XLIII JASON

Jason engages Enceladus, relying on speed and precision to offset the giant’s size. He scores minor hits that draw ichor, but the battlefield turns against him as Gaea strengthens the ground, making Jason heavy and sluggish while smoke and heat sap his strength.

Amid distant chaos from Leo and Piper’s fight, Enceladus adapts to Jason’s tactics and grows more enraged. Taunting Jason, the giant reveals knowledge of Jason’s Roman identity and past glories—leading an assault on Mount Othrys and killing the Titan Krios—triggering flashes of recognition Jason can’t fully recall.

Jason tries to keep Enceladus focused on him to buy time for his friends. He attempts a feint and back attack, but the earth aids Enceladus, who counters with unexpected agility. Their weapons clash; Enceladus’s spear meets Jason’s javelin, which explodes in a blinding detonation that fuses the ground into a glassy crater.

Stunned and drained, Jason finds himself weaponless at the crater’s rim. Enceladus, only staggered, laughs off the blast. As Jason struggles to rise, the giant leaps across the pit and levels his spear over Jason’s chest, declaring him a sacrifice to Gaea and poised to deliver the killing blow.