I've been waiting to write this part since the beginning. I be excited.

Percy's POV

As we got closer to the mountain, the temperature dropped, and even though the sun was shining, it got darker. I unconsciously took Annabeth's hand, and we walked into the valley together.

It was the same as I'd seen it in my dream: a calm little clearing with a small stream running through. Trees and colourful flowers were dotted around, and it would have been a wonderful place for a picnic, except for the giant evil snake. Python was still coiled around the stone tower in the middle of the valley. He looked at us and hissed. It sounded like he was laughing.

"I'm ssso glad, you could make it. Many think, it'sss not worth, the trip."

I shuddered. His voice chilled me to the bone. It made me want to crawl into a hole and never come out. But Annabeth still had my hand, and that filled me with courage.

"We're not going to let you take the oracle." I said in what I hoped was a loud and commanding voice. "And your not going anywhere near my soul."

Python hissed again and his tongue darted out as black poison dripped from his fangs and sizzled in the grass below him.

"Join me Perssseusss. Give me your sssoul. You will gain unssstoppable power."

The snake spiralled down the stone tower and slithered toward us.

"What do you sssay, Perssseusss? Will you help me rissse? Will you give me your sssoul."

"Are you kidding me? Dude, you're nuts."

Python hissed angrily.

"Fine. Have it your way Perssseusss. You will regret thisss desssicion dearly."

"Yeah yeah, sure. Can we get this over with? I kind of gotta be somewhere, and this is sorta wasting my time."

"Impudent whelp! I will enjoy this." he hissed, and lunged at us.

I let go of Annabeth's hand and dove to the left as she dove to the right. The snake sailed by us and ploughed a trench in the earth, taking out several trees in the process. It turned quickly and shot at us again. I barely had time to get out of the way.

"Annabeth, put your hat on! Get behind him!" I yelled.

She nodded and slipped on her hat. Python was fazed by her disappearance for a minute but he shook it off quickly.

"No matter. Now ssshe will have to watch, asss I kill you."

"You're a freak." I said, shaking my head.

Python roared angrily. Can snakes roar? I guess so. Anyway, he roared angrily and reared back. As he started to strike he hissed painfully, and threw his head in circle. I saw Annabeth on his back with her knife stuck between the chinks of his armour. Her hat had just fallen off. Python roared again and bucked like a horse, sending her flying across the valley. She landed in the stream and I willed the water to cushion her fall. She came up spitting out water and gasping for air, but otherwise ok. Python hissed again and started to slither toward her. I sprinted to the stream. The snake opened its mouth and spit black poison at Annabeth. I pushed the button on my watch and dove in front of the poison just in time, and it splattered against my shield. It started to sizzle and melt through the metal, so I quickly unbuckled it. Python opened its mouth to spit more poison, and I threw the melting shield down his gullet. The snake gagged and started choking on the shield. I took that opportunity to make the stream rise, and shot the whole lot of it at the snake. It hit him full in the face, blinding him, and then Annabeth and I charged. Annabeth leapt onto his head and stabbed out his left eye. Python went nuts, thrashing around madly, but Annabeth had already jumped to safety. The snakes head whipped around at me, and I raised my sword to parry away a fang, but I cut right through it! The fang was sliced in half, and black acid spewed everywhere. A huge glob landed on my shirt, and it started to burn through the fabric. I ripped off the lower half of my shirt, but not fast enough; the venom had left an ugly burn on my side that, well, burned. I heard Annabeth call my name, but I was too occupied with the snake to see what the problem was. While I was distracted by the burn, Python had somehow shrunk. He was only as thick as a garbage can now. It coiled around me and squeezed. I was familiar with this position, last time it had broken all of my ribs. Couldn't let that happen again. I hacked at the snakes powerful coils, but my sword bounced off harmlessly. Python laughed; he was enjoying squeezing the life out of me.

"You ssshould have joined me, little hero. Thisss, will be mossst, painful."

He snaked his head around to face me, and his tongue darted out into my face. He opened his mouth to strike and I bashed him in the nose with the hilt of Riptide. I dazed him, and his grip slackened just enough for me to wriggle free. The snake recovered quickly and lunged, but Annabeth pounced and wrapped her arms and legs around its neck. Python whirled around, trying to shake her off. She looked like a firefighter from a cartoon trying to hold a really powerful fire hose. It would've been funny if there hadn't been a very real possibility of her dying. Annabeth tried to stab her knife through the chinks in its armoured skin again, but the gaps were too small now. Yelling with frustration she let go and was flung away. Sailing through the air she spun effortlessly and landed in a crouch, like a cat. Python hissed with pure rage and bared his fangs.

"You, die firssst, misssssy."

The snake lunged at Annabeth, but she dodged the strike. Again and again she dodged, dancing away from the fangs gracefully. Every once in a while she would get close to the snakes head and she would make a slash with her knife, but she couldn't find her mark. Annabeth looked like she was getting tired, and I had to help her. Grimacing against the painful burn, I stood and charged back into battle.

What do you think of the final battle so far? It's kinda difficult to imagine how someone would fight a snake with a sword, other than just stabbing it and being done.

Tell me what you thought :)