Chapter 106 - The Nemean Lion

The Air and Space Museum was submerged in a disquieting silence, broken only by the occasional murmurs of families and children on school trips. The three levels of balconies that encircled the large hall offered a perfect view of the imposing exhibits—rockets, airplanes, and space capsules suspended from the ceiling, casting long, menacing shadows against the illuminated walls.

The group of demigods and hunters walked through the vast space, each absorbing the environment in different ways.

Ikki walked with calm steps, his boots echoing lightly against the polished floor. His eyes were half-closed, as if he were trying to perceive something beyond what was visible. Since entering this place, he had felt a pressure on his senses, something that seemed to try to stifle them. He didn't like it. He didn't like how calm everything seemed, as if a storm was about to break at any moment.

Despite not being able to use magic, now up close he was able to sense what kind of magic had been used in this place to block his senses. It was something beyond mortal scope, meticulously prepared by some superior being. It was like a spiderweb woven as a trap; Medusa's lair seemed like a child's play in comparison. But fortunately, he could sense some points in the magic web that were "weak points" he could exploit and hopefully regain his heightened senses.

"Let's split up," Zoë suggested, her firm voice cutting through the silence between them. She looked around as if an ambush might spring up at any moment. "This place is too big to waste time. We can cover more ground if we divide."

"Split up?" Thalia asked, crossing her arms. "Isn't that a bit reckless?"

"We have no choice," Zoë retorted, her voice laden with urgency. "If there's something here, we need to find it fast. The longer we stay together, the more attention we attract."

Thalia grumbled, not liking to agree with Zoë.

Ikki looked up, staring at the exhibits above, but not participating in the discussion. Finally, he nodded. "I'll take the top floor," he said, his voice low but calm.

Zoe hesitated for a moment, but agreed. "Alright. Don't take long."

Ikki turned and began to climb the spiral staircase leading to the third floor, where the shadows of the hanging airplanes seemed longer and heavier. The silence was even denser up there. The laughter of children and the distant whispers of visitors seemed muffled, almost unreal. He passed a model rocket, his eyes fixed on the floor, until he found a specific spot. Activating his [Akashic Eyes], he perceived the flow of energy running throughout the magical matrix that covered the museum and everything around it. He stepped on it and applied some force in the right spot, creating cracks.

He stopped instantly, his eyes narrowing further as he concentrated. It was a voice… no, several voices. Murmurs, low and indistinct at first, but becoming clearer as he strained to hear.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing his senses to expand.

With the range of his senses gradually returning within the museum, he heard everything that was happening. No longer impeded by the magic…

He heard Luke and the so-called General.

A wave of anger coursed through his body, hot and pulsating. His heart beat faster, his hand instinctively clenching into a fist. His mother's killer was there, so close, and he could do nothing but listen. He took a deep breath, trying to control the fury that threatened to overwhelm him. It was just a magical projection. They weren't really there.

Even so, what he had heard was real. His enemies were plotting something. Skeleton warriors, twelve of them. And a monster, sent to distract them.

He needed to warn the others.

Ikki descended the stairs, his steps echoing through the museum as his mind raced. He couldn't waste time. He found the group gathered in an isolated wing, where a giant space capsule was displayed under bright lights. Zoë had her arms crossed, seemingly impatient, while Thalia examined the surroundings with suspicion.

"Something's wrong," Ikki said as soon as he arrived. Everyone turned to him, the tension in the air increasing.

"What happened?" Thalia asked, her tone cautious.

Ikki took a deep breath before speaking. "I heard the General and Luke not far from here. Not physically, but their magical projections. They're planning to attack us."

"What?" Thalia's eyes widened. "How many?"

"Twelve skeleton warriors," Ikki replied, his voice firm. "But that's not all. The General mentioned sending something else… a 'colleague' to distract us. A monster."

Thalia and Grover exchanged a worried look.

"I knew there was something strange here," Grover murmured. "I was sensing a monstrous smell… She must have stopped here looking for the mysterious monster. But we still haven't found anything."

