"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
- Lao Tzu
New Rome was a welcome site of familiarity for Jason and Reyna. After months of complete chaos, it was a relief to be back to some semblance of normalcy. The war against the Giants had taken more than its fair share of the heroes in every way. They had raced against time, across oceans and through hell to finally return to some resemblance of peace. New Rome was wrought with its own colossal heap of problems ranging from minor bathroom repairs to complete resurrection of various buildings. How it was in worse shape than Camp Half-Blood, Reyna just could not understand. They had left many of their own heroes at Camp Half Blood's infirmary. Chiron had requested the help of an Indian healer, Asoka, who was seeking refuge in New York to help the injured of the war. The healer mostly operated through a magical form of ancient Indian medicine called Ayurveda which was especially beneficial for patients like Nico who could not consume anymore ambrosia or nectar. All in all, Jason and Reyna spent most of their time sorting out New Rome as much as possible with Frank helping out and take turns in visiting Camp Half Blood every week. Hazel had chosen to stay back with Nico as he recovered and assisted in sorting out as much as possible with Camp Half Blood.
Jason and Reyna were lounging on a sofa in Jason's praetor cabin, looking over the blueprints of the latest designs for the new healing centre ensuring that Asoka's requirement for a roof garden was met with. Reyna had been complaining about stress headaches and back pains since the war so Jason kept trying to make sure that she got regular breaks and plenty of fresh air.
"Hey Reyna, do you think we should go this weekend to Camp Half Blood to check on Nico and Hazel?"
"Yeah, we can take all the blue prints for Annabeth to review as well."
After the war ended, Nico had collapsed and was reduced to a barely solid humanoid. With great difficulty the healers had toiled till he was moderately solid again and carted him away to the infirmary. The giant's capture also resulted in him having this horrific night terrors which often ended in skeletal warriors erupting from the ground to attack anyone too close to him. Moreover, the terrors reduced him to suffer from almost seizure-like physical outbursts. So Asoka had decided that a medically induced dreamless coma was best till Nico healed physically at least. After the wave of agony Nico had sent to kill Bryce Lawrence, Reyna and Coach Hedge knew about the Giant's assault on Nico. Hence, Reyna was quick to agree to this idea, as was Jason. Any respite was respite and the gods knew that Nico had been through more than his fair share of horrors. The healer was doing a good job of restoring Nico's comatose body to a moderately healthy pallor and Hazel was glad to stick around and help out as much as possible.
So as planned, that Friday, Jason and Reyna and entered the tunnel that Hazel had caved out to connect both the camps. The tunnel was pretty a secret to everyone other than the few heroes and Chiron. Lord Hephaestus had gifted them with magic moving walkways in the tunnel as a gift for their contributions and sacrifices to the War. So all in all, the duo reached safely within a couple of hours. Jason helped Reyna as she stepped off the super fast underground human propeller that made her queasy. They climbed the metal ladder that opened into a secret trap door in the forest, meters away from the Camp border.
As they walked to the infirmary, Reyna marveled at how Camp Half Blood was in a decent condition considering the war that had waged here a few weeks ago. The Cabin Nine members had done a great job renovating the Camp. Reyna suspected that they were throwing themselves into working to avoid facing the loss of Leo. Jason and Reyna were in no space to process this loss. They believed that he was alive and that he would come back from Calypso's Island to join them again. They had even put aside a cabin for her and Leo in New Rome. Camp Half Blood had Chiron and Asoka already. Calypso would make a good addition to the Roman camp.
Reaching the infirmary, Jason and Reyna climbed to the separate floor that housed the ICU patients. It was nothing like a hospital and more like a chic spa with large windows and little potted plants blossoming at every nook and corner. The place was filled with the aroma of herbs and oils and had Asoka's helper Dryads helping patients and extracting medicines from the various herbs that they were tied to. When they entered the section quartered off for Nico, Hazel was waiting for them with Percy and Annabeth who to welcome the couple.
