Emilia smelled eucalyptus.

It was a familiar scent that never quite left. Her aunt had a lot of home remedies that consisted of eucalyptus, and Emilia always knew when she was sick because the entire kitchen would smell of strange leafy mixtures.

As she blinked, she became aware that she was sitting outside a sidewalk café on a sunny morning. At the other tables, a mix of bicyclists, business people, and college kids sat chatting and drinking coffee. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottle-brush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept.

"Mother!" cried Piper, making Emilia flinch. Jason, Leo, and Hedge woke up with a start, everyone just as confused.

Jason choked. "What are you wearing?"

Piper was in a turquoise dress with black leggings and black leather boots. She wore a silver charm bracelet and a snowboarding jacket. Even her hair was nicely done. "It's nothing– it's nothing."

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You're gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen."

"Hey, Leo," Jason nudged his arm. "You look at yourself recently?"

Leo was wearing pinstripe pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat. Piper giggled, "God, Leo, I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."

"Hey, shut up!" complained Leo.

"I think he looks good," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I look better."

Emilia did not agree. He was in a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-tone shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.

She felt very exposed in her new clothes. Usually, she liked wearing baggy everything. Her preference was black or dark green cargo pants (and sometimes wide-leg dark blue jeans) with some sort of dark long sleeve under a baggy t-shirt, usually of her favorite bands: Green Day, Muse, Linkin Park, Incubus, or Paramore.

Aphrodite had decided there was no room for shyness. Emilia had kept her green cargo pants, but now wore a black spaghetti-strap crop top tight to her figure, showing off her pale stomach. She instinctively crossed her arms over it, but as she moved her shoulders, felt her hair had been let loose, more perfectly curled than she had ever managed despite fighting with every last curl gel she had.

Pipe offered her dagger for her to look in the mirror, and saw that Aphrodite had really brought her hair to life. It looked... beautiful. And her eyes, she had never had anyone teach her to use makeup and at most would put mascara on her uncurled lashes. But Aphrodite had shown her that with curling, her eyelashes were thick and lengthy, and with a smidge of brown eyeliner, she looked more awake... more friendly. Could makeup really do that? Aphrodite made it look so easy.

"Crop top aside," said Emilia quietly, "this isn't so bad." At least the goddess had let her keep her combat boots.

"At least Aphrodite overlooked me," said Jason pleasantly. He still seemed different, now dressed in a clean purple T-shirt, jeans, new track shoes, and with his hair newly trimmed.

"Anyway," said Piper uncomfortably, "how did we get here?"

"Oh, that would be Mellie," said Hedge, chewing happily on his carnation. "Those winds shot us halfway across the country, 'd guess. We would've been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift– a nice soft breeze– cushioned our fall."

To Emilia, that sounded like Mellie might be dead, but no one else seemed to believe this. "And she got fired for us," noted Leo. "Man, we suck."

Hedge shrugged. "Ah, she'll be fine. Besides, she couldn't help herself. I've got that effect on nymphs. I'll send her a message when we're through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one aura I could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."

"More goats for the birria," said Emilia under her breath as Piper changed the subject and offered coffee.

This definitely got Hedge to focus on something else. "Coffee! I love coffee."

Jason called their attention back. "Um, but– money? Our packs?" He glanced down at Piper's prompting, their packs at their feet. Piper even found a wad of cash in her coat pocket. Leo whistled approvingly and they ordered their drinks (Hedge himself downed six double espressos).

Emilia sipped on a matcha latte as they assessed the situation. They were at Café Verve in Walnut Creek on the morning of December 21st, which gave them three hours until Enceladus's deadline. Mount Diablo was visible on the horizon, seemingly peaceful.

Leo slowly withdrew the old crayon drawing Aeolus gave him, depicting a ship. "What is that?" asked Piper. He folded it up and put it away. "Nothing. You don't want to see my kindergarten artwork.

"It's more than that," guessed Jason. "Aeolus said it was the key to our success."

Leo shook his head. "Not today. He was talking about... later. Trust me. Now– what's our game plan?"

"Climb the mountain," said Hedge, chewing on the napkins and another flower from the vase on the table. "Kill everything except Piper's dad. Leave."

"Too simple," said Emilia, thinking aloud. "We need a detailed battle plan but we know nothing about what's up there. Enceladus is already risen, Gaea is behind all this, obviously she wants to destroy Olympus and all the gods... Gaea was the reason Kronos killed Ouranos. She sired the giants just to try and destroy Olympus again after the gods overthrew the Titans. She's strong enough to reach out despite being dormant, strong enough to try and bring back Porphyrion, strong enough to keep monsters from dying... look, I dealt with Kronos and if we're about to deal with another one of Gaea's sons, we need to be prepared for anything. To be tricked, to be ambushed, to be pitted against each other. I don't even know where to start with a plan. I guess the most important thing is not to split up."

