LOST AT SEA | jason grace

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞.

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞. 𝐵𝑎𝑐𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑠

𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙶𝙸𝙰𝙽𝚃𝚂 picked up a fake mountain as big as Lorna's New York apartment and hurled it at the demigods.

Percy, Jason and Lorna bolted. They dove together into the nearest trench and the mountain shattered above them, spraying them with plaster shrapnel. It wasn't deadly, but it stung like crazy. The crowd jeered and shouted for blood. "Fight! Fight!"

Percy returned Tremor to Lorna and she kept her blade.

"I'll take Otis again?" Jason called over the noise. "Or do you two want him this time?"

Lorna tried to think. Percy's strengths lay in his creativity; Jason was prided for his sword fighting skills; and Lorna had great control over her powers. Fighting the giants one-on-one hadn't worked so well last time. They needed a different strategy. 

"We attack together," she said. "Otis first, because he's weaker. Take him out quickly and move to Ephialtes. Bronze and gold together—maybe that'll keep them from re-forming a little longer."

Jason smiled dryly, like he'd just found out he would die in an embarrassing way. "Why not?" he agreed. "But Ephialtes isn't going to stand there and wait while we kill his brother. Unless—"

"Good wind today," Percy offered. "And there're some water pipes running under the arena."

Jason and Lorna understood immediately. Jason laughed, and Lorna felt a spark of friendship between the two boys. They did many things the same way.

"Are you two best friends now?" Lorna joked. 

Percy smiled before his expression hardened. "I didn't forget about the kiss, you two. But we have more important things to do. On three?" 

"Why wait?" Jason replied.

They charged out of the trench. As Lorna suspected, the twins had lifted another plaster mountain and were waiting for a clear shot. The giants raised it above their heads, preparing to throw, and Lorna caused a water pipe to burst at their feet, shaking the floor. Jason sent a blast of wind against Ephialtes's chest. 

The purple-haired giant toppled backward and Otis lost his grip on the mountain, which promptly collapsed on top of his brother. Only Ephialtes's snake feet stuck out, darting their heads around, as if wondering where the rest of their body had gone.

The crowd roared with approval, but Lorna suspected Ephialtes was only stunned. They had a few seconds at best.

Otis snatched up his spear and threw, but he was too angry to aim straight.

Jason deflected it over Percy's head and into the lake. The demigods backed toward the water.

Otis barreled toward them empty-handed, before apparently realizing that a) he was emptyhanded, and b) charging toward a large body of water to fight a two children of Poseidon was maybe not a good idea.

Too late, he tried to stop. The demigods rolled to either side, and Jason summoned the wind, using the giant's own momentum to shove him into the water. As Otis struggled to rise, Percy, Jason and Lorna attacked as one. They launched themselves at the giant and brought their blades down on Otis's head. The poor guy didn't even have a chance to pirouette. He exploded into powder on the lake's surface like a huge packet of drink mix.

Lorna churned the lake into a whirlpool. Otis's essence tried to re-form, but as his head appeared from the water, Jason called lightning and blasted him to dust again. So far so good, but they couldn't keep Otis down forever.