~•♡•~

i do not know how to fight with weapons. i can do some hand-to-hand pretty good- my dad taught me- but i have never actually used real weapons.

so, naturally, i charged first.

i let everyone else look at each other and formulate a plan. about four seconds after i took after the earthborn, jason charged enceladus, piper went to her dad, and leo made a go for what i think was a tree harvester.

leo ran like a storm spirit, his shoes clacking the ground loudly, almost like a full-auto rifle. ryan had mentioned that some hermes children have a super-speed power, but leo's speed wasn't a demigod ability.

it was fear.

he hurled himself into the machine from five feet away as one of the earthborn turned to face me. leo screamed, "HA!" as the machine whirred to life.

i clung to that energy, refusing to let my fear incapacitate me. i grinned triumphantly as, for once, i embraced the change in mood.

i jumped up, which seemed to catch the earthborn off guard. i slammed both blades down on his shoulder, severing all of his arms at once. he howled in pain, and tried to bite me, but i dropped to a split (i took gymnastics in middle school- never thought it would be useful!) and i brought my left blade down on his head and used my right to slash his stomach.

he melted into a clay puddle as i rolled to the next earthborn, but before i could do anything, leo swung the crane arm and toppled burning logs onto the earthborn. two went down in a fiery avalanche and melted into clay puddles.

"badass!" i gleamed like a madman.

"hop in, mamacita!"

leo is stupid, but i obliged and crowded in next to him. i saw piper cutting her father free, and jason fighting the giant.

coach hedge was, of course, heroically passed out with his fuzzy hindquarters in the air.

enceladus kept blowing fire, and pretty soon, the whole mountain would be ablaze. leo, would be okay, but the rest of us...

leo and i looked back at the earthborn.

one charged the tree harvester, and leo swung the crane arm in his direction. he smashed a button, whirring the blades to life. as soon as they made contact with the earthborn, he dissolved like wet clay, and splattered all of the clearing.

i dropped into the floor as the clay splattered all over leo, but not me.

he spit clay out of his mouth and glared at me. "really?"

he focused on the battle again as i stood up. the earthborn backed away from leo's blade, shaking their heads.

"bad vroom-vroom!"

"yeah, that's right!" leo yelled. "you want some bad vroom-vroom? come on!"

(STEEEEEEEEP SLOPE.)

unfortunately, the earthborn did charge. they each hefted large, hard rocks above their heads.

"say goodbye!" i yanked leo out of the harvester just as it was rained on by rocks. by the time leo looked up, it looked like a smashed soda can.

"dozer!" leo yelled. i yelped as i barely slashed apart a rock coming in his direction, and leo turned scarlet.

"uh- duh- um-"

the bulldozer roared to life, and i gasped. leo grinned as it moved toward the enemy.

"go help jason!" leo said. "i can deal with the earthborn!"

i had no doubt about that as i ran towards enceladus.

"hey, shitface!"

enceladus looked straight down as i slid in the dirt, ripping open the knees of my new pants. i slashed both of his ankles and got up again, relishing as the giant roared in anger. jason tried to stab the giant's arm, but enceladus moved away fast enough, and glared at me.

he heaved in to breathe fire, and i knew i was out of options.

here goes nothing.

i fell to my side, and willed my gravity to change.

it was like falling normally, except to everyone else, i looked like aladdin's magic carpet as i landed sideways on a tree. enceladus's fire was already far enough away that i could barely feel the heat.

jason stabbed the giant, eliciting a loud scream. i charged again, but enceladus attempted to smash me with his dragon foot.

i sidestepped and rolled, the ground trembling as enceladus's foot smashed down.

i was on a roll! i was on fire!

so, naturally, the ground would swallow my ankles right as jason's lance broke.

enceladus's spear missed him by a millimeter. jason kept dodging, but the ground was trapping him just as it was doing to me. i slashed at the dirt, freeing myself, and i forced the gravity on my feet to change so i was lightfooted.

we were getting tired, though, and enceladus knew that.

"i'm not some minor monster." enceladus bellowed. "i am a giant, born to destroy gods! your little gold toothpick can't kill me, boy."

the smoke in the air was burning my legs. i managed one more slash at enceladus before retiring behind a rock as i tried desperately to catch my breath.

"you won't get away that easy, daughter of selene!"

i willed my weapons back into bracelets- now two thin ones on each wrist- and i ran with all my might as enceladus blew more fire. it burned my back, and i fell against a tree.

"the mighty jason grace." enceladus bellowed. "yes, we know about you, son of jupiter. the one who led the assault on mount othrys. the one who single-handedly slew the titan krios and toppled the black throne."

damn, jason is cool. i would've said that if my cheek wasn't welting up.

"runa!"

i felt like puking. leo shoveled a piece of ambrosia in my mouth, and i grumbled as piper lifted me up.

