𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒 | Moral choice. Nothing is properly considered either good, or bad, aside from those things that are within our own power to control, and the only thing fully in our power to control is our own volition.
Esmerelda's attempts of...
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▬▬▬ CHAPTER NINETEEN ▬▬▬
ESMERELDA NEARLY GOT CRUSHED TO death by a gigantic foot. She let out a shriek and dove out of the way. When it stomped down, a bunch of a dirt and rubble flew towards her direction but instead of getting hit, it went through her.
That was when she realized that she was dreaming.
Where am I? She wondered, looking around. She was in some sort of junkyard full of nothing but scrap metal. She looked back at the large foot, her gaze trailing higher and higher.
It was a bronze giant dressed in Greek battle armor. He was as tall as a skyscraper, but she could see that the left side of his face was practically melted off. This was an automaton, one that was most likely thrown away because of the damages.
She could see Thalia and Zoe fighting against it, but each of their attacks were useless against an automaton as giant as this one.
"Come on!" Someone shouted, and Percy materialized beside her. He was looking at Bianca, who stood rooted from her spot. And then she pulled out a small metal figurine from her pocket. Esmerelda recognized the design, it was a figurine from the Mythomagic game.
"It... it was for Nico," she croaked. "It was the only statue he didn't have."
"How can you think of Mythomagic at a time like this?" Percy demanded.
She didn't answer. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Throw it down," he told her. "Maybe the giant will leave us alone."
She dropped it, but nothing happened. Esmerelda turned back to the automaton to see it coming after Grover. It stabbed it's hundred foot long sword into a junk hill, just narrowly missing him. Thalia tried shooting him shooting him with an arc of lightning, but all it did was make it momentarily collapse.
As it raised its foot to stomp, Esmerelda saw a manhole in the sole of his shoe.
Percy saw it too. "Crazy idea time."
"Anything." Bianca said.
"There may be a way to control the thing. Switches or something. I'm going to get inside."
"How? You'll have to stand under its foot! You'll be crushed!" She pointed out.
"Distract it," he told her. "I'll just have to time it right."
Bianca's jaw tightened. "No. I'll go."
"You can't. You're new at this! You'll die." He exclaimed.
Her face fell. "It's my fault the monster came after us. It's my responsibility. Here." She picked up the figurine and handed it to him. "If anything happens, give that to Nico. Tell him... tell him I'm sorry."
