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xxvii<br />
Jason<br />
JASON HATED BASILISKS.<br />
The little scum-suckers loved to burrow under <strong>the</strong> temples in New Rome. Back when Jason was a<br />
centurion, his cohort always got <strong>the</strong> unpopular chore <strong>of</strong> clearing out <strong>the</strong>ir nests.<br />
A basilisk didn’t look like much – just an arm-length serpent with yellow eyes and a white frill<br />
collar – but it moved fast and could kill anything it touched. Jason had never faced more than two at a<br />
time. Now a dozen were swimming around <strong>the</strong> giant’s legs. The only good thing: underwater,<br />
basilisks wouldn’t be able to brea<strong>the</strong> fire, but that didn’t make <strong>the</strong>m any less deadly.<br />
Two <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> serpents shot towards Percy. He sliced <strong>the</strong>m in half. The o<strong>the</strong>r ten swirled around him,<br />
just out <strong>of</strong> blade’s reach. They wri<strong>the</strong>d back and forth in a hypnotic pattern, looking for an opening.<br />
One bite, one touch was all it would take.<br />
‘Hey!’ Jason yelled. ‘How about some love over here?’<br />
The snakes ignored him.<br />
So did <strong>the</strong> giant, who stood back and watched with a smug smile, apparently happy for his pets to<br />
do <strong>the</strong> killing.<br />
‘Kymopoleia.’ Jason tried his best to pronounce her name right. ‘You have to stop this.’<br />
She regarded him with her glowing white eyes. ‘Why would I do that? The Earth Mo<strong>the</strong>r has<br />
promised me unrestricted power. Could you make me a better <strong>of</strong>fer?’<br />
A better <strong>of</strong>fer …<br />
He sensed <strong>the</strong> possibility <strong>of</strong> an opening – room to negotiate. But what did he have that a storm<br />
goddess would want?<br />
The basilisks closed in on Percy. He blasted <strong>the</strong>m away with currents <strong>of</strong> water, but <strong>the</strong>y just kept<br />
circling.<br />
‘Hey, basilisks!’ Jason yelled.<br />
Still no reaction. He could charge in and help, but even toge<strong>the</strong>r he and Percy couldn’t possibly<br />
fight <strong>of</strong>f ten basilisks at once. He needed a better solution.<br />
He glanced up. A thunderstorm raged above, but <strong>the</strong>y were hundreds <strong>of</strong> feet down. He couldn’t<br />
possibly summon lightning at <strong>the</strong> bottom <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sea, could he? Even if he could, water conducted<br />
electricity a little too well. He might fry Percy.<br />
But he couldn’t think <strong>of</strong> a better option. He thrust up his sword. Immediately <strong>the</strong> blade glowed redhot.<br />
A diffuse cloud <strong>of</strong> yellow light billowed through <strong>the</strong> depths, like someone had poured liquid neon<br />
into <strong>the</strong> water. The light hit Jason’s sword and sprayed outwards in ten separate tendrils, zapping <strong>the</strong>
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