Nemesism

13)

I KNEW JASON AND I WERE the best. But together fighting, we were better than best. We were fucking amazing.

    Us fighting together, just us two, reminded me of us fighting the giant together, us fighting all the storm spirits together.

     Jason, Piper and I fought at his side, yelling defiantly. Nico waded through the last group of Earthborn, slashing them into mounds of wet clay with his black Stygian sword.

    Before I knew it, the battle was over. Piper chopped through the last empousa, who vaporized with an anguished wail.

    "Frank," Jason said, "you're on fire."

    He looked down. A few drops of oil must have splattered on his pants, because they were starting to smolder. Frank batted at them until they stopped smoking.

    Nico cleared his throat. "Uh...you also have an arrow sticking through your arm."

    "I know." Frank snapped off the point of the arrow and pulled out the shaft by the tail. He felt only a warm, tugging sensation. "I'll be fine."

    Piper made him eat a piece of ambrosia. As she bandaged his wound, she said, "Frank, you were amazing. Completely terrifying, but amazing."

    "Hell yeah Frank. Or should I know say praetor Frank." I said smiling and gave him a teasing wink.

    Nico held up his scepter, its orb dark and dormant. "The dead won't stay much longer, now that the battle is over."

    Frank faced his troops. "Legion!"

    The zombie soldiers snapped to attention.

    "You fought well," Frank told them. "Now you may rest. Dismissed." They crumbled into piles of bones, armor, shields, and weapons. Then even those disintegrated.

    "Hazel and Leo," Frank said. "We need to find them."

    We peered across the chasm. At the other end of the cavern, the tunnel Hazel and Leo had entered was buried under tons of rubble.

    "We can't go that way," Nico said. "Maybe..."

    Suddenly he staggered. He would have fallen, if I hadn't caught him.

    "Nico!" Piper said. "What is it?"

    "The Doors," Nico said. "Something's happening. Percy and Annabeth... we need to go now."

    "But how?" Jason said. "That tunnel is gone."

    Frank clenched his jaw. "It won't be fun," he said, "but there's another way."

Sure the way Frank took us wasn't fun. What was fun though, was the epic entrance we had.

    A mist started thickening to a doorway, and we stepped in.

Frank's arm was bleeding and bandaged, but he was alive. Next to him stood Nico, Piper, Jason and I—all with our swords drawn. Epic.

    "Sorry we're late," Jason said. "Is this the guy who needs killing?"

I frowned. "The fuck?"

We attacked Clytius from every direction—Leo shooting fire at his legs, Frank, Piper and I jabbing at his chest, Jason flying into the air and kicking him in the face.

    Each time the giant's smoky veil started creeping around one of them, Nico was there, slashing through it, drinking in the darkness with his Stygian blade.

    Percy and Annabeth were on their feet, looking weak and dazed, but their swords were drawn. I ran to them holding them both in place. I held in the urge to burst into sobs. They looked like they wanted to help, but there was no need. The giant was surrounded.