Chapter 24: Is it Over?

Madison's POV

I looked out into the horizon and saw 11 giants heading our way. I pulled out 'Power Drain' from around my neck and searched from what energy I had left within the sword. I found some from a few empousas that I fought during the school year. I pulled some of the energy into me and felt recharged.

I saw everyone else get out their weapons. We had to cut them off before they reached Olympus.

"Jason, carry Piper and Leo down. Then come back for Reyna and Bobby. Nico, shadow travel down. Percy and I will take a more direct approach down." Jason looked curious, but nodded his head. I saw them float down and Nico disappeared. Jason quickly flew back up and grabbed Bobby and Reyna. Once they were all down, I grabbed Percy's hand and felt even stronger than before. I knew he felt it too.

"Jump," I said. We held hands the whole way down and landed on our feet. We landed directly behind everyone else so they couldn't see us.

"Should I go get them? I don't see how they can get down." Jason asked.

"That won't be necessary Jason." I said. He literally jumped five feet in the air.

"H… How did you get down here so fast?"

"I told you we had another way. Now, hurry so we can intersect the giants before they reach Olympus."

Percy and I turned and ran towards the direction of the giants. The others were close on our tails. We came to a clearing and the giants were on the other side marching forward.

"This is our chance, pray to your parents and hope for the best. There may be eight of us and 11 of them, but we can take them. Let's go!"

I charged the first giant I saw and prayed to Hestia to help me. I concentrated on the hearth and lit my sword on fire. I ran forward and stabbed the giant in the foot. That got its attention. It roared in pain, but I am already climbing up its leg. It tried to shake me off, but I held on for dear life. I jumped and gripped the giants arm. I stabbed it in the elbow and it dropped its club it had in its hand. Fire was blazing off the giant's arm and foot. I reached its shoulder and ran to its neck. I prayed to Hestia once more and this time I knew she heard me.

My sword was glowing brighter and I felt a sudden sensation. I gripped my sword tight as I reached the giants neck and before it could react, I stabbed it right below its jaw in the center of its neck.

Its head was engulfed in flames and it turned into a pile of mud. I started falling to the earth fast. I prepared myself and landed on my feet. I guess that was a younger giant seeing as it was easy to take down compared to the others.

I saw Percy finishing his battle up. I saw everyone else was having a harder time. I knew what I had to do. I watched as Percy was standing in the middle of a hurricane and he was splashing water into the giant's eyes. It was blinded and Percy took it as the opportunity to strike. He raised riptide and I saw it was glowing more than usual. Just to be safe, I prayed to Poseidon to help Percy as well. He slashed riptide straight into the cranium of the giant. It turned to mud and Percy came down from the hurricane.

I ran over to him.

"Percy, we have to use our abilities with the Phoenix released. There are too many and everyone else is struggling. It's the only way."

"Alright, we better hurry."

I grabbed Percy's hand and concentrated on the Phoenix. I felt my eyes glowing and my hair set on fire. I opened my eyes and saw that Percy's eyes were glowing too. I felt us slowly rise in the air. Flames started to surround us. I felt my neck glowing and I noticed that Percy's back was glowing as well. I felt a tug inside me and the Phoenix engulfed us. I never let go of Percy's hand.

I saw everyone else fighting the giants. Leo gave Piper a bull horn from his belt and she started to charmspeak. Nico kept summoning skeleton warriors and Leo flung fireballs at the giants. I saw Jason shooting lightning bolts at the giant as he was flying around the giant in circles. The giant was trying to keep up. Then a lightning bolt came from the sky and it surged through Jason's body and then straight through the giant. Zeus helped Jason, killing that giant. Jason began to help Reyna and Bobby. They don't have powers, so they were having a harder time. Reyna looked out of breath and Bobby was getting nowhere as he repeatedly kept trying to stab the giant he was fighting. As they took care of those giants, Percy and I have to take the last three.

I saw the others looked at us and they went wide-eyed when they saw Percy.

"Impossible…" Leo muttered. I focused back on our task.

"Percy, we need to work together and attack."

He nodded. I lifted my hand and so did Percy. I blasted fire from my palm and sent it flying at the three giants. Percy did the same. The last three giants looked at us and one swiped their club. I blasted a fireball at it and it collided with it sending it the other direction. The giant wasn't expecting it. It sent him backwards into one of the other giants. The third one tried to grab us, but as his hand came near, it was burnt to the bone. It roared in pain.

Percy and I sent flamethrowers at the giants, pushing them backwards. I saw that everyone else defeated the giants they were fighting. It looked like the three were the only ones left and everyone looked beat up and worn down.

"Percy… We are considered a god and you need a god AND a demigod to defeat the giants."

"Right, um… get Leo. He can help us with the fire."

"LEO! We need help! Use your fire abilities!" He grabbed a hammer out of his magic belt and set it on fire. He aimed it at one of the giant's eye. I took my sword and pressed its hilt. It turned into two daggers and I set it on fire as well. I sent it flying right at the giant's neck. The hammer and daggers made contact at the same time. It crushed one of the giant's eyes and my daggers pierced his neck. It hit just the right spot to cause pain. I sent a ball of flames at the giants head and Leo did the same. The giant turned into a pile of mud like the rest.

Percy was holding off the last two while we took care of the previous one. Jason was sneaking up behind one of them.

