TERRIFIED . . . annabeth chase

twenty seven.

JASON AND PERCY charged at each other, and there was not a single thing that Val could do to stop them.

She flew back and looked, horrified, as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. Sparks flew. Their blades blurred — strike and parry — and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Val couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other — Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.

"Stop it!" Piper yelled.

For a moment, Jason heeded her voice. His golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason. Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword — maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally — so the flat of it hit Jason's chest; but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount.

Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor.

Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.

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

Percy's sword arm dipped. Val might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason got to his feet.

Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his gladius and blasted Percy off his horse.

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.

"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."

Something about that voice . . . it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language. Just like what Leo did.

"Who are you?" Piper demanded.

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

"Eidolons . . . ?" Piper looked over at Val, who mouthed ghost. "You're — you're some sort of ghost?"

"He must die." Jason turned his attention back to Percy, but Percy had recovered more than any of them realized, which was just stupid of Val. He swept out his leg and knocked Jason off his feet.

Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating conk.

Percy rose.

"Stop it!" Piper screamed again, but there was no charmspeak in her voice. She was shouting in sheer desperation.

Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest.

Piper wasn't doing anything, so Val figured she had to do something. "Eidolon, stop."

Percy froze.

"Face me," Val ordered.

The son of the sea god turned. His eyes were gold instead of green, his face pale and cruel, not at all like Percy's.

"The other girl has not chosen," he said. "So this one will die."

"You're a spirit from the Underworld," Val guessed. "You're possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it? My dad didn't tell me about you."

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

"Leo . . . that's what happened to Leo. He was being controlled by an eidolon." Piper gasped. Wow. So quick.