Another thing that wasn't sitting well with me was that these two were really good at hiding their true forms—their mana levels had appeared to be average for a human and a dog until I'd taken that closer look right about now.
That proactive approach I'd taken might've just saved the lives of everyone in this elevator. Still, though. Neither Echidna nor the Chimera made a move to attack me yet- they probably wanted to do it on their own terms. Some monsters were just more imaginative than others, I guess.
— - —
~ For thinking in a logical manner, you have gained [+1] to your [INT] stat!
— - —
Really, game? Really? That felt sarcastic. The Chimera growled, drawing me out of my thoughts. The woman said, "Now, now, Sonny. Behave. We're not at the top, yet."
The Chimera had beady eyes like its mother, intelligent and vicious. I'd read somewhere that looking an animal in the eyes was a sign of aggression, so I settled for staring at Echidna, instead, "Sonny. Is that his name?"
"No," Echidna told me, with a kind of snippy tone. "He knows his name; just like you know your name."
Then, she smiled as if that cleared everything up. At the top of the Arch, the observation deck honestly just reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but if there was anything I liked less than confined spaces, it was a confined space six hundred feet in the air. I was ready to go pretty quickly. If possible, I wanted to completely avoid fighting enemies that were leveled this high.
Piper kept talking about how cool things looked from up here, and how her Dad always told her about some of the tribal myths revolving around this place. She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for me, the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes. I steered her toward the exit and loaded her into the elevator. I was about to get in myself when I realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for me. The park ranger said, "Next car, sir."
"I'll get out," Piper said. I could tell she knew something was up, too. My opinion of Piper just rose a couple of notches. "I don't mind waiting with you." No way, Piper. I knew she meant well, but she couldn't compete with these two—plus, I thought about what Aphrodite had said. We'd only hold each other back. I could tell my chances at survival were pretty slim, to start. "Eh, it's okay. I'll see you at the bottom. Get me some fried dough!"
She looked nervous but let the elevator door slide shut. The car disappeared down the ramp. Just me and my monster friends, now.
— - —
Quest Alert!
[SIDE QUEST] {Prove Your Worth!}
[Quest Prompt]: Trapped at the edge of a monster's den, the only way forward is through danger itself. Will you seize this chance to show Olympus your mettle, or become just another meal for Echidna's brood?
[Total Possible Rewards]:
[Variable] boost in reputation!
[+][20,000] [EXP]!
[?]
Please select: [YES/NO]
— - —
This was probably the hardest yet most rewarding quest I'd received to date. I squared my shoulders and clicked yes.
"Let's cut to the chase, then," I said as Riptide appeared in my hands. I turned to look at Echidna, "Echidna."
"Oh, does it feel good to hear my name," She groaned, rolling up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.
"Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood."
So Zeus had allowed this. Go figure. The big bastard was starting to get the sense that he was wrong, and he'd rather be dead than capable of proving him wrong. I let out a small breath, sensing the mana in my surroundings. My manipulation abilities weren't as high as I wanted, but I could still pull things to me and push things away from me, so it was alright. Game on.
"Come, sonny," Echidna said, cooing at the dog. I noticed wisps of mana edge out from her fingertips and onto the dog's fur—she was essentially boosting his power exponentially. The Chimera barked, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar. All the while, Echidna kept pumping more and more power to his collar—she was like his battery pack.
A really fat and fashionably questionable battery pack, but an effective one nonetheless. The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind.
I made a throwing motion with my hand, and [300][MP] drained out of my stores as a chair was flung towards the beast. It weaved underneath it, and the chair went sailing into the wall, crashing loudly. The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing.
I managed to leap aside and dodge the bite, springing off of the beast's broad chest and into the air. It opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me. I easily dodged it, dropping into a roll the moment that I landed. Okay, think, Percy, think. I glanced up at its neck. There was no way I'd be able to land a fatal blow there—it had that gigantic metal collar on.
My [STR] definitely wasn't high enough to cut through something like that. My eyes strayed to the tail. The snake didn't look too friendly to me, either. I had to make sure to stay on the move, though. The Chimera was too fast for me to stand still for more than a few seconds at a time. I took off running towards the Chimera. I vaulted over one of the observation tables and launched a fireball at it.
It weaved under the crimson, baseball-sized flame. Unfortunately for him. I expected that. It smashed into Echidna, causing her to howl in pain as her dress ignited in a swathe of red fire. She put it out with nothing more than a pat and a scowl. I tried not to lose too much hope at the measly damage I'd done—there had to be a way out of here alive.
"It's going to take more than that," Echidna warned. The Chimera roared in agreement and started running towards me again. My legs tensed, and I flipped over it, grabbing the snake-like tail. Unfortunately for me, the tail was much stronger than I'd expected, and a flick from it sent me skidding across the deck.
This was going to be a tough fight to win. According to The Game, Bellerophon had originally killed this overgrown puppy using poison—from the inside out. That meant that the rest of the Chimera's body was probably incredibly durable, but the insides weren't.
Well, I guess I could try his approach, too, in that case. The only problem with that is that approach is that I needed poison, fast. If I had a steady stream, I could superheat it with my powers from Hestia and send a burst of noxious gas deep into his mouth. Where the hell was I going to find poison right now ?
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And so, Percy's elevator ride turned into a full-on boss battle. Echidna and the Chimera aren't just "monster-of-the-week" material—they're living reminders that the Olympians have no problem throwing demigods into the meat grinder just to prove a point.
I wanted this fight to highlight Percy's growth—not just in power, but in strategy. He's no longer the kid who swings Riptide and prays; he's learning to analyze, adapt, and exploit weaknesses. But sometimes, even that might not be enough.
Do you think Percy can pull off a Bellerophon-style victory here, or is he in way over his head? Let me know what strategies you'd try in his place.
And don't forget: if you're enjoying the ride, please leave a review and throw a power stone my way. It keeps me fired up to keep leveling up this story!
If you'd like to support me further, here's my Patreon: patreon.com/ AureliusDBlack (just erase the space before my name)