I DO NOT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES...
FRANK
Frank soared above the giant's camp site. His eagle eyes taking every detail.
He made his way to the center of the camp, circling around the head of the giant.
He had already met with the rest of demigods, including the new one with Percy.
They...well, mostly Annabeth had devised a strategy, which they were going to play out now.
Frank couldn't put his finger on it, but Lucius gave him the creeps, he didn't know if it was because his name sounded like one of those long dead roman emperors or maybe because he had held a sword to Annabeth.
Either way...it doesn't really matter...its just a name...and beside I probably would have held a sword to her if I didn't know her. Frank rationalized.
The main issue here now is that giant.
Frank continued to circle around the giant, and when, according to his internal clock, 5 minuses had past, he released two eagle cries, the agreed signal.
Frank then dived down to earth.
As he reached closer to the ground, he pulled up a little, shifting his form as he did so.
JASON
Jason sat hunched over, the flat of his feet supporting his body. He held his sword between his legs, the tip of it was digging into the earth.
He had been in this position for a few minutes, waiting for frank to signal when everyone was in position.
Jason breathed in, clearing his mind and calming his breath.
He had this ill-natured feeling about that new demigod Annabeth had found. It wasn't so much that he held in sword to Annabeth, since Jason was certain he would have done the same if circumstances had been difference.
Jason remembered a little incident when they had met.
'you can call me caracalla' Lucius had said as he shook Jason's hand. He had locked intense dark eyes with Jason, his hand gripping Jason's hand tightly. Jason had to buzz Caracalla's hand lightly to loosen the grip.
Jason had also noticed that Lucius or Caracalla...whatever he wanted to be called, didn't exactly seem to pleased with Percy. In fact, he had seemed rather annoyed by the presence of Percy and himself.
Wonderful people skills...he thought.
but that's not whats really bothering you...
Lucius Augustus had been one of the worse emperors Rome had ever seen. He had approved of the deaths of many innocent people. Caracalla was the nick name of lucius, pressumably given because he wore a cloak while killing people...for someone to be named after him...and furthermore to have that nick name was really off setting...
Jason sighed.
It's probably nothing he reasoned. Just coincidence.
He heard the signal, two consecutive eagle's cry.
Jason used the tension in his feet to propel himself forward, mid air, he raised his sword over his head and as he neared the earth born in front of him; his intened target, he brought the sword down to the head of the earth born, dragging the sword straight down the middle and essentially splitting the earth born in half.
Jason kicked at another earth born, sending it sprawling on its back. He then charged forward, slashing his sword indiscriminately.
He caught glimpses of Piper. She was higher up, enveloped by an aura of beauty that held the earth born spell bound while she slashed at them with her dagger.
He saw Leo's hammer through the bodies of earth born, it slammed into a number of them, disintegrating them on the spot.
Towards the center of the camp, he heard a thump, presumably Frank dropping to earth in whatever form he wanted, and considering that Annabeth had insisted Frank learn about the world's animals, he had quite a variety to choose from.
Jason buckled forward as an earth born managed to get at him with a club. Jason gritted his teeth and shook his head to clear it.
He flipped up and stabbed the offending earth born.
He then made his way to the giant, wondering if Percy had already made it there.
When Jason had reached the feet of the now standing giant, Percy was being held of by a few earth born.
Jason dragged a ragged breath into burning lungs.
The earth born had already pulled the second giant out of the earth, but it still laid cocooned in dirt, presumably it was in the process of awakening.
Get him out of the way first...then they'll only be one giant to face...
Jason thought.
Get the weak one out of the way...
It wasn't a popular Roman war tactic, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and this entire quest could be classified as desperate.
Jason lounged at the sleeping giant. It was smaller than the other giant because it had only been out of the earth for a few minutes, but it was growing quickly, and Jason really didn't want it to get any bigger.
Just as Jason was about to sink his sword into the heart of the giant, he was swatted away by a really big club with silver spokes.
Jason landed on the ground, his upper arm bleeding from a gash caused by one of the spokes.
He forced himself to a sitting position, his head spinning as he did so.
"pesky little demi god" the giant's gravelly voice crackled through the air.
Jason dragged himself to stand up. Percy was still busy with some earth born, and the other smaller giant was casting off its cocoon.
"you dear interrupt the birth of my sister?"
Jason stared at the moving lump on the ground.
That's a girl? He thought disgustedly.
The giant let out a low bone chilling laugh.
"yes...fear inducing isn't she pesky demigod. She is Ephialtes, she will oppose your goddess Demeter"
The giant was almost completely out of its cocoon. If Percy didn't come soon, Jason would have to face both giants...and if that happened...all bets were on the giants he thought wearily.
Jason saw Percy break away from the earth born and charge at the newly born giant.
Just a few more seconds Jason thought to himself.
