𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

14

𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 what could only be described as a taunting match. He shook his head and more basiliks flew from it.

"Get back!" Dante slashed through one with his new golden dagger, Romulus 2.0.

Fresh chaos spread through the ranks. Hazel spurred her horse and put herself between the basilisks and the campers. Frank changed form— shrinking into something lean and furry... a weasel? Dante thought Frank had lost his mind, but when Frank charged the basilisks, they absolutely freaked out. They slithered away with Frank chasing after them in hot weasely pursuit.

Polybotes pointed his trident and ran toward Percy. As the giant reached the Pomerian Line, Percy jumped aside like a bullfighter. Polybotes barreled across the city limits.

"THAT'S IT!" Terminus cried. "That's AGAINST THE RULES!"

Polybotes frowned, obviously confused that he was being told off by a statue. "What are you?" he growled. "Shut up!"

He pushed the statue over and turned back to Percy.

"Now I'm MAD!" Terminus shrieked. "I'm strangling you. Feel that? Those are my hands around your neck, you big bully. Get over here! I'm going to head-butt you so hard—"

"Enough!" The giant stepped on the statue and broke Terminus in three pieces—pedestal, body, and head.

"You DIDN'T!" shouted Terminus. "Percy Jackson, you've got yourself a deal! Let's kill this upstart."

The giant laughed so hard that he didn't realize Percy was charging until it was too late. Dante watched Percy jump up, vaulting off the giant's knee, and driving his sword straight through one of the metal mouths on Polybotes's breastplate, sinking the Celestial bronze hilt-deep in his chest. The giant stumbled backward, tripping over Terminus's pedestal and crashing to the ground.

While he was trying to get up, clawing at the sword in his chest, Percy hefted the head of the statue.

"You'll never win!" the giant groaned. "You cannot defeat me alone."

"I'm not alone." Percy raised the stone head above the giant's face. "I'd like you to meet my friend Terminus. He's a god!"

Too late, awareness and fear dawned in the giant's face. Percy smashed the god's head into Polybotes's nose, and the giant dissolved, crumbling into a steaming heap of seaweed, reptile skin, and poisonous muck.

Percy staggered away.

"Ha!" said the head of Terminus. "That will teach him to obey the rules of Rome."

For a moment, the battlefield was silent except for a few fires burning, and a few retreating monsters screaming in panic.

A ragged circle of Romans and Amazons stood around Percy. Dante caught his eye, chest heaving he laughed in disbelief. Percy Jackson that insane son of Neptune. 

The Romans began to chant, "Percy! Percy!"

They mobbed him. Dante helped them raise him on a shield. The cry changed to, "Praetor! Praetor!"

Among the chanters was Reyna herself, who held up her hand and grasped Percy's in congratulation. Then the mob of cheering Romans carried him around the Pomerian Line, carefully avoiding Terminus's borders, and escorted him back home to Camp Jupiter.

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