Chapter 10

                                    

                                          
When I woke up the first thing I saw was a really freaky old woman. She had bat like wings that were each about the size of her. She reminded me of kreature from the Harry Potter books. I rolled down the other side of the rock and rolled with two knives out. Dozens of dracaene surrounded us. Where the hades was Percy? I set to work. 
                          
"First one to 100 wins!" I yelled. Then I killed to monsters.
                          
"I'm game!" Ethan sliced the head off a snake lady.
                          
Needless to say I won. By a lot. I was hardly winded. I spun towards the late arrival. Just my luck. I finish off most of the baddies and get stuck with one 10 times worse. In front of me stood the Cychreides. It's scales were all different shades of blue and green. Each scale had been carefully overlapped.
                          
If you didn't know Cychreides was a dragon who was raised by Cycrues. When Cycrues became king his dragon went on a rampage until eventually it was killed. Now it doesn't seem that hard to kill a dragon until you have to. There is only one weak spot in a dragons steal like skin; right next to their heart. Because of this dragons won't let you get close enough to hit it and typically stay low to the ground. So I did the smart thing of pissing it off enough that I could get it to open up a big enough gap for me. 
                          
I started throwing the celestial bronze knives first because they were easier to see. "HEY RAT BREATH! YOU COULDN'T KILL A MOUSE!"
                          
He roared I continued "I WOULD TELL A JOKE ABOUT YOUR FAMILY BUT YOU DON'T HAVE ONE!"
                          
This time he snapped at me. Good. I got into a tree and began again. "MAN TO YOU NEED TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH! THE MINOTAUR JUST COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SMELL!" He jumped up the tree and I jumped onto him. I slide down to his heart and stabbed deep into his skin piercing his heart.
                          
I would not recommend throwing yourself on a dragon to kill it if 
•you don't like heights 
•you don't want a dragon to use it's last strength to propel you and it's self 50 feet in the air
•you don't like the feeling of free falling to your death
•using a dragon skin as a slide before it dissolves.
                          
In other words I thought it was awesome. In the middle of the sand was a spoil of war. Picking it up it felt light as a feather. In the center was a bone but around it was multi-colored stygian iron and it held the shape of a xiphos. The blade seemed to shift color in the light. The immense heat of the dragon must have given it a multi-colored effect. The grip was bone as well but it was wrapped in multi colored leather. In the tree an identical sword stuck out.
                          
"Best spoils ever. Look at these!" I tossed one to each of them while I fiddled with my belt. I figured out a way to attach the two swords to my back in an x and still have it attached to the belt. There were to straps from the back to an x across my stomach to keep the swords in place. Percy watched me work. He had come in just in time to do nothing. After I finished and we all ate we began to leave. I had a long day ahead and it was only 5:30.
                          
***
                          
"Lexi guess what it is right now!"
                          
"What?" I was in no mood for small talk unless it was with Delta.
                          
"You're supposed to guess!" Percy whined next to me.
                          
I glanced at my watch. 6:43am June 28th. "It's my birthday." I sighed.
                          
"Wait it's your birthday? And you didn't tell us?" Travis feigned disappointment.
                          
I could kick him off his horse if you'd like.
                          
"As much as I would love that his brother would be upset with me if he fell."
                          
It's still an option.
                          
"Thank you darling. Here's a question, how are we going to get out of the underworld. In will be easy for me. Out not so much."
                          
"We could find blue pearls. It's what I used my first quest," suggested Percy.
                          
"Not happening," I replied. I was more likely to tell Percy Annabeth was cheating on him than go back there.
                          
"Why not? It's the best plan we have."
                          
"Because I know where they are and-"
                          
"If you know where they are then why don't we go there? We need the pearls so why won't you go get them?" Percy was starting to get on my nerves
                          
"Because, Percy, I swore to myself that I would never go back there!" I spurred Delta gently and she fell into the clouds making sure nobody could come looking for us.