It seemed to have turned dark in seconds. Jason looked up to the changing colors of the sky. He saw the sun cast its golden rays down upon the clouds of billowing smoke, turning them bright red.

"Apollo," he muttered "Please, don't let this be our last sunset."

"Did you say anything?" Hazel asked him, looking up from wrapping bandages across his chest. Jason shook his head.

Somehow, the pain had became sharper over the course of the last day. He hated that this wound had been a source of weakness for him. He would have preferred it killing him rather than being a weakling in the most important battle in history.

The wound mostly hadn't bothered Jason since he returned to his career as Pontifex Maximus. Though, it had never faded and continued to send him constant reminders of dull pain. After his nap today, Jason had woken up with a shooting pain stronger than usual.

"All done." Hazel said "You sure this is okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Jason stood. "We better get to our posts."

Hazel nodded and gave him a kiss on his cheek "You be safe."

She ran back inside the Big House and Jason walked in the opposite direction, where Greeks, Romans, cyclopes, party ponies and many others stood guard at every inch of the border. His body shuddered at the thought of how many of them would die tonight.

"You good?" Leo asked. He had full body armor strapped to his body and was standing near the hull of the Argo II. "I'm gonna need air defense out there."

"I'm on it," Jason looked back at Thalia's tree. This was the best position for monsters to enter camp and proceed to the Big House, after removing the Golden Fleece. The Cabin six report made it clear that this should be camp's most guarded spot.

Leo gave Jason a look "You know I could fly you out to the Hunter's location before all this starts... reunite with your wife and kid."

"No, Piper and Tom will be fine with the Hunters." Jason insisted "Camp needs me."

"Whatever you say, sparky." Leo then turned his head to the ship "Buford, pull me up!"

Leo grabbed onto a rope that immediately pulled him to the deck of the Argo II. Jason took a deep breath and willed the winds to fly him up.

In the west, the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon, dyeing the sky first orange, then red, then dark blue, until all that was left of the sunset was a chalky mauve. Finally, that melted away and stygian darkness took over the sky.

Jason looked down at everyone, readying their weapons and raising their shields. Reyna, Annabeth and Percy were at the front of the lines, anticipating the first attack as darkness took over the entirety of camp.

It was dead quiet for a count of three, then an inhuman cry was heard in the distance and the next thing Jason saw were a hundred Laistrygonian giants charging. They carried shields made from flattened cars, and clubs that were tree trunks with rusty spikes bristling at the end. One of the giants bellowed at the Iris cabin, smashed it sideways with his club, and the entire cabin was thrown aside, a dozen warriors tossed to the wind like rag dolls.

"Fire!" Leo yelled and the main crossbows swung into action. Two explosive balls of pure fire hurtled towards the giants. One deflected off a car shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. The archers at the back of the camp lines fired a volley, dozens of arrows sticking in the thick armor of the giants. Several found chinks in armor, and some of the giants vaporized at the touch of celestial bronze.

Just when it looked like the Laistrygonians were about to get overwhelmed, the next wave of attackers surged: three, maybe four hundred dracaenae in full battle armor, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions. Some were an easy target for archers, other triggered a trip wire, and pots of Greek fire exploded into green flames, engulfing several of the snake women. With the curse of cabin nine, it was hard to make sophisticated traps, so they had to rely on outdated strategies.

Many more kept coming. Tyson's warriors rushed forward to meet them. Jason saw Tyson riding a giant. Somehow he'd managed to climb onto the giant's back and was hitting him on the head with a celestial bronze stick. Nearby, Bobby and Bianca were back to back, battling two dracaenae. Bobby nudged Bianca and together they dodged at the exact moment the two snake women charged, making them bonk their heads.

"I have to help!" Jason told Leo who was tapping away at his control panel. He did a gesture with his hand that meant Shoo, I don't need you.

Jason willed the winds and landed at the front lines where more varieties of monsters were attacking. He saw Percy and Reyna causing the most damage, slicing through armor like it was made of paper. Snake women exploded. Hellhounds melted to shadow. Percy slashed and stabbed and whirled, while campers behind him were shooting arrows, disrupting every attempt by the enemy to rally. It was unbelievable that he was causing almost as much damage as a goddess.

