DIVINE » l. valdez

xix

❝we could fail but we have to try ❞

Hina yanked Piper's arm as hard as she could, tossing Piper away from the horses charging. She rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and horrified, the ground pulled Hina lower into the earth.

Gold clashed against bronze as the swords connected. Sparks flew. Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled. Their movements were lightning quick. They pulled away as Blackjack and Tempest tried to separate the two.

"Stop it!" Piper yelled.

For a split second Jason's eyes flashed back to normal. His sword lowered. Percy kept charging forward, his sword slamming into Jason's torso. Thankfully, Percy turned his sword blade, so only the flat hit Jason, knocking him from Tempest. Hina wasn't sure if it was intentional or lucky.

Blackjack nervously cantered away, while Tempest reared. The storm spirit charged into the sunflowers before dissipating away into mist.

Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.

"Percy!" Piper yelled. "Jason's your friend. Drop your weapon!"

The ground tugged at Hina more, the earth snaking its way up to Hina's waist. She called out, digging her nails into the dirt. She fumbled with her bow, trying to pull herself out.

Percy's sword arm dipped, but Jason rose to his feet.

The air turned static, and lightning arced through the air. It hit Percy, sending him flying off of Blackjack.

Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields. Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast.

A sense of hopelessness rushed through Hina as Piper paused.

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

He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face.

Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. "I cannot stop. One must die."

Hina gasped. The voice was raspy, and spoke slowly as if adjusting to a new language. It was the same voice Leo had spoken with when firing at New Rome.

"Who are you?" Piper demanded.

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

"Eidolons... ?"

The name was foreign to Hina. She'd heard of all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but nothing like Eidolons.

"You're—you're some sort of ghost?"

"He must die." Jason turned back to Percy, but he had recovered quickly. Percy swept his leg under Jason's swiftly, knocking the blond to the ground.

Jason hit the ground with a nauseating smack, his skull slamming against the asphalt.

"Stop it!" Piper screamed again, but there was no charmspeak in her voice, only fear.

Hina watched helplessly from her spot in the ground. Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest. There was no way Jason would survive the hit.

"Eidolon, stop,"Piper's voice rang through the field.

Percy froze.

"Face me," Piper ordered.

The demigod obeyed. His green eyes were clouded with gold, his face twisted into a cruel sneer. He looked nothing like Percy.

"You have not chosen," he said. "So this one will die."

"You're a spirit from the Underworld," Piper guessed. "You're possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it?"

Percy sneered. "I will live again in this body. The Earth Mother has promised. I will go where I please, control whom I wish."