𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇 》 LEO VALDEZ ¹

―twenty-seven. nothing changes faster than the speed of love

◤                                                       ◥
𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐗𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀
𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔
◣                                                      ◢

CHARLIE TURNED. Jason seemed to be making one last, ditch effort. He took a deep breath and charged. Enceladus let him. Everything moved in slow motion: Jason's fake strike towards the right, his true intentions coming into light as he thrusted up, Enceladus anticipated the move. He stepped aside, sweeping his spear sideways. Charlie screamed, shouting his name, but it was all so blurred out now, adrenaline blocking their ears, she took off on one foot, pumping her legs with all her might as one hand reached forwards, trying to reach him.

There was 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 backwards, head turning to his friends from the impact, dazed eyes spotted Charlie's incoming figure, reaching for her outstretched hand.

Contact never came. He hit the ground before she reached him.

The breath was knocked out of him, eyes widening as his back arched off the ground in a cough, head forced to recentre itself.

When he regained 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 very much still alive.

Jason 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. The giant raised his spear, it's tip hovering six feet over Jason's chest.

''And now,'' Enceladus announced, ''My first sacrifice to Gaea!''

Oh yeah, time was definitely slowed down.

Charlie could feel it. She could see it.

The unsteady rise and fall of Jason's chest. The beating wings of the birds ahead. The rustling of the trees. Enceladus adjusting his grip to perfection, raising it upwards before beginning to bring it down.

''This a two player level?''

Jason barely registered that she had even been next to him, never-mind what she had said. Because from everyone else's point of view, time wasn't slowed down — Charlie was sped up.

She whipped by him, causing his hair to rustle. He barely had time to start praying before she came to save the day. Running straight past him, sticking her first attack on Enceladus' big toe, pushing her dagger in deep. The guy was in dire need of a pedicure.

The giant screamed, pain jolting up his foot and calf as it left the ground, knee moving to his chest. Unfortunately, he didn't drop the spear, but he did change it's target. The tip moving away from Jason's direction as he tried to swat it at Charlie — but she was everywhere at once. Moving too fast, stopping him from locking a target on her.

Jason watched with wide eyes — a whip like blue lightning making circles around the giant. Hands scooped under his arms. ''Jason, get up,'' Piper demanded, but, truthfully, she was distracted too. They all were. Not only was it amazing, but amusing too.