Just before Jason decided they were doing just fine, a monster joined the fight. It was like a centaur, with a woman's body from the waist up. But instead of a horse's lower body, it had the body of a dragon. Jason had read about her: Kampê, the jailer of the elder cyclopes.

She shot into the sky, her bat wings fully extended and surveyed the carnage. Her face was filled with evil glee. The mutant animal heads growled at her waist. Snakes hissed and swirled around her legs. She drew her curved swords and screeched. Some of the campers screamed. Others tried to run and got trampled by giants.

"Di immortalis!" Annabeth yelled at Jason's side. The cyclopes were too scared from her and everyone else was either down, or fighting for their lives.

Jason did the only thing he could. He leaped into the monster's path.

Kampê hissed and sliced at him. He dodged, trying to distract her while he thought of a plan. He noticed Annabeth went in for a strike behind Kampe's back. Unfortunately the monster seemed able to fight with both hands independently. She blocked Annabeth's sword, and Annabeth had to jump back to avoid the cloud of poison. Just being near the thing was like standing in an acid fog. Jason's eyes burned. His lungs couldn't get enough air. He knew we couldn't stand his ground for more than a few seconds, if he was lucky.

"Now!" Annabeth said.

Together they charged, dodged the monster's slashes, got inside her guard and almost managed to stab Kampê in the chest, but a huge bear's head lashed out from the monster's waist, and they had to stumbled backwards to avoid getting bitten and getting their lungs damaged.

Then all of a sudden, Jason's eyesight went black. The next thing he knew, Annabeth and him were on the ground. Kampe had her forelegs on their chests, holding them down. Hundreds of snakes slithered right above Jason, hissing like laughter. Kampê raised her green-tinged swords, and he knew Annabeth and him were out of options.

Then, behind him, something howled. A wall of darkness slammed into Kampê, sending the monster sideways. Mrs O'Leary was standing over them, snarling at Kampê.

"Good girl!" said a familiar voice. Jason stood and saw Luke and Tom riding the Hellhound's back. "Sorry I'm late. Mrs. O' Leary needed to rest."

Mrs. O' Leary's strike wasn't good enough to kill Kampe. The monster had already hurled herself back up and was snarling at them.

Tom flew away from Mrs. O'Leary's back and charged a Cynocephali neaby. Luke drew his sword and ushered Mrs. O'Leary to charge Kampe.

With amazing speed, Luke was able to knock one of Kampe's curved swords out of her hand. He was unbelievably good with his sword, delivering attacks before the monster had time to register the previous one. Luke was quickly able to deliver a blow with his celestial bronze sword strong enough to vaporize her.

"They're organized" Jason told Annabeth.

"The giants are better strategists than the Titans." Annabeth explained. How was it that he had two degrees in ancient history and she still had all the answers?

"JASON!" Leo screamed. Jason saw the Argo II getting attacked by a hoard of Stymphalian birds. He quickly flew right into the middle of the main deck, where Leo was blasting them with streams of fire from his palms.

Jason drew his sword and slashed them out of the air. Each bird that touched his imperial gold blade exploded into dust and feathers, but there were still millions of them left. He tried shooting blasts of wind, but that didn't cause too much damage either.

"Hercules used noise!" Jason shouted over the sound of screeching.

"What do you want me to do? Start singing?" He asked sarcastically as he shot another blast of fire.

"No," Jason had idea "Hold down the Argo II"

"Not like I have a choice!" He screamed as Jason flew down to the ground. He did a quick scan of camp's forces, but without his glasses, it wasn't an easy task to find the person he needed.

"Jason," Someone touched his shoulder. Jason turned around and saw Will Solace, bow and arrow in hand.

"Just the person I'm looking for." Jason said, not believing his luck. He grabbed Will and ascended back to the main deck. Will scanned the scene and understood what to do. He immediately let out a piercing taxicab whistle and the demon pigeons went nuts. They started flying in circles, running into each other like they wanted to bash their own brains out. Then they abandoned the track altogether and flew skyward in a huge dark wave.

