Chapter Text
Night time in New York… is no different than daytime. No matter how late it is, the traffic never ends. The lights are always on and the streets never sleep.
Good ol’ New York.
Now on dark alleyways well… that’s another story.
Especially this one, where there’s two groups of suspiciously armed gangs. Both of their leaders seem to be hanging behind a car with an open trunk.
“So… you got the money?” One of the thugs asked with a western tone. This one seems a bit different compared to the others. He carries a holster with a simple pistol and wears a black cowboy hat.
“Yeah… you got the stuff?”
The cowboy smirked as he opened the trunks; inside was a stack load of weapons, ammos and explosives.
“Got it all right here. Whatever you need, we have it.”
The other man looked and frowned.
“Something wrong?” The seller asked.
“...I’m actually looking for something that’s a bit more… antique.”
The seller smirked.
“Ah… you’re one of those guys.”
“And what do you mean by that?”
The seller chuckles; he opens underneath the trunk and reveals a different batch of gears. More specifically, mystical weapons. Celestial bronze armors; imperial gold weapons; enchanted Egyptian scrolls and nordic runes.
“Were you referring to these kinds of goods?”
“How did you managed to obtain-”
“Woah there, partner. That’s a need to know basis. We give you the goods and you give us the money. No questions asked. Understood?”
The buyer growled but nodded. He snapped his fingers and one of his men brought a case full of money.
The cowboy whistled. “Now that’s a fine looking amount of money you got there. Still, I wonder why folks like you have such a large amount of money like this. After all… you’re not humans.”
The buyer’s eyes widened.
“How did you-”
“In this line of jobs. You have to know all kinds of people. Especially on a certain drug dealing manticore. How is our old friend doing?”
The buyer was silent.
“Let me guess… on the run from our… noticeable adversary?”
“She’s giving you troubles too?”
The cowboy scoffed, “The little runt is scaring off most of my buyers. I thought she’s supposed to be your problem.”
The man growls, “She’s after our father… Typhon.”
“I see, and that's why I recommend guns instead of these ancient stuff.”
“We can’t use them.”
The cowboy picked up one of the guns and it started glowing.
“Not even if it’s enchanted? See, a while back, I saw a boy wielding a sword mixed with regular iron and celestial bronze. Now that got me thinking, why can’t we do that with guns instead? Of course, the amount of metal we’ll need would be too much. So I thought of an alternative.”
“You used Egyptian magic, didn’t you?”
“That’s right, partner. Magic is everywhere, so why not infuse our guns with it? That way, you and your siblings can give those runts protecting their mommies and daddies something to really be scared of. Other than seeing your faces of course.”
The man growls and picks up one of the guns. He inspects it a bit and then fires it.
Directly at one of his men who later disintegrates into dust.
“WHOO! Talk about tough love.”
“Whatever it takes to bring down Olympus and those gods.”
“Hey, I don’t care what you do with those guns. Just as long as you keep your end. So, deal?”
“How about a counter-deal!” I yelled, as I hung on the wall above them. “How about you give up all those goods and you guys go to jail?”
“Damn it! It’s her!” One of the gunmen yelled.
“That’s right!” I yelled as I jumped off the wall.
“Your friendly Neighborhood, Spider-Girl.”
[Spectacular Spider-Man Opening]
The Spectacular Tales of Estelle Blofis
Episode 1: A New Day
Hi there! You’re probably wondering who I am… well more specifically, who I am under the mask. Well, while I fight these guys, let me quickly introduce myself.
My name is Estelle Blofis; I was bitten by a cursed (Not a radioactive one) spider and gained powers of a spider. Why is the spider cursed? Well it’s because it came from a tablet specifically for the original Spider-Woman. No, not the comic one. I meant THE Spider-Woman. Arachne. See, quick heads up, Mythology exists in this world. So, all the gods and monsters you heard in stories are real. And I’m kind of working for the Greek Gods.
