IV.

FESTUS LOSES HIS HEAD(AGAIN)

Before we begin, let me clarify a few things in this rare pre-story AN.

The tuth is, I am torn between two camps of fans. The PJO fans and the FSN fans. So I'm going to clear things onceand for all.

No, I did not nerfed anyone. I respected every character's skills, and rest assured they are what they should be in this timeline and universe. And this chapter should, hopefully, prove that.

With that said, I will admit I had intentionally made Rin a little OOC last chapter. I was hoping to make it more humorous, but obviously my plan failed. Sorry for that.

Hopefully, this chapter will make up for it.

Arturia often took pride in her capabilities.

She had been in a lot of battles already. As the king of Britain for a decade, she had led a dozen campaigns against invaders and rebels. Her army did not know defeat, her knights as valiant as she was. Every time the flag of Britain would wave, her enemies felt only two things in their feeble hearts: awe and terror. During her reign, she had defended her country with unwavering resolve and bravery, never backing down from a challenge. Anyone who tried to destroy the peace and prosperity she had built over the years, she and her Knights of the Round Table would cut them all down until they surrender or die.

The King of Knights had never been truly afraid in battle. She was trained and taught by a skilled knight, and no ordinary weapon could match Excalibur in power. Avalon gave her near-immortality and fast regeneration, which was why she no longer aged after taking the throne. More than that, she had fought in so many battles that her experience, combined with her Servant body, gave her so much power that she was able to fight against the strongest demigod.

And yet she was not prepared for this kind of situation.

It was foolish of her going after Rin like that; she should have just restrained her, saving them from a great deal of trouble. And it was even more foolish of them to hold a demigod captive. They should have expected that he was not alone in the world.

And therein lay the problem: they didn't know. They didn't know that demigods still existed, and that they had powers equal to Magi. Back in her days, Arturia had only thought of them as mere legends. She remembered vaguely that Merlin mentioned them sometimes, but she never payed much attention. The fool often rambled and spoke nonsense. Besides, she never truly trusted him after that incident when he manipulated her body to become a man for a brief period of time.

Now she really wished she did listened to his stories. Faced with more than two dozen demigods, some of whom felt just as strong and dangerous as that Nico, she was certain that she would have a hard time protecting Rin and Shirou. If only she was by herself, then she could unleash all her power and destroy them in seconds.

But no, that would be foolish of her as well. A quick scan of her surroundings told her that they were in a room, likely a dining hall if the tables and food were anything to judge by, that had little space for maneuvering. Circular windows lined one side of the walls, giving her a view of a bustling city and… was that Eiffel Tower in the distance? She could also see cruise ships and smaller boats, passing by in a leisurely speed.

The river Seine. Which meant that they were in a ship. If that's the case, she could break past the enemies and create an escape route for Rin and Shirou. However, that would require precise timing. The room was not exactly suitable for combat.

"Um, guys? Who are these people?"

Arturia fixed her eyes to the source of the voice in an instant. Tall, blonde just like her, with pale blue eyes that gazed at her cautiously behind a gold-rimmed eyeglasses. The boy wore an orange shirt and purple jeans, and in his right arm was the same tattoo she had seen on the other two demigods a few minutes ago, albeit with an eagle symbol. He had a dangerous aura around him, and more than that, there was an air of authority which Arturia was all too familiar with.

"Jason," groaned Nico. To Arturia's left, the boy was being helped up by his sister while the other boy, Frank, stood protectively over them.

"Nico, what—"

"They held me hostage!"

Arturia instinctively raised her sword as three dozen pairs of eyes bore on her. Their intense gazes almost made her act, but she held her ground. Attacking rashly would do no good, and she didn't like the look of some of them. She prioritized at least three whom she had to strike down first if ever a fight ensued.

The first one was a boy of about nineteen with messy black hair. Arturia recognized a troublemaker when she saw one; after all, Camelot had its fair share of troublemaking knights and wizards. However, the boy was different; he radiated power. He was like a calm ocean just waiting to be unleashed as a hurricane at a moment's notice. Moreover, his sea-green eyes held a strange gaze. It was as if he had seen everything, even Hell itself.