"Archers!" shouted Leo.

The magical ship went into archer mode. Several mechanical bows and arrows sprang out of the side rails and shot skyward. Most of them could nock five or six arrows at once. Within minutes, the ground was littered with dead bronze-beaked pigeons, and the survivors were a distant trail of smoke on the horizon.

"Nice move." Jason noted.

"No curse could contain this much awesomeness." Leo's maniac smile was still etched on his face. He grabbed his Wii remote controller and ran back to the front, scanning the scene "Oh, Styx! It's Enchiladas."

Down there, Enceladus was at the front lines, leading his army of monsters into attack. Instinctively, Leo flew the Argo II in his direction, firing all the ballistae and catapults simultaneously. A wall of Greek fire roared upward and in a flash most of the Hyperborean Giants and Earthborn closest to Enceladus were incinerated.

Jason willed the clouds to hover closer and the smell the metallic scent of a storm became stronger. He raised his hand and with a deafening blast, a white-hot bolt of lightning arced from the sky, straight through Jason's body as he leaped, wreathed in lightning, at the giant.

Jason fell on Enceladus with such force that the giant crumpled to his knees – blasted with lightning and stabbed in the neck with a golden gladius.

"GAH!" Enceladus grumbled as he tried to rise after Jason's attack "I will kill you!"

"You can try." Jason grinned.

Enceladus eyes drifted from scene to scene and saw the Argo II causing most of the damage to his forces "MONSTERS, DESTROY THAT SHIP"

A flock of gryphons rose to attack. Aboard the deck, Leo dropped his Wii controller and ran to the rails. He blew flames and chargrilled them out of the sky. A few Earthborn launched a volley of rocks, but from the sides of the hull a dozen Archimedes spheres sprayed out, intercepting the boulders and blasting them to dust.

Jason pulled his gladius out of Enceladus' neck and charged at the giant. They were javelin-to-sword. Jason was giving his utmost energy but the giant seemed to be enjoying the fight like it was a calm Sunday afternoon at the beach.

Encaledus pushed Jason, and he scrambled backwards. His breathing got harsher. He looked up and saw the camp's border in the far distance, where The Athena Parthenos stood tall. Jason squinted and at the top of Athena's head, Reyna's golden cloak was rippling in the air. He could have sworn he saw her nod, but with his bad vision, it was impossible to tell. He just hoped she had better vision than him.

Jason took a breath and charged again but at the last second, Jason faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. He came up quickly, thrusting with all his might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but changed his tactic quickly before Enceladus anticipated his trick. Instead, he tackled his legs at just the right moment and the giant lost his balance, slamming into the ground. While he tried to rise, Jason put his arms around the giant's neck.

"GRACE!" The giant screamed, but he was quickly cut off by the hit of Reyna's golden sword and the giant quickly disintegrated.

Reyna helped Jason up to his feet "There's more coming."

"I know." Jason nodded at Percy's direction. He was bending water against Periboia, the anti-Aphrodite giantess. "He needs your help."

Reyna gave Jason one last look of courage and ran to the son of Poseidon's aid

He retreated back to the Argo II. Leo was still tapping away at his control panel, drowning the monsters below in flames. On the battleground, monsters were being vaporized everywhere. Two giants were already down, but there were many more to come while Half bloods' bodies littered the grass of Half Blood Hill. Tartarus' army was endless and camp was losing soldiers left and right. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to withstand for long.

"Leo," Jason approached him "How many Greek Fire you got left?"

"Lots," He answered "We restocked last night."

"Good, because I'm gonna need you to advance forward."

"Uhh," Leo looked at him skeptically "Did you hit your head again? We're already overextended."

"You've played Capture the Flag on my side for years." Jason reminded him "What was the secret to my winning streak?"

Leo's eyes gleamed with understanding "Buford, change of plans!" And he went to work. The ballistae and catapults stopped firing and the whole ship flew skyward and forward.

