𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 || ❝After everything I've lost, I have to believe that something good will come out of all this.❞
In which a cursed yet powerful demigod is awaken by Gaea and is used for the purpose of destroying the gods.
𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 1 of th...
"Yeah." Leo shivered. "Guess we owe that ranger lady a new helicopter."
Piper pointed south. "Fighting's over there." Then she frowned. "No ... it's all around us."
Hermia glanced around in question, but Leo knew Piper was right. The sounds of combat rang across the valley. The snow and mist made it hard to tell for sure, but there seemed to be a circle of fighting all around the Wolf House.
Behind them loomed Jack London's dream home-a massive ruin of red and gray stones and rough-hewn timber beams. Leo could imagine how it had looked before it burned down-a combination log cabin and castle, like a billionaire lumberjack might build. But in the mist and sleet, the place had a lonely, haunted feel. Leo could totally believe the ruins were cursed.
"Jason!" a girl's voice called.
Thalia appeared from the fog, her parka caked with snow. Her bow was in her hand, and her quiver was almost empty. She ran toward them, but made it only a few steps before a six-armed ogre-one of the Earthborn-burst out of the storm behind her, a raised club in each hand.
"Look out!" Leo yelled. They rushed to help, but Thalia had it under control. She launched herself into a flip, notching an arrow as she pivoted like a gymnast and landed in a kneeling position. The ogre got a silver arrow right between the eyes and melted into a pile of clay.
Thalia stood and retrieved her arrow, but the point had snapped off. "That was my last one." She kicked the pile of clay resentfully. "Stupid ogre."
"Impressive." Hermia said with a smile.
"Thanks, Hermia." Thalia replied with a smile. Leo could see just how happy Jason was to see his sister and Hermia get along. Jason was obviously so whipped and to have his sister's approval must have made his day even better.
"Nice shot," Leo added.
But unlike last time, Thalia ignored him as usual (which no doubt meant she thought he was as cool as ever). She hugged Jason and nodded to Piper. "Just in time. My Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we'll be overrun any minute."
"By Earthborn?" Jason asked.
"And wolves-Lycaon's minions." Thalia blew a fleck of ice off her nose. "Also storm spirits-"
"But we gave them to Aeolus!" Piper protested.
"Who tried to kill us," Leo reminded her. "Maybe he's helping Gaea again."
"Oh he's definitely helping Gaea." Mia added as she sent a glare to the ground. Jason rubbed her back softly and pulled her closer to him when he noticed she was shivering. Leo would have thought they were cute, but in reality he just wanted to barf.
He already had to deal with their lovey dovey shit in the Wilderness School. Even if it was just a trick of the mist, but now everything was different and from the looks of it Jason and Mia are going back to being a couple. Even if they never were one in the first place. Leo already knew he would get annoyed of their feelings really fast.
"I don't know," Thalia said. "But the monsters keep re-forming almost as fast as we can kill them. We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snowstorm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we're surrounded. I don't know who or what is leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trap to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera."
"Where is she?" Jason asked.
"Inside," Thalia said. "We tried to free her, but we can't figure out how to break the cage. It's only a few minutes until the sun goes down. Hera thinks that's the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn. Plus, most monsters are stronger at night. If we don't free Hera soon-"
She didn't need to finish the thought. Leo, Jason, Mia, and Piper followed her into the ruined mansion.
Jason stepped over the threshold and immediately collapsed.
"Superman." Hermia caught him as Leo noticed her eyes watching Jason in concern. "Are you okay? What's wrong."
"Yeah this isn't the time for none of that, man." Leo added.
"This place…" Jason shook his head as he grabbed onto Mia's hand tightly. "Sorry… It came rushing back to me."
"So you have been here," Piper said.
"We both have," Thalia said. Her expression was grim, like she was reliving someone’s death. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared."
"She gave me to the wolves," Jason murmured as he stood up straight. Hermia was still watching in concern, but didn't remove her hand from his. "At Hera’s insistence. She gave me to Lupa."
"That part I didn’t know." Thalia frowned. "Who is Lupa?"
An explosion shook the building. Just outside, a blue mushroom cloud billowed up, raining snowflakes and ice like a nuclear blast made of cold instead of heat.
"Maybe this isn’t the time for questions," Leo suggested. "Show us the goddess."
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Decided to end the chapter here because there's going to be so much going on in the next one!
Get ready everyone because we're nearing the end of this book! I can't wait to start The Mark of Athena!!
