Score for Leo Valdez

Chapter 27- Lamia Part 2

LEO P.O.V

'Summer!' Thalia screams 'No! Summer, get up!' Tears stream down her face. Thalia shoots her arrows blindly and screams in rage.

My head spins and suddenly time slows down. I see Thalia stabbing the serpent woman, who was clutching her eyeballs and spiting toxic chemicals. Her eyes, her weakness.

'Thalia!'

'I'm a little busy right now!'

'I have a plan!'

She dodges Lamia's fangs and shoots another arrow, only to see it bounce harmfully off the scales.

'Make it quick Leo!'

'Distract her!'

'What does it look like I'm doing!?'

Thalia sends a volt of lighting through her finger so it hits the monster's body. It doesn't kill Lamia, but it makes her stumble backwards. I take the opportunity and snatch the eyes out of her claws. The eyes squirm and attempt to loosen my grasp. I fall backwards, trying to hold the eyes with both of my hands.

'No!' She hisses 'My eyesss! Give them back, foolisssh demi-god!' Lamia charges towards me. 'Give them to me!' I side step as she spits out green liquid. I reach into my tool belt to produce a tube of super glue. I add a few drops to the back of each eyeball and prepare myself.

'To Summer Slighwing!' I yell. Please, I pray to the gods, help me out here. The moment Lamia looks up, I throw the eyes into her sockets. She screams in pain and scratches at them.

'No!' Lamia falls and grabs for me. 'Curse you Leo Valdez!'

Thalia shoots an arrow into her skull and she explodes into slimy green sludge. Yep, that's what you get for skewering a monster. Thalia and I were panting and taking in all the details of the event. Lamia was defeated, we were covered in sludge and Summer was dead. Tears spring into Thalia's eyes as she looks around the room.

'Summer!' Thalia abandons her bow and runs over to the pool of blood.

A silvery glow fills the room and a young girl, draped in a white tunic, appears from nowhere.

'Lady Artemis.' Thalia bows, still choking on tears. I stand there awkwardly like an idiot.

'Thalia, rise.' Artemis says.

'I'm sorry.' I sigh 'This is all my fault.'

'You are not to blame, Summer has chosen her path.'

'She died!'

'And it was not in vain.' Artemis concludes. She raises her arms and Summer's body cleans itself from the red stains and hovers above the ground. 'May you, my young huntress, be set free into the Fields of Elysium.' She closes Summer's eyes and the body vanishes into a cloud of grey sparks.

Thalia sobs into her hands and mumbles to herself.

This quest, I think to myself, is it all worth it? So many possible deaths, so many lives lost. Suddenly I remember something.

'Acacia! Where is she?!' I look around in panic and find nothing.

'Relax. I have already transported her onto the Argo II. She is healed to the best of my potential.' Artemis assures me.

'Thank you, Artemis.'

'Your welcome.'

'My Lady, what do we do now?' Thalia asks, her voice full of pain.

'Do as the prophecy says, follow the lights.'

'What lights?!' I ask

'I must leave now, good luck with your quest.' And with a blink of an eye, she disappears without a trace. Leaving us, in a room of slimy monster guts.