Rocks were dropping more frequently now. The Python was slithering around on the cavern ceiling, using the stalactites like holding grips as it quickly maneuvered between them. The serpent swooped down at a terrifying speed, its wide open maw unhinged revealing razor sharp fangs.

The demigods dodged the Python’s lunge by rolling to the side, barely managing to avoid the green-tinted fangs. The serpent’s jaw clamped down on nothing but air.

Momo breathed in and out of her nose rapidly, her heart was thumping fast from the way-too-close encounters. She literally just felt her feet edge back just from the proximity of the giant serpent’s rushing body.

She scanned the field quickly, spotting Jihyo and Chaeyoung spread a few feet back from their previous position in the center of the room. The Python’s aerial advances had scattered them. She kept her eyes up, still holding her trident up defensively.

The Python coiled the tailend of its body around the stalactites, using them as an anchor point. It would and propel itself downwards, lunging and swiping at the demigods, and then use the ground to rebound itself back to the cavern ceiling where it would repeat its attack over and over again.

Tuck and roll

Slash

Dive

Slash

Repeat

Momo broke out a sweat as she continuously evaded the serpent’s attacks. She struck her trident where she could when the beast was near the ground. Red lines marred the Python’s belly, her previous strikes drawing blood, but it wasn’t nearly enough to critically injure the monster.

She could see Chaeyoung using the same evasive maneuver and occasionally lob a fireball or blast a stream of fire at the serpent. Jihyo didn’t get too close; she used the long range of her bow to her advantage. Scorch marks littered the serpent’s body, a combined effort from Chaeyoung’s fire and Jihyo’s variety of arrows.

More hissing came from the Python. It sounded irritated this time as it descended yet again.

Another lunge downwards. Momo dive-rolled to the side before quickly getting to her feet; she had to move now or else it would leave the ground.

The Python was trying to rebound upwards now. She grunted as she her trident out in a powerful upwards direction, directly stabbing the serpent as it tried to get back up to the ceiling.

By luck or sheer strength, her trident’s tip pierced through the softer flesh of the Python’s belly. Because of the trident’s spiked prongs, the entire spearhead was still embedded inside of the monster. No doubt she did some serious damage there.

The sharp prongs were caught in the flesh, tearing and ripping apart muscle with every movement.

The mighty Python faltered in its ascent, falling to the ground with a loud wallop! It bellowed a harsh, pain-filled screech as its body whipped around frantically.

Yes! I must have hit a weak spot!

But her joy was cut short.

Momo had let out a surprised yelp; her trident was still impaled in the beast’s underbelly. She had no choice but to hang on tight as the Python lashed out in pain and panic. Its body rippled like a tumultuous wave, in turn making Momo feel like a dangling rag doll.

The Daughter of Poseidon tried her hardest to hang on, for she came to a critical realization; Its jerky motions was only exacerbating the deep wound.

Gravity accelerated her speed as the demigod slid down the bottom half of the serpent’s underbelly, dragging along her embedded trident with her and further slicing open the Python’s flesh. The ground was gradually approaching; Momo yanked out her trident when she was closest to the ground and managed to land roughly in a crouch.

What was a minor impalement became a severe laceration. It looked like the serpent got mauled by a savage beast, the wounds leaving deep indentations like something wickedly sharp carved out channels of flesh. Golden ichor poured out from the open wounds, dribbling down and making a decent sized golden puddle on the cavern floor. The Python released a deafening shriek. It was so loud that it blew the demigods back 10 feet from where they stood.

The Python emitted angry hisses and roars. Its elliptical pupils narrowed as its scaly body twisted in a strange pattern. From above, it looked like the serpent was looping in a circle while building something up.

It may have seemed like nothing but Momo recognized the serpent’s movement—it was similar to how the Lernaean Hydra would move before it spat out acid. She yelled out in a panic, hoping her friends could hear her warning in time.

“WATCH OUT! It’s about to blow!”

The demigods ran for cover, jumping behind large rock columns that were connected stalactites and stalagmites. The Python unleashed its fiery and poisonous breath, directing the toxic stream at the rocky structure. Momo closed her eyes and grit her teeth as she curled her body in, trying to make sure none of herself was exposed to the blast.

