O C E A N U S

C H A P T E R   F O U R T E E N

( the anti-athena )

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

          MALIA WOKE AT a table at a sidewalk cafe.

For a second, she thought she had died. It was a sunny morning. The air was brisk but not unpleasant for sitting outside. At the other tables, a mix of bicyclists, business people, and college kids sat chatting and drinking coffee.

She could smell eucalyptus trees, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottle-brush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept.

In other words: she was in California.

Her friends sat in chairs around her—all of them with their hands calmly folded across their chests, dozing pleasantly. And they all had new clothes on. Piper slowly woke up after her, eyes scanning their surroundings before landing on her outfit. "Mother!"

She yelled louder than she meant. Jason flinched, bumping the table with his knees, and then all of them were awake.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "Fight who? Where?"

"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No—not falling. Where are we?"

Jason blinked, trying to get his bearings. He focused on Malia before looking at Piper and making a choking sound. "What are you wearing?"

Piper looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a turquoise dress with black leggings and black leather boots. She had on a silver charm bracelet and a snowboarding jacket, that amazingly went with the outfit pretty well. She pulled out her dagger and looked into the blade, sighing when she saw that her hair was done as well.

"It's nothing," she said. "It's my—" She paused. "It's nothing."

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You're gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen."

"Hey, Leo." Malia tried not to laugh as Jason nudged the boy's arm. "You look at yourself recently?"

"What. . . oh."

All of them had been given a makeover. Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.

"God, Leo." Piper looked like she was trying not to laugh. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."

"Hey, shut up!"

"I think he looks good," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I look better."

The satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-toned shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.

"Well," Malia sighed out, "at least your mom overlooked me."

Jason looked at her again. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Malia looked down, her eyes going wide when she saw that Aphrodite had not, in fact, skipped over her. At least she wasn't in a dress or a suit like the others. Instead, Aphrodite had dressed her in preparation for battle, which she internally thanked the goddess for.

She was dressed in a pair of black workout leggings with mesh designs on the calves and a cropped light blue tee shirt. Aphrodite had replaced her dirty trainers with a pair of new black and white Adidas, which matched the windbreaker that hung loosely over her shoulders. Her hair had been tamed and braided into twinning dutch braids, and she was sure there was some makeup painting her face. Aphrodite wouldn't let her enter battle without at least mascara.

"I'm not mad, actually," Malia said. "Your mom really knows how to dress for battle."

Jason looked down. "Looks like I was left out of the Aphrodite treatment."

Malia knew that wasn't exactly true. Looking at him, her heart did a little tap dance. Jason was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple tee shirt, like he'd worn when she'd rescued him from the Grand Canyon. He had new track shoes on, and his hair was newly trimmed despite looking messy. His eyes were the same color as the sky. Aphrodite's message was clear: This one needs no improvement.

Malia couldn't agree more.

"Anyway," she said uncomfortably, "how did we get here? Last I checked, I couldn't teleport."

"Oh, that would be Mellie," Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation. "Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I'd guess. We would've been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift—a nice soft breeze—cushioned our fall."

"And she got fired for us," Leo said. "Man, we suck."

"Ah, she'll be fine," Hedge said. "Besides, she couldn't help herself. I've got that effect on nymphs. I'll send her a message when we're through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one aura I could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."

"I'm going to be sick," Piper said.

Malia nodded in agreement. "Same. Anyone else want coffee?"

"Coffee!" Hedge's grin was stained blue from the flower. "I love coffee!"

"Um," Jason said, "but—money? Our packs?"

Malia looked down. Their packs were at their feet, and everything seemed to still be there. She reached into her coat pocket and sighed when she felt the bracelet still there. She'd hoped that Aeolus hadn't actually given her that, but it was in her pocket. Proof. It was a bracelet that Malia had made her brother for his thirteenth birthday, and she wore a matching one that matched her sword with Percy's name on it.

Piper pulled out a wad of cash, causing Leo to whistle. "Allowance? Piper, your mom rocks!"

