Daughter of Pluto | Wattys2017

XXXVII

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WHEN MY LANCE BROKE, I knew that me and Aimee were dead.Aimee had left the others and had made it to me just in time to learn that she was most likely about to die.

The battle had started well enough. My instincts kicked in, and my gut told me I'd dueled opponents almost this big before. Size and strength equaled slowness, so they just had to be quicker—pace myself, wear out my opponent, and avoid getting smashed or flame-broiled.

I rolled away from the giant's first spear thrust and jabbed Enceladus in the ankle. My javelin managed to pierce the thick dragon hide just as Aimee struck him in the other leg, and golden ichor—the blood of immortals—trickled down the giant's clawed feet.

Enceladus bellowed in pain and blasted him with fire. me and Aimee scrambled away, rolling behind the giant, and struck again behind his knee.

It went on like that for seconds, minutes—it was hard to judge. I heard combat across the clearing—construction equipment grinding, fire roaring, monsters shouting, and rocks smashing into metal. I heard Leo and Piper yelling defiantly, which meant they were still alive. I tried not to think about it. I couldn't afford to get distracted.

Enceladus's spear missed me by a millimeter. I kept dodging pulling Aimee behind me by her hand, but the ground stuck to my feet. Gaea was getting stronger, and the giant was getting faster. Enceladus might be slow, but he wasn't dumb. He began anticipating my moves, and my attacks were only annoying him, making him more enraged.

"I'm not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpick can't kill me, boy."

I didn't waste energy replying. I was already tired. The ground clung to my feet, making me feel like I weighed an extra hundred pounds. The air was full of smoke that burned my lungs. Fires roared around me, stoked by the winds, and the temperature was approaching the heat of an oven.

I raised my javelin to block the giant's next strike—a big mistake. Don't fight force with force, a voice chided me—the wolf Lupa, who'd told me that long ago. I managed to deflect the spear, but it grazed my shoulder, and my arm went numb.

I backed up, almost tripping over a burning log.

I had to delay—to keep the giant's attention fixed on him while his friends dealt with the Earthborn and rescued Piper's dad. I couldn't fail.

I retreated pulling Aimee behind me, trying to lure the giant to the edge of the clearing. Enceladus could sense my weariness. The giant smiled, baring his fangs.

"The mighty Jason Grace," he taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."

My mind reeled. I didn't know these names, yet they made my skin tingle, as if my body remembered the pain my mind didn't.Aimee squeezed my hand bringing me back to Earth.
"What are you talking about?" I asked. I realized my mistake when Enceladus breathed fire.

Distracted, I moved too slowly. The blast missed me, but heat blistered my back. I slammed into the ground, my clothes smoldering. I was blinded from ash and smoke, choking as I tried to breathe.

I scrambled back as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between my feet.

I somehow managed to stand.Aimee wasn't by me anymore,I looked over and saw her laying on the ground not moving at all.I wanted to get over to her but my body wouldn't let me.I had to focus on the monster in front of me.

If I could only summon one good blast of lightning—but I was already drained, and in this condition, the effort might kill him. I didn't even know if electricity would harm the giant.
Death in battle is honorable, said Lupa's voice.

That's real comforting, I thought.Then another voice echoed in my mind,I could tell it was Aimee but I couldn't remember her ever telling me this.
Lupa may think that death in battle in honorable,tell that to all the men that died in the Vietnam War who were never honored for their deaths,said Aimee's voice.I would rather live to fight another day than die only to be hated by my own people.
Aimee is right,I have to live to fight another day,I thought.I can't die here,I can't leave my best friend.

One last try: I took a deep breath and charged.

Enceladus let him approach, grinning with anticipation. At the last second, I faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. I came up quickly, thrusting with all his might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but Enceladus anticipated the trick. He stepped aside with too much speed and agility for a giant, as if the earth were helping him move.

He swept his spear sideways, met my javelin—and with a snap like a shotgun blast, the golden weapon shattered.

The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding me with golden light. The force knocked him off his feet and squeezed the breath out of him.

When I regained my focus, I was sitting at the rim of a crater. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering and confused. The javelin's destruction had released so much energy, it had blasted a perfect cone-shaped pit thirty feet deep, fusing the dirt and rock into a slick glassy substance. I wasn't sure how I'd survived, but my clothes were steaming. I was out of energy. I had no weapon.I had no best friend to save me from death. And Enceladus was still very much alive.

I tried to get up, but my legs were like lead. Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod.No one can help you now."

Enceladus leaped the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of me. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet over my chest.
Out of the corner of my eye,I saw a blur of black.

"And now," Enceladus said, "my first sacrifice to Gaea!"