The clear and steady plume of fire blazed through the openings in the natural rock structure, flaring heat and smoke above the demigods’ heads. Fragments of the stone broke off as it endured the Python’s blast. Black scorch marks and oppressive heat spread across the surface, visibly making the material heat up red.

“What do we do now!?”

Chaeyoung voiced all of their concerns out loud.

Momo concentrated on breathing slowly, trying to get some air in without the side dish of fire or smoke. Half of her was trying hard not to curl up in a ball and cry, the other half was trying to come up with a decent strategy to answer her friend.

Jihyo and her squirmed uncomfortably as the blast of fire continued. Chaeyoung wasn’t affected as much, given her immunity to fire.

After a few more minutes that honestly felt like an eternity, Momo gasped out an idea. Really, she was just grasping at straws here. She thought the fight with the Hydra was hard but this giant snake made the 2nd Labor look like a cakewalk.

“The fire! We have to deal with its fire-breathing first.” Momo shouted as she moved a hand to wipe the accumulated sweat and dirt off her face. With the flamethrower sounding like a jacked-up monster truck going 100 miles per hour, she had to raise her voice. “We can’t do anything if we get roasted.”

Momo turned to Chaeyoung on her left. “Chaeng! You’re gonna have to deal with that. You’re the only one that’s fireproof anyways.”

That’s a lot of fire. Chaeyoung gulped before nodding. “Roger!”

She turned towards Jihyo next. “With Chaeyoung distracting the Python with a firebending match, that’ll give you and me time.”

The archer raised her eyebrow, “Time? You got a plan?”

Momo nodded rapidly, “You’re the Daughter of Apollo here—our team’s best shot. Literally!” She tilted her head up and pointed at the stalactites. “I’m going to pin the Python’s body down with those. That should slow it down and give you an opening… just make sure you aim for the head!”

This was a reckless idea if anything. She’d rather follow another more through plan but they were pressed for time. It wasn’t like the Python was gonna sit around and wait for them to come up with a surefire strategy to kill it anyways. This was a long shot for sure... but there was a small chance that everything would play out well in her strategy.

Momo steeled herself, everything they’ve been through is riding on this. Hell, everyone from Camp is depending on them!

A brief flash of Sana and her sweet smile burned behind Momo’s eyelids.

Listen here you stupid overgrown snake… I am NOT dying in this stupid dark and dank cave. I’ve got a date!

“Ready? It’s now or never.” Momo gauged the faces of her friends. They were tired, scared, antsy, but determined, if the look in their eyes were anything to tell of.

“I’m ready... this is gonna be one for the history books.” Jihyo held her bow firmly, already loading up an electric arrow.

“Oh hell yeah! Time to show this lizard some real fire!” Chaeyoung clenched her fists before smacking them in her palm. She opted to sheathe her sword, preferring to feel the flame in her hand. A faint outline of orange on her body was starting to become visible.

Hephaestus’s Blessing.

The Python cut off its stream of flame with a final hiss. The flame blew outwards before dissipating with a sizzle from the hot air. Its giant body swayed as its elliptical pupils peered around for any sign of demigod.

A dash of pure orange and dull red flew from the rock cover. The Python darted after it and snapped its massive jaws, only to bite into a blur of flames. The giant serpent reared back with a partially burned mouth and an alarmed hiss.

A big, dense fireball launched out of nowhere and smacked right under the serpent’s jaw. Another one hurled through the air before striking the lower end of the Python’s laceration. The Python screeched horribly and whirled backwards, coiling its body in a protective position.

Chaeyoung stepped out from the rocks and shadows. She casually tossed a fireball in her hand up and down. A smirk played on her lips as she said, “Hey Ugly! You call that a fire? My old man could probably conjure up something more impressive with just a burp!”

She didn’t know if giant Pythons understood trash talk but she was gonna make sure it knew it was getting roasted. In more ways than one.

The serpent angrily screeched at her before rearing back to spout more flames. Fire was still building up when Chaeyoung lob fireballs into its mouth. It fizzled out as new fire danced in the monster’s gaping maw. It spasmed and jerked frantically, as if this was the first time something else threw fire into its mouth.

“Too slow!” The demigod laughed at the sight, doing so in a bold manner as she stood directly in front of the giant monster. By the time she was done, the serpent managed to successfully put out the fire. Steam and smoke curled out of its burnt mouth as its angry slitted eyes narrowed.

