CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
PRIZE OF WAR

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THE TASTE OF BLOOD was pungent on Annais' tongue. Her arm burned relentlessly, fresh crimson spilling down her ripped sleeve as she tore open the scab from repeated use. Again and again, she struck Khione, dodging sleets of snow as she backed the Goddess into a corner. With every hit, her arm would throb in agony, begging for rest, but she kept on going even as her vision blurred.

To her left was Ezra Min, frozen like the statues back in Quebec, a dying laugh caught on her face. Leo had kneeled in front of her, trying his best to defrost the ice around her without burning her in the process. It was working to a degree, but it was clear he was only running on borrowed time. Melanie had tried to watch his back, but she was soon overpowered by a mass of wolves and Earthborn, forcing him to leave Ezra behind to save her. Annais found herself watching them, eyes darting between Khione and Mel continuously, and it was this that would inevitably have her failing.

Not even five minutes into the fight, Khione mustered up every last bit of her strength and struck Annais hard with a cut of ice. The girl stumbled back, gasping for air as the Goddess wrapped her pretty but wicked hands around Annais' throat and pressed down.

"You are a fool, Annais Min," she cooed, the last words the gasping girl would ever hear. "A fool for believing you could beat me."

In the distance, Annais heard a voice. It was warm, like baked cookies eaten during a sunny afternoon. Her mother. She was standing behind Khione, smiling at the sight of her daughter's dying breaths. They were going to be together again, at last. Just them and an eternity in the Underworld.

Slowly, her eyes slid shut. Her body stopped fighting. For a split second, she heard nothing, then Khione's weight was knocked away and her senses came slamming back. She sat up with a deep gasp, fingers ghosting over her throat like she couldn't believe her lungs were still expanding to take in air. She looked up after a second, only to find an empty space where her mother had been standing, the ghost long gone. In her place was Ezra Min, her hair wet but her face blazing with pure fury.

"You're too late," Khione exclaimed as Annais moved to stand at Ezra's side. The two girls loomed over her, the tip of Kronos' scythe just a hair's breadth away from impaling itself between her eyes. "He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work. You'll be at each other's throats before you can ever stop us."

"I'm tired of hearing you talk," Ezra sneered down at her. "Don't you agree, Annais?"

"I do, Ezra," the girl nodded, ignoring the pain that came along with it. 

And so Ezra lashed out. The scythe swung through Khione's neck, drawing out ichor, and the Goddess crumbled like dust. All that remained was scattered snow that Leo quickly burned as he came running up to them.

"Are you alright?" he exclaimed as he threw his arms around Annais. She flinched at the sudden touch but hugged him back. As annoying as he was, she would've missed him if she died. "Never scare us like that again, Annie."

A sudden cough of annoyance interrupted the moment, prompting the worn out group to turn in Hera's direction. The slats of her cage had melted, allowing them to see her again through the carnage of wolf carcasses and crumbled earth piles. "Oh, don't mind me!" she grumbled. "Just the Queen of the Heavens, dying over here!"

Leo frowned, releasing Annais to make his way over to her. "Uh, Tía Callida, are you getting shorter?"

"No, you dolt, the earth is claiming me."

"Oh."

They were running out of time, and as much as Annais hated to admit it, watching Porphyrion return would be far worse than freeing Hera. So she rushed over to the cage, attempting to slow the bleeding of her arm with her hand. 

"The giant wakes," Hera warned them, her eyes locked on Annais' arm. "You only have seconds."

"On it," Leo declared, strangely confident. He kneeled in front of the cage again, gesturing for Piper to join him while Mel fussed over Ezra. "Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage."

"What?" 

"Talk to it," he repeated, that same glint of realisation in his eyes. He knew what they needed to do. "Use everything you've got. Convince Gaea to sleep, lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I--"

"Leo," Annais exclaimed, bloodied hands shaking his shoulders. "We get it."

"Right, right."

Slowly, Piper approached the cage, shooting Hera one last wary glance before she cleared her throat to say, "Uh, hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I'm tired. How about you? You ready for some sleep?"