"Guys," said Piper in a small voice. "I can't ask you to do this. This is too dangerous."

"You kidding?" said Hedge, belching. "Who's ready to beat stuff up?"

They ended up taking a taxi because Emilia wasn't strong enough to shadow travel all of them, especially not during the day and especially not without eating a heavy meal and taking a three-hour nap afterward. The taxi couldn't take them all the way to the top because of a chain blocking their way, and even then the wheels sunk into the road like it was made of quicksand, as if Gaea was messing with them.

The view from the mountain was incredible. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns– grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools.

"That's Concord," observed Jason expertly, pointing north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way..." He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"You know this area pretty well," observed Emilia. He sounded like a Bay Area native. "Have you been here before?"

"Yes... no." He sighed, disappointed. "It just seems important."

"That's Titan land," said Coach Hedge, nodding toward the west and side-eyeing Emilia. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

"It's not so bad over there," said Emilia defensively as Hedge snorted. "There aren't titans in San Francisco anymore."

They kept moving toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. Emilia's feet felt heavy the entire time as the earth tried to grab their shoes, attempting to swallow them and prevent them from reaching their destination. Emilia was glad for the crop-top, because otherwise she would've sweated through everything she wore and probably burned alive. Leo fiddled with his hands the whole way, Jason looked ahead uncertainly, Piper seemed ready to pass out.

They were almost there and Emilia still had no idea what to do. It was too bright outside for her to summon shadows as easily as she had with Lycaon. Forming a shadow blade would be more difficult and would probably take a lot out of her. Trying to do away with discord would not be simple, either. She'd have to rely on her physical abilities only, but how the hell was she supposed to fight a giant? The Titans had been large enough.

Finally, Jason crouched behind a wall of rock and encouraged the others to do the same. Coach Hedge complained about getting his outfit dirty, but Piper managed to shush him before Emilia slapped him across the face.

Just over the ridge where they were hiding, in the shadow of the mountain's final crest, was a forested depression about the size of a football field, where the giant Enceladus had set up camp.

Trees had been cut down to make a towering purple bonfire. The outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment. There was something that resembled a crane with rotating blades, maybe a tree harvester, and a long metal column with an ax blade, like a sideways guillotine. What this equipment had to do with Enceladus, Emilia didn't understand.

Enceladus was enormous and horrible. He was at least thirty feet tall, and he stared intently at the purple bonfire before him, circling it and chanting under his breath. From the waist up he appeared humanoid, his muscular chest clad in bronze armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were ripped— each of his biceps probably bigger than Emilia. His skin was bronze but sooty with ash. His face was crudely shaped, like a half finished clay figure, but his eyes glowed white, and his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down to his shoulders, braided with bones.

From the waist down he was even worse. His legs were scaly green, with claws instead of feet— like the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand he held a spear the size of a flagpole. Every so often he dipped its tip in the fire, turning the metal molten red.

"Okay," whispered Hedge. "Here's the plan—"

Leo elbowed him. "You're not charging him alone!"

"Aw, c'mon."

Piper choked back a sob. "Look." Just visible on the other side of the bonfire was a man tied to a post. His head slumped like he was unconscious. Piper whispered hoarsely, "Dad."

"I can shadow-travel you two out of here and maybe I could still have the strength to come back," said Emilia quietly. "Especially if Jason potentially creates enough of a storm to darken the sky."

"To do that, we need a distraction," said Hedge quietly. "There's five of us and only one of him."

"Did you miss the fact that he's thirty feet tall?" asked Leo.

"Okay," said Hedge. "So you, me, Emilia, and Jason distract him. Piper sneaks around and frees her dad. Then Emilia can go and shadow travel them away."

They all turned to Jason for confirmation, making him blink. "What? I'm not the leader."

"Yes," said Piper. "You are."

Jason sighed. "Okay. Well, I hate to say it, but Coach Hedge is right. A distraction is our best chance."

Leo narrowed his eyes. "Let's boogie before I come to my senses."

As soon as the girls had tied their hair back, Piper scrambled along the ridge first, keeping her head down as the others walked straight into the clearing. Jason summoned his golden lance while Emilia lifted Incubo in the air, the four of them approaching Enceladus directly.

He didn't seem to be expecting them. Maybe he thought they'd have gone for Hera first. "What a nice surprise."