“Very clever, tiny demigod… very clever…”

That was the only warning Chaeyoung got before the Python started throwing great big roaring globes of fire at her. She was startled for a hot second before she countered them with her own barrage of flaming projectiles.

The exchange went on and on and on, until it escalated into powerful jets of fire!

The two torrents of flame were coming out of their mouths. The Python’s fire was a dull red with tints of dark green. Chaeyoung’s flamethrower was a mix of bright orange and scarlet. Both columns of flame were evenly matched as they clashed. It was like two forces going back and forth, neither flame relenting as the heat intensified tenfold.

“Good stuff, Chaeng.” Momo muttered as she looked on from a cavern ridge. “Just hang on just a bit longer…”

She huffed as she hauled herself up on a rocky platform. It was wide enough to hold her and then some, but small enough to not be noticeable. With her trident in hand, Momo scanned the cavern roof. Plenty of stalactites hung from the ceiling.

Momo was distracted by a strong thrumming coming from her trident. She was simply dumbfounded; do tridents normally pulse in your hand?

She stared at the three-pronged spear closely. Starting from the middle of the shaft then spreading to both ends of the spear, a sea blue glow appeared. Once it covered the trident, it spread to her hand. Momo let out an inaudible gasp as her entire body was enveloped by the sea blue glow.

A series of images instantly flashed in her head…

A tall wave traveling across the water, touching both the sky and the ocean floor…

A volcano, rumbling and erupting scorching matter…

The earth quaking and shaking, splitting open the ground…

Then a deep voice echoed in the forefront of her mind. It was strange how the voice sounded so familiar to her yet she couldn’t recognize it at all.

“The Sea is not your sole domain…”

The sea blue glow faded to a simple outline as it remained on the trident and her body. A new kind of power thrummed from both. It was weird how Momo could sense a lot more of the Earth after the strange vision.

Poseidon’s Blessing.

A flash of light snapped her out of her rambling thoughts. Chaeyoung and the Python’s fire fight had escalated even further. It was like two flaming vortexes colliding with each other on the cavern floor.

Momo took in a deep breath, it was her turn to play her part in their strategy. With both hands holding onto her trident, she cast her gaze onto the cavern’s abundant stalactites. She called on the familiar feeling deep in her gut, the same feeling that she got whenever she was commanding water.

With her new heightened senses, she reached out with her mind. The pit of her stomach rolled gently as she imagined the base of the stalactites breaking off.

The cavern gently rumbled; the shaking could have easily come from the duel between Chaeyoung and the Python but Momo knew that it was of her own doing. Just as she imagined in her mind, the stalactites broke cleanly away from the cave ceiling. The sharp structures floated in midair waiting for her next command.

Momo pointed her trident so that it was facing the Python; the stalactites mirrored her movement, forming a tightly packed area of projectiles. Now they were hovering in the air, suspended by Momo’s powerful will. The sheer number of sharp, jagged rocks appeared daunting as they bobbed in the air.

A few thick drops of sweat dripped down the side of Momo’s face. It was clear evidence of the strain of her demigod ability. She was so engrossed in her concentration that she didn’t notice her trident was slowly vibrating, like a low frequency quake.

Once she deemed that there was enough stalactites in the air, she shifted her focus to maintaining their floating state. It was all up to Jihyo now.

Said Daughter of Apollo was down on one knee as she fixed her aim on the giant slithering mass that was her target. She had the perfect archer’s posture as she held her taut bowstring back. Her toned arms stayed flexing as she waited, giving away how tense her body really was.

Jihyo took in controlled breaths as to not disrupt her arrow’s path. She mumbled a quiet prayer as she waited for her teammates to carry out their part of the plan. Once they were prepared, then she could give the signal.

“Father, please guide my hand... Let this arrow be touched by the Sun and strike true to my enemy.”

Jihyo’s bow and arrow shimmered a few moments after her prayer. A small light appeared, then it grew brighter until the bow developed a yellow outline and the arrow was imbued with light from the Sun itself. Visible properties of electricity and light mingled and crackled as it surrounded the arrow. Jihyo felt a sense of calm wash over her the same time the glow traveled to her body.

Apollo’s Blessing.

Jihyo’s weapon was now a light in the dark cavern, literally. She signaled Momo as best she could—it was time.