The next one was a cinnamon-brown haired girl. Sixteen? Seventeen? Arturia could not exactly tell her age. She looked young, but her almond-shaped eyes told a different story. It belonged to a person who had experienced a lot in her life. Arturia recognized that look. She often saw it whenever she looked in a mirror.

Her eyes flicked to the last one on her list, and she tightened her grip on Excalibur.

Blonde hair and storm-grey eyes. She stood beside the boy who smelled like the sea, and Arturia could tell that of everyone in the room, she was the most dangerous. It was the way she gazed at her and Shirou, like she was also prioritizing them in her own list of who to eliminate first, calculating how strong they were and forming countermeasures to defeat them. Arturia knew right then that she was looking at a war strategist, one who had faced as many battles as she did.

"Hostage?" the blonde girl said slowly. "Nico, what's the meaning of this? Where have you really been?"

By now, their sense of surprise had completely vanished, replaced with alarm and caution. Out of the corner of her vision, Arturia saw Shirou standing in front of Rin, who was moaning in pain. Their girlfriend had a purple bruise on her forehead where she had hit the table.

"It's true!" said Hazel as she dragged her brother away. "These, um, I don't really know who they are. But Father said they had Nico. So he told me and Frank to rescue him." She shot Rin an apologetic look. "I had to use the Mist to manipulate her mind… a bit."

"Just a bit?" asked a Hispanic boy standing beside the girl with the almond-shaped eyes.

"I made her go a little crazy over a sea of illusionary gems," Hazel answered sheepishly. Several of them whistled in awe. Meanwhile, another boy approached them in haste and inspected Nico.

"Are you alright, Nico? What did they to you?" he asked in concern. He had blond hair and blue eyes like Jason, though Arturia could tell they were not related. This one looked laid back and gentle, while Jason was like one of those ancient Roman emperors and commanders: a leader and a fighter.

"I'm fine, Will," Nico grumbled. "I just almost got dissected, but I'm fine."

"You almost got what?" Will flashed Arturia an angry look, along with the rest of his friends. "What did you do to my Nico?"

Arturia tensed. In a firm voice, she said, "Please, let us go. This is all just a mistake." She hated pleading and lying to her enemies just to escape harm, but she had Rin and Shirou to protect.

"Uh, lady with the weird dress armor and holding the air like a sword?" the Hispanic boy said. "Why are you acting like we did something to you? Aren't you people the ones who just appeared on my ship with our friends? And Nico said you took him hostage?" His eyes gleamed dangerously.

"This is just a mistake!" said Shirou quickly. Arturia heard the rising alarm in his voice. "My girlfriend was just paranoid at the time, so she thought your friend was an enemy. But we didn't mean to hurt him!"

Rin smacked him in the arm. "I'm not paranoid, you idiot!" she cried in Japanese.

"Let me guess, Nico," said the Hispanic boy. "You accidentally shadow traveled in Japan this time?"

"London, actually," said Nico before he doubled over and vomited on the floor. He passed out a minute later. Some of the demigods cried and rushed to him. Others cast dark looks toward Arturia.

The blonde girl stepped forward. "What did you do to our friend?" Her voice had an edge to it.

Arturia tried to remain calm. "As my friend have said, this is all a mistake. We didn't mean to—"

"You expect us to believe that?" The girl arced an eyebrow. She stared at her for a moment, examining her. Arturia felt the girl's eyes scrutinizing every part of her body. Her gaze lingered for a while on her hands. Finally the girl said, "You're not human."

Arturia bit back a curse. The girl was smart. "Maybe," the knight shrugged. "But then so are you people."

While she was saying this, Arturia racked her brains for a plan to escape. She could not attack unless the demigods did first since that would place Rin and Shirou in danger. In a situation like this where a person was outnumbered ten to one, being on the defense would be the key to victory. Plus, Rin was still disoriented. If she could stall for time, the magus could recover and come up with an idea, increasing their chance of survival.