Jason fired lightning from his palm at the giants back. The giant focused on Jason. Jason faked an attack at its leg and rolled between the legs. He flew up and tried to stab the giant in the back, but it saw the attack coming. It stepped out of reach. Piper was yelling something in the bullhorn and the giant turned around. Jason attacked the giant's leg and it lost balance. He flew up and gripped the giant's hair. I saw him raise his sword as he summoned lightning. He needed my and Percy's help. I looked at Percy and he understood. We decided to add a little heat to his sword. Jason sword caught on fire and he nodded his head to us in thanks. He stabbed the giant in the skull as a giant bolt of lightning emerged from the sky. The fiery sword with the strike of lightning caused enough damage to the giant to end him. I felt like Piper and Jason have done this before.

Nine down, two to go.

Everyone began charging the first one so Percy and I turned our attention to the last and most powerful giant, Porphyrion. Percy started summoning water and I heated up the fire. He surrounded us with water while we were inside the fire. He shaped the water into a pointy sharp form and I froze it over into ice. He sent them flying at Porphyrion and they pierced his skin. He was bleeding gold ichor, but it immediately healed and became a scar. We needed a demigod's help to kill him, but all we had to do was stall him until the others finish off the other.

Percy sent more icicles at Porphyrion I looked over to help the others, but it looked like they took care of it. Reyna was glowing, so I knew that she got help from her mom to defeat the giant. They were on their way to help us defeat the last giant.

Percy and I were still suspended in the air. Now it was us plus 5 demigods, verses one giant.

Still not letting go of Percy's hand, I used the trick that we used to defeat Kronos. I concentrated on the blood of the giant and I twisted its neck. It roared in pain as its neck was practically dislocated. Percy used the same technique and twisted the giants arm. Jason was flying around the giant sending flashes of lightning. Reyna and Bobby were on foot taking Porphyrion from below. Nico was summoning skeletons. Piper was distracting the giant with her charmspeak and Leo kept firing fireballs at the giants face.

I decided to use the technique on the neck on last time. I yelled to Jason for him to help since he is in the air.

"Use your sword!" I yelled. He nodded in agreement. I felt a tug in my gut and I focused on the veins within the neck. I compacted the veins over his lungs and he couldn't breathe. I held it there while Jason slashed his sword across his neck. Porphyrion's head fell to the ground and turned to mud. The rest of his body followed behind.

It was really over. Percy and I began to lower ourselves and I once again consumed the Phoenix within.

"Is it… Over?" Piper asked.

"I believe it is…" Percy stated.

"All the giants are gone." Jason stepped in.

"Percy, Madison, How did you two do that? I didn't know Percy could do that." Reyna, the curious, asked.

"I told you Percy and I had something up our sleeves. Percy was blessed by the Phoenix, let's just say and leave it at that."

They didn't ask any further questions, but I still had a feeling something else was going to happen.

"I guess we head back now." Leo stated.

"Wait…" They all stopped and looked at me.

"What's wrong Madison?" Percy asked.

"I feel like something's wrong… Gaea never once used the earth against us at all. There weren't even earthborns. Gaea must have another plan to rise."

Everyone pondered what I said.

"You're absolutely right child…" We all turned and saw Gaea's face in the earth. "I do have another plan and it involves you, Phoenix. Say goodbye."

Before I could react I was sucked down into the earth. I heard Percy yell my name.

Percy's POV

I saw Madison being sucked down into the earth.

"MADISON!" I yelled. I tried to grab her, but it was too late. "What have you done with her Gaea?"

She laughed a very evil laugh. "She will soon take my place, forever in slumber and I will be fully raised! She, who is equal in power to me, shall fulfill the spell!"

"LET HER GO!"

All of a sudden, two earthborns came out of the ground holding Madison.

"It's time to finish the spell!" Gaea said.

Madison's eyes widened. "How could I not have seen it? We'll stop you Gaea. The spell will never work. It is dark magic from your library. It could destroy everything!"

"Don't you think I know that child? I just want the gods to suffer for what they did to my children and you shall never wake again!"

Madison struggled against the earthborns. "NO!" I screamed. I tried to charge, but an earthborn cut me off.

I pulled out riptide and slashed at the earthborn. I had to get to Madison before it was too late. I dodged and slashed at the earthborn. I finished the earthborn quickly, but everyone else was still battling theirs. I guess it helps to have the curse of Achilles. I ran towards Madison. Just before I got there the earthborns disappeared. Madison looked at me, but then her eyes started to roll to the back of her head. She collapsed, but I caught her before she fell.

I heard an evil laugh behind me. "You're too late son of Poseidon! In just a few minutes, it will be permanent!" I looked at Gaea who was already in her human form.

"NO!" This can't be happening. I don't know what to do. I prayed to whoever could hear me.

'Become stronger… Concentrate… Together as one.' I knew who was telling me this and I understood.

"She's not equal in power to you Gaea…"

"Of course she is or the spell wouldn't have worked you puny demigod!"

"No… We're stronger together, more powerful!" I said. I picked Madison up and cradled her in my arms. I concentrated on giving my energy to her. I felt it flow through me into her. She began to glow and I knew it was working.

"NO! Stop him!" Gaea yelled. The earthborns charged, but stopped half-way and melted back into the ground. Gaea's human form busted into flames, and then she disappeared. I looked down at Madison. Nothing happened and I began to worry. Gaea disappeared, but Madison didn't wake up yet.

Everyone ran up and surrounded me with worried expressions on their faces. I felt Madison stir in my arms and then her eyes fluttered open. She shot upright, and then looked at me. I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Now it's over…" She whispered. I let out a small chuckle.

"What just happened?" Reyna asked. I looked at Madison and for once, she had no answer.