"Waitress!" Hedge called. "Six double espressos, and whatever these guys want. Put it on the girl's tab."

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

It didn't take them long to figure out where they were. The menus said "Café Verve, Walnut Creek, CA." And according to the waitress, it was 9 A.M. on December 21, the winter solstice, which gave them three hours until Enceladus's deadline.

They didn't have to wonder where Mount Diablo was, either. They could see it on the horizon, right at the end of the street. After the Rockies and Mount Tam, Mount Diablo didn't look very large, nor was it covered in snow. It seemed downright peaceful, its golden creases marbled with gray-green trees. But size was deceptive with mountains, Malia knew. It was probably much bigger up close. And appearances were deceptive too. Here they were—back in California—the place she'd nearly died when she was thirteen—with sunny skies, mild weather, laid-back people, and a plate of chocolate chip scones with coffee. And only a few miles away, somewhere on that peaceful mountain, a superpowerful, super-evil giant was about to have Piper's father for lunch.

Leo pulled something out of his pocket—the old crayon drawing Aeolus had given him. Aphrodite must've thought it was important if she'd magically transferred it to his new outfit.

"What is that?" Piper asked.

Leo folded it up gingerly again and put it away. "Nothing. You don't want to see my kindergarten artwork."

"It's more than that," Jason guessed. "Aeolus said it was the key to our success."

Leo shook his head. "Not today. He was talking about. . . later."

"How can you be sure?" Malia asked.

"Trust me," Leo said. "Now—what's our game plan?"

Coach Hedge belched. He'd already had three espressos and a plate of doughnuts, along with two napkins and another flower from the vase on the table. He would've eaten the silverware, except Piper had slapped his hand.

"Climb the mountain," Hedge said. "Kill everything except Piper's dad. Leave."

"Thank you General Eisenhower," Jason grumbled.

"Hey, I'm just saying!"

Malia rolled her eyes. "I think Leo was talking about a game plan to save Piper's dad, not a game plan for how to get to the Underworld the hard way."

"There's an easy way?" Leo asked.

Malia nodded. "Through DOA Recording Studios in Las Angeles."

Leo opened his mouth in question, but Piper cut him off. "Guys, there's more you need to know."

Piper told them she'd figured some things out in her dreams, but Malia knew she was holding something back. Piper explained to them that their real enemy was Gaea. At that, Malia gulped. She realized she'd been right the entire time, since first hearing the prophecy. Gaea was waking up and bringing the giants and the end of the world with her.

"Gaea?" Leo shook his head. "Isn't that Mother Nature? She's supposed to have, like, flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and deer and rabbits doing her laundry."

"Leo, that's Snow White," Piper said.

"Actually, that's more like every single original Disney princess to ever exist," Malia said, smirking.

Jason nudged her. "Hey, Ariel, do rabbits do your laundry or. . . ?"

Malia rolled her eyes, feeling her cheeks heat up when Jason used her first name. "Shut up."

Leo ignored their side conversation. "Okay, but—"

"Listen, cupcake." Coach Hedge dabbed the espresso out of his goatee. "Piper's telling us some serious stuff, here. Gaea's no softie. I'm not even sure I could take her."

Leo whistled. "Really?"

Hedge nodded. "This earth lady—she and her old man the sky were nasty customers."

"Ouranos," Piper said. She looked up at the sky nervously.

"Right," said Hedge. "So Ouranos, he's not the best dad. He throws their first kids, the Cyclopes, into Tartarus. That makes Gaea mad, but she bides her time. Then they have another set of kids—the twelve Titans—"

"What assholes," Malia said, rolling her eyes.

"That they are," Hedge agreed. "Anyway, Geae is afraid they'll get thrown into prison too. So she goes up to her son Kronos—"

"The big bad dude," Leo said. "The one you defeated last summer."

"Right. And Gaea's the one who gives him the scythe, and tells him, 'Hey, why don't I call your dad down here? And while he's talking to me, distracted, you can cut him to pieces. Then you can take over the world. Wouldn't that me great'?"

