BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

91.

AS SOON AS Gaia achieved liftoff, the ground solidified.

  Demigods stopped sinking, though many were still buried up to their waists. Sadly, the monsters seemed to be digging themselves out more quickly. They charged the Greek and Roman ranks, taking advantage of the demigods' disorganization.

  Perfect Jason put his arms around Eden and Piper. He was about to take off when Percy yelled, "Wait! Frank can fly the rest of us up there! We can all –"

  "No, man," Perfect Jason said. "They need you here. There's still an army to defeat. Besides, the prophecy –"

  "He's right." Frank gripped Percy's arm. "You have to let them do this, Percy. It's like Annabeth's quest in Rome. Or Hazel at the Doors of Death. This part can only be them."

  Percy obviously didn't like it, but at that moment a flood of monsters swept over the Greek forces. Annabeth called to him, "Hey! Problem over here!" Percy ran to join her.

  Frank and Hazel turned to Perfect Jason. They raised their arms in the Roman salute, then ran off to regroup the legion.

Eden saw Connor wink at her before going over to Drew.

  Eden, Piper, and Perfect Jason spiraled upward on the wind.

  "I've got the cure," Piper murmured like a chant. "It'll be fine. I've got the cure."

  Eden realized she'd lost her sword somehow during the battle, but she doubted it would matter. Against Gaia, a sword would do no good. This was about storm and fire . . . and a third power, Piper's charmspeak, which would hold them together. Last winter, Piper had slowed the power of Gaia at the Wolf House, helping to free Hera from a cage of earth. Now she would have an even bigger job.

Eden didn't even know why she wanted to go with them — but she knew that she had to. She had a bad feeling about this juju.

  As they ascended, Perfect Jason gathered the wind and clouds around them. The sky responded with frightening speed. Soon they were in the eye of a maelstrom. Lightning burned Eden's eyes. Thunder made her teeth vibrate.

  Directly above them, Festus grappled with the earth goddess. Gaia kept disintegrating, trying to trickle back to the ground, but the winds kept her aloft. Festus sprayed her with flames, which seemed to force her into solid form. Meanwhile, from Festus's back, Leo blasted the goddess with flames of his own and hurled insults. "Potty Sludge! Dirt Face! THIS IS FOR MY MOTHER, ESPERANZA VALDEZ!"

  His whole body was wreathed in fire. Rain hung in the stormy air, but it only sizzled and steamed around him.

  Perfect Jason zoomed towards them.

  Gaia turned into loose white sand, but Perfect Jason summoned a squad of venti who churned around her, constraining her in a cocoon of wind.

  Gaia fought back. When she wasn't disintegrating, she lashed out with shrapnel blasts of stone and soil that Eden barely deflected for them.

  That was the secret Kym had hinted at when they'd spoken at the bottom of the sea.

  Long ago, Ouranos the sky god had been tricked down to the earth by Gaia and the Titans. They'd held him on the ground so he couldn't escape and, with his powers weakened from being so far from his home territory, they'd been able to cut him apart.

  Now Eden, Piper, Leo, and Perfect Jason had to reverse that scenario. They had to keep Gaia away from her source of power – the earth – and weaken her until she could be defeated.

  Together they rose. Festus creaked and groaned with the effort, but he continued to gain altitude. Eden still didn't understand how Leo had managed to remake the dragon. Then she recalled all the hours Leo had spent working inside the hull over the last few weeks. Leo must have been planning this all along and building a new body for Festus within the framework of the ship.