Okay, long story short, my half-brother is a demigod and one day my best friend got attacked by monsters. Things happened and next I knew, I was fighting Typhon the father of Greek Monsters. I stopped him and his children from destroying Olympus but they managed to get away while destroying the only magic barrier that protected Olympus. So while they try to fix the barrier, I was hired to protect both Olympus and New York in the meantime. So, for the last three months, I’ve been fighting monsters and stopping crime in the meantime.
Thus, here we are.
“You know, when you guys were in the alleyway, I thought you were trading cards or something. Then I saw you uglies and I thought it was a Mythomagic trade. For the records, I was referring to you guys,” I said, referring to the humans. As I dodged the monsters attacking me, the humans were attempting to shoot at me.
“Forget this! We got to go!” The cowboy yelled.
“But Herman, boss said-”
“It won’t matter if we get caught! Now move!”
The gunmen nodded and got into the car while I was fighting the monsters and drove away.
I probably should’ve gone after them, but they’re not my priorities right now.
“So Johnny, how’s Scorpion doing? You think I can pay him a visit?”
Johnny, the monster, transforms into his true form… ish. Doesn’t seem like he’s one of the Greek-related monsters. Seems like he’s thug-for-hire. Oh! In case you’re wondering, Scorpion is this manticore who’s also a drug-dealer and works for Typhon. He along with an Assassin Harpy named The Vulture (That had to be a coincidence, right?) and The Minotaur worked for Typhon. Vulture and the Minotaur were already captured but Scorpion managed to escape. Typhon is on the run as well but we can’t seem to find him. However, The gods believe that Scorpion may lead us to Typhon.
Thus, why I’m out here punching ugly threats in the streets. And the monsters too.
Anyways…
POW
As I was talking, I was getting beaten by Johnny the monster. He slammed me to a wall but I quickly recovered and flipped upwards on a wall.
“Got quite the punch there, Johnny. You could’ve been a pro wrestler if you held back a bit.”
“Do you ever shut up?!”
“Only when I get serious.”
That comment irritated him and he was getting frustrated. His men came after me as well but I managed to keep slipping and dodging them. They weren’t as tough as Vulture and Minotaur. And don’t get me started on Typhon. I’m STILL feeling the punches he gave me three months ago.
Still, I need to keep my toes up if I need to fight Scorpion and then… ugh… fight Typhon… again.
THWIP THWIP THWIP
I shot several webs while I took down the last of Johnny's goons. Now it was just me and Johnny. As he charged at me, I ran at him as well. Just as I was close enough, I jumped and made a small thread with my webs. I wrapped it around his neck as I passed him from above and plunged straight down. Johnny trips and falls down on the ground.
“Phew… you gave me quite the workout you guys,” I said as I shot webs at Johnny to tie him down and wait for the hunters to show up.
Johnny scoffed, “Good going, now you let a group of heavily armed mortals escape.”
“Oh yeah… I guess I should go after them…” I said as I backed up to look at the street. “Hey guys! You okay up there?” I asked as I looked up at the street where the car was hanging.
In case you weren’t aware, I planted a trap to ensure the humans don’t escape with all those illegal goods. I used a magical arcane circle with my spider powers to unleash my webs the moment the car passes it. I can see the humans struggling to get out. But, it’s not going to happen for a while. At least, until the cops get here. Really got to thank Annabeth for the training these last several months. Her training is brutal, but it’s worth it.
“Alright, now again,” I kneel down next to Johnny. “Tell me where Scorpion is.”
Johnny scoffed, “Even if I knew where he was. I wouldn’t tell you.”
I sigh, “Fine… I was hoping you’d tell me before the end of my night. But since you won’t, I’ll let Artemis handle it.”
The monsters’ expressions go pale at the mention of Artemis. I would too if I knew the goddess of the moon AND leader of the hunters was arriving for a personal interrogation.
“Have fun!” I yelled as I swung away from the scene.
And with that, that was the end of my night as Spider-Girl.
In fact, it’s my last day of Summer vacation too. As I swing back to my place, I recall my memory of yesterday saying goodbye to Percy and his family.
“You’re sure you’re going to be okay without us?” Percy asked me.