Nobody said anything. Malia's chocolate chip muffin didn't look so appetizing anymore. She'd heard this story a thousand times and she still couldn't get her mind around it. How could a kid be so messed up to be willing to kill his own father for power? Well, she guessed that if serial killers sometimes killed their parents, this was no different. But still?

"Definitely not Snow White," Piper decided.

"Nah, Kronos was a bad guy," Hedge said. "But Gaea is literally the mother of all bad guys. She's so old and powerful, so huge, that it's hard for her to be fully conscious. Most of the time, she sleeps, and that's the way we like her—snoring."

"But she talked to me," Leo said. "How can she be asleep?"

Gleeson brushed crumbs off his canary yellow lapel. He was on his sixth espresso now, and his pupils were as big as quarters. "Even in her sleep, part of her consciousness is active—dreaming, keeping watch, doing little things like causing volcanoes to explode and monsters to rise. Even now, she's not fully awake. Believe me, you don't want to see her fully awake."

"But she's getting more powerful," Malia said. "She's causing the giants to rise. And if their king comes back—this guy Prophyrion—"

"He'll raise an army to destroy the gods," Jason put in. "Starting with Hera. It'll be another war. And Gaea will wake up fully."

Gleeson nodded. "Which is why it's a good idea for us to stay off the ground as much as possible."

Leo looked warily at Mount Diablo. "So. . . climbing a mountain. That would be bad."

Malia nodded, pursing her lips. Climbing a mountain would be highest on the list of things not to do when the earth mother is waking up slowly. Hell, Malia would be surprised if they made it up the mountain without losing their shoes to Gaea, who was most likely to soften the earth under the feet in an attempt to either a.) slow them down, or b.) swallow them whole.

"Guys, I can't ask you to do this," Piper said. "This is too dangerous."

"You kidding?" Gleeson belched and showed them his blue carnation smile. "Who's ready to beat stuff up?"

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

Malia really hoped the taxi could take them all the way to the top.

No such luck. The cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."

"We're sure," Leo said, stepping out of the cab first.

Malia smiled at the driver and followed Jason out of the cab, her eyes immediately moving to the wheels to see what the real problem was. The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand, which only furthered her suspicions that Gaea wanted to swallow them whole. They weren't sinking fast—just enough for the cabbie to notice something off about his car.

The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but already Malia's new shoes were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with them.

Malia paid the cabbie. She was generous—heck, why not? It was Aphrodite's money. Plus, she had a feeling she might never be coming off this mountain. She always expected disappointment so she wouldn't ever feel it when it actually came.

"Keep the change," she said. "And get out of here. Quick."

The driver didn't argue. Soon all they could see was his dust trail.

The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns—grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. All these normal people living normal lives—the kind that Malia had never known.

"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way. . ."

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

Malia frowned. Jason seemed to know a lot about a place he claimed he'd never been to before. "Jason?" She touched his arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes. . . no." He gave her an anguished look. "It just seems important."

"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

Malia couldn't agree more. Jason looked toward the foggy basin with such longing that it made Malia feel uneasy. Why did Jason seem so connected with that place—a place that was said to be evil, full of bad magic and old enemies? What if Jason came from here? Everybody kept hinting Jason was an enemy, that his arrival at Camp Half-Blood was a dangerous mistake.

No, Malia thought. Ridiculous. Jason was their friend.

Malia tried to move her foot, but her heels were now completely embedded in the dirt.

"Hey, guys," Leo said. "Let's keep moving."

The other three noticed the problem.

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, Malia had thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was definitely burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry."

Easier said than done.

Malia thought she was in good shape after years of fighting monsters, battling Titans, and going on deadly quests. She was proven wrong as she climbed the mountain, which was trying to swallow her shoes whole. It felt like she was trying to run on a flypaper treadmill.

