𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 (𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨'𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬)

TWENTY THREE ; ephemeral victory

     It was like a bomb had gone off.

     A crater as deep as Enceladus was tall had been blasted into the earth; slick layers of dirt, rock, and roots, all glazed over by the force of the impact like a sheet of glass. The silence that followed rang in Eileen's ears. Jason was alive - somehow - but his clothing smoked, and he had been flung backwards so harshly that there was a trail left driven in the dirt.

     All that from a single spear. That's what had caused the explosion - Eileen was sure. The world still looked a little golden, even as things began to settle again. Eileen hauled herself back to her feet.

     "Impressive." Enceladus staggered and blinked, regaining his bearings. "Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod."

     In a single bound, the giant landed on the edge of the crater. Feet planted on either side of Jason, he raised his spear. The tip glinted, poised for the final blow. For a long second, nobody moved. Not even Jason, who lay there with his eyes wide and dilated and his body limp.

     "And now," Enceladus said into silence broken only by crackling purple flames, "my first sacrifice to Gaea!"

     The spear shifted in the air, first higher, and then down. Down, down, down, closer and closer to Jason. This was it. Eileen was going to watch her friend's life end before her eyes. Everything they had struggled through to get this far was for nothing.

     "Heads up!" Leo yelled.

     A large metal wedge spun through the air and lodged into the giant's chestplate with a thunk! Enceladus cried. His hand jolted as the spear struck for its target...

     and missed. It impaled the ground, inches from Jason's chest. The giant toppled. Enceladus slid back into the crater.

     "Jason, get up!" Piper screamed. She appeared at his side and wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him to his feet. "Don't die on me," she ordered. "You are not dying on me."

     "Yes, ma'am." Jason agreed listlessly. He was unsteady on his feet and probably needed a bit longer than a second to clear his head, but he looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

     Eileen stuttered out a breath and started making her way over to where Leo stood. Every step she took was like trying to wade through quick sand. So, instead of trying to fight something much larger than she knew how to deal with, she guided tree roots beneath her feet and stepped on them instead. Like she was hopping on rocks across a swelling river. When she got close enough, Leo helped her up onto the piece of construction equipment he stood on - a long cannon-like hunk of metal with a single piston and the edge broken clean off. That answered the question of what had struck Enceladus.

     Down in the pit, the giant struggled to rise. An axe blade the size of a large washing machine wedged into his chest, dripping with golden ichor. Enceladus grasped the blade with his hand and pulled it free with a cry loud enough to shake the mountain. Golden droplets stained the dirt under his feet, but still the giant stood. He slowly reached a great hand for Jason and Piper, who hadn't moved from the rim of the pit.

     "What can you do with those roots?" Leo asked, a slight tremble, poorly masked, in his voice.

     Eileen understood what he meant. If an axe firm in the chest wasn't going to do much more than make the giant angry, then things weren't looking good for them. They needed time to think. Eileen wasn't much of a fighter, but she could at least offer them a chance to catch their breath. A chance to regroup and get away - if only for a few minutes.