"It only takes but a mere minute and you'll feel sooo much better," Valarie advanced Jason with a secretive smile and her movements were of liquid grace that allowed every curve to be used to her benefit.
"This really isn't a good time for me," Jason took a step back from the nurse and felt the wall press against his back. "Besides, I'm more of a shower type guy."
Valarie now stood with her toes only a few inches from his own. She was similar height and so she leaned close to him so her cheek brushed against his own. "This won't take long." She whispered as she lift a hand behind his neck and slowly tugged at the knot holding his hospital shirt together. Her hand than came to rest on his shoulder, sliding the shirt off him while the other hand followed his jaw line. "Your not going to fight me on this, are you Jason? Because that would upset me and you wouldn't want to upset me, would you?"
"No," Jason whispered, his eyes focused on her lips as they came towards his own.
"Good," Valarie cupped her hand behind his head, bringing him to meet her halfway. There was no resistance from him as she pushed past his lips to explore his mouth. She felt his hands wrap around her, bring her body against his own.
"What are you doing?" Brenda stood at the doorway with her hands on her hips. Jason and Valarie pulled apart quickly, Jason looking ashamed and Valarie looking amused.
"Sponge bath," Valarie said, almost coyly.
Brenda haughty entered the room and took the clip board off the magnet at the end of Jason's bed. She glanced over the sheet, flipping pages. "I believe you are incorrect, Valarie. Jason is not required to have a 'sponge bath' as you indicated."
"Must be a misprint on my schedule," Valarie purred with a wink at Jason.
"Then you should let Sarah aware of that problem immediately as there are other patients that are requiring such service and are in far more graver condition than Jason," Brenda folded her arms in front of her, using her 'I-know-better-than-you' stance.
"I shall do that," Valarie pushed her equipment towards the door. "Bye Jason…."
Jason waved dully but his eyes stayed on Brenda, "I have no idea what just happen right now."
"She can charm-speak. Most of her type does though they hardly need too," Brenda rolled her eyes.
Jason rubbed the back of his neck in awkward silence. "Um…I'm glad you stopped in when you did."
Brenda barely glanced at him as she pulled in a trolley she had waiting out in the hall. Half of the trolley was full of clean sheets while the other was for the dirty ones. "I overheard a bit of about a wager that involves you. If I were you, I'd be on my guard." She tore off his bed sheets, shoving them into the basket full of others. "Valarie usually gets what she wants in the end, even if she doesn't want it long." Brenda whipped a new sheet over his bed, tucking in the corners.
"Wager? This is about a wager? I got a girl back home," Jason told her. "I'm not going to…"
"What? Kiss another?" Brenda rolled her eyes, turning her trolley back towards the door. "You just did. You're not the only one to fall under her spell and you won't be the last."
"That was her using charm speak…" Jason explained.
"Pretty girls with pretty voices," Brenda started to pull her work load out the door. "That seems to be the hero's weakness."
Jason reached out, grabbing the opposite end of the trolley before Brenda could make her exist. He regretted it immediately as a sharp pain raced up his side, "Can I request another floor or just have Sarah look in on me? I could bunk with Nico! There is an extra cot up there…"
"No. Out of the question," Brenda yanked her trolley away from Jason's reach. "Sarah has other patients she assists just as all the other healers here. Each level of Way-Ward indicates a higher care. Your friend illness is far graver than your broken ribs. Anyways, what if someone in Nico's condition shows up? You would be sleeping in his bed, taking away his care. Besides we can't go around letting everyone pick where they wish to be kept and it wouldn't be fair if we allowed you and not others, now would it?"
"How about you? Can't I just have you look on me?" Jason asked, he was desperate and part of what Brenda said was true when it came to charm-speak, Jason was quick to fall under its spell. Like snapping fingers. "Or maybe one of the male assistance?"
Brenda put both hands on her hips, clearly getting crossed with Jason. "This goes back to letting you pick and not others. Assistants are students and each student must share their load of the chores. Today, I do laundry. Tomorrow another assistant will and I get bed pans."
"I don't have a bed pan so you wouldn't have to do that…." Jason offered with a slight wrinkle of his nose.