"How's he doing?" Jason asked after the pleasantries were exchanged as he leaned over Nico's motionless form. The young boy did seem to be in much better shape than before. His skin was no longer deathly pale with almost black bags under his eyes. One could see his natural olive coloured skin again while he was no longer that beyond emaciated shape anymore. He was still undeniably too thin but it was still progress from when he had literally evaporated into nothingness.
"He's doing much better now. Asoka confirmed that she'd slowly start easing him into consciousness in a few weeks. The wounds on his ribs and legs have not fully healed yet." Hazel said.
Thanks to the overexposure to godly food, Nico's medical aid was limited to mortal measures alone. Anymore magic could significantly damage his systems. Asoka had told them that Nico's digestive system had taken a major hit with various ulcers forming in his throat and stomach. Consuming anymore would undoubtedly kill him instantly. The heroes had all but forgotten how time consuming mortal healing was at this point and the ADHD made it all the more difficult to be calm and patient around Nico.
As Percy fidgeted around the bed, watching Nico breathe calmly, Annabeth caught them up with all the developments on Olympus. The Gods were basically pretending like the whole episode had not happened and bluntly put on façade of being all powerful again. Jason scoffed internally, as if they had won the war without hundreds of heroes losing everything to protect the Gods. Watching Nico lying so still, knowing that his physical wounds were superficial in comparison to the wounds that would heal once he was pulled out of his dreamless sleep, Jason felt resentment rise towards the Gods.
As the setting sun's orange rays filled the room with mesmerizing hues, the Dryad in charge of Nico's care reminded them that visiting hours had ended.
When Jason fell asleep with Reyna in his arms in their guest room in the Big House he had no idea about the bomb that was going to fall into his life and blow away their short lived semblance of normal.
He and Reyna startled awake up in the middle of the night when Hera appeared at the foot of the bed with her stupid peacocks screeching on top of their voices.
"Jason, Reyna, a grave danger is headed your way!"
Reyna glared at the Goddess. "Oh when? Oh when was it not? What did these Gods land them in this time?" Reyna thought. But if the queen of Gods had appeared in their room without being summoned, it must be pretty important.
"Lady Juno, What happened?"
"I'm Hera not Juno young hero! Moreover, It is not what has happened, My hero, Jason. However, it is what might transpire that is of dire consequence if you do not leave to do my bidding at once."
Reyna all but gritted her teeth in frustration. "For once, she would appreciate a straight answer. Why had Hera turned up when Juno was Jason's patron Goddess." Reyna though but successfully held her tongue. The Goddess seemed to read her thoughts as she peered at Reyna as if wondering if she would make a good peacock. All this while, her stupid godly peacock was happily pulling the little hand woven rug apart with its beak and talons. "Well, at least it had shut up." Reyna thought. However, the Goddess did not make Reyna explode instantly.
"A monster has resurrected again and he seeks to kill me. It's his plan you see, to unravel the Olympians. He is a resurrected Hero who dishonorably killed his own wife and now wants to disband the Olympians by hurting me. You must travel to the land of flowers and sunshine and stop him before he reaches Olympus."
"And why must he help you, Lady Hera?"
At this point, the pleasant facade vanished from Hera's face and turned into an ugly sneer that sent chills down Jason's spine.
"Because, dear hero, if you want that child in your womb to survive, you will need to your paramour to end that monster. He is not only after me but also seeks to make the Children of Lord Zeus suffer as well. If he succeeds in reaching Olympus, make no mistake, your child will be in grave danger."
Jason stared at Reyna ludicrously . The dizziness, headaches, back aches all made sense suddenly. She had been more irritable as opposed to her usual pragmatic rational nature. Suddenly, Jason felt as sick as Reyna felt. Reyna got up and walked up to Hera. She opened her mouth to presumably tell the Goddess off but before any words came out, Jason's dear beloved projectile vomited all over the Goddess of Marriage.
*Fin*