Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Written for PJO Ship Week, Japer.

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"Excuse me sir, but could you drive a little faster please?" Jason leaned forward anxiously from the back seat of the taxi to ask the driver.

"Sorry, mister, I'm at the speed limit." The man who looked to be about in his fifties replied. He had gray hair and a weathered, tan face with brown eyes. "And I can't change traffic."

The sudden sound of the Greenday song '21 Guns' pierced the air and Jason fumbled for a second, sitting back as he hurriedly answered the call.

"Hello-?"

"Jason, where the Hades are you!?" Thalia practically screeched at him. "Piper was admitted into the hospital almost half and hour ago! I can hear her screaming from the hallway outside her room! Hurry up and get here!"

"I can't, Thals!" Jason said with immense distress. "I'm stuck in traffic and-"

"I don't give a damn! Your wife is in the hospital in immense pain and she is screaming her head off! You need to get here, and you need to get here fast!" His sister snapped before softening her tone. "Jason, she needs you here."

"I know," he replied angrily, silently urging the taxi to drive faster. The red light in front of him changed from red to green and he hoped maybe this time they could drive faster than a crawl.

He imagined Piper laying in a hospital bed, wondering where he was and if he would get there soon. He wondered if the doctors had needed to give her something for her pain. He wondered if by the time he got to the hospital it would be too late.

She would be trying to be strong, because that's who she was, but Jason knew she needed him there. If he didn't get to the hospital in time it would change everything. If he was too late he would never forgive himself.

He needed to be there.

"Is anybody with her right now?" He asked his sister worriedly. He didn't want her to be alone...

"Leo," Thalia replied grimly. "But he's really freaking out. You need to get here as fast as you can, Jason."

"I will," he repeated before hanging up the phone and leaning forward once more. "Look man, my wife is in the hospital right now and I really need to get there! I'll pay you anything, just please make sure I arrive at Gracie Square Hospital as soon as possible!" He demanded.

"Alright, alright," the cabbie replied, driving faster, passing a car in front of them. "It'll cost you double but I can manage it."

Jason sat back, not at all appeased, and he silently cursed greedy taxi drivers and Manhattan traffic.

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"Thanks the gods!" Thalia shouted, running to throw her arms around him as he caught sight and hurriedly made his way towards her. "Hurry up, get in there!"

She shoved him towards the door he had spotted her waiting beside and he opened it quickly, slipping into the room.

"Excuse me, sir, you can't be in here-."

"Where the hell have you been?!" Piper screeched at him from where she lay panting on the bed.

The nurse and doctor in the room chuckled, obviously used to this kind of behaviour, and the nurse stepped away from Jason to let him get to his wife.

"She's been breaking my hand and my eardrums since we got here," Leo complained. "Thank gods I can get out of here and let you take over."

"Leo..."

He looked back down at Piper who's escaping hair was plastered to her face in sweat. The rest of it was in a ponytail and her face was extremely red.

She was absolutely stunning.

"No offense, Beauty Queen." He said, ducking to quickly kiss the top of her head before practically ripping his hand free of hers. "But the only time I want to hear sounds like this again are when Calypso and I decide children are a good idea. And even then. We might get the epidural you so politely refused an hour ago."

Jason moved to quickly take his place, grabbing Piper's left hand in both of his, feeling the smooth silver wedding band on her ring finger.

"I can't believe you, Sparky," she muttered before groaning and resting her head back against the pillow, breathing shallowly. "Leaving me to do this with Leo, for gods' sakes, while you were off...?"

She trailed off in a question and he grimaced. "Traffic," he muttered. "Not my idea."

"You could have flown here like Superman," Piper said tiredly, head lolling to the right slightly as she squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth.

Jason glanced to the doctor and nurse in the room but they seemed to think Piper was makinga joke because they only smiled.

"Okay, Piper, I need you to just keep pushing, alright?" Their doctor, whose name was Cheryll, asked kindly. "Just keep going."

Jason's wife gripped his hand and squeezed, definitely moving a few of his bones around in there. With a yell of frustration Piper bent forward, trembling, before falling back to lay aganst the pillow.

"You're doing so good, Pipes," he said, swallowing thickly. "Keep going, keep pushing, thank gods he wasn't born before I got here."

She smiled tiredly. "Thank gods you got here," she replied. "I can't do this without you."

"I'm staying right here beside you," he promised, raising her hand to press his lips to it. "Keep doing your best, I will be right here."

She let out a breath. And then she pushed once more, trying to push their baby boy out into the world.

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Almost 20 minutes later Alexander Nico Grace was born.

And he was beautiful.

Jason wasn't ashamed to admit that when he was handed their baby boy and saw him open his startlingly blue eyes, he teared up.

When he handed the boy over to Piper and saw her gently tracing his face, he cried.

"You did so good, Piper." He said, kissing her face while sitting beside her with his arms around her and their new son. "You were absolutely amazing. You don't know how much I love you."

She leaned against him, still cradling their baby gently, looking down at him. "I'm so glad you got here in time," she whispered, and he saw a droplet of water fall on the blue baby blanket that held Alexander. She turned her face towards him and he kissed her, slow and lanuid, full of love and promise.

"I would never have missed this for the world," he replied.

Now he had everything he ever wanted. Friends, a comfortable job and home, his sister and family, a beautiful baby boy and a wife who he treasured above everybody else.

He smiled and let Alex wrap a hand around his pinky finger. He was happy.

He kissed the side of Piper's head once more. And it was all thanks to her.

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