"and I little demi god...I am Agrios and I will destroy your god Hermes"
Jason figured Percy was close enough, so he concentrated on manipulating the wind. As he rose, he said " I am Jason grace..." and smiled evilly as static shocks emanating all over his body.
PERCY
Percy reached the giant just as it stretched free of its dirt cocoon. It shouted into the air as it rejoiced at its new found freedom.
Percy didn't waste time in any formalities or the usual banter, he charged immediately, hoping that the unexpectedness of the attack would give him the upper hand.
Thalia
Thalia squeezed her eyes shut as Apollo raced across the sky. Her hand gripping the edge of his chariot like a lifeline.
"Almost there cupcake."
Thalia's temper rose at this.
He could have projected his thoughts to me.
He could have just flashed me over here.
He better not be laughing at me.
She risked vertigo to crack her eyes open a bit and looked at him. Her eyes sending daggers at the back of his head.
The beginnings of a storm off the coast of Amalfi coast caught her eyes.
As a daughter of Zeus, she knew a natural storm from a "I'm going to create a storm to bust your chops and I'll do it while laughing " storm.
As a huntress of Artemis, had been given various gifts, one of them being partial immortality. Another one was the sharpening of her senses.
"Apollo...over there..." she pointed towards the spot.
He nodded stiffly and headed towards the area. When he reached the prescribed area, he lowered the chariot to get a better look.
When they were close enough Thalia furrowed her eyebrows and squinted her eyes.
She could see Jason and Percy each engaging a giant. Annabeth was close to Percy, having his back just in case.
Thalia backed up from the side of the chariot.
"meet you down there." she said to Apollo.
She decided not to wait for an answer since that would make it seem like he had another option.
My brother's probably down there. He'll need help...no other option but to jump.
Thalia closed her eyes, breathed in, and jumped over the side of the chariot.
She landed on her feet and rolled on her back until she came to a natural stop. She came up crouching.
Quickly she reached for her bow and arrow, loaded it and aimed at an earth born who was about to land his axe on Piper, who was lying on her back, blocking the oncoming attack with her hands.
Thalia reloaded her bow and released several arrows, hitting the dead center of the chest of more oncoming earth born.
The earth born disintegrated on top on Piper.
Piper rolled into a stooping position and looked at her surprised, then a welcoming smile started to form on her lips. " hey..." she began to say but Thalia cut her off by slashing the throat of another earth born with the tip of an arrow.
She then loaded the arrow and shot it at another one.
"lets save that for later..." she said as she walked past Piper.
She saw a bright flash at the corner of her eyes, and when it cleared she turned around to see Apollo engaging the giants.
Percy.
Percy was knocked back by the giant for the third or fourth time. He flipped up quickly...a little to quickly, he shook his head to clear it. He acknowledged the fact that Apollo had just saved his life by blocking another blow from the giant.
From the corner of his eye he could see Annabeth coming towards him.
She should be use to this by now... he thought.
He gave her thumbs up, and she looked nervously at him. She turned her attention away from him when an earth born slashed at her with an axe.
Percy smiled crookedly.
The smell of burning wood reaching his nose.
Probably Leo the inferno.
He thought wickedly
that's a nice name...Leo the inferno...he burns through...er...everything?
He thought.
Er burns...burning...something will burn...here in Rome.
It hit him just as he saw Annabeth wielding a burning torch in one hand, her dagger in the other.
Wisdom's daughter walks alone
The Mark of Athena shall burn in more.
It wasn't that simple as Annabeth holding a burning torch, he knew that, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that something was going to happen to Annabeth in Rome.
Gah. She is going to kill me for forgetting to tell her. Oh well...blame it on the ADD
He ran towards her.
Just then, the giant broke off from Apollo and, Apollo was attacked form the back by the other giant.
The free giant ran towards Percy and Annabeth, but just as he reached them, Frank crashed into the giant in the form of a roughly 25 feet elephant, weighing at least 25000 lbs.
Apollo apparently fed up of the handiwork, pulled out his bow and arrow.
The god loaded his bow twice, each time his arrow tip with began to glow brightly, almost golden, with balls of pure energy.
Oh damn Percy thought as he practically jumped on Annabeth, taking the torch from her and throwing it far away. he shielded both her and his face.
FRANK
Frank had transformed himself once again into the form of the ape once he had gotten the giant away from Percy and Annabeth. He slammed himself repeatedly onto the giant. On the last time, he saw a glowing golden arrow hit the giant just as he slammed into it. The giant disintegrated into dirt.
JASON
Jason dodged the oncoming assault of the giant's club by flying higher. From that vantage point he saw Apollo shoot an arrow at Ephialtes and with Frank's help, the giant had dissolved into dirt.
He then saw Apollo aim his bow towards Agrios.
He didn't have much time to think, he called down a bolt of lightening, which struck Agrios just as Apollo's arrow penetrated his back.
The giant disintegrated, and the lightening bolt struck straight down to the ground, dissolving the earth born on the ground.