Brenda opened her mouth to argue but instead opted to a slight tilt of her head. "We might have a deal. I will have to speak to Sarah, naturally."
"Thank you so much!" Jason reached out to hug her in relief but the small girl back away.
"I didn't say I would," Brenda reminded him. "I need to get others patients beds so if you would excuse me…"
"Sure. Thanks." Jason beamed, feeling certain that this little situation was going to clear up.
"Look at you!" Hazel wrapped her arms around Nico's neck, letting her eyes get misty over seeing her brother awake. "You had me so worried!"
Nico gave her a weak one arm embrace in return. "It wasn't my goal."
"Good to see you awake," Frank gave a big grin standing awkwardly at the foot end of Nico's bed. "Everyone back at home sends their love by the way. You got lucky, Leo was going to hunt down your one true love and have the poor girl dragged her to kiss you and you know Leo…it takes him awhile to pick the right one."
Hazel let go of her hug but took her brother's hand in her own, not wanting to let go of the connection Nico was allowing her. "They all wanted to come with us to bring you here. Leo is blaming himself. Percy clearly felt guilty not being the one to take you and Annabeth thought she could find the way better than anyone else."
"How did we get here?" Nico asked and he listened while they filled him in on the parts he missed. He asked questions here and there but still nothing really made sense to him or the others.
"You haven't seen Jason then?" Frank asked, having taken a seat through their story.
Nico shook his head tiredly, "You two are the first I seen. Well, besides him." Nico said almost bitterly as he looked over at Drayzon who sat quietly on the empty cot, totally forgotten by the others. Drayzon gave them a little finger wave of hello.
"He has done a lot for you," Hazel chilled Nico at the same time fitting with his blanket, pulling it over his stomach as tucking him in. "We would had lost you if it wasn't for him so don't go about giving him a hard time."
Nico gave a scornful look over at Drayzon who smirked back, clearing amused as Nico got scolded by his sister.
Frank turned his attention on Drayzon, "Thanks again for letting us stay at your place."
"Not a problem."
"You should see it Nico! This place is like a resort for Demi-gods! It has a decent size lake, ocean pools, games. Horses…golf….you name it. They can use phones and play video games!" Frank told him. "Though, everyone back home doesn't carry a phone."
"There is a library, lovely gardens, a museum and a theatre and spas. It's a paradise," Hazel explained.
"Residents use phones?" Nico raised his brows over at Drayzon. "That's kind of risky, isn't it? Especially for a 'safe heaven' as this is supposed to be."
"He thinks he's in a bloody asylum," Drayzon stood up, stretching as he did. "We are a protected island. An island that has been around for centuries and used as it is for just as long. Monsters know we are here and what we are about. If anything, it drives them made that they can't touch us."
"Why is that? What exactly protects you?" Frank asked but the curiosity was in everyone eyes.
"The winds help by keeping us moving along and out of reach of monsters by land or by sea. The island belongs to the lovely Psyche and adding that Eros is her husband, well the risk of a regretful punishment is absolute," Drayzon explained. "We also have an oath signed or spoken by swearing on the River Styx that those that we heal do not cause harm on our land and…"
"Wait. Those contracts we had to sign were Styx binding?" Frank asked looking over at Hazel. "No one told us that."
"It's only while you are in our care or island. We wish we could do that whole peace on earth but all we can manage is this bit of land. Besides, as a healer I have to take an oath that binds me from harming others or judging others. So while I'm about not harming people, I don't' want to run across say a Minotaur, heal it and have it kill me in return."
"You save monsters? The very same thing that has us on the menu?" Hazel frowned.
"Without judgment." Drayzon shrugged. "It's my oath."
A/N: In case anyone is interested, here is a bit from Wikipedia. I knew there was an oath for doctors but didn't know it dated so far back. Sorry chapter is short - kind of stuck on what to write.
Wiki quote:
'The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine honestly. It is widely believed to have been written by Hippocrates, often regarded as the father of western medicine, or by one of his students.
Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panacea and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:
To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art — if they desire to learn it — without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but to no one else.
I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.
I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.
I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.
Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.
What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself holding such things shameful to be spoken about.
If I fulfill this path and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.