Callie Jackson; The Return

Chapter XVI

                               Callie's POV

  I sat there and bawled until it felt as though I had no tears left. Being in Tartarus I thought this was impossible, but I felt as though I was being watched. But what would watch me and not attack? I slowly got up, wiped my puffy eyes, and started walking towards what I thought was north, because that's the way Percy told me we went last time. Still thinking something was following me, I slowly turned in circles, looking up. I looked back straight so I could continue walking, but a strange scene was unveiling in front of me. It wouldn't have been strange in the mortal world, but this was Tartarus. Old ladies with ground sniffing chihuahuas did not belong in here. Unless she was a really mean grandma. Maybe she didn't have candy for the grandkids, but I didn't know what grandparents were supposed to do. My mortal ones were dead, and Kronos and Rhea weren't the best, trust me. When your grandfather tries to kill your brother, it's not a sign that you're his favorite. Then I noticed something peculiar when the dog looked up. The dogs eyes were pure gold, yet not like Hazel's. Hazel's were beautiful, these – these were horrifying. No pupils or white around them, they shined bright even in the murky dark, glowing. The older woman then looked up, and she had the same glowing eyes. Not the regular grandma. She then made eye contact with me, and I felt as though the golden eyes were burning through my, trying to read the secrets of my soul. (Man she's deep)
  "What are you doing here pumpkin?" She said in a shrill, kind voice.
  "I would like to ask the same to you." I snorted. What was I doing? This was just a normal old lady! Blah. My mind needs to realize that we are in TARTARUS. Monsters lurk around every corner, and they use disguises. They're shape shifters. It's their pleasure and goal to make you think they're innocent before they bite your head off.
"Smarter than I thought, you Poseidon scum." She growled. Who was this woman? "Now tell me why you're here or I'll go ahead and rip you insides out now."
"Never." I snapped back. Her dog howled, and she said to it
"Ah Fluffy, go if you want to." She soothed it. The dog started running around in circles, like a normal dog, but, of course my luck, it got weirder. He moved up to two legs, then one, until he was in a full on ballerina spin. Then suddenly, it was the size of a fully grown mutated lion, and it was pinning my ankle to the ground. It actually had only the head of a lion, the massive body of a goat, the whipping tail of a serpent, and a goat's head on its bottom. It's claws were sinking into my flesh. I took my knife and shoved it into his paw, which made it release. I scurried up.
"Just as stupid as your brother. Don't you see it? I'm Echidna, mother of monsters."
"My brother wasn't stupid. He killed you, didn't he?" I snarled back at her. The started spinning too, and she turned into a snake woman. I sliced at her but she dodged. Ok. Think. How do you defeat a snake woman and her mutant pet thing? I thought back to the time I had this conversation with Percy. He said something about the St. Louis arch and the Mississippi River. I could maybe pull some water out of my body, but I was exhausted. I looked up.
"What are you going to do, ocean scum?" She cackled. I pulled the water out of my chest.
"Stop calling me scum!" I yelled and threw the water in her eyes. I then sliced at her stomach. I hot poured out. I then focused on the Chimera. It snapped at me, so I swung at it. I got a good uppercut and then a stab into its front leg. It stumbled, but I had only made it mad. It snapped at me once again, and I started running. It pinned me in a corner, then pounced. I ducked just in time, but I fell down. It pinned me down by my shoulders, then bit my left one. I felt the skin being ripped away from the rest, and the blood already soaking my arm. I tried to think. I couldn't get my knife up to harm it, so I was defenseless with my hands. What could I do? But then I realized; my feet were just lying on the floor. I pulled my foot up and fast and hard as I possibly could into his groin. He howled in agony, and loosened his grip. I threw my hurt shoulder up to grab my knife, and stabbed it into his stomach.
  "No!" Screamed Echidna. "My baby!" That thing was her child? Yikes. She slithered over behind me as I looked over my fallen victim, and a sword cut down my outer thigh. Blood was already soaking the side of my shorts. I knew she was furious. I turned around on my good leg, and pulled my knife up shakily. I had to distract her one more time. I closed my eyes.
  "Idiot girl!" She screamed, but didn't react. I didn't know what to do. Maybe I could access one of my blessings. Sweat was dripping from my brow, and suddenly, Echidna screeched. I opened my eyes, still concentrating. She was floating about 6 inches above the ground. Sweat was now running down my nose, and it took all my strength to hobble over to her. She shoved me. I stumbled, yet stayed on my feet, and gave her a shaky kick in the stomach. I lost concentration and she plummeted to the floor. I threw my knife down, blade first, at her neck. It impaled her. She pulled it out, then laughed at me.
  "That won't help you any. I'll come back here. This is where ALL monsters are. Your brother thinks he's helping by killing monsters, he's helping alright. Helping them kill you, you idiot girl.
  "I told you to stop calling me an idiot!" I screamed. I bent down and stabbed her in the stomach, then she exploded into dust. I crumbled into a broken heap on the ground and lied there, alone, thinking. The blood was still steadily oozing from my thigh and shoulder. I took a piece of cloth from the hem off my shirt and ripped a chunk off. I held it to my shoulder and my thigh alternatively, wringing the blood out every time I moved it. I finally gave up. I lie there, thinking about Percy and Noah. I wonder how much they miss me. Or how they're getting along in the real world.
'I'm coming. I might be dead when I get there, but I'm coming.' I thought, wishing they could hear me.