Chapter 42

She screamed, she screamed until she felt her throat bleed and then screamed some more, hunched over with her fingers digging into her skull. The giants around her flinched and backed away from the horrid music. Tears soaked her face, dripped to the blood drenched mud. Someone tried to lift her to her feet, but she shoved them away.

"Opal," Archie scra yanked her to her feet, held her arms tightly and shook.

"It's over," she pushed against his chest, but it was like trying to move a boulder, he didn't budge.

"Listen to me," he yelled in her face and shook her again.

"NO!" She screamed and tossed her head side to side.

"I put my guitar in the back of the truck, just in case," he stated firmly and she shushed, like a baby being rocked by its mother. She blinked through her tears at him, bringing his blurry face into focus. She ripped free from his grasp and turned to run for the truck. She hurdled herself in a clumsy furry over the back and into the bed. Shaking fingers struggled with the clips of the case. Then they snapped open and she laughed at the sweet savior. Shining bright purple in the sunlight of the afternoon was a beautiful electric guitar.

She grabbed it from the case and climbed on top of the crumpled cab of the truck. Her heart beat in her ears as she breathed heavy, tossing the shoulder strap over her head. She had been practicing with her violin for this moment not with a guitar, but it was going to have to work. Her racing mind shifted through her repertoire of songs like a thumb around the dial of an iPod. She needed to select the perfect thing, it was critical to strike the terror into the god that was spreading it. When she found the song filed away in her library she smiled.

Just as she was tugging the pick free from between the strings of her instrument Odie called to her to wait. She looked down to him leaning out the doorway of the truck, holding out the end of a jack. She smirked and bent to grab it, shoving it into the bottom of her guitar. She nodded to Odie and he disappeared back underneath her. Moments later the truck came roaring to life like a dragon and Opal smashed the pick down across the strings of the guitar. From the vehicle's speakers came a scream of notes that crashed together, shocking out in a wave.

"Cronus," she yelled at the god, who was perched on top a rock jutting from the ground. He turned to her with a broad smile. She sent back a smirk of her own and his smile dropped to confusion as she started playing, rolling her fingertips off the strings. Then she started to hammer out some power cords and she shot up a sharp glare in his direction. The gods face deepened with confusion. It wasn't working, she realized and the terror gripped her chest. Her notes faded as she softly plucked out the song in shock.

"Opal, don't stop playing" Theresa called and hauled herself up on top of the truck, wincing on her swollen ankle. The redhead stood beside her, placing one hand on the small girl's shoulder and the other oh the guitar. She closed her eyes and concentrated her energy through the music, bidding her mind control to be powered by Opal's own mind altering talents. Opal watched in amazement when Cronus screamed a blood curdling sound and stumbled off his perch to the ground. Pushing himself up on his hands and knees he screamed again and darted his eyes around at invisible ghosts.

The whole battle halted as they watched the evil god of time cower on the ground. Screaming and shielding his head from monsters that weren't there, clawing at his ears. The heroes watched in amazement as they heaved with exhaustion, using the moment to gain their breath. Opal started singing along with her strumming on the guitar, but not a word could be made out over the booming that came shocking out of the speakers, vibrating the air.

Odie pressed the signal to Hermes and a blue portal swirled open behind Cronus. The god screamed at the sight of it, lashing out at nothing with any means he could acquire, fists, scythes, fire. He rolled in the mud, succumbed by a sudden and crippling fear. It was unnerving seeing the god that had ensnared them with fear for so many years become embraced by it himself.

"Let's go!" Jay yelled, pulling his team into action again. He bolted for the god. He struggled to lift Cronus as he waited for someone to help restrain the titan's thrashing. Archie was there first, then Herry. The three of them hauled Cronus off his knees and hurled him into the swishing blue portal. An instant later it swished closed. Over.

… But it wasn't. The hoard of giants turned back to the fight swinging and hollering. The heroes backed together around the truck broadened their stances and readied themselves for the storm. They were completely surrounded, an island in a raging sea. They were exhausted and injured.

"I love you guys," Archie stated.

