Little longer than expected on the update. Sorry about that. I'm sure it was expected with the holidays. I also had a friend make a surprise visit for the weekend. Everyone kept it from me. But I finally got the chapter done. I don't think there is anything to really address this chapter. Just know for those that asked for it, I hope you're happy with what you get and that you can live with what comes from it :)
Chapter 25: A Child Too Special To Let Die
New Year's Eve came too quickly, yet not soon enough. He hated that his friends would be leaving pretty soon. Jason also hated that Lee and Nico couldn't seem to get along, and it did nothing but drain the blond's patience. Nico had yet to say anything snarky to Lee, and Jason tried to remember that Lee was under the influence of the curse. But it just wouldn't seem to end.
At least there was a party tonight to distract Jason. The adults would be at Artemis' house doing their own magical thing. Something about an offering to the gods for the new Earth cycle. Normally, the younger ones in the group would tag along, but Jason had convinced the others to throw a party instead. Well, he had suggested doing something to entertain his friends while around Percy, and the other warlock had taken the opportunity to throw a party while their parents would be busy.
So Percy and the Stolls had been setting up Percy's house for a party. He wasn't sure what they were doing exactly, but there was a lot of laughter that came through the woods whenever Jason was outside. So long as they kept it normal. There was also the matter of the kissing tradition that Jason was looking forward to. Things seemed normal between him and Nico the last two days, so Jason had high hopes that the kiss would happen.
Not that he mentioned it to Lee.
It did become clear, however, what Percy and the twins had been up to once Jason, Lee, and Cecil arrived at his house. The pool was now enclosed in a building. The lights were on inside the newly constructed addition to the house, and most of the coven youth were already swimming.
"Jason!" Percy yelled as soon as the three entered. The green-eyed youth had a giant grin on his face and a red plastic cup in his hand. Jason needed to remember not to let either of his mortal friends go into a drinking contest with anyone currently here. Back on Christmas, Jason got to learn that witches and warlocks could drink about three times that of a mortal before they got intoxicated. "So glad you guys could make it."
Even with it freezing outside, Percy stood there half naked with his trunks on, like it was a day at the beach. Well, it was heated inside. Percy, like Nico, didn't mind the cold. With water came ice, so swimming in the cold probably wouldn't have bothered the warlock.
Jason's blue eyes drifted across the room, following a particular blonde witch as she went into the other part of the house. His jaw shifted as he watched Annabeth disappear. There was a nagging sensation that had been lingering in his mind ever since he had talked to her in the crypt library. He just was not sure if he wanted to address the issue to her just yet. Because, if he was right, Annabeth had lied to him about that old book.
A long whistle escaped Cecil and Jason was forced to return his attention to his friend. Percy had moved on. Cecil, on the other hand, had his attention fixed on Reyna. The witch was seated at the edge of the pool with Nico. Jason smiled at the dark haired boy, his pale torso exposed. Nico reached over and took a cube of cheese from the plate Reyna was holding.
"Who is that?" Cecil asked, throwing an arm around Jason's shoulders. He was pointing at Reyna.
"That? That's Reyna." Jason had to eye Cecil for a moment. His friend was blushing. Of course. A chuckle came from Jason's throat. "Good luck with that, man."
"I'm gonna go talk to her."
Before his friend could get away, Jason grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "When I said 'good luck', what I meant was that I wouldn't recommend it." Jason chuckled again as his friend began to pout. "She would break you in half, dude."
Lips tightly pursed, Cecil eyed the scene. "You think Nico could put a good word in for me?"
With a great sigh, Lee pushed in between the other two. "Not like you'll see her again. Or any girl here." His eyes stared straight into Jason's. "I'm sure Jason will come to his senses soon enough and realize he needs to come back to California."
Clarisse passed by with Silena and Beckendorf and snorted at that remark. Not that Lee noticed. Probably for the best, because Jason wanted to avoid as much drama as possible.
In came Drew and Mitchell, and Cecil's demeanor changed completely. One look from the girl and Cecil took a step behind his friends. The action made Drew smirk. Mitchell left his sister's side and went over to crouch behind Reyna and Nico, and took some food from the heavily loaded plate. When Nico turned to look at the brunet beside him, he caught sight of Jason. A small smile crossed his lips and he raised a hand in a wave. Blushing, Jason waved back.
An hour later, all three of them had taken a dip in the pool. While Lee was hesitant to make much talk with anyone, Cecil had no such qualms. Cecil got along quite well with Percy, Travis, and Connor. Just like Jason had feared. With Lee not wanting to talk with anyone else, however, it did not give Jason much time to talk with Nico. He was trying to keep the peace and wanted the two to stay apart.
