Chapter 145: Attracting Monsters

[Third Person's PoV] 

Lucian and the others were in the SUV, with Argus behind the wheel, driving them through the rain-soaked streets. Lucian, holding a handful of cards, looked over at Percy. "Got any threes?" he asked.

"Go fish," Percy replied, glancing at her own cards.

Lucian clicked his tongue in annoyance and reached for another card, but the SUV suddenly came to a halt. Argus looked back at them. "This is as far as I'm allowed to take you," he said.

They all nodded, gathering their belongings before hopping out of the SUV. The group found themselves in Manhattan, standing at a bus stop in the middle of a downpour.

Lucian glanced around, then burst into laughter. "Oh boy, Percy, you're famous!" he teased.

Curious, the others followed his gaze and spotted a newspaper in a nearby mailbox. The headline read, "Have you seen this boy?" accompanied by a picture of Percy Jackson.

Percy grumbled, "Yeah, I saw something like that yesterday in the newspaper they delivered at camp."

Before anyone could comment further, Percy's attention drifted to the distance. Just as Grover was about to speak, the ground beneath them began to tremble.

"Please tell me that was just lightning," Percy said, his expression tense.

A loud roar echoed through the city, causing Percy to slump his shoulders. "Of course..."

Lucian, unfazed, shrugged. "It's only natural we get attacked. We've got three children of the Big Three huddled together—we're like a three-course meal served on a golden platter."

In front of them, an enormous claw emerged from the side of a tall building, followed by another. The claws pushed against the structure, revealing the massive head of a dragon-like creature slowly emerging. It reared back, its serpent-like body unfurling as it let out a deafening roar, shaking the surrounding area. As it finished, the creature sniffed the air, then turned its head toward them, its pupils dilating as it locked onto them. A long, forked tongue flicked out, licking its lips hungrily.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Percy exclaimed, stepping back in shock.

"A Drakon," Lucian, Annabeth, and Thalia answered in unison, grinning with battle-hungry excitement.

Just then, three more Drakons slithered up the sides of nearby buildings, responding to the first Drakon's call with their own thunderous roars.

Lucian summoned his scythe, spinning it in the rain, while Thalia called forth her spear and shield, dropping into a martial arts stance. Annabeth flexed her back, causing her silver wings to unfurl as she raised her fists, ready for battle.

"Look at that," Lucian said with a smirk, "a Drakon for each of us. Annabeth, Thalia, and I will handle one. Percy, you and Clarisse take the other."

Clarisse whipped out her spear, while Percy extended his hand, causing his tattoo to glow as he summoned his trident. 

Lucian was the first to move, launching himself off the ground with such force that the pavement beneath him cracked. His glowing red eyes locked onto the Drakon as he shot forward like a bullet, hungry for battle. The others weren't far behind—Thalia transformed into a streak of lightning, and Annabeth's wings flapped powerfully as she charged ahead. Clarisse let out a fierce battle cry, sprinting toward her target with Percy following closely, his expression serious and focused.

As Lucian closed in on the Drakon, he swung his scythe down in a vicious arc. The Drakon reacted quickly, raising a massive claw to meet the blow. Sparks flew as metal met claw, the impact reverberating through the night. 

From Lucian's back, four shadow-like tentacles emerged, writhing and twisting as they propelled him around the Drakon with uncanny speed. The Drakon followed his movements, its nostrils flaring as it sensed what was coming. It opened its mouth wide, preparing to unleash a torrent of fire.

But Lucian was ready. His foresight kicked in, and with a flick of his shadow tentacles, he wrapped them tightly around the Drakon's snout, forcing its jaws shut. With a swift motion, Lucian pulled himself closer, scythe raised to strike its vulnerable forehead.

Just as he was about to land the blow, the Drakon thrashed its head violently, flinging Lucian off with a force that would have shattered a lesser warrior. Lucian used the momentum to his advantage, curling into a ball mid-air before unfurling to reveal two large, devil-like wings sprouting from his back. 

He swooped down towards the Drakon, which had now reared up to its full, terrifying height. Lucian's scythe sang through the air as he swung it repeatedly, each strike clashing with the Drakon's claws. The relentless assault began to take its toll—the Drakon's claws chipped and cracked under the onslaught.

