They stood in front of a large cave. It was way bigger than all the other holes in the side of the mountain.

Only difference was, this one was completely sealed off by a stone gate. Strange inscriptions framed the stone, some had gruesome depictions of creatures while others had Greek letters. But they all shared something in common; Python. Every single stone carving mentioned the ancient being.

“How do we open it?”

The demigods stared up at the looming seal. Their eyes flitted around as they looked for a button, a keyhole, a lever—anything really.

Finding nothing, Jihyo opted to study the stone engravings once more. Her eyes traveled all over the gate as she took in the details. She furrowed her brow when she noted that the engravings were… actually in a pattern!

They were lined up in a spiral, circling from the edge of the stone gate all the way to the center. One part was cut off, or rather it was covered by debris. Jihyo stepped forward to brush away the dirt and cobwebs that clung onto the stone. It was near the bottom base of the structure; no wonder it was easy to overlook.

Brushing away the debris uncovered a deep circular groove… as if something was meant to fill it…

Jihyo raised her eyebrows in realization.

“Child of Flames, you must embrace… For it is Key in revealing Evil’s face…”

The archer had spoken loud enough for her friends to hear. She whirled around, an upbeat tone in her voice from the revelation. “Chaeng! I think you’re the key to this gate. Remember the line of the prophecy?”

The Daughter of Hephaestus nodded slowly as she recalled. She stepped up, getting into position before the plate. Jihyo and Momo stood behind her as flames burst into her hands.

“Ok… here we go…”

Chaeyoung inhaled and exhaled before she raised her arms and blasted the stone gate’s circular groove.

The indentation sank into itself.

Fire coursed through the surface of the stone gate. The engravings turned out to be connected channels. Red and orange filled each hollow groove and lit up the spiral before a deep rumbling occurred.

Chaeyoung stopped her flames when the stone gate visibly shifted; dust and debris fell as the structure turned into two stone slabs which parted horizontally.

There was a brief moment where none of them moved, stuck in awe at the sight of the gate opening. Momo cautiously peered inside, she could see the beginning of the rocky and uneven terrain. Stalagmites and stalactites lined the cave walls and floors. With the protruding rock spikes acting as its teeth, it looked like they were walking into the mouth of an awaiting dragon.

The demigods trudged in cautiously. Who knew where the Python was hiding or how big the cave actually was.

There was little light in the cave. What little there was came from the scattered glow-in-the-dark crystals embedded in the rock walls. The occasional opening or crack in the cave walls shed some light from outside.

Chaeyoung scared herself when she stepped on something hard. It cracked under her weight and the loud sound made the demigods jump. She let out a squeak when her eyes looked down, registering that the thing she bumped into were bones. Large, animal bones. She hoped.

Momo gulped as she tugged Chaeyoung away. She was scared and anxious and the darkness of the cave certainly wasn’t helping. “Who knows...since the Python already ate, maybe it’ll skip dessert…?”

Jihyo heard her muttering and she would have snorted in amusement if she weren’t feeling just as terrified. She adjusted her grip on her bow, one of her girlfriends’ enchanted arrows was already loaded up, occasional sparks trickled from the arrow and it gave her a strange sense of comfort.

Momo could hear a steady dripping echo through the cave. She could sense that there was some sort of water here.

But… it felt weird.

Like the water’s been stewed in darkness and poison for so long now. She frowned a little, this was starting to feel eerily familiar to her dreams.

They had been walking straight for a while now. After they passed the ninth large stalactite, something in the air changed. Everybody tensed up at the sensation. The air started to stink horribly, the stench came in dense wafts from right ahead.

The demigods peaked around a low rocky wall, the cave tunnel opened up into a cavern chamber. Chaeyoung would have let out a loud audible gasp if Momo hadn’t slapped her hand over in time. Their wide eyes were fixated on the sight in front of them.

A sight that had them petrified behind the flimsy rock wall.

Beyond the last of the large stalagmites was a wide and flat stone clearing. In the middle of the clearing sat the mythical and monstrous Python. Its enormous elongated body curled around itself as it rested. The pale shimmer of green only accented the layers of sharp and thick scales that covered the giant reptile.

