𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 | 𝐏𝐉 𝟐

𝟎𝟎𝟖.𝟑

If not for the horses, and Augustus, Piper and Juliet would've died. Again.

Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack balked long enough for Piper to leap out of the way and to Augustus click his shoes and soar up in the sky with Juliet.

Sparks flew. Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled. The first exchange tookonly a second, but Piper couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.

Juliet and Augustus had landed next to her. Augustus spun his spear ready to interfere when vines rose and grasped his ankles, restricting him, "Fuck," he cursed as Gaea stopped him.

"Stop it!" Piper yelled,

For a moment, Jason heeded her voice. His golden eyes turned toward her, 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 vapor. Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.

"Percy!" Juliet yelled. "Perce please, stop it. Drop your weapon!"

Percy's sword arm dipped, his body compliant to her words.

Juliet 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 so pissed, that it was Achilles fighting.

"Stop him!" Juliet yelled at Piper pointing to Jason, Piper looked terrified not knowing what to do.

Augustus growled shaking her, "Use your charmspeak, stop Jason, otherwise Percy will kill him,"

For a horrible moment, Piper couldn't find her voice. Gaea seemed to be whispering to her: You must choose one.

She saw Percy parry Jason's movements as if swatting a bug, before kicking him square on the chest.

"No!" she screamed. "Jason, stop!"

He froze, his sword fallen from where he was struggling to attack.

Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. "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?" Augustus demanded.

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

"Eidolons... ?" Piper's mind raced. She'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but that term wasn't familiar. "You're—you're some sort of ghost?"

"Not important!" Juliet yelled frantically, "Percy's about to kill him,"

In Jason's small moment of distraction, Percy had swept out his leg and knocked Jason off his feet. Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating conk. Percy rose.

"Stop it!" Piper screamed again, but there was no charmspeak in her voice. She was shouting in sheer desperation.

Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest. Panic closed up Piper's throat. She wanted to attack Percy with her dagger, but she knew that wouldn't help.Whatever was controlling him had all of Percy's skill. There was no way she could beat him in combat.