After a few hours of flying, we all decided to land in some woods near the Mississippi River. We were near the border of Tennessee. We set up camp in a clearing a few yards from the river. Fern thankfully had a tent in his pack. Leo built it, which was really convenient. We all sat in a semi circle around an empty fire place. No one has started to make it; we were just waiting for Leo to think the obvious.
“Wow,” Jason said. “It’s freezing.”
“I know,” Piper agreed.
Fern said too obviously, “The river seems warmer than this place”.
Leo nodded not getting the whole point of this conversation. “Yeah, it’s sure is windy here.”
I nodded, literally shivering. Leo is still too dumb not to get the whole point. A cold wind seemed to blow our way. I ended up having my teeth chattering, goose bumps came out of my skin. Leo noticed and lended me his coat, a sweet gesture. Everyone gave a silent groan, he still hasn’t gotten it.
Jason tried again. “Gee, it sure is freezing here.”
Piper was clenching her teeth. “We sure could use a fire, right about now.”
Fern was rubbing his hands together. “Something warm would be nice.”
“If you want something warm,” Leo said. “I think you brought blankets.”
The temperature literally dropped down 10 degrees. We could see our breath from the cold night.
Jason clenched his fists; he was trying really hard for Leo to get it. “Fire would be really good right about now.”
“Yeah Leo,” Piper said. “Do you happen to know anyone who can make a fire? Anyone you know, that pops up into your brain.”
“Come on Leo”, Fern pleaded. “Do you know a single person who may have a match, a lighter, or any sort of power that can make fire?”
“Fire, fire, anyone who can make-” Leo’s face turned bright red. Thank the gods, he finally realized it.
Leo grinned, “Harley, he made this cool flame torch back at camp”.
Everyone groaned. They all couldn’t take anymore.
Jason exclaimed, “Sherlock, we need fire! Make a fire!”
“For the love of the gods,” Fern cried out. “A simple fire will make all us happy.”
Leo held up his hands. “Man, you guys could’ve just told me.”
I noticed a vein pop by Piper’s forehead. “Leo, can you take a dip in the river for half an hour after you’ve finished with the fire and making dinner?”
Leo flinched, Piper just used her charmspeak. So he had to obey. After he made a huge, toasty fire and cooked tofu tacos – which was impressive since he was a boy- he headed out to river. He walked muttering curses at Piper, everyone started to snicker.
Fern sat next to me. “I want to ask a question, your permission actually.”
I wrote on the whiteboard for him to tell me.
“Do you want an empathy link with me?”
I was about to write what it was but Fern answered it for me.
“It’s a telepathic communication between a satyr and a person,” He explained. “It can only work when both of us are asleep or awake or if one of them is sleeping. When one of us is asleep, I or you can show a virtual image of where one of us is through the person's dream.”
I nodded; I would like to have that with Fern. We’re close friends, if he’s in trouble I want to be the first to know.
“But they’re some things you also want to know”, He warned. “Both of us will where the other is and can read how their feeling. If one of us dies, the other has the chance to die as well.”
I nodded again. It would be hard to kill one of us; I’d be more than happy to share a link with Fern. It would be nice to talk to someone.
Fern smiled. “Thanks, I-I feel safer to know that you’ll be there when I’m in trouble.”
I patted Fern on the back.
Fern added, “If you don’t want the link any more, we have to do it face to face.”
I got it, but that’ll be highly unlikely. Fern touched my forehead.
Fern grinned. “You feel happy that we can talk or at least seem to talk.”
Jason told me, “We should tell you something.”
I looked up.
“When we were in our last quest, we met King Midas.” Piper said, “When he should have been dead”.
King Midas is probably a Greek myth since I never heard of him. I wrote down who he is.
“King Midas rescued a satyr who was a follower of Dion, I mean, Mr. D,” Fern explained. “Mr. D gave him the ability to have a golden touch. After Midas learned that it was too much for him, he reversed the golden touch.”
Piper coughed, “Not when we met him. He still had the golden touch, but he could reverse things that were gold with running water.”
"Too bad for him, gold is a very good conductor for electricity," Jason grinned.
“Midas explained that he had a patron, Gaea, that helped him be alive,” Piper said. “That’s why he’s still alive, when he should really be dead.”
Jason nodded, “If we run into any other people who should be dead, and their patron if Gaea. They’re enemies.”