"Zoë," Phoebe said, her voice trembling, "if it's the General—"

"I know," Zoe interrupted, taking a deep breath as she tried to maintain her composure. She turned to the group, her eyes gleaming with determination. "If Ikki is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors," she said, her voice firmer now, "we have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible… We must go now."

But before the group could move, something happened.

The roar of a beast echoed like thunder, so powerful that it seemed to shake the museum itself.

The vibration cut through the air, everyone's hair standing on end as the sound filled the space. Below, the families who were still present began to scream in panic. Some ran for the exits, but others were paralyzed, unable to process what was happening.

A small child pointed at the giant lion and shouted gleefully: "Kitty!"

But that was far from a kitty. The monster was immense, larger than any ordinary lion, with silver claws that gleamed under the museum lights and golden fur so bright it almost seemed made of liquid gold. Its eyes burned like two miniature suns, and its teeth, gleaming like steel, were long and lethal.

Thalia, paralyzed for an instant, murmured: "The Nemean Lion. Don't move."

The lion roared again, so loud that everyone's hair was literally parted backward.

Ikki looked at the monster; it was the first time he had encountered such a monster said to be invulnerable. He thought of using intelligence to kill it since he didn't have his powers given by the "source" nor his demigod powers. This creature exploited precisely his current weakness.

He also couldn't crush it with his [Telekinesis], which was only strong enough to affect people, not a monster weighing over a ton.

Zoë, always calm under pressure, raised her hand and ordered: "Separate on my command. Try to keep it distracted."

Grover swallowed hard. "Until when exactly?"

"Until I think of a way to kill it," Zoe responded firmly. "Now go!"

Everyone positioned themselves to fight the legendary beast.

Atalanta, quick as lightning, was the first to act. She drew an arrow and fired. Then Phoebe and Zoe followed, sending a shower of arrows whistling through the air before hitting their target.

The arrows ricocheted off the lion's metallic fur without causing any damage. It didn't even blink. The monster advanced, its steps making the ground tremble. It slammed into the side of the Apollo capsule where the Hunters were positioned, and the impact knocked them onto their backs.

"This isn't going to work," Ikki murmured as his eyes assessed the environment.

Grover, desperate, began to play a frantic melody on his flute. The sound was sharp and piercing, as if trying to attract the lion's attention. The monster paused for a moment, turning its head towards the satyr, but before it could advance, Thalia sprang into action.

She raised Aegis, the shield engraved with Medusa's head, and stepped forward, placing herself between Grover and the lion. The creature immediately recoiled, letting out a roar of frustration.

"Hi-yah!" Thalia shouted, advancing confidently. "Get back!"

The lion hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the sight of the shield, but its hesitation didn't last long. It began to crouch, the muscles in its hind legs tensing like springs about to be released.

"It's going to jump!" Ikki warned, running towards Thalia.

Before the lion could attack, Ikki transformed his ring into his trusty sword and defended against the supernatural feline's deadly leap. Claws and blade sparked before the son of Zeus made a move with his sword and threw the Nemean Lion against the nearby wall, causing a boom to echo throughout the area.

"We need to get it out of here!"

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Thalia retorted, keeping Aegis in front as the lion growled, preparing to attack.

Zoë, shooting her arrows, yelled from across the room: "We need to find its weak spot!"

"Atalanta!" Ikki called, thinking of something: "You're fast. Try to draw its attention away from here."

Atalanta nodded without hesitation. She ran in a zigzag pattern, whistling at the lion as she fired another arrow. The monster roared, irritated, and turned towards her.

"Good," Ikki murmured.

Meanwhile, Atalanta continued to run, nimbly dodging the lion's blows, while Phoebe and Zoe fired arrows from an elevated position. Each arrow hit its mark, but none seemed to have any effect.

Grover was still playing his flute, trying to keep the monster distracted, but his breath was getting ragged. Thalia, on the other hand, stayed close, using Aegis to protect the others whenever necessary.

It was then that Ikki noticed something. The lion, although powerful and almost impenetrable, seemed to avoid getting too close to Aegis for too long. It was afraid of the shield.

