scythes.
“Gaea!” Jason yelled. “Stop hiding in the wheat. Show yourself!”
Piper’s heart raced. Gaea meant to kill her. That was no surprise. But what was this about choosing one of the boys? Why would Gaea let either of them go? It had to be a trap.
“You’re insane!” she shouted. “I’m not choosing anything for you!”
Suddenly Jason gasped. He sat up straight in his saddle.
“Jason!” Piper cried. “What’s wrong—?”
He looked down at her, his expression deadly calm. His eyes were no longer blue. They glowed solid gold.
“Percy, help!” Piper stumbled back from Tempest.
But Percy galloped away from them. He stopped thirty feet down the road and wheeled his pegasus around. He raised his sword and pointed the tip toward Jason.
“No!” Piper yelled.
All around her, the fields crackled and hissed, laughing in Gaea’s voice as Percy and Jason charged at each other, their weapons ready.
IF NOT FOR THE HORSES, PIPER WOULD’VE DIED.
Jason and Percy charged each other, but Tempest and Blackjack balked long enough for Piper to leap out of the way.
She rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and horrified, as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze. Sparks flew. Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Piper couldn’t believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other—Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.
“Stop it!” Piper yelled.
For a moment, Jason heeded her voice. His golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason. Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword—maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally—so the flat of it hit Jason’s chest; but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount.
Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor.
Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.
“Percy!” Piper yelled. “Jason’s your friend. Drop your weapon!”
Percy’s sword arm dipped. Piper might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason got to his feet.
Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his
Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields. Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast.
For a horrible moment, Piper couldn’t find her voice. Gaea seemed to be whispering to her:
“No!” she screamed. “Jason, stop!”
He froze, his sword six inches from Percy’s face.
Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly.
Something about that voice…it wasn’t Gaea. It wasn’t Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.
“Who are you?” Piper demanded.
Jason’s mouth twisted in a gruesome smile.
“Eidolons… ?” Piper’s mind raced. She’d studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but that term wasn’t familiar. “You’re—you’re some sort of ghost?”
Jason’s head hit the asphalt with a nauseating