I nodded that I got the idea. We ate the last of Leo tacos with a laughing Jason and Piper. After a satisfying dinner, everyone went into the tent. I volunteered to see where Leo went, his half hour was almost up.
I found Leo still in his clothes, shivering in the middle of the river. It was pretty sad; the freezing cold water splashed everywhere. I sat by the banks of the river and dipped my hand into it. It was freezing cold; this wasn’t good for a fire-user. After the 30 minutes were up, Leo first contact was a fluffy white towel. Then I handed him back his jacket. He sat next to me, he started to sneeze. I showed him a taco he made, I saved for him.
He chattered, “T-thanks”.
He took it and warmed the food with his hands. I wrote on my whiteboard and showed it to him. It took a few minutes for him to read it since it was pretty dark and he was dyslexic.
“Okay,” He said finally. “It was kind of my fault I had to swim in the river.”
I arched an eyebrow. In my point of view, it wasn’t “kind of” his fault.
“Fine”, He sighed. “The whole thing was my fault, I got what I deserve. Happy?”
I made a sly grin. Leo started to munch on his taco. I felt happy for him; he finally got to eat after swimming in the gushing waters of the Mississippi River. After he finished he lay down onto the ground.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you that I was in the Great Prophecy.”
I looked away; I was giving him the silent treatment. But I forgot that I can’t talk. So I’m already giving him the silent treatment.
He looked angry at himself. "I'm just, I'm just so stupid."
I looked at him with amusement. I would like to listen more of this subject.
"My eye bone's connected to my lie bone, which is conveniently next to my funny bone."
I chuckled, it's a lame excuse. But a cute one, I have to admit.
"I didn't mean to tell you I was in the Great Prophecy. I just didn't want a pretty girl like you to worry about me dying."
I snorted.
He sat up, sitting closer to me. "And I'm sorry. I just..."
He trailed off. He inched closer to me. His warm brown eyes were staring at me. I quickly looked away. I want to argue with him when I get my voice back. Until then I can't fogive him, no matter how much he begs for me to.
He quickly changed the subject. “Do you think this life is cool? Running around, fighting monsters. You know?”
I gave him a blank stare. My voice was stolen by a bunch of muses, and he’s asking if I like this life?
He then realized what he just said and sat up. “Oh! I didn’t mean… Oh forget it! I’ll just shut up now.”
He stood up and headed back to the camp. I told or well, wrote down that I wanted to stay out here a bit longer. The sky had a beautiful full moon tonight, and I wanted to enjoy it. As he left I watch the river, how it reflected the moon in the night, and how a deer and her faun drank from the water. I sighed; I liked seeing the little things the pleasures of life. Suddenly I heard a hiss. It came from up at the trees, I looked up and saw 2 sets of glowing eyes. It had a vertical slit- shape eye, kind of like a cat’s eye only it was literally glowing like a candle. I stood up and summoned out a sword.
A voice said in a slithery tone, “You s-s-shouldn’t do that your mages-s-sty.”
The sets of eyes slithered down the tree and into the moonlight. It was a 20-foot long snake. It was a reptile, but it had two heads on each side of the body. I suddenly wondered where the food goes after it eats…never mind. The thing had a medium head, and had a blotched pattern. It was hard to see the true color in the moonlight but it looked red and golden brown on its ridged skin. It had dragon like features, like two horns on each side of its heads. They were at equal length, like twins so I couldn’t figure out which snake head is the rear end. And the thing just had to have arms for each side of its body; it had scaly chicken legs with long talons.
The thing looked so familiar. But my brain is filled with Roman myths, and it won’t let me remember the monster. The monster must be in a Greek myth. All I have to do is summon the Greek me. It shouldn’t be so hard, oh wait. There is a 20-foot dragon snake that will eat me up and I’ll vanish because that thing doesn’t have a…well, you know.
“Princess-s-s,” one head said. “Pleas-s-se put the weapon down.”
I pointed my sword at the snake. I’m refusing to do such a thing. A shiver went down my spine, this thing’s a monster. It’s going to eat me, I was paralyzed with fear.
The other head bared its fangs at the other.
It mocked, “Pleas-se put the weapon down? What is-s-s the matter with you? S-s-she will not do s-s-such a thing.”
The other one, obviously offended bonk its head with the other one.
“I’m not s-s-stupid, we were s-suppose to be gentle s-so we can bring her back to our patron”.
The snake stared at me again, “I guess-s-s your right, this-s-s time.”
