You'll Learn to Love Me

Chapter 48: Entertaining Giant(s) Part 2

Things went wrong almost immediately, naturally. The giants vanished in twin puffs of smoke. They reappeared halfway across the room, each in a different spot. Percy sprinted toward Ephialtes, but slots in the floor opened under his feet, and metal walls shot up on either side, separating him from his friends and sister. Jason charged towards Otis while Laylana and Piper rushed across the hopscotch pattern of fiery pits towards Nico. Laylana's Underworld brother was dazed and weaponless and being stalked by a pair of leopards.

Piper instantly took to getting the leopards off them while Laylana slid to her knees, ignoring the scraps she just gave herself and checked on Nico, pulling him partly into her lap. The boy looked confused, as he laid his eyes on Laylana. 

"Nico?" She whispered to him. He didn't respond as she pressed her fingers to his wrist to check his pulse, wincing at how skinny he had gotten. He was already skinny to begin with, but now he was just skin and bones. "My Gods... what happened to you?" 

The boy in question suddenly grabbed onto her with the hand she was holding. "Layla?"

"Yeah it's me." His eyes gazed into hers, and all she saw was pain. His eyes were teary and wide. She didn't know what had happened to him, but she knew it wasn't good. The poor guy looked scarred, like she had last year. 

"I thought you were dead. The arai..." Nico choked on his words. "You were dead. I felt your death."

"No, no. Never. Shh, it's okay. I'm here now." She whispered, brushing some hair out of his eyes. He leaned into her touch as a few tears slipped from his eyes. "I've got you."

"Lana!" Piper called to her. Laylana looked at Nico, keeping one hand gripping onto his while she called to the shadows. She twisted her free hand towards the leopards and covered their eyes with shadows. She formed a whip in her hand and crack it towards the leopards as well. 

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes cried. He stood at his control panel about sixty feet to Percy's left. "We'll consider this a dress rehearsal. Shall I unleash the hydra onto the Spanish Steps now?"

He pulled a lever, and Laylana glanced over at Percy and Jason. The cage he had just been hanging from was now rising toward a hatch in the ceiling. In three seconds it would be gone. If Percy attacked the giant, the hydra would ravage the city. Laylana heard him curse from across the battlefield. He threw Riptide like a boomerang. The sword wasn't designed for that, but the Celestial bronze blade sliced through the chains suspending the hydra. The cage tumbled sideways. The door broke open, and the monster spilled out—right in front of Percy. 

"Shit," Laylana glanced at Nico "Neeks, I'm sorry. I have to help them. You're gonna be okay." 

"Please, don't-" Nico tried.

"I'll be okay, I swear." she pressed a kiss to his forehead, letting him go as she turned to Piper. "Take care of him, please." 

"Go save the idiots. I've got this." Piper assured her. 

"Thank you, love you Pipes." Laylana sent the girl an air kiss before disappearing into the shadows. 

"Oh, you are a spoilsport, Jackson!" Ephialtes called. "Very well. Battle it here, if you must, but your death won't be nearly as good without the cheering crowds."

Percy stepped forward to confront the monster—then realized he'd just thrown his weapon away. A bit of bad planning on his part. Luckily, his sister appeared at his side right then and there, one of her throwing knives whizzing by his head and implanting itself in the leg of the hydra as she pushed him out of the way. He hit the ground as all eight hydra heads spit acid, turning the floor where he'd been standing into a steaming crater of melted stone.