This Cold Year ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase²

―xvi. naomi and jason try to one-up each other

NAOMI WHISTLED SHARPLY THROUGH HER TEETH, and a moment later, Skia was bounding out of the tree line, barreling through a pair of red-eyed wolves so hard one turned into shadows and the other stumbled, so disoriented it was almost too easy for Naomi to slash through its body with Asphodel.

"Good girl!" Naomi praised, climbing onto Skia's back when the hellhound leaned down. "Let's take these monsters down, shall we?"

Skia barked with delight, and they charged into the thick of it.

Naomi forged shadows out of thin air, blinding as many monsters as she could focus on and giving her companions an advantage. She focused her own efforts on the wolves, since Stygian Iron proved just as deadly as silver, the wolves' dying shadows seeping into the blade with ease. It almost felt like she was soaking up their energy, too, their shadows filling her with strength.

Through the chaos, she caught glimpses of her friends. Jason had managed to tame a storm spirit, riding it through other venti. Piper was surrounded by Earthborn, who were distracted by her almost ethereal beauty and therefore incredibly easy to kill. Leo had taken on Khione herself, his fire powers burning every ice dagger, blast of winter air, and tornado of snow she tried to throw at him. His 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 monster that got in his way.

Naomi realized Leo was the only reason they were all still alive. His fiery aura was heating up the whole courtyard, countering Khione's winter magic. Without him, they would've been frozen like the Hunters long ago. Wherever Leo went, ice melted off the stones. 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 got closer.

Naomi ran out of enemies. All the wolves were dead. Jason's venti obliterated the last of the other storm spirits. Piper stabbed the last Earthborn, who toppled to the ground in a pile of sludge.

Naomi turned and saw Leo 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."

Leo set his hammers ablaze and threw them at the goddess, but she turned into snow, and Leo's hammers slammed into the snowy image, breaking it into a steaming mound of mush.

Naomi pushed her bangs off of her sweaty face, sliding off of Skia's back. The hellhound licked Naomi's face, and she grimaced at the dog spit on her face.

"Love you, too, girl," Naomi said, wiping her cheek.

"Is that a hellhound?" Piper asked, staring up at Skia with a half-frightened, half-awed expression.

"Yep," Naomi said, reaching up to pet Skia's neck. "Skia's friendly—unless you try to kill me."

"Understandable," Piper said. "Can I—?"

Naomi nodded, and Piper reached up, scratching below Skia's ear. The hellhound's back leg started thumping the ground in delight, and Piper laughed.

Then Naomi heard a cracking sound behind her. 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!"

"More like queen of drama," Naomi muttered to Piper. She kissed Skia's snout. "Thanks, girl. I've got it from here. Keep looking for Percy."

Skia whined a little in protest, but did as she was told, licking Naomi's face again before bounding back toward the woods, disappearing into the nearest shadow.