𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

26

If not for the horses, Hadrian would've died.

Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack balked long enough for Hadrian to leap out of the way. He accidentally let the arrow loose into the ground, but he would worry about that later.

He rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and horrified, as the two 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 Hadrian 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 this toxic masculinity bullshit" Hadrian yelled, putting all his power into the sentence.

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

Tempest reared in confusion. Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields.

Jason struggled to turn his spirit horse around. Percy looked ready to charge at Jason, horse or no horse.

"Drop your fucking weapon" Hadrian ordered.

Percy's sword arm dipped. Hadrian might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason was still there.

He roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his gladius and blasted Percy twenty feet back.

Hadrian had had it with these idiots. He was just tempted to tell Gaea to take Percy so they would at least have time to figure something else out. Unfortunately, a few memories rose- a young boy in battle, fiercely protecting his camp

A young boy who moved as swift as water, slashing through his enemies mercilessly. A young boy- one of the strongest demigods of their generation. A young boy too much like Hadrian.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

Hadrian let loose an arrow. He thought about his dad and Apollo as the arrow found its mark on Jason's gladius. An impossible shot. He shouldn't have been able to make it, especially since Jason was moving. But the force of the arrow and the surprise at least distracted Jason enough that Hadrian pulled another arrow out, this time aimed at his leg.

The arrow grazed his calf and Jason cried out in pain. Hurting Jason wasn't ideal, but it was working.

For a moment, he was actually happy about his triumph of distracting Jason, until he saw Percy get up.

For a horrible moment, Hadrian couldn't find his voice. Gaea seemed to be whispering to him: You must choose one. Prove your loyalties. Why not let Jason kill him?

"No!" he screamed. "Percy, stop!"

He froze, his sword six inches from Jason's face.

Percy turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. "I cannot stop. One must die."

Something about that voice... it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Percy. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.

"Who the hell are you?" Hadrian demanded.

Percy's mouth twisted in a gruesome smile. "We are the eidolons. We will live again."

"Eidolons... ?" Hadrian's mind raced. "You're—you're some sort of ghost?"

"He must die." Percy turned his attention back to Jason, but Jason had recovered more than either of them realized. His injury didn't distract him. He swept out his leg and knocked Percy off his feet.