10 Chapter 10

Alex wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. His dad was dead. Eaten by that monstrous abomination. His dad, who had taken care of him all by himself, made what Alex was today. His dad, who went through humiliation to graduate, simply because people thought of him as a deadbeat who was abandoned by his wife and mother of his child. His dad who, even through all of that, never wavered in his goals of giving Alex a better life.

He was dead. Alex would never see him again. He'd never hear his voice again, never feel his hugs and pats on the back again. He took up cooking precisely for his dad, but he only got the chance to make him one meal. His last ever meal with his dad. Some scrambled eggs that barely took any effort.

If he knew, he would've made a banquet.

"My Sonny is so pretty, isn't he?" Echidna asked Alex. "Have you ever heard of the Chimera, demigod?"

So that's what it was. The Chimera. Alex recalled the time Grover talked about it, saying how it could breathe fire, and its tail was poisonous, but soon, all the memories of his dad came flooding right back in.

Why? Why him? Alex had spent time with so many other mortals, so why wasn't one of them eaten instead of his dad? And his mother… Alex didn't even know who she was, but she ruined his life in a day by just… existing.

Echidna ran her hand across the Chimer's mane. "Now, there's no need to cry. It'll make your flesh salty."

The Chimera lashed out its tail. Alex saw it coming, but he didn't move. He didn't care anymore. So what if he died? His dad was dead too. And with all her power, his mother had done nothing to prevent it. If she was truly a goddess, she would be the one having to ask for forgiveness.

Will you truly give up?

Shut up, Alex thought. The tail struck him near the heart, but once again, the jacket he got from the Nemean Lion stopped the damage, and he simply rolled a few feet.

"What are you doing, Sonny? You can't aim for your brother's pelt!"

After what they did, you choose to lie down and forget?

I don't care, he thought again. Whether he was having an episode of undiagnosed schizophrenia or the voice was coming from somewhere else, Alex really didn't care.

Your father was killed by these savages, and yet, you do nothing.

Alex tightened his knuckles. It doesn't matter, he spoke in his mind, I can't do anything anyway.

Wrong. There is nothing impossible to him who will try.

This time, the Chimera aimed for his legs, but Alex threw himself behind the sofa in time, getting nicked in the left tight instead of being pierced.

Fight, Alexander, for you have the strength to prevail. Survive, for that's what your father would've wanted.

Fine then. If you want a fight, you'll get one.

"Hurry up, Sonny! Mother is hungry."

Alex knew he was outmatched in terms of sheer power, but he had two things to his advantage. He knew the layout of the apartment perfectly, and the Yankees jacket would allow him to ignore at least half of the attacks.

He looked under the sofa and saw the paws of the Chimera approaching him. He had to think, and quickly. The apartment was dark, with the only light coming from the small lamp above the kitchen and the moonlight shining down the windows. Alex felt strong, as strong as he was when he choked the Nemean Lion. He had no idea where these bouts of strength were coming from, but he was going to make the most out of them.

Tensing his legs, Alex kicked the sofa with all of his might. It flew across the room, taking the Chimera along with it until it crashed against the wall of the kitchen, causing utensils and plates to fall to the floor, breaking into pieces.

Echidna stepped to the side, grinning. "If you think that's enough to defeat my son, you're in for a rude awakening, young demigod."

On cue, the sofa was torn apart, and the Chimera leapt towards Alex.

Alex, instead of dodging, waited until the beast's mouth was right in front of him, before delivering a punch to its left eye. It hissed in pain, but the monster refused to stop its attack. A swipe came from the right, but Alex raised his arms to protect his head, having the Chimera shatter its claws when they came into contact with the jacket.

Not stepping back, Alex counterattacked. He raised his right leg, striking the monster with his knee on its lion's snout, making it stumble back. For a split second, golden dust fell from the thing's nose, before quickly reforming.

"With no divine metal like celestial bronze, your chances against my beautiful Sonny are near low, child. It's best if you give up." Echidna said with a hiss, her face no longer with a smirk.

Alex didn't know if it was a bluff, but with celestial bronze or not, he refused to lose.

"I've already killed one of your sons, Echidna, and that one was supposed to be undefeatable." Alex spat back.

Echidna's face contorted with rage."You… kill him, Sonny!"

When Alex saw the Chimera open its mouth wide, he remembered Grover's words again. A wave of scorching fire came from the monster's maw, burning everything it touched. Alex kept himself moving, lest the beast caught him with the jet. When it finally stopped, he had grabbed a kitchen knife from the sink and was running on top of the counter.

Caught defenceless, the Chimera tried to pierce him with its tail again, but Alex was already on top of him, bringing down the knife on its neck. It was a good try, but the blade normally used to cut onions snapped the moment it touched the monster's hide.

