This guy refuses to go down.

I punched him.

Kicked him.

Electrocuted him.

Head butted him.

Hell, I even bit him.

But he got up every single time.

Max punched me, hard. I stumbled back against a tree, breathing heavily. Max stalked towards me, looking like a walking corpse. His cloak was half burnt. Blood oozed out of multiple cuts and bruises on his exposed skin. His golden armor was dented and cracked in multiple places.

His injuries should have killed him, but in-spite of all of it, his eyes glowed blood red.

"You coward." Max said, his voice hoarse. "All that power and you can't finish the job. Your weak."

I coughed up some blood. "What are.... What are we doing?"

Max straighten up with great effort, he grabbed two flask from his belt and uncapped them. He drank one deeply and tossed me the other. Call me crazy for trusting him, but I drank it immediately.

My heart skipped a few beats, the taste transferred me back to warm memory. A few days after my first major quest. Gwen, Reyna and I drinking hot chocolate at the coffee shop just below the garden of Bacchus.

Max finished drinking, many of his wounds healing immediately. His eyes lost in its own distance memory.

"Feel it." Max said, tearing up. "The love. The beauty. Remember what your fighting for. And then..."

His eyes blazed blood red again. Rage began to consume me. Scenarios of Max killing Reyna and Gwen played in my head, feeding the fire burning inside me.

"And let it all burn. Deep inside of you. To finish the job!" Max roared, charging me.

I took a deep breath. "I've had enough of this. Of you."

I raised my hand and Max stopped in his track, immediately clutching his neck.

"I believe....... Believed in the best in everybody. Even the worst of us." I said, my voice low. "I even believed..... After everything you've done so far..... You would see reason, and stop."

Max fell on his knees, gasping for air that I denied from him. "But you showed me that wasn't the case. You showed me that my father was right."

Max stared into my eyes, even suffocating, his eyes burned with defiance. "You murdered innocent people for someone who's already gone." I continued. "Denying yourself the chance to see him in the afterlife."

I squeezed my hand and Max's eyes turned bloodshot. "Your no monster. Your a foo-OOOOF."

Something tackled me, hard. I went flying maybe a mile before I recovered from the shock. I saw a flash of golden wings and became enraged. "You again! I'm doing what you want!"

Lightning sparked from my body, separating us. We rolled over the rugged terrain, smashing through bushes and trees.

I got up, ready to take flight towards Max, but the golden winged warrior tackled me again. They forced me too the ground, hand on the side of my face pushing me. Using my right eye, I caught a glimpse of who held me down. It was too dark to see their face, but I could make out a braid and glowing purple eyes.

My body crackled with lightning. "Bellona! Did my father send you again? Did he think I couldn't finish the job!?"

"Jason, please stop." The warrior said above. They pressed their elbow against my face, all their weight on me.

"Stop!?" I exclaimed. I focused my attention to the sky above, commanding the clouds to prepare a bolt so powerful it would vaporize whoever held me down. "This is what my father wanted, right!? End this war at ALL COST. Right!?"

"Jason," The warrior said in a soft, yet stern tone, their voice familiar. "Please stop and let me in."

Random visions played in my mind, Reyna cutting my hair for the first time. Then it shifted to the day I saved Medusa, when I looked her in the eyes and felt immense relief in saving her. The day when I vented to Gwen on the roof of the mess hall, feeling grateful that she allowed me the privilege.

"Stop!" I shouted, crying. "Why are you showing me this!? I'm trying to do what you WANT!"

I roared and the bolt of lightning came down from the clouds. The warrior was ready, they raised their sword to intercept. In the split second that they revealed themselves, I nearly had a heart attack.

It was Reyna. Instead of the bolt slamming into her blade and vaporizing her, I forced it to ricochet off the tip and blast in all directions. All the trees in our vicinity exploded in fire. Reyna wobbled and collapsed to my right. I stayed on my back, gasping heavily. Water droplets splattering on my face as the horrifying truth settled in.

I was going to kill Reyna, without a second thought.

****************
"I'm so sorry." Jason sobbed to my right while I laid on the ground trying to recover.

The bolt of lightning had sent a shock through my body, kind of like a really powerful electric zapper. After a few seconds, I could move my legs and arms again. Thankfully I hadn't passed out, or else I wouldn't have been able to calm down Jason.

He was incredulous. Sobbing uncontrollably, he pulled his hair and his armor straps hard. Rain had began to fall, calming the flames that burned around us.

Once I had regain my bearings, I was on top of Jason, trying to calm him. "Jason, look at me." I said, my voice hoarse from the lightning strike. "Hey, look at me." I continued, trying to remain calm.

Jason shook his head. "No, no, no, no. I had tried to kill you-you. Stay- Stay away." He said between fits of tears.

I shared my strength with him, relieved to feel all the hate in his heart had vanished. Max no longer had a grip on him, but I could feel deep black hole of grief settling in. I tried to stomp it out with happy memories.

"Jason." I said calmly, holding his face in my hands. "You need to listen to me. This fight is not over."

