In the end they decided to remain together. There was a moment when Will attempted to have Ryker stay behind in case he had any lingering fatigue but, after a brief argument, they agreed that it would make sense for him to come along. "Fine, but he stays back unless absolutely necessary." Will snapped, not at all happy that the doctor's order were not being followed. He glared at Ryker. "Got it?"

"We'll see." Ryker said, meeting his eyes with a cold stare. Piper had to admit that, while extremely small, it was better progress than the absolute dismissal Ryker would have given when they first met.

Once they had rested for what Will deemed an appropriate amount of time, they made their way to the large doors that led to Python. "Everyone ready?" Percy asked, turning back to face the group.

"As ready as I can be." Piper answered. She was nervous but she was also resolved to win this battle. She paused and then considered her thought. Such a thought was unlike her. She blamed Ryker and his apparent love of battle. She glanced over to the demigod in question and examined the cold glare he was directing at the door. His claws were already summoned and ready at his side. Piper had decided that she actually liked Ryker. There was something refreshing about the way he said exactly what was on his mind, even if what was on his mind was usually crass at best. She could also see why her mother, at least one aspect of her, took such an interest in him. Not only did he seem to have absolutely no clue about the workings of the heart, he seemed to be perfectly oblivious to them. The Amazon who had claimed his old pairs of claws, Victoria she recalled, was clearly intrigued by the hunter and yet Ryker had not seen it at all. To be fair I don't think any of the boys noticed. Piper admitted to herself with a disappointed sigh. Then again, they really wouldn't be looking. All of them are in relationships.

"How are we going to get it open?" Hazel asked, looking the door up and down. Piper knew where she was coming from, the doors were huge. Big enough for several dragons to fit through at the same time. Or one massive dragon. She said with a feeling of apprehension.

Percy stepped forward and pressed a hand to the door, pushing hard. To everyone's surprise the doors swung open with ease, revealing a grand chamber. Torches lined the side and piles of gold and jewels sat in odd places. The far wall seemed to have a carved likeness of a dragon, though it was too big to actually be real. They advanced warily, all of them searching for their opponent and the Oracle. "There." Nico said, pointing with his sword at what appeared to be a massive jar much like the one he had been kept inside. "That's where she's being kept. I can feel it. But… there's something off about it."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked warily, her gaze fixed on the jar.

"The Oracle… it feels… familiar." Nico said, but Piper heard the unmistakable sound of confusion in his voice. "Like I've felt it before."

"You have met Rachel." Will reminded him, but it was clear he was just as apprehensive as Nico was. "Maybe that's why?"

Nico just shook his head. "I thought Python was supposed to be guarding her?" Ryker asked, his voice harsher than normal.

"Maybe he stepped out?" Percy asked hopefully. Ryker shot him a disbelieving look and shook his head. "Or maybe not." Percy muttered, clearly annoyed at Ryker's reaction.

"I don't see him." Piper admitted, still searching the chamber. "Maybe he will show up only if we grab the Oracle?"

"How are we going to move it?" Annabeth asked. "It's too big to carry."

"The Oracle is a spirit." Nico reminded them. "If we break the jar it should return to its host."

"Simple." Ryker said, striding confidently across the cavern.

"Ryker, wait!" Hazel cried, clearly expecting a trap like the rest of them.

But the wild demigod made it to the jar with zero trouble. He circled the jar once, his eyes narrowed. "Whatever is in here is alive." He called, turning back to them.

Piper was very certain that getting the Oracle could not be this easy. But Ryker was now examining the jar, drawing back his fist to evidently break it. The instant that his hand impacted the jar several things happened at once. The first was that the jar shattered into a million pieces with far more force than it should have. The second was that Ryker was blown off his feet and thrown to the opposite side of the cavern, tumbling head over heel until he came to a stop lying on his back. The third was that a terrible laugh filled the chamber. The fourth was possibly the worst. The stone carving that Piper had initially thought was simply the depiction of a far-too-large dragon begin to move. She stood transfixed as stone and dirt began to fall off what surely was Python as he finally moved from where he had been clearly watching them in silence. The dragon was massive. Several times larger than even the biggest one in the last chamber. On top of that, where the other dragons' hides had been one uniform color, Python seemed to be a blend of every color they had been. Swirling hues of red, blue, brown, green, and white played across his hide in a terrible display of beauty. Python was gorgeous in the same deadly way that a venomous snake was. Come to steal my prize little demigods? Piper took an involuntary step back and braced herself. Python's voice wasn't physical, it seemed to be projected directly into their minds.

"Did you guys…?" Percy asked, his eyes riveted on Python.

"Yeah." Nico said, his voice as dark as his eyes.

"That's a big dragon." Will noted, his bow drawn and sighted at Python.

Piper's eyes had been transfixed on the dragon, but she saw that was not the case for everyone. Annabeth's eyes were on the place that the jar had been before Ryker had broken it. "No way." She said, disbelief running through her voice with a slight tremor.

Piper forced herself to drag her eyes away from Python and examined what it was that Annabeth was so caught up by. She quickly found it. Lying in the wreckage of the jar was a young woman who Piper immediately found herself drawn to. "Percy…" Annabeth whispered, her eyes huge.

Percy glanced over and then did a double-take, his mouth dropping open in a way that was almost comical. "She died." He said, unable to process what he was seeing.

"Who is she?" Piper asked. The chamber shook as Python took a step away from the wall. They immediately turned their attention back to the dragon, but everyone continually looked back to where the girl laid.

Python seemed to notice their looks and let loose another terrible laugh that bounced around in Piper's mind. Aah yes, I forgot, you would have known her. Python reached one massive clawed forearm over and placed one talon right above the girl. Such a pity. At least you got to see her before you died. That was a small mercy on my part, was it not?

