(A/N) Sorry about the long update…and the cliffhanger. JK I'm not that sorry about the cliffhanger. I should probably stop talking now before a horde of you comes crashing through the door screaming for my blood. That may have been a little dramatic, but I know you want to strangle me through the computer. Well, ha! I am on the other side, sitting back and watching your reactions as I kill off your favorite characters MWAHAHAHA : D Sorry it's a little short.

JUST TO REASSURE ALL OF YOU THERE WILL BE NO MORE MAJOR DEATHS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD. I DON'T WANT YOU GUYS TO STOP READING. I LOVE YOU ALL. PEACE!

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!

Nico POV

I was only barely able to roll out of the way as Percy lunged at me. He whirled around with such grace for a half-starved, possessed demigod that I wasn't even able to land a blow on him. He flicked his wrist and my sword was pried from my grasp, flying into his open hand as if it had a mind of its own. I gulped. Now I was weaponless and in a room with a demonic psychopath. Not good. He twirled the blade in his hand, testing its balance and weighing it. With a simple shrug he charged towards me.

I flipped over him and kicked his back with all of the force I could muster, startled when he didn't budge. Percy let out a grunt and swung my sword in a deadly arc towards me. Thankfully the arc was wide and I was able to leap out of the way before it sliced through the spot where I'd been standing. It was basically a game of cat and mouse. I couldn't dodge forever, and that's what Percy wanted. He was buying his time, wearing me down until I was too tired to escape.

I needed to disarm him if I was to survive, but he was so much swifter and taller than me. He had so much power and so much skill; even in this weakened state he was more likely to win than I was. I needed to boost my odds and take back my sword. I did the insane thing; I charged at him. He seemed taken off-guard and staggered as I slammed my shoulder into his chest.

My sword went flying from his grasp and time seemed to slow down. It spiraled and pin-wheeled in the air, going blade-over-hilt. My movements seemed as slow as Jell-O as I bunched my muscles and leapt, the flying blade only inches from my fingertips. That's when Percy grabbed my ankle in a death grip. I let out a yelp of surprise as he pulled me to the ground and kicked out at him. My foot connected with his knee and he grunted, letting go of my ankle and allowing me to try and crawl towards the sword, which lay on the ground only a few feet away.

"Not so fast, Death Boy!" Percy cackled and grabbed me. I shrieked and we rolled on the ground, raining punches upon one another. His fist connected with my jaw and a blazing pain shot through my skull. I thought it was broken, but it dulled into a painful throbbing. That would leave a horrible bruise later on…if I survived. I bashed my elbow into his neck and he gasped for air, his sides heaving as he tried to shake me off.

He kneed me in a certain tender area and I let out a masculine and heroic squeak and rolled off of him. I didn't think I would be able to have children anymore. He took my time of utter pain to stumble towards the fallen sword, but I wasn't giving up that easily. I staggered to my feet and leapt on top of him, clawing at any exposed flesh like a rabid animal. I reached for the sword and felt the smooth leather grip in my hands before rolling to my feet.

Percy managed to get up and I nearly took a step back at the pure rage in his expression. He was breathing hard, like a buffalo that was about to charge, and there was a long cut along his cheekbone that oozed blood down his face. With his furious expression, he looked like a psychotic killer, which he technically was. "Get out of Percy's body." I growled at him.

"Make me." he snarled back menacingly and leapt into the air with inhuman ability. I yelped in astonishment and managed to sidestep just in time. The floor cracked as he landed, crouching and hissing like a snake. Come to think of it, it had sounded all too reptile-like for a human to create, even if they were he host for a parasite. What was going on? As I drew my sword, the impossible happened. Percy began to morph and change, his face elongating and his red eyes turning a cold emerald green, along with his sclera which turned a deep yellow. Scales grew all over his body and his arms and legs melted into his skin. Long fangs sprouted from his mouth and a black forked tongue flicked in and out of his mouth.

Before me was no longer Percy Jackson, but a huge snake, its cold eyes staring at me, unblinking. It seemed to grin as I staggered back, the scream in my head failing to reach my mouth. It slithered around me so that its body was coiled around the room several times, trapping me in the middle. It regarded me with amusement and tilted its head to the side. I leveled my sword at its head, but it was dipping as my sweaty hand trembled and shook.

"What are you?" I growled lowly to mask the fear in my voice. "Why are you here instead of Percy?" The snake hissed with distaste and circled around me, its thick body dragging across the ground soundlessly.

"I have fesssstered enough in thissss rotten camp. Sssstarving wassss not part of the plan. I am Python, former Oracle of Delphi. I am here to reclaim my title from that wretched mortal girl." the monster, Python, said coldly and menacingly. Its voice was like a song, a deadly, swaying, smooth song that enticed people the take a step closer. A step that would end their lives.

"What do you mean by plan?" I snapped and jabbed at the snake to keep it at bay, which only made it let out a hiss of laughter. "What have you done with Percy?"

"Oh, the young boy Persssseussss. He sssshould be halfway acrossss the Canadian border by now." it chuckled humorlessly.

"Stop being vague. I'm not afraid of you." even as I said it, my voice wavered. This was the mighty Python, the snake that had had the ability to tell the future and foretell prophecies before he was slain by Apollo. Apparently his essence had risen from Tartarus and he was back for vengeance. How was I supposed to beat a snake that was nearly older than time itself? And on top of that, I was surrounded by his thick coils; trapped inside the room. He had scales like armor and muscles so powerful they could break bones with a single squeeze. I hoped that he was weaker due to the lack of food, but I wasn't getting too hopeful.

"Ccccertainly you are. Otherwisssse you would've attacked by now. Perccccy is now to be reffered to as Exodussss." Python sneered.

"Exodus…?"

"Like from the Bible or the Torah. He issss not to be named, and therefore hissss identity will remain a ssssecret. Better go find him before he ssssacrifices himssssself to the Greater Power, and then he will risssse, unleasssshing chaossss around the world. I will be by Exodussss' sssside when he finally killssss a godling of worthy sssstatussss. Then I will reclaim my rightful position assss Oracle. Too bad you'll never get there in time."

And with that, he was gone. As if he had never been there in the first place. I blinked once. Twice. But I was in the room alone, with only the bent bars and cracks in the floor to show that an event had ever taken place. How could a monster that big just disappear like that? But I had a job to do. Time to find our Seaweed Brain and get him back to normal…without having him commit suicide to sacrifice himself to the 'Greater Power' in the process. I had some work to do.