Sensing danger, the Drakon spun around, lashing its massive tail at Lucian. But he had already foreseen this move. Channeling his shadow magic into the scythe, Lucian swung with all his might, enhancing the blade's cutting power. The scythe sliced cleanly through the Drakon's toughened scales, severing its tail in a spray of dark blood.

The Drakon roared in agony, its tail writhing uselessly on the ground. In a last-ditch effort, it opened its mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of flames. But Lucian was prepared. He transformed his scythe into a chained scythe and began spinning it rapidly, using his magnetism to guide its path. The spinning blade sliced through the flames, splitting the inferno in two as it flew towards the Drakon's neck.

The chain wrapped around the Drakon's thick neck like a noose, tightening with every pull Lucian made. The Drakon roared, the sound turning into a choking gurgle as the chain scythe dug deeper into its flesh. Lucian flew onto the Drakon's snout, gripping the chain tightly as the beast thrashed violently, trying to dislodge him. It clawed at its own neck, desperate to remove the chain, but Lucian only pulled harder, forcing its tongue to loll out as the flames in its throat grew hotter, unable to escape.

Lucian's expression twisted into a sinister grin, his eyes turning pitch black with only the bloody red pupils glowing in the darkness. The Drakon froze under his gaze, its struggles growing weaker as the chain continued to saw through its scales. Blood sprayed like a broken pipe, drenching the battlefield in a crimson rain. 

With one final, powerful pull, Lucian severed the Drakon's head clean off. The massive head tumbled from the building, crashing to the ground below with a sickening thud. Lucian flew off the Drakon's snout, his wings spreading wide as he hovered above the defeated beast.

With the Drakon's body lifeless, Lucian landed beside the corpse, his scythe still dripping with blood. Before the Drakon began to dissolve into dust, Lucian moved quickly, desecrating its corpse with practiced efficiency, extracting anything of value before it disappeared completely. 

"Watching you suffer was fun…" Lucian muttered to the vanishing remains, a smirk playing on his lips. "I might be a sadist."

"Now then Arise…" Lucian muttered as the defeated beast shadow swam towards his own. 

Lucian turned his attention toward the others, watching as they dealt with their own Drakons. High above, Thalia hovered in the stormy sky, her eyes glowing with the same blue energy that crackled through the rain-soaked clouds. The Drakon below roared up at her in fury, its massive body writhing as it tried to reach her. 

Thalia's spear began to grow in size, the air around it crackling with electricity. Lightning bolts from the storm gathered around the spear, drawn to it like moths to a flame. With a confident smirk, Thalia cocked her arm back, her eyes narrowing as she focused on her target. The lightning surrounding her spear intensified, creating a blinding glow. 

She threw the spear with all her might, sending it hurtling through the air like a thunderbolt. It sliced through the storm, leaving a trail of lightning in its wake. The spear struck the Drakon's forehead with a deafening crack, the force of the impact causing the creature's head to explode in a burst of energy. Bits of scales, bone, and flesh were sent flying in all directions, the remains of the Drakon's head raining down around its now-lifeless body.

Meanwhile, Annabeth was locked in her own fierce battle, darting through the air as she narrowly dodged the streams of venomous acid being spat at her by another Drakon. She moved with precision, each movement calculated to keep her just out of reach of the monster's deadly attacks. As she closed in, the Drakon lashed out with its claws, but Annabeth was too quick. She twisted her body, slipping past the strike and flying straight toward the creature's face.

In one swift motion, she grabbed hold of one of the Drakon's horn-like eyebrows, using it as leverage to position herself directly above its eye. With her fist clenched tightly, she channeled all of her remaining strength into a single punch. Her fist connected with the Drakon's eye, driving through the tough exterior and plunging deep into the soft tissue beneath. The Drakon let out a horrifying scream, its body convulsing as it thrashed about in agony.

But Annabeth didn't let go. With a grim expression, she yanked her fist back, pulling the eye out of its socket with a wet squelch. Attached to the eye was a long, sinewy nerve that still connected to a chunk of the Drakon's brain. The sudden loss of its eye and the damage to its brain left the Drakon effectively brain-dead. Its massive body collapsed to the ground, sending tremors through the earth as it hit.

Annabeth landed beside the fallen Drakon, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. The effort had taken a lot out of her, the sheer exertion evident in the way she heaved for air. But despite her exhaustion, she remained vigilant, her eyes scanning the battlefield for any further threats. 

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