situation." James sighed, shaking his head. "That won't happen again."

"... It's fine, really. You can't be the lead contributor in every fight." I replied, managing a smile. "We all have our flaws and strengths, James, and none of us are too alike. That's why we make a great team."

"... Heh." James smiled, glancing at Rokas. "Yeah… fair enough. I'll admit, you saved the day this time. Rocky, you good?"

"Uhm…" Rokas was still kinda shaken. He was a weird mixture of relieved and angry. "That… she almost kissed me."

"Did you rob him… or save him?" James questioned.

"... I'd say I saved him. Those witches did not have good intentions." I replied, stroking my chin in thought. "Though… it would get pretty lonely here, right? I'd imagine that very few people would want to even get near that dragon."

"Yeah, that is true…" James looked around at the shadows. "Well, should I keep them company while the others get here?"

"Define… 'keeping them company'?"

"Heh… instead of them latching onto you two, why don't they just focus on me?" James grinned, spreading his wings. "I can take all four of them."

"James…" I sighed.

"... Fine, no kissy-kissy." James shrugged. "We can do platonic stuff with them like holding hands, singing and dancing. How about that?"

"… I guess. Just don't get distracted again."