While she worked, Annais and the others stood guard. Porphyrion's eyes were beginning to crack open, features taking shape with every second. Piper's gift was working. Annais could feel the heaviness of her body now more than ever, the urge to just rest for days. But she fought it off, standing at Jason's side with Ezra and Melanie opposite them.

"I don't have anywhere to plug it in," Leo suddenly exclaimed.

Turning around, she found him gripping a circular saw, looking clueless as he held up the attached power cord. Annais snorted, though quickly fell silent when a spirit horse she hadn't noticed in the corner sprang towards them.

"What the hell was that?" Ezra gasped as the blur of lightning brushed past her shoulder.

"That's Tempest," Jason said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Ezra's nose scrunched up in distaste. "Tempest? What, you've got a pet now, Grace?"

"Something like that."

Everyone waited dubiously as Tempest the spirit horse trotted towards Leo, holding out one of his legs that Leo just frowned at. At that exact moment, a gust of wind came roaring from outside, and Leo's hand subconsciously moved with it, eyes widening when the plug connected itself into the horse's flank.

"Oh, my god," Annais deadpanned as the saw whirred to life, almost cutting Leo's hand off in the process.

"Sweet," the boy exclaimed at the same time, momentarily distracted from the frustrated Goddess waiting for them. "Dude, your horse comes with AC outlets."

"Eddie's still better," Ezra grumbled to Melanie, though everyone, including Jason, heard her.

Jason laughed. "I don't know, Ez, I think he might have some competition."

"Can we please focus?" Hera snarled. "You're wasting time."

Unfortunately, she just had to be right. On the other side of the pool, the ground splintered apart as Porphyrion's limbs moved to break himself free. Annais' heart dropped as he threw his head back into a laugh, looming even taller than Enceladus had been. He was strong, and he knew it. Where Enceladus was just plain cocky, Porphyrion looked like he could take down armies just by breathing in their direction. 

With everyone visibly terrified, he raised one of his bronze axes, blood glinting on the blade as he bellowed, "Alive! Praise to Gaea."

"Oh, shit."

"What do we do?"

Jason tensed beside Annais, and it was then she knew he was about to do something very stupid. First, he turned to Leo, muttering his name to catch the wide-eyed boy's attention.

"Huh?"

"You guys keep working. Get Hera free."

"Why do I have the feeling you're about to play the hero, Grace?"

"I've got no choice," he told a frowning Ezra. "Someone has to entertain him."

"We can help," Annais protested, gesturing to herself, Melanie and Ezra. "It's what we're meant to do, Jason."

"No," he shook his head, worried eyes meeting hers beseechingly. "I can do this, okay? Don't step in unless you have to."

"Jason--"

But he was already turning away, prompting Porphyrion to roar in delight. "Excellent! An appetiser. Who are you; Hermes? Ares?"

Annais watched on nervously as Jason stood just metres away from the giant. With just one swing of his axe, Porphyrion could've defeated him. But he waited, wanting to watch the boy suffer for just a little longer. It took everything in her not to join him, to sneer at the giant's words. But she knew it would only upset him. So she waited too, sword raised to shield Leo and Piper as they slowly turned back to Hera and her cage.

"I'm Jason Grace," the boy in question declared, head held high. "Son of Jupiter."

For a moment, the giant seemed stunned, like he hadn't expected that. Then he smiled, showing off several missing teeth as he cackled, "Outstanding! So, Zeus, you sacrifice a son to me? The gesture is appreciated, but it will not save you."

The sky was silent, but that didn't bother Porphyrion. He simply raised his axe again, like fighting Jason was nothing for him. Annais tensed, gripping her sword for dear life as she watched Jason discard his weapon, leaving himself empty handed.

"Are you an idiot?" she hissed at his back, but Jason refused to look at her.

Instead, he raised his head to meet the giant's white eyes and shouted, "If you knew who I was, you'd be worried about me, not my father. I hope you enjoyed your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because I'm going to send you right back to Tartarus."

