The Missing Gods

Chapter 6 - I Almost Die But What's New

I want to say that my original plan of fighting the monster in the water was flawless, but all I could think when I hit the water was AAARGH.

Every inch of my body felt like it was on fire in the freezing water, and I used every ounce of strength I had to twist away from the Hydra and form a protective barrier against the water. Normally, my abilities keep my temperature regulated in the water, so I racked my brain trying to figure out what I was missing.

The serpent, now revitalized in the water, came shooting toward me, all seven mouths open and ready for a bite of demigod sushi. I searched my pocket for Riptide, glad that it had reappeared in time, and yanked it out. I slashed at one of the heads out of instinct and the monster roared, sending up strange purple bubbles. The head rapidly started growing back, along with an eighth head, even more ugly than the last.

Thinking of anything that could kill the monster, I thought of the Hydra that Annabeth, Tyson, and I had fought years ago; that was a swamp dwelling Hydra, so I guessed that this one preferred the lake. Something in my subconscious was telling me there was something important about the lake, but I just couldn't think of it before the monster charged me again.

The heads all snapped at me together, but using the soft current, I dodged them and slashed at another head, which multiplied again by two. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed an eerie glow coming from a corner of the lake bottom. I backed my way toward it, sliding this way and that way to avoid the nine Hydra heads, which were now hissing so loud I could see the current rippling off its body.

I felt a rock behind my back and quickly glanced around, realizing that the glow I had seen was coming from a deepset cave in the rocks, leading even deeper underground.

Suddenly I was struck with the original story: The original Lernaean Hydra lived in the lake of Lerna, which conveniently doubled as an entrance to the Underworld.

Quickly forming a plan as I twisted in the water to avoid the heads, I began to shift the current around the monster, almost as if the lake were cradling it.

The serpent fought back aggressively, tearing and clawing at me through the freezing water, but I continued to shroud it in an underwater hurricane, binding it into a ball, and guided the current towards the cave.

The monster roared even louder, poison leaking from every mouth in an effort to bathe as much water in poison as possible. I shoved the current away from me, blasting the monster down into the cave with such a force that the rocks started sliding, closing over the entrance and threatening to collapse on top of me. I shot upward as fast as I could, trying to breathe as little as possible, as I became drenched in the Hydra's poison.

I broke the surface and Annabeth ran towards me, which was great, because I almost died right then.

Annabeth kneeled at my side and shoved ambrosia in my mouth, holding my head up so I could swallow it. I briefly enjoyed the taste before the feeling came back into my legs and hands, which just made me hurt even more. My clothes were smoking, and I smelled like three-week-old brisket.

"Uunh," I grunted, struggling to sit up, but Annabeth pushed me over like I was a piece of cardboard, and began rubbing my legs, trying to warm them up.

"I could have told you that was an entrance to the Underworld," Annabeth said grimly, "before you dived in to get yourself killed. Your powers don't work down there like they usually would, the lake of Lerna sucks the life out of you."

I decided not to respond, since she was right and we both knew it. Annabeth's massaging was warming me up quickly, so I sat up and looked into her eyes, which were filled with worry.

"I thought we were in this together," she whispered. "Ever since Tartarus..."

"I know. I'm sorry," I rasped, feeling guilty. "I'll try not to do it again, and if I do, you're welcome to drown with me." I hoped the joke would make the situation lighter, and was relieved when she rolled her eyes and began putting the ambrosia back in her pack. I reached out and brushed a long strand of blonde hair out of her eyes and leaned in to kiss her.

She let me lean all the way in, our lips almost touching, our breath mingling, before she said loudly, "okay, well now that you're feeling better, let's go."

It was my turn to roll my eyes and groan as we stood up, shouldered our packs, and set off down the empty, snowy streets toward the Empire State.