i. SKYE GETS ADVICE FROM A FLOATING HEAD

                                    

                                          
SKYE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF CHOPPING UP A SEA MONSTER WHEN SHE SAW THE HEAD. 
     The monster itself was quite boring: dragon legs, serpentine head, shovel-like feet to use as paddles in the water, the usual. Though what it was doing all the way in the middle of New Mexico, she had no idea. This kind of creature was obviously native to the deep seas, and New Mexico was as far from the deep seas as you can get. But Skye wasn't thinking about that. She was too busy slicing it apart.
       That thing had interrupted a call with her mom. Of fucking course she was slicing it apart! 
      She ducked, zipping past one of the monster's tentacle-like arms, and, as she turned, slashed one of her knives upwards in a deadly arc. The creature gave a wail of outrage and pain, then lashed out again. She dodged but this time wasn't so lucky. She missed the tentacle, but one of its paddle feet struck her into the desert ground. Skye grunted, her shoulder twinging painfully. Painstakingly, she propped herself on her elbows and saw the creature looming over her, its face stretched in an almost triumphant smirk. 
      Seriously? How was this thing so powerful in the middle of a desert? Skye could chalk it up to something weird stirring in the godly world or a simple coincidence, but she never dealt with coincidences. She knew this was happening all because her life absolutely sucked. And no that wasn't an exaggeration. It was an actual truth; being descended from a great Greek hero, specifically a Greek hero who was a magnet for bad luck, also meant Skye and her ancestors got the worst luck. So if life throws a curveball, she knew she could just thank her so very heroic ancestor.
       Which was exactly what she did now. Thanks a lot, Bellerophon, she thought, whilst glaring at the monster and blinking sand grains from her eyes. She clutched her daggers—one in each hand—and took in the monster before her. 
        Its paddle feet were a definite no to attack; they were too solid, like a turtle shell. Its tentacles moved too quickly to slice; she could definitely outpace them, but she wanted an easy kill, not a debilitating one. Then her eyes fell on its neck, covered in soft pores. Hmm...
       "Hey Snake Face!" she shouted, which was a stupid move considering the thing was already looking at her, but she continued on. "Can I ride you real quick? Uh, not like that, by the way—freaky tentacle monsters are not my type. Nothing personal. I just wanna see your neck—"
        The monsters roared, yellow spittle flying onto her face. Maybe it got touchy at the word 'neck' which would prove her guess that its neck was a weak point. Or maybe it got offended when she said it wasn't her type. She dearly hoped it was the former. 
        It lunged, and Skye moved at the same time. She crouched, feinting a low attack, and when the creature was low enough, she sprang nimbly; in a blur, scrambling up the sea monster's head until she was straddling its neck. 
        The monsters rose and stamped around, attempting to dislodge her, but Skye held fast. There was one good thing about this monster being an aquatic creature: it sucked at defending itself on land. With no more than a bit of fumbling, Skye stabbed one of her daggers into the back of its neck. 
        With a final wail, the sea monsters dissolved into golden dust, leaving behind a faint ocean breeze. Skye landed gracefully and inhaled the scent in, her thoughts easing. 
        Her pocket buzzed and she pulled out a simple iPhone—something inconspicuous, not the latest model. Yeah, demigods weren't supposed to carry phones as they attracted more monsters, but Skye was past caring about that. She'd survived stuff she was sure that many monsters would wet their monstrous pants if they'd been in her place; let them attack, she could take them.