Unfortunately, fate seemed to have its own plan. Just as Arturia was about to keep talking, a girl near the back of the group gasped. "Impossible! Don't tell me… Oh my gods, you're a Servant!" She pointed behind Arturia. "Then that means those two are Magi!" Confusion rippled among her friends.

A cold dread began to form in the pit of Arturia's stomach. The girl was tall and dark-haired, with green eyes that stared at her in both shock and fear. Much like the others, Arturia sensed vast amounts of prana inside her. That did not bode well. If the girl knew about Magi and Servants, then these group was far more dangerous than she had thought.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Arturia lied once more. She was starting to hate herself. A knight, especially a king, never lied.

"Lou, do you know who are these people?" the blonde girl asked.

The girl known as Lou swallowed hard. "Yes… B-But I can't tell you guys anything unless Mother say so. All children of Hecate who knew about them have sworn an oath in the Styx to keep it a secret." She took a deep breath. "All I can say is they're dangerous, especially that one in the armor. And they can't know about us."

The temperature in the room dropped. All eyes returned their attention to Arturia, and this time there was determination in them.

"Lou," the blonde girl asked in a calm voice, "can you and the Hypnos cabin erase their memories?"

The answer came in a second. "Yes."

"Good." The girl drew a bronze dagger. "Sorry. Whoever you guys are, you hurt our friend and you know about us. We can't let you leave." Around her, the others began drawing weapons until Arturia was facing thirty heavily armed teenagers. Most with swords, some with spears and bows, even a flaming hammer.

Needless to say, the situation was not looking good.

Behind Arturia, Shirou cursed. "Saber…"

The Servant nodded. She knew what to do. They had trained for this before, after one of their missions in Africa where they were almost devoured by a horde of undead. She just didn't expect history to repeat in this manner.

Without hesitation, Arturia willed her blade to reveal itself.

The next couple of minutes went in a blur, even for her trained mind. After unleashing

Invisible Air, the room was engulfed in a vicious wind. Tables and food were sent flying, and the demigods yelled as they were pushed back. Their shots missed, and flames were extinguished. Windows shattered and the door was blasted apart from its hinges, the entire ship rumbling in protest. In Arturia's hands, Excalibur shone in all its glory.

However, one demigod stood unaffected: the one they call Jason. He stood like a pillar of rock against a hurricane, the wind parting before him. His eyes sparked, and in his right hand he held a gladius. "Stop!" he yelled and charged.

Before he could get close, a large tower shield materialized in front of him. Artura smiled as she heard a yelp followed by a loud thud. More shields appeared out of thin air, forming a protective half-circle and dividing the room in two.

Without wasting a moment, Arturia turned and sliced a good size of the wall before grabbing Rin by her waist, which made the magus shrieked in surprise. Shirou lowered his arms, his face grim. "Go. I'll follow soon."

Arturia nodded and stood at the opening she had created. In front of her, the road was fifty-feet away. She would have to jump and cross the water.

"Saber, what—" Before Rin could finish her sentence, Arturia used Prana Burst and shot forward like an arrow, landing on the river Siene and sprinting along the surface while holding a very terrified Rin in her arms.

It only took her a few seconds to reach the streets. Arturia leapt into the pavement, startling several pedestrians, and kept running. She knew the rules of the Mage Association, but now was not the time for subtlety. They were being pursued by hostile enemies, and she did not want to know what they would do if the demigods captured Rin or her. From what she knew of gods, it was that most of them were not exactly kind and forgiving.

Finally she spotted a quiet and small park dotted with trees and dominated by a fountain in the center. No one was around, so she took it as a good sign and ran to a bench where she deposited a white-faced Rin.

"Is it over, Saber? Are we safe?" she asked in a weak voice. Her eyes were close, and she trembled from shock.

Arturia scanned the area. Except for a few birds chirping in their nests, they were alone in the park. The nearest street was a hundred yards to the left, blocked by a line of elm trees. "Yes, Rin. We're safe now." Hopefully.

Slowly, Rin opened her eyes. "Oh good. I think I left my stomach back in that ship." Then she covered her mouth for a second before throwing up in the grass at her feet.

