NEVER BE THE SAME . . . percy jackson

eighty five: the lazy god.

BROOKLYN HAD FOUGHT many battles, but none of them were like this. In the huge Colosseum, with thousands of cheering ghosts, the god Bacchus staring down at her, and the two twelve-foot giants looming over her, she felt as small and insignificant as a bug. She also felt very angry.

Fighting giants was one thing. Bacchus making it into a game was something else.

Brooklyn decided that as soon as she was done with this quest, if she survived, then she's getting the fuck out of this life. She'll, like, go to Alaska or something. Or the South Pole. Somewhere where she can live in peace.

Ephialtes and Otis interrupted her thoughts — rude — by attacking. Together, the giants picked up a fake mountain as big as Brooklyn's living room and hurled it at the demigods.

Jason, Percy, and Brooklyn bolted. They dove together into the nearest trench and the mountain shattered above them, spraying them with plaster shrapnel. It wasn't deadly, but it stung like crazy.

The crowd jeered and shouted for blood. "Fight! Fight!"

"I'll take Otis again?" Jason called over the noise. "Or do you two want him this time?"

"Don't ask me," Brooklyn grimaced, running her hands over her stomach because it hurt like hell from the beating she got. "I don't care."

"We attack together," Percy said. "Otis first, because he's weaker. Take him out quickly and move to Ephialtes. Bronze and gold together — maybe that'll keep them from re-forming a little longer."

Jason smiled dryly, like he'd just found out he would die in an embarrassing way.

"Why not?" he agreed. "But Ephialtes isn't going to stand there and wait while we kill his brother. Unless—"

"Good wind today," Percy offered. "And there're some water pipes running under the arena. The sky could stand to have some storms take over."

Jason laughed in agreement. Brooklyn just shoved Percy. He was very lame.

"On three?" Jason said.

"Ugh, just get me out of here," Brooklyn declared. "You two smell like shit."

They charged out of the trench. As Brooklyn suspected, the twins had lifted another plaster mountain and were waiting for a clear shot. The giants raised it above their heads, preparing to throw, and Percy caused a water pipe to burst at their feet, shaking the floor. Jason sent a blast of wind against Ephialtes's chest. The purple-haired giant toppled backward and Otis lost his grip on the mountain, which promptly collapsed on top of his brother. Only Ephialtes's snake feet stuck out, darting their heads around, as if wondering where the rest of their body had gone.

The crowd roared with approval, but Brooklyn suspected Ephialtes was only stunned. They had a few seconds at best.

"Hey, Otis!" she shouted. "Fuck the Nutcracker! Not in that way, but you know, if you wanted to and not fight us, that'd be great."

"Ahhhhh!" Otis snatched up his spear and threw, but he was too angry to aim straight. Jason deflected it over Brooklyn's head and into the lake.

The demigods backed toward the water, shouting insults about ballet — which was kind of a challenge, as the boys didn't know shit about it, which left Brooklyn to carry them once again.

Otis barreled toward them empty-handed, before apparently realizing that a) he was empty-handed, and b) charging toward a large body of water to fight a son of Poseidon was maybe not a good idea.

Too late, he tried to stop. The demigods rolled to either side, and Jason and Brooklyn summoned the wind, using the giant's own momentum to shove him into the water. As Otis struggled to rise, Percy, Jason, and Brooklyn attacked as one. They launched themselves at the giant and brought their weapons down on Otis's head.