Luckily, Jason did get a moment to talk to Percy while getting some food. "So, what's the deal with the indoor pool?" the blond asked, taking a bite of a sausage ball. Demeter had obliged to make them food for the night, under the guise from Percy that it would be a simple get together among friends. Not that Poseidon or Sally had believed their son, or any of the adults for that matter.
"Well," Percy began as he loaded his own plate with food, "we weren't allowed to change the weather." His famous grin spread across his lips. "Not like either of them have seen my house before. They just knew I had a pool. Never said it was normally an outdoor one."
"Good point." Maybe Jason had been more worried about his mortal friends being around the coven than he should have been. And at least Cecil liked them. He could call it a win. "So, do you think you could do me a favor?" His blue eyes went over to Lee, who was standing by the front door, waiting for Jason, so that they could go watch the twins shoot some fireworks. "You think you could help keep both of my friends distracted around midnight?"
Percy's entire face lit up with joy. "I can only imagine what you'd want to do around midnight that you would need Lee distracted for." The other warlock took a baby carrot and stuck it in his mouth like a cigarette. "Have no fear, Percy is here. Well, I'll have some people take care of it." Leaning in, Percy whispered to Jason. "Because, like you, I have my own kiss to get." He clapped Jason on the shoulder as he walked away. "Best of luck with your plans."
"Should I be worried for Cecil?" Lee asked as they walked outside. "Those two... Travis and Connor roped him into shooting the fireworks with him. I saw the boxes they took outside." The boy let out a sigh and shoved his hands into his jacket. "Probably gonna lose an eyebrow."
Jason held the plate out to his friend as they sat down on the grass. "You know, he's just having fun. You normally like to have fun." His eyes lingered on his friend, eyeing him cautiously. "But you can't seem to unwind for some reason."
"Hard to with all these people. I just think they're giving you a bad influence."
Maybe it was best that Lee was returning to California. Until the curse was broken, his friend did not need to be around anyone in the coven. And that included Jason. One day, they would be able to be friends again. For now, though, Jason knew the best thing for both of them was to keep their distance. At least if he hoped to preserve any sort of friendship between them.
There was a distant cackle from Cecil right before some fireworks went off. Piper, Bianca, and Katie shrieked and jumped out of the way as one whizzed right for them. Lee did smile at Cecil having fun. Perhaps Jason could at least count that as a win. It was something.
"Standing here, you're liable to get your eyebrows scorched off," came Nico's voice. It brought a smile to the boy's face when Jason jumped. Lee did not seem so pleased at the pale boy's presence. But it brought a warm feeling to Jason's chest. There Nico was, still wet, though now clothed. He had a towel to finish drying off his hair with. "I guess, if I stand here with you, I'll just have to use you as a shield."
"Thanks," Jason mumbled sarcastically, though there was no hiding the giant grin on his face. It was just the reaction that came from being able to look upon the form that was Nico di Angelo. "Hope you don't freeze out here."
Nico shrugged and looked up as another firework shot into the sky. "Maybe it'll prevent me from getting burned, should one come this way."
"Wouldn't want that," mumbled Lee. Jason elbowed him for the comment. "What?" Lee huffed. "I'm sorry for hurting the feelings of the boy you feel like you have to date because you don't feel like you have any other options."
That warm feeling in Jason bottomed out. Which was odd, since he could feel himself getting angry. Cold shot out from Jason's core. It almost reminded him of... Nico.
Oh.
One look at Jason told the blond everything he needed to know. There was a blank look on the other warlock's face. It didn't make any sense, really. Why would that bother Nico? It was just a stupid comment because of the small town. It wasn't like...
Jason felt his stomach sink. It wasn't like they were actually cursed to only be with each other, Jason was about to think. Oh. That was why Nico was upset. Because, even though he hadn't meant it that way, Lee had hit a sore spot with Nico. Nico's eyes fell upon Jason and the blond could read every thought. It was like he was sorry. Like he almost blamed himself for their situation. Jason was about to reach out for Nico, but the boy pulled away and headed back inside.
Shaking his head, Jason turned back to glare at Lee. "Did you really have to go and say that?" He let out a huff. "You're acting like an ass this week." Yes, Jason knew why it was happening, but he also didn't like seeing Nico upset. Perhaps that was also because of the curse. Jason didn't care. "Just... How about we just go inside and watch a movie with some of the others?" He didn't add that it would keep Lee's mouth shut for a few hours. He wasn't sure if he could take much more offensive comments from his friend.