Coach Hedge shouted unhelpfully, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant my hoof right up your–"

What a terrible way to bring attention to the captive. Enceladus would probably notice Piper wasn't with them now. The giant roared with laughter, "I've forgotten how funny satyrs are. When we rule the world, I think I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me while I eat all the other mortals."

"Is that a compliment?" Hedge frowned at Leo and Emilia. "I don't think I was a compliment."

"You are so stupid," said Emilia flatly.

"SCATTER!" yelled Leo.

Enceladus had opened his mouth, blowing a column of fire at it. Jason and Hedge dove left while Leo and Emilia dove right behind the bulldozer. She sat up as Leo dropped a device onto the driver's seat then scrambled toward the tree harvester.

She stood and followed Jason as he charged at the giant. Coach Hedge joined them, his club raised. But before they could get too close, Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground, the entire mountain shaking. Emilia managed to jump and keep herself from stumbling too hard alongside a staggering Jason. Unfortunately, he managed to run into her and the two fell anyway. Coach Hedge had been knocked out cold as he fell headfirst into a log.

The giant bellowed, "I see you, Piper McLean!" As Emilia and Jason struggled to recover, Enceladus blew fire at a line of bushes. Piper ran into the clearing like a flushed quail, the underbrush burning behind her. He laughed, "I'm happy you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes!" He looked at Leo. "That's right, son of Hephaestus. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"

Emilia could see Tristan McLean more clearly. He wore a ragged dress shirt and torn slacks. His bare feet were caked with mud. He wasn't completely unconscious, because he lifted his head and groaned. Emilia did sort of recognize him. Maybe she'd seen an advertisement for one of his movies. He called out to Piper weakly, but Enceladus wouldn't let him go unless she swore her loyalty to him. As if he'd ever keep that promise, as if she'd ever betray them.

Emilia didn't realize how much she'd come to trust Piper until this moment when she was more sure than she'd ever been that Piper would not let them die. She was completely certain that Piper would be a hero, that she would do everything in her power to make sure they all got out alive.

"Oh, come now," bellowed Enceladus when she didn't respond. "You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us giants with a specific purpose, designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena's nemesis, the anti-Athena, you might say. Compared to some of my brethren– I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"

Enceladus roared, so loud it echoed down the valley. At the edge of the woods, half a dozen ogre-like creatures rose out of the earth. The ogres shuffled forward, each about seven feet tall and with six arms. "Gegenees," shouted Emilia, annoyed, as she and Jason prepared to attack. "The Earthborn. They fought the first Jason and they hate anyone with that name."

"You see, Piper," said Enceladus, "you have a choice. Save your father, or ah, try to save your friends and face certain death."

Piper stepped forward, eyes blazing with rage. She called to the Earthborn, who backed away, "You will not take the people I love. None of them." Her words rippled across the clearing with such force, the Earthborn muttered stupidly and began to retreat.

"Stand your ground, fools!" bellowed Enceladus. He snarled at Piper, "This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish. Earth-born! I will show you Jason." He pointed to Tristan McLean. "There is Jason. Tear him apart."

Jason glanced at all of them, and in an instant, Emilia simply knew what they each had to do. Piper rushed to her father, Leo dashed toward the machines, Jason charged at Enceladus, and Emilia stood her ground, churning shadows as fast as she could into a series of blades. As Leo sent the crane into the burning logs to smash the Earthborn, she sent the dark bolts toward the ones closest to Piper and her father, slicing into them and sending them funneling back into the ground.

Leo could handle the rest, there weren't too many anymore. Feeling heavy, Emilia grabbed her spear again and charged after Jason, who was dodging his massive spear and blasts of fire breath. Emilia swirled her spear over her head, forming another bolt that she shot right at Enceladus's throat, leaving him unable to summon fire and opening him for an attack from Jason.

She had to hand it to him, Jason was very quick and was doing a good job of wearing down Enceladus. He rolled and pierced as Emilia joined from the other side, the giant bleeding golden ichor down his foot. He swung his spear at them but Emilia caught it with her own, just long enough for Jason to dodge a strike before she abruptly threw herself back and let Enceladus's own momentum destabilize him.

"I'm not some minor monster!" bellowed Enceladus furiously. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold and iron toothpicks can't kill me."

Both Emilia and Jason were already tired. Jason was coughing, Emilia was pale, the sun beat down over them while small fires burned where Enceladus's fire had managed to incinerate the mounds of leaves and grass.

Jason motioned for them to retreat slightly, and Enceladus taunted, "The mighty Jason Grace. Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."

