lacuna [connor stoll]

IX. Hey Mr. Minotaur

CHAPTER NINETEEN: HEY MR. MINOTAUR

"Tell me again why we have to walk to Manhattan?" Connor grumbled for the twentieth time in the last five minutes.

Ellie resisted the urge to smack him. "Because," She grumbled. "We don't have enough drachmas if we called the Gray Sisters twice. Do you ever get tired of complaining?"

Connor thought about that. "No."

They were traveling down an abandoned road all morning now, with nothing but the bag on their backs. They were stuffed with nectar, ambrosia, extra clothes, blah blab blah. Basically anything they could possibly need without without weighing them down.

Annabeth had provided them with a map, but Connor had lost it in the wind a few miles back.

"Who do you think would be Hephaestus' lover?" Ellie mused to herself, squinting due to the burning bright sun that broke through the slits of the trees.

Connor shrugged. "There's a lot of gods that I'm sure would love to settle down with an Olympian."

"That seems much too easy, don't you think?" Ellie wondered.

"Not really," Connor said, kicking a pebble.

"I think we'd need to find someone that fits with him. Like, uh...the god of metal? Is that a thing?"

Connor snorted. "Hephaestus can't marry himself, Evila,"

Ellie rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're actually going to call me that."

He was about to argue something back when the tree in front of them shook.

Usually, for mortals, this was no big deal. Maybe the wind, or a squirrel. But for demigods, this was deadly.

Instantly the two stopped, listening intently for another sound. Luckily, the pair didn't have to wait long.

Not two seconds later, a beast emerged. It looked like a giant bull-man. It had fur from about the belly-button on up and naked except for a pair of bright white Fruit of the Loom underwear.

"Bull-thing!" Connor cried, frozen.

"That's the minotaur, Connor!" Ellie cried in shock, grabbing her sword. "How the heck is it reformed already? Percy killed it in the battle of Manhattan!"

"I don't know! Why don't you ask it?" Connor shot to her.

The minotaur huffed steam, and they stumbled back.

"Hey Mr. Minotaur, why're you alive?" Connor shouted sarcastically.

The minotaur howled, and charged. Ellie yelped, leaping out of the way. She sliced the upside of it's stomach as she connected with the pavement, but it barely slowed it down.

Connor had his sword out now too, glaring at the minotaur. "I don't think it understood us, El."

Ellie huffed, avoiding laughing at the serious moment. She scrambled to her feet, and charged. It was pretty dumb, but that was something she was known for at this point.