He sounded so confident. Was now a bad time to say Annais found it attractive? From an objective point of view, of course.

"So, we'll start by boasting, will we?" Porphyrion scoffed. "Just like old times, I see. Very well, demigod. I am Porphyrion, King of the Giants, son of Gaea. In the olden times, I rose from Tartarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the Gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus' queen."

And now history was repeating itself. Funny how that worked out.

"My husband destroyed you once, monster," Hera spat in rage. "And he'll do it again."

Wise words for someone still trapped in a cage, knee deep in mud.

Porphyrion merely laughed at her, shaking his head like she'd just told some joke. "But he didn't, my dear. Zeus wasn't powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provided us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth, and we'll destroy you at the roots."

"You wouldn't dare," Hera hissed, but Annais knew that he would.

"The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her greatest children, are much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees, your eldest roots torn out and burned."

The mention of Kronos and New York set the Mins off like dominos. Ezra was the first to move, to raise Penelope's dagger, a striking reminder. The glint of the bronze blade followed by Melanie gripping her arm to shove her back was quick to catch Porphyrion's attention. He smirked, like he knew exactly who they were, but was interrupted by Jason stepping in front of Annais.

"You said a demigod killed you," he exclaimed. "How, if we're so puny?"

It was a decent attempt, but the giant remained alert. "You think I would explain it to you? I was created to be Zeus's replacement, born to destroy the Lord of the Sky. I shall take his throne, I shall take his wife -- or, if she will not have me, I let the earth consume her life force. What you see before you, child, is only my weakened form. I will grow stronger by the hour, until I am invincible. But I am already quite capable of smashing you to a grease spot!"

The next few moments happened so quickly. In a blink, a spear half the size of the giant before them rose out of the earth and into Porphyrian's waiting hands. At the same time, almost like they were being summoned, dozens of monsters -- double what had accompanied Khione -- filtered into the room; wolves snarling, Earthborn clutching clubs made of metal and mud. The Mins knew it was up to them now. With Jason facing Porphyrion, and Leo and Piper slowly but surely working on the cage... in Jason's own words, there was no other choice.

"So, child of Zeus," Porphyrion goaded Jason. "I have finished my boasting. Now it's your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?"

Annais had to give him credit, Jason knew how to hide his fear. With a casual air about him, he surveyed the ring of monsters, then hardened his eyes into an expression Annais knew well.

"I'm the son of Jupiter," he began, at the same time as a gust of wind rolled through. Jason allowed the breeze to lift him, gaze now aligned with the giant's amused glower. "I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion." 

At the same time, he raised his arm and showed off his tattoo. Annais shifted uneasily, hearing Melanie and Ezra muttering in confusion. 

"I slew the Trojan sea monster," Jason continued, rattling off the words like he couldn't say them fast enough. "I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed the Titan, Krios, with my own hands. And now I'm going to destroy you, Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."

Okay, Annais couldn't hold it in any longer. That was definitely attractive. She let out a laugh as Jason flung himself at the giant, clinging onto his knee like a spider to a web. Porphyrion gasped when he realised, flinging himself around in horror. 

"You dare?" he bellowed, but the sound was faltering, like he hadn't expected Jason to be so forward.

But Jason Grace was nothing if not determined. In a move far too quick to catch, he raised a sword he'd snatched from the giant's belt and stabbed it in his ear with a Roman war-cry. Lightning stuck at the same time, flinging Jason to the floor and leaving Porphyrion's hair smouldering. Zeus. Or was it Jupiter who'd answered Jason's declaration? In the end, it didn't matter, for the wolves and Earthborn were already prepared to strike. But Porphyrion stopped them with a stubborn wail.

"No," he roared. "I'll kill him myself." Jason just laughed at that, spurring on the giant's anger. "You want to play with lightning, boy? You forget, I am the bane of Zeus. I was created to destroy your father, which means I know exactly what can kill you."

"You guys take the Earthborn," Mel muttered to Ezra and Annais. "I've had my fair share of them already."

