ᴛhe plan derailed within seconds of dispersing. Piper scrambled along the ridge, trying to keep her head down, Calliope behind her ushering the girl along like a mom in Walmart, while Leo, Jason, Amarantha and Coach Hedge walked straight into the clearing.
Jason summoned his golden lance.
"Oh can I do it? Percy always gets to do the dumb stuff." Amarantha asked Jason. "I have some choice words I'd like to say."
Jason nodded at her skeptically and Leo glanced at her warily as she smiled manically with her purple eyes. Amarantha confidently called on her weapon of choice and waved it around as she yelled," Hey you over grown bag of wet hair!"
Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned toward them and grinned, revealing fangs like a saber toothed Neman lion which Amarantha had actually had a run in with. - 10/10 wouldn't recommend -
"Well," The giant rumbled with a knowing look. "What a nice surprise."
Leo stepped sideways and Amarantha urged herself to not look back at him assuming he had a plan and hadn't wet his pants or something.
Coach Hedge shouted, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant my hoof right up your-"
"Coach," Amarantha gritted lowly. "Stuff your hoof in your mouth."
Enceladus roared with laughter."I've forgotten how funny satyrs are.
When we rule the world, I think I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me while I eat all the other mortals."
"Is that a compliment?" Hedge frowned at Leo. "I don't think that was a compliment."
Enceladus opened his mouth wide, and his teeth began to glow.
"Scatter!" Leo yelled.
Jason, Amara, and Hedge dove to the left as the giant blew fire a furnace blast nearly hotter than Greek fire.
Amarantha landed on her hands and knees coughing from the dirt and debris only giving herself a couple seconds to recover before using the unsettled dust to her advantage and charging to the left and shooting an arrow at the giant. Jason charged as well with his lance and Amarantha covered long range while Jason was up close. Startlingly they fell into a nice rhythm almost like the one she'd pick up with Annabeth and her dagger.
Coach Hedge ripped off his canary yellow jacket, which was now on fire, and bleated angrily. "I liked that outfit!" Then he raised his club and charged, too.
Before they could get very far, Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground. The entire mountain shook.
The shockwave sent everyone back, Amarantha took the tipped arrow and managed to lodge it into the the ground to keep her from flying back foot after foot.
The girl glanced up carefully at her sister who thankfully rolled on her shoulder and got to her feet helping Piper up as well. Leo was sprawled on the ground as well but got up after sparing her a quick look and a short nod as if to say ' he was okay ' and a thumbs up to the side questioningly. She sent him a short nod back before turning around trusting in him to get done whatever he needs done.
Coach Hedge was knocked out cold.
He'd fallen forward and hit his head on a log. His furry hindquarters were sticking straight up, with his canary yellow pants around his knees - a view no one needed -
The giant bellowed, "I see you, Piper McLean!" He turned and blew fire at a line of bushes to Leo's right. Amarantha forced herself to not freak out even if her heart felt seconds from spontaneously combusting now that the giant also spotted Piper, and by association, her sister.
Piper ran into the clearing like a flushed quail, the underbrush burning behind her.
Enceladus laughed. "I'm happy you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes!"
Amarantha's gut churned and her anger grew. This was the moment Piper had warned them about. They'd played right into Enceladus's hands. And as much as Amarantha knew they shouldn't have come for this specific reason, they had to. For Piper.
For family.
The giant must've seen something looking at leo based on what he said next,"That's right, son of Hephaestus. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"
"Dad!" Piper yelled.
Mr. McLean blinked, trying to focus. "Pipes..? Where..."
Calliope drew an arrow and piper pulled her dagger then faced Enceladus angrily. "Let him go!"
"Of course, dear," The giant rumbled.
"Swear your loyalty to me, and we have no problem. Only these others must die."
Piper looked back and forth between the others and her dad. Amarantha wanted to have faith in Piper like everyone else clearly did, but she'd learned one too many times not to trust anyone.
But what is family without trust?
"He'll kill you," Amarantha warned drawing the giants attention to her who smirked. "You can't trust him! He'll kill both of you as soon as you're of no use to him. They always do."
"Oh, come now," Enceladus bellowed. "You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us giants with a specific purpose, designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena's nemesis, the anti Athena, you might say.
Compared to some of my brethren I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"
Everyone was on back on their feet now, weapons ready; but before anyone could act, Enceladus roared a call so loud it echoed down the valley and was probably heard all the way to San Francisco.
