Plexure (leo Valdez x male reader)

33) The losing team

WHEN JASON LANCE BROKE, I knew I was the only one who can keep us both alive and that we were for sure fucked.
The battle had started well enough. My instincts kicked in, and I started fighting well with Jason. I noticed that Jason had a different fighting style than the greek. I kinda noticed it when he fought Lit.
I rolled away from the giant's first spear thrust and jabbed Enceladus in the ankle. My sword managed to pierce the thick dragon hide, and golden ichor—the blood of immortals—trickled down the giant's clawed foot.
Enceladus bellowed in pain and blasted me with fire. I scrambled away, rolling behind the giant, and Jason struck again behind his knee.
It went on like that for seconds, minutes—it was hard to judge. I heard combat across the clearing—construction equipment grinding, fire roaring, monsters shouting, and rocks smashing into metal. I heard Leo and Piper yelling defiantly, which meant they were still alive. I tried not to think about it. I couldn't afford to get distracted.
Enceladus's spear missed me by a millimeter. I kept dodging, but the ground stuck to my feet. Gaea was getting stronger, and the giant was getting faster. Enceladus might be slow, but he wasn't dumb. He began anticipating Jason's and I moves, and Jason's and my attacks were only annoying him, making him more enraged.
"I'm not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpick can't kill me, boy."
Jason didn't waste energy replying. I knew he was already tired.
I moved my foot out of the ground and I noticed that the ground didn't sink me anymore. I was able to stand up without having my feet sink. Jason looked at me, another plan being put in.
Jason raised his javelin to block the giant's next strike—a big mistake. He managed to deflect the spear, but it grazed his shoulder, and his arm went numb.
He backed up, almost tripping over a burning log, but I grabbed him pushing him out of the way.
I had to delay—to keep the giant's attention fixed on me while my friends dealt with the Earthborn and rescued Piper's dad. I couldn't fail.
        I retreated, trying to lure the giant to the edge of the clearing. Enceladus could sense my weariness. The giant smiled, baring his fangs.
"The mighty Jason Grace," he taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."
"What are you talking about?" he asked. He realized his mistake when Enceladus breathed fire.
Distracted, Jason moved too slowly. The blast missed him, but heat blistered his back. He slammed into the ground, his clothes smoldering. He was blinded from ash and smoke, choking as he tried to breathe.
He scrambled back as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between his feet.
Jason managed to stand. We switched weapons because I could continue but he couldn't.
I swung the javelin faced the Giant. I have fought many things before. I will not die because of some giant that was meant to kill Athena.
One last try: I took a deep breath and charged.
Enceladus let me approach, grinning with anticipation. At the last second, I faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. I came up quickly, thrusting with all his might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but Enceladus anticipated the trick. He stepped aside with too much speed and agility for a giant, as if the earth were helping him move.
He swept his spear sideways, met the javelin—and with a snap like a shotgun blast, the golden weapon shattered.
The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding me with golden light. The force knocked me off my feet and squeezed the breath out of me.
When I regained my focus, I was sitting at the rim of a crater. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering and confused. The javelin's destruction had released so much energy, it had blasted a perfect cone-shaped pit thirty feet deep, fusing the dirt and rock into a slick glassy substance. I wasn't sure how I'd survived, but my clothes were steaming.
         I was out of energy. I had no weapon. And Enceladus was still very much alive.
I tried to get up, but my legs were like lead. Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod."
Enceladus leaped the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of me. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet over my chest.
"And now," Enceladus said, "my first sacrifice to Gaea!"