I rolled my eyes at him while I said goodbye to his kids. “Don’t worry, Percy. I can take care of myself. Besides, I got Mom, Dad, Sam and the Valdez family to help me out.”
Percy still had a concerned expression on his face until Annabeth, his wife, came from behind him and intervened.
“Don’t worry so much, Percy,” Annabeth said. “We trained her the best we could.”
Percy scoffed, “Yeah, in three months. Do you know how much I had trained before facing Kronos.”
“Percy… you barely had any training when you fought Ares in your first quest,” I said, recalling that story of his first quest.
“I managed.”
“And I fought Typhon with only a week’s worth of training.”
Annabeth intervened, “Alright. Alright, that’s enough. No need to compare yourselves. We’d be here all day.”
Percy and I chuckled at how similar we are.
“Call us if you need anything, okay?” Percy said.
“I will, I promise.”
And with that, I hugged them both as a last goodbye.
“Hold fast, Estelle,” Percy said.
“You too, Percy.”
And so, Percy and Annabeth returned home to California. Of course, Annabeth will still be in charge of rebuilding Olympus’ defenses but she will be working at home. I don’t really know how long it’ll take but I doubt it’ll be too long.
Besides, I’m actually enjoying my new part-time job.
Despite its rough start.
Trust me, you don’t want me to explain how I convinced my parents to let me do this. It was long and annoying but I managed to convince them. Oh yeah, my parents already know about my powers. I’m not like those other Spider-Man Variants who kept their secret identities. I mean… My brother kept this mythology-in-real-life thing my whole life. This time… no more secrets between us.
Speaking of, as I was swinging across town, I finally reached my apartment. I jump down on the fire escape and opened my window.
“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” I yelled out as I pressed a button on my watch to put my suit away. Got to thank Leo for making the watch and Calypso for the suit. As I got out of my room, I saw Dad napping on the dinner table with a stack of paper next to him. Most likely for School tomorrow since my dad is a teacher in Goode High. As for mom, she’s in the kitchen, making her signature blue chocolate chip cookies.
“Welcome back, sweetie. How’d it go today?”
I shrugged, “The usual.”
I winced the moment I sat down on the couch in the living room.
“Took another hit, didn’t you?”
“...Maybe?”
Mom sighs but brought me some cookies on her way from the kitchen.
“Well at least now you can relax now. School is tomorrow and that’s your main priority.”
I nodded at Mom. That was an agreement on this job. I’d get to keep it so long as I’m doing well at school.
“But,” Mom continued. “I know how you are, Estelle. Just like Percy, you always tend to look out for others.”
I chuckled and shrugged, “I guess it runs in the family.”
As I was eating a cookie, Dad woke up and saw me.
“Oh, hey sweetie. How was work?” He asked.
“The usual. Luckily I won’t have to deal with it tomorrow.”
That’s right, tomorrow will be my first day back to school.
Living a double life as Olympus and New York’s protector.
Spider-Girl.
Can’t be that hard… right?
“Hey! Stella!” I heard my nickname and looked ahead. I saw Sam waiting for me in front of the school.
“Hey Sam! How’s it going? Are you doing okay in your new home?”
Samantha Gwendolyne Stacy is my best friend and always has been since kindergarten. She’s smart, funny and really loves games and anime. She’s your average gamer otaku. But most of all, she’s a daughter of Athena. Long story short, we got attacked before Summer Vacation and she was claimed later after. Of course, it resulted with Sam losing her father in the process, but later she was taken by Leo and Calypso Valdez. So now, she’s living with the Valdez family so that she can continue going to school.
“It’s going good! Zoe really loves me… and don’t get me started on our… upcoming arrival.”
Oh yeah… Leo and Calypso went out on a date one night and the result of that will show up in about 6 months from now.
“Sounds like you’ll have a lot on your plate in the future.”
“Ugh, you have no idea!” Sam replied. “Leo is already struggling to keep Calypso happy, what with all the hormones and food cravings.”
Yeah… you don’t want to get on Calypso’s bad side; sadly, Leo is mostly there.
“We better get to class before the bell rings.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay today?” Sam asked.
“What makes you say that?”
