[ chapter thirty-eight: jason ]
° • ° • °
After the fight on Mount Diablo, Jason didn't think he could ever feel more afraid or devastated. Now his sister was frozen at his feet. Hermia was starting to distance herself from him again. He was surrounded by monsters. He'd broken his golden sword and replaced it with a piece of wood.
He had approximately five minutes until the king of the giants busted out and destroyed them. Jason had already pulled his biggest ace, calling down Zeus's lightning when he'd fought Enceladus, and he doubted he'd have the strength or the cooperation from above to do it again. Which meant his only assets were one whiny imprisoned goddess, one sort-of girlfriend with witch powers, a female friend with a dagger, and Leo, who apparently thought he could defeat the armies of darkness with breath mints.
On top of all this, Jason's worst memories were flooding back. He knew for certain he'd done many dangerous things in his life, but he'd never been closer to death than he was right now. Not to mention Hera was right, his memories of Hermia were coming back as well.
The enemy was beautiful, but not as beautiful as Hermia. Khione smiled, her dark eyes glittering, as a dagger of ice grew in her hand.
"What've you done?" Jason demanded from inside Mia's arms. She still hadn't let him go, unlike Leo. Even though Hermia seemed shaken up over Hera's words, Mia was still doing everything she could to protect him. Which warmed his heart more then he wanted to admit.
"Oh, so many things," the snow goddess purred. "Your sister's not dead, if that's what you mean. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we'd defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let them be the prey for once."
The wolves snarled appreciatively.
"Yes, my dears." Khione kept her eyes on Jason. "Your sister almost killed their king, you know. Lycaon's off in a cave somewhere, no doubt licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master. And soon Porphyrion will arise, and we shall rule the world."
"Traitor!" Hera shouted. "You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world."
Khione sighed. "Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I've been wanting to shut you up for millennia." Khione waved her hand, and ice encased the prison, sealing in the spaces between the earthen tendrils.
"That's better," the snow goddess said. "Now, demigods, about your death-"
"You're the one who tricked Hera into coming here," Jason said. "You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus." Jason felt Hermia losen her arms from around him, but she still kept a hand on his bicep.
The wolves snarled, and the storm spirits whinnied, ready to attack, but Khione held up her hand. "Patience, my loves. If he wants to talk, what matter? The sun is setting, and time is on our side. Of course, Jason Grace. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It's easy for me to whisper to the other gods, especially when I am only confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered in Aeolus's ear that he should issue an order to kill demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I'm sure I will be well rewarded when her sons the giants come to power."
Khione's hard eyes moved to Mia. "She will also be very pleased to have this traitor back."
Jason glanced at Hermia and watched as she sent the princess a death glare. "Go to hell." Mia said as Jason pulled her closer to him.
"You could've killed us in Quebec," Jason said. "Why let us live?"
Khione wrinkled her nose. "Messy business, killing you in my father's house, especially when he insists on meeting all visitors. I did try, you remember. It would've been lovely if he'd agreed to turn you to ice. But once he'd given you guarantee of safe passage, I couldn't openly disobey him. My father is an old fool. He lives in fear of Zeus and Aeolus, but he's still powerful. Soon enough, when my new masters have awakened, I will depose Boreas and take the throne of the North Wind, but not just yet. Besides, my father did have a point. Your quest was suicidal. I fully expected you to fail because of the red head, but all I see is that she's weak."
Hermia was about to step forward but Jason held her back. "And to help us with that," Leo said, "you knocked our dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Those frozen wires in his head-that was your fault. You're gonna pay for that."
"You're also the one who kept Enceladus informed about us," Piper added. "We've been plagued by snowstorms the whole trip."
"You forgot one more thing." Khione said with a smirk. Her eyes glanced back to Mia and Jason couldn't help but think Khione had done something horrible to Hermia. "I was the one who took control of your dreams, Witch."
From beside him, Jason could hear Hermia's breath hitch. "What?" Mia's weak voice broke Jason's heart, but Khione seemed pleased by this.
"That's right, Gaea and I have been messing with your dreams and your visions. Everything that gave you connection with "your boys" was fake."
