"Hydra! It's the Hydra!" someone shouted from the crowd, stunned by the sudden appearance of the beast.
Morpheus was equally shocked. He knew the Hydra... sometimes called the Lernaean Hydra... a nine-headed serpent, offspring of Typhon, the Father of Monsters, and Echidna, the Mother of Monsters. Its bloodline alone was terrifying.
Its venomous fangs carried a poison so potent that no cure existed once it invaded the body.
In legend, Heracles slew the Hydra, coating his arrows with its venom, which later wounded his teacher Chiron. Tormented by the poison, Chiron relinquished his immortality, dying and becoming the constellation Sagittarius.
These were tales, of course. The Hydra's story belonged to Heracles's Twelve Labors. Its sudden appearance baffled Morpheus.
The Argo's journey never mentioned a Hydra. Why was it here? It was supposed to dwell in swamps, not the open sea!
Was this FGO's plotline? So wild?
Before Morpheus could unravel his confusion, battle erupted. Heracles swung his weapon, striking a descending snake head. His immense strength exploded the head, splattering blood across the deck and into the sea, staining it red.
But before the heroes could cheer, a new head sprouted from the wound... small at first, then growing rapidly, matching the original in size within moments.
The crew gasped at the Hydra's exaggerated regeneration.
"Damn it, we're at sea! We can't fight it freely!" someone yelled, a sentiment many shared. Even Heracles, mighty as he was, faced death battling this serpent in water.
Atalanta notched an arrow, aiming at a head. Her shot pierced it precisely, causing the head to slump lifelessly.
Yet, the arrow was expelled, falling into the sea. The head regained consciousness, its wound healing as if never struck.
"It's no use! Blocking the wound doesn't work... it pushes everything out!" Atalanta shouted, nocking another arrow. Though less effective, her attacks could disrupt the Hydra, protecting the ship.
The crew grabbed bows and arrows, launching a ranged assault to shield the vessel. A damaged ship would strand them in the endless sea.
Morpheus, observing, whispered to Medea, "Try burning the Hydra's wounds with fire."
"Burn them?" Medea asked, curious but unquestioning. She gathered mana, intricate magical patterns forming around her, creating a small but refined bounded field enveloping her.
Raising her hand, a fireball materialized above, compressed to a fraction of its size, its temperature surging.
She launched it as a snake head, broken by Heracles's club, sprayed blood and brains. The fireball struck, exploding. Sizzling heat seared the moist wound, filling the air with the scent of charred flesh.
The scorched area couldn't regenerate; the head was dead, its body collapsing into the sea, splashing water.
The crew erupted in joy.
"It worked!"
"Fire stops the healing!"
Roaring, the heroes redoubled their efforts. Though at sea, knowing the Hydra could be harmed erased their fear. With divine bloodlines, they attacked fiercely.
Medea coordinated, targeting shattered heads with fireballs, each blast killing a head, preventing regeneration.
Four heads on each side... eight total... fell, leaving only the central head.
But when attacks struck it, something eerie happened. It took damage but never shattered, as if an unbreakable whole, its wounds healing instantly.
"Immortality!" Morpheus muttered. "That head's immortal. No attack will work unless its immortality is erased at the source."
"Immortality? How do we fight that?" Heracles growled, turning to Morpheus. "On land, I'd sever it and bury it under something to stop it forever, but we're at sea!"
"It's keeping its distance, spitting venom for ranged attacks, giving us no chance!" Atalanta added, looking to Morpheus for aid.
Morpheus softly told Medea, "Pull it in."
Her magic shifted, mana forming ropes that shot out, binding the Hydra's head.
Heracles grabbed the ropes, his immense strength dragging the serpent toward the ship... or perhaps the ship toward it... as the distance closed.
As the head neared, the crew struck together. Blades flashed, severing the head at its base. The Hydra's body sank into the sea, while Heracles held the roaring head.
Though its body was dead, the head lived, struggling.
Without hesitation, Medea's ropes bound its mouth, tying a butterfly knot for good measure.
The sturdy mana ropes were an inescapable seal. Unable to move its mouth, the head lost its chance to fight.
"Nice work, Heracles!" Jason appeared from nowhere, patting the head. "Everyone was amazing! Under my leadership, we defeated the Hydra... a grand feat!"
Many rolled their eyes. He'd been absent, only to claim credit now.
As the crew relaxed, the calmed sea churned again. Nine massive heads broke the surface!
Another Hydra, identical to the first!
Everyone froze. The Hydra was unique... there shouldn't be multiples!
Did the corpse in the sea not die, sprouting new heads?
As confusion gripped them, the sea roiled further.
Two more colossal beasts emerged... two more Hydras!
Now, three Hydras surrounded them!
Screeches filled the air as harpies... bird-women with human torsos... swarmed like clouds, blotting out the sky!
A dragon's roar echoed. A hundred-headed dragon appeared above the harpies, its massive form radiating menace!
Even the boldest heroes faltered. Fear spread like death, gripping their hearts!
***
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