Percy Jackson and the Avengers

Chapter 76

POV: Natasha

          This was a terrible idea. They had no idea what they were charging into, no one but Nico and Percy were armed with anything effective against monsters and they didn't know where they were going. The air grew hotter and hotter as they crept down the tunnels. Percy had pulled out a glowing bronze sword, and he was using it to light the way.

          "We're near the borders of Tartarus. That's why I couldn't feel her after the battle. She was too close to the Underworld." Nico muttered. Percy and Nico both seemed unusually tense, unlike when she'd seen them fight each other. Then they seemed relaxed, or fierce but never afraid. This place; Tartarus, was something else.

         She walked behind them silently, taking in the details of the situation.

          They were walking through a huge underground cavern, lit with strange green torches every few yards. They were constantly walking on a downhill slant, winding around the outside rim of the cavern. She peeked over the edge, the ground five stories below them, and she caught a glimpse of something. She couldn't see what it was though. The edges of the huge creature was blurred and the rest of it hidden in the shadows. Nico stopped, even as Percy scouted forward. The dark haired boy turned to face them, dark eyes glittering.

          "Ok, I'm going remove the Mist from your eyes; so you'll see the monsters. But remember, you cannot interfere. You aren't armed for this, and they'll kill you. Just help us get Annabeth and get out. Even clear sighted, you're mortals, so with Percy and I here they should ignore you." Nico whispered. Natasha nodded, and so did the other Avengers. Tony even looked a bit excited by the idea that he would get to see what the world really looked like. Steve seemed uncomfortable with leaving the two teens to do all the fighting. Nico snapped his fingers, the sound echoing slightly.

          *"κοίτα και δες." He breathed. A ripple of something moved outwards from each of the Avengers, and she felt like someone had cleared cobwebs from her eyes. The cavern looked mostly the same, but was now tinted a slightly red color and the air tasted a little more acidic. She peeked over the edge of the trail again.

          This time Kampê's body was thrown into grotesquely clear relief. Kampê was huge, a woman's body poorly grafted to a black dragon, white stripes running down her back. Her skin was scaly, as though the dragon was trying to take over. The point where the two halves met bubbled and melted like acid was poured over her skin, different animal heads mutating out, as though trying the escape the monster they were apart of. Natasha could see massive wings, folded against the monster's back. Snakes hissed and writhed on top her head, her hair terrifying and venomous salon nightmare. A huge snake was lashing from side to side, a living, deadly tail constantly on alert, watching it's surroundings.

            This monster would be very difficult to get past, let alone fight. Natasha knew with her all her deeply ingrained self preservation instincts that fighting that thing was a one way ticket to the nearest cemetery. Tony's eyes widened and he bit out several swear words. Natasha smacked the billionaire for being so noisy.

             She scanned the area, looking for where a prisoner might be held. Clint nudged her in the side and pointed out a tunnel at the other side of the cavern. She nodded. She edged back and whispered to the rest.

             "There is a tunnel leading away from this central room. That probably leads to the prisoners." Percy glanced over the edge, his swirling eyes finding the tunnel quickly. He turned back and nodded.

               "Ok. Thor and I will distract Kampê. Nico, you take everyone else down that tunnel and find Annabeth. If there are other prisoners, release them. As soon as you find her, you shadow travel everyone you can to the surface. Take multiple trips if you have too." The others nodded in agreement. Natasha was confused. Shadow traveling? But there was no time to argue as they began to make their way down the trail at a much quicker pace than before, a renewed sense of purpose filling their every step.

Translation:

*look and see