Wild ― Piper McLean

―xxviii. piper knocks out her girlfriend

PIPER YELPED AS SHE WAS YANKED BACKWARD, watching helplessly as Jason and Percy charged each other with their weapons at the ready. 

"Verona," Piper cried, but the warm brown of Verona's eyes had been replaced with solid gold. Whatever was in control of Jason and Percy had taken control of her, too. Piper was on her own. 

"Shh," the thing possessing her girlfriend said. "You don't want to miss this." 

Sparks flew as gold crossed bronze, Jason and Percy suddenly in a fight to the death. Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled beneath Piper's feet. The first exchange took only a second, but Piper couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings. 

"Stop it!" Piper yelled. 

For a moment, Jason heeded her voice. His golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy took the opportunity to charge, slamming his blade into Jason. Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword—maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally—so that the flat of it hit Jason's chest; but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount. 

Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor. 

Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around. 

"Percy!" Piper shouted. "Jason's your friend!" 

The thing inside Verona laughed, fingernails digging into Piper's arm. "As if friends have never killed each other. I can see your lover's mind, child. Did she ever tell you what happened to her praetor?" 

Piper squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring the voice. "Drop your weapon!" 

Percy's sword arm dipped. Piper might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately, Jason got back to his feet. 

Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his gladius and blasted Percy off his horse. 

Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields. Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast. 

"One must die," not-Verona whispered in Piper's ear. "Why not let it be that one?"

For a horrible moment, Piper couldn't find her voice. Jason was her best friend—she barely knew Percy. If one had to die...

"No!" she screamed. "Jason, stop!" 

He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face. 

Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. "I cannot stop. One must die." 

That voice... it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason or Percy or Verona. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if from another time. 

"Who are you?" Piper demanded. 

Jason's mouth twisted in a gruesome smile. "We are the eidolons. We will live again." 

"Eidolons...?" Piper's mind raced. She'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but eidolons didn't ring any bells. "You're—you're some sort of ghost?"

"He must die." Jason turned his attention back to Percy, but Percy had recovered more than either of them realized. He swept his leg and knocked Jason off his feet.

Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating conk.

Percy rose. 

"Stop it!" Piper screamed again, but the magic had been bleached out of her voice, replaced by pure desperation.