"No, no!" He exclaimed, his eyes avoiding my gaze. "I was going to kill you."

"Jason, pull yourself together." I ordered, my voice stern.

He started sobbing again. "I was going to- I was going to ki- I was going to-"

I slapped him, hard. "Hey! I'm still here airhead. Doesn't matter what you were going to do or wanted to do. You saw it was me and you stopped yourself! That's enough."

Jason blinked a few times as he tried to regain his composure. I cupped his face and pulled it closer to mine. "I forgive you Jason. You weren't in the right headspace, but we still need you. I still need you." 

"JASON!" Max's voice roared behind me, his voice louder then the thunder that boomed overhead.

I spun around while still crouching over Jason. Max stalked towards us, his right hand branishing a dagger. He looked terrible. His prateor cloaked had nearly burned away and his armor was dented and black with soot. He pulled the final flask on his belt and drank deeply. He threw it on the ground, his eyes closed. He opened his eyes and they glowed a ugly red color.

Prepared for his onsault on Jason's emotions, I shared my strength with Jason. Protecting him from Max's aura. My eyes burned a bright purple color. Max growled at my attempts to block him. "Your in the way, Reyna." He said, his voice low.

I stood up, staring into Max's eyes, trying to share my strength with him. Max sensed this, baring his teeth. "You think a few happy memories is going to change my mind? After all that I've done. After all that I've been through?"

I whistled sharply, Argentum and Aurum joining me at my side. I raised my hands. "I don't want to fight you, Max. And I know you don't want to either. I'm sorry."

Max raised an eyebrow, but I continued. "I'm sorry for not being there for you. You were there for me, every step of the way. But I failed to see that you were struggling with your own demons. I used you to dump all of my frustrations and fears and pain on you. I'm sorry."

Max took a step back. "Look around you, Reyna." He said and then raised his hands. His hands were bruised and covered in blood. "Look at these hands. The time for apologies are over. The time for reflection is over. There is nothing left to say. All we have left is what we do."

"Exactly," I said, cutting him off. " What we do is what counts. You can make this right, Max. There is still time."

He laughed, staring at his hand. He placed him on his face, still laughing. Suddenly, he cried out and raised his head. His face covered in blood and his eyes glowing with fury. "With hands as red as these, there is no going back. You should know this. The blood of your father stains your hands, Reyna. There is NO going back."

"Is that what Ben told you when you first came to camp." I countered, advancing towards Max with my hands still raised. "Is that what Ben saw in you?"

Max's eyes managed to glow an even uglier shade of red. "Keep his name out of your mouth."

"No!" I shouted. "What did he tell you!? Because from what I know, he took you under his wing. Protected you. Nurtured you. He was to you what you are to me. Always there, by your side. Listening to you. Encouraging you. Loving you!"

Max was prepared to argue further, and so was it, but we were cut short.

"YES! TREMBLE BEFORE ME! THE GREAT EPIMETHEUS!"

Epimetheus, titan of afterthought and excuses, towered over the landscape of the garden. The rocky structures of the Garden could only reach his chest. The skyscraper sized titan wore (outfit he wore in earlier chapter).

A horrid aura of sadness spread across the valley. It was so powerful, I wanted to curly up into a ball next to Jason and cry. But I steeled myself, using my power to fight back. 

I turned to Max, who stared at the titan, awestruck. "Max. You were played. Camp Halfblood was never the enemy. This is what Saturn wanted. Pit us against each other and then slaughter the survivors. Do you understand!?"

Max fell to one knee, staring at Epimetheus while he flexed his biceps. "Ben.... Ben told me it was the only way." Max said. "I.... I heard him. He told me camp half-blood was the enemy."

I shook my head. "Did Ben only speak to you in your mind? When he spoke, did it feel like a blade cutting through your thoughts, forcing you to focus on him and him alone?"

Ben stared at me, wide eyed. He nodded, shocked I described the sensation so perfectly. "That was Saturn." I explained. "He's been in my head before. Jason's too."

Max turned his attention to his hands and then shook his head. "No.... No, No, No. This is not right. He spoke so clearly. He knew things about me no one else knew. That can't be true."

A powerful roar from Epimetheus distracted us again. The titan started swiping his arms around, as if trying to kill a fly. I swallowed and focused my attention on Jason, who stared up into the sky, emotionless. I forced him onto his feet, sharing my strength with him. With Jason right arm over my shoulder, I turned my attention back to Max, who continued staring at his hands. 

"Max." I said. "I'm going to fight for our camps. Save who I can. You said it yourself; what we do next is what defines us. Are you going to help me?"

Max stared at his hands, ignoring me. I hoisted up Jason and commanded my golden wings to spread behind me. I focused my attention to Agrentum and Aurum, who stared at Max like statues. "Both of you, keep an eye on him and you ears perched. I might need you."

Both dogs barked quickly, acknowledging my request. I turned my attention to the garden, Jason leaning on me with all of his weight. I took a deep breath. "Endure." I said to myself and took off into the sky.