Page 103 of Poseidon's Trident
I unfurl my whip at my side as I crouch into a fighting stance and wait for the creature to surface.
“What if Echidna splashes again at the wrong moment?” Jayden asks. “I would feel better if you didn’t barbecue yourself today.”
“Fine. I’ll just use the whip as a last resort.” I touch my necklace sending the whip back to the charm.
“Thank you,” he says just as the first dragon head pops into view around the door.
Jayden lunges for me as the monster spews flames at me with an almighty roar. We hit the ground to the side of the tunnel as the heat of the flames blisters against my skin. Fuck, that was close.
I jump to my feet, gripping my sword, and swing at the first head of the hydra, but Jayden’s shadow chains are wrapping themselves around the neck and squeezing.
I call my whip and wrap it around the neck, swinging myself up to the dragon’s neck and glance down at Jayden. “You ready?”
Jayden nods and I swing my blade in a wide arc, taking the head from its body to tumble to the ground. “Now, Jayden.”
Hellfire burns too close to my skin as I jump from the neck of the hydra. I gag at the stench of burning monster flesh. But the neck lies still on the ground as the other six heads roar their fury from the tunnel.
“No, you aren’t supposed to defeat him,” Echidna bellows, turning to us.
One of her eyes is closed around Adrian’s arrow. A snarl paints her lips. What the fuck did she expect to happen when there are six of us against her? Seriously? Monsters really are dumb.
“I defeated this thing single-handedly when I had a lot less magic.” I grin.
Stupid Echidna. They keep underestimating us and losing every time. I grin as another head makes its way through the crack. I crack my whip at it without the electricity flowing through it because water fills the floor of the cavern as the tide rises.
“Jayden, get ready.” I swing up on the neck, but another head snaps out from the tunnel and flames shoot by me.
I scream as fire burns through my shoulder and I lose my grip on the other neck and my whip. My stomach drops into my throat as weightlessness grips me. My arms pinwheel in an attempt to stop the fall but a second later, shadows wrap around me and I’m in Jayden’s arms.
“Beth, are you okay?” Jayden asks.
“It burns,” I groan.
“Fuck, it got you with magical fire.” Jayden inspects my shoulder. “You need the burn cream.”
“No time. Jayden, watch out.” I shove him to the side as one of the heads snaps at us.
I swing my blade in my good arm, taking the hydra’s head clean off its neck. Shit. I jump to my feet to use my electricity but Jayden is already there, hellfire spews from his palms at the neck flopping uselessly on the ground.
“Five more to go,” I pant.
“You need the burn cream,” Jayden growls, reaching for me, but I shake my head.
“We need to fucking end this.”
Echidna screams behind me, and I spin to find Raven’s ax sticking out of one of her serpent legs. The entire cave rumbles as the mother of all monsters bellows.
I pull away from Jayden and slash at the third hydra head, but it dodges, snapping at my sword arm. I spin away from it but teeth rip into my shirt on my sword arm. It rips the sleeve and teeth graze my arm.
Fire burns in my veins. Is its bite poisonous? Fuck. Jayden is going to lose his mind. I hiss at the sting but I still have the use of my arm for now.
I jump from the ground and dodge the fangs that lunge for me. The body of the hydra is visible now and all four heads lunge at us as they drag the other three necks with them into the cave.
“Shit. Jayden, we need to kill it before it fills the whole cavern.” I rush forward.
“You need to stop. You need to get the burn cream.” He glances at the gash on my arm. “Fuck. Did it bite you?”
“It grazed me. I’m fine.” I pull my arm from his grasp. “We need to defeat this thing.”