Jason's strategy was fast and easy during Capture the Flag: Get a team of the strongest demigods and send them on a suicide mission to slow down the biggest offense of the opposing team. It left them scrambling to get themselves together, while Jason's team sent their offense squad to the flag. It worked famously, except for the four times Jason got knocked unconscious, the two times Leo almost lost multiple limbs and the one time Nico spent seven weeks in the infirmary. Other than that, it was foolproof.

The scene below changed. Half Blood Hill slowly started flattening out. The hoards of monsters were endless. It was more than Jason had ever seen in his life and at the reserves of the army stood the Giant King himself.

Porphyrion was screaming instructions to his lieutenants when he was quickly shut off by the sight of the Argo II. He looked up and scowled at Jason.

"I know that look, Superman," Leo said "You don't have a god. Don't be stupid."

He hated that Leo could read him so well. Jason was thinking that if he somehow managed to kill Porphyrion now, Tartarus' army would have no leader and camp could have a slim chance of surviving tonight. But, Jason decided to listen. Leo was right. There was no chance he'd be able to kill the giant king without a god. They were here to dump a load of Greek Fire on the army and bolt.

Leo steadied the ship into landing position. The oars had converted into celestial bronze spears and slowly descended into a distance near enough to vaporize any monsters that touched the tips of the spears. Jason stood near the rails, slashing with his gladius at any creature that tried to board the ship.

Before Porphyrion could manage to shout more orders at his army to destroy the Argo II, Leo ascended the ship back up again.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He shouted as tapped a button on his remote controller.

The ship began to rumble. The bay doors of the stables opened and dropped dozens of crates labelled: DO NOT OPEN. They hit the ground and the Greek fire exploded, instantly vaporizing anyone and anything in proximity. Jason's ears rang from the booms and his eyes hurt watching the green fire. He wondered if this is what it felt like to be near a nuclear explosion.

Leo quickly reversed the direction of the ship and started retreating. Jason looked back and saw the Giant King drenched in golden ichor and howling after them. He was wounded, in pain... weak.

The sight of Porphyrion made Jason's gut hurt, as if it was telling Jason what to do. He remembered the words of Euros: You are a child of lightning. You must be firm and strong.

Jason drew his sword and willed the winds to fly him in the opposite direction of the Argo II. Leo saw him and quickly extended his hand to grip Jason by the ankles before he got away.

"Will you stop being such a hero?" Leo demanded.

"We'll never get a chance like this again." Jason insisted.

"A chance to die? Oh there'll be plenty."

"You know what I mean."

Leo didn't drop his gaze, but neither did Jason. Camp deserved this chance, and if that got Jason killed in the process... well it didn't matter. He's already lived longer than the average demigod, and if dying at the hands of Porphyrion while distracting him from destroying camp was the way Jason would go, then so be it.

Leo took a huge breath. "You're a pain in my butt, Grace. I'm gonna help as much as I can."

"What?"

"I'm not going back without you." Leo said "If you die here, I'm dying with you."

Jason wanted to argue but if he were in Leo's position he would have done the same thing. Jason landed back on the ship as Leo changed his course back to enemy territory. The Greek Fire was still blazing and Porphyrion was the only one unaffected.

"You have aged, Jason Grace." Porphyrian said, wiping a drip of golden ichor from his chin "But your idiocy remains unchanged. You should have fleeted with your life."

"I never run from a fight." Jason announced over the sounds of burning monsters.

Jason jumped out of the ship, advancing forward and projecting his galdius downward, while creating a circular wave of wind that slammed right into the giant's face.

Quickly, Jason moved away from Porphyrion's head before the giant regained his balance. Porphyrion stood up, as if nothing had happened. He dug his hands deep into the ground, lifting a chunk of rock that could be big enough to form a small hill. Porphyrion rotated it around and kicked it at Jason's direction.

Jason barely had enough time to fly away before the rock smashed him into a pile of blood and bones. In mid air, Jason propelled himself at Porphyrion again using a jet of wind underneath his foot. He raised his gladius and thunder boomed in the clouds. A huge bolt of lightning hit Jason's blade, then flew right into Porphyrion's body.