Momo nodded when she saw Jihyo’s signal, even though the Daughter of Apollo wouldn’t be able to see her position along the cavern wall. She went back to her task at hand, still holding up the rock constructs. She spun her golden trident in place, using its reflection in the blinding light to flash Chaeyoung the signal. She grinned in relief when the fire fight below her suddenly roared to a new intense level of heat.

Chaeyoung saw Jihyo’s glow in the corner of her eye. Who wouldn’t? It was almost as if the Sun itself had peeked into the dark cave. Then she saw a flash of Momo’s golden trident.

That was the signal.

Now all she had to do was kickstart the final part of their plan. You could almost say that she was the ignition of the end.

Chaeyoung almost let out a snort at that awful pun. It quickly morphed into a grin as she amped up her flame’s output.

Time to bring this show to an end!

Beads of sweat rolled down her face before quickly evaporating with a steaming hiss. That’s how hot it was. Her orange and red flames burned brighter and brighter. The Python screeched as its own vile fire was pushed back. Chaeyoung’s flame flared out, almost reaching the serpent’s head.

Chaeyoung groaned out slowly, her fingers flexed as she focused on drawing out the heat from the pit of her stomach, then up her lungs, and out through the palms of her hands.

The glowing outline of Hephaestus’s Blessing flashed.

Her flames transitioned in color as it got hotter and hotter. From red and orange, the fire transformed into a bright intense yellow, before morphing into an icy blue. The fire flared again as it exploded into a vibrant green.

Greek fire.

The most dangerous type of fire in the world. It was even capable of burning underwater; even Poseidon decorated his underwater palace with braziers full of Greek fire.

Everyone present was stunned at the sudden development, especially the fire-bearer.

Chaeyoung felt an indescribable force rush through her. It felt like pure liquid fire was coursing through her veins. Her flame flared out again as it grew considerably in size and reach.

The Python was simply overwhelmed by the demigod’s advances. It hissed in pain as its protective scale armor burned away, layer by layer. The serpent edged backwards, trying to retreat from a faceful of green flame and heat.

Momo watched as the Python was forced back… right under her waiting mass of projectiles. This was the perfect time to drop.

Now!

She swung her trident in a downwards arc. The multitude of sharp stalactites shifted simultaneously, all of them hurtled towards the massive body of the Python like they were drawn to a magnet.

Some missed but the majority of the assembled projectiles hit the target. The ones that hit were able to pierce what remained of the serpent’s burnt scaly armor-like skin, pinning the monster’s body in a zigzag manner. The Python roared an ugly and angry cry as most of its body was pinned to the ground—only the upper portion of its neck and head was free to move.

At this point, several things happened in three major sequences.

One

Chaeyoung halted her fiery advance as the stalactites dropped, the fire quickly dissipating into hot fumes. As the Python was getting pinned down, Momo leapt from her platform on the cavern wall, an aerial attack clear in her mind. With gravity at her back, she free-fell down with great speed. Both of her hands tightly gripped onto the metal shaft of her trident, the prongs faced downwards, gathering speed and momentum in hopes of a powerful direct hit.

Two

Momo’s trident made contact with the base of the Python’s neck with a sickening squelch and once again became embedded in the serpent’s flesh. The force behind the aerial attack brought the serpent’s head down roughly with a slam. It bowed its head low enough to touch the ground.

Chaeyoung had ran towards them the same time Momo was in midair. When the serpent was within reach, she jumped up, propelling herself with a jet of flame from the bottom of her feet. With the fanged short sword from earlier in their journey equipped, Chaeyoung swiped the blade in a horizontal slash and inflicted a direct hit on the Python’s left eye. Blood squirted out from the deep cut, corroding the ground as soon as it touched it. The fanged blade had a greenish-golden luster as traces of monster blood remained but the acidic blood had no effect on the material.

Three

Jihyo breathed in… and breathed out…

The Python reared back its head, or attempted to in its confines of rock and metal. Heavy damage had been inflicted upon the monstrous serpent, small waterfalls of golden ichor splashed down its head and neck.

in… and out…

On her last exhale, Jihyo finally released the arrow of electric light. It shot through the air with such a high speed, one could mistake it for an energy blast. As it soared, there was a heavy hum of energy. Then in the next instant, a thundering clap shook the cavern as the bolt of pure light made direct contact with the center of the Python’s head. A horrible screech rang out as bright white and yellow light flooded the cavern.