I closed my heads and concentrated. I focused all the Roman myths I know into my right. Greek myths started to fill my head again, and then I focused it onto my left side. My body started to shift and when I opened my eyes, and I felt my regular Greek self again. My mind was still filling itself with Greek myths, very slowly.
I looked at the snake again. I looked into my head for the information of the thing. I then remembered, it’s called an amphisbaena. Now if only I can remember how to kill the thing.
The snaked cackled. “It’s-s-s very hard to kill us-s.”
“Yes-s-s,” the other one agreed. “There is two of us-s, as-s-s if one head that has pois-s-son is-sn’t enough.”
Damn, I thought. These things are poisonous.
Then I remembered that empathy link Fern shares with me. What did he say? It can only work when both of us are asleep or awake or if one of them is sleeping. When one of us is asleep, I or you can show a virtual image of where one of us is through the person's dream. This might work, Fern is asleep, and I’m wide awake, very awake.
I closed my eyes and imagine Fern in the tent.
I said in my mind, Fern, wake up.
I heard a small voice say, Mama Mia.
Okay, I thought. Not weird at all.
Then I saw Fern inside the tent with a snoring Piper, Jason, and Leo. Fern seemed to keep on fidgeting in his bed. He even had the courage to accidentally kick Leo in the back.
I said, Fern. Are you there?
Mommy, can I have tin cans for breakfast?
Fern, I’m about to be kidnapped. Wake up!
I’m Fearless Fern.
Lily, remember Lily, I tried to scream in his head. Big horns, you want huge horns!
He opened up his eyes. He forcefully shook the others awake.
He said to the others, “Alex, she’s in trouble.”
I charged, and swung my sword at the surprised snake. I chopped off one head, and then swung at the other.
My mind the filled the information that the amphisbaena is poisonous like the basilisk and can regenerate its heads like the hydra but at least couldn’t grow more heads after it was cut.
She shook her head and pointed. The body moved and slithered to the dead head. The juices of its blood connected them together. Soon the snake looked as good as new.
I felt myself shift. My mind started to fill itself with Roman myths. The snake slithered around me, in a circle. Showing their claws as it stamped a footprint on the ground with each step. Bearing their fangs as poison dripped to the ground. When the poison touched the ground, the grass shriveled up and stayed still like concrete. Its tongue flicked at my skin, I flinched every time I came close. I was alone, I can’t defeat it myself. My mind flashed back to the time I was cornered by another monster. Fern was held captive by it; I only had a sword by my hand. I was willing to die to save Fern. Suddenly I was back with the amphisbaena, it continued to slither around me, keeping a distance.
“Ow,” One snake said. “You hurt our feelings-s-s.”
“S-shut up,” said the other. “Remember what our patron had s-s-said?”
“Of cour-s-se I did. S-s-she said that if s-she were to refus-s-e…”
“We s-s-shall kill her,” finished the other.
I drew on my whiteboard an arrow to the direction I was planning to run to. Then they launched at me. I jumped away at the last minute. The two heads banged into the tree behind me. Then I ran down the Mississippi river. When I thought I lost them, I saw something at the distance. It looked like a huge wheel going downhill. But I looked closer, it had horns, claws and forked tongues. Oh my gods, it’s the amphisbaena.
First of all, you should imagine how scared I was. This is scarier than Chucky when he’s coming closer to you with a knife in its plastic hand. Maybe it’s even scarier than Jason coming at you with a chainsaw in Friday the 13th. (If you’re reading this before bed, I’m sorry for scaring you.) One snake held on to the others mouth, which was pretty weird. They look like a bicycle wheel coming at you 60 mph. You may think this is funny, it should be. It looks like they’re doing cartwheels, but maybe since all I’ve been through, this looks like the scariest thing I’ve ever face. Because almost anything that chases you is scary: dude in a mask, a doll, and army of insects. I’m talking the possible here.
Anyway, back to the wheel snake. I stood their frozen, just waiting for it to run me over. I heard a loud yell and Leo jumped out of the forest. I was so happy, but Leo did something stupid. He jumped into the rolling wheel made out of snakes. He had to jump every time one of the claws came to him as he ran. He looked like a hamster trapped in a hamster wheel.
He yelled, “What is this thing!”
I went back to reality and got out of the way. The snake crashed into a tree. Leo escaped from the pile of leaves and snakes. Piper, Leo and Fern came minutes later. Fern thankfully gave me back my whiteboard.
Piper scolded Leo, “What were you thinking? You might as well run while yelling, ‘For Sparta!’”