"Thalia!" Ikki shouted. "We need to use Aegis to force it into a vulnerable position!"

"And how exactly are we going to do that?" Thalia asked, dodging a lunge from the lion.

"Trust me," Ikki replied, running to join her. "You keep it busy with the shield. I'll take care of the rest."

Thalia hesitated for a moment, but nodded. She raised Aegis again, stepping forward as the lion backed away, growling furiously.

Ikki took the opportunity to assess the environment. His eyes landed on one of the exhibits: a metal net that was part of the display. He had an idea.

"Grover!" Ikki called. "We need that net! Quick!"

Grover ran towards the exhibit, followed by Phoebe. Meanwhile, Ikki and Thalia continued to distract the lion, working together to keep it away from the others.

Finally, Grover and Phoebe managed to pull down the net. Ikki ran to them, grabbed the object and returned to the front line.

"Now!" he shouted to Thalia.

Thalia stepped forward, raising Aegis with all her might. The lion recoiled once more, but Ikki seized the opportunity to throw the net over the creature.

The monster roared, furious, struggling to free itself from the makeshift trap, but the net was strong enough to hold it.

At least for a moment.

The Nemean Lion, enraged by the net, unleashed a roar that shook the surrounding structures and tore the net as if it were nothing. With its golden eyes burning in pure fury, it turned to Ikki. Its hind legs tensed like springs, and it shot towards the son of Zeus with terrifying speed.

Grover yelled: "Ikki, look out!"

But Ikki didn't move. He remained standing, staring at the monster with a cold gaze.

The Nemean Lion's claws, sharp as silver blades, ripped through the air towards Ikki's chest. The impact was brutal. His clothes were shredded, pieces of fabric flying like leaves in the wind. However, to everyone's shock, the son of Zeus's skin remained intact.

Without hesitation, Ikki stepped forward and delivered a devastating kick to the lion's chest. The impact was so powerful that the monster was launched like a projectile, colliding with the concrete wall of the museum. The entire structure trembled, and fragments of glass and concrete fell from the upper floors.

"His kick…" Phoebe whispered, impressed.

Thalia widened her eyes, still holding Aegis. "He's really holding all that back?"

The Nemean Lion rose, roaring once more. Its golden fur glowed with a mystical aura, completely unharmed by the attack. Ikki watched the monster recompose itself, his eyes assessing every movement. He understood now. The lion's skin wasn't just resistant—it was completely impenetrable, a natural shield against any physical attack.

But he hadn't used all his strength.

Not yet.

Before the lion could react, Ikki vanished. In the blink of an eye, he achieved the ridiculous speed of the Third Cosmic Velocity, moving too fast to be seen. The sound of his acceleration echoed through the museum like distant thunder.

When he reappeared, he was in front of the Nemean Lion.

The monster had no time to react. Ikki raised his fist and delivered a single uppercut to the massive lion's chin.

The impact was apocalyptic.

The punch struck the Nemean Lion with overwhelming force. The roar of the impact was deafening, echoing like thunder that ripped through the sky. The ground beneath them shattered, cracks spreading like spiderwebs in all directions. The Nemean Lion was obliterated in an explosion of golden dust, its monstrous form dissolving into nothingness before the absolute blow.

But the impact didn't stop there. The force of Ikki's punch continued to propagate, like an unstoppable shockwave. The entire museum collapsed in a cataclysm of destruction. Rockets, airplanes, metal beams, and walls fell, reduced to rubble. The sky above, previously cloudy, was completely torn apart by the wave of energy, revealing a deep blue sky with the sun shining in all its splendor.

Everyone who was in the museum—Grover, Thalia, Zoe, Phoebe, and Atalanta—were thrown back by the impact, protecting themselves as best they could; he helped them avoid injury through his [Telekinesis].

