***Thanks for the reviews and follows, everyone! Here is Chapter 6, with the second half of what happened to the group in Preveza. Next up, Chapter 7, which features Leo's POV, plus a little Leo/Percy discussion about Calypso; should be fun. Chapter 7 will be up by Monday, March 31.***

VI. JASON

Jason was starting to worry about brain damage. Seriously, he was getting really tired of being knocked on the head. His mood didn't improve when he returned to consciousness surrounded by a dozen of the largest, hairiest, most heavily-armed Cyclopes he had ever seen. Cyclopes who apparently liked to bathe in manure, judging by the stench coming off them. He heard a groan next to him and looked over to see Leo sit up, blinking. "Where are we?" Leo asked.

Jason sat up straight. "And where are the girls?"

"Over here," Piper's voice said, from his left. Jason looked over to see her and Hazel about ten feet away. Both of them were sporting bruises from getting hit over the head, but otherwise they looked okay. Relief washed over him. At least his friends were alive. For now, anyway. Their weapons were gone, though. The Cyclopes must have searched them while they were unconscious. The only things they had left were Leo's toolbelt and Piper's cornucopia.

Jason looked around, only now taking in his surroundings. He and Leo were sitting with their backs against the wall of a massive arena. For a moment, Jason thought the blow to his head had affected his vision, because everything seemed to be some strange golden color. But he blinked a couple of times and realized, no, the whole place was actually glowing bronze. Glowing bronze. It looked like they'd discovered where all the Celestial bronze in Preveza had ended up.

He focused on the spear-wielding Cyclopes again. They were having what appeared to be a pretty heated discussion over by a doorway that led into a tunnel, like the kind a football team would come out of in a stadium. Not far from the tunnel entrance, Jason could see his, Piper's, and Hazel's swords lying in the dirt. Before Jason had a chance to confer with any of his friends and try to come up with a plan, the Cyclopes broke apart. They stood suddenly at attention, six on each side of the tunnel, their spears pointed straight up.

A dark shape filled the tunnel. At first, Jason thought a boulder was rolling towards them, but then he realized it was actually a giant. The giant was so large his bulk filled the twelve-foot-high tunnel as he stepped into the arena.

When the giant straightened to his full height and surveyed them, Jason's only consolation was that this wasn't one of the giants, the sons of Gaea who had been working so hard to kill the crew of the Argo II. This giant was smaller, only about ten feet tall, and looked more human, no dragon legs. Instead, the giant was covered in muscles like a body-builder; he looked like the type of guy who would eat a dozen raw eggs for breakfast. His face could have been carved from a boulder, the features completely chiseled and set hard as stone. He was bald and on his head the image of a hammer had been tattooed. Jason recognized that symbol.

Beside him, Leo gulped. "Please tell me that guy doesn't have Cabin Nine's symbol tattooed on his head."

Jason's mouth tasted like bile. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

"SILENCE!" the giant roared and Jason and Leo both jumped. The giant turned to the Cyclopes. "Bring the prisoners forward."

"What do you think?" Leo asked as the Cyclopes approached. "Should we light them up?"

Jason debated it for a moment, then shook his head. "There's too many of them. Let's see what he wants and go from there."

"From the looks of it, I think he wants to grind our bones to make his bread," Leo muttered, but he refrained from burning the guards as they hauled Jason and Leo to their feet.

The Cyclopes dragged the four demigods to stand in front of the giant, turning them so that Jason and Leo were across from Piper and Hazel. Jason found himself facing Piper, who gave him a tiny, reassuring smile. Next to her, Hazel's eyes were flickering around the Celestial bronze arena. Jason wondered if she could use any of that metal against their captors, but there was no way to ask her.

The Cyclopes stepped back, standing guard behind their captives, as the giant walked between them. He surveyed the demigods like they were cattle at an auction and he was trying to decide which of them was most worth his money. The feeling made Jason's skin crawl.

After a second pass, the giant returned to his starting point. He stood with his hands clasped behind him and nodded approvingly. "Welcome, demigods, to the Arena of Hephaestus!"

Leo winced.

"What?" Piper asked.

"An excellent question," the giant said, nodding again. "It has been many years since I, the greatest son of Hephaestus, have sought competitors for my arena. But the Earth Mother has brought me back. Gaea knows that I am her greatest asset. For I am Cercyon, Bandit of Eleusis!"