The surprise that overtook the young demigod was enough for the Chimera to swing its paw that still had claws. Thanks to his reflexes, Alex dodged most of the attack, saving himself from a hit that would've surely killed him, but one of the claws still slashed him on the left side of his mouth, creating a gash deep enough that showed some of his teeth.

Alex rolled on the ground, dodging yet another tail attack. He was about to make his move when his left leg failed, and he fell to one knee. The world was spinning in his vision, and the shape of the two monsters became blurred.

"Ah, and there it is. Demigods always forget the poison."

Poison? …crap, he forgot about that. If only he'd paid more attention to Grover's talks. But how was Alex supposed to know his friend wasn't just spewing random information about his favourite card game?

"Come one, Sonny, you can have the first bite." Echidna ruffled the monster's mane affectionately. "You put up a nice struggle, child, but the Crooked One has ordered your death."

It became increasingly harder to breathe as the Chimera stepped towards him. Alex wanted to get up, he wanted to fight and survive, but the only thing he could do was try to grasp for air harder and harder. Ultimately, he could make out the image of the beast's mouth opening, its long lines of sharp teeth yearning for his blood.

Alex didn't know what came to him, but he raised his arms to the monster, half in defence, half in wanting to harm it. He wanted it to die, to suffer, to be dragged to the deepest pits of hell.

It began with a crack similar to stone breaking apart, something that couldn't possibly happen on a wooden floor. The monster paused, taken aback. Even Echidna had her mouth wide open.

The crack spread until it circled the Chimera. Then, with another resounding crack, it opened wide. Voices began to leak out, whispering terrible things, like the souls of the damned. A red haze of clouds rose, filling the room with acidic air that seemed to burn the lungs. Arms, long and dark, as if made of shadows, erupted from the pit and began to grab the Chimera.

Echidna took a step back in fear, which Alex noticed. Her son tried to lash out against the shadowy members, but where one was torn apart, another five appeared. It wailed to its mother— whether out of pain or fear, Alex wasn't sure. He was more worried about the fact that he'd opened a hole to somewhere he didn't want to visit.

"Sonny, no!" Echidna cried out, but it was too late. The beast was already too far down the hole, its cries echoing to the top until the pit closed violently, like a predator biting down on its dinner.

The mother of monsters turned to Alex, her yellow reptilian eyes wide in… well, Alex didn't know, his vision was too blurry to make anything except the slowly moving body of Echidna.

"To think…" She began, her tone wavering. "…a measly god spawn like you would be able to create an entrance to Tartarus… tell me, demigod, who is your mother?"

"I d-don't have to tell y-you anything," Alex spat with a bloody smirk, even if the poison caused him the pain of the likes he had never felt before.

He thought she would respond in that sarcastic tone of hers, but Echidna didn't say anything. Alex could barely even hear her breathe. She seemed… focused, and that was definitely not good — for him, that is.

"I shall finish this fast." Even her speech had changed. Echidna, in a split second, grew to twice her size, breaking the poor dining table and the only lamp illuminating the room.

The moment that lamp shattered with a pop, Alex felt his vision come back, and the whole pain that had spread across his body disappeared. Okay, so the dark healed him. Wasn't that a bit too edgy? Even the mother of monsters stopped for a second, carefully observing the boy.

Alex had two seconds, maybe more, before Echidna realized he was moving towards the apartment door.

The moment she noticed, she swung one of her hands that had elongated to sharp claws as Alex surged to his feet. He dropped to the ground with a thud, avoiding it by a hair's breadth, and a cute pot that was on the wall bounced away as he got his hand on the ugly monster to keep those claws where they belonged — away from him.

He followed with a sharp headbutt that rang in his eyes with a slapstick bonk; Ugly's nose spread like a deviled ham, and her eyes drifted together. He wrapped both forearms around her neck and pivoted away from her, twisting the monster sideways into a hangman's throw that sent her tumbling forward, leaving traces of gold… blood?

"Is that a monster's thing as well?"

That little quip almost cost him his life. Echidna's tail, much like her son's, lashed out Alex's way. The smoke from the burning furniture hid the attack, and Alex only saw it when it was inches away from his face.

This was it, he thought, dead because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

He closed his eyes and felt a weird sensation of being pulled sideways. Was this how dying felt like?

"And you've got wings now?! Just who is your mother!"

Huh? Alex opened his eyes again.

From his peripheral, he saw what looked like the ends of two dark grey, feathery wings. He also noticed… that the itch in his back was finally gone!

Ugly didn't allow for any more contemplation. She threw herself, fanged mouth ajaw. Alex wanted to jump over her, but his wings, apparently eager to do something, flapped, sending him flying against the ceiling.

This was going to be hard, wasn't it?