บท 70: A Mother's Vengeance (2)
{Mount Tamalpais--San Francisco, 3rd of May 2005}
"Are you sure about that," I replied at the monster's words as I sank into the ground.
I reappeared on the Clazmonian Sow, plunging my venomous spear into its right eye. Shadowy tendrils exited from it, using the shadows cast on the spear. I sharpened the tendrils, tearing through the insides of the pig, turning its brain and other organs to mush.
The flying pig let out an ear-splitting squeal before disintegrating into shadowy dust. I dropped through the cloud of monster remains, landing in a crouch between the Hydra and the Crommyonian Sow. Their red auras flared brightly in my monochrome vision.
"Well, well," Echidna's voice rang out. "You just keep digging your grave more and more, don't you young demigod."
The Hydra's multiple heads lunged at me, jaws snapping. I rolled to the side, my ladon armor clothes stained slightly by the earth. As I came up, I thrust my spear at the Crommyonian Sow, aiming for its thick neck.
The massive pig was slower than its flying counterpart. My spear, coated in Apollo's snake venom, sank deep into its flesh. The beast squealed in agony as the poison worked its way through its system.
"One more down," I muttered, yanking my weapon free as the Sow began to disintegrate.
A sharp pain in my shoulder made me curse. The Manticore had taken advantage of my distraction, launching several spikes from its tail. My silk armor had deflected most, but one had found a weak spot.
I gritted my teeth, willing the shadows around me to grow denser. The familiar surge of power coursed through my veins as I tapped into the darkness, my birthright as a son of Erebus. My muscles bulged, and I felt my senses sharpen even further.
With a strength that could surpass most demigods, I hurled my spear at the Manticore. The monster's human face contorted in shock as the weapon pierced its chest, pinning it to a nearby tree. The venom worked quickly, and soon another pile of golden dust marked its demise.
"Four down," I muttered, but there was no time to celebrate.
The Colchian Dragon swooped down, its massive jaws snapping at me. I ducked and rolled, feeling the rush of air as it passed overhead. As I came up, I reached for my spear, only to remember it was still embedded in the tree where the Manticore had been.
"Damn it," I cursed, focusing on the Greek helmet tattoo on my right hand. In a flash, my spear materialized in my grip, its tip still tainted by the venom from Apollo's snake.
"Odysseus!" Echidna's voice cut through the chaos. "My children will feast on your flesh!"
I didn't bother replying, too focused on staying alive. The Hydra had coordinated its attacks with the Chimeras, and I found myself constantly on the defensive, dodging snapping jaws and lashing snake tails.
A piercing screech from above warned me of the Caucasian Eagle's dive. I threw myself to the side, feeling the rush of wind as its talons barely missed me. As it pulled up for another attack, an idea struck me.
I concentrated, forming a large shadowy construct in the shape of a net. With a grunt of effort, I hurled it at the eagle. The construct wrapped around the massive bird, its struggles only entangling it further. Unable to fly, it crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.
Before I could capitalize on my success, the four Chimeras pounced. Their lion heads roared, goat bodies charged, and snake tails lashed out in perfect coordination. I spun my spear in a defensive arc, deflecting strikes and creating distance, but I knew I couldn't keep this up forever.
"Time to even the odds," I muttered, sinking into my own shadow.
I reappeared behind one of the female Chimeras, driving my venomous spear through its back before it could react. As it crumbled to dust, I used the momentary confusion to attack its mate.
The male Chimera's snake tail struck at me, but I caught it with a tendril of shadow, redirecting its poisonous bite into its own flank.
The beast howled in agony, its own venom mixing with Apollo's in its veins. I didn't wait for it to die, already moving to engage the remaining pair.
"Enough!" Echidna's voice boomed, filled with fury. "I'll deal with this upstart myself!"
The Mother of Monsters strode forward, her Mist shroud falling away to reveal her true form. From the waist up, she appeared as a beautiful woman, but below that, her body split into two massive serpent tails. In each hand, she wielded a celestial bronze khopesh.
"I'll admit, you've impressed me, demigod," she hissed. "But your luck ends here."
I raised my spear, circling warily. "We'll see about that."