Hermia's hands suddenly lighten up with fire. Khione looked frightened for a moment, but she pushed the feeling away because Jason had pulled Mia close to him.
"Stop lying!" Hermia yelled as the fire in her hands disappeared. Her powers seemed to be going haywire, but Jason's presence seemed to calm her down. Mia glanced up at Jason and for a moment all he saw was pain. But when she looked away from him, instead of seeing pain he saw hatred. "Those dreams were real, I know they were."
Khione smirked. "That's what you think. Did you really believe Gaea would fully trust a demigod like you?" The princess laughed. "Of course she didn't. She had to test you and with my help I was able to prove to her that you're just a stupid demigod."
Hermia lunged forward, but again Jason held her back. He didn't want to let her go, not when she could end up like his sister. "Shut up, I don't believe you! Stefan told me everything and I know he wasn't a lie!"
Jason didn't know what Mia was talking about, but he hoped she'd tell him soon. He also felt a burning feeling past over his chest when he heard her say another boys name. But this wasn't the time to be getting jealous.
"There's still time to make things right." Khione's comment made Jason's heart stop beating. The group watched with worried eyes as Mia pulled herself from Jason.
"What are you talking about?"
"If you decide to betray them now, then Gaea will keep her word and give you back the life you lost. More importantly the ones you lost. But you have to decide, now."
Dread filled Jason's whole body. As much as it pained him, there was one line from the Prophecy that wouldn't leave his thoughts. The child of magic holds the key, to freedom or perish the heart must fall. The Prophecy had been talking about this moment. This was the moment where Mia had to choose between her heart and her mind.
If Hermia chose to get her boys back then she'll be killing them all. But if she chose her friends-if she chose Jason- she'd be saving them all. But this decision wasn't as easy as Jason hoped it'd be. Especially after watching Mia breakdown over not having her loved ones. This decision was obviously going to break her. Jason would have done anything for her to not have to make this decision, but it wasn't up to him. It was part of the prophecy and Mia had to choose her own path.
Khione's smirk never left her lips. Her comment had obviously gotten to Hermia because she hadn't said a word. Jason could tell she had a lot of thoughts running through her head, but he could only hope she'd do the right thing.
"Mia, please you can't actually be considering this." But his comment didn't seem to reach her. Hermia seemed so lost in her thoughts and there was nothing Jason or his friends could do to get her to come back to them.
"I feel so close to all of you now!" Khione continued. "Once you made it past Omaha, I decided to asked Lycaon to track you down so Jason could die here, at the Wolf House." Khione smiled at him. "You see, Jason, your blood spilled on this sacred ground will taint it for generations. Your demigod brethren will be outraged, especially when they find the bodies of these three-two if you play your cards right, Witch- from Camp Half-Blood. They'll believe the Greeks have conspired with giants. It will be... delicious."
Piper and Leo didn't seem to understand what she was saying. Hermia was too lost in her thoughts to actually listen, but Jason knew. His memories were returning enough for him to realize how dangerously effective Khione's plan could be.
"You'll set demigods against demigods," he said.
"It's so easy!" said Khione. "As I told you, I only encourage what you would do anyway."
"But why?" Piper spread her hands. "Khione, you'll tear the world apart. The giants will destroy everything. You don't want that. Call off your monsters."
Khione hesitated, then laughed. "Your persuasive powers are improving, girl. But I am a goddess. You can't charm-speak me. We wind gods are creatures of chaos! I'll overthrow Aeolus and let the storms run free. If we destroy the mortal world, all the better! They never honored me, even in Greek times. Humans and their talk of global warming. Pah! I'll cool them down quickly enough. When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in snow."
"The ancient places." Leo's eyes widened. "That's what Enceladus meant about destroy the roots of the gods. He meant Greece."
"You could join me, son of Hephaestus," Khione said. "I know you find me beautiful. It would be enough for my plan if these other two were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion, instead. Your skills would be quite useful."
Leo looked stunned. He glanced behind him, like Khione might be talking to somebody else. For a second Jason was worried. He figured Leo didn't have beautiful goddesses make him offers like this every day.
