Chapter 36 The Lion Part 3
{King of Nemea, Lycurgus POV}
Fear. All I felt was fear.
The air itself felt more aired as the temperature grew the closer the beast took to my kingdom. The forest fires were the first sign of the beast. 'The gods have abandoned us.' I felt all hope was lost for my kingdom, but then the demigods arrived from the END portal located in my kingdom, led by Theseus, king of Athens.
They sought an audience with me and told me that they would be able to deal with the beast. I, of course, was skeptical of the entire plan. Ares, a god, was defeated soundly by the lion and they expect to stand a chance against it. It is plain suicide, but I had no other choice.
{General POV}
The surroundings remained tense encircling the demigods, as they felt each minute they waited, more lives were sacrificed to the beast. The plan had changed throughout the lion's rampage through the lands. The best-case scenario was for the lion to not cross paths with another kingdom. That hope was dashed when news came that the beast was on a straight path to Nemia.
The demigods were hoping to lure the beast away from the city, but no plan survives first contact. This beast was already on the trail towards the kingdom. Even if Hercules could manipulate the wind it was too late. All they could do was manipulate a large body of water towards the beast.
The demigods noticed only when they attacked it would the lion get more powerful so all they could do was remain on the defensive. If they were to hit the beast it would grow in strength.
{Hercules POV}
I tried to employ the help of the gods of the south winds, Notus, and Euros, but they refused to help, too afraid of the lion catching their scent.
'The gods have literally abandoned us at this point. All I can do is rely on myself and the rest of my demigod kin.'
"Theseus, do you realize we have already failed what we set out to do?! The lion is already on the route toward the city." I had many concerns since the plan went awry.
"Do not worry, we can still lure the beast into the trap we set up. The local naiads have agreed to help and support us with their power, so we may still be able to drown the beast. All we need is bait," Theseus said looking at me. He tried to sound confident, but the demigods knew that he was just as distraught as them. Thinking back, Theseus felt his overconfidence again had led to failure just like the one the time his adoptive father, the previous king, killed himself.
"Since I am the strongest, I feel I could lead it to the trap, but I do not think that I can hold it off for long," This is getting dangerous for all of us, as it may very well be our last stand.
[20 minutes later]
Twenty minutes have passed and I now question my life decisions, as I stare at the beast, just thirty meters away. Since no one has attacked it, the beast's size has not increased. That may be my only saving grace.
The only trap we had was a trench we built as soon as the news came that the lion was headed to Nemia. It wasn't the biggest or the greatest, only fourth meters downwards. We used machines devised by the sons of Hephaestus to dig it and hoped the lion would not jump out. There is a chance that I will not make it out of this alive and I would gladly pay it. My home, my people, were destroyed by this beast, and now it is my time for revenge.
"ROOOOAAAAAAARRRR!"
As soon as it noticed me it roared in my direction, probably sniffing out my godly blood. I ran towards the trap with the lion right behind me.
Theseus had asked the local naiads to bless me with water breathing, though only for this day. It only slightly increased my survival. His father, Poseidon, apparently did not want to help a child of Zeus apparently. Even when faced with the fall of Olympus, the gods would still quarrel.
*Swish* *Swish* *Swish*
The lion was fast, incredibly so. I had to dodge countless swipes. I know the trap itself is right across the hill.
I could feel its bristles. That was too close, I almost lost my head.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
I can only hope this works. I jump into the pit and use my aerokinesis to buff the landing, noticing the lion following me. I trust Theseus knows what he is doing, or we're all doomed.
{Theseus POV}
"ROOOAAARRR!"
I hear Hercules in the distance running with the beast behind him underneath my cover. The Naiads, demigods, and I are hidden underneath the earth, trying our best to hide our scent. As soon as I see the beast jump after Hercules into the pit, I command the Naiads to release the water.
The water fills the pit and Hercules tries his best to hold the beast down without hitting the lion. If he were to hit it even once, its strength would increase and we would have no way of fighting it. Using all my strength, I hold the beast down underwater. It struggles to breathe and Hercules is grappling it down as best he could. We do not know how long it can hold its breath so we have to keep it up for longer than we would hope. After discussing with the demigods we decided to take no chances and make sure the beast does not fake its death.
All I hear is it's gurgling and it's trying to come back up. I can feel the water boiling. I not only have to keep the beast down but also cool the water to make sure Hercules survives. This is no easy task as I am already on my knees. I pray to my father to give me strength, hoping that he would listen. The funny thing is that he answered my prayers for once and I could feel a cool tingling sensation spreading from inside my body, rejuvenating and strengthening me.
Minutes pass as I feel the beast finally giving as Hercules opens its maw. The last of its breath releases and the beast stops resisting. Hercules and I keep our positions to ensure the beast is dead.
Hercules takes his sword and jams down the beast's throat. This was not part of the plan, but as blood rises we are assured that it is finally dead.
I was unsure if my plan would work and we would all die, but in the end, all I felt was relief and regret, for finally avenging all the fallen men, women, and children, and that no more shall fall to it.
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(Edited by Slammeron00)
AN:
Sorry for taking so long to complete the chapter. I have been very busy at work. With COVID it has affected business and I could not get to this chapter. Everything still has not gotten back to normal, but now I am back to posting chapters.