In no time, Malia had ditched her windbreaker and tied it around her waist, even though the wind was cold and sharp. She wished Aphrodite had given her shorts instead of leggings and maybe a pair of shades like Leo's, but she was grateful for the comfortable shoes she was wearing.

By the time they neared the crest of the mountain, their group was the most fashionably dressed sweaty, dirty heroes ever.

The first thing she noticed once they reached the top was the giant. Immediately, she grabbed ahold of Piper and Jason and pulled them down behind a wall of rock, gesturing for Leo and Hedge to do the same. Leo crawled down next to them without a problem, but Piper had to pull Coach Hedge down.

"I don't want to get my outfit dirty!" Hedge complained.

"Shut up! It's already dirty!" Malia whispered harshly.

Reluctantly, the satyr knelt.

Just over the ridge where they were hiding, in the shadow of the mountain's final crest, was a forested depression about the size of a football field, where the giant Enceladus had set up camp.

Trees had been cut down to make a towering purple bonfire. The outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment—an earthmover; a big crane thing with rotating blades at the end like an electric shaver—must be a tree harvester, Malia thought (though she was basing her suspicions off of the similar piece of equipment from The Lorax)—and a long metal column with an ax blade, like a sideways guillotine—a hydraulic ax.

Why a giant needed construction equipment, Malia wasn't sure. She didn't see how the creature in front of her could even fit in the driver's seat. The giant Enceldaus was so large, so horrible, Malia didn't want to look at him.

But she forced herself to focus on one of the ugliest monsters she'd ever seen—and she'd spent a few years with Gabe Ugliano.

To start with, he was thirty feet tall—easily as tall as the treetops. Malia was sure the giant could've seen them behind their ridge, but he seemed intent on the weird purple bonfire, circling it and chanting under his breath. From the waist up, the giant appeared humanoid, his muscular chest clad in bronze armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were completely ripped. Each of his biceps was bigger than Malia (not a hard feat to reach). His skin was bronze but sooty with ash. His face was crudely shaped, like a half-finished clay figure, but his eyes glowed white, and his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down to his shoulders, braided with bones.

From the waist down, he was even more terrifying. His legs were scaly green, with claws instead of feet—like the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand, Enceladus held a spear the size of a flagpole. Every so often he dipped its tip in the fire, turning the metal molten red.

"Okay," Coach Hedge whispered. "Here's the plan—"

Leo elbowed him. "You're not charging him alone!"

"Aw, c'mon."

Piper choked back a sob. "Look."

Just visible on the other side of the bonfire was a man tied to a post. His head slumped like he was unconscious, so Malia couldn't make out his face, but Piper didn't seem to have any doubts.

"Dad," she said.

Malia swallowed. She didn't know much about Tristan McLean movies, but she was really wishing they were currently in one. Then Piper's dad would probably be faking unconsciousness. He'd untie his bonds and knock out the giant with some cleverly hidden anti-giant gas. Heroic music would start to play, and Tristan McLean would make his amazing escape, running away in slow motion while the mountainside probably exploded behind him. The usual heroic movie plot.

But this wasn't a Tristan McLean movie or any other kind of heroic movie. Tristan McLean was half dead and about to be eaten. The only people who could stop it—four fashionably dressed teenaged demigods and a megalomaniac goat.

"There's five of us," Hedge whispered urgently. "And only one of him."

"Did you miss the fact that he's thirty feet tall?" Leo asked.

"Okay," Hedge said. "So you, me, Jason, and Malia distract him. Piper sneaks around and frees her dad."

They all looked at Jason.

"What?" Jason asked. "I'm not the leader."

"Yes," Malia said, "you are."

They'd never really talked about it, but no one disagreed, not even Hedge. Coming this far had been a team effort, but when it came to a life-and-death decision, Malia knew Jason was the one to ask. Even if he had no memory, Jason had a kind of balance to him. You could just tell he'd been in battled before (and yes, she'd been in battles too), and he knew how to keep his cool (much like how she did not). Malia wasn't the trusting type after what happened last summer, but she trusted Jason with her life.