“Come on, Stella. We both know you. The moment you see trouble brewing, you always end up in the center of it. That’s just who you are.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be fine. Not like monsters are gonna be rampaging out in the streets while I’m at school. Besides, Artemis and her hunters will be patrolling around the city until they can get the barrier working again.”
“If you say so,” Sam replied, unconvinced. “Oh! Speaking of, have you heard of it? There’s a new season of SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online?”
And once again, Sam entraps me to watch another anime I will most likely binge watch or wait weekly for a new episode.
Anyways, class was about to start and it was the usual first day of school routine. Teachers introduce themselves and slips showing us what we’re going to be doing this school year. Eventually, it was already lunchtime and Sam and I were eating our lunch. And like always, Sam was talking about her usual stuff.
“And the moment when GT86 drifted at that moment, I saw a glimpse of the old Panda Trueno BEFORE it flashback to it.”
“Sam, I get it. I’ll watch MF Ghost later.”
“NO! YOU HAVE TO WATCH INITIAL D FIRST!”
I sigh as Sam rambles on about anime.
“Hey Sam?” I interrupted her.
“Yeah?”
“Isn’t it weird that nothing has happened?”
Sam frowned, “What do you mean?”
“Well, Annabeth told me that demigods around this age would be attacked more often than you think. And since you’re a Daughter of Athena…”
“Huh… that’s a good point,” Sam ponders. “I guess we’re just lucky. Maybe the monsters are too occupied with Olympus that we’re not even under their-”
BOOM
“Ah Crapbasket!” Sam and I said.
A giant explosion occurred in the lunchroom. A wall collapsed and a giant figure appeared. As the smoke of the debris started to disperse, I was able to get a good look.
“OH COME ON!” I yelled.
It was the Minotaur.
Yeah, THE Minotaur. You know the one from the Tale of Theseus? Well, let’s just say he and Percy are… well acquainted. As well as me.
“ESTELLE BLOFIS!” He yelled.
Oh yeah, he can talk.
“Sam… run.”
We got up and started running; we ran towards the hallway as the Minotaur chased us.
“I think he’s after you, Stella!” Sam said.
“Oh really?!” I replied sarcastically.
“I WILL BREAK YOU, JACKSON!” The minotaur yelled.
Sam and I ran towards the exit and went to the nearest alleyway. As the coast was clear, I pressed a button on my watch and activated the suit. The transformation suited me up with the Spider-suit. Why? Simple, the suit is weaved with celestial bronze and imperial gold, along with enchanted Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Norse Runes. Courtesy from our neighboring sorcerers and Einherjar.
Meanwhile, The Minotaur bust through the entrance and looks for me.
“Where are you, you pesky brat?”
THWIP
I fired a web at him from behind as I swung towards him. As he turns around, I drop a kick on his face.
“Right here!” I yelled. “You mind telling me what you’re doing here? Shouldn’t you be, oh I don’t know, IN PRISON?!”
Minotaur blocked the web shot and roared. He then grabbed the nearest car and threw it at me. Typical brute.
“Woah there, big guy!” I yelled as I dodged it and used my webs to prevent from causing any more damage. At least… as much as possible. I couldn’t really stop its motion… so might as well use it against the Minotaur.
“You almost missed your ride!” I yelled as I threw the car back at him.
BOOM
The car exploded… but as always, the bad guy emerged unscathed.
“You know, Red Bull should hire you to be their mascot. You have the face of a bull and red in rage!”
The minotaur growls in anger as he gets up.
“A shame you don’t have wings though!”
“Good thing I do!” yelled out another voice. I looked behind me and who did I spot? It was none other than the deadly harpy assassin herself, The Vulture.
WHOOSH
POW
She grabs me mid-air and slams me to the nearest wall. I grunted in pain.
“Vulture… how have you been, girl?” I asked. Vulture placed one of her sharp claws around my neck. “I take it that you got out of prison as a changed woman?”
Vulture snarled at me, “You’re going to pay for ruining everything!”
“Yeah… I figured,” I said as I fired a web shot at her face. She let go of me and I did a flip kick at her. As Vulture was distracted, I was about to head after Minotaur until I saw Sam going toe to toe with him. Apparently, her training really paid off.
