{Kiara}
Kiara's gut twisted. This was the moment Piper had warned them about. They'd played right into Enceladus's hands.
The giant must've read Kiara's expression, because he laughed even louder. "That's right, daughter of Pluto. 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?"
Kiara could see Piper's dad more clearly now. He wore a ragged dress shirt and torn slacks. His bare feet were caked with mud. He wasn't completely unconscious, because he lifted his head and groaned. He had a nasty cut down the side of his face, and he looked thin and sickly.
"Dad!" Piper yelled.
Mr. McLean blinked, trying to focus. "Pipes...? Where..."
Piper drew her dagger and faced Enceladus. "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 Leo and her dad.
"He'll kill you," Leo warned. "Don't trust him!"
"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!"
Jason and Kiara were on their feet now, lance and sword ready; but before they 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 of the woods, half a dozen ogre-like creatures rose up. Leo 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, Kiara could smell them. Six guys who never bathed, with six armpits each.
Leo stepped toward Piper. "What—what are those?"
Her blade reflected the purple light of the bonfire. "Gegenees."
"In English?" Leo asked.
"The Earthborn," Kiara said. "Six-armed giants who fought Jason—the first Jason."
"Very good, my 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 Earthborn 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," Encedalus 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!"
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 Earthborn backed away. She radiated power and beauty, but it had nothing to do with her clothes or her makeup.
"You will not take the people I love," she said. "None of them."
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. Earthborn! I will show you Jason."
Kiara's heart sank. 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.
"There is Jason," Enceladus said with pleasure. "Tear him apart!"
Kiara's biggest surprise: One look from Jason, and all three of them knew the game plan. When had that happened, that they could read each other so well?
Jason charged Enceladus with Kiara, while Piper rushed to her father, and Leo dashed for the tree harvester, which stood between Mr. McLean and the Earthborn.
Kiara slashed at one of Enceladus's legs with her sword, while Jason attacked the other. Enceladus roared and tried to swat her aside, but Kiara ducked and attacked again.
Jason rolled away from the giant's first spear thrust and jabbed Enceladus in the ankle. Jason's javelin managed to pierce the thick dragon hide, and golden ichor—the blood of immortals—trickled down the giant's clawed foot.
Enceladus bellowed in pain and blasted him with fire. Jason scrambled away, rolling behind the giant, and struck again behind his knee.
It went on like that for seconds, minutes—it was hard to judge. Kiara heard combat across the clearing—construction equipment grinding, fire roaring, monsters shouting, and rocks smashing into metal. She heard Leo and Piper yelling defiantly, which meant they were still alive. Kiara tried not to think about it. She couldn't afford to get distracted.
Enceladus's spear missed her by a millimeter. Kiara kept dodging, but the ground stuck to her feet. Gaea was getting stronger, and the giant was getting faster. Enceladus might be slow, but he wasn't dumb. He began anticipating the duo's moves, and their attacks were only annoying him, making him more enraged.
"I'm not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpick can't kill me, boy."
Jason didn't waste energy replying. He looked like he was already tired. The ground clung to his feet, making him feel like he weighed an extra hundred pounds. The air was full of smoke that burned Kiara's lungs. Fires roared around her, stoked by the winds, and the temperature was approaching the heat of an oven.
Jason raised his javelin to block the giant's next strike—a big mistake. Don't fight force with force. He managed to deflect the spear, but it grazed his shoulder, and he almost dropped his spear. He backed up, almost tripping over a burning log.
Kiara knew she had to delay—to keep the giant's attention fixed on them while their friends dealt with the Earthborn and rescued Piper's dad. She couldn't fail.
"Hey!" Kiara yelled. She didn't have a plan, but there was no time for one. "You spoke about Jason's spear, but what about my sword, huh? Are you so afraid of it to mention it?" She knew these were empty words, but it was worth trying.
Enceladus turned to her. "Ah, yes, Kiara Morrigan, daughter of Pluto. Too bad you don't know the full potential of your powers. And no, your puny sword doesn't scare me more than any normal sword."
Lie, Kiara thought. She had noticed how the giant's eyes had flickered with fear at the mention of her sword. But something else was tugging at her mind. "What do you mean I don't know the full potential of my powers?"
Enceladus laughed a ground-shaking laugh and Kiara almost toppled over. "I think that phrase was pretty self-explanatory."
Kiara was out of tricks, and was confused. Jason—thank the gods—noticed that. He retreated, trying to lure the giant to the edge of the clearing. Enceladus could sense his weariness. The giant smiled, baring his fangs.
"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."
Jason stopped. He remembered something, and so did Kiara. She didn't know these names, yet they made her skin tingle, as if her body remembered the pain her mind didn't.
"What are you talking about?" Jason asked. He realized his mistake when Enceladus breathed fire.
Distracted, Jason moved too slowly. The blast missed him, but heat blistered his back. He slammed into the ground, his clothes smoldering. He was blinded from ash and smoke, choking as he tried to breathe.
"Jason!" Kiara yelled.