"What about Malia? She's been on more quests than any of us," Jason pointed out.

Malia held her hands up. "I make rash decisions when under pressure. If you leave the stress up to me, we'd all be dead."

Jason sighed. "Fine. I hate to say it, but Coach Hedge is right. A distraction is Piper's best chance."

Not a good chance, Malia thought. Not even a survivable chance. Just their best chance.

They couldn't sit there all day and talk about it, though. It had to be close to noon—the giant's deadline—and the ground was still trying to pull them down. Malia's knees had already sunk two inches into the dirt.

Leo grinned at them, pulling something from his pocket. "Let's boogie," he said. "Before I come to my senses."

Malia smirked. "That's the spirit!"

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

The plan went wrong almost immediately. Piper scrambled along the ridge, trying to keep her head down, while Leo, Jason, Coach Hedge, and Malia walked straight into the clearing.

Jason summoned his golden lance while Malia flicked her wrist, her sword appearing in her hand, the blade glimmering with green light. Jason brandished his weapon over his head and yelled, "Giant!" Which sounded pretty good, and a lot more confident than Malia probably could've managed.

Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned toward them and grinned, revealing fangs like a saber-toothed tiger's.

"Well," the giant said. "What a nice surprise."

Malia didn't like the sound of that. Her hand gripped the hilt of her sword tighter. Leo was stepping sideways, edging toward the bulldozer that rested close by at the edge of the clearing.

Coach Hedge shouted, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant by hoof right up your—"

"Coach," Malia said. "Shut up."

Enceladus roared with laughter. "I've forgotten how funny satyrs are. When we rule the world, I think I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me while I eat all the other mortals."

"Is that a compliment?" Hedge frowned at them. "I don't think that was a compliment."

Enceladus opened his mouth wide, and his teeth began to glow.

"Scatter!" Leo yelled.

Jason and Hedge dove to the left and Malia rolled to the right as the giant blew fire—a furnace blast so hot even Mount St. Helens would be jealous. Leo moved behind the bulldozer, leaving Jason, Hedge, and Malia as the only form of distraction for Piper.

Jason rose to his feet and challenged the giant, his eyes sparking with electricity. Coach Hedge ripped off his canary yellow jacket, which was now on fire, and bleated angrily. "I liked that outfit!" Then he raised his club and charged, too.

Malia was ready to join them when Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground. The entire mountain shook.

Malia steadied herself as the shockwave shook through her friends, planting her feet to keep her from flying. Through the haze of grassfire and bitter smoke, she saw Jason staggering to his feet not too far from her. Coach Hedge was knocked out cold. He'd fallen forward and hit his head on a log. His furry hindquarters were sticking straight up, with his canary yellow pants around his knees.

"How heroic," Malia mumbled.

The giant bellowed, "I see you, Piper McLean!" He turned and blew fire at a line of bushes to Malia's right. Piper ran out into the clearing like a flushed quail, the underbrush burning behind her.

Enceladus laughed. "I'm happy you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes!"

Malia's gut twisted. This was the moment Piper had warned them about. They'd played right into Enceladus's hands.

The giant must've read Malia's expression, because he laughed even louder. "That's right, daughter of Poseidon. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"

Malia could see Piper's dad more clearly now. He wore a ragged dress shirt and torn slacks. His bare feet were caked with mud. He wasn't completely unconscious, because he lifted his head and groaned. He had a nasty cut down the side of his face, and he looked thin and sickly. Malia's heart ached for both him and Piper.

"Dad!" Piper yelled.

Mr. McLean blinked, trying to focus. "Pipes. . . ? Where. . ."

Piper drew her dagger and faced Enceladus. "Let him go!"

"Of course, dear," the giant rumbled. "Swear your loyalty to me, and we have no problem. Only the sons of Zeus and Hephaestus must die. The daughter of Poseidon is already spoken for by my brother, Polybotes."

Piper looked back and forth between them and her dad.

"He'll kill you," Leo warned. "Don't trust him!"

