A/N- Leo's POV. Sorry about the Jasico teaser.
Leo liked to think that he was an intelligent person. He was not a great swordsman, neither was he a great archer. His looks were average at best. He was a good reader but far from a maester. He was shorter than an average lord and as a rider, he was subpar. But by the seven gods and the Red God and all the bloody gods in the world, he was clever.
So, when Prince Jason sent Lady Reyna away, saying that she had an important mission, he knew something was going on.
The day after Lady Reyna had left, all the lords and captains had been summoned to the prince's tent. After hours of deliberation, Jason had asked Lord Zhang to take a larger part of the army and lead raids to the Shadowlands. Prince Jason himself was to lay siege on Sea Harbour, where the chief supporter of the di Angelo side sat. The Grace fleet consisting mostly of Solace and McLean ships had been hindered by storms along the coast. But they would get to Sea Harbour by the time the prince arrived.
"We shall march tomorrow at sunrise," Prince Jason had said, his determination sparking through his eyes.
When he had asked Lord Zhang to stay back with him, Leo's idea had taken a deeper root in his mind. There was definitely something he was missing, something vital to the war, something impending like the calm before a storm.
Now, after marching with the prince for more than three sennights, Leo was absolutely certain that a primal change had taken place in the prince. The drizzly rain which followed them had slowed their march, so he had had plenty of time to decipher Jason's behaviour. It seemed as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The sense of melancholy that hung around him had lightened, making him livelier. He looked less tired during their war councils and snapped at people less often.
As Leo rode beside Prince Jason, he was surprised he did not see it sooner.
"Tell me, my lord, how is the lady Calypso doing at Olympus?" asked Leo, raising his voice to be heard above the clip clop of hooves.
Prince Jason seemed confused by his question. "I am not sure, Lord Valdez, seeing as how I haven't been to Olympus in two moon turns."
"But how was she faring before you left?" persisted Leo.
"I seem to recall she was being courted by one of the Castellans visiting Olympus. That was before the war began, of course." Jason paused, peering at Leo from under his hood. "What is your connection to her, my lord?"
"Curiosity, nothing more," replied Leo, the tips of his ears turning warm. "What happened to the Castellan boy once the war began?"
Jason smirked, as if he knew exactly what Leo was trying to do but answered nonetheless. "Since Lord Luke Castellan declared for the di Angelos, the man and his brother are prisoners of my father."
Leo grabbed the subject of the king like his life depended on it. "Speaking of the king, how did he take the war?"
A dark expression spilled onto the prince's face before he caught it and his face changed back to that of a competent leader's. But his eyes still held a bitter look, as if some of the weight he had relinquished had come back. "The king took the war as he takes all things, with a cup of wine in his hand and a whore on his cock."
Leo barely controlled a visible wince. Prince Jason's tone contained such scorn, that it could make stone flinch. "You do remember he is our king, don't you, my liege?"
Prince Jason let out a bark of mirthless laughter. "Speak your mind, Lord Valdez. You have formed some ideas about my intentions, have you not? So, why shall I hide from you?"
This time Leo could not help the small gasp that escaped his lips. "How could you possibly know that?"
"I am a leader, my lord," explained Jason, patiently. "It is my duty to know each and every advisor of mine inside out."
Leo nodded slowly, slightly dumbfounded. "So, my assumptions are correct," he said, after a long pause in which Prince Jason looked at him as if trying to gauge whether Leo was going to spontaneously combust.
"Yes," said the prince simply.
The implications of that statement was going to send all corners of Westeros reeling, that much Leo understood. It was not unprecedented for a son to rebel against his own father, but the game Prince Jason was playing was far more dangerous than the rebellions of a naïve youngster. The fate of the whole realm rested on his one choice.
Leo gave a decisive nod in Jason's direction. "Alright, my lord."
Jason looked at Leo calculatingly. "Is that all you have to say on the matter, my lord?"
"Yes," said Leo, parroting the prince's words back at him.
Sea Harbour was an impressive city. The nearer Leo got to the place, the more imposing it seemed to him. It was good thing that they weren't actually trying to take the city.
A rider had arrived to the army that morning, galloping through the misty dawn. He brought with him the message that the Grace ships had finally reached the city to block its sea route.
It had taken them most of that day to camp outside the city and set up some basic defences. The walls of Sea Harbour were manned by hundreds of men with loaded crossbows. Getting too close to the city was perilous.
Above the main gate, two banners flapped in the sea breeze. One of them depicted a red eyed hell hound on a field of grey, bolding declaring the city's allegiance to the rebel lord. The other one was that of a white horse rising from the greenish sea, foaming mane streaming behind it, the Jackson banner.
The banners flapped almost mockingly in the sea breeze as Leo walked among the tents, his ears catching different tones and snatches of a hundred conversations. Most of them made no sense to Leo but it helped him gauge the mood of his men. They were spent and tired, yet restless for a fight.
Leo was worried about how they were going to react to the prince's decision. There was no love lost between the Shadowlanders and the rest of the kingdom. Their religion was different, they had different skin colours, even their customs were different. The people were also loyal to their king.