"you have to fight! you- JASON!"

i heard another blast of fire, but the smoke was burning my eyes too much to look. but piper's presence was enough to tell me that jason was in trouble. she ran off, and leo dragged me further into the woods.

"no, no. don't die on me, space girl!" leo yelled. he splashed water onto my face, and i started coughing.

"hey!" the ambrosia was clearly working. i could open my eyes enough to stare at him angrily.

"hang on." he muttered. he pulled me up, a hand around me as he dragged me with him. slowly, the ambrosia made my lungs and legs feel better, and by the time we reached the construction equipment, i could handle myself.

what did leo do? he die a leo thing.

"HEADS UP!"

he managed to use the hydraulic axe. it whirled into enceladus's chest, the noise reverberating throughout the clearing as the giant toppled into the pit. i gazed at leo, awestruck, and he did a leo thing:

"oh. i didn't actually think that would work."

leo hopped down, smiling at me wildly. he suddenly frowned as we watched the giant start rising, and he pulled the axe blade free. golden blood- ichor, i believed it was called- flowed out of the wound.

shakily, he bent and retrieved his spear.

"good try. but i cannot be-"

i watched as the giant mended himself, so, i did an aruna thing.

i ran forward, spawned my weapon, and with a heavy grunt, i threw both of them straight into the giant's eyes.

"STUPID GIRL!" he simply pulled my blades out, and tossed them into the pit.

leo ran over to us. "man, that was sick, but why won't this guy die?!" he complained.

"my fate is preordained." enceladus said. "giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes."

"only by both." jason said. fear washed over enceladus, giving me hope. "it's true, isn't it? gods and demigods have to work together to kill you."

"you will not live long enough to try!"

"leo, you got a god in that magic belt of yours?" i asked.

"not unless you count my-"

i slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling the last word. however, literally everyone knew what word it was, and leo knew that, as said by his mischievous gleam and the smile i could feel against my hand.

jason looked up. "leo, if you've got a rope handy, get ready."

he leapt at the giant with only his bare hands.

"enceladus, look behind you!" piper compelled.

the giant turned like there was a giant spider on his back. "what?"

jason tackled his legs. the giant lost his balance, slammed into the crater, and began to slide to the bottom. while he tried to rise, jason put his arms around his neck, and i snatched one end of the rope from leo.

"aru? what are-"

"get off!" enceladus screamed as jason crawled all over him like some sort of monkey.

"HIT THE DECK!" jason screamed.

lightning crashed down. the ground shook beneath us, and i grabbed piper and leo before they fell. i held them, using my ability to balance them as the very mountain cracked apart.

i opened my eyes. the earth rumbled and tore apart, sliding enceladus's legs into the chasm. he clawed helplessly at the grass on the edge of the pit, and barely held on.

"you've won nothing, boy." he snarled at jason, his eyes fixed with hatred. "my brothers are rising, and they are ten times as strong as i. we will destroy the gods at their roots! you will die, and olympus will die with-"

he lost his grip, and fell.

"hold on tight." i told leo.

"WHAT?!"

i ran and leaped into the crevice. piper and leo screamed, but i grabbed jason easily.

i fixed us onto the wall, morphing our gravity. jason looked around weirdly as leo and piper breathed in relief upon seeing we were okay. together, we climbed out of the hole, and stood together.

exhausted, terrified, and hungry again, i still managed a smile once i realized the earth had stopped pulling us.

for now, gaea was gone.

carnage was all around us. fires still blazes, construction equipment lay in ruins, the ground was black as smoke rose up.

hedge finally started to move. he sat up with a grunt and rubbed his head. his pants were now the color of dijon mustard mixed with mud.

he blinked and looked at the battle scene. "did i do this?"

before anyone could reply, hedge picked up his club and rose shakily to his hooves. "yeah, you want some fucking hoof? i gave you some hoof, cupcakes! who's the goat, huh?" he did a little dance, kicking rocks and making rude satyr gestures at clay.

leo cracked a smile- the awkward, lopsided kind where you could only see a few teeth on one side. jason began laughing hysterically, and a warm feeling enveloped me.

tristan mclean rose. he staggered forward, his eyes hollow and shell-shocked like a war veteran.

"piper?" his voice cracked, and i had to look away. "pipes, what- what is-"

he couldn't complete the thought. piper ran over to him and hugged him, but tristan almost seemed like he didn't know her.

"we need to get him out of here." i frowned, shaking my head. "this isn't fair to him."

"yeah, but how?" leo asked. "he's in no shape to walk."

jason glanced at a helicopter overhead, and then he turned to leo. "can you make us a bullhorn or something? piper has some talking to do."