Careful not to step on the disgusting puddle, Arturia rubbed her girlfriend in the back with her free hand as Rin disgorged her breakfast. She felt bad about placing Rin in such a state, but she had no choice. If she had not crossed the water while carrying the young magus, they would still be stuck in the ship.

When Rin was finished emptying her stomach, she straightened up and wiped her lips with the sleeves of her shirt. She looked better now, though her face was still pale and shaken.

"You alright?" Arturia asked.

"Yes." Rin nodded. She glanced around the park. "Do you think they'll follow us?"

"I don't know." Arturia shook her head. "But we have to prepare for the worst. Once Shirou is here, we'll find a place to hide. We're too vulnerable here." Even as she said this, her grip around Excalibur tightened. Every muscle in her body was screaming at her to run, yet she didn't see any sign of danger.

"That idiot better hurry up," Rin muttered. She stared down with disgust at the puddle between her feet. "Saber, can we find another bench to sit?"

Arturia looked around for a moment. Near the fountain was a row of benches. "Alright." She nodded.

"Thanks." Rin stood up. Still in her armor, Arturia followed her, keeping an eye out for enemies. Halfway toward their destination, it just occurred to her that the birds had stopped chirping. Overheard, the sky churned while a gust of wind blocked their path.

She realized it too late. Before she could react, a boy dropped down from the sky in front of them.

Jason scowled. "And where do you think you two are going?"

It was easy to find them.

Jason owed it all to Lou Ellen. As a daughter of Hecate, she was naturally sensitive to magic. Right after the strange and dangerous lady knight left with the other woman, Lou helped in tracking them down. Jason and a few others immediately pursued them. They were not really planning to hurt the two women; they were still mortals, and it was a taboo for demigods to harm one.

But he'd be damned if they did not want payback. They held Nico hostage. They tried to harm their friend. Worse they wrecked the newly built Argo III, which made Leo really angry. And an angry Leo was a dangerous Leo.

So while their resident Repair Boy rushed off to chase down that red-haired man who could frigging summon shields and swords from out of nowhere, Jason flew in the sky.

Lou warned them of how dangerous their opponents were, and he believed every word of it. The knight was different from any other being he had faced before. Her aura was strong, much stronger than Percy. Heck, one look at her and Jason knew she was nothing like the enemies he had already fought.

For one, there was her sword which, when wrapped in wind, was invisible to the eye. He had never heard of any powers like that before. And when he tried it on his own weapon, it failed spectacularly and almost sent him plummeting on the asphalt. A total embarrassing moment for a son of Jupiter.

It did not take long to track them down in a park. While hovering several hundred feet in the air, Jason noticed how the knight's sword was back to being invisible. He still could not forget how she summoned a strong gust of wind without any effort, which he knew it came from her weapon rather than within herself, nor the golden brilliance once she had revealed it. Compared to his gladius, her sword was much prettier and looked deadlier.

He waited for them to lower their guard. And when they started to move, he dropped down from the sky with a scowl.

"And where do you think you two are going?"

The women froze. The lady knight moved in front of the her friend, shielding her. Judging by her stance, she was more than ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Please. Let us go."

Jason noted the steel in her voice and how her jade-green eyes glinted as she spoke. He realized she would kill him without hesitation, and fought the urge to swallow hard. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Now that you know about us, we can't let you go."

The knight's expression hardened. "And if we refuse to cooperate?"

In response, Jason flipped his gladius in the air. It landed back in his hands as a five-feet long pilum. "Then we have no choice but to take you with us by force."

To his surprise, the woman smiled. "You think you can beat me, demigod?" Beside her, the Japanese woman hissed a warning.

"Saber!"

Jason did not know if that was the knight's name or a secret code word, but he had more pressing matters to focus on. Like how his backup was running late. "I can beat you," he said with such confidence that he wanted to believe it himself. The truth? He knew his chances were extremely low.

Saber shifted her stance. "Then why don't we try it?" she said before launching herself toward him.

Jason wanted to say he managed to defend himself just fine. In reality, he almost died within the first three seconds. The woman was too fast! She struck with the speed of a snake, the grace of a ballerina, and the force of a full-grown Cyclops. Jason could barely parry her blows, and he fought until his arms grew numb from the force of their duel.

