²OLDEN CROWN. heroes of olympus

021.

OLDEN CROWN
━━ chapter twenty-one

━━ JASON WASN'T DOING too well, that's what Delaney saw. She assumed ( hoped ) the battle started out okay. He was still alive, so that must be the case. But something must've shifted as the son of Zeus and Enceladus fought.

Jason was still dodging—or trying to, at least. Enceladus's spear missed him by a millimeter. Gaea had to be getting stronger, making it harder for Jason to move, but making it easier for Enceladus to move.

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

Jason didn't reply, retreating back 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."

"What are you talking about?" Jason replied, looking like the information gave him an electric shock.

But that was his mistake. Enceladus opened his mouth and sent a blast of fire. Distracted, Jason moved too slowly. The blast missed him, but heat blistered his back. He slammed into the ground, his clothes smoldering.

He scrambled back to his feet as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between his feet.

Jason managed to stand.

If he could only summon a good blast of lightning—but he was already drained, and in this condition, the effort might kill him.

Enceladus let Jason approach, grinning with anticipation. At the last second, the son of Jupiter faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. He 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, the golden weapon shattered.

The explosion blinded Delaney with a golden light. Even from where she stood, she felt the force of the explosion.

Jason had been blasted to the edge of a newly-created 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.

He wasn't moving, which made Delaney more nervous. It was only worse that Enceladus was moving. He blinked at the destruction, then laughed. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod!"

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

"And now," he declared with glee, "my first sacrifice to Gaea!"

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Delaney nearly slid down the entirety of the crater if it wasn't for Piper and Elisa grabbing her arms. Leo was running behind them, climbing a piece of construction equipment—