The Veiled Legacy | PJO - Book Two

five

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!

If not for the horses, Piper and Ariana would've died.

Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack baulked long enough for Ariana and Piper 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 ground trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Ariana 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 towards her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason.

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 Jason off his mount.

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

Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.

"Percy!" Piper yelled. "Jason's your friend. Drop your weapon!"

Percy's sword arm dipped. Piper might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason got to his feet.

Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his gladius and blasted Percy off his horse.

"Oh shit." Ariana whispered, she looked at Piper - not having a single clue about what to do.

She summoned some vines the latch onto both the horses legs, securing them to the ground. But it was no use, they easily got lose.

Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields. Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast.

For a horrible moment, Ariana couldn't find her voice.

"No!" Piper screamed. "Jason, stop!"

He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face.
Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. "I cannot stop. One must die."
Something about that voice ... it wasn't Gaia. It wasnt Jason.

Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.

"Who are you?" Piper demanded.

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

"Eidolons ...?" Ariana's mind raced. She'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but that term wasn't familiar. "You're - you're some sort of ghost?"

"He must die." Jason turned his attention back to Percy, but Percy had recovered more than either of them realized.

He swept out his leg and knocked Jason off his feet. Jason's head hit the tarmac with a nauseating conk. Percy rose.

"Stop it!" Piper screamed again, but there was no charmspeak in her voice. She was shouting in sheer desperation.

Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest.
Panic closed up Ariana's throat. She wanted to attack Percy with her dagger, but she knew that wouldn't help.

Whatever was controlling him had all of Percy's skill. It was possible Ariana could beat him in a battle; she didn't want to risk hurting Percy.

He was her best friend, her platonic soulmate, her brother - yet also her uncle? She didn't like getting into her family tree.