He almost got decapitated by a swing, but he quickly rolled out of the way. When he came back up, Saber was already in front of him, her hands in the middle of a thrusting motion.

With a yelp, Jason jumped and flew a hundred feet into the sky, his eyes wide in fear. Gods of Olympus, he almost got skewered! How could she moved that fast? Before he could process how she did it, the woman leapt after him with impossible speed and strength.

The son of Jupiter yelled and swerved a dozen feet to the left, avoiding the slash that would have bisected him in the stomach. He watched as Saber landed back on the ground without any effort. She definitely could not fly, but her jump was powerful enough to make it look like she could. He did not know any demigod who could do that.

He changed his weapon back into sword mode. Fighting her in close combat was dangerous, so he switched tactics. Climbing higher in the sky until his opponents were no bigger than his fingernails, Jason raised his gladius.

The sky rumbled and a bolt of lightning struck his sword. He redirected it below him where he was certain Saber was standing. It lanced toward her, crackling. To his horror, Saber simply flicked her invisible sword and deflected the lightning toward a nearby tree. It struck the trunk with a loud crack, and the tree went up in flames like a large bonfire.

Jason gaped. His lightning was deflected just like that. Only a few had been able to perform such a feat, most were Titans and Giants. Who was this scary woman?

He did not have time to ponder Saber's identity. Below him he saw what looked like a black sphere streaking toward him. It seemed to have came from the Japanese woman. He dived to avoid, but more came shooting past him. It was like a gun, except this was more deadlier. He had confirmed that when he parried one with his sword and sent it flying toward the base of a tree where it punched a fist-sized hole through the bark.

Cursing under his breath, Jason dove back to solid ground. Flying was no longer an option; he would simply get shot down like a World War II fighter plane. At least here on the earth, he could plan his movements carefully. He could use Saber as a shield so her friend would not be able to shot at him.

This time Jason took the initiative and charged. Saber intercepted him in the blink of an eye, and the two began a morbid dance of golden sword and empty air. He parried, blocked, and deflected blow after blow. The air around them vibrated from the intensity of their duel, and with every swing of their weapons the ground shook, sending tufts of grass flying. Jason tried to counterattack with feints only to be repelled by Saber's faster reflexes. He could tell the woman was more skilled with the sword.

As the fight dragged on, his arms grew tired and his sword felt like lead weight. His movements slowed until he could no longer evade a slash. He acquired numerous cuts throughout his arms until he looked like he had been mauled by the karpoi, Peaches. He was beginning to lose the battle. Until at last Saber sent him flying back with a powerful kick to the navel.

Jason landed twenty feet away, coughing up blood. He stood up groaning, but his legs buckled and he collapsed on one knee. His body was sore and his arms were trembling so much that he dropped his sword on the grass. He clutched his stomach, gasping at the pain. She must have broken a rib or two when she kicked him.

"Giving up now?" Saber taunted. Behind her, the other woman had her right hand pointed straight to him in the form of a finger gun. A black sphere hovered at the tip of his index finger.

Jason looked up and shook his head. "Sorry, but giving up is not my style." Then he grinned. He was facing the fountain while the women had their backs turned toward it, so they did not noticed the water rising in spirals and forming huge fists.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Saber.

Jason pointed behind her just as the water fists smashed into the knight and her friend. The Japanese woman screamed as she was thrown to the ground, shivering and sputtering. Saber seemed to be unharmed. The water then rose and swirled around the two like a barrier. Up in the sky, a giant eagle cried. As it flew overhead, someone jumped down and landed beside Jason with a frown, his bronze sword ready.

"How come you're not soaked in water?" Percy stared at Saber in confusion.

The knight smirked. "I'm protected by the Lady of the Lake," she replied. "You're powers will not affect me."

"Lady of the Lake, uh…" Percy shook his head. "Nope. Sorry, doesn't ring any bells." He glanced down at Jason and extended a hand. "You okay, bro?"

"Where the heck have you been, man?" Jason moaned as he hoisted himself up. "I almost got decapited, skewered, and bisected by that weird lady knight! She even managed to deflect my lightning!"