Sam was dodging the Minotaur’s attacks as she was twirling her new weapon, the Spear of Leonidas. Yeah, the one from Assassin’s Creed; the spear that once belonged to the Spartan King himself. Still don’t know why it came back alive for Sam though. Anyways, Sam and I kept our wits against these two until sirens started getting louder. And out in the distance, I can see several hunters heading this way too.
“Dang it!” Vulture yelled. “This isn’t over, Spider-Girl!” She yelled as she ordered the Minotaur to retreat into the shadows.
“Hold it!” I yelled as I chased after them, but as I got closer, they already disappeared. “What the…”
“Stella!” Sam yelled as she came towards me. “Where’d they go?”
“No idea… I don’t even know how they even managed to escape in the first place.”
Soon, cops started showing up at the scene.
“We better get going,” I told Sam. “Head back to school before they notice you, Sam. I’ll join up with you shortly.”
“Wait, where are you going?” Sam asked as I was about to swing upwards towards the hunters.
“To get some answers!”
As I got up to the roof, I went to talk to some of the hunters.
In case you’re wondering who they are, they are known as the Hunters of Artemis. They’re basically Artemis’s warriors chosen to serve Artemis and become immortal. They hunt monsters and at the moment, protect Olympus when I’m not on the clock.
“Hey girls!” I yelled out to them. “Mind telling me what the heck is going on?!”
None of the hunters replied until finally, “That is why I’m here, Estelle Blofis.”
Behind the hunters was a goddess.
Literally might I add.
“Lady Athena,” I said. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
“I came, hoping to warn you of Vulture and the Minotaur’s escape. But it seems I was too late.”
“Yeah, I’m wondering how they escaped, though.”
Athena looked back at the hunters and nodded at them. The hunters started dispersing, leaving me with Athena.
“Uh… Lady Athena?”
“Please excuse the subtlety. But I need to speak to you urgently,” Athena replied. “I know you wish to continue your education, but what I’m about to tell you is dire and may affect the mortal world as well.”
Oh boy… I’m probably not going to like this. As the cops arrived at the scene down by the streets, I talked to Athena on the edge of a roof.
“So… what’s going on?” I asked. Athena answered.
“...Last night, you reported that four mortal men were making a deal with monsters, correct? Well, according to the police records, they only arrested three. Their leader, Herman Schultz, got away.”
I groaned, “My bad… I’ll get him for sure next tim-”
“It’s not him we should be concerned about. It’s the fact that mortals have our enchanted materials and are selling them to monsters. Not to mention that they have enhanced modern weaponries as well.”
“Wait, but why does this have to do with the Vulture and the Minotaur’s esca-”
“Because last night, you were dealing with those thugs at the exact same time that those two escaped. We found one of the guards unconscious outside of the prison cell and detected a faint scent of mortals.”
Athena sighs as she continues.
“I fear… something is happening here in New York. Monsters are being more active and mortals are obtaining and selling mythical weapons and gears.”
She looks at me with a concerned expression.
“I am well aware that you are occupied with locating Typhon and his children. But I have a request and… it’s a personal one.” Athena took a deep breath and explained. “You see, a while back. I was investigating a murder that occurred in the past.”
Ah, I recognized the story. It’s the story of how Sam’s dad and Athena met.
“It’s… how I met George, Sam’s father and… he thought he was investigating a murder but it went deeper than that. The Mob was involved and…”
“...And?” I asked.
“...The person who got murdered was one of the hunters I hired to investigate the Mafia. There’s a certain crime family that’s been obtaining relics that’s within my jurisdiction. But after the murder, they’ve been silent until recently.”
“Why? What kind of relics were they looking for?”
“I’m not sure why they started making their moves but… they began shortly after The Tablet of Arachne was displayed in the Museum. I don’t know why, but they've been obtaining anything that’s related to Arachne. But, after the events with Typhon, I finally realized why. Estelle Blofis, The relic gave you abilities similar to that of Arachne but not ALL of it.”
