𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗘 ━━ l. valdez

x ━━ flesh and blood amongst war machines (you're the new god we're worshipping)

05. chapter ten

━━━━━━━━ ( 💫 ) ━━━━━━━━

"WISH ME LUCK." I planted a kiss on Leo's cheek. "I'll need it."

"Good luck," Leo said automatically. Then, "Not that you need it."

I raised my eyebrows.

"You'll kick giant butt," Leo said. "They'll be sorry they were ever came out of Dirt Face."

"Ew..." I grimaced. "Anyway, blast them to bits, okay?" I smiled.

"Don't gotta tell me twice." He grinned. "Imma turn this into a firework show."

He shot me finger guns. I pushed his hands away.

"You're ridiculous," I said. I kissed him.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

I was totally in over my head. Standing on the top of the colonnade with Hazel, Jason, and Frank, I was ready to die.

Okay, I helped Jason send Enceladus to Tartarus. I may have tried to square up Porphyrion. But there must have been at least twenty giants all together. I wasn't excellent at math, but there was eight of us, over twenty of them. Each of us would have to fight three giants at once.

Not to mention, Percy was on the ground, dazed. Annabeth, she was bleeding, barely able to stand.

The only hope was Piper who was still standing miraculously. The giants were all focused on her.

"Come on, then," she yelled. "I'll destroy you all myself if I have to!"

A metallic smell of storm filled the air.

"The thing is," said Jason from above, "you don't have to."

Everybody—Piper, Annabeth, Percy, and the giants—turned to face us. Jason's sword gleaming gold in the sun. Frank stood at his side, his bow ready. Hazel sat astride Arion, who reared and whinnied in challenge. I stood to Jason's other side, my Stygian iron sword seeming to absorb all the light from Jason's golden sword.

With a deafening blast, a white-hot bolt arced from the sky, straight through Jason's body as he leaped, wreathed in lightning, at the giant king.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

For the next three minutes, life was great.

So much happened at once that only an ADHD demigod could have kept track.

Jason fell on King Porphyrion with such force that the giant crumpled to his knees–blasted with lightning and stabbed in the neck with a golden gladius.

Frank unleashed a hail of arrows, driving back the giants nearest to Percy.

The Argo II rose above the ruins and all the ballistae and catapults fired simultaneously. Leo must have programmed the weapons with surgical precision. A wall of Greek fire roared upward all around the Parthenon. It didn't touch the interior, but in a flash most of the smaller monsters around it were incinerated.

Leo's voice boomed over the loudspeaker: "SURRENDER! YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY ONE SPANKING HOT WAR MACHINE!"

The giant Enceladus howled in outrage. "Valdez!"