SANITY; heroes of olympus

05.6

[act five; chapter six     -     snake-men and secretive invasions]

Tensions were high when the ship docked at the harbour in Piraeus, on the outskirts of Athens. They had finally reached their destination, the place where they would find the Acropolis. Today, one way or another, their journey would end.

But that didn't mean Andy could relax. Any moment, a nasty surprise might come flying out of nowhere, or come reaching up from the ground like the dead that Zara and Nico could summon.

As it turned out, the surprise was three dudes with snake tails instead of legs. Not so pleasant.

Andy was in her room getting ready for what could easily be her last day alive. Dressed in a skintight black t-shirt and black camo cargo-joggers; black, lightweight combat boots. Her hair was tied in a half-up half-down style, though it was really an attempt at a ponytail.

She was adjusting and tightening her greaves, the pieces of armour that protected her shins, when someone wrapped on her door with their knuckles.

Looking up, she found Jason standing in the doorway, a frown gracing his face. "You better come upstairs, Andy."

And she knew right then that it was officially the beginning of the end.

When she followed him upstairs, she was greeted by the sight of three snake-like men. The one in the lead held his head high. His face was chiselled and bronze, his eyes black as basalt, his curly dark hair glistening with oil. His upper body rippled with muscles, covered only by a Greek chlamys—a white wool cloak loosely wrapped and pinned at the shoulder. From the waist down, his body was one giant serpent trunk—about eight feet of green tail undulating behind him as he moved.