They only made it to the porch before Lee snapped. "I don't get why you're so defensive of a boy you have only known a few months, when you've known me for three years. Maybe those years didn't mean anything to you." Jason silently opened the door, biting his tongue. Lee just clicked his tongue and stepped inside. "It's not like I was there for you when your parents died, or anything."
A fire was building up inside of Jason. He could feel it, knew it would come out eventually, but for now he repressed it. Only two more days, Jason reminded himself. He probably wouldn't make it that long. They were gonna have it out, it was inevitable. And Jason just couldn't bring himself to care. This curse was ruining his friendship with Lee. He didn't need to take it out on his friend, since it really wasn't his fault, but it wasn't like Jason could go and fight the actual curse. Well, he could try to break it, but that wasn't gonna help matters at the moment.
He just needed to try and remember what Lee was like as a friend before all this, when Jason still had the curse repressed. Lee was nice, funny, and caring. He was competitive and talked a lot of shit to the enemy teams they played, and also had a habit of talking aggressively to his own teammates when they were doing bad. But never to Jason. Not even when they had broke up had Lee raised his voice to Jason. Never even spoken a hostile word. And now their friendship was coming apart at the seams.
After shutting the door, Jason caught a glimpse of Luke's head of blond hair as the warlock was going up the stairs. Odd, Jason thought, he hadn't seen Luke all night. Jason's lips tilted down and his eyes narrowed. Luke wouldn't have brought...
Nah, Jason was probably over thinking things.
Jason sat down on the couch, leaving several inches of space in between him and Lee. His friend didn't even look at Jason, just sat there with his arms crossed. The movie was already playing and Jason caught a few of the others glancing at him. It had to be obvious by now that things were not going so well between Jason and Lee. He saw plenty of sympathetic gazes over the past week. It made Jason wonder how many within the coven, ever since Salem, had lost friendships with mortals due to the curse.
The tension between Lee and Jason only continued to fest and simmer, until Nico silently entered the room and sat right next to Jason. Literally right next to him. No space between them. Nico was leaning into Jason, head on the blond's shoulder. And Jason could no longer move or think. They had literally had sex, and Nico still managed to reduce him to nothing with just a touch. Lee pretended not to notice, but his frown only increased.
It took Nico five minutes to decide that he wanted to curl up, which meant that his knees were in Jason's lap. He didn't even flinch when Jason draped an arm over him. This was perfect, like a dream. One that Jason did not want to wake up from. Unless Nico wanted to do this more often, then Jason would be completely fine with moving on with this moment.
Reaching across Jason, Nico took hold of Jason's hand and began to trace his fingers along the blond's palm. Jason's heart skipped a beat with every pattern the boy tried to trace. He also took a fascination in the lines on Jason's palms. Hera was supposed to teach him how to read palms at some point. Maybe there was something interesting laid out on Jason's hand for Nico to read. His hear fluttered up into his throat when Nico pulled Jason's hand to his lips and laid a kiss on the tip of his fingers.
As midnight drew near and the movie ended, the TV was changed over to watch the countdown. True to his word, Percy got Lee distracted. Indirectly. Of course, it could have also been the twins being their normal selves. Cecil and the twins came inside, all three of them looking like an explosion had gone off in their faces. Lee let out a curse and shot off the couch to probably go clean Cecil up. "Too many fireworks," was all that the brunet mumbled before being dragged to the nearest bathroom.
Percy gave Jason a thumbs up when the blond turned back around. They were on the last minute, Nico was still standing beside him, and Jason's heart was threatening to burst from his chest. A small laugh from Nico nearly caused Jason to jump to the ceiling. The boy shook his head with a smile. "You look very nervous. Not sure why." He was busy running his fingers through his hair to untangle his slightly damp hair. "It's not like I'm going to object to you kissing me."
"Wouldn't be the first time."
Nico nodded. "Fair."
"Ten seconds!" Rachel shouted, loud enough so that the whole house could hear. She laughed as Percy helped to balance her and she took another drink of whatever she had been sipping on.
Nine. Jason's heart stopped. Eight. Nico turned towards him. Seven. Jason faced the other warlock. Six. A champagne bottle was popped to their right. Five. Nico's fingers were on Jason's face. Four. The blond warlock's hands found their way to Nico's waist. Three. He pulled Nico closer. Two. Clarisse shouted in the background and threw some poppers to the ground and caused a bang. One. Jason and Nico leaned in at the same time.
"Happy New Year!"
The world stopped spinning, but the room swirled. Time stood still in that brief second after the others shouted. It was a soft kiss, nothing too deep, but it took Jason's breath away. Nico's face was slightly flushed as he pulled away. His eyes caught sight of Percy, who had dipped Rachel back in a kiss, and shook his head.