"You got it."

At Porphyrion's declaration, the animals struck. But in the nick of time, a groan sounded from behind them, followed by a shout of glee from Hera as the cage crumbled into nothing but a pile of broken winding limbs.

"Yes," Hera shouted with power. "Now I can have my revenge!"

At that, the air shifted. Porphyrion paused, forcing his monsters to do the same, and eyed the scene for a moment. He knew the fight had suddenly changed the odds, that it was in their favour now with a Goddess on their side, and Hera wouldn't hesitate to make his death painful. So he backed away, disappearing into the shadows as she began to glow.

"Cover your eyes, my heroes," she ordered.

Annais was quick to listen, knowing what was coming. She faced away from the Goddess, dropping her sword to hold her hands over her eyes for good measure. Behind her, the air sizzled as Hera released her inner power, a golden light seen even with her palms pressed to her face. She waited, and it was only once the silence came that she slowly looked up.

Only to find Jason Grace dead on the floor.

"No!" she screamed, the sound tearing through her throat on instinct. Gasps erupted from the others but Annais paid them no mind, falling to her knees beside the unconscious boy. His whole body felt like it was on fire though Annais didn't care. She just pulled him into her arms, the first sign of tears glistening in her eyes, her heart racing. "Jason, wake up... You can't do this."

Nothing made sense with him dead. His chest wasn't rising with evident signs of life. No longer could she see the stunning blue of his eyes. His warmth was gone, and Annais Min was cold.

"Jason!" she sobbed, clinging to his shirt. She could feel Mel's hands on her back trying to guide her away, heard Thalia screaming as she regained consciousness only to find her brother gone again, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Instead, she held on tighter, glowering when Mel's hands touched her shoulders again. "Get off me, Mel."

"Annais, come on."

"No," she snarled, then turned back to face Jason. "He's not dead."

"It's no use, child," Hera informed her, face void of any emotion. 

Thalia's painfully familiar eyes flared as she sneered at the Goddess. "This is your fault, you know. Do something."

"Excuse me? Do not address me that way, girl, I am the Queen--"

"Mother, please," Ezra huffed from somewhere to Annais' right. A moment later, she felt the girl's hand on her arm, but she didn't try and pull away. She just sat there, stabilising Annais like she knew just how it felt to have someone you cared about dead in your arms. "If you can do this, you can also bring him back."

"I did warn him," Hera argued stubbornly. "I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes before I revealed my true form."

"And that makes it okay?" 

"Isn't true form bad?" Leo added with a frown. "So why did you do it?"

Hera rolled her eyes. "I unleashed my power to help you, fool. I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice."

"But mortals can't look upon you in that form," Thalia sobbed. "You've killed him."

Vaguely, Annais heard Leo mentioning the prophecy, but she couldn't bring herself to listen to those words anymore. Her eyes were locked on Piper as the solemn girl kneeled beside Jason's legs, hand slowly moving to rest on Jason's chest. Annais didn't stop her, she couldn't form the words, even when Piper gasped and shouted, "He's breathing!"

"Impossible," Hera immediately shook her head. "I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever--"

"Piper," Annais cut in, voice quiet and subdued. "Piper, bring him back."

"Healing isn't a power of Aphrodite," Hera informed, like Annais wouldn't have known that already. "Even I cannot fix this, Daughter of Death. His mortal spirit--"

"I wasn't talking to you," Annais snapped, ignoring the dangerous glint of the woman's eyes as she turned back to an uncertain Piper. "Please, Pipes, I know you can do this. Even if it fails, we have to try. I can't lose--"

The words trailed off, but the meaning remained behind. Piper just looked at her for a moment, eyes glistening with tears, then nodded. She inhaled sharply, hand pressed harder onto Jason's chest like she could convince his heart to pump again. "Jason, listen to me. You're going to be fine."

"Girls--"

"Mother, just stop," Ezra snapped, attentively listening to the hum of Piper's words.

"Jason," the girl in question repeated, watching closely as