"Um, aren't we in Preveza?" Leo asked.

Cercyon glared at him. "In ancient times, my arena was near Eleusis. My guards would capture travelers on the road and then, we would wrestle—to the death."

Jason looked at Cercyon's bulging arm muscles and decided he really didn't want a headlock from this guy.

"But now," Cercyon continued, "that area is guarded by another servant of the Earth Mother, so I was sent here. I have rebuilt my arena from the finest Celestial bronze and now I seek my first competitor." He leered at the demigods as he flexed his muscles. Jason wanted to think this guy was just bragging, but he guessed that if Cerycon felt like it, he could crush Jason and his friends without even breaking a sweat. Jason was starting to sweat, though, trying to come up with a plan to get all four of them out of this alive.

Cercyon was still eyeing the demigods, apparently trying to decide who he wanted to fight first. He shook his head at Piper and Hazel. "I will not fight a female."

"What, you're afraid of being beat by a girl?" Piper asked.

Cercyon grinned, displaying chipped, yellow teeth. "Such spirit. I like a little fire. But no, Piper McLean, I am not afraid of being beaten by a female demigod."

Piper looked taken aback. "How do you know my name?"
"The bounties from Gaea, of course. She gives so many interesting facts about each of you. Of course, I didn't read them all, who has time for that? But I remember your names. And while I'm sure either you or Hazel Levesque would pose quite a challenge, it would be beneath me to fight a female."

"You're just scared because you know we'd win," Hazel said. "Coward."

There was a hard glint in Cercyon's eyes that was far more terrifying than his muscles as he looked at Hazel. Jason wasn't sure what the giant planned to do next, but he decided he'd better intervene. "I'll fight you, Cercyon," he volunteered.

Cercyon bellowed with laughter, which was not exactly the reaction Jason had expected. "A son of the elder gods? Do I look like an idiot to you, boy? It was Theseus, a son of Poseidon, who killed me long ago. No, I have no interest in wrestling the sky god's spawn." He looked from Jason to Leo. "But a fellow son of Hephaestus? That would be a most interesting challenge."

Jason glanced at Leo. He knew straight up fighting wasn't his friend's style. Leo looked pale, but his jaw was set, his eyes on Cercyon. Jason ran some strategies in his head, but none of them ended well. Even if he could call some lightning, combined with Leo's fire, Piper's cornucopia, and anything Hazel could do with the bronze around them, they were still weaponless and outnumbered three to one. And Cercyon had just drawn a knife from his belt.

The giant kept his eyes locked on Jason as he laid the blade against Piper's throat. "On your knees, son of Jupiter," he said softly.

"I thought you were a wrestler," Leo said through gritted teeth.

"I am," Cercyon replied. "The best wrestler in the world. But before we get to the match, I want to ensure that I'll have your full cooperation." He pressed the knife harder against Piper's throat. "Once more, son of Jupiter, get on your knees. Hands behind your head. I won't ask again."

Jason didn't have a choice. He knelt down and put his hands behind his head like he was being arrested. Cercyon smirked. "Very good. Now, as Leo Valdez pointed out, I am a wrestler. And it has been far too long since I have been able to test my strength."

The Cyclopes were beginning to get excited. "Gonna be a good fight, boss—Get 'em, boss—puny demigods ain't no match for you."

Cercyon had a smug, self-satisfied smirk on his face as he sheathed his knife, then signaled for the Cyclopes to march Piper and Hazel back to the side of the arena. A Cyclops yanked Jason to his feet and dragged him away before Jason had a chance to give Leo some words of encouragement, though, admittedly, he couldn't think of any.

"Let's make a deal, Cercyon," Leo said as he and the giant faced each other, alone in the middle of the arena. "If I win, you and your buddies over there have to let us go."

"And if I win?" Cercyon was still smirking, like the thought of losing was a joke to him. Which, Jason guessed, it probably was.

"Then I guess you get the honor of sending Leo Valdez to the Underworld." Leo tried for a winning smile. "But you still let my friends go."

Cercyon bent forward so he could look Leo in the eye. "How about if you put on a good show, I'll kill your friends quickly, rather than torture them?"