He scrambled back as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between his feet. Jason managed to stand.
Jason took a deep breath and charged.
Enceladus let him approach, grinning with anticipation. At the last second, Jason faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. He came up quickly, thrusting with all his might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but Enceladus anticipated the trick. He stepped aside with too much speed and agility for a giant, as if the earth were helping him move.
He swept his spear sideways, met Jason's javelin—and with a snap like a shotgun blast, the golden weapon shattered.
The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding even Kiara with golden light. The force knocked Jason off his feet and squeezed the breath out of him.
Kiara blinked the white spots away from her eyes. Jason was sitting at the rim of a crater. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering and confused. The javelin's destruction had released so much energy, it had blasted a perfect cone-shaped pit thirty feet deep, fusing the dirt and rock into a slick glassy substance.
Kiara wasn't sure how Jason had survived, but his clothes were steaming. He looked as if he were about to pass out. He had no weapon. And Enceladus was still very much alive. Jason tried to get up, but fell back on his butt. Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed.
"Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod." Enceladus leaped the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of Jason. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet over Jason's chest.
"And now," Enceladus said, "my first sacrifice to Gaea!"
"No!" Kiara started running towards Enceladus and Jason, but knew she would be too late. She wished she could be right next to them to put her sword through Enceladus's heart.
Then, the weirdest thing happened. She felt like she was being pulled inside the shadows, and there was a moment of freezing cold and darkness. Then, she appeared at Enceladus's feet, just as Leo's voice shouted, "Head's up!"
She ducked and a large black metal wedge slammed into Enceladus with a massive thunk! The giant toppled over and slid into the pit.
"Jason, get up!" Piper called. He sat up, looking groggy, while Piper grabbed him under his
arms and hauled him to his feet. "Don't die on me," she ordered. "You are not dying on me."
Kiara didn't hear the rest of their conversation. She fell to her knees. She felt exhausted. She didn't know what had just happened, but it was impossibly dizzying.
She dropped on the ground and blacked out.
She woke to the sensation of the ground shaking.
"Grab hold!" Leo was yelling.
Kiara shot to her feet—which was a mistake since she almost toppled over.
Leo and Piper were pulling Jason up from a huge chasm in the ground. Kiara rushed to their side—despite being disoriented—and helped them pull Jason up.
They stood together, exhausted and terrified, as the chasm closed like an angry mouth. The ground stopped pulling at their feet.
For now, Gaea was gone.
The mountainside was on fire. Smoke billowed hundreds of feet into the air. Jason spotted a helicopter—maybe firefighters or reporters—coming toward them.
All around them was carnage. The Earthborn had melted into piles of clay, leaving behind only their rock missiles and some nasty bits of loincloth, but Jason figured they would reform soon enough. Construction equipment lay in ruins. The ground was scarred and blackened.
"Where were you?" Leo asked Kiara. He was still trying to catch his breath.
"Passed out, lying on the floor," Kiara replied.
"Was that sarcasm?" Piper asked. She sounded genuinely concerned. "Tell me that was sarcasm."
"I'm too tired for sarcasm right now, beauty queen." Kiara slumped on the ground and lay on her back.
Coach Hedge started to move. He sat up with a groan and rubbed his head. His canary yellow pants were now the color of Dijon mustard mixed with mud.
He blinked and looked around him at the battle scene. "Did I do this?"
Before Jason could reply, Hedge picked up his club and got shakily to his feet. "Yeah, you wanted some hoof? I gave you some hoof, cupcakes! Who's the goat, huh?"
He did a little dance, kicking rocks and making what were probably rude satyr gestures at the piles of clay.
Leo cracked a smile, and Jason couldn't help it—he started to laugh. It probably sounded a little hysterical, but it was such a relief to be alive, he didn't care.
"What are you laughing about?" Kiara asked, propping herself on her elbows. Then she saw Coach Hedge. "Oh." She smiled, but it probably looked more like a grimace.
"You okay?" Piper asked, crouching next to her.
Kiara ignored her beating heart. "Yeah, just— I'll explain when we get out of here."
Then a man stood up across the clearing. Tristan McLean staggered forward. His eyes were hollow, shell-shocked, like someone who'd just walked through a nuclear wasteland.
"Piper?" he called. His voice cracked. "Pipes, what—what is—"
He couldn't complete the thought. Piper ran over to him and hugged him tightly, but he almost didn't seem to know her.
Kiara had felt a similar way—that morning at the Grand Canyon, when he woke with no memory. But Mr. McLean had the opposite problem. He had too many memories, too much trauma his mind just couldn't handle. He was coming apart.
"We need to get him out of here," Jason said.
"Yeah, but how?" Leo said. "He's in no shape to walk."
"Nor am I," Kiara added. It was true. She felt as if she stood up, she would come apart into pieces.
Jason glanced up at the helicopter, which was now circling directly overhead. "Can you make us a bullhorn or something?" he asked Leo. "Piper has some talking to do."
Finally some Piper X Kiara stuff. This is gonna be SO slowburn