(Jason Grace's POV)

The roar of the earth splitting apart still echoed in Jason's ears. The air was thick with dust and the acrid stench of battle as Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter fought side by side against the monstrosities that Gaea had unleashed. Every swing of his sword, every blast of lightning, felt like it chipped away at his strength, but Jason refused to stop.

This was it. The final stand.

He landed heavily on the fractured ground, his winged shoes sending up a cloud of debris. His coin, the one he had carried for years, gleamed in his hand, reflecting the chaotic flashes of fire and lightning around him.

Gaea's laughter rumbled through the battlefield like an earthquake, chilling Jason's blood. "Fools!" she bellowed, her voice emanating from every crack and crevice. "You think you can stop me? I am the earth! Eternal and unyielding!"

Jason wiped blood from his temple, ignoring the sting of his cuts. "You're wrong," he muttered, flipping his coin into the air. As it spun, it transformed mid-flight into a golden gladius, catching the light of the raging battle.

Nearby, Percy was fighting off a swarm of drakons with Annabeth at his back. Nico and Hazel were working together, their combined powers of shadow and precious metals slicing through the waves of enemies. Piper's charmspeak carried over the din, disorienting monsters long enough for others to land killing blows.

Jason couldn't afford to look for Thalia. She'd been commanding a group of hunters on the battlefield, and if he worried too much about her, he'd lose focus.

"Jason!" Leo's voice rang out behind him, panicked and sharp.

Jason whirled just in time to see one of Gaea's giant minions, a hulking beast of stone and magma, barreling toward him. He raised his gladius, summoning a bolt of lightning that cracked through the air and struck the creature square in the chest. It stumbled, its molten core hissing violently, but it wasn't enough to bring it down.

"Come on!" Jason growled, darting forward. His blade cut deep into the creature's rocky leg, and another burst of lightning shattered chunks of its body. The beast collapsed, but as Jason turned to rejoin the fight, the ground beneath him shifted.

"Little demigod," Gaea's voice hissed, unnervingly close. The earth quaked beneath him, a jagged pillar of stone erupting and slamming into his chest. Jason flew back, crashing hard against a boulder. His vision blurred, and his sword clattered to the ground, reverting into its coin form.

Pain wracked his body, but Jason forced himself to sit up. Gaea was manifesting, her massive form rising from the earth, her eyes glowing with malice. She reached out, her earthen hand curling around the coin lying a few feet away.

"No!" Jason shouted, summoning a surge of wind to pull the coin back to him. But Gaea's strength was overwhelming.

"You think your mortal trinkets can stop me?" she sneered. Her grip tightened, and Jason's heart sank as the metallic sound of snapping filled the air.

The coin split in two, its golden surface marred by jagged cracks. Jason felt a physical jolt, as if a part of himself had shattered with it.

"No..." he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"Pathetic," Gaea said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Jason staggered to his feet, his breaths labored. Without his gladius, without his coin, he felt exposed-but he wasn't done. Not yet.

"You're wrong," he said, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at him. He raised his hands, summoning a storm with all the power he could muster. The skies darkened, the wind howling as lightning cracked down around him.

Gaea's expression twisted into one of rage as the storm intensified. Jason pushed himself harder than he ever had before, his body screaming in protest as he directed the full fury of the tempest at her.

"FOR ROME! FOR CAMP HALF-BLOOD!" Jason shouted, the storm consuming everything in its path.

The world became a blur of light and sound. When the dust finally settled, Jason was on his knees, his body trembling with exhaustion. Gaea was gone, her manifestation destroyed, but at a great cost. Around him, the battle was winding down, the forces of good finally gaining the upper hand.

Jason's gaze fell to the broken coin lying in the dirt. He picked up the pieces, his hands shaking as he cradled them. The coin had been more than a weapon; it was a part of his identity, a symbol of his journey and the trust he'd placed in himself. Now it was nothing but shards of gold.

"Jason!" Piper's voice broke through the haze. She was running toward him, her face etched with worry.

"I'm okay," Jason said, though his voice was hollow. He tucked the broken coin into his pocket, rising to meet her. The battle wasn't over yet, and he couldn't afford to dwell on his loss.

But even as they regrouped and pressed on, Jason felt the weight of the broken coin in his pocket-a reminder of the price of their victory, and of the sacrifices he'd made along the way.