Then everyone noticed the stunned snake by the tree.
“Oh my gods,” Fern said. “It’s an amphisbaena.”
Leo gave him a questionable look. “What’s an aphisbena?”
Piper rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with you? It’s pronounced amphisbaena.”
Leo held out his hands. “Beauty Queen, give me a break.”
Piper held out her fist. “I’ll give you a break.”
Jason sighed at his girlfriend, “Cute and violent.”
“The amphisbaena was born from the blood of Medusa when Perseus crossed the Libyan Desert after he killed her and had his spoil of war,” Fern explained. “It can move by attaching one head with the other and move like a wheel. That’s why amphis means, “both ways” and bainein means “to go”.”
Leo muttered, “At least we know that the caveman didn’t invent the wheel.”
Fern said, “The nickname for this monster is “Mother of Ants”. But I don’t know if this one will be really satisfied with just ants.”
“The thing has heads at both ends”, Leo pointed out. “If it were up to me, it’s doesn’t do number two the normal-”
Jason clamped his hand on Leo’s mouth.
Jason twitched. “I think we can all figure out why it eats something that small.”
If this thing would have eaten me, I’ll be trapped in a nest full of digested ants; since things don’t… well you probably get it by now. The amphisbaena started to twitch, and rise from the grass. Leo was quick enough to grab my sword and cut the amphisbaena’s heads.
“No!” Fern cried. “What did you do that for?”
Leo pointed the sword at Fern. “I killed it, that’s what I did.”
Piper pointed behind us. “Uh, you guys.”
The amphisbaena began to weld itself back together. Its eyes open with pure anger.
“Now s-s-she’s done it.” The snake said.
“Yes-s-s,” the other agreed. “S-she will feel the true wrath of the amphis-s-s-baena.”
Fern explained, “It can weld itself back together kind of like the hydra. But at least it can’t grow multiple heads.”
The snake made a gargle noise, and spit at a spot next to us. The plants that were near it started to turn gray like a stone. It was turned to stone!
Fern said mournfully, “Since it was born form the blood of Medusa. Its poison can turn you to stone like Medusa”.
As if on cue, a huge black bear came out of the forest. It went to the river to drink some water. When it saw the amphisbaena, it went on its hind legs and roared at it. The amphisbaena looked annoyed by the interruption. It spat some poison onto the bear. As soon as the poison touched the bear it started to turn to stone. Soon it was a life-size bear statue.
“Wow”, Leo gulped. “A spittoon sure could be useful right about now.”
The amphisbaena glared back at us. Then it hurled some poison onto us. We jumped out of the way, having the poison splash behind us.
I grabbed my sword back from Leo. I watched one head, and tried to slash it. But I completely forgot the other head; it tried to spit some poison on me. But Fern pushed me away just in time.
“The amphisbaena will distract you with one head and strike you with the other”, Fern warned. “The only way to defeat it is to stun one head, but not cut it off.”
Jason, Leo, and Piper appeared behind us.
Jason asked, “What good will that do, stunning one head I mean”.
“It need both heads to see clearly and has a sense of direction,” Fern explained. Kind of like when you cover one eye, it’s not as useful if you can’t use both eyes. You will have a blind spot.”
Jason thought of a plan. He turned to Piper, “Distract it with your charmspeak”.
Piper nodded, “On it”.
She went over to the amphis baena. She started to get its attention.
“Yoo hoo, Mr. Amphisbaena,” Piper called. “Can you please stop spitting poison at us?”
“S-s-sure,” said one snake.
The other snake bonked its head at the other again. “What’s-s wrong with you? S-she’s us-s-sing charms-s-speak on you.”
“Are you s-sure?” Said the snake. “Maybe we can go eas-s-sy on them.”
“No!”
Jason said to Leo, “Help Piper distract it. Use your ability to annoy.”
Leo grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
He went over to Piper. He summoned out a huge fireball and purposely missed at the amphisbaena.
“Hey, snake eyes!” Leo yelled. “Over here”.
“S-s-snake eye-s-s?” The amphisbaena spat.
The other glared at Leo, “How rude, we’re related to the dragons-s-s, the reptile family”.
The other head started at the snake, “I thought we were also related to paras-s-sitic worms-s? You know, with the whole thing on welding ours-s-selves-s back together.”
“Gah,” Said the snake. “How in the world can I s-s-stand you?”