At the edge the woods, half a dozen ogre like creatures rose up. Amarantha realized with nauseating certainty that they hadn't simply been hiding there. They'd risen straight out of the earth.
The ogres shuffled forward. They were small compared to Enceladus, about seven feet tall. Each one of them had six arms one pair in the regular spot, then an extra pair sprouting out the top of their shoulders, and another set shooting from the sides of their rib cages. They wore only ragged leather loincloths, and even across the clearing, Amarantha could smell and they were as rancid as expired milk. Or even the party basement of a frat house.
Leo stepped forward. "What-what are those?"
Her eyes reflected the purple light of the bonfire. "Gegenees." She growled in annoyance," annoying little things. Like the bears in star wars but they look like chewed gum and have the vocabulary of a one year old baby."
"In English?" Leo asked.
"The Earthborn." She spoke keeping her eyes across the land. "Six armed Mysian giants who fought the first Jason."
"Very good, dear!' Enceladus sounded delighted. "They used to live on a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain. Mount Diablo is much nicer! They are lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They're good with construction equipment-"
"Vroom, vroom!" one of the Earth-born bellowed, and the others took up the chant, each moving his six hands as though driving a car, as if it were some kind of weird religious ritual. "Vroom, vroom!"
"Yes, thank you, boys," Enceladus said. "They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason."
"Yay-son!" the Earthborn screamed.
They all picked up clumps of earth, which solidified in their hands, turning to nasty pointed stones. "Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!"
"See, even I can speak better with a concussion."
Enceladus smiled. "You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or ah, try to save your friends and face certain death." Piper stepped forward. Her eyes blazed with such rage, even the Earth-born backed away. She radiated power and beauty, and it had nothing to do with her clothes or her makeup.
"You will not take the people I love," she said. "None of them."
Amarantha would've taken the a minute or two to be awkwardly mushy if they had the time.
Her words rippled across the clearing with such force, the Earthborn muttered, "Okay. Okay, sorry," and began to retreat.
"Stand your ground, fools!" Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. "This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish. Earth-born! I will show you Jason."
Amarantha stepped closer to Jason. But the giant didn't point to Jason. He pointed to the other side of the bonfire, where Tristan McLean hung helpless and half conscious.
Fuck!
"There is Jason," Enceladus said with pleasure. "Tear him apart!"
Calliope abandoned her weapon for now and Amarantha could see her fans spread out gracefully with the bronze fan blades shimmering in the fire light.
One look from Jason, and all three of them knew the game plan.
Amarantha didn't have time to questions when that had happened, that they could read each other so well. The thought wouldn't have made her as uncomfortable as she thought it could've.
Jason charged Enceladus, Amarantha covered, while Piper rushed to her father, calliope handled earth born and Leo dashed for the tree harvester, which stood between Mr. McLean and the Earthborn.
Amarantha and Jason both ducked and rolled after slicing and shooting at the giant when he spat flames their way. They'd stray a few feet from the other but their backs were covered still. Amarantha managed to trip him up with vines she surprisingly had under control though they wore her out easily.
The battle behind them raged on and Amarantha kept her focus forcing herself not to turn every time she heard any of the three speak.
It was just her, Jason, and the giant.
The battle had started well enough, waging in their favor. Jason's instincts thankfully kicked in, and the rest was them working the kinks out together with their small tag team. Amarantha had dueled opponents almost this big before, she'd actually taken on two hyperborean giants and only came out with a slight case of hypothermia.
And the way Jason charged and slashed so easily taking points of weakness on the lower half as well as using his aerokenisis to stab higher points, the facts told Amarantha she wasn't the only one who'd taken on someone a half a centaur and a god of her size.
Size and strength equaled slowness, so the duo took to quickening their pace and adjusting. Wearing him out while also dodging the flame balls sent their way.
They'd managed to get him to bleed a few less times than they'd stabbed and missed the giant. Amarantha was caked in mud from rolling away and dodging balls of flames and spears. She also kept in tune to the combat across the clearing, construction equipment grinding, fire roaring, monsters shouting, and rocks smashing into metal. She heard Calliope, Leo, and Piper yelling defiantly, which meant they were still alive. Amarantha tried not to think about it. Or even think about wether they were hurt or not. She couldn't afford to get distracted, for her sake and Jason's.