Then Leo laughed so hard, he doubled over. "Yeah, join you. Right. Until you get bored of me and turn me into a Leosicle? Lady, nobody messes with my dragon and gets away with it. I can't believe I thought you were hot."
Khione's face turned red. "Hot? You dare insult me? I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold."
She shot a blast of wintry sleet at the demigods, but Leo held up his hand. A wall of fire roared to life in front of them, and the snow dissolved in a steamy cloud.
For a moment Hermia seemed stunned, but again her mind got the best of her. Just like that, she was back to her thoughts. Jason feared Mia would turn on them, but no, he chose to believe she wouldn't. Hermia proved she was on there side, but this new information was obviously causing her problems.
Leo grinned. "See, lady, that's what happens to snow in Texas. It-freaking-melts."
Khione hissed. "Enough of this. Hera is failing. Porphyrion is rising. Kill the demigods. Let them be our king's first meal!"
Jason hefted his icy wooden plank-a stupid weapon to die fighting with-and the monsters charged.
° • ° • °
A wolf launched itself at Jason. He stepped back and swung his scrap wood into the beast's snout with a satisfying crack. Maybe only silver could kill it, but a good old-fashioned board could still give it a Tylenol headache.
"Choose now daughter of Poseidon." Khione's voice made Jason turn in time to see Mia watching the princess. Jason noticed Hermia had tears in her eyes, but he didn't know what they meant.
"I'm sorry." Her weak and heartbroken reply filled Jason with dread. He didn't want to believe she'd betray him again, but as her tear filled eyes glanced at him, he realized she was apologizing to herself. As Mia turned towards Khione, her eyes turned hard, but her tears never went away. Jason glanced down and noticed her hands were on fire. "I will always love my boys, but I'm not going to choose your side. They would want me to choose the good side. So for them, I'm choosing good."
In one strong surge of power Hermia blew the fire from her hands and it went straight to Khione. The princess was able to fall to the ground before the fire could reach her, but Hermia wasn't done with her yet. Jason knew Hermia could take care of herself. So with a proud smile, he leaned over and kissed Mia's cheek. She seemed stunned for a moment, but she still managed to send him a weak smile.
What broke his heart even more was that her smile didn't reach her eyes. But this wasn't the moment to worry about her feelings. When this quest is over Jason will do everything he can to make her happy, but right now he needed to focus.
Suddenly he turned toward the sound of hooves. He's eyes saw a storm spirit horse bearing down on him. Jason concentrated and summoned the wind. 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, then tried to dissolve into mist to lose him; but somehow Jason stayed on. He willed the horse to remain in solid form, and the horse seemed unable to refuse. Jason could feel it fighting against him. He could sense its raging thoughts-complete chaos straining to break free. It took all Jason's willpower to impose his own wishes and bring the horse under control. He thought about Aeolus, overseeing thousands and thousands of spirits like this, some much worse. No wonder the Master of the Winds had gone a little mad after centuries of that pressure. But Jason had only one spirit to master, and he had to win.
"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-tempests-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 venti. Tempest was a strong spirit, and every time he plowed through one of his brethren, he discharged so much electricity, the other spirit vaporized into a harmless cloud of mist.
Through the chaos, Jason caught glimpses of his friends. Piper was surrounded by Earthborn, but she seemed to be holding her own. She was so impressive-looking as she fought, almost glowing with beauty, that the Earthborn stared at her in awe, forgetting that they were supposed to kill her. They'd lower their clubs and watch dumbfounded as she smiled and charged them. They'd smile back-until she sliced them apart with her dagger, and they melted into mounds of mud.
Leo and Hermia had taken on Khione herself. While fighting a goddess should've been suicide, Leo and Mia were the right demigods for the job. Khione kept summoning ice daggers to throw at them, blasts of winter air, tornadoes of snow. Leo burned through all of it while Mia was able to block them off with a protection spell. Leo's whole body flickered with red tongues of flame like he'd been doused with gasoline. He advanced on the goddess, using two silver-tipped ball-peen hammers to smash any monsters that got in his way.
