The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2)(118)

“Hazel!” Frank glanced back at Percy, wishing he had his spear. If he could just summon Gray…but he couldn’t be in two places at once.

“Go help her!” Percy yelled, holding the golden eagle aloft. “I’ve got these guys!”

Percy didn’t have them. Frank knew that. The son of Poseidon was about to be overwhelmed, but Frank ran to Hazel’s aid.

She was half-buried in a collapsed pile of snow-bricks. Arion stood over her, trying to protect her, rearing and swatting at the giant with his front hooves.

The giant laughed. “Hello, little pony. You want to play?”

Alcyoneus raised his icy staff.

Frank was too far away to help…but he imagined himself rushing forward, his feet leaving the ground.

Be anything.

He remembered the bald eagles they’d seen on the train ride. His body became smaller and lighter. His arms stretched into wings, and his sight became a thousand times sharper. He soared upward, then dove at the giant with his talons extended, his razor-sharp claws raking across the giant’s eyes.

Alcyoneus bellowed in pain. He staggered backward as Frank landed in front of Hazel and returned to his normal form.

“Frank…” She stared at him in amazement, a cap of snow dripping off her head. “What just…how did—?”

“Fool!” Alcyoneus shouted. His face was slashed, black oil dripping into his eyes instead of blood, but the wounds were already closing. “I am immortal in my homeland, Frank Zhang! And thanks to your friend Hazel, my new homeland is Alaska. You cannot kill me here!”

“We’ll see,” Frank said. Power coursed through his arms and legs. “Hazel, get back on your horse.”

The giant charged, and Frank charged to meet him. He remembered the bear he’d met face to face when he was a child. As he ran, his body became heavier, thicker, rippling with muscles. He crashed into the giant as a full-grown grizzly, a thousand pounds of pure force. He was still small compared to Alcyoneus, but he slammed into the giant with such momentum, Alcyoneus toppled into an icy watchtower that collapsed on top of him.

Frank sprang at the giant’s head. A swipe of his claw was like a heavyweight fighter swinging a chain saw. Frank bashed the giant’s face back and forth until his metallic features began to dent.

“Urgg,” the giant mumbled in a stupor.

Frank changed to his regular form. His backpack was still with him. He grabbed the rope he’d bought in Seward, quickly made a noose, and fastened it around the giant’s scaly dragon foot.

“Hazel, here!” He tossed her the other end of the rope. “I’ve got an idea, but we’ll have to—”

“Kill—uh—you—uh…” Alcyoneus muttered.

Frank ran to the giant’s head, picked up the nearest heavy object he could find—a legion shield—and slammed it into the giant’s nose.

The giant said, “Urgg.”

Frank looked back at Hazel. “How far can Arion pull this guy?”

Hazel just stared at him. “You—you were a bird. Then a bear. And—”

“I’ll explain later,” Frank said. “We need to drag this guy inland, as fast and far as we can.”

“But Percy!” Hazel said.

Frank cursed. How could he have forgotten?

Through the ruins of the camp, he saw Percy with his back to the edge of the cliff. His hurricane was gone. He held Riptide in one hand and the legion’s golden eagle in the other. The entire army of shades edged forward, their weapons bristling.

“Percy!” Frank yelled.

Percy glanced over. He saw the fallen giant and seemed to understand what was happening. He yelled something that was lost in the wind, probably: Go!

Then he slammed Riptide into the ice at his feet. The entire glacier shuddered. Ghosts fell to their knees. Behind Percy, a wave surged up from the bay—a wall of gray water even taller than the glacier. Water shot from the chasms and crevices in the ice. As the wave hit, the back half of the camp crumbled. The entire edge of the glacier peeled away, cascading into the void—carrying buildings, ghosts, and Percy Jackson over the edge.

XLVII Frank

FRANK WAS SO STUNNED THAT Hazel had to yell his name a dozen times before he realized Alcyoneus was getting up again.

He slammed his shield into the giant’s nose until Alcyoneus began to snore. Meanwhile the glacier kept crumbling, the edge getting closer and closer.

Thanatos glided toward them on his black wings, his expression serene.

“Ah, yes,” he said with satisfaction. “There go some souls. Drowning, drowning. You’d best hurry, my friends, or you’ll drown, too.”

“But Percy…” Frank could barely speak his friend’s name. “Is he—?”

“Too soon to tell. As for this one…” Thanatos looked down at Alcyoneus with distaste. “You’ll never kill him here. You know what to do?”

Frank nodded numbly. “I think so.”

“Then our business is complete.”

Frank and Hazel exchanged nervous looks.

“Um…” Hazel faltered. “You mean you won’t…you’re not going to—”“Claim your life?” Thanatos asked. “Well, let’s see…”

He pulled a pure-black iPad from thin air. Death tapped the screen a few times, and all Frank could think was: Please don’t let there be an app for reaping souls.