𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. ── 𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢. 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞

WHEN JASON'S LANCE BROKE, he knew he was dead.

The battle had started well enough. Jason's instincts kicked in, and his gut told him he'd dueled opponents almost this big before. Size and strength equaled slowness, so Jason just had to be quicker—pace himself, wear out his opponent, and avoid getting smashed or flame-broiled.
Andy was also extremely helpful, almost stabbing the giant in the eye, and helping him slash at the ugly, giant ogre. He and Andy rolled away from the giant's first spear thrust and jabbed Enceladus in the ankle. Jason's javelin managed to pierce the thick dragon hide, and golden ichor—the blood of immortals—trickled down the giant's clawed foot, the second time they had gotten him to bleed.

Enceladus bellowed in pain and blasted him with fire. Jason scrambled away, rolling behind the giant, and struck again behind his knee.

It went on like that for seconds, minutes—it was hard to judge. Jason heard combat across the clearing—construction equipment grinding, fire roaring, monsters shouting, and rocks smashing into metal. He heard Leo and Piper yelling defiantly, which meant they were still alive. Jason tried not to think about it. He couldn't afford to get distracted, (even though Andy looked like a  goddess when fighting, but he tried not to think about that).

Enceladus's spear missed him by a millimeter. Jason kept dodging, but the ground stuck to his feet. Gaea was getting stronger, and the giant was getting faster. Enceladus might be slow, but he wasn't dumb. Andy tried to use her dagger as well, but he was just dodging everything she gave. He began anticipating their moves, and Jason's attacks were only annoying him, making him more enraged.

"I'm not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpick can't kill me, boy."

Jason didn't waste energy replying. He was already tired. The ground clung to his feet, making him feel like he weighed an extra hundred pounds. The air was full of smoke that burned his lungs. Fires roared around him, stoked by the winds, and the temperature was approaching the heat of an oven.

Jason raised his javelin to block the giant's next strike—a big mistake. Don't fight force with force, a voice chided him—the wolf Lupa, who'd told him that long ago. He managed to deflect the spear, but it grazed his shoulder, and his arm went numb.

He backed up, almost tripping over a burning log. "Giant!" Andy called from behind Jason. Her face was somehow relaxed, but Jason saw that her eyes were tired. Jason picked himself up, and Enceladus turned his head to face her. "What," she halfheartedly smiled, "you're afraid of fighting a girl?"

The giant grinned and replied, "Not at all." He blew fire at Andy, and she sidestepped and tapped her ring, speeding to the top of the giant's head and slashing at his arms, a plan that would have worked—if Enceladus hadn't moved. While she gave the giant an extremely tough time, he realized what she was doing. She wasn't fighting to kill—she was tying to give Jason time to recover.

He had to delay—to keep the giant's attention fixed on him—till Andy stepped back and could help him again. Till Leo dealt with the Earthborn and rescued Piper's dad. He couldn't fail.

He retreated, trying to lure the giant to the edge of the clearing. Enceladus could sense his weariness. The giant smiled, baring his fangs.

"The mighty Jason Grace," he taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."

Jason's mind reeled. He didn't know these names, yet they made his skin tingle, as if his body remembered the pain his mind didn't.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. He realized his mistake when Enceladus breathed fire.

Distracted, Jason moved too slowly. The blast missed him, but heat blistered his back. He slammed into the ground, his clothes smoldering. He was blinded from ash and smoke, choking as he tried to breathe.

"Jace!" Andy rushed over, sword in hand, and helped him up.

The giant smiled at Andy and continued. "And you are the heroic Andromeda Jackson. Daughter of Mercury, the lost demigod. Defeated the titan Koios unassisted, and crushed Circe in hand-to-hand combat. Yes, we know about you as well."

She smiled sweetly at Jason, which he thought was confusing given the moment, but then she glared at Enceladus. "Yeah, and that means that I'll beat your ass too, scale-face."

The giant laughed, loud and booming. "That is an interesting proposition, for a demigod who doesn't even know her own father. I'm not a titan, little girl, defeating me takes a god!"

Andy seethed. "Don't call me a little girl."

Jason scrambled back as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between his feet. And he managed to stand.

If he could only summon one good blast of lightning—but he was already drained, and in this condition, the effort might kill him. He didn't even know if electricity would harm the giant.

Death in battle is honorable, said Lupa's voice.

That's real comforting, Jason thought.

One last try: Jason took a deep breath and charged.

Enceladus let them approach, grinning with anticipation. At the last second, Jason faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. Andy came in from behind, slashing at the giants calves, leaving him hissing in pain. Jason came up quickly, thrusting with all his might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but Enceladus anticipated the trick. He stepped aside with too much speed and agility for a giant, as if the earth were helping him move.

He swept his spear sideways, met Jason's javelin—and with a snap like a shotgun blast, the golden weapon shattered.

The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding Jason with golden light. The force knocked him off his feet and squeezed the breath out of him.

When he regained his focus, he was sitting at the rim of a crater. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering and confused. The javelin's destruction had released so much energy, it had blasted a perfect cone-shaped pit thirty feet deep, fusing the dirt and rock into a slick glassy substance. Jason wasn't sure how he'd survived, but his clothes were steaming. He was out of energy. He had no weapon. And Enceladus was still very much alive.

Jason looked to his right, only to find that Andy's trick most likely hadn't gone well either. The giant was already healing, and Andy was lying right next to him, covered in golden, shimmering blood.

The both of them tried to get up, but his legs were like lead. Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod."

Enceladus leaped the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of Jason and Andy. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet over Jason's chest.

"And now," Enceladus said, "the sacrifice of both demigods to Gaea will be complete!"