The Venom Victim

Hey guys! Today I have a little story I wrote for school years ago when I was learning about Greek mythology. Enjoy!

My men and I were in grave peril. How was I to know there was a monstrous snake the size of a mountain around the corner? The storm had broken the mast of our ship and we had landed on what seemed like a deserted island. I sent ten of my men to find a tree to replace the broken mast, but they came running back, screaming hysterically. I knew then that the island was not deserted and I prayed to Zeus for our victory.

“What happened?” I asked.

“There is a great, one-eyed snake at the mouth of a cave over yonder! He hisses and calls for his meal and he would have had us if we had not struck him in the mouth with our log,” they explained.

I pondered the problem. Suddenly, Athene the goddess appeared before my eyes and said, “Take comfort Odysseus. The snake will be given into your hands.”

I gathered my men and we went straight to the cave at which the snake dwelled. Oh it was a terrible sight. Its blood red scales covered its body, and its hideous head stared at us with one, unblinking eye. My men cried in fear and covered their heads with their hands. I did not cower because of the courage the goddess Athene gave me.

I unsheathed my sword, and grasping it tight, I ran at the snake. The evil reptile tried to stab at me with a blood red fang dripping with venom, but I swayed to the side and the fang was buried instead, deep into the earth. I took my sword and stabbed the head burying it deep into its flesh. The snake cried with pain, but still it managed to rip its fang out of the ground, which had grown a bubbling puddle with the venom it held. With a last effort I stabbed at the snake’s other eye and it screamed a scream never heard before. I fell to the ground to cover my ears from the sound so deafening. When I had recovered, the snake had shriveled into nothing but dried skin.

What a terrible day that had been! I often refer to it as the Venom Victim.