But Leo had once heard that power resides where men believe it resides. If Prince Jason could win over the key players of the game, he could rally the army to his side.
Leo felt like he was playing cyvasse and all of Westeros was his board. He would need to stay five steps ahead of his opponent to win the game, to topple a monarch who was ruling for two decades.
He was broken out of his reverie by a squire's meek voice. "The prince has summoned you, my lord. The parlay is to take place right away."
"Ah, yes," replied Leo, changing his course and making for Jason's golden tent. He had seen this coming. The prince was not one to waste time whoring and playing drinking games with disgraced sell swords.
When Leo arrived at his destination, the place was already bustling with activity. Inside the tent sat Lord William Solace, the Red Priest, Octavian and Lord Tristan McLean. The two lords had arrived with the ships, they seemed haggard from facing multiple storms. Octavian seemed excited, like he knew what was going to happen. Leo wondered whether he could see betrayals in his fire.
Jason inclined his head as Leo settled into a chair. The other lords greeted him politely while the Red Priest looked at him like he was a particularly interesting animal, his eyes shining.
"Before we present ourselves to Lord Nico and his allies, there is something you must know," began the prince.
Lord Tristan, the prince's father by marriage, sat up and narrowed his eyes. "Did something happen at Olympus?"
Prince Jason shook his head. "No, my lord. But, something did happen at camp. I came to the realisation that the war we are fighting is futile." He paused, and looked around gauging the expressions of his listeners. There was a heavy silence. He continued slowly. "Our king doesn't care for us, any of us. We are stuck in an unfair was against a man who lost his mother to the king's tyranny. So, I have decided that we shall no longer fight for the man who is tearing the realm apart, we shall fight for a better generation."
Lord McLean leapt from his seat. "Have you lost your mind, boy? That sot will have my daughter's head for your treason. She will be..."
He was cut off by Jason. "I have sent two of my best warriors to rescue her. She will be out of the city before the army reaches Olympus."
"The army? What army?" asked Lord Solace sharply, his usually relaxed demeanour shed like a dirty cloak.
Before Jason could open his mouth, Leo reached to the obvious conclusion. "It's Lord Zhang's army, isn't it?" asked Leo, cursing himself for not seeing it earlier.
Jason nodded. "It is, my lords."
"Who did you send to Olympus? To save my only daughter, who did you send?" Lord McLean questioned, aggression rolling off of him in waves.
"Ser Michael Kahale and Lady Reyna, my lord," replied Prince Jason, looking calm and ready to handle anything his lords threw at him.
There was a sharp intake of breath from the corner of the room. Through all of their discussion Octavian had remained silent, observing the proceedings inclined on his chair. Now, he sat up. "Lady Reyna! I have seen her in the flames, my prince. Her life carries with it a shadow, a darkness to come. You should not have trusted her."
Lord Tristan made a cry of outrage. "You sent that woman to rescue Piper?"
Prince Jason's face went from calm to ice-cold in a matter of seconds. "Yes. I sent Lady Reyna. If it weren't for that woman, I would be dead ten times over. She is more competent than five average men combined. So, yes. I sent Reyna to save my wife."
Leo winced at the cold fury in Jason's voice.
Lord Solace's practical voice spoke up. "The lords are waiting for a parlay. We can continue this discussion later."
Leo nodded in assent. "I agree, my lord. We mustn't keep potential allies waiting."
"Allies?" cried Lord McLean, addressing the prince. "They will be your death."
Jason closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We must go now, good-father." He paused and looked directly at Lord Tristan. "Are you coming with us?"
The lord in question clenched his jaw and stiffly inclined his head.
When the Red Priest made to get up, the prince shook his head. "This has got nothing to do with religion. Stay here, my lord, and pray to R'hllor."
"As my prince wishes," said Octavian, his voice strained.
When they set out from the prince's tent, their little procession contained the prince, an outraged father, a level headed lord and Leo, himself. Several guards fell in step behind them.
By the time, they had reached the main gates of Sea Harbour, the sun was almost at the horizon; the small figures visible beneath the flapping banners growing larger with every step. The sea beside them had stowed away its blue-green colour to adopt fiery tones.
Lord Nico di Angelo cut a stark figure in front of them, his features half shadowed. Beside him stood the green-eyed Lord Perseus, his hand wrapped around the hilt of his greatsword. On Lord Nico's other side was Lady Chase, her golden hair glowing in the yellowish orange of the sunlight. Another shrewd faced man stood a little way away from the group, Leo did not know who he was.
"My lords and lady," greeted Prince Jason, his voice tight.
"My lords," replied Lord Nico, his eyes flitting over each member of their side.
As the others lords greeted each other, Leo studied Lord Nico closely. He was staring intently at the prince, his glance heavy and unwavering. Leo could not see Jason's expression, but guessing it did not require much of an imagination.
Prince Jason cleared his throat. "You know why I am here, my lord."
Lord Jackson's brow twitched but he did not say a word.
"You are here to betray your father," Lord Nico said bluntly.
Beside him Lady Annabeth let out a sharp sound. But the prince did not seem to hear it. He only had eyes for the man in front of him.
"I am here to betray my father. And I am going to save the realm while I'm at it."