Pjo x Fam(Ily)

TRIAL OF EARTH which was way too easy

Leo POV

There are days when being a demigod is awesome—flying ships, fire powers, the occasional "saving the world" moment. And then there are days like today, when you're stuck in some weird forest that feels like it was designed to chew you up and spit you out. Which, honestly, it probably was.

"So... anyone know where we are?" I asked, kicking a rock out of the way as we trekked through the thick undergrowth.

"Nope," Jason said, grinning like this was some kind of fun field trip. Typical. "But I figure as long as we keep going in this direction, we'll hit the trial of earth soon enough."

I groaned. "That's not really a plan, Jason. That's more like... hopeful wandering."

"Better than your plan, which is—what? Set everything on fire and hope the problem goes away?" Chai said, smirking at me.

"I mean, it works most of the time," I shot back, but even I had to admit that wasn't exactly a strategy.

Chai was right; sometimes my impulsiveness got the better of me. But when I glanced at Jason, I felt a surge of confidence. His calm demeanor grounded me, even in the most chaotic situations.

"Let's just keep moving," Jason said, his voice steady. "We'll find a way through this."

As we pressed on, the trees began to thicken, their twisted roots reaching out like hands trying to trip us. The atmosphere felt heavy, the silence punctuated only by the occasional rustle in the bushes, which made Grover jumpy.

"You okay there, goat boy?" I asked, nudging him gently.

Grover flinched. "Can't you feel it? The earth here is... off. There's something wrong. It's like the ground is alive, watching us."

"Well, that's comforting," I muttered.

Jason shot Grover a reassuring smile. "Relax, Grover. You've got us. We'll be fine."

"I've heard that before," Grover grumbled under his breath, and honestly, I didn't blame him.

Chai POV

As usual, Leo was being his chaotic self, and Jason was too chill for my liking. I was trying to mentally prepare for whatever earth trial we were about to face. Sure, I had my trusty diamond gada, but I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of getting buried alive or crushed by some giant boulders.

"Are we sure this trial is even safe?" I asked, glancing at the deepening shadows around us. "The last thing we need is to be ambushed by a giant rock monster."

"C'mon, Chai! Where's your sense of adventure?" Leo shot back, a grin plastered across his face. "What's life without a little danger?"

"Easy for you to say. You're the one who gets to play with fire." I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling at his enthusiasm.

Grover was still on edge, twitching at every little noise. "I really don't like this place," he whispered, glancing around as if expecting the forest to come alive at any moment.

"We'll make it through," Jason assured him, gripping his sword tightly. "Just keep your eyes open. This trial's not going to be easy, but we've got this."

"Famous last words," Leo muttered, though the grin on his face indicated he was up for the challenge.

Suddenly, the ground shook harder than before, and chunks of dirt and rock shifted beneath our feet. Out of nowhere, a massive stone wall rose up in front of us, blocking our path.

"Ah, crap," I said, readying my gada. "Here we go."

Jason POV

The stone wall didn't just sit there like some decorative barrier. Oh no, it started moving. The boulders shifted and rolled, forming into a giant stone creature with glowing green eyes. Great. A walking mountain. Just what we needed.

"Okay, new plan!" I shouted. "Don't let it squash us!"

I leaped into action, flying into the air as I summoned my lightning. "Chai! Leo! Distract it while I take a shot!"

Leo flung a stream of fire at the giant's legs, igniting the stone but hardly slowing it down. The giant staggered but quickly regained its balance.

"Little help here?" I called out as I dodged a massive stone fist.

"On it!" Leo shouted, sending more flames toward the creature. The fire danced across the giant's rocky surface, but it didn't seem to care much.

"Chai, go for its legs!" I directed, watching as she charged forward, her gada raised high.

Chai POV

The giant was a beast of pure stone, and I knew it was going to take more than fire and lightning to bring it down. I tightened my grip on my gada and aimed for one of its legs.

"Go for the weak spots!" I yelled as I slammed my club into the creature's knee. The impact sent vibrations through the ground, and I felt a rush of satisfaction as I heard the giant let out a groaning sound.

Grover, meanwhile, was trying to play defense. "Keep it distracted!" he shouted. "The forest is trying to help... I think!"

The giant swung again, and I narrowly dodged its fist, which slammed into the ground with enough force to send chunks of earth flying.

"Come on, you overgrown rock pile!" I shouted, raising my club for another strike.

Jason POV

From above, I could see the cracks forming in the giant's stone body. Chai's attacks were doing damage, and Leo was keeping the thing busy with fire. We needed a final blow. That's when I got an idea.

"Chai! Keep hitting the legs!" I yelled. "Leo, light it up from the inside!"

Leo gave me a thumbs-up. "On it, Jason!"

I shot down toward the giant's back, lightning surging through my blade. With a yell, I plunged the sword into the cracks forming along its spine, sending a jolt of electricity straight through the creature. At the same time, Leo blasted it with a fireball aimed right at the creature's core.

The stone giant let out one last groaning sound before it collapsed into a heap of rubble, the rocks crumbling to the ground in a massive cloud of dust.

Leo POV

I landed next to the pile of rubble, wiping sweat off my forehead. "That was... not fun."

"Speak for yourself," Chai said, tossing her gada over her shoulder like she hadn't just fought a walking mountain. "I could've gone for round two."

Grover peeked out from behind a tree. "Is it... over?"

"For now," I said with a grin. "But knowing our luck, something worse is probably right around the corner."

Jason laughed, sheathing his sword. "Let's hope not."

Just as we thought we had a moment to breathe, the ground rumbled again. But this time, instead of a giant stone monster, a glowing symbol appeared on the ground where the giant had fallen. The earth parted, revealing a small, shining object buried in the dirt—a fragment of the Sudarshana Chakra.

"We did it," Jason said, kneeling down to pick up the fragment. "Part of the Chakra."

Leo grinned. "Well, that was easier than I thought."

Chai shot him a look. "You call fighting a giant rock easier?"

"Compared to what's next? Yeah, probably," Leo replied.

Grover POV

As I cautiously approached, I felt the familiar pulse of energy from the fragment. "What does this mean? Are we close to finishing the trials?"

"Let's hope so," Jason said, examining the fragment carefully. "But we still have the trial of lightning ahead. We need to be prepared."

"Great, more lightning," I muttered, the anxiety creeping back in. "What if it's another giant monster?"

"Or a puzzle!" Chai suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'd take a puzzle over a monster any day," I admitted.

Jason pocketed the fragment and nodded. "Let's get moving. We still have the trial of lightning ahead."