Several giants ran at me at once. I dodged between their legs and let them bash their headstogether.

I wove through the crowd, shooting arrows into dragon-scale feet at every opportunity and singing/yelling, "RUN! RUN AWAY!" to sow confusion.

"NO! STOP HER!" Porphyrion shouted. "KILL HER!"

A spear almost impaled me. I swerved and kept running. It's just like capture the flag, I told myself. Only the enemy team is all thirty feet tall.

A huge sword sliced across my path. Compared to my sparring practice with Clarisse back at camp, this strike was ridiculously slow. I leaped over the blade and zigzagged towards Annabeth, who was still kicking and writhing in Periboia's grip. I had to free my friend.

Unfortunately, the giantess seemed to anticipate my plan.

"I think not, demigod!" Periboia yelled. "This one bleeds!"

The giantess raised her knife.

I raised my hand and summoned as much sunlight as I could to shine in her eyes.

At the same time, Annabeth kicked up with her legs to make herself a smaller target.

Periboia's knife passed beneath Annabeth's legs and stabbed the giantess's own palm. "OWWW!"

Periboia dropped Annabeth – alive, but not unscathed. The dagger had sliced a nasty gash across the back of her thigh. As Annabeth rolled away, her blood soaked into the earth.

The blood of Olympus, I thought with dread.

But I couldn't do anything about that. I had to help Annabeth. I looked down at my hand. My silver ring had reappeared. I took my bow and slung it over my shoulder. 

I lunged at the giantess. My silver blade suddenly felt ice cold in my hands. The surprised giantess glanced down as my silver dagger pierced her gut. Frost spread across her bronze breastplate.

I yanked out my dagger. The giantess toppled backwards – steaming white and frozen solid.

Periboia hit the ground with a thud.

Well that's new, I thought. I've never frozen anyone before.

"My daughter!" King Porphyrion leveled his spear and charged.

But Percy had other ideas.

Enceladus had dropped him ... probably because the giant was busy staggering around with a giant wound in his forehead where my dagger had been, ichor streaming into his eyes.

Percy had no weapon – perhaps his sword had been confiscated or lost in the fighting – but he didn't let that stop him. As the giant king ran towards me, Percy grabbed the tip of Porphyrion's spear and forced it down into the ground. The giant's own momentum lifted him off his feet in an unintentional pole-vault maneuver and he flipped over onto his back.

Meanwhile Annabeth dragged herself across the ground. I ran to her side. I stood over my friend, sweeping my dagger back and forth to keep the giants at bay. Cold blue steam now wreathed the blade.

"Who wants to be the next Popsicle?" she yelled. "Who wants to go back to Tartarus?"

That seemed to hit a nerve. The giants shuffled uneasily, glancing at the frozen body of Periboia.And why shouldn't I intimidate them? Apollo used to bring deadly plagues and cause people to fall ill. He was a vengeful god who had smited down many of his enemies and rivals. He was born of Zeus and the Titan Leto. Even the other gods were said to fear him. And I was his daughter.

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