absquatulate━━HEROES OF OLYMPUS

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎

━IF not for the horses, Duska would've died.

Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack balked long enough for Duska to leap out of the way.

He 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 pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.

"Stop it!" Duska yelled.

For a moment, Jason heeded his voice. His golden eyes turned toward him, 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!" Duska yelled. "Jason's your friend. Drop your weapon!"

Percy's sword arm dipped. Duska 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.

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, Duska didn't know what to do.

Gaea seemed to be whispering to him: You must choose one. Why not let Jason kill him?

In one swift movement, Duska unsheathed his swords and blocked Jason's move. "Stop!"

He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face. Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly, as if he underestimated the speed behind Duska's attack. "I cannot stop. One must die."

Something about that voice...it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.

"Who are you?" Duska demanded.

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

"Eidolons... ?" Duska's mind raced. He'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, not to mention he had seen some of them form in front of his own eyes, 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 realised. He swept out his leg and

knocked Jason off his feet.

Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating conk.

Percy rose.

"Stop." Duska let go of his desperation, using just determination. He lifted one of his swords toward Percy.

Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest. "You will not command me, son of Psyche."

"But I can fight you." Jason appeared completely unconscious, so Duska raised both his swords.

Percy's face twisted into a sadistic grin, one that Duska found weird on his face. It just didn't look in place. Without warning, Percy swung Riptide down, but Duska blocked his attack with ease.