Echidna struck with blinding speed, her swords a blur of motion. I parried desperately, my enhanced reflexes barely keeping up. Each clash of our weapons sent shockwaves through my arms.
As we fought, her remaining children continued their assault. The Hydra's heads snapped at me from multiple angles, while the Colchian Dragon circled overhead, looking for an opening to strike.
I knew I needed to end this quickly. Drawing on every ounce of my shadow-enhanced strength, I launched a flurry of attacks at Echidna. My spear became a whirlwind of motion, forcing her on the defensive.
For a moment, I thought I had the upper hand. Then Echidna's tail lashed out, wrapping around my ankle. With a triumphant snarl, she lifted me into the air and slammed me into the ground.
The impact knocked the wind out of me, and I felt something crack in my chest. My vision swam, the world reduced to a blur of dark shapes and red auras, more so than I usually saw.
"Is that all you've got, son of Erebus?" Echidna taunted, looming over me. "I expected more from one who was born to a primordial."
I coughed, tasting blood. "Sorry to disappoint," I rasped, buying time as I gathered my remaining strength.
Just as Echidna raised her swords for the killing blow, I thrust my hand into my own shadow. My fingers closed around the arrow shaft of one of my arrows, also coated in Apollo's venom.
With a last surge of effort, I threw the arrow into Echidna's serpentine lower body. Her eyes widened in surprise, but it was too late. The venom coursed through her system, far more potent than she had anticipated.
Echidna screamed, a sound of pure agony that shook the very air. She stumbled backward, clawing at the wound as the venom worked its way through her body.
I struggled to my feet, leaning heavily on my spear. The remaining monsters seemed frozen in shock, watching their mother writhe in pain.
"This... isn't... over," Echidna gasped, her form already beginning to dissolve. "We will... meet again... Odysseus."
With a final, defiant glare, the Mother of Monsters crumbled into black dust.
For a moment, silence reigned. Then, as if awakening from a trance, the surviving monsters seemed to realize their predicament. Without Echidna to lead them, their coordination fell apart.
The Hydra turned tail and fled, its many heads hissing in fear, like a child lost without its mother.
The Colchian Dragon, seeing its brothers and sisters retreat, took to the air and disappeared into the clouds. The remaining Chimeras scattered, disappearing into the surrounding wilderness.
I let out a long, shaky breath, finally allowing myself to relax.
I looked at my side where Echidna had turned to dust, now only one thing lay, a short sword that looked similar to a khopesh or a scythe. I grabbed it and put it into my shadow, as I looked around with what little strength I had in me I walked towards five other items left behind from the monsters I had killed, a pelt from the nemean lion, a venom spike from a manticore, a pair of angel like wings from the Clazmonian Sow, a giant tusk from the other one and finally the lion head from the one manticore I had killed.
As the adrenaline faded, the full extent of my injuries made themselves known. My ribs screamed in protest with every breath, and the Manticore's spike still throbbed in my shoulder.
"I just fixed myself a few hours ago," I sighed manipulating shadowy threads to spread throughout my body closing the wounds, I yanked the spike from my shoulder, placing some ambrosia on it before closing it with my threads.
As I looked towards the sky, watching the black clouds move through the slightly blacker sky, a throbbing pain spread across my eyes, my blank pupils burnt as I could only clutch my eyes and, let out a piercing scream.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
[Greek myth fact: Today's fact will be about Echidna obviously. Echidna, often described as a half-woman, half-snake creature, holds a significant place in Greek mythology as the "mother of all monsters." Her children change depending on the source material, though they are always some no matter the reference, those being Cerberus, Orthus, Hydra and chimera so I got the ones from the Percy Jackson wiki.
Echidna was the mate of Typhon. According to myth, both Echidna and Typhon were children of Gaia (Earth) and Tartarus (the deep abyss).
One of the most significant episodes involving Echidna in Greek mythology was her and Typhon's attack on the Olympians. This battle against the gods showcased their immense power and threat. Zeus, the king of the gods, ultimately managed to defeat them, imprisoning Typhon under Mount Etna. However, Echidna and her children were spared by Zeus. This decision allowed Echidna's progeny to serve as challenges for future heroes in various Greek myths.]
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