"Oh, come now," Enceladus bellowed. "You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us giants with a specific purpose, designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena's nemesis, the anti-Athena, you might say. Compared to some of my brethren—I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"

Jason was on his feet now, lance ready; but before either he or Malia could act, Enceladus roared—a call so loud it echoed down the valley and was probably heard all the way into San Francisco.

At the edge of the woods, half a dozen ogre-like creatures rose up. Malia realized with nauseating certainty that they hadn't simply been hiding there. They'd risen straight out of the earth.

The ogres shuffled forward. They were small compared to Enceladus, about seven feet tall. Each one of them had six arms—one pair in the regular spot, then an extra pair sprouting from the sides of their rib cages. They wore only ragged leather loincloths, and even across the clearing, Malia could smell them. Six guys who never bathed, with six armpits each. Malia decided if she survived this day, she'd have to take a three-hour shower just to forget the stench.

Leo stepped toward Malia. "What—what are those?"

Malia's blade reflected the purple light of the bonfire. "Gegenees."

"In English?" Leo asked.

"The Earthborn," she said. "Six-armed giants who fought Jason—the first Jason."

"Very good, daughter of Poseidon!" Enceladus sounded delighted. "They used to live on a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain. Mount Diablo is much nicer! They are lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They're good with construction equipment—"

"Vroom, vroom!" one of the Earthborn bellowed, and the others took up the chant, each moving his six hand as though driving a car, as if it were some kind of weird religious ritual. "Vroom, vroom!"

"Yes, thank you, boys," Enceladus said. "They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason."

"Yay-son!" the Earthborn screamed. They all picked up clumps of earth, which solidified in their hands, turning to nasty pointed stones. "Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!"

Enceladus smiled. "You see, Piper, you have no choice. Save your father, or ah, try to save your friends and face certain death."

Piper stepped forward. Her eyes blazed with such rage, even the Earthborn backed away. She radiated power and beauty, but it had nothing to do with her clothes or her makeup.

"You will not take the people I love," she said. "None of them."

Her words ripped across the clearing with such force, the Earthborn muttered, "Okay. Okay, sorry," and began to retreat.

"Stand your ground, fools!" Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. "This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish. Earthborn! I will show you Jason!"

Malia's heart sank. But the giant didn't point to Jason. He pointed to the other side of the bonfire, where Tristan McLean hung helpless and half conscious.

"There is Jason," Enceladus said with pleasure. "Tear him apart!"

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

Malia's biggest surprise: One look from Jason, and all four of them knew the game plan. When had that happened, that they could read each other so well?

Jason and Malia charged Enceladus, while Piper rushed to her father, and Leo dashed for the tree harvester, which stood between Mr. McLean and the Earthborn. Malia and Jason exchanged a look, the two immediately coming up with a game plan: attack the giant and pray for the best.

As she charged forward, she could see Leo battling the Earthborn with the tree harvester while Piper cut her father free. She yelled defiantly as she stepped into battle with Jason, the two slashing and stabbing at the giant's legs while expertly avoiding all attacks sent to them by the angry giant. They dodged fire breath and spear swings and even the random attempts to squash them by stepping on them. And while doing so, they worked as one, reading each others minds and basing their attacks off of the other.

Malia ducked under a swing at her with the giant's spear, rolling underneath the giant's legs and slashing at his ankles with her sword, drawing golden blood. Jason jabbed at the giant's thighs and knees, aiming for anything that seemed weak or soft (which wasn't much). She could hear Piper and Leo fighting behind her somewhere in the clearing, but she focused solely on staying alive.

Pieces of hair fell from her braids and stuck to her face, which was streaked with grime, soot, and sweat. Her arms ached and her lungs burned, but she kept going. At one point, her and Jason were back-to-back, stabbing the giant in his calves at the exact same time. Enceladus roared in agony and kicked at them, but Jason pulled Malia out of the way before she could get hurt.

