Celestial Flames (Percy Jackson Universe)

The Statue

The thing about being a demigod is you have to expect the unexpected, as corny as that sounds. You have to be thinking ahead, checking around the corner, looking over your shoulder but even that won't prepare you for the surprises only the Fates know of. 

Like... for example... the giant bronze statue of Apollo that just walked over from Long Island Sound during the middle of your afternoon. 

Everyone looked over to see a hundred foot tall bronze statue wading through the waves with a spear fifty foot tall. It made my heart stop for a moment at the size and sheer power that must've been used to make it. 

We had told Chiron and Rachel about Apollo's theory on the Roman emperors. Chiron's face darkened and he told me and Nico to leave to let him think on this. Nico went to go find Will. I went to the archery range to get some stress out. 

Each thunk of the target felt satisfying. A thing that felt right after Will looking at me like that. 

The archery range isn't too far from the beach but far enough that I didn't notice the statue until its waist was above the water. The screams started a second later. I ran for the archery shed and grabbed some actual arrows, not the blunt tipped ones we used for practice. The conch shell echoed across the valley in alarm. 

I ran out and saw the statue raise its foot to smash the dining pavilion. It was stopped when its foot hit a blue beam  of light that hadn't been there before. 

I had never really believed in the magic boundary. It was just something you hear about and never really see but believe anyway like gravity and wind. But now, I was thanking every god out there for that magic. 

Everyone was scattered. Demigods were racing to set up defences and grab weapons. I saw Malcolm setting up a small command centre on the green. Always like my brother to have at least one map on him. Connor and Harley were running back from Cabin Nine with packs that looked like something from the Ghostbusters movie. Sherman had strapped up two pegasi to a chariot with Alice and Julia on the back throwing javelins at the thing's knees. Chiron was firing arrows at the joints and seams, never doing any damage. 

I ran past the Nike twins loading a catapult and nocked a fire arrow. The flames were familiar and dangerous on the arrowhead. I shot it at the chest of the thing. I'm not really sure what I was expecting (it was magic fire) but the arrow embedded itself in the statue's waistline and kept burning up the shaft. 

I let out a curse, one that Forest would be proud of. Fire definitely wouldn't help. 

Of course, with the unexpectedness of a demigod came more surprises. Such as a calvary coming in on flying ants. The statue turned its attention to them. It swung its giant rudder at them and the ants went down on the beach. 

I didn't know what to do, so I ran to the beach. 

I found the ants flying away along with a group of demigods. Said group included Austin, Kayla, Ellis, Miranda, Cecil and Apollo. 

I couldn't help what I did next. I ran forward and hugged Miranda, Austin and Kayla. I wasn't that close to Ellis. 

"I was really worried you about guys," I said. I pulled away and scanned Austin and Kayla's bodies. No visible injuries. That was good. 

"Hey!" We looked over to see Nico and Will climbing over the dunes to the beach, both of them drenched. 

"What happened to you two?" I asked. 

"Canoe tipped over," Nico provided. 

"What's the plan?" Will asked. His voice was calm but I could see the tension in his shoulders and hands.