"We have to save her." Percy said through gritted teeth. "We have to."

"Her life force is incredibly weak." Nico said, his eyes narrowed. "Something must have brought her back. She doesn't have that much time left."

"Can you shadow-travel her out of here?" Percy demanded.

Nico nodded, but his mouth was twisted into a frown. "I won't be able to come back though." He told them. "Like you said, the first time was luck. When I leave it will have to be with everyone. Anyone who doesn't go with me will be left behind."

Trying to escape already? Python asked, a low chuckle in his words. Foolish little demigods, so long as I live you cannot escape.

"Guess we will have to do something about that." Percy roared. "We're taking her back with us!"

Good luck! Python offered as Percy charged him.

"PERCY! WAIT!" Annabeth screamed, but it was too late. Piper watched with horror as a massive flame seemed to travel up from Python's chest and make its way to his throat. Piper had seen Percy's water shield in the other chamber, but he had no such protection then. The flames poured out of Python's maw and Percy was engulfed. Annabeth gave a horrified scream and charged forward, all thoughts of strategy having deserted her.

And so died the son of Poseidon. Python said with a satisfied growl.

The flames flickered away and Piper's heart restarted itself when Percy still stood tall. A shimmering blue aura that shimmered like water surrounded him. Percy seemed as surprised as Python was, hesitating a moment before charging forward again. "Is that the blessing of Poseidon?" Will asked in a voice hushed with awe. "I've never seen it before."

"I guess the gods are on our side after all." Nico said triumphantly. "At least one is."

"That fire was too close." Piper said. "We have to get Python away from her."

"We need a distraction." Hazel agreed. She turned around, searching for Ryker.

Piper's head swiveled around and she saw Ryker slowly picking himself up off the ground, blood streaming from a dozen different wounds on his body. "Ryker! Are you alright?" Piper called urgently. "We need your help!"

"That… hurt…" He called back weakly. "Give me… a second."

"He isn't going to be much help." Hazel told her. "That jar was the trap."

Percy and Annabeth were fighting Python as best they could, but it looked to Piper like their weapons were bouncing off the dragon's tough hide. Python seemed more amused by their attacks than pained. Stupid little mortals. Python sighed, swiping at Annabeth with a half-hearted effort. It took a god to kill me last time. You are nothing more than a nuisance, and an insignificant one at that.

"Shut up!" Percy roared, cutting at Python's exposed side with Riptide. Piper was horrified to see that even with the added blessing of Poseidon the sword did nothing more than bounce off.

Hazel summoned up a storm of gemstones but like Percy's sword, they were ineffective. Piper did the only thing she could, she charged forward and began to speak. "You want to let us have the Oracle." She intoned, charmspeak ringing through every syllable. "You have grown weary of guarding her."

Charmspeak. Python laughed. My apologies, but such a weak attempt will not work on me.

Nevertheless, Piper kept up the effort even as she cut, stabbed, and slashed at the dragon. Nico was right beside her, but his stygian iron sword was no more effective. Will's arrows struck at Python's eyes with pinpoint accuracy but the dragon simply blinked them away. It isn't exactly hard to hit them. Piper said with grim amusement. His eyes are the size of a beach ball!

She leapt away as a claw attempted to crush her, the force of the impact on the floor causing her to stagger. Python laughed again, but cut himself short. I think I have entertained you for long enough. The dragon admitted, its chest glowing white now. Goodbye little heroes.

The white light traveled up his mouth and Piper was suddenly terrified as streaks of electricity began to spark from Python's mouth. When the dragon opened his mouth, obviously intending on electrocuting them to death, Piper felt the cold grip of fear wrap around her heart. She didn't want to die there. Not when she had so many more things she wanted to do. She wanted to with Jason more, she wanted to grow old with him. Just when Python seemed about to destroy them a shaft of blinding white light struck the dragon in the chest, knocking the beast onto its side. Piper and the others fell to their knees as the cavern shook from the massive weight dropping. They cast confused glances around and turned to search for where the arrow had come from. Piper had expected Ryker to have somehow fired the arrow, he had the bow of Artemis after all, but she knew at once that it wasn't Ryker who had fired the arrow. It was Artemis herself.

The goddess stood calmly on the cavern floor, her bow still held up after firing the arrow. Piper's heart sang in joy and she grinned at the others even as they grinned back at her. "Glad you could join us, my lady." Annabeth shouted happily.

"I'm afraid I cannot stay." Artemis said, instantly disappointing everyone in the chamber at once. "I am required elsewhere as my hunters attempt to track down Orion. I simply came to claim a certain debt."

She turned slowly back on Ryker, who had somehow managed to get back to his knees, and stared down at him. "Your life belongs to me now." She told him calmly before disappearing.

Python had been momentarily stunned by the goddess's attack but recovered quickly enough with a savage roar. I'll burn the flesh from your bones! He promised. He opened his maw, fire flickering, and bathed the chamber in white hot fire. Piper raised her hands to protect herself in a vain attempt, but the flames did not touch her. She opened her eyes and blinked in surprise when she saw Percy's blue aura pushing back the flames. "You're fireproof!" She shouted to him.

"Not lightning-proof though." He called back grimly, his forehead shining with sweat.

Python drew himself up to his full height, and raised a claw to swipe at them in long sweep. This time it was Nico who protected them. He summoned up a massive amount of bones that formed into some sort of barrier and managed to stop the claws. Python's chest had been broken open by Artemis's arrow and golden ichor flowed onto the ground. "Aim for his chest!" Annabeth told them. "Let's go!"

And their counterattack to save the all too familiar girl and the Oracle began.