Behind him stood Hermia. Her eyes seemed a little distant, but she stood her ground. Her hands suddenly lightened up with fire as she followed after Leo. Monsters were also coming after her, but she was quick to throw them down and burn them with her fire.
Jason realized that both Leo and Hermia were the reasons why they were still alive. Leo's fiery aura and Mia's fiery hands were heating up the whole courtyard, countering Khione's winter magic. Without them, they would've been frozen like the Hunters long ago. Wherever Leo went, ice melted off the stones and Mia was able to melt the ice by throwing fire at it. 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 and Hermia got closer.
Jason was running out of enemies. Wolves lay in dazed heaps. Some slunk away into the ruins, yelping from their wounds. Piper stabbed the last Earthborn, who toppled to the ground in a pile of sludge. Jason rode Tempest through the last ventus, breaking it into vapor. Then he wheeled around and saw Leo and Hermia bearing down on the goddess of snow.
"You're too late," Khione snarled. "He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work. You'll be at each other's throats before you can ever stop us." Khione's hard eyes glanced to Mia. "You will pay for what you've done, Witch. Gaea will have your blood and when she does, you will wish to have stayed on our side."
Hermia looked down in anger as the fire in her hands got stronger. Before she could light Khione on fire, Leo set his hammers ablaze and threw them at the goddess. But she turned into snow-a white powdery image of herself. Leo's hammers slammed into the snow woman, breaking it into a steaming mound of mush.
The fire in Hermia's hands went out as she turned to look at Jason. Piper was breathing hard, but she smiled up at him. "Nice horse."
Tempest reared on his hind legs, arcing electricity across his hooves. A complete show-off. Jason was able to catch Mia's small smile, but again he didn't see it reach her eyes.
Then Jason heard a cracking sound behind him. The melting ice on Hera's cage sloughed off in a curtain of slush, and the goddess called, "Oh, don't mind me! Just the queen of the heavens, dying over here!"
Jason dismounted and told Tempest to stay put. The four demigods jumped into the pool and ran to the spire.
Leo frowned. "Uh, Tía Callida, are you getting shorter?"
"No, you dolt! The earth is claiming me. Hurry!"
As much as Jason disliked Hera, what he saw inside the cage alarmed him. Not only was Hera sinking, the ground was rising around her like water in a tank. Liquid rock had already covered her shins. "The giant wakes!" Hera warned. "You only have seconds!"
"On it," Leo said. "Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage."
"What?" she said.
"Talk to it. Use everything you've got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I-"
"Right!" Piper cleared her throat and said, "Hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I'm tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?"
The more she talked, the more confident she sounded. Jason felt his own eyes getting heavy, and he had to force himself not to focus on her words. Jason glanced over to Mia and thought she'd be in the same position he was. But Piper's words didn't seem to have an effect on her. Jason hated to admit it, but he had a feeling she was thinking about losing her boys again.
The blonde sighed as he turned, it seemed that Piper's words were having some effect on the cage. The mud was rising more slowly. The tendrils seemed to soften just a little-becoming more like tree root than rock. Leo pulled a circular saw out of his tool belt. How it fit in there, Jason had no idea. Then Leo looked at the cord and grunted in frustration. "I don't have anywhere to plug it in!"
The spirit horse Tempest jumped into the pit and whinnied.
"Really?" Jason asked.
Tempest dipped his head and trotted over to Leo. Leo looked dubious, but he held up the plug, and a breeze whisked it into the horse's flank. Lighting sparked, connecting with the prongs of the plug, and the circular saw whirred to life.
"Sweet!" Leo grinned. "Your horse comes with AC outlets!"
Their good mood didn't last long. On the other side of the pool, the giant's spire crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded from the top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.
Jason hadn't thought anything could be scarier than Enceladus.
He was wrong.
Porphyrion was even taller, and even more ripped. He didn't radiate heat, or show any signs of breathing fire, but there was something more terrible about him-a kind of strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.
Like Enceladus, the giant king was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon's legs; but his skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons-daggers, axes, and full-size swords, some of them bent and bloody-maybe trophies taken from demigods eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white, like polished marble. He took a deep breath.
