Amaurosis

XVI: Anthology of Alexandra Dusk

Smack!

The base of Typhon's sickle smashed against the ground where my feet just were. Again, I dodged an attack, but the more I ducked and rolled, the more my knees wished we were in Hawaii enjoying the sun instead of somewhere in the Mediterranean battling a giant. Being a descendant of the old gods, we tend to think this way often, but we know it'll never happen.

"Watch out!" Nico shouted, pushing me over and landing right on top.

"Ow," I muttered, clutching at my stomach and curling into a ball.

"You're welcome, by the way." I could feel him roll his eyes as he got up and shadow traveled around Typhon to distract him. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

I shrugged. I truly had no idea. I lost sight of Annabeth, and as far as I know, Nico and I are the only ones around. Leo ran screaming earlier. Haven't seen him since.

My brain raced to find some sort of way to defeat the giant, but my specialty was definitely not problem solving. Still, I dodged any attacks. If people were watching, they would probably think I was on fire. All I was doing was stopping, dropping, and rolling.

My main goal was to stay alive.

"Any time now!" Death Boy shouted. "I'm getting tired over here. Don't want to almost fade twice."

"Okay, okay!" Like an idiot, I stopped to think.

But unlike in the movies, nothing froze around me. In fact, Typhon took his sickle and pierced it right into my side. Gold liquid seeped from just below my rib cage. Dizziness was starting to become my best friend, but at least I had an idea. I motioned Nico to come closer as not to scream my lungs out.

"New plan. Disarm him. Get that stick and don't get stabbed."

"Because that's your thing, right."

"Shut it." I glared.

Figuring it was the only option for now, I closed my eyes and reached into the darkest parts of the world, ripping the shadows from their posts under rocks and trees and rolling them into a ball like yarn.

Using the remaining strength I had, I attached the darkness to my side to stop the bleeding like a bandaid. I thinned it out to appear as if it was a casual shadow cast under my arm. Within seconds, energy was building inside me again, and I was ready to fight.

As Nico attacked from the front, I snuck behind and jumped on Typhon's left calf and his knee buckled underneath him. I tried to get out of the way, but was metaphorically transformed into a mouse as I got trapped in the pit of his knee.

Wriggling my way out, I plopped out on the ground and got a face full of sand and some possible broken ribs. The air was knocked out of me, and I rolled onto my back to catch my breath.

Meanwhile, Nico managed to grab hold of the adamantine sickle and slice the sinews on Typhon's hands and feet. Suddenly, a shock of lightning sliced through the rest of the giant's body, and he laid motionless and sprawled on the cold sand. Nico and I looked at each other, shrugged, and walked back to find the rest of the group.

Peeking out from behind a rock, Leo piped up, "Is it dead yet?" Nico quickly shadow traveled and attacked Leo from behind. His scream was so loud, it echoed among the Heavens, and I laughed so hard, my side began to drip gold again.

"Ichor?" Nico asked as he studied my cut. "Why do you have the blood of the gods?"

"It's the light," I lied and covered it up with my hand, but he was clearly not believing it.

"Mhm."

"I have an idea for fixing the ship," Leo interjected, eyeing Nico warily. "But we'll have to get to Crete."