~•♡•~

today was weird. first, i woke up dressed like i was about to woo the village girl with my magic, then, i fought a massive giant and his clay baby brothers. then, piper managed to charmspeak a helicopter into landing for us. then, famous actor tristan mclean was the equivalent to a vietnam veteran, and not for a movie. then, i had to help said famous actor onto the helicopter. then, i had to ignore the famous actor as his trauma-ridden self began talking to his lone daughter nervously about monsters, and how her mother was a love goddess. then, to soothe him, famous actor's lone daughter consoled him by telling of our adventures, like leo taming a dragon and jason making wolves back down by speaking in latin. then, she convinced the airport people to allow her to land.

it was only lunchtime. we unloaded on the tarmac, and everyone looked at piper.

"what now?" jason asked.

piper forced herself to look confident. "first thing, i-i have to get my dad home. i'm sorry, guys."

i waved her off, even as our faces fell. "do what you have to do." i nodded. i am very good at masking my emotions.

"i mean, absolutely." leo nodded. "he needs you right now. we can take it from here."

"pipes, no." her dad had been sitting in the helicopter doorway, a blanket around his shoulders. "you have a mission. a quest. i can't-"

"i'll take care of him."

all of us looked at the coach in shock.

"you?" i uttered.

"i'm a protector." coach said. "that's my job. not fighting." he sounded crestfallen, then straightened his jaw.

"of course, i'm good at fighting, too." he glared at us all, daring us to argue.

"yes." jason said.

"terrifying." leo agreed.

"the best." i nodded.

coach grunted. "but i'm a protector, and i can do this. your dad's right, piper. you need to carry on this quest."

"but..." piper's eyes stung, and i knew it was time for us to step away. leo, and jason got the message, and we all walked a few yards away.

"so," jason cleared his throat. "what are you guys gonna do when we get back to camp?"

"nap." leo nodded. "i'm exhausted."

i scratched my neck. "i could go for some rice cakes right now."

"DUDE, WE JUST ATE!" jason yelled.

"and then fought a giant! i burned off the calories!" i argued.

"ALL 14,000 OF THEM?!"

"bah, you just don't know how to eat right, gringo." i smirked. leo laughed and jason raised an eyebrow.

"i... i don't remember my spanish classes very well." jason admitted.

"they don't teach you that." leo said. "but, you took spanish classes?"

jason frowned. "i... i think?"

"¿cuántos años tienes?" i asked. leo leaned forward, resting his chin on my shoulder. i did not feel my face heat up (STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP SLOPE).

"erm- like, six foot?"

leo and i burst into laughter. jason looked away sheepishly, but still managed a smile. leo gasped for air and i clutched my stomach.

"¡pendejo!" leo cackled.

"hey, what are you cupcakes doing?"

leo and i calmed down enough to walk over with jason. hedge now had an unconscious famous actor aboard, and he climbed down one last time to say goodbye.

he gave piper a hug, and looked at me. i extended a hand, and he gladly shook it. then, he glared at leo and jason.

"you cupcakes better take care of these two." hedge scowled. "or i'm gonna make you do push-ups."

"you got it, coach." leo said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"no push-ups." jason promised.

piper gave the old satyr one last hug. "thank you, gleeson. take care of him, please." i didn't like her use of his first name- not from a respect standpoint, but because it's fucking ugly- but the gesture was nice.

"i got this, mclean." hedge reassured her. "they got root beer and veggie enchiladas on this flight, and one hundred percent linen napkins- yum! i could get used to this."

trotting up the stairs, he lost a shoe, revealing his hoof. the flight attendants eyes went wide for a second, but she looked away and pretended that nothing was wrong.

when the plane was headed down the runway, i had a feeling what would happen. awkwardly, i wrapped an arm over piper's shoulders as she began to cry. jason ran over, and i transferred her fully to his arms and went to stand awkwardly by leo, who was pulling kleenex out of his toolbelt.

"your dad's in good hands." jason said. "you did amazing."

she sobbed into his shirt. she allowed herself to be held, and i took a stellar fascination in a line of ants i found.

piper pulled away after a while. "thank you, guys." she said. "i-"

piper didn't have to say anything. all of us understood, me most of all.

"do you want me to help?" i offered, extending a hand. piper reluctantly placed her hand in mine, and gently, i curved her emotions; no longer was she sad and scared about all that had happened. instead, i brought her relief to the surface- relief that it was almost over, that her father was finally safe.

she sighed deeply and i let her go.

right next to jason, the air began to shimmer. an iris message, i believe. an image appeared in the air- a dark haired girl in silver winter camoflauge, holding a bow.

"thalia!" jason stumbled in surprise.

"thank the gods." thalia breathed. i could hear metal crashing, and exlposions behind the eternal teen.

"we've found her." thalia said. "where are you?"

"oakland." jason said. "where are you?"

"the wolf house! oakland is good; you're not too far. we're holding off the giant's minions, but we can't hold them forever. get here before sunset, or it's all over."