"Alive!" he bellowed. "Praise to Gaea!"
Jason made a heroic little whimpering sound he hoped his friends couldn't hear. He was very sure no demigod could solo this guy. Porphyrion could lift mountains. He could crush Jason with one finger.
"Leo," Jason said.
"Huh?" Leo's mouth was wide open. Even Piper seemed dazed, but Mia just watched with wide eyes.
"You guys keep working," Jason said. "Get Hera free!"
"What are you going to do?" Piper asked. "You can't seriously-"
Jason shared a glance with Hermia. He hoped she'd realize that he wanted her help. She nodded in understanding and took a step closer to him.
"Entertain a giant?" Jason said as he grabbed Hermia's hand. Piper watched the two in question, before realization took over. "We've got no choice."
"Excellent!" the giant roared as Jason and Mia approached. "Two appetizers! Who are you two-Hermes-Athena? Ares-Artemis?"
Jason thought about going with that idea, but something told him not to.
"I'm Jason Grace," he said. "Son of Jupiter." He glanced at Hermia and nodded in reassurance.
With a shaky breath she said, "I'm Hermia Waverly King. Daughter of Poseidon."
Those white eyes bored into him and Mia. Behind him, Leo's circular saw whirred, and Piper talked to the cage in soothing tones, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.
Porphyrion threw back his head and laughed. "Outstanding!" He looked up at the cloudy night sky. "So, Zeus and Poseidon, you sacrifice a son and daughter to me? The gesture is appreciated, but it will not save you."
The sky didn't even rumble. No help from above. There was also no water in sight, Jason and Hermia were on their own.
He dropped his makeshift club. His hands were covered in splinters, but that didn't matter now. He and Hermia had to buy Leo and Piper some time, but he couldn't do that without a proper weapon.
It was time to act a whole lot more confident than he felt.
"If you knew who I was," Jason yelled up at the giant, "you'd be worried about me, not my father. I hope you enjoyed your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because I'm going to send you right back to Tartarus."
The giant's eyes narrowed. He planted one foot outside the pool and crouched to get a better look at his opponents. "So... we'll start by boasting, will we? Just like old times! Very well, demigod. I am Porphryion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tatarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus's queen." He grinned at the goddess's cage. "Hello, Hera."
"My husband destroyed you once, monster!" Hera said. "He'll do it again!"
"But he didn't, my dear! Zeus wasn't powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth-and we will destroy you at the roots."
"You wouldn't dare," Hera said, but she was weakening. Jason could hear it in her voice. Piper kept whispering to the cage, and Leo kept sawing, but the earth was still rising inside Hera's prison, covering her up to her waist.
"Oh, yes," the giant said. "The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. She even decided to bring in a Witch's help. And we, her greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees-your eldest roots torn out and burned."
The giant frowned at Piper and Leo, as if he'd just noticed them working at the cage. Jason stepped forward and yelled to get back Porphyrion's attention.
"You said a demigod killed you," he shouted. "How, if we're so puny?" He could basically feel Hermia's questioning gaze on the back of his head. But he didn't have time to explain his plan to her.
"Ha! You think I would explain it to you? I was created to be Zeus's replacement, born to destroy the lord of the sky. I shall take his throne. I shall take his wife-or, if she will not have me, I will let the earth consume her life force. What you see before you, child, is only my weakened form. I will grow stronger by the hour, until I am invincible. But I am already quite capable of smashing you and the Witch to a grease spot!"
He rose to his full height and held out his hand. A twenty-foot spear shot from the earth. He grasped it, then stomped the ground with his dragon's feet. The ruins shook. All around the courtyard, monsters started to regather-storm spirits, wolves, and Earthborn, all answering the giant king's call.
"Great," Leo muttered. "We needed more enemies."
"Hurry," Hera said.
"I know!" Leo snapped.
"Go to sleep, cage," Piper said. "Nice, sleepy cage. Yes, I'm talking to a bunch of earthen tendrils. This isn't weird at all."
Porphyrion raked his spear across the top of the ruins, destroying a chimney and spraying wood and stone across the courtyard. "So, child of Zeus! I have finished my boasting. Now it's your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?"
