Page 62 of Poseidon's Trident
“All the more reason not to get underneath the fucking thing,” Jayden growls.
I turn to Raven and Greyson on my left. “Can you guys distract it while I slide under it?”
“No,” Jayden says gripping my arm and spinning me behind him.
“Jayden,” I scream as a claw is aimed directly for his chest.
A huge spray of water hits the crab in the face, pushing it back away from us just before Jayden is gutted by the damn spiked claw. I spin around to find Thad with his hands out and water pouring from them.
“Go,” Thad yells.
I spin away from Jayden and pump my arms and legs as I race to the retreating crab. Thad continues his assault with the water and I slide under the crab just as a pincer comes down. Pain erupts in my shoulder and my eyes burn with tears as the creature retracts its claw and blood pours from the wound.
“Beth,” Jayden bellows.
“I’m okay,” I grit out.
The claw snaps down at me again but I roll out of the way. The claw buries deep in the sand where I was only a moment ago. My shoulder throbs as I roll away and sand sticks to the bleeding wound. Fuck, that hurts.
The crab scuttles to the side, nearly stepping on me with the points of its legs, and I roll again until I’m directly beneath it. I grip my sword in one hand, calling my whip back into my necklace before I lose it for good. I can’t move my arm where the crab got me in the shoulder so my sword is all I have to defeat it.
“Beth,” Jayden shouts. “Get the fuck out of there. We’ll find another way.”
I ignore him as I shimmy farther down the crab’s body. Water rushes over me from Thad’s attack and Raven yells a battle call. They’re distracting it for me. There isn’t a lot of the body that isn’t covered with the diamond-hard shell.
How the hell are we supposed to defeat the thing if we can’t find the kink in its armor? I’m forced to roll with the crab as it scuttles sideways again and one of its sharp legs tears through my pants.
“Fuck, too close,” I mumble to myself.
The others won’t hear me over the sounds of battle. As I roll again, something glittering on the crab’s underbelly catches my eye. Small balls of light form the cancer constellation. What the fuck?
The cluster of stars next to the main lines appear softer than the rest of the creature and I raise my sword but before I can strike, the crab shifts again and a claw comes down right next to my head and buries itself in the sand.
Carefully, I crouch beneath the crab, even at the protest of my injured shoulder. My arm lies useless at my side. I need to get closer to that constellation. Why would the crab have the cancer constellation on its belly?
Now isn’t the time to wonder about it. I need to fucking move and kill the thing. I can figure that shit out later. The claw swipes at me from beneath it and catches me in the gut. I shout as all the air whooshes out of my lungs, and I fly into the crab’s legs, slamming my back against them and shredding my skin.
I scream as blood oozes from the scrapes left by the legs and I roll away before they can trample me. Sand sticks into the wounds on my back, the small particles only cutting deeper into my skin and searing pain explodes through me.
“Thad, Raven, keep distracting it. I’m going in to help her,” Jayden roars.
Shadows writhe next to me and Jayden appears. His eyes are black as night as he stares down at the wounds covering my body. I’m losing so much blood but I can’t stop fighting the creature. We have to destroy it.
“Jayden, there’s a constellation on its stomach. I think it’s the only place it’s vulnerable.” I wheeze.
“Can you move?” Jayden asks, his voice deadly calm.
“I think so. I need to kill this thing.” I move and white-hot agony tears through the wounds in my back as black spots tint my vision.
“Greyson,” Jayden roars. “Get her out of here.”
Shadows pulse around Jayden and seep into the sand around him, slinking out as he loses control. Greyson’s face fills my vision as he shudders from being shadow walked to me.
“Warn a guy next time,” Greyson grumbles.
Jayden growls and grips his blade before crouching and turning his gaze on the crab’s underbelly. “Just get her out of here.”
“What hurts?” Greyson asks with a frown. “Don’t answer that. It’s a stupid fucking question.”