The giant king trampled backward and forward, almost losing his balance from the impact, though his strength has still not faded. Meanwhile, Jason's strength was fleeting fast. He was heaving from all the energy it took for him to summon the lightning and the winds.

Leo must have sensed Jason's distress. From the Argo II, ballistae fired at Porphyrion while he was still dazed. He had dumped all Greek Fire on the monsters, so he had to improvise using makeshift fireballs made from his own hands. The giant king fell backwards, causing a minor earthquake.

"Jason," Leo shouted "Let's get out of here!"

But Jason wasn't done just yet. The blow was enough to knock out the giant king for a few minutes at most. There was still more to do. Jason flipped backwards in mid air and shot a blast of wind at Porphyrion.

The giant king was knocked on his back again. Jason took a breath and called to the skies. He needed more lightning supply to knock the giant out... More lightning than he'd ever summoned.

The scent of the air turned metallic and Jason could feel electricity in the air. He looked up but the night sky was clear. There was no cloud in sight, though there was no doubt in his mind that a thunderstorm was brewing.

"Whoa!" Leo exclaimed and suddenly Jason knew what had happened. From his own palms, electricity was coursing through. Around him was a miniature thundercloud buzzing with energy. It was like Leo's fire and Percy's hurricanes except Jason's palms radiated volts of electricity and around him was a miniature tornado.

Jason landed on top of a rock and redirected lighting from his own palms at Porphyrion. The giant king, clinging to the side of a rock, looked at Jason with fear, as the lightning hit his body. Jason swung his arm around to the side, drawing the wind spirits in the tornado to lift him up in the air again. He fired another lightning bolt at the giant, but Porphyrion managed to dodge his attack.

While roaring in pain and anger, the giant king grasped the first giant rock he got his hand on, but instead of throwing it at Jason, he directed it at the Argo II. Leo didn't have time to dodge a rock the size of a small hill so the Argo II took a giant hit.

"LEO!" Jason screamed but there was no answer. Porphyrion laughed evilly at the sight of the silent floating war ship.

Anger coursed through Jason's body like an electric circuit. He could feel the electric currents flowing in his blood. Porphyrion lifted another rock and threw it at Jason but he simply dodged without even having to lift a finger. It seemed as as if the wind spirits weren't fighting against Jason's control like they usually do. They were literally a part of him, an extension of his body.

Another bolt of lightning hit the giant again. Porphyrion's scaly skin vibrated with static energy. "You think you can beat me, the anti-Zeus, with lightning?"

"It looks like it's working." Jason said confidentially, but the giant replied with a wicked smile.

"Jason" A small muffled voice came from behind them.

Below, by the blazing green fire was a ten foot tall man. He wore black leather breeches and jerkin. His hunting knife hung at his waist and his bow and quiver on his back. His dark hair was undercut, swept into spikes on top. In his eye sockets were bronze mechanical eyes, with lasers flashing red to green but what drew Jason's attention was the woman in his arms.

She was wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece jacket. Her short chocolate brown hair had small strands of braids down the sides and a purple feather sticking out. The giant had his hand on her mouth, like it was the most dangerous part of her.

"Piper... no." He whispered.

Porphyrion laughed "Yes, son of Jupiter. Orion has always been excellent at capturing girls... and stealing a daughter of Aphrodite from the hunters was merely a small challenge for him."

Tiny bolts of lightning sparked in Jason's miniature tornado. If he attacked Porphyrion, Orion would be able to squish Piper like a grape. On the other hand, if Jason attacked Orion, Porphyrion can take the Argo II down with the swing of a tiny hill, killing Leo in the process... if he wasn't already dead.

Jason's vision darkened as he smelled the smoke coming from his stomach. Pain shot up to the top of his head. He wasn't sure if it was caused by the tremendous amount of energy it took to make the thunderstorm or if it due to his indecision at this situation.

How do you expect me to make a thoughtful decision if I'm on the verge of passing out? Jason mentally asked his gut.

You can do this. His gut answered. Jason was definitely hallucinating now.You are Rome's high priest.

Jason raised his head, and in the very far distance was a young woman with a shawl over her head and a jar in her arms. He had seen her before, long ago at Camp Half Blood's main hearth, tending the fire.

