Wild ― Piper McLean

―xv. fresh out of gods (and fu―)

"HEADS UP!" Leo yelled.

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.

Verona ran over as fast as her heaving lungs allowed, reaching the crater in time to help Piper haul a semi-conscious Jason to his feet.

"Don't die on me," Piper ordered. "You are not dying on me."

Jason blinked rapidly. "Yes, ma'am."

About a hundred feet away, Leo was standing over a piece of construction equipment—a long cannonlike thing with a single massive piston, the edge broken clean off.

Then Verona looked down in the crater and saw where the other end of the hydraulic axe had gone. Enceladus was struggling to rise, an axe blade the size of a washing machine stuck in his breastplate.

Amazingly, the giant managed to pull the ax blade free. He yelled in pain and the mountain trembled. Golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, but Enceladus stood.

Shakily, he bent down and retrieved his spear.

"Good try." The giant winced. "But I cannot be beaten."

As they watched, the giant's armor mended itself, and the ichor stopped flowing. Even the cuts on his dragon-scale legs, which Verona and Jason had worked so hard to make, were now just pale scars.

"Not fair!" Verona complained.

Leo ran up to them, saw the giant, and cursed. "What is it with this guy? Die, already!"

"My fate is preordained," Enceladus said. "Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes."

"Only by both," Jason said. "It's true, isn't it? Gods and demigods have to work together to kill you."

"You will not live long enough to try!" The giant started stumbling up the crater's slope, slipping on the glassy sides.

"Anyone have a god handy?" Leo asked.

"I'm fresh out," Verona muttered.

Jason looked at the giant below them, his expression grim.

"Leo," he said, "if you've got a rope in that tool belt, get it ready."

Then he leaped at the giant with no weapon but his bare hands.

"Enceladus!" Piper yelled. "Look behind you!"

It was an obvious trick, but her voice was so compelling, Verona had to look.

The giant said, "What?" and turned like there was an enormous spider on his back.

Jason tackled his legs at just the right moment. The giant lost his balance. Enceladus slammed into the crater and slid to the bottom. While he tried to rise, Jason put his arms around the giant's neck. When Enceladus struggled to his feet, Jason was riding his shoulders like a little kid trying to see better in a crowd.

"Get off!" Enceladus screamed. He tried to grab Jason's legs, but Jason scrambled around, squirming and climbing over the giant's hair.

Verona smelled a storm in the air. Darkness swallowed the sun.

The giant froze, sensing it too.

Jason yelled, "Hit the deck!"

Everyone dove for cover as lightning struck.

When Verona looked back up a moment later, the crater was cracking open. The mountain had been split. The earth rumbled and tore apart, and Enceladus's legs slid into the chasm. He clawed helplessly at the glassy sides of the pit, and just for a moment managed to hold on to the edge, his hands trembling.