"No way!" The son of Poseidon stared in disbelief. "So both lightning and water doesn't work?"

"Yeah." Jason coughed again, spitting more blood. His sides burned. His chest heaving.

"Here." Percy pulled out an ambrosia square from his pocket and gave it to Jason.

"Thanks," the son of Jupiter said while munching on the godly food. He felt instantly re-energized, and the pain in his ribs subsided to a dull throb. "Where are the others?" he asked while watching their opponents. The two had not made any attempt to escape since Percy appeared.

Percy did not have to answer. No sooner had Jason uttered those words, Frank The Giant Eagle transformed into a dragon and roared in the air. An answering roar, loud and metallic, came from somewhere to the right as Festus appeared on the horizon and circled the park. To Jason's left a blur zoomed past in a trail of dust, and Arion reared with Hazel and Annabeth on his back, weapons drawn.

In the air, Leo's voice boomed as he shouted using a megaphone. "You two are now surrounded by the Awesome Demigod Squad! Surrender now or face the wrath of Captain Leo!"

More of their friends showed up. Clarisse in her electric spear; the Stoll brothers with swords at the ready; Dakota with his gladius in one hand and a bottle of Kool-Aid in the other, looking wild and excited. There were Katie and Miranda Gardner beside Lou Ellen, keeping the right flank secured. Gwen stood near the fountain, cutting off any escape route in that direction.

"The rest are still chasing the other one," explained Percy when Jason asked where was Piper. She was in the bathroom when the fight in the mess hall began. "And Hazel told us her illussion didn't work on that knight, so we guessed Piper's charmspeak won't either."

Jason nodded. Even if his girlfriend's powers worked, he did not want her to get caught in the battle. Not after finding out how dangerous their enemies were.

Annabeth dismounted Arion and joined Percy. She now wielded her drakon bone sword. "Lou said we have to capture them at all costs," she said. "And I agree with her. Whoever these people are, they made Hecate really agitated. We just received a personal message from her."

That did not bode well. If the goddess of magic actually talked to them herself, then the situation was far worse than Jason had first thought it was. "Did she said anything about how we can defeat her?" he pointed at Saber who stood protectively in front of her friend.

"Yeah," said Annabeth. "She said we all have to gang up and pray we survive." Her tone made it clear she disliked the plan more than Jason did.

Gang up on just one person? Jason wondered. Was the knight really that powerful that even a goddess was afraid they would not survive? "Well, I'm not gonna argue with that. But let's see first if we can convince them one last time to surrender." He stepped forward, holding his gladius to the side to convey his peaceful intent. "You two are now surrounded. Please, we don't have to fight. If you come peacefully with us, we will never have to hurt you both."

Saber shifted into a fighting stance, smiling. "What makes you think all of you can harm us?"

Jason swallowed the lump in his throat. The woman was serious. "We have fought worse beings than you and won," he said. "You won't stand a chance against us."

"Oh?" Saber arced an eyebrow. "You could try, demigod. In any case, we won't surrender." Her tone made it clear she had already decided.

Jason exchanged looks with Percy and Annabeth. This was it. They had no choice now but to resort to brute force and capture the women. It left a bad taste in Jason's mouth. But when he remembered how Nico looked like he had been mugged, rage boiled inside his chest.

The son of Jupiter nodded at Percy. Raising his left hand, Percy clenched it like a fist.

The water barrier exploded and showered the area. At the same time, a hatch opened in Festus' stomach and a bronze net dropped above and over Saber's head. Yelling, Annabeth and Percy charged followed by everyone else. They avoided the Japanese woman's shots and went straight for Saber.

Halfway through, their plan quickly gone south.

In one swift motion, Saber sliced the net that had entrapped her and leapt into the air. She kicked Dragon-Frank in the snout and sent him crashing to the ground, then used the momentum to launch herself at Festus. She sliced off his head, making Leo howl as they too plummeted to the ground, and used the neck as a springboard to propel herself back toward Jason and the others.

