As the Python Rises, so does Solangelo

Part 28

Percy POV

I heard screaming , yelling, and that weird language. After about five minutes a crackle of sunlight went into the sky exploding like a firework. That was the signal. Annabeth and I ran, climbing up the uneven brick wall of the building. Once again, Wise Girl shoe slips and I get to taste her sneaker again. "Whoops. Sorry," she says quickly. "Just like the cyclops cave," I mumbled. She climbs again. We reach a window. She takes her dagger and breaks it. Annabeth swings in and so do I. We see Will bound in chains. I cut them with Riptide. He looks okay, his nose might be broken and he had a few cuts and bruises. He rubbed his wrists. "Thanks, erm, where is my sister?" He asked. Suddenly it was 5 years earlier. Nico had asked the same question. Bianca had died, but Evaya wasn't dead. I heard Annabeth's voice explaining Evaya's plan. Will looked shocked. "Oh, well, then we better get out of here before he comes back, if that sunlight is only good until dawn," he said. Then we heard it. A boy crying out, a girl screams. I desperately wanted to fight. Following orders from a 13 year old was hard! Then. The door broke open, and, there was the 13 year old. Tattered and screaming. Her chains made of Stygian Iron. Her eyes wide as she took in her surroundings. "MARK!!" She screamed, "MARK RUN, GO, TAKE HIM WITH YOU GO!" A snake slithered in, a dark clouded thing with sharp claws and teeth came in. The Python and his assistant. "There there now pet, your job isn't done," cloud boy said. "You can't force me to do anything," she said sternly. He laughed bitterly, "you don't know much about just how much we can make you do. Stygian iron, perfect metal," anger filled me. "What are you doing to her!" I demeaned. The python spoke, well, hissed, "ah, young demigod, more like what will she do to you? Girl, jump!" She did. "Flap your wingssss," she did that. "Fetch the boyssss," and off she went. "She can't fight the metal, she still has her mind, but the metal forces her to do their work," Annabeth spoke. I glanced at Will, he was pale. He obviously seemed to know what was happening. Or maybe he was in shock. Let's hope it was the first one. She comes back. Connor has a very big gash along his leg. Mark looks bruised but fine. Her eyes flicked. Sometimes it was the brown with sunlight, then went black. Will'so hands twitched as he saw Connor, probably wanting to heal him. "Evaya fight it," Mark said. She turned towards him, in a hollow voice she spoke, "you, you don't tell me anything. I will leave you to die," Connor whimpered as she kicked his leg and stuck Mark across the face with her fist. "Now, kill them," cloud boy commanded. Evaya looked troubled. "Kill..... Kill the boys or all of them?" She asked. Cloud boy looked at the python. He nodded and slithered to her. "Tell me, who do you sssserve?" He hissed. "I serve the sun- py- I- I serve----" she gasped and stuttered. She couldn't get out the words. Connor laughed. "What issss thisssss? The Hermesssss boy laughsssss?" Python hissed. "She can't tell a lie! If she does, her voice gets all chocked up. She's trying to say the truth, but you're trying to make her lie," Connor explained.

Connor POV
Maybe it was me, but the room seemed to get hotter. It was also a little brighter. Evaya had stopped stuttering. Her expression blank. Her eyes danced between who she was, and who the python was trying to make her. "Truth always comes out in the end," a voice whispered. I almost thought it was her, except it was male. "Show yoursssself!" The Python demanded, "come to me you sssstupid ssssun god!" Evaya gasped. Light flooded her eyes. Mark took the chance to cut her chains. She saw this, and said, "wait Mark do-" but she couldn't finish. Marks whole body was thrown against the wall, a sickening crack as his left side made contact. "You can't cut them boy, no one can exccept the persssson whossss in them," the Python snickered. Oh man, this wasn't good. The temperature climbed and BOOM! A blast. Evaya looked unharmed. The moon was fading. Sunrise was almost here. "GO!" She yelled at Percy and Annabeth, "THE LIGHT ALMOST ISNT GOOD!" Then, the python sunk his fangs into Mark. "NO!" Evaya cried and sprang into warrior mode. Sunlight on fangs, bow, arrows, dagger, sword, she was pulling out everything. Dawn came, and the light inside the test tube faded. With one final blast, she managed to get the python down. "Thisss isssnt over half blood," he snarled. Then slithered into a hole. Will was telling her to rest. "No--- Mark and Connor, ---- then me" she gasped. Will looked like he wanted to argue but next down to take a look at me leg. He healed it pretty good, but I'd have to rest. We looked and saw that Evaya was crying. We all came around her. "Python bites carry poison," she sobbed. "can't you heal it?" Percy asked. "Not Python poison. Any child of Apollo couldn't. It's-- its-" her voice faltered. "Inhealable" a male voice spoke. "Apollo," Annabeth said. "Father," Will and Evaya spoke in unison. He smiled. "You have done well demigods. My dear daughter, you fought my enemy. While he is not dead, he is injured. As for Ares son, he is beyond your power. You feel his heart slowing. You know you can't fix or cure him. I am so sorry, but fate has woven it," he said. Thunder rumbled. "Ah, yes, well, my father wishes me to take you to Olympus. I will bring Mark to camp, they can bury him or whatever there," Apollo spoke. With a snap of his fingers Mark was gone. Then, so were we.