Page 102 of Poseidon's Trident
“B, I think I have an idea,” Raven whispers. “Go for the snakes.”
“Why are there always so many snakes?” I whisper back.
“Really? That’s your thought process now?” Jayden scoffs.
“Ancient history liked snakes and lions way too much,” I grumble.
A serpent head slithers closer to me and I swipe at it with my sword, barely missing the long tongue. Those bastards eat human flesh and I like my flesh where it is, thank you very much.
“You’re right,” Echidna says. “And I brought along a friend to help me ensure you don’t make it out of this cave alive. I believe you’ve met.”
A piercing roar comes from a tunnel I hadn’t noticed until now and I flinch. She can’t be serious. Please don’t be what I think it is.
Stomping steps precede the roar down the tunnel as fire spews out of the opening. Fuck. She’s the mother of all monsters for a reason but she’s not the mother of that particular beast. I step back and glance at Raven with wide eyes.
“This is going to be tricky,” I say. “My magic is volatile around water but it’s the only thing we have that will kill the beast.”
“What are you talking about, Beth?” Jayden asks. “What’s coming?”
“They brought the fucking hydra back,” I growl.
A snake leg snaps out at me and water sprays my face as it coils to attack me. I swing my blade at it and Echidna wails as my blade connects with the snake but doesn’t cut the head off.
“The hydra? Fuck,” Raven groans.
“Your weapons won’t work. I need you to distract Echidna while I kill the fucking hydra again.” I turn my gaze on the others.
“Wait,” Jayden says. “My hellfire could help.”
“Right. You come with me and the others distract the psycho until we kill the beast.” I nod to Raven.
The walls of the cave shake violently the closer the seven-headed bastard gets to the cave from the tunnel. We can’t let it get inside the cave. It’s too small to properly fight Echidna as it is.
“Hey, ugly snake lady,” Raven yells. “I cut off one of your husband’s fucking heads.”
“Raven, stop,” Greyson roars at the same time a wave of water crashes into them from Echidna’s stomping snake.
“I’ll kill you slowly, daughter of Ares,” Echidna says.
“You’ll have to catch me first, psycho.”
Raven drops to her knees in front of Adrian who has an arrow nocked in his bow. He lets the arrow fly true and it lodges into Echidna’s eye.
“Hell yeah, Adrian.” Raven pumps her fist as Echidna roars. “Do it again.”
“C’mon.” Jayden grips my arm, pulling me around Echidna.
My friends are no longer within my sight and I hate it, but we all have our parts to play and they are holding their own against the Titan monster.
“How did you defeat the hydra, again?” Jayden asks.
“I used my whip and my magic together. You have to cut off the head and then burn the neck before it can grow two more heads.” I grip my necklace and call my whip.
“I don’t think you should do this. Maybe we can work together so you don’t have to use electricity and possibly electrocute yourself.” Jayden’s shadows pulse along his arms.
“Good plan, but my whip is more effective and if I’m not in the water, I can use my electricity without hurting myself.”
We stop in front of the entrance to the tunnel, the flames inside not touching us except for the heat warming my chilled bones. If the hydra was ever good for anything, this would be it.
