Havoc - Piper McLean

29: Heatstroke

| heatstroke |

—Time seemed to slow down, which was really frustrating, since Camilla still couldn't move. She felt herself sinking into the earth like the ground was a waterbed—comfortable, urging her to relax and give up. She wondered if the stories of the Underworld were true. Would she end up in the Fields of Punishment or Elysium? 

All Camilla could feel was the pain in her chest. She could see the tip of the spear coming toward her chest in slow motion. She knew she should move, but she couldn't seem to do it. Funny, she thought. All that effort to stay alive, and then, boom. You just lie there helplessly while a fire-breathing giant impales you.

Leo's voice yelled, "Heads up!"

A large black metal wedge slammed into Enceladus with a massive thunk! The giant toppled over and slid into the pit.

"Camilla, get up!" Piper called. Her voice energized Camilla, shook her out of her stupor. She sat up, her head groggy, while Piper grabbed her under her arms and hauled her to her feet.

"Don't die on me," she ordered. "You are not dying on me."

"Yes, ma'am." Camilla felt light-headed, but Piper was about the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. Her hair was smoldering. Her face was smudged with soot. She had a cut on her arm, her dress was torn, and she was missing a boot. Beautiful.

Then Jason was there. Gods damn it, he was beautiful too. Chiseled jaw, perfect arms covered in blood, the small scar on his upper lip. His clothes were smoking like Camilla's and his expression was serious, concern flickering in his eyes. 

"I said— are you okay?" He shook her which made her fall into a bout of violent coughing, her chest feeling like her ribcage was going to fall out. "I'm taking that as a no"

"Heatstroke" Piper put the back of her hand against Camilla's forehead. Her hand was cool, her fingers long and perfect. Camilla flushed as she thought of a million things she shouldn't. "And chest trauma, gods"

About a hundred feet behind her, Leo was standing over a piece of construction equipment—a long cannonlike thing with a single massive piston, the edge broken clean off. 

"Wow, all my friends are hot" Camilla was vaguely aware of mumbling. "Valdez, you're smoking hot! I could kiss you"

"Thanks but no thanks, Romani"

Camilla pouted. Then she looked down in the crater and saw where the other end of the hydraulic ax had gone. Enceladus was struggling to rise, an ax blade the size of a washing machine stuck in his breastplate.

Amazingly, the giant managed to pull the ax blade free. He yelled in pain and the mountain trembled. Golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, but Enceladus stood.

Shakily, he bent down and retrieved his spear.

"Good try." The giant winced. "But I cannot be beaten."

As they watched, the giant's armor mended itself, and the ichor stopped flowing. Even the cuts on his dragon-scale legs, which Jason and Camilla had worked so hard to make, were now just pale scars.

Leo ran up to them, saw the giant, and cursed. "What is it with this guy? Die, already!"

"My fate is preordained," Enceladus said. "Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes."

"Only by both," Jason said. The giant's smile faltered, and Camilla saw in his eyes something like fear. "It's true, isn't it? Gods and demigods have to work together to kill you."