Chapter 41 No parents?
She nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to Olympus-the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility cap if what I've heard is true…"
"I'd imagine." Jakob said.
"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadows or pass through walls. He can't be touched, seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do think all rational creatures fear the dark?"
"But then… how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Andromeda asked.
Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks.
"We don't," Grover said.
"Stop being paranoid." Jakob rolled his eyes. "He probably has better things to do than waste time stalking us. He has a domain to govern and the dead to keep in control."
They got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady, along with her dog and, weirdly, her pet rattlesnake.
The dog was a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar, while the rattlesnake was an ordinary snake, but with intelligent, cold eyes. Andromeda figured the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua, but didn't know about the snake.
"No parents?" the fat lady asked them.
She had beady eyes: pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.
"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights."
"Oh, the poor darlings."
The Chihuahua growled, while the rattlesnake hissed. The woman said, "Now, now sonny, Lamie. Behave." Both animals had beady eyes like their owner, intelligent and vicious."
"Sonny and Lamie. Are those their names?" Andromeda asked, wondering what kind of names those were for a dog and a snake?
"The snake is called Lamie, but no, the dog has no name," the lady told him. She smiled, like that cleared everything up. Jakob frowned, his instincts and danger senses rising and he knew... this woman was no human.
At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded Jakob of a long tube with decent carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was unnerving to Andromeda, while Jakob let out a low whistle.
Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor. She probably could've stayed there for hours, but luckily the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.
Andromeda literally dragged Jakob, Grover and Annnabeth towards the exit, loaded the latter two into the elevator, she and Jakob were about to get in but two other tourists were already there, so there was no room.
The park ranger said, "Next car, kids."
"We'll get out," Annabeth said. "We'll wait with you."
But that would just mess everybody up and take even more time, so Andromeda said, "Naw, it's okay. We'll see you guys at the bottom."
Jakob grunted. If there was monsters in their midst, then he and Andromeda would have to take them on. He just hoped his training did not go to waste with her. "We'll be fine." He said to ease their worries.
Grover and Annabeth looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.
Now the only people left on the observation deck were them, a little boy and his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her pets.
Andromeda smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.
Wait a minute.
She had a forked tongue?
Jakob sighed. "Knew it. Alright, let's get this over with." He reached behind him and drew the Leviathan Axe, startling the mortals. They probably thought he had a shotgun or something.
Before they both knew it, the Chihuahua jumped and started yapping at both demigods.
"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."
Lamie the snake started hissing loudly.
"Ready yourself, Andie." Jakob said seriously.
"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"
His parents pulled him back.
The dog bared its teeth at the demigods, foam dripping from his black lips. The rattlesnake hissed in unison.
"Well, son," the lady sighed. "If you insist."
"Urm, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" Andromeda asked nervously, hoping she didn't just hear that as she gripped her capped pen.
"Chimera, dear," the lady corrected the boy. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make. Along with me is the great Lamia."
Jakob raised his eyebrows. "So we got the mother of all bitches, her personal bitch, and another damned snake," he said, sneering. "Great, just great."
"Watch your mouth, brat," the fat lady, the newly revealed Echidna, hissed.
"Make me," he responded back, glaring.
"I'm going to enjoy popping your little head."
"Bitch, you're not the first to say that, and you sure as Hel aren't going to be the last."
The fat lady hissed and screeched, looking red in the face.
The monster woman rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that her skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, they could see her fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.
The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.
The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back towards the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood paralyzed, gaping at the monster.
Lamia the snake started to grow. She too grew to the size of a lion, then continued growing. As she grew, her features changed. She started to develop human-like features. Long hands grew from her sides, along with a swell from her stomach, growing into a woman's bust. Her face stretched, turning from a scaly monster into a beautiful woman. Like the Echidna, she had green scales growing from parts of her body. Her fangs were evident in her mouth. Her hair was a light shade of brown. Somehow, she had a bra where her bust was held, along with several pieces of jewellery on her arms and neck.
Want to read 20+ chapters ahead from here or just want to support take a visit on my patreon.
Link ---> patreon.com/V22