Author's Note: Just gonna keep going. I own nothing.
The Quest Part 8 Plan Of Action
The next day saw Lou Ellen and Nico making plans together while Will and Cecil made sure their supplies were well hidden and their weapons were ready. Nico kept fingering a bracelet that rested around her wrist that Will had never noticed before. The plan wasn't foolproof but it might just work. Lou Ellen was going to be their main player for the first part, her control of the mist invaluable, nearly as invaluable as Will's dream from the night before. She'd seen that many of the monsters had abandoned the camp, mostly because they themselves were not immune to Python's poison which had begun to leak out of the cavern in which the monstrous snake rested and now coated much of the floor. The captives were quite a bit worse for the wear but were all still alive. The biggest drawback about the plan was that it forced the group to separate, temporarily but they were all still uncomfortable with it. They had decided that it would be best if Nico and Will stuck together. Lou Ellen nodded at Nico who reached out her hand to shake. Lou took it, a grim smile on her face.
"I really hope this works." Nico nodded.
"On the plus side no one can yell at us if it doesn't." Lou couldn't help it she laughed at the morbid humor that seemed to be the specialty of the daughter of Hades. She hugged Will and turned to Cecil.
"It's time." He nodded and she took a deep breath before chanting a spell. He didn't feel any different but he looked down and grinned. He looked quite different now. He shook Nico's hand and hugged Will.
"Let's do this." They nodded and split up.
Python raised its head as it heard a challenging call from outside the cavern. One of his few remaining soldiers, an empousa with dark hair that fell in front of her bright red eyes, looked up confused at the call.
"I, Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter ex Praetor of the twelfth legion, challenge Python's ranks! Come out and get the first real fight you've had you cowards!" Python jerked his head towards the sound and his small army quickly formed ranks and marched out of the caverns towards the challenge. Waiting for them was what looked to them like a legion of Roman's led by Jason Grace himself. What it was in actuality was a very clever ruse on the part of Nico and Lou Ellen. Their 'Jason' was actually Cecil in disguise. Their legionnaires were real enough but they couldn't be killed easily, mostly because they were already dead. Lou was hidden nearby as Cecil and the disguised dead legionaries led Python's troops away from the cavern to another less visited section of the caverns where Nico and Will where waiting. Nico pulled the roof of the cavern down on top of the army and they disintegrated with shrieks and screams in a large cloud of dust and rocks. A small victory won the small group of demigods turned their attention back towards the cave where the greater threat lurked. This part was going to be far more complicated. Lou and Cecil needed to lure Python out of his cave, while finding his one rumored weak spot. In the meantime Nico would sneak Will into the cavern that held the fountain so the daughter of Apollo could cleanse it. Also on the list of important things they had to do was freeing the captives.
Cecil and Lou Ellen were cloaked in Mist, Nico and Will in shadows as they crept into the cavern. The giant snake raised its head and hissed long and low.
"I can sssmell you young demigodsss." The tongue of the beast flickered out into the air as a haunting sneer revealed long fangs in the dark maw of the snake.
