SWEET SORROWS│p. jackson

[ 20. ]

II xx. uncool horses... II

DIFFERENT MONSTERS launched themselves at the group. Andromeda was the lucky winner of the wolves. They probably recognized her from when she accidentally broke their friend's spine.

They pounced, and she waved her hand in the air. Purple mist appeared around her, weaving its way towards the wolves. It circled two of them, lifting the creatures into the air and slammed them into the side of the house. Three times for good measure. She released her hold, and the mist dropped them into a heap in the corner-passed out.

Another one jumped at her, and she ducked-rolling to the side. Mumbling her special word, her sword appeared in her grasp. The wolf snarled, charging once more, she charged as well. It went to leap at her, and Andromeda swung her sword across its underbelly. The wolf made a squeaking noise as it collapsed, head hitting the ground and dispersing into a pile of shadowy smoke. She made a face as it's whole body suddenly turned into the same thing. "What the-"

A loud howl was heard behind her, and she grunted when she was tackled onto the floor, her sword clattering a few feet away-just out of arm's reach. The next thing Andromeda knew, she was on her back, staring up at a vicious wolf. Its beady eyes reeked of bloodlust.

"Nice, wolf," She whispered, green-eyes wide. She grimaced at its salivating mouth, red eyes darted across her face (probably deciding where to chew off first). "Nice, non-lethal, wolf!"

A low growl erupted from the back of its throat and just before she could take action, a green blur wrapped around its neck, pulling the giant creature off her. She sat up, watching as it whimpered, hind legs kicking and pawing at something. Then it stilled and its head dropped. Andromeda watched as a green boa unwrapped itself from the beast's neck and slithered towards her.

"Aurora!" She beamed.

The snake bowed her head, before slithering away. She was a cutie.

Looking back, the daughter of Hecate saw her brother fighting off the last Earthborn with Piper. His sword slicing down their arms with ease and his face looked like he was trying to not gag. Beside him, Piper seemed to be doing the same with her dagger.

And Jason...well Jason had managed to get a horse. Andromeda stared up at him as he trotted beside her with the storm spirit. "Jason why do you have a horse?"

"Oh, uh, long story. Wanna know his name?"

"What."

"Tempest." Jason nodded proudly.

"Tempest." Her lips pursed, "I'm gonna be honest with you...that's a very uncool name."

His expression fell and he frowned. The horse seemed to whine in protest as well. "What do you mean it's uncool?"

"It just is."

What horse names are cool then?" Jason spat.

She scoffed, dusting herself off and standing. "Well, for one-"

A flying icicle came shooting past Andromeda, making her and Jason yelp. She stumbled back and they both looked over to see where it had come from.

On the opposite side, Leo had taken on Khione herself. She kept summoning ice daggers to throw at him (which is what would have nearly penetrated Andromeda's eye had she been a few steps over to her left). Leo had burned through all of it and managed to corner her.

"You're too late," Khione snarled. "He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work. You'll be at each other's throats before you can ever stop us."

Leo set his hammers ablaze and threw them at the goddess, but she turned into snow-a white powdery image of herself. Leo's hammers slammed into the snow woman, breaking it into a steaming mound of mush.

Piper, Leo, and Alabaster stumbled towards them as the group looked around the yard. Wolves laid in heaps, Earthborn were piles of muck, and the storm spirits had vanished.

Piper grinned. "Nice horse."

Tempest reared on his hind legs, arcing electricity across his hooves. A complete show-off. A cracking sound made them all look back.

The melting ice on Hera's cage sloughed off in a curtain of slush, and the goddess called, "Oh, don't mind me! Just the queen of the heavens, dying over here!"

The demigods jumped into the pool, rushing to the spire. Hera had a pout on her face, and her arms were crossed.

Leo frowned. "Uh, Tía Callida, are you getting shorter?"

"No, you dolt! The earth is claiming me. Hurry!"

Not only was Hera sinking, the ground was rising around her like water in a tank. Liquid rock had already covered her shins. Andromeda stuck out her tongue. "Yuck."

"The giant wakes!" Hera warned. "You only have seconds!"

"On it," Leo said. "Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage. "

"What?" Piper said. "Talk to it. Use everything you've got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I-"

"Right!" Piper cleared her throat and said, "Hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I'm tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?"

It seemed to have some effect on the cage. The mud was rising more slowly. The tendrils seemed to soften just a little-becoming more like tree root than rock.

Leo grunted as he pulled a circular saw out of his tool belt. Then Leo looked at the cord and groaned in frustration. "I don't have anywhere to plug it in!"

The spirit horse Tempest jumped into the pit, nearly trampling over Alabaster, and whinnied.

"Really?" Jason asked.

Tempest dipped his head and trotted over to Leo. Leo looked dubious, but he held up the plug, and a breeze whisked it into the horse's flank. Lighting sparked, connecting with the prongs of the plug, and the circular saw whirred to life.

"Sweet!" Leo grinned. "Your horse comes with AC outlets!"

Their good mood didn't last long. On the other side of the pool, the giant's spire crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded from the top down, and they all covered their heads as it started raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.

Porphyrion was even taller, and even more ripped. He didn't radiate heat, or show any signs of breathing fire, but there was something more terrible about him-a kind of strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.

Like Enceladus, the giant king was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon's legs; but his skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons-daggers, axes, and full-size swords, some of them bent and bloody-maybe trophies taken from demigods eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white, like polished marble. He took a deep breath.

song for next chapter:
POKER FACE
(lady gaga)