SANITY; heroes of olympus

03.5

[act three; chapter five     -     did i take it too far?]

If not for the horses, both Piper and Zara would have died.

Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack baulked long enough for the two girls to leap out of the way.

They rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and horrified, as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. Sparks flew. Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Zara couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.

"Stop it!" Piper yelled.

For a moment, Jason heeded her voice. His golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into the son of Jupiter. Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword—maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally—so the flat of it hit Jason's chest; but the impact was still enough to knock the younger boy off his mount.

Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapour.

Behind them, a vicious laugh echoed. Andy/Gaea clapped her hands, smiling. "Well done, boys. You see, Piper, my dear, you are not the only pawn in my game."

Zara wouldn't have found this situation heartbreaking if it weren't for the conflicted expression that soon adorned the redhead's face. It wasn't Gaea in that expression, it was Andromeda Storm. The girl who had been fighting for control all her life, the girl who was fighting against a goddess's control on her mind, body, and soul. A tear rolled down her freckled cheeks, but the smile on her face never faded. The most surprising part of it was the fact that she never once raised her sword, she didn't try to fight them. She simply stood there, waiting. Watching.