Home|| Leo Valdez

36

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The plan went wrong almost immediately. Piper scrambled along the ridge, trying to keep her head down, while Leo, Jason, Alex and Coach Hedge walked straight into the clearing.

Jason summoned his golden lance. He brandished it over his head and yelled, "Giant!" 

While Alex stood next to him, trying her best to look intimidating. She had her dagger in one hand and a swirling ball of water in another. Although she wanted nothing more than to run away, she stood straighter. 

Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned toward them and grinned, revealing fangs like a saber-toothed tiger's.

"Well," the giant rumbled. "What a nice surprise."

Coach Hedge shouted, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant my hoof right up your-"

"ASS" Alex yelled louder.

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 and Hedge dove to the left and Alex dove to the right as the giant blew fire-a furnace blast so hot even Festus would've been jealous. One second Leo was by her side and the next, he was off running.

Next to Alex, Jason rose and charged the giant. 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. Alex didn't waste another moment in joining them.

But before they could get very far, Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground. The entire mountain shook.

Surprisingly, while the rest of her friends fell to the ground or were momentarily stunned, it didn't seem to hurt Alex much. She even stayed on her feet glaring at the giant. 

Enceladus seemed impressed that his attack hadn't hurt Alex but turned his attention elsewhere. 

The giant bellowed, "I see you, Piper McLean!" He turned and blew fire at a line of bushes to Alex's right. 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!"

Alex almost doubted Piper, but shook her head when she realised what she was thinking. 

"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?"

Alex didn't wait longer, she roared with outrage at the thought that her friend would betray them and charged at the giant. 

Jason was on his feet now too, lance ready; but before Alex could come closer, 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. Alex realised with nauseating certainty that they hadn't simply been hiding there. They'd risen straight out of the earth.

The earth born. 

They 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, she could smell them. Six guys who never bathed, with six armpits each. Awesome.

While Enceladus tried to talk Piper into betraying her friends, Jason and Alex shared a silent conversation. Alex didn't see any water nearby, but she knew Poseidon was more than just the god of the sea. 

"Um.. my dad is Poseidon and he'd be really mad if you tried to kill me. Also he's technically the god of earthquakes and believe me you don't want to find out what I can do" Alex tried to look more sure of herself than she felt. 

Fake it till you make it right? When the heck do you make it??

Her voice carried across the mountain and for a moment even Enceladus had doubts, but then he shook himself out of it. He looked at the retreating earth borns.

"Go get her you morons" Enceladus bellowed. 

The four demigods shared a look and instantly knew what each had to do. Jason raced for Enceladus while Leo and Alex focused on the earth borns. Alex slashed and stabbed with her dagger but it seemed slower than what Leo was doing by using the construction equipment. 

An idea formed in her head and she pressed her palm to the ground. The whole mountain seemed to quake under her touch and the earth borns took a few steps back, but Alex willed the ground to open, she knew she'd encounter resistance from Gaea, but she fought it. 

She wanted the ground to obey her, she thought of he father, she thought of earthquakes and whatever she had learnt about them in class. It made absolutely no sense, but at the same time it was obvious. Gaea seemed to weaken and Alex felt a tug inside her, she didn't fight it, she let the power consume her.

Cracks somehow opened underneath all the earth borns and the mountain swallowed them. Leo stared at Alex in awe, and she almost passed out with the effort it had taken her.

"LEX" Leo ran to her side and offered her some water which rejuvenated some of her strength. Not too far away, Jason still fought with Enceladus and Alex knew she needed to help him. She got to her feet and gave Leo a nod. 

With that, she joined her friend in battle against a giant. The stupidest thing she had ever done.