For some horrifying reason that Jason could not fathom, Saber was able to fight all of them at the same time. They attacked all at once, yet she was so fast that she parried all their strikes. The Stoll brothers were knocked unconscious during the first minute, followed by Dakota and Gwen within the next five seconds. The Gardner sisters summoned vines, but Saber cut them down in one swing before they could restrain her. She burst toward them and punched Katie in the stomach, which sent her flying toward a human Frank. Both tumbled on the ground.

Clarisse dueled her next, but she was batted away like a rag doll despite her strength and skills. Arion leapt toward Saber. The knight simply jumped and spun in the air. She slammed her feet to Arion's ribs, and Jason heard bones cracking. Both horse and rider screamed as they became separated; Hazel was thrown to the ground while Arion sailed to a tree, plowing through it with so much force that he gouged the earth for several meters until he stopped, unmoving.

Percy roared in fury and charged just as Saber landed. He swung Riptide and their swords locked briefly before the two began to duel. For a moment, Percy somehow managed to match her speed. Riptide became a bronze blur. Then Jason saw that Percy was standing in a pool of water. It must be where he was getting his additional strength.

Unfortunately, his luck did not last. Saber vaulted over him, then twisted her body and smashed her left leg to the side of his head. The son of Poseidon crumpled in an instant, landing face first into the water. Annabeth yelled.

At that moment, a lion bounded into the battlefield and roared. From the headless remains of Festus, Leo emerged wreathed in flame and wielding a hammer. He howled and charged forward followed by Frank. Jason joined them, and the three heroes fought Saber with hammer, sword, and claws.

They might as well have fought Briares the Hundred-Handed One. Saber slashed with blinding speed and cut all of Frank's claws. She sliced Leo's hammer in two and proceeded to extinguish his flame with a powerful gust of wind. Frank, back in human form, attacked her. But she disarmed him in less than a minute and knocked him out with a single punch. Leo launched a giant ball of flame, which was deflected back at him and threw the son of Hephaestus toward Festus' head a hundred yards away.

Hazel used the Mist to harass Saber while Jason distract the knight. But it was hopeless. She was too fast and nimble. They could not land a hit. The fight was totally one-sided despite their numbers and strength. Hazel finally grew tired and appeared next to Frank. She had a large gash on her stomach where Saber caught her the moment she had teleported away.

Jason growled. Now he was the only one left. All the rest were incapacitated or too exhausted to fight. The others were far away for him to call for help.

Suddenly, Annabeth shouted, "Move or she dies!"

Jason turned his head in her direction. During the battle, Annabeth and Lou had sneaked past the chaos and attacked the other woman instead. Jason did not know how they managed that without being noticed. Now Annabeth had her sword pressed against the woman's neck while Lou restrained her with some sort of magical rope.

"Release her!" Saber shouted. She stepped forward, but Jason blocked her path.

"Stay where you are!" he said. He risked a glance at Annabeth and Lou. "Annabeth, Lou, hurry up and back off! I—"

Jason did not know what happened exactly. One moment, Saber was standing several yards behind him. In the blink of an eye, there was a rush of wind and she was in front of him. Her gauntlets were stained with fresh blood, and her invisible sword was touching his neck. "Kill her, and he loses more than his arm."

Both Annabeth and Lou were horrified, and even their captive looked like she wanted to vomit. But Jason barely registered their expressions in his mind. He was staring at the ground where his right arm lay clutching his sword.

Where his right arm lay.

Oh.

He looked down to his right. Sure enough, there was only a bloody stump where an arm should be.

Jason suddenly felt light-headed. His body froze, and it seemed the goddess Khione had enveloped him with her icy breath. He was cold.

He collapsed on the ground, shivering. His vision flickered. He heard shouts and screams. Images blurred. He saw a girl with two siccae fighting Saber on equal footing and other people running toward them. Everything turned black for a moment. He was losing consciousness fast.

The last thing Jason saw before darkness engulfed his mind were hundreds of swords hovering in the sky.

So, yeah. That happened. XD

I'm not sure if I did the fight scenes properly, but you guys are going to be the judge of that. Hopefully, you all enjoyed it.

Please Read & Review!

Until next time!