The Winds Of Heaven (Annabeth Chase x Male Reader)

22. Time To Toss The Dice

A/N: Hi everyone!
This time, I'm writing the author note at the beginning of a chapter, because it's definitely the most important in this book. It was difficult to write; as you'll see, a major event (one of the most important in this whole fanfic) takes place here. I don't know what you'll think of it—maybe some of you will be upset by my choice and won't understand it. But, for the sake of what happens next and the proper development of the characters' psychology, this is the way it has to be. I can't tell you what will happen next, so you'll have to trust me when I say it's worth it.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

A wolf launched itself at Y/N. He stepped back and swung his sword into the beast's snout. It passed through without leaving as much as a scratch. Damned wolves who feared only silver!

On his right, he heard a satisfying crack. Maybe only silver could kill those wolves, but a good old-fashioned board like the one Jason had could still give them a Tylenol headache.

Y/N turned toward the sound of hooves and saw a storm spirit horse bearing down on them. Just before the spirit could trample him, Jason launched himself into the air, grabbed the horse's smoky neck, and pirouetted onto its back.

The storm spirit reared. It tried to shake Jason off, then tried to dissolve into mist to lose him; but somehow Jason stayed on.

"You're mine now," Jason said.

The horse bucked, but Jason held fast. Its mane flickered as it circled around the empty pool, its hooves causing miniature thunderstorms whenever they touched.

"Tempest?" Jason said. "Is that your name?"

The horse spirit shook its mane, evidently pleased to be recognized.

"Fine," Jason said. "Now, let's fight."

He charged into battle, swinging his icy piece of wood, knocking aside wolves and plunging straight through other anemoi thuellai. Tempest was a strong spirit, and every time he plowed through one of his brethren, he discharged so much electricity that the other spirit vaporized into a harmless cloud of mist.

Through the chaos, Y/N caught glimpses of his friends. Annabeth was surrounded by Earthborn, but she seemed to be holding her own. She was so impressive-looking as she fought that Y/N got distracted for a second and almost got his throat torn by a wolf's sharp teeth. She thrust her knife through the Earthborn as they stared in awe at Piper, who almost glowed with beauty. They'd lower their clubs and watch dumbfounded as Piper smiled at them. They'd smile back—until Annabeth sliced them apart with her dagger, and they melted into mounds of mud.

Leo had taken on Khione herself. While fighting a goddess should've been suicide, Leo was the right man for the job. She kept summoning ice daggers to throw at him, blasts of winter air, tornadoes of snow. Leo burned through all of it. His whole body flickered with red tongues of flame as if he'd been doused in gasoline. He advanced on the goddess, using two silver-tipped ball-peen hammers to smash any monsters that got in his way.

Y/N realized that Leo was the only reason they were still alive. His fiery aura was heating up the whole courtyard, countering Khione's winter magic. Without him, they would've been frozen like the Hunters long ago. Wherever Leo went, ice melted off the stones. Even Thalia started to defrost a little when Leo stepped near her.

Khione slowly backed away. Her expression went from enraged to shocked to slightly panicked as Leo got closer.

Jason faced his enemies. Some wolves lay in dazed heaps, but others growled and prepared to jump at him. Annabeth stabbed one more Earthborn, who toppled to the ground in a pile of sludge, but at least half of them remained.