The Mechanic of Ogygia

Percy - This Ain't No Garter Snake

"Eli? You're a demigod too?" I asked. Bad idea. Never get distracted while you're in front of a giant Greek snake. It slashed at me, but never looked at me. Weird. Thankfully, I had good reflexes, so I slashed with Riptide. The Python hissed. "Yo Will," I said. "Your dad killed this thing the first time, right?"

"Yeah! But I can't go at this thing by myself. That would be crazy."

I nodded. We all tried to slash/shoot/stab with our blades/hammers/bows/spears, but I knew we would soon be tired out. My reflexes kicked in as I jabbed and dodged the snake's mighty tail and head. I tried frantically to figure out a plan. We were getting injured and not doing enough harm to the beast. Nico had bite marks in his arm and and the Luke/Eli kid seemed to have a big boil on his cheek. Maybe the Python was poisonous. In that case, I needed to come up with a solution, quick.

That's when I realized: Annabeth's invisibility cap. She was wearing it, but if one of us could come up with a clever enough plan, we could beat this. That's when the idea came to me.

"Annabeth! Yankees cap! Trust me!"

"You're crazy, Percy!" she yelled as the Python hissed when I assume she probably hit it with her short dagger.

"Annabeth! I have a plan!" I had noticed something earlier that could very well be its weakness. And there was no time to waste- we needed to beat this, fast, before we got tired out, or worse, the mortal police came.

Annabeth's beautiful honey blond hair appeared. "This better be good, Seaweed Brain," I heard her say. Her hair was so smooth looking, flowing around her face as she slashed and ducked. Nico's blood turned just the tips a light shade of red, looking like that style every girl seemed to have at my school. What was it? An O'Grey? Unbraid? O-

Percy, you're getting off track. Think.

Thanks a lot, ADHD. I got so off track that I almost missed Annabeth tossing her cap to me like a frisbee. I tried to catch it with one hand while slicing at the Python with the other. Unfortunately, I was not a baseball player. It slipped out of my hand. I tried to bend over and get it with my other hand when I felt a stinging sensation on my back. I had been off guard for a second too long. It felt like a whip- one laced with poison. There wasn't blood, but I could feel my back swell across the area of the wound and I could sense boils popping up.

What was my plan? I didn't remember. Think, Percy! I was desperately swinging my sword, almost doubled over from the pain of the slash across my back. Aha!

"Will!" I shouted. I could almost feel myself passing out. "It- It looks at its tail when it moves! Like bad ball-handlers in basketball!" Please, gods, let Will have played basketball before, or we're all dead.

I saw the tail coming at me and I slashed, but I lost my balance. I blacked out before I hit the ground.