A little trick I learned with a dead battery and no way to charge it in -20 degree weather parked on the street:

Lay down directly under the front of the hood and look up. You'll need a long screwdriver or a stiff thin rod. The cable mechanism connects to a metal rod with an L-shape bend where it engages the bullet-shaped latch on the hood. Look up and towards the inside of the fender to find it. It's a goldish cad-plated rod. What you're trying to do is to get your screwdriver behind that rod and pull out, away from the fender, and it will disengage from the hood latch. It won't damage anything and is easy to do in a pinch.