“Which is?” I asked and she replied.
“...Immortality.”
“I’m sorry, what? The tablet can actually give me immortality?!” I asked.
“The tablet was created by mortals who worshiped Arachne. They hoped to bring her back to her prime by using a sacrifice. But the tablet was lost to time until recently. Luckily, I was informed that the Kanes obtained the relic and switched it with a decoy. They hoped to find a way to revert your condition in the meantime.”
“Oh, well that’s good.” I said. “So what? You want me to investigate this crime family?”
Athena turned to me with a journal.
“Indeed, they have been taking much of our relics and valuables and selling them to either the black market or towards our enemies. They must be stopped, but I advise you to be cautious. George has been investigating them for a long time. This journal holds all the information he obtained in his search. Unfortunately he never got a name though.” Athena handed me the journal. “This isn’t something the others know but… I owe it to George and Samantha to resolve this issue.”
I noticed Athena’s small saddened expression on her face. She must have been grieving the death of Sam’s father.
“You know, Mr. Stacy promised Sam to talk about you before he passed. Maybe, you can give her a visit?” I asked.
“...No, I shouldn’t. I’d only be more of a nuisance to her. Besides, she seems happy with her current arrangements with the Valdez.”
I wanted to argue more on this but I think it’d be best not to argue with the Goddess of Wisdom. “Well, don’t worry about this, Lady Athena. I’ll find this crime boss and stop his operations. Besides, maybe this will give me some hints or leads on how to find Typhon or Scorpion. And then there’s Minotaur and Vulture.”
I groaned in annoyance.
And here I thought, ‘I’m going to have a smooth school year’
And now there’s a crime family dealing illegal goods towards monsters and several of those said monsters are out to get me.
Typical Jackson luck, right?
Later that day, I got home and informed mom and dad what happened at school. And yes, that includes the talk with Lady Athena.
“So, what you’re saying is that you will be investigating a secret criminal organization… while going to school and fighting monsters?” Dad asked.
“Uh… yeah?”
Dad sighs.
“I know that your new… job can be quite demanding. But this? Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?”
I snorted, “Yet it’s okay for Percy to fight a war against a Titan?”
“She’s got a point, honey. Though, to be fair, Percy is a Demigod, Estelle.” Mom replied as she brought another batch of fresh blue chocolate chip cookies.
“Still, I’ll have to agree with your father. What Lady Athena requested is pretty high-demanding. Shouldn’t the authorities take care of it?”
I shrugged and replied, “I asked the same thing too, but according to Mr. Stacy’s journal here,” I pointed at the journal on the table. “It seems that there’s likely some crooked cops working for this crime boss.”
Dad had a grim expression on his face.
“Don’t worry, dad. I’ll be careful this time. As long as I don’t reveal my identity, they’ll never find me.” I reassured dad and then sigh, “I’ll have to avoid revealing my identity in the open. So far, only my family knows my secret. Along with the gods; Chiron… and most of the campers in Camp Half-Blood.”
Well… here’s hoping that none of the campers also live here in New York.
“Still, Estelle, try to be careful,” Mom said. “I know you’re old enough to take care of yourself and that your new powers give you immense strength. But you’re still a teenager and our daughter.”
“Don’t worry, mom, I’ll be careful. Don’t forget, Percy and Annabeth trained me during summer.”
“Yeah, Annabeth trained you. That makes me less worried; however, Percy trained you as well. That makes me even more worried.”
I snickered the moment Percy was mentioned.
Don’t get me wrong, we all love Percy and he is just a lovable dork. However, trouble just seems to find him, no matter where he goes.
Well anyways, that’s mostly how my days are going to go. Starting tomorrow, after school, I will be patrolling New York and continue my search for Typhon while making sure none of the monsters attempt to attack Olympus. Meanwhile, I will be investigating some criminal activities that are occuring in the streets. I know what you are thinking.
‘Estelle! You’re going up against an ACTUAL crime family! How are you not freaking out?!’
