Lily's POV
Lying there on the ground, blood pouring from my thigh, dirt covering most of my face, I realized this was not the time to cry and whine, and be a child. The giant has my brother in the palm of his hand, my mother is dead and probably being unfairly judged by the King of the Underworld right now. I'm not even sure what happened to Annabeth in the chaos. All I've done all this time is give up and wait for someone else to save me…
Now is not the time. I tell myself again.
Forcing myself to my feet, I realize how angry I really am at all of this, at all of them. My mom lied to me for half of my life. I should've known it in retrospect. The Greek language lessons. The textbooks about mythology. Really I just thought she had her own affliction with it all.
And then she sent me away, and never gave me the chance to say a proper goodbye before she was murdered. My half-brother and Annabeth kept their grand scheme from me for when we first arrived in Greece, leaving me in the dust. It's clear Jason, and even Nico still see me as a scared little girl, with no ability to help myself. I'm just a joke to everyone, regardless of whether its family or friends. I wouldn't be surprised if my father was watching me right now with a frown on his face, despite having never even acknowledged me. According to Percy, I should've been claimed years ago. But instead I was thrown into all of this insanity at random, and now the world's fate lies with me? So fair, really it is. I can see Artemis now, wishing she'd never sent me her letter to join the Hunters. Apollo, wishing he'd never healed me. Hermes, regretting not adding a surprise bomb to Hades' message for me.
I'm limping forward, but I can feel the strength of the ocean below us pulsing through my veins. This isn't over. I will not live up to the failing standard they've all set for me. All around me, pebbles begin to vibrate. But I barely realize what I'm doing until the ground splits beneath me, mid step.
"Put my brother down." I command, the ground just barely holding together under me while I speak. The giant just laughs, until the crack reaches him.
"I said, put him down!" I yell now, half running, half limping forward to catch Percy when he falls, the ground shaking harder than ever. It's become a full-grown earthquake, the plates beneath me smashing against each other, sending off seismic waves everywhere. The split has reached the edge of the cliff, and has begun to expand. Soon I can see the crystal clear blue waves about a thousand feet down. And I'm still about a hundred feet from the edge myself.
The giant isn't laughing anymore, losing his grip just long enough to send Percy's unconscious-self falling to the ground. I stop running almost too late, just barely catching Percy, and falling to my knees. Of course, with the rift forming beneath us, this probably isn't the best place to rest.
I don't know how to stop the quake, and the giant is angry now. Before I get up to face it again, I hear a voice yelling from the ruins to my right. It's Annabeth. A battered and bruised Annabeth.
"Lily, go! I've got Percy, just go!" She yells. To me that almost sounds like she wants me to retreat. Which I am certainly not going to do now.
Leaving Percy there, I turn to face the giant again, the ground becoming stable only long enough for me to straighten and withdraw my iPod.
"Stupid demigod! An earthquake cannot kill a giant!" He bellows, nearly losing his balance again.
I need to get him down there… I think to myself, glancing over to the rift that continues to expand revealing more and more of the ocean below us. If I can get him to fall through the rift, he'll hit the ocean, than Dad can take care of whatever's left.
Behind me, I hear Annabeth's uneven breathing, and her footsteps. She's getting Percy out of the way, just like she promised.
"Annabeth, you need to find cover!" I shout, to which I hear a gibberish like reply that I guess I'll have to take as an agreement.
I'm surprised the giant hasn't charged me yet, until I realize he's no longer in my sight. For a giant he sure is sneaky.
Energy seeps off of me in waves, the earthquake following my will, getting stronger every time I think of Percy unconscious, and Annabeth bleeding.
I shut my eyes, listening to what the ground tells me about where the giant is. Clicking 'play' with my eyes still shut, I turn full circle, and then I swing.
My blade connects with the giant's foot, mid step. He was a hair from stepping on me and crushing me. He screams, and I open my eyes to see the small gash with golden ichor pouring from it. But I know it's not enough. I rush forward, swinging at its other foot, making sure I swing hard enough to make him face me again. He spins so fast, even I'm knocked to the ground, my impact creating another rift in the ground to my left…And it also happens to knock the air out of my lungs.
Blood is still seeping from my side, and quite frankly I'm beginning to actually get dizzy. The earthquake has stolen most of my energy, not to mention it's probably off the Richter Scale, and still goes strong.
I guess Apollo's gift was finally wearing off, and it serves me right for not learning to train properly when I had the chance.
But I can make up for it. Just before the giant's fist slams into me, I roll to the side, pushing myself to stand. My legs are barely supporting my weight, but I force them to move and run to the edge regardless.
Just as I expect, the giant follows me, both of us shaking hard in our swift movements. I can hear Annabeth screaming somewhere behind us, but I can't make out the words. I know I'm about to do something really stupid, but if it's the only way I'll get the giant off the edge, then it's worth it.
Praying to my dad that he won't let me die…
I jump…
To Be Continued…