Leo swallowed. "But if I win, we go free. Swear on the Styx."

"I swear it on the Styx," Cercyon rumbled. He stood up straight and spread his arms. A cold wind rushed through the arena and suddenly the seats were filled with glowing purple Lares, ghosts of Romans who had once lived in Greece, when it was ruled by the empire. "And now, let the match begin!"

Jason's stomach twisted into knots as he watched Leo and Cercyon face each other in the center of the arena. Leo looked surprisingly calm, except for his fingers nervously tapping against his leg. There was a determined glint in his eyes, but all Jason could think about was Gaea telling Percy that Leo would die in Preveza. And Jason really didn't want that to happen. However, he was having trouble coming up with a contingency plan. He could summon lightning, but without his sword it was much harder to control the strike. He didn't want to accidentally hit any of his friends.

Jason glanced at Piper and Hazel, hoping one of them had thought of a plan. Piper's face was pale and her eyes were fixed on Leo. Hazel's eyes were still darting around the arena like she was calculating the amount of Celestial bronze in it. She caught Jason's eye and he thought she might have had a plan, but they had no way to communicate without the Cyclopes hearing them. For now, it looked like things rested on Leo's wrestling match with a partner three times his size.

"So are we going to do this thing or what?" Leo asked.

"First, the toolbelt, son of Hephaestus," Cercyon rumbled. "Take it off."

"What, this old thing?" Leo tried, and failed, to look innocent.

"It's just an empty tool belt, Cercyon," Piper said. Jason could feel the persuasive power of charmspeak in her voice.

Cercyon blinked, then gave a booming laugh. "That sorcery speak won't work on me, girl. My father is married to your mother. I learned long ago to ignore Aphrodite tricks." He turned back to Leo. "Lose the tool belt, brother."

Leo looked nauseated by the "brother" comment, but he took off his tool belt and tossed it to Hazel. "Keep an eye on that for me."

Cercyon cracked his knuckles. "Now, we wrestle!"

A Cyclops raised a massive Celestial bronze gong. There was a resounding BOOM around the arena as he hit it.

Cercyon immediately rushed toward Leo, who dove to the side. The giant turned and tried to grab him, but Leo had already rolled out of the way and was now behind the giant. Cercyon growled in frustration. They went on like this for a few minutes. Jason was impressed. Cercyon clearly relied on his bulging muscles to win his fights, but Leo was a lot lighter and quicker than the giant, so he was using that to his advantage to wear Cercyon out. And it seemed to be working. Cercyon was breathing hard, his face getting redder and redder, though Jason wasn't sure if that was from exhaustion or anger.

"Stand and face me, coward!" Cercyon growled as he tried to grab Leo, who dodged the giant's fist. Leo darted behind Cercyon again, who was turning in circles trying to spot him. Jason hoped he was getting nice and dizzy.

"Dude, I learned a long time ago not to get caught by guys who are bigger than me," Leo said. He ducked as Cercyon made a sloppy grab at him. "You would have fit in well in some of the foster homes I was in, though. Lot of other big, ugly guys who like to pick on people for you to hang out with."

Cercyon roared in rage and lunged at Leo. Leo rolled to the side at the last second and Cercyon bit the dirt, hard. Leo started to back away but, quick as a striking snake, Cercyon's hand whipped out and grabbed him by the ankle, yanking Leo off his feet.

"No!" Hazel cried.

Cercyon slowly stood back up, spitting dust. He was dangling Leo by one ankle. Leo was thrashing and kicking, but it didn't seem to bother the giant. "Now," Cercyon said through gritted teeth, "we finish this match my way."

Cercyon flipped Leo up in the air and caught him as he came down. For a second, Jason thought he was giving him a bear-hug, but then he realized the horrible truth: Cercyon was attempting to crush his opponent. And judging by the pained look on Leo's face, he was succeeding.

Piper gasped. Jason's heart was racing. Last ditch effort, he thought. "Hey, Cercyon! Are you fireproof?"

Cercyon scoffed. "That's a Cyclopes' trait. It is not a gift Hephaestus gives to his children."

"Wrong," Jason said. "It's a gift he gives to some of his children." He met Leo's eyes and saw that he understood. He also saw that Leo hated his plan as much as Jason himself did. But it was the only way. "Now!"