While the rest of the mortals and museum security had been kept away since the beginning of the fight, it took him a while to destroy the Nemean Lion because he was setting the stage and keeping people away, subtly using his [Presence Manipulation] to make everyone leave due to the presence of a real "lion" killing people. The security guards were warned of a bomb by a masked man who "killed" one of them—someone created through his [Presence Manipulation]—making them run for their lives.

Despite the strangeness of a lion, the bomb would define the museum's destruction as a terrorist attack; perhaps the Nemean Lion would be seen as a new tactic by terrorists, releasing a lion to eat people.

When the dust finally began to settle, Ikki stood in the center of a huge hole where the museum once stood. His clothes were in tatters, but he seemed untouched, as if nothing could hurt him.

Thalia, who had gotten up, was the first to approach, still holding Aegis. Her eyes were wide, and she had difficulty finding the words: "You… destroyed the entire museum…"

"You parted the clouds in the sky!" Grover exclaimed, looking up in disbelief.

Zoe, although visibly impressed, tried to maintain her posture: "And the people? Are you arrogant enough to not care about the civilians who might have been caught in the crossfire?"

The Lieutenant of the Hunters' point attracted everyone's attention.

"I knew what I was doing. You were safe. As for the people, they had all left the museum."

Phoebe and Atalanta just watched, still trying to process what had happened. It was impossible not to recognize the power Ikki possessed, something beyond what any of them had expected.

Grover, still nervous, finally spoke: "Well… it's good to know you're on our side."

Ikki looked at him with a faint smile. "I always have been."

Even so, everyone knew that this display of power had come at a price. One of the most historical places in Washington, D.C., had been wiped off the map.

They all looked around.

The scene was desolate. The museum, once an imposing structure full of history, was now nothing more than debris scattered everywhere.

Amidst the chaos, the bright golden fur of the Nemean Lion caught their attention. Its faint glow contrasted with the devastation around it, like a reminder of the power that had been necessary to defeat it. Zoe was the first to notice the spoil.

She walked slowly through the rubble, her posture haughty, but her eyes reflected conflicting emotions. As she approached, she knelt down and carefully picked up the fur as if handling something sacred.

With a sigh, she stood up and handed it to Ikki, who was nearby.

"Take it. It's a spoil of war," she said, her voice firm but with a tone of melancholy. Her gaze met Ikki's, and there was something more there—a weight of past memories, an echo of her history with Hercules. "It's yours by right."

Ikki looked at her for a moment without saying anything, then at the fur in his hands. He felt the soft, smooth texture, something surprisingly comfortable. As he examined the golden hide, memories flashed through his mind. He remembered the duster he had taken from Hercules after killing him.

As he held the fur, something strange happened. The golden hide began to change before his eyes. The magic of the spoil activated, molding itself to the needs of its new owner. The hide slowly transformed into a white coat, identical to the one Ikki wore before it was shredded by the lion in battle, the only exception being that it didn't have a hood. He held it with both hands, admiring its lightness and elegance.

"Interesting," he said, taking off his old coat and putting on the new one with a swift movement. He adjusted the collar, feeling as if this garment had always been a part of him.

Grover, still nervous, looked around at the wreckage and then at the group. He scratched his horns anxiously. "The problem now is that people are going to start asking questions when we walk out of here untouched… and the museum in ruins."

Zoe crossed her arms and shook her head: "That's the least of our problems." Her voice was laden with urgency. "Look."

Ikki, Thalia, and the others followed Zoe's gaze. Beyond the wreckage, outside, the museum lawn was filled with shadowy figures. A group of men walked slowly towards them, their forms pale and rigid. They wore gray camouflage clothing, but there was something deeply wrong with them.

"The skeleton warriors…" Thalia whispered, her hand tightening on the Aegis shield.

"They survived the destruction," Atalanta said, her voice serious.

"And they're coming straight for us," Phoebe added, already pulling an arrow from her quiver.

"Let's get out of here…" Ikki said with finality. "If we continue fighting here, it'll attract too much attention from mortals. We need to at least go to a strategically better location…"

The group quickly agreed.

The skeleton warriors continued to march, and the impending confrontation brought an electric tension to the air.

They quickly left the ruins of the museum.