Letting out a slow breath, Nico smiled and looked up at Jason. "So, I was thinking," he began. "Maybe we should talk, perhaps somewhere more quiet." Another slow breath. "I think I might l-"
"Of course you're still hovering about," Lee assessed as he entered the room.
It was the first time that Jason had wanted to throttle his friend. Nico's smile vanished and a cold look appeared in his eyes. "What, like you haven't been been glued to his side all night? Or this whole week."
"I am visiting."
"And I'll still be here when you're gone back home."
The corner of Lee's mouth twisted up in the beginnings of a snarl. "Well, for now. Jason will come to his senses and come back where he belongs." The rest of the people in the room were starting to stare. "Back home to people that have longer than a few months."
"Jason belongs here," Nico shot back. "With his family. And we are his new friends. And I don't mean that badly towards Cecil, because I actually like him, but you-"
"Okay!" Percy said cheerfully. He was suddenly standing behind Nico and had the boy by the shoulders. Holding the boy by the top of his arms, to be precise. Ready to stop Nico from casting magic through waving his hand. "I think some of you could use some fresh air. So, if you want to fight, have it outside." As he let Nico go, he shot the boy a look that said: I don't need you breaking anything in this house.
Nico bowed towards Lee and motioned towards the door. "After you, dick."
Percy caught Jason before he could follow the two. "I don't know what's gotten into Nico, but try to keep him from making your friend a pile of ash. I don't think either of us want to explain that to the adults."
Jason nodded and headed out the door. Unfortunately, he did know what had gotten under Nico's skin. Lee. Or, rather, what Lee had said earlier. The two were already at each other's throats when Jason got off the porch.
"I don't know what Jason sees in someone as creepy as you," Lee snapped.
"Well, I can definitely see what he didn't like in you," Nico fired back. That wasn't very fair, if Jason were being honest. Their curse did prevent that, so Jason would not know how he felt about anyone else until they broke it. "It's not like we are competing for Jason, you know. No, that would suggest that you even have a chance. And everyone here knows that you don't even have a sliver of a chance."
"Nico," Jason hissed.
Lee just rolled his eyes. "Stay out of it, Jason. I can take this kid." It was not Nico's safety that Jason was worried about.
Nico should not be throwing that in Lee's face, especially when Lee didn't understand what Nico really meant. This fight should not even be happening. Lee was under the influence of a curse. It was technically their own fault that Lee was acting like this.
"I just don't get why you are so confident," Lee continued with a sneer. "Oh, one hot guy likes the weird loner kid? Let's ring the fucking wedding bells then. Exactly how many other gay guys do you see around here for Jason to choose from."
"Well," Nico took in a breath. "There's Percy that's pansexual, Luke that's bi, Eros is... well he is just his own thing right now. Everyone, even Percy himself, knows that he is hot." The boy gave a casual shrug and smirked. "I don't think you should talk, when you don't know my friends at all. But you certainly like to judge us without knowing us."
There was a flame in Lee's eyes out in the cold newly January air. "I do know Jason." A step towards Nico, fist clenched, jaw locked. "I can at least say I know him better than you."
Without saying anything at first, Nico burst out laughing. He swiped a thumb across his lip and focused his attention back on an angry Lee. "Do you?" Nico asked with a raised brow.
In an instant, Lee was in Nico's face, his own full of rage. There was not a time that Jason could recall ever seeing his friend so angry. "You know what, you can just have Jason. For now at least." Those eyes were like knives and his twisted smile like a predator. "May will be here before you know it. Jason will be done with school and going to college. Probably in a place that he can find someone that is actually a decent option. It might not be me, but I doubt it'll be you." Nico didn't even flinch as Lee stood in his personal space. "But do you know where you'll be, Nico? Here, in this fucking backwards town, with its backwards people, and with your weird friends and family. You'll sit by your phone and hope that he remembers to call or text you every week or so.
"But then he will just move on forever. I don't see you moving on, not in a place like this. Not with these options," Lee continued. "Thirty years are going to pass before you know it, and you'll be locked away in some hotel room with a married man's dick in your mouth. If it even takes that many years." Lee took in a breath, hands shaking with rage. "You'll have to tell me what's it like to have yourself peak at sixteen."
A pounding filled Jason's chest, his veins flowed with a burning cold. At his side, Nico was flexing his fingers. He did not move, did not open his mouth. Did not continue the fight. He even stood there in silence when Lee smirked in triumph and stepped back. Lee, however, did not take notice of the drop in temperature. It was already cold outside, why would he? Nor did Lee notice spirits rise from the grounds or step out of the woods. Mortals could not see things like that so easily, not without it being a haunting.