Okay, I get that. I do. However, let’s not forget that I once went up against Typhon, the father of Greek Monsters. I was trained by Percy and Annabeth Jackson, heroes of Olympus and some of the most powerful demigods in the world. And I also trained in a virtual program that copies the seven heroes who went on the quest to stop Gaia. Plus, I also got the support of Leo Valdez; the Kanes; Camp Half–Blood and Olympus as well.
I’m sure I can handle it.
Hopefully…
Later that night, it’s already bedtime and I am just about to fall asleep. Now here’s the thing, as I sleep, I don’t dream. Well, technically I do but I just don’t remember. I sleep and then wake up the next day. But, ever since I got bitten by that cursed spider, I’ve been getting dreams. More specifically, dreams about Arachne and her convincing me to let her take over my body. Of course, that’s never going to happen.
But this dream, it’s different.
I noticed I was sitting by a dinner table and looked around. Apparently I’m in a fancy restaurant somewhere in New York. I know it’s here because it’s outside on a balcony near the Empire State Building. The restaurant is filled, but for some reason, there’s a few empty seats. But near those empty seats was a single man, eating while near the edge of the balcony.
The man looked pretty old.
Scratch that, VERY old.
He has white hair, silver eyes and was wearing a fancy suit. He was eating some fancy-looking meal with a steak and some salad. I was going to speak, but words didn’t come out. I was silent. Then, another man walked in and headed towards the old man’s table. He was also wearing a fancy suit and had black hair. He looked a bit younger, like in his later 20’s.
“Boss,” He said to the older man.
“Joseph,” The old man replied. “Is it done?”
“Of course, we got those two out and are now on the loose.”
“Good, it’ll give us more opportunity to retrieve the relic.”
The conversation now has my full attention as he mentioned a relic. Most likely, he’s the crime boss I needed to go after. Now I just need to know who he is.
“Boss, if you don’t mind me asking. Why do you need this relic? You’re already the most powerful man in BOTH worlds. You own the streets and sell many goods to those… monsters.”
The old man continues to eat as he replies, “I conquered many trials but one… time. Look at me, I’m getting old. I’m already past my prime, but I’m not ready to go just yet. But with this relic, I won’t have to worry anymore.”
“Only problem now is that it’s protected by those freaky wizards in Brooklyn.”
“Sorcerers, Joseph. You best give them some respect, they saved the world from eternal darkness. You best show them some gratitude.”
Well… at least this villain has some manners.
“But you are correct, the tablet is now under their possessions. We will need to plan it out and avoid their attention. That’s why I required you and Herman to assist Vulture and the Minotaur.”
“You wish to use them to distract the Kanes?”
The old man nodded.
“Speaking of Herman, he managed to escape but several of our men were captured,” Joseph reported.
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll have some of the cops bail them out.”
Dang, looks like Mr. Stacy was right. Also, it looks like Herman is also working for him. Maybe, if I find Herman, I’ll find his boss.
“Try to contact those two. We may be able to use them to our advantage.”
“Understood, boss,” Joseph replied. “I’m sure we can arrange something that’s beneficial to them. Still, I’m amazed you haven’t told the other members of the family about your… side hustle, boss.”
The old man scoffed, “Do you really think they’ll believe an old man is arranging deals with monsters? They only care about making money out of those poisons from Scorpion, who’s still missing at the moment.”
Great, even the Mafia doesn’t know where he is.
“And they still don’t even know that they’re making deals with a manticore!” The old man started speaking Italian, though judging from his tone, he’s most likely insulting them.
Joseph started getting up, “I’ll start planning on ways to obtain the relic. Though we also have another nuisance to take care of as well.”
The old man waved a gesture, “We will deal with the spider later. Or, have those monsters deal with her themselves.”
The younger man scoffed and smirked, “I’m sure I can arrange that. I bet even those freaks know about my reputation in the streets.”
The old man nodded as finish up eating his food, he reached out to Joseph and grabbed his arm. “Thank you, my friend. You have been loyal to this family and I will never forget that.”
“It’s always a pleasure to work for you… Don Silvermane.”
And then I woke up.
“OH COME ON!” I yelled in my room.
Well… at least I know who I’m dealing with.