"Theresss no point hiding little onesss. Come out, face your deathsss with grace." The voice was hypnotic and Lou had to shake Cecil a little to get him back to himself. Nico mentally swore. They were not prepared enough for this. But they didn't have a choice. They had received another iris message the night before that Rachel had taken another turn for the worse. The healers were doing all they could, Hazel had come to camp with a few roman children of Apollo in an attempt to help but nothing was working anymore. They had hours at most. Lou Ellen dropped the mist as planed and the snake hissed loudly as she began to throw magical pig balls from her bag, they didn't transform the snake, he was far too powerful for that but they annoyed him and that was really the goal here. He hissed and began to uncurl from the cavern flowing Lou Ellen and Cecil who was armed with a celestial bronze shotgun and the shield Leo had made him. He had limited rounds though, he normally fought with a spear but he couldn't risk it here. He wouldn't be able to retrieve it when forced to throw it this time. It was still strapped to his back though, ready to be used when he needed it. They carefully lured the snake farther and farther out of the cavern until there was just enough room to slip past his scales. Nico took Will's hand and they raced forward cloaked in shadow. Will glanced over her shoulder and her eyes widened. Python had cornered Lou and was ignoring Cecil's attempts to get him away from her she drew her bow and fired. The shot glanced off the snake's armor like scales but it did what she'd meant it to. It got Python's attention. Nico swore as the snake whipped around and lunged at the shadows. She grabbed hold of Will and traveled through the shadows over to where Lou was catching her breath near the entrance of the cave. The snake thrashed snapping at the shadows near the entrance. Cecil ran to them and yelled as the snake turned again rage in its red eyes. He yanked Will out of the way while Nico tackled Lou rolling and pulling her away from the snake as it roared. The roar shook the cavern and the ground beneath the snake began to smolder, poison burning through the rocks. Lou was pulled into the darker section of the cave as hellhounds began baying around them, Python between them and the others. Nico dropped her hand and pulled her sword. Lou Ellen's hands shook. She had no idea what was going to happen all she knew was that her dream was coming true. Nico sliced a hellhound in half. Python was paying them no attention, focused instead on Will and Cecil who were trapped near the entrance to the fountains cave. Nico grabbed hold of Lou's arm and shouted in her ear over the noise of the angry snake and dying hellhounds.
"I have a plan. We need to get the prisoners free, now!" Lou nodded knowing there was no time for explanations. They raced over to the cages dodging flying venom and puddles of the green goo on the ground. Nico slashed the lock on the satyr's cage first and helped him to his feet. He bayed in fear. Nico slapped a hand over his mouth.
"I know I smell like death, occupational hazard. Thomas, I need your help. Grover sent us." Thomas's fear turned to hope in a second as Lou Ellen melted the lock on the demigod's cage.
"I need you to tell the pegasi we're trying to help them, keep them calm. Then take those two on two of them and get the Hades out of here. Go straight to camp. We'll handle Python but I need one of the Pegasi to help me." Thomas nodded and pointed down to his hoof. It was broken. He wasn't going to be able to walk on his own. Nico swore and threw his arm around her shoulder. Several of the golden arrows from Will's bow were bouncing off the serpents hide, they were holding it off for now. Nico handed the satyr off to the son of Athena who followed her without question, the daughter of Hephaestus hot on his heels. Nico and Lou freed the pegasi while Thomas kept them calm, speaking to them in goat. Lou helped him and Phyllis up onto one of them while Nico helped Fredrick onto another. The satyr smiled at them.
"He says he'll help you. Thank you." Nico nodded as Thomas pointed at the pure white Pegasus. The winged horse inclined his head to Nico who nodded, fear racing through her skin. She hated flying and heights in general but she had no other plans. She mounted the steed as the others took off racing for the exit.
"Lou try to distract him." Lou nodded, looking scared but determined. She drew another pig ball from her bag and threw it as Nico sheathed her sword and tapped the moon charm on her bracelet. The bow grew into her hands in seconds' arrow already knocked as the Pegasus took off into the air. She drew back and fired. The serpent hissed loudly as the arrow struck him denting one of his scales. Will's heart nearly stopped as she looked up at Nico. She held the same bow she'd held in Will's nightmare. The image she couldn't stop seeing whenever she closed her eyes. Nico falling in front of her skin smoking with the green poison that now surrounded them. She couldn't let that happen. She drew back and fired again. Python roared again snapping at Nico and the Pegasus who just dodged in time. Will needed to end this now.
"Where is it Cecil!? We need to end this!" Cecil had the best eyes out of all of them and had been searching for the rumored weak spot since they'd arrived. Cecil gasped for breath his shotgun cast aside, out of shells.
"The forehead. Right between the eyes but it's only like two inches wide, a crack between the scales. How are we supposed to hit that?" Will swore under her breath as they dodged the thrashing snake again. She really wished they had chosen another archer from the Apollo cabin. Austin could have made that shot in his sleep. Her momentary distraction gave Python the opening he'd been looking for. Nico screamed and slipped into the shadows cast by the Pegasus' wings emerging from Will's own shadow and diving in front of her as Python spit poison at the daughter of Apollo. Will's scream of fear was drowned out by Nico's scream of pain as the poison struck her in the eyes and across her chest. She crumpled the bow and arrow falling from her fingers.