Állaxe //HOO x m.oc\\ (ON HOLD)

16

"Ma, I got the extra-spicy—"

Sump never finished his sentence. Leo spun the remote's toggle, and the second robotic arm whacked Sump in the chest. Ma dropped Jace to the ground and he landed with another thump. "Jace!" Piper cried out when his body hit the floor. He lifted a shaky thumbs up and tried standing up but ultimately failed. He pushed his hand into his pockets to try and look for ambrosia or nectar but—fuck. He had none left.

The salsa case exploded like a piñata and Sump flew backward, right into the base of Leo's third machine. Jace got showered in some of the salsa that exploded and he began spitting the sauce that got into his mouth. He looked at the pile of salsa that now laid splattered on the ground, the salsa looked too runny and way too watery but when Jaec focused on the puddle he saw blood that was mixed in with it.

He brought his hand over to his mouth to feel it and when he brought it back down for examination, he saw a mix of salsa and blood on his hand and when he swallowed he got a taste of the absolutely terrible mixture.

Jace Anderson soon lost consciousness.

...

Coals sparked. Jace opened his eyes when Piper screamed, "No!"

A firestorm erupted the direction Jace was facing and his face got caked with the reddish light that came from the fire. The kerosene burned off, dying down to small fiery patches on the floor.

Piper gasped. "Leo?"

Ma Gasket looked astonished. "You live?" Then she took that extra step forward, which put her right where Leo wanted. "What are you?"

"The son of Hephaestus," Leo said but Jace Couldn't hear his words well due to the fast pace his heart was beating in. "And I warned you I'd destroy you with fire." Jace faintly saw Leo point one finger in the air and summon a column of fire. He shot a bolt of white-hot flames at the chain suspending the engine block above the Cyclops's head—aiming for the link that looked weaker than rest. The flames died. Nothing happened. Ma Gasket laughed.

"An impressive try, son of Hephaestus. It's been many centuries since I saw a fire user. You'll make a spicy appetizer! " Jaceweakily lifted his hand and shot a bullet towards the chain, Ma Gasket glanced in his direction and Jace sent her a mock salute when the chain finally snapped—that single link heated beyond its tolerance point that a bullet powered through—and the engine block fell, deadly and silent. "I don't think so," Leo said. Ma Gasket didn't even have time to look up. Smash! No more Cyclops—just a pile of dust under a five ton engine block.

"Not immune to engines, huh?" Leo spoke but Jace felt like he would fall flat on his face any time soon. "Boo-yah!" Then Leo fell to his knees.

"Leo! Are you all right? Can you move?" Piper called out from where she was hanging. Jace rolled onto his back and tried to look for ambrosia in his pockets once more while Leo was trying to get Piper down.

"Yeah, he's got a nice thick skull,"Jace heard when he finally could focus on something other than the beating of his heart and the ringing in his ears. "I think he's gonna be fine."

"Thank god," Piper sighed. Then she turned to look in the direction where Jace was laying and ran towards him. "Jace! Jace, wake up." He felt her tap his cheeks and he cracked his eyes open.

"D'you got any nectar?" He mumbled and lifted his upper body up to lean on his elbows. Leo came over to him with Jason as Piper gave him a piece of ambrosia from her backpack. Jace took it from her with a quiet 'thank you' and threw it into his mouth.

Once Piper was sure Jce had swallowed it, she took his hand and looked at Leo with something like fear. "How did you—the fire—have you always... ?" Leo looked down in what Jace could recognize as shame. "Always," he said. "I'm a freaking menace. Sorry, I should've told you guys sooner but—"