“Well if one of us dies-s-s, the other is-s useless-s-s,” explained the other head.
“You idiot,” the other amphisbaena head scolded. “You just told them our only weakness-s.”
“Uh, I was-s lying?”
The snake muttered, “You’re hopeless-s-s”.
As the amphisbaena argued itself-which you don’t really see every day- Jason said the rest of his plan.
Jason asked for a shield. He explained that if one of the heads spat the poison at him, he can reflect it. It’ll then hit the head and the other one will be left useless.
“You’ll have to kill it,” He said.
I nodded that I got the plan. I summoned out a shield and gave it to him. He flew towards the snakes.
“Hey,” he shouted to them. “Show me what you’re made of!”
The snake made an evil grin, “We’ll be happy to, son of Zeus-s-s”.
The other threw up poison at Jason.
Piper yelled, “No!”
Jason held up the shield. He poison shot directly to the shield like a target. Jason angled it right back to the head.
“Goodbye brother”, Were the last words the snake made.
The poison splashed onto the amphisbaena head. It started to turn into stone, suddenly it cracked. Then it fell apart, into many pieces. The other snake growled. He then looked at us, or tried too. Fern was right; he lost his sense of direction. He was talking to no one.
“You will pay,” He growled to the sky. “I will avenge you brother!”
He started to spit out everywhere. Everything was turning into stone; all of us had to duck for cover. I stood there, frozen in fear. Suddenly, Fern grabbed my sword, and ran to the amphisbaena. He then struck my sword into its neck. Then slid it down, making a huge, vertical slit down its throat.
As it collapsed it whispered to me, “You muss-s-t give up, my princes-s-s. There are monsters-s much s-stronger than even the amphis-s-baena. You will not s-stand a chance, run away from this-s-s life while you s-s-till can.”
He then fell on the ground with a large thud. Suddenly Fern started to glow, it’s like he was made out of light. Phoenix walked out of the woods and met up with us. She had all of our backpacks saddled onto her. She trotted on top of the amphisbaena, not even noticing it the tiniest bit.
“Are you fine, my lady? Phoenix asked. “I forgot which bag was yours, so I just took all of them.”
Fern looked at himself. “Legend has it, anyone who is pure of heart and slays an Amphisbaena during a full moon, would gain remarkable powers by it”.
Everyone looked at it again, but something wasn’t right. It started to shrink into a snakeskin pattern vest, with some sort of scarf next to it. Beside it was a Ziploc bag filled with what looked like, beef jerky.
Piper asked, “How come it’s not disintegrating?”
“Its whole body is a spoil of war,” Fern explained once again. “There are rumors on what you can do when you have an amphisbaena carcass.”
Piper shivered, “Disgusting”.
Piper and Fern were vegetarians. So I knew that it would be gross to do something to the thing.
Fern said, “If you’re expecting and you wear it -as if anyone will want to wear what used to be a 20-foot snake - you’ll have a safe pregnancy”.
“Yeah,” Leo said. “You’re sure going to need that.”
Fern continued, “If you wear the skin, you can cure arthritis or the common cold.”
Fern told me I could have the vest. He refuses to wear animal skin and he wants to give it to me as a gift. I was never the fan of live fur or skin coats and stuff, but I think this should be an exception. But I put the vest on under my jacket, and it felt amazingly warm and was quite stylish.
Fern lifted the Ziploc bag. “And if you eat the meat of the amphisbaena, you become irresistible to the opposite gender.”
I grabbed the bag and insert it into my ring. Being more irresistible is the last thing I want.
Leo tapped on my shoulder. “If you don’t really want it, I’d be more than happy to-”
Piper stomped on Leo’s foot. As Leo groaned, Phoenix stepped Leo’s other foot with her hoof.
“You know what?” Leo whimpered. “Don’t listen to a word I say.”
Jason muttered, “Who said we ever were?”
The sun started to come up, I haven’t slept at all. We’ve traveled all the way into Louisiana, when we ran down from the Mississippi River. New Orleans was only a few miles away. We ended up walking the rest of the way, but I got to ride on Phoenix since I was the only one who hadn’t slept. They told me to sleep and that they will wake me up when we got to New Orleans. And I was happy to oblige. I rested my head on Phoenix mane, and then closed my eyes to sleep.
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How do you like the cool monster the amphisbaena? If you any of you still don't get how it goes #2, I'll give you one last hint. It hates puking, but for a different reason... Hope you get it. Leave you comments and vote for my story. THX