To RandomFanAuthor- MWHAHA, SUFFER!
To HoO Fan- She will!
Louisa kept Glaucus walking with a sword point in his spine. He did not seem to mind, keeping his hands where they could see them, chatting amicably, as though he had known for them years. "Oh, she was gorgeous!" He gushed. "A nymph unlike any I had seen! But I was restrained to the sea, a new god that I was. She fled to land, I could not reach her."
"That's nice." Louisa chimed in. "Move faster."
"I implored to a local sorceress."
"Circe." Calypso nodded. "You said."
"I hoped she would make a potion to thaw Scylla's heart. At first, she agreed, but… the more I told her of my woes, the more she fell for me herself."
"Gross." Louisa applied pressure on the blade. Glaucus quickened by a half step.
"She tried to change my heart to her favour, but I turned her down. She became angry, but not at me. My poor Scylla suffered the ill-fate. Circe made a potion, alright. She slipped it in the pool Scylla liked to bathe in. It transformed her to her current form. She has been bitter ever since, set to destroy everything within her reach. She became a peril to all sailors in her path, taking at least one of their crew."
"She took one of our crew." Calypso reminded him, anger sliding into her tone.
"A bargaining chip." Glaucus confirmed, meeting her gaze briefly over his shoulder. "I try to save those that I can, but she is stronger than I. I was once a fisherman-"
"You said."
"-and I try to protect those of my nature, those that travel the seas. I saw your plight. Many follow your expeditions, daughter of Neptune. Not all are good."
"I noticed." Louisa retorted sharply. "How much further?"
"Just over this rise. We will see Scylla then."
His words held out. Scylla was not a sight they enjoyed, much preferring her to the random quick flashes above the water.
There was no trace of her foretold beauty or her nymph form. She was a jumbled body, immeasurably big. Her six heads swayed on necks that did not seem long enough to jut down to the strait below, but they knew better. One eye was surrounded by dried ichor, dead and black amongst the gold crust. She had twelve legs, twelve clawed feet each big enough to stomp a village. Wolf heads snarled and snapped at her waist, baying hungrily.
The six heads fixed on them before they had even crested the rise. Eleven ravenous eyes watched their advance. She growled low in all her throats, one head lowering to hiss at Glaucus. "Scylla!" He beamed, waving. "My darling, you know what I'm about to say! We can settle this peacefully! Return the demigod to his friends."
No.
The word came, not as a vocalisation, but a continuation of the growl, an influx of the noise that filled the word into their minds. I will not relent to you, puny god.
"My dear, I would not expect you to! Just a little cooperation!"
I said NO.
Louisa stepped forward, shoving Glaucus aside with the swords. The growling turned to a reptilian purr. The other five heads came down, considering her. You took my eye.
"You took my friend."
He is fine.
"Where is he?"
That's not how bargaining works, little one. I can ascertain Glaucus told you of my deal?
"He did."
Then exchange. Or I shall eat him and that other one you brought with you. The purring jilted into something akin to laughter. My mother despises you, but she has much use for the god-killer. Turn yourself in. I will let your friends go.
"Show us Leo first. Show us he's alive."
If you insist. Scylla said, amused. She shifted her legs. Leo looked up in the change of light, cross-legged on the ground, squinting. He did not seem hurt, just confused and weary. Do we have our deal?
"Swear it." Louisa ordered. "Swear on the Styx you'll let them go. Unhurt 'n' alive."
"Lou!" Calypso hissed. Her elation at seeing Leo stemmed tears of relief, brought back to earth suddenly. Leo blinked at them, frowning.
"Lou…" He said, swaying to rise. Scylla's heads whipped down, growling in warning. He sat back down with a soft thump, bewildered. "Lou." He called out again, voice stronger. "Don't do it. I'm not wo-" Louisa cut him such a look, he could feel the potency of its shut up beneath Scylla's entrapment sinking into his skin and infecting his bones.
Scylla faced her, seemingly smiling. A chuckle rattled through her. Daughter of Neptune, you aim to defy me. That's adorable.
"What's adorable is ya thinkin' ya can hurt my friend 'n' get away with it."
Big talk for such a little morsel. Mother says I must keep you alive. She did not say anything about unhurt- fun choice of words. She raised one foot, its shadow engulfing Leo. He flinched, scooting away only to be met with another eleven possible tramplings.
Louisa sprinted forward, pulling Scylla's attention to her. She hissed, spitting tauntingly. Her necks became blurs, heads rocketing out. Louisa leapt over one, melting into a slide under a second. The third missed her by a second, clamping around clifftop grass. She buried a sword into the fourth neck, spinning away from it as the fifth chomped at her legs, closing on air. The sixth came down from above, the hot breath of a thousand snakes shrinking Louisa's lungs. She rammed her sword upwards, sheathing it in a monstrous nostril.
Her regret was that she didn't let go. It came back out on a spray of ichor and snot, Scylla rearing back with a screech. The gunk oozed over her hand and wrist, blobbing down her arm and sleeve. It was somehow both cold and warm and definitely something she did not want on her skin.
She didn't have time to gross out- Scylla had her foot over Leo.
Stand down, little hero. This is your last chance.
Louisa blinked at her. Last chance.
Scylla hissed merrily- her prey had paused. This tipped to her victory. The demigod looked down at her blade, laying the flat of the weapon across her palm, apparently examining her reflection through the gore and boogers. That's it, she said, come to me. Mother will make quick use of you, rest assured. Louisa mumbled something, squinting up at the monster, re-evaluating. Scylla's cheer wilted cautiously. Stand down! She ordered, snarling from all six heads. Ichor bubbled from her torn nostril, splattering on the ground. Louisa's gaze fell with it, a small smile crossing her lips. You have no hope here, demigod. Lower your weapon or lose your friend.
"Extremum fato." She repeated, flicking her sword. The mess gobbed from it, not completely, but it would do. The tip sank to the ground. She straightened it, leaning on the handle, filling her lungs. Scylla roared.
Your friend's life is at stake!
"So's yours." Louisa replied calmly. With both hands, she raised her weapon. Piling all the force she could muster behind it, she buried the blade in the dirt. It sunk with ease to the hilt and sent a shockwave through the cliff.
For one, long heartbeat of a moment, all was still sans a low, building rumble. Louisa met Scylla's multitude of eyes with a smirk. She would long remember the scream of the monster as the cliff ruptured away from under them.