Emilia knew what Enceladus was going to do a moment before he did it. Jason was taken aback by the statement and didn't react fast enough as Enceladus opened his mouth. She flung the shadows in his direction, barely managing to throw him out of the way before a blast of fire caught him over his back.

She stumbled, even more exhausted. "And you, daughter of Eris," said Enceladus menacingly as Jason struggled to get back to his feet. She'd flung him so hard, she must've almost knocked the wind out of him. "You were once the most devoted pawn of the Titan Kronos, you worshiped him and you would've done anything to give him Olympus. Why do you fight alongside these measly heroes? These children? My mother would give you all the things you want and more. You and your mother would be revered as you should be. You'll have more than a throne at Kronos's side. You'll have a whole kingdom once we take Olympus."

Jason was back on his feet. Emilia followed him as he began to approach Enceladus. At the last second, Jason faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. He came up quickly but Enceladus caught him, sweeping his spear sideways and shattering his javelin with the force of a shotgun blast. The explosion knocked Jason off his feet and made Emilia stagger back, barely missing the edge of a crater that formed at Enceladus's feet.

The javelin's destruction released so much energy, it blasted a perfect cone-shaped pit thirty feet deep, fusing the dirt and rock into a slick glassy substance. She stumbled to Jason, catching him before he could fall in. His clothes steamed, he had no weapon, and Emilia was pretty sure both of them needed time to recover before they could make another attack.

Enceladus raised his spear over them. "And now... my first sacrifices to Gaea!"

Behind them, Leo yelled, "Heads up!" A large black metal wedge slammed into Enceladus, tossing him into the pit.

"Jason!" cried Piper. "Emilia!" Her voice carried a force, it seemed to strengthen them. "Get up!" She reached them and had Emilia help her in lifting Jason up. "Nobody is dying on me."

Leo stood over a piece of construction equipment– a long cannon-like thing with a single massive piston, the edge broken clean off. The ax edge had embedded itself in Enceladus's armor, but he managed to pull it free, yelling in pain.

"Good try," said the giant with a wince, retrieving his spear. "But I cannot be beaten." The ichor stopped flowing out of his chest, and slowly the rest of his injuries began to heal.

Leo cursed. "What is it with this guy? Die, already!"

"My fate is preordained," said Enceladus. "Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes."

"We need both of them," said Emilia, turning to the others. "One of our godly parents needs to help us." And I already know one of them won't be mine.

Of course not, you idiot girl. Have you forgotten what I taught you? The gods do not care about you. They will let you die. Bow and serve or you will die.

"Leo," said Jason suddenly. "If you've got a rope in that tool belt, get it ready. Emilia, I need your spear."

Will you hand over your weapon? Will you trust him with your life? You're a fool if you say 'yes' to either question.

She didn't think she had a choice and she realized the answer was yes. Jason clearly had a plan. She shoved Incubo into his hand and immediately, he leapt at the giant. "Enceladus!" yelled Piper. "Look behind you!"

Despite how obvious it was, Enceladus turned, allowing Jason to tackle his legs, slamming him into the bottom of the crater. Jason reached his shoulders and held the spear around the giant's neck, preventing him from rising. He scrambled around before Enceladus could grab him and raised the spear as the sun disappeared overhead, a storm forming.

"HIT THE DECK!" yelled Jason.

They threw themselves to the ground as lightning surged into Enceladus. Emilia was sure Jason hadn't summoned that bolt– Zeus or Jupiter had come to his aid. The crater cracked open, the bolt splitting the mountain itself. Emilia shielded Leo and Piper with her body as the earth tore apart, Enceladus's legs sliding into the chasm. Jason was thrown into the clear, far enough that Enceladus couldn't reach him as he gripped the edge.

"You've won nothing, boy!" he snarled. "My brothers are rising, and they are ten times as strong as I. we will destroy the gods at their roots! You will die, and Olympus will die with–"

Emilia flung a shadow out to grab Jason before he could slip toward the rift as Enceladus lost his grip and fell into the crevice. She held him long enough for Piper and Leo to pull Jason up, out of danger. They stood together, exhausted and terrified, as the chasm closed like an angry mouth. The ground stopped pulling at their feet.

"Thank you," said Jason breathlessly, handing her spear back to her. "You saved me. We... made it."

They had. Emilia had never realized being part of a team could feel so good. She never realized how nice it was to trust people.

"Thanks to Leo," she said shyly, the praise foreign. "He was brilliant with those machines."

"Piper's charmspeak gets better each time," offered Leo.

"Both of you were so brave," said Piper, smiling at Jason and Emilia.

Do you really believe them?

Yes. She did.