The woman was actually running out of arrows in her quiver holder.
Enceladus's spear missed Jason by a millimeter. Calliope had tackled him a few times when he'd gotten distracted like he'd done this before, lived it before and was hearing phantom shouts along with real ones as he whipped his head to different sides of the cave. Almost like he was looking for a ghost who wasn't there.
The ground eventually stuck to his feet. It was becoming harder for Amarantha to focus on keeping the earth away from her and firing. Gaea was getting stronger, and the giant was getting faster, almost like he was also getting stronger. Enceladus might be slow, but he wasn't dumb. He began anticipating their moves, and apparently their attacks were some sort of disturbance to his peaceful afternoon.
"I'm not some minor monster, Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpick and sling shot can't kill me."
Amarantha," says the oh so powerful destroyer of Athena who died! If you were so clever how come you didn't anticipate the lightning strike? Conjure up each probability? Athena would've! Athena knows, her kids are smarter than you are!"
That took the giants attention away from Jason as she gave him a chance to recuperate and gain some more energy.
The air was full of smoke that burned her lungs. Fires roared around her, stoked by the winds, and the temperature was approaching the heat of an over sized easy bake oven.
Jason threw himself back in while Amarantha threw her compound bow to the side to wait for it's return and get out her knives. Jason raised his javelin to block the giant's next strike a big mistake. He managed to deflect the spear, but it grazed his shoulder, and his arm went slack.
Amarantha thought maybe his arm went numb because when she'd been struck by the tip of the spear which cut her cheek bone the right side of her face went numb.
Amarantha decided to pick up her fight and head for his heels with her knives while the giant was distracted by Jason; she'd gotten ichor to spill but at the cost of being kicked like a purple dodge ball and hurtled far away smacking into a tree which made her spine burst with pain and a broken whimper to pass her lips at the awful feeling.
"Stay down daughter of madness, my mistress prefers the vessel unharmed. Though now that I see you I'm worried you won't do her much good. So flimsy and frail you are." The giant taunted shaking his spear at her like a wagging finger at a scolded child.
The giant smiled, baring his fangs at Jason now,"The mighty Jason Grace," He taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne." He then tapped his chin smiling knowingly at the young blonde," well maybe not single handedly. Your little girlfriend did help, even if she was busy with the titaness Theia."
"What are you talking about?" If Amarantha wasn't focused on getting up she'd be all over the fact that Jason had a girlfriend - like the awkward blonde Jason? A girlfriend? That poor girl.
"Jason!" Amarantha groaned out in warning," on your left!"
Just in time but too slowly. The blast missed him, but heat blistered his back. He slammed into the ground, a smoldering blonde rock. Coughing as he called a thanks and tried to breathe. He scrambled back as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between his feet. Jason managed to stand.
Amarantha was standing, albeit wobbly but atleast she wasn't paralyzed! Calliope would be proud of the optimism radiating off her.
No retreat, no surrender; that is Spartan law. And by Spartan law, we will stand and fight, and die.
A quote by king Leonidas oddly enough that surged through Amarantha's head as she made an effort to stand. She'd rather die in battle than lay there and let her friends and family fight for their lives. For basic survival they shouldn't have to grip onto like their last saving grace.
Her knives weren't doing anything for her, she couldn't hold Jason's back forever. Especially with such a large opponent and no long range weapon of use.
As she thought, before her eyes her knife expanded with vines that had enlarged thorns she didn't know were real in the world of agriculture but she thanked whoever allowed such thing to come true. And so she charged once more sharing a masked tired look with Jason. They were both burnt out but they agreed on one thing.
Death or Dishonor.
You could tell which they chose as they charged once more.
Lulu Speaks
Oooh Jason has a girlfrienddddd. Tea spilled by none other than the enemy.
I hope I don't suck at writing the fight pov, it was on Leo's and not Jason's - you'd know if you read the book - and I wanted to keep it on Calli's pov but it wouldn't split up evenly this way and the way I want to write will be off so I'm sorry if my pov of the fight sucks I'm not used to writing fight scenes quite yet.
I've been thinking up a fricken storm for the son of Neptune and mark of Athena, I'm so excited for the drama, angst, and new characters!! I hope you lovelies will love it as much as I do!!
I also personally apologize for the upcoming chapter. And I Luella am not liable for any therapy you may need afterwards, I don't have money so I cannot pay but i can send you cute cat memes as payment.