Jason looked at the ring of monsters, waiting impatiently for their master's order to tear them to shreds. Mia stood closer to him as he gazed around. Leo's circular saw kept whirring, and Piper kept talking, but it seemed hopeless. Hera's cage was almost completely filled with earth.
"I'm the son of Jupiter!" he shouted, and just for effect, he summoned the winds, rising a few feet off the ground. "I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion." Jason didn't know quite what he was saying, but he rattled off the words like he'd said them many times before. He held out his arms, showing the tattoo of the eagle and SPQR, and to his surprise the giant seemed to recognize it.
Hermia was watching in question, but she seemed prepared for a fight just in case he needed help.
For a moment, Porphyrion actually looked uneasy.
"I slew the Trojan sea monster," Jason continued. "I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed the Titan Krios with my own hands. And now I'm going to destroy you, Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."
"Wow, dude," Leo muttered. "You been eating red meat?"
Jason launched himself at the giant, determined to tear him apart.
The idea of fighting a forty-foot-tall immortal bare handed was so ridiculous, even the giant seemed surprised. Half flying, half leaping, Jason landed on the giant's scaly reptilian knee and climbed up the giant's arm before Porphyrion even realized what had happened.
"You dare?" the giant bellowed.
Jason reached his shoulders and ripped a sword out of the giant's weapon-filled braids. He yelled, "For Rome!" and drove the sword into the nearest convenient target-the giant's massive ear.
Lightning streaked out of the sky and blasted the sword, throwing Jason free. He rolled when he hit the ground. When he looked up, the giant was staggering. His hair was on fire, and the side of his face was blackened from lightning. The sword had splintered in his ear. Golden ichor ran down his jaw. The other weapons were sparking and smoldering in his braids.
Porphyrion almost fell. The monsters who weren't fighting Mia let out a collective growl and moved forward-wolves and ogres fixing their eyes on Jason. In the back of Jason's mind he was worried for Hermia's safety, but she looked to be doing fine on her own.
"No!" Porphyrion yelled. He regained his balance and glared at the demigod. "I will kill him myself."
The giant raised his spear and it began to glow. "You want to play with lightning, boy? You forget. I am the bane of Zeus. I was created to destroy your father, which means I know exactly what will kill you."
Something in Porphyrion's voice told Jason he wasn't bluffing.
Jason and his friends had had a good run. The four of them had done amazing things. Yeah, even heroic things. But as the giant raised his spear, Jason knew there was no way he could deflect this strike.
This was the end.
Suddenly a strong surge of power knocked the monsters down and in an instant Hermia was standing by him. Her hands were up and Jason could make out the bubble of protection that was around him and her.
"Got it!" Leo yelled.
"Sleep!" Piper said, so forcefully, the last of the nearest wolves fell to the ground and began snoring.
The stone and wood cage crumbled. Leo had sawed through the base of the thickest tendril and apparently cut off the cage's connection to Gaea. The tendrils turned to dust. The mud around Hera disintegrated. The goddess grew in size, glowing with power.
"Yes!" the goddess said. She threw off her black robes to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry. Her face was both terrible and beautiful, and a golden crown glowed in her long black hair. "Now I shall have my revenge!"
The giant Porphyrion backed away. He said nothing, but he gave Jason one last look of hatred. His message was clear: Another time. Then he slammed his spear against the earth, and the giant disappeared into the ground like he'd dropped down a chute.
Hermia's protection spell disappeared as she turned to look at Jason. His eyes filled with worry as he noticed the blood falling from her nose. He was about to ask her about it, but she looked away to glance at the remaining monsters. Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there was no escape for them.
Hera glowed brighter. She shouted, "Cover your eyes, my heroes!"
But Jason was too much in shock. He understood too late.
So how we feeling?
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And because we only have like 5 chapters left I'm going to try and publish the remaining chapters back to back. Hopefully.
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Anyway just wanted to let you guys know that this chapter is 5423 words long. Not including the author's note. This is honestly the longest chapter I've done for this book! Lol but I'm proud of it :)
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