They tumbled off to the side, studying the situation while also catching their breaths. Malia glanced at Jason, marveling at how attractive he looked despite being dirty and tired. He looked like a god.

"Obviously this plan isn't getting us anywhere," she said, blowing hair from her face. "Any other ideas?"

Jason pursed his lips as he scanned the area. His eyes landed on her sword, then the spear that Enceladus held, and a spark ignited in his eyes. "Enceladus managed to send a shockwave through the earth because he's the son of Gaea."

Malia nodded, brows furrowing. "Yeah?"

"Well, isn't Poseidon often referred to as 'earth shaker' as well as the god of the sea?" Malia's eyes widened, her jaw dropping. He couldn't possibly be thinking of something like that.

She blinked a him. "You think I can cause an earthquake?" Jason nodded. "Listedn here, Hercules. I'm powerful, yes, but I'm not that powerful!"

Jason met her eyes and took her free hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze of reassurance. "Listen to me, Ariel." Her heart skipped a beat at her real name. "If there is one thing I've learned about you on this trip, it is that you can do anything you put your mind to. You managed to protect us from dragons, the snow goddess, and even storm spirits. You are powerful enough to cause an earthquake. I believe in you. I know that if I were to ask Leo and Piper, they'd agree with me. You can do this."

Malia's heart grew warm at his encouraging words. She'd never been talked to like that before, and she loved it. Her body felt warm and she smiled, no longer feeling as drained as before. Her grip on her sword tightened and she nodded, sucking in a deep breath. If Percy could cause a hurricane, she could create an earthquake.

"All right," she said, grinning. "If this works, I might just kiss you. So, what's the plan?"

Jason's cheeks heated up a bit. "Um, wait for the signal."

She nodded, and they charged into battle once more. Jason dashed around Enceladus, slicing open his legs and jabbing at him and blocking all attacks. Malia watched him with an impressed smile, taking note of how different his fighting style was compared to hers. After a moment, she saw Jason nod at her, and she took in a deep breath.

"Okay, Malia. Just an earthquake. You got this." She shook her hands out before tightening her grip on the sword. "Dad, please let this work."

Jason jumped out of the way right as Malia lifted her sword high in the air, quickly bringing it down and stabbing it into the earth. The blade sunk hilt-deep, a green glow surrounding the handle. As soon as the blade met the earth, Malia felt a hard tug in her gut, and she grinned. She looked up at Enceladus, who was watching her in confusion, and smirked.

"What—"

But the giant didn't get to finish. Malia twisted her sword, and a low rumble filled the air. Green light surged through the earth, and cracks formed around the sword as the ground began to shake. Jason, Piper, and Leo all steadied themselves on something, looking at Malia with wide eyes. She forced the ground to bend to her will, causing it to shake and break and thin until the cracks around her sword grew bigger.

She focused on the one facing Enceldaus and pushed it forward, the crack growing in size as it snaked along the ground, slipping between the giant's bleeding legs. Enceladus watched in confusion, but when the realization hit, it was too late. It a shout from Malia, the crack below him expanded, the ground splintering and shaking so much that it made Enceladus lose his footing, the giant falling.

However, their plan hadn't worked like they'd hoped. Malia's moment of happiness for causing an earthquake was short lived as Enceladus pulled himself from the small chasm she'd made, sending the girl a teasing look.

"Nice try, daughter of Poseidon. But not good enough."

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A U T H O R S   N O T E

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Five more chapters until we're done with the first half of the story. Five more chapters people. Next chapter is the end of this fight with Enceladus and then we have Piper's goodbye with her father and then they enter the helicopter and leave for the Wolf House. That's where the next chapter will leave off.

Malia is able to create earthquakes! She's much cooler than her brother. At least, in my opinion she is. And Jason's the reason she was able to do it without much practice because he believed in her and gave her that heart felt speech that gave her the confidence to try it. Of course, Enceladus has to be an ass and ruin it for her by being a fucking giant, but what can you do? More Jason and Malia fighting content coming soon!

Please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.