Hermione's POV
The tunnel seemed to take for ever. I couldn't see the end, only darkness ahead of us. Harry, Ron and I had all said Lumos. The dim flickering light wasn't enough though. We could only see about a metre in front of us. I really wanted the tunnel to end and to get out. My eyes hurt from so much darkness. I stared on a head, suddenly seeing something. A shape was moving in the darkness.
"What was that?" I whispered.
"I don't know, but I think it might be the 'but a beast you shall meet' line of the riddle," Annabeth answered.
We walked on down the passage. I didn't see the shape again though. All I could hear was the echo of four pairs of feet stamping on the cold stone floor behind me and the breaths from five noses. Wait five? There were only four people behind me, Percy, Harry Ron and Annabeth. "Wait," I whispered.
"What is it?" Harry whispered back.
"Can you hear that?" I asked. "Hold your breath, everyone." I heard faint mumbles of "yes" and "Okay" from behind me, and I held my breath, everyone else doing the same. I heard it. A faint raspy breathing that sounded like two people breathing together. "Run!" I whispered. I held out my wand so I didn't trip. I heard clattering footsteps from behind us. There was definitely something chasing us. We ran faster and faster, but since our legs were so tiered, we didn't run as fast as we would normally. Suddenly though, we stepped out of the tunnel. We were standing on a small grassy area at the foot of a mountain. I realized we'd run through the middle of the small mountain that the cave started in. I ran faster. Annabeth, Percy and Harry the same, but Ron was standing in the mouth of the tunnel. I turned around to face him.
"Ron!" I shouted. "Hurry up!"
"But my legs don't work anymore!" He moaned.
"You're legs are fine," I said. I tried to think of something quickly to make Ron run. I had it, "Ron! There's a spider beside you're foot. A really big one!"
He suddenly started running, as fast as I've ever seen him run. He caught up with us and we ran. We sped along the grass, and suddenly the monster emerged. I'd never actually felt so scared in the whole thirteen years I'd been alive. It was a giant dog with two heads. I tried to think what it was, but I couldn't remember. It was like fluffy, but with only two heads.
"Annabeth!" I shouted. "What monster is that?"
"That is Orthrus, Cerberus's brother. He was owned by a Giant and guarded the magical red cattle that Hercules stole. It is foretold that a Demigod will defeat him. I read he is more deadly than Cerberus."
"I have an idea!" Harry exclaimed. "Ron, Hermione, remember we used music to make fluffy sleep. Maybe it will work with this one."
"Oh yeah!" Ron said. "Fluffy is probably Orthrus and Cerberus's other brother too…"
"Probably. We don't have anything to make the music though. Anyone got any ideas?" I asked. Orthrus was almost at us.
"Sing!" Annabeth shouted out. "Hermione, sing to it!"
I suddenly froze. I've never sung in front of anyone before. But I really should. It could save our lives… "Okay," I said. "I'll do it." I tried to think quickly of a song to sing. All I could think of was, Twinkle Twinkle little star. "Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky, twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are."
It didn't seem to work. The dog looked drowsy, but didn't look like he was going to fall asleep. I needed to try a more relaxing song. Somewhere over the rainbow. My mum… sorry step mum used to sing it me when I was little, so I should try that one. "Somewhere over the rainbow…" I sang the first few words and Orthrus was already swaying, almost falling to the ground, "way up high," I saw Orthrus just about to fall over. "In a land that I heard of…" CRASH! Orthus crashed out on the ground, almost asleep. "Once in a lullaby, somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true."
I finished the song and Orthrus was well and truly asleep. The power of relaxing songs on multi headed dogs was really amazing. "So?" I asked. "Who's going to finish it off?"
"I will," Percy says. He walked up towards it, stabbing riptide in its side. Orthrus crumbled to dust. "We need to find the last stage. Does anyone know where it would be?" Percy asked. Suddenly the ground crumbled beneath us. We fell down, about three metres under. I realized though it was another tunnel.
"I think we just found it," Ron said, picking himself up.
"I've found another piece of paper," Annabeth said.
"What does it say?" Harry asked. "Um, it says, 'you have completed stage two' and then another riddle about the test 'You have completed the first two, but a terrible choice awaits you'" Annabeth said.
"Oh great," Ron said. "Another riddle that will come true."
A/N How was it? Did you think the idea of songs making Orthrus sleep was good? If you have any ideas about the story, please tell me, by either reviewing the story or PMing me. Sorry it was short, but I will make it up to you with the next chapter which will be long. See you soon!