Occasional hissing resonated in the air. With every breath, clouds of hazy green gas streamed out of the Python’s slightly open maw. The gas was dense and cloudy as it covered the center of the cavern floor, like it was the serpent’s bed.

Momo’s mind was boggled. She looked on in disbelief. Who in their right mind slept on a cloud bed of poison???

Apparently, the Python did.

The Python’s eyes suddenly snapped open, its elliptical pupils flicked around rapidly. Its nostrils flared as its body uncurled slowly. It released a long drawn out hiss, filling the air with a thick stream of noxious fumes. Luckily the demigods crouched down in time, hiding behind the cold stone.

But there was no point in their hiding. After all, they were demigods and their scent attracted monsters. Especially if you’re up against an ancient monster such as the Python.

A bodiless voice echoed through the cavern. Its deep voice rumbled the rocky walls. Momo curled in on herself when she realized that the voice was actually the Python speaking.

“Demigodsss… in my humble abode…”

By now, the snake’s toxic fog covered the entire floor of the clearing. Chaeyoung silently gagged as the poisonous clouds creeped their way over to the edge of their hiding spot. The antidote may have made them immune to the poison but it definitely didn’t block out the horrible stench that came with it.

“It’sss been ssso long ssince I’ve had vi-ssitorsss…”

Jihyo had a sinking feeling in her gut. Or rather, the sinking feeling was already there when they first entered the cave—it had only intensified. Maybe it was because she was a daughter of Apollo and the Python was her dad’s nemesis. Whatever it was, her demigod senses were more heightened than usual, making her hyperfixate on the Python and its every move. She didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad one.

“Where are my mannersss… let me come and greet you…”

A long hissing erupted from the giant serpent. It bounced off the walls; Jihyo didn’t know if the Python was still hissing or if it was just an echo now.

Then silence... not a peep came from the center of the chamber. The demigods looked at each other in alarm. They tensed up even more if it was possible.

Normally, you wouldn’t be able to hear a snake slither. But in this extreme case, the sound of the giant serpent’s body could be heard. It was like a sopping wet towel being dragged across rocks. Pieces of stone were being scrapped from the cave walls and ceiling, presumably from the Python’s slithering.

But they couldn’t see any movement. Anything outside of the cavern clearing was obscured in utter darkness.

Another hiss filled the air. The echo bounced around, preventing the demigods from pinpointing the Python’s location.

Jihyo could hear her own sharp intake of air. The hairs on the back of her neck raised up all at once. Pebbles from the ceiling fell down behind her—her only warning. She quickly looped her arms around Momo and Chaeyoung and tugged desperately!

The demigods were jerked frantically to the side, yelping as they landed flat on their stomachs. At the same time that they moved, the rocky cover they were crouched behind had burst into a pile of rubble. Jihyo raised her head only to catch a glimpse of the tailend of the giant Python as it swept back into the darkness.

Chaeyoung trembled from the sudden attack while Momo gasped out loud in realization. Jihyo had just saved them from being giant snake food.

“Get up!” Jihyo launched herself to her feet, weapon sprung and ready. “We can’t stay still.”

Momo and Chaeyoung followed after Jihyo, their own weapons in hand. Jihyo had dashed to the center of the cavern floor. Thankfully the murky cloud bed of poison had dispersed by now.

The three of them stood back to back. Momo lowered her body slightly as she twirled her trident in her hands. Chaeyoung’s celestial bronze sword was poised in a defensive position, her other hand formed a fist as she began building a small flame in her palm.

Jihyo’s bow was pulled back, tendrils of electricity crackled around her waiting arrow. Her quiver was full of the enchanted arrows from Dahyun and Mina, Lady Artemis’ silver arrows, and a few leftover Hydra blood-coated arrows.

The demigods waited with bated breath as their eyes constantly watched the dark walls and ceiling. Attention was immediately focused on wherever rocks fell, a sign of the Python’s position and its incoming attack.

The cavern rumbled ominously.

“Here it comes!”