"Vesta." Jason said in low breath. "But—but I've been the worst Pontifex in history."

You don't give yourself enough credit. She said. The family of gods are stronger and closer than ever because of you. For the good you have done to my family, I am here to help save yours.

"What am I supposed to choose?" Jason said. "Leo and Piper's lives are at stake. Please help me attack one of the giants."

I cannot choose for you, Vesta said And I am not a fighter, but I can give you somethingsomeone you have lost along your way.

Vesta moved her hand to the top of the jar and opened the lid. From inside a fluttering glowing spirit, as small as a butterfly, flying at Jason. It stopped an inch before his chest and looked up at him. It was a humanoid figure, almost like a woman if you squint hard enough, but the white glow made it hard to see.

No one seemed to see her. In fact, time appeared to have slowed down as the glowing fairy woman touched him and exploded in a stream of white glitter.

The view dissolved into a white view. Jason had the inkling to look up and what he saw almost made him cry.

"That's why we don't eat staplers, dummy." Thalia, not more than eight or nine years old, rubbed the back of his head.

Thalia dissolved again into whiteness. Jason had these sorts of dreams before, where memories flooded him but usually dreams weren't that clear. It seemed as if he was living that moment rather than remembering it.

"Okay." Frank's voice was heard first from the white background. Jason found himself standing with his friends aboard the Argo II. They were so much younger, so much more hopeful.

Frank frowned at his fingers, which were in a Chinese trap. "Uh, how do you—?"

Leo chuckled. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out."

Frank tugged at his fingers with no luck. Hazel was trying not to laugh.

Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly, doing his impression of Chiron. Jason had forgotten this moment. It was as if he were living it for the first time "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

Everybody busted out laughing, even Jason. He had longed for these days for so long, the days when things were better. The world is so messed up now that he longed for the days Gaea wanted to take wake and destroy Olympus. That was a little sad.

The scene disappeared again and Jason saw himself with Piper on a blanket. Food of all sorts was on the floor, along with a birthday cake with purple icing and candles already lit.

"You're not allowed to say that."

"What?" Jason was surprised that he was able to talk. In his dreams he was never allowed to change the memory, but this was different. He was living in that memory

"It's a breakup line. Unless you're breaking up with me—"

"Piper," He interrupted "If I hurt you in any way..."

She frowned "Are you okay?"

"A lot of stuff is going to happen in the future, and I'll do some terrible stuff but I—I..."

"I know you wouldn't hurt me," She answered with a warm smile.

"You do?"

"I don't know what you know about the future." She admitted "But I know that you won't change. You're loyal and honorable. Whatever happens, I know you'll be doing the right thing."

"You don't understand. I'll hurt you. I'll put you in so much danger, and the fight out there, in the real world— Piper, it's bad. You could die. We could lose camp, the world could end."

"Wow, maybe I'm wrong..." Her voice trailed off. "Maybe I don't know you."

"What?"

"The Jason I know," She said "The one I'm having this picnic with, he's never lost sight of something very important."

Jason studied her, not knowing what she meant.

"Hope." She said "We're fighting Gaea, the oldest primordial goddess, and you're convinced we'll win. You're convinced we'll beat the twin giants and save Nico. You're the one that kept everyone hopeful. What happened to your hope, Jason?"

He didn't know the answer to that question. Jason had lost a lot of things and hope was one of them. To him, hope seemed pretty useless right about now. So many people were dead, his friends' lives are on the line, his only son barely tolerates him and camp is barely holding its ground. What was the point of hope?

You will suffer, Jason, He remembered the words of Apate. More than your heart can endure.

You have to make the right choice yourself, Jupiter had said. Just like Aeneas did.

Then Jason looked at Piper. Her smile glowed warmly. He remembered the images he'd just seen of friends and family, of everyone he cared about. He had to believe that he'll make it out of this alive, that he will make the right decision to save his friends and family, that Piper, Tom and him will reunite.

He had to have hope.

"So what will it be, Jason Grace?" Porphyrion's voice pierced through the vision and Piper's young face dissolved.