The Meeting of a Gryphon, a Matagot, and Orthrus

Aster leaped off of Tawnee's back as she touched down in a brief lapse of trees in a heavily wooded area. The trees were giving him the creeps but he shook it off. They were trees. A rustle from the underbrush alerted the Matagot that something was watching them. And the creature wasn't too sneaky either, because it just strolled right out into the open. "Orthrus." Aster's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Didn't Hercules kill you a while ago?" Apparently not, for there stood Orthrus, a rather large dog with a tail that was a snake.

Tawnee had gently landed and soon Aster was leaping off of her back. She turned as she heard the rustle and watched as the creature wandered out into the open.
"Orthrus? Who is he?"

The Gryphon had no clue what or who Orthrus was. And what was all this business about him being killed by Hercules. Gosh wasn't everything confusing nowadays.

"Oh, this is Orthrus an old Greek creature. He was SUPPOSED to be killed by Hercules." Aster glared at the Dog-serpent hybrid. "So why are you here?"

Orthrus spoke not in words but in images. They flashed through Aster's head at hyper speed yet he somehow understood them. "So you faked your death? Aaah I see. Hercules wanted glory and you wanted to live peacefully. So, by being 'killed' no one came after you and Hercules was practically worshiped." The tabby nodded approvingly, as if proud of the level of deception going on here. "Well then. How about we do something interesting? What now, find a Hydra?" He snorted in disbelief.

Orthrus nodded. "WHAT THE FLYING OSTRITCH." Aster exclaimed. "A HYDRA. Are you KIDDING ME!?" Aster had to use immense self-control to keep himself from slamming his face into the ground.

Tawnee blinked, still uncomprehending of the situation. She made a few tentative steps forwards to arrive at Aster's side.

"So what's a Hydra?" she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. She didn't see how anything could be that hard to find when she had the wings to search miles and miles in only a few hours.