𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙇𝘼𝙈𝙀𝘿; heroes of olympus

seaswept

ERITH JAY
TWO OF THE BASILISKS SHOT TOWARD PERCY. He sliced them in half. The other ten twirled around him, just out of blade's reach. They writhed back and forth in a hypnotic pattern, looking for an opening. 

"Well, this is rather cowardly," Erith remarked, fingering the hilt of her blade.

"Yeah, c'mon," Jason said, a note of panic edging into his voice. "How about some love over here?" His golden blade flashed in the shadows of the water, but the snakes ignored both of them. So did the giant, who stood back and watched with a smug smile, apparently happy for his pets to do the killing.

"Kymopoleia," Jason said, since he was all about respect. "You have to stop this."

She regarded him with her glowing white eyes. "Why would I do that? The Earth Mother has promised me unrestricted power. Could you make me a better offer?"

"Certainly," Erith interjected. "I don't fucking stab you right through the gut, and you don't let this giant poison Jackson." 

The goddess' expression withered. "You cannot kill me."

"Watch me," Erith snarled, heat simmering the water around her. "Gaea has promised you nothing but lies. At least I can make good on mine. I've killed worse before."

The basilisks closed in on Percy. He blasted them away with currents of water, but they just kept circling.

"Hey, basilisks!" Jason yelled. He glanced up, a thunderstorm raging, then thrust up his sword. Immediately the blade glowed red-hot.

A diffuse cloud of yellow light billowed through the depths, like someone had poured liquid neon into the water. The light hit Jason's sword and sprayed outward in ten separate tendrils, zapping the basilisks.

Their eyes went dark. Their frills disintegrated. All ten serpents turned belly-up and floated dead in the water.

"Next time," Jason said, "look at me when I'm talking to you."

"Jason Grace, I think I'm in love with you," Erith said, observing the dead serpents, then turning her eyes back to Kymopoleia. "Act one, goddess."

Polybotes' satisfied smile had curdled like milk. He had turned his gaze on Jason. "Are you so anxious to die, Roman?"

Percy raised his sword. He hurled himself at the giant, but Polybotes swept his hand through the water, leaving an arc of black oily poison. Percy charged straight into it faster than Erith could scream.

Percy dropped Riptide. He gasped, clawing at his throat. The giant threw his weighted net and Percy collapsed to the floor, hopelessly entangled as the poison thickened around him.

"Let him go!" Jason yelled, voice cracking with panic as Erith charged.

She slashed at the net, only half aware of Polybotes' dry laughter. "Don't worry, son of Jupiter. Your friend will take a long time to die. After all the trouble he's caused me, I wouldn't dream of killing him quickly."

Noxious clouds expanded around the giant, filling the ruins like thick cigar smoke. Jason scrambled backward, not fast enough, but his ventus proved a useful filter. As the poison engulfed him, the miniature tornado spun faster, repelling the clouds. Kymopoleia wrinkled her nose and waved away the darkness, but otherwise it didn't seem to affect her.