I got 4 reviews for the last chapter! As this is the most reviews I have ever gotten in a chapter, I decided to update a day early. Thanks to Proxima103, Goth Bookworm, Donna, and EkatAthenaWizard for reviewing and to those who followed/favorited (sorry, I don't have the list). I'll update either in two days, or when I get 6 reviews. :)
Everyone scattered to go pack whatever they might need, then went to bed early. The next morning, the seven gathered at the Big House to talk strategies on how to beat Typhon, but no one could come up with anything. Nobody knew where to start, so they went to double check their bags. At ten 'til noon, they met at the base of Half-Blood Hill and walked up together. They stopped at the top, just outside camp borders to wait for noon. Suddenly, a few minutes before noon, they hear a noise beside them. They look over as one but don't see anything. "Hello?" Frank calls out. A head comes out of the bushes, then another. Then the body. A reptilian-type monster looked at them from its two heads, one in the regular spot and one on its tail.
"Orthus?" Percy asks. "Wait. That's not Orthus. What is that?"
Piper answers, her voice shaky. "That's an Amphisbaena."
"A what?" Jason replies.
Annabeth answered, "An Amphisbaena, or two headed snake. It's highly venomous. If it bites you, you'll be dead in less than twelve hours. Gaia doesn't want us to go fight Typhon."
The monster lunged. "Scatter," Hazel called. They spread out. "Annabeth, how do you kill it?"
Her voice was small, "I don't think you can."
They scattered, trying to keep it busy until they could find a way to get rid of it. Annabeth put on her invisibility cap to sneak around behind it. Hazel tried to spear it without being bitten. Her spatha seemed just right. She could stab it without getting close. Frank tried to fight, but couldn't decide what shape to take. "Annabeth, is there an animal it hates? Anything it's a sworn enemy of?"
"I don't think so."
Frank cursed under his breath. Ok. Let's try something fast, but a lot of. He concentrated and when he opened his eyes, he had changed. A swarm of bees surrounded the Amphisbaena. Then Frank remembered a book he had read years ago, before his mom died. It described a fictional type of wasp in great detail. What was it called? Then he remembered—and changed. The individual bees became darker, larger, and lost the fuzz that bees have. The stingers connected to a pouch filled with venom that was worse than any other stinging insect combined. A swarm of tracker-jackers attacked the Amphisbaena.
Piper had been practicing her charmspeak, and it seemed to be working. She stepped back, out of the battle, and started speaking. "Why are you attacking us? …" She kept going, using her words to stop the snake. It didn't help much, but it did help.
Percy and Jason were wearing down. Percy had his hurricane going, and Jason was fighting head-to-gladius. They knew they couldn't keep going long.
Leo didn't know what to do. He had no tool that could fight a highly venomous, two-headed snake. Then he thought of one thing that might help. He reached into his belt and pulled out a handful of screwdrivers, but they were filed to the sharpest point imaginable. Leo pelted the monster with screwdriver after screwdriver, trying to distract the thing. But he also knew that eventually the thing would overrun them.
I know it's a bit shorter than usual. Sorry, that's just how it worked out. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. R & R!