"then it's not too late?" i asked.

thalia's expression was grim. "not yet. but jason- it's worse than i realized. porphyrion is rising. hurry."

"but where is the wolf house?" he pleaded.

"our last trip." thalia said, her image starting to flicker. "the park. jack london. remember?"

this made no sense to the rest of us, but jason looked like he'd been shot. he tottered, his face pale, and the iris message disappeared.

"bro?" i asked.

"bro, you all right?" leo prodded. "you know where she is?"

"yes." jason replied. "sonoma valley. not far. not by air."

piper went off to do her piper thing, and in no time, and once she convinced the pilot to give us the helicopter, jason turned to leo.

"we can't take a mortal into battle. too dangerous. do you think you could fly this thing?"

"um..." leo's expression wasn't very reassuring. but as doon as he put his hand on the helicopter, i knew we'd be okay.

"bell 412HP utility helicopter. composite four-blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty-two knots, service ceiling twenty-thousand feet. the tank is near full  sure, i can fly it."

(89.5°, OH DEAR.)

piper smiled at the ranger. "you don't have a problem with an underaged unlicensed kid borrowing your copter, do you? we'll return it."

no, we won't.

"i-" the pilot nearly choked, but she got the words out. "i don't have a problem with that."

leo grinned. "hop in, kids! uncle leo's gonna take you for a ride."

~•♡•~

apparently, the writer of white fang and call of the wild, jack london, was a son of hermes (though jason originally said mercury). he quickly ran through why the mansion was so important, and then we figured out jack london had not gone to camp half-blood.

then, jason was out.

he and piper sat in the back, afraid of what leo would do. i figured if i hadn't died yet, i'd be fine, so i sat with leo up front.

"thirty-minutes out." leo announced. i turned back to piper.

"get some rest." i nodded. she frowned, but went to sleep anyway.

leo and i sat in silence, my head swirling with thoughts. i couldn't help but think of my own dad, how he'd given everything up trying to protect me.

he'd killed his own dad to protect me. he went to prison to protect me. then, he was killed by gaea and medea to protect me.

i frowned. piper still had her dad. she still had an intact dad at home, who she could return to and hug and say that she loved him. the only way i could see my dad was to find his gravestone in el paso.

i huffed. the last time i'd hugged that slab of stone, i was thirteen years old. the last time i'd actually hugged him- i was eight.

no matter what happened, even if i survived, i didn't have a loving home to return to. my dad died years ago. my grandma never loved me. my mother was a titan, drifting somewhere around greece.

"hey, you okay?"

i refused to look at leo. i am the seldom type to cry.

"fine." i nodded as i crossed my arms over my chest. leo side-eyed me.

"aru..."

my tears traced my cheek and i looked out the window, begging for them to stop. leo stayed silent next to me, seemingly still listening.

"you're a lot like him." i said softly.

"hm?"

"my dad." i shuddered as i finally faced forward again. "you were both..."

"funny? handsome? lady-pullers?"

i smiled and looked at leo. "you were both really weird."

"hey, i'm not weird." leo smiled as he looked at me. i rolled my eyes, fiddling with the bracelets on my wrists.

"he was a writer." i said, opening up about my past for the first time since my therapist. "he used to study astrology, and conduct some of his own studies, and write books about the zodiac and how it affects psychology."

"ah. i guess that's why selene was drawn to him." leo figured.

"well, yeah." i nodded. "yeah. he was pretty smart about the zodiac. he always got excited, and sometimes, he even woke me up in the middle of the night to show me constellations. and i mean... he did everything for me. he was broke as an old mcdonald's toy-"

leo snorted.

"-but, i always had what i needed." i sighed. "i wanted to go to space camp one summer, but we couldn't afford it. so-" my breath hitched and i wiped my tears.

"he put black trash bags all over the living room, and hand-crafted a bunch of planets out of tissue paper. he bought glow-in-the-dark stars from dollar tree, and put them everywhere. then, we crafted a spaceship out of cardboard, and watched every single star wars movie together."

leo smiled as i recalled the memory. my heart felt warm, the image of my father's face coming to mind.

"sounds like a cool guy."

"he was." i nodded. "granted, he couldn't hold a job... but he was a good dad, for the most part."

"what else?"

"huh?"

"tell me more." leo prodded.

"um... well, he was short like you-"

"shut up."

leo and i laughed together, and then, he held out his hand. reluctantly, i slipped my own in it, and leo gripped it tightly. i looked at him, my eyes wide as he shot me a kind grin, not a mischievous one. his eyes were warm, his shirt caked with clay, his air greasy and sweaty.

and he was extremely cute.

"we got this." leo nodded. i nodded with him, not trusting myself to form words. "and, when we get to camp, i can resume my mission!"

"what mission?" i asked, frowning as leo let me go.

"wooing you!"

too late.

the slope was 90°. i had fallen.

~•♡•~