Leo burst into flames and Cercyon screamed. The giant dropped Leo and backed away, still screaming, his entire body blazing. Jason ran to grab their weapons from the edge of the arena. The Cyclopes moved forward to recapture the demigods but Piper yelled, "Stop, drop, and roll!" and all twelve Cyclopes hit the dirt and obediently began to roll around.

The Lares were rising in the stands, cursing and yelling, but Hazel screamed and suddenly the stands began to shake. She fell to her knees just as the arena collapsed around them in a shower of Celestial bronze.

Jason didn't stop to think. He thrust the swords he was holding at Piper, scooped Hazel up, and ran for the tunnel, the only part of the arena still standing. Behind them, the Cyclopes were getting back to their feet, shouting and grabbing their spears. The tunnel around them was shaking, threatening to collapse at any second. He could hear Piper and Leo right behind him. Jason could see daylight ahead. He put on an extra burst of speed as the tunnel began to crumble around them, Cercyon's screams following them out into the afternoon sunlight.

"Jason, I'm fine. Put me down," Hazel said as they emerged at the foot of the ruined stone arena of Nicopolis. Jason set Hazel on her feet, then bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. Leo dropped onto the lowest stone bench of the arena and buried his face in his hands. Piper swiped her hand across her face, whether to brush away tears or sweat Jason wasn't sure, then handed Jason back his gladius, gave Hazel her spatha, and drew her own jagged sword from the Boreads.

"Heads up," Piper said. "There might be some angry Cyclopes left."

Hazel shook her head. "I collapsed the tunnel on them as soon as we got out. They're monster dust by now."

"Nice one," Jason said, straightening up. "How'd you collapse the rest of the arena?"

"Underneath the seats the arena was hollow, except for its support beams." Hazel shrugged. "All I had to do was pull the beams toward me a little bit. Destabilized the whole thing."

Jason was impressed. "Again, nice one."

"Thanks." Hazel glanced in Leo's direction. Jason followed her gaze. Leo was still staring at the ground, his head in his hands. The three of them exchanged worried glances. Jason knew Leo had killed monsters before, but setting Cercyon on fire like that couldn't have been an easy thing to do.

Hazel walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Leo?"

Leo raised his head and she handed him back his tool belt. He managed a weak smile, though his face still looked pained, like when Cercyon was crushing him. "Thanks."

"Don't beat yourself up, man," Jason said. "You did what you had to do."

"You saved us," Piper added.

"Yeah." Leo stood up and put his tool belt back on. He tried for a "hey-I'm-Leo-and-this-doesn't-bother-me" smile, but Jason didn't buy it. "Come on, let's get that bronze and then get the heck out of Preveza."

By the time they had collected as much Celestial bronze as they could carry, the sun was beginning to set. Even better, Jason failed to summon Tempest and Arion didn't appear when Hazel whistled for him.

"They're both pretty free-spirited," she said reluctantly.

"Or something like that," Jason muttered.

Weighted down by Celestial bronze and the events of the day, the four of them began their trek back toward Preveza and the Argo II.

They had just reached the city when a bald eagle swooped down on them. Jason just had time to think, Great, another attack, before it turned into Frank Zhang.

"Thank the gods!" Frank said. He hugged Hazel so hard he lifted her off her feet and made her drop the bronze she was holding. "Oops, sorry."

"It's fine, Frank," Hazel said as he helped her collect the bronze.

"What took you guys so long?" Frank asked. "We were getting worried."

Jason glanced at Piper and Leo. "We took a little detour. Tell you about it on the ship. Where are Percy and Annabeth?"

"Back on the ship." Frank nodded in the direction of the port. "I just left to do some scouting because, well, like I said, we were getting worried." But from the way he looked sheepishly at Hazel, Jason guessed Frank might have been slightly more worried than the other two.

Hazel must have guessed this, too, because she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Frank's cheek. "Thanks for finding us."

With the help of Frank, part-time dragon, it only took one trip for him and Jason to fly the Celestial bronze back to the Argo II. Jason did a double-take when he saw the new masts.

"How'd you manage to fix those?" he asked, incredulous.

"Long story," Percy said. "Also, we've got some news for you guys."

"Good news?" Jason asked.

"It came from a goddess," Percy said. "What do you think?"

"Great," Jason muttered.