"It's been an honor," Jay said as he raised his sword, and as he charged he screamed, "I'll see you in Elysian." With a wave of cries the rest of the heroes dove in after their leader, weapons waving high. Jay ran hard into a giant, but it batted him away with the flick of its club. He went flying back, his sword went hurtling though the air. He landed on his back and skidding through the mud. The giant came after him, fist held high to bring down on his chest. Jay blocked the blow by crossing his arms in front of himself. The giant roared at him, blowing back his hair with a dirty stench. He leaned over the boy with a sneer, a slimy trail of drool trickling down its lumpy lips to reach out its sticky hand for his face. Turning his head away from the trickle, the drool spattered on his cheek. The giant mashed its teeth and pushed down on him more to take a chunk of his flesh.

Jay screamed and pushed back with all the strength he could muster. Just as the rough tip of a tongue licked his face a sword punctured through the back of the beast head, and Jay stared at the blood stained steel tip protruding through the giant's mouth. The beast fell limp on him and Jay struggled to free himself from underneath, chest heaving as he found his feet again. Standing in front of him, sword at his side and dripping red was Percival. The man held out Jay's sword to him and happily it found its home back in his hand. The two turned back to back and stared down the giants.

"Herry," Odie called, backed up against the truck.

"Kind of busy," he called back, grabbing the back of a giant's head and bringing it down hard on his raised knee. The beast fell limp to the ground.

"How much gas is in your truck?" Odie asked over the roar of battle.

"About three quarters, why?" he tossed his fist into the stomach of another giant and brought his elbow down on the back on its head as it doubled over.

"I have a book of matches and a roll of detonating wire in my pocket," he said. Herry whipped around to face him with the look of a child that just lost his puppy. He groaned, rubbed his head in his hands, turned to rage on an upcoming giant and yelled.

"Gods dammit Odie, you are buying me a new one if we ever get out of here," he looked back for one second to toss a finger in his friend's face. Odie ripped open the gas tank cover and fished down the wire. He closed it again gently to pinch it in place and then slowly started to unravel the coil away from the truck. Herry followed him, clearing the explosion range. When they made it to the tree line on the edge of the road Odie pulled out a match and went to strike it.

"Wait, let me do it," Herry put a gore covered hand over his friends and Odie passed him the matches, with a heavy sigh he said, "You did me good old girl." He struck the match and lowered it to the end of the wire. It sparked into a tiny flame and followed the trail to Herry's truck.

Just then there was a great pounding, rattling the ground. Everyone on the battlefield turned to see the source of the thunder. Rising up over the hill in the road was Chiron, holding a spear high as his hooves clopped on the pavement. His galloping alone couldn't alone be enough to create the rumbling thunder. Just as the centaur hit the wall of giants, striking one after another down, the charge of dozens more centaurs came barreling over the precipice of the hill. They hit the giants like a wall, dropping the beasts left and right with swords, spears and bows.

Realizing their battle was being won Herry scrambled to his feet and tore off after the little spark slowly getting closer and closer to his truck. He lunged for the rope and tangling it up in his fingers, tugged it free from the gas tank, then tugged it again for good measure. The tiny flame burnt to the end of the rope with a little sizzle and a pop. Herry laughed lightly and placed his hands on his hips as he took in the crumpled, but mostly all in one piece vehicle.

The herd of centaurs massacred the remainder of the giants in moments. They had the advantage of numbers, size and being fresh in the fight. The heroes stood in exhausted amazement as they pulled spears and axes from limp bodies, piles and piles of giants collapsed on the muddy ground. The teens looked for one another and smiled to find everyone in one piece, all be it battered. They ran to hug one another, cheer at the impossibility of it all. It was really over.

Atlanta jumped into Archie's outstretched arms, and he placed a firm kiss on her lips. Jay cradled Theresa against his chest and stole her lips in a deep kiss. Neil whisked Odie into a strong hug, sweeping his feet off the ground. And Herry, Herry banged his head against the edge of his truck. He picked up the dethatched door from the mud and let out a heavy sigh. Opal skidded over to him in hopes of a hug at least.

He turned to her and blankly stated, "You blew out my speakers."