ONE LAST TIME . . . heroes of olympus

27

TIME SEEMED TO slow down as the spear went toward Jason's chest. Kat tried to move forward, to do anything at all—

Leo's voice yelled, "Heads up!"

A large black metal wedge slammed into Enceladus with a massive thunk! The giant toppled over and slid into the pit.

"Jason, get up!" Piper called, next to Jason. Even though it wasn't directed at Kat, her voice energized her, giving her the energy to stagger over to them as Piper grabbed Jason under his arms and hauled him to his feet.

"Don't die on me," she ordered. "You are not dying on me."

"Yes, ma'am." He stared at her. Ugh, they were actually perfect, what the fuck. Kat was so gay. Well, pan and poly. But so fucking gay.

About a hundred feet behind them, Leo was standing over a piece of construction equipment — a long cannonlike thing with a single massive piston, the edge broken clean off.

Then Kat looked down in the crater and saw where the other end of the blade had gone. Enceladus was struggling to rise, an ax blade the size of a washing machine stuck in his breastplate.

Amazingly, the giant managed to pull the ax blade free. He yelled in pain and the mountain trembled. Golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, but Enceladus stood.

Shakily, he bent down and retrieved his spear.

"Good try." The giant winced. "But I cannot be beaten."

As they watched, the giant's armor mended itself, and the ichor stopped flowing. Even the cuts on his dragon-scale legs, which Kat and Jason had worked so hard to make, were now just pale scars.

Leo ran up to them, saw the giant, and cursed. "What is it with this guy? Die, already!"

"My fate is preordained," Enceladus said. "Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes."

"Only by both," Kat said. The giant's smile faltered, and she saw in his eyes something like fear, making her smirk. "It's true, isn't it? Gods and demigods have to work together to kill you."

"You will not live long enough to try!" The giant started stumbling up the crater's slope, slipping on the glassy sides.

"Anyone have a god handy?" Leo asked.

Kat sighed, preparing to pray to all of the gods when Jason said, "Leo, if you've got a rope in that tool belt, get it ready."

He leaped at the giant with no weapon but his bare hands.

"Enceladus!" Piper yelled. "Look behind you!"

It was an obvious trick, but her voice was so compelling, even Kat bought it. The giant said, "What?" and turned like there was an enormous spider on his back.

Jason tackled his legs at just the right moment. The giant lost his balance. Enceladus slammed into the crater and slid to the bottom. While he tried to rise, Jason put his arms around the giant's neck. When Enceladus struggled to his feet, Jason was riding his shoulders.

"Get off!" Enceladus screamed. He tried to grab Jason's legs, but Jason scrabbled around, squirming and climbing over the giant's hair. Not the most graceful, but in this situation Kat would allow it.

Suddenly she could smell the metallic scent of a storm. Darkness swallowed the sun. The giant froze, sensing it too.

Jason yelled, "Hit the deck!"

Kat tackled Piper and Leo to the ground as every hair on her body stood straight up.

Crack!

Lightning surged through Jason's body, straight through Enceladus, and into the ground. The giant's back stiffened, and Jason was thrown clear. When Kat scrambled upright, he was slipping down the side of the crater, and the crater was cracking open. The lightning bolt had split the mountain itself. The earth rumbled and tore apart, and Enceladus's legs slid into the chasm. He clawed helplessly at the glassy sides of the pit, and just for a moment managed to hold on to the edge, his hands trembling.