Something snapped in an instant within Nico's eyes and he lunged for Lee. Jason barely caught him around the waist and held the boy back. Lee just chuckled. "Don't want to upset your boyfriend, Nico, by getting your ass kicked."
No, shut up, Jason wanted to tell Lee. His friend just needed to be quiet. It was definitely not Nico that Jason needed to worry about. "Just let it go," Jason whispered into Nico's ear as the boy struggled in his arms. His skin was like sticking a hand in the water around Antarctica. Dread coursed through Jason, the feeling of death thick in the air. Nico had to calm down. "Nico, please. He doesn't mean what he's saying."
It didn't matter. A low, raspy breath that sounded like the whispers of an old dead language came from Nico's mouth and he clenched an outstretched hand. As he was upon the stairs, Lee fell backwards with a hard thud and let out a low groan before laying completely still. Jason slowly let go of Nico and stared at the boy's hand. Within his clenched fist was a white wisp.
Jason ran and slid to Lee. There was no pulse, his lips were already blue. Nico had taken his soul. Disbelief was written all over Jason's face as he turned back to face Nico. It didn't seem like Nico was the one standing there at all. It was like Jason was looking at Tartarus himself. A darkness filled his eyes, darker than Jason had ever seen them. His veins were black and the air crackled black lightning around him. Nico's lips were dark and cracked like the earth. And he stood there, admiring the soul wisp in his hand, like he might devour it at any moment.
"Nico!" Rage shot out through Jason's whole body. He was off the ground in an instant and had taken hold of his clearly deranged friend. "What the hell are you doing? He said some hateful things under a curse, and you decide that's grounds to take his soul? Possibly kill him?"
"Maybe a mindless slave," came the hiss of Nico's voice.
"Stop this and put it back. What has gotten into you? You're not acting like yourself at all."
Like those words were the off switch, Nico's eyes returned to normal and his grip on Lee's soul loosened. His shoulders fell and his lips formed a thin line. Not wanting to meet Jason's gaze, the boy silently handed Lee's soul over to Jason. He didn't want to leave his friend without his soul for too long, so Jason pushed it inside Lee's body.
"You should go," Jason whispered. Nico went to open his mouth and Jason had a surge of anger. "Go! I can't to talk to you right now."
Pain flashed in Nico's eyes as he bowed his head and silently walked up the steps and entered Percy's house. As he waited, Jason just locked his jaw and tried not to look in the direction that Nico had gone. Nico had been so far out of line. Lee was in no way capable of fighting back against magic! Even if the things Lee had said had been harsh, which they had been, it did not justify this. He didn't even want to look at Nico right now. This was out of hand, and Jason was not currently sure how they were going to get past this.
The color soon returned to Lee's face and his fingers twitched. When his eyes opened, the boy arched a brow at the blond hovering over him. "What... happened?" His voice was a little groggy.
"You slipped and fell. Must have hit your head pretty hard." Nice save, Jason. Thanks, Jason. The blond wiped a hand across his face as he let himself fall back on his ass. This night was exhausting. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," Lee mumbled and sat up. He rubbed his chest with a wince. Thankfully, he didn't question things further. Unfortunately, he took one look around and said, "Where's your weirdo of a boyfriend?"
"Just..." A sigh came from Jason's mouth and he then growled. He was done with all this tonight. "I'm going inside. Go back to the house. Stay and try to have fun. Don't care. I just don't want to talk to either of you tonight."
"But-"
"Goodbye, Lee," Jason called as he was already walking inside.
Right now, Jason just needed to get his mind off things. Get his mind off those two. This night was ridiculous. So was this curse. It was about two seconds before Jason remembered that Luke kept disappearing upstairs, so that was where he headed. And he found the blond in Percy's room, where Leo was currently trying to teach Eros how to play video games. Well it looked like Jason had been wrong earlier, Luke would in fact bring the nephilim to the party.
He shook his head and stepped into the room. Luke sat at the head of the bed, legs propped up, while Leo and Eros sat at the foot of the bed. Then Hazel and Frank were on the floor, snickering every time that Eros failed a jump or got killed.
"But if I die, how come I come back?" Eros asked with a confusing look at his controller. "Is the character cursed to go through this for eternity, or until he succeeds at his quest?"
"Uh, no." Leo pointed to a spot in the background on the TV. "Just run to that spot, so the insanity meter doesn't go up and crush your mind."
"Is the lord of this place telepathic?"
"No, he's insane."
Eros' eyes narrowed. "You wish to fight the mentally insane?" Jason had to snort at that. Leo had Eros playing Bloodborne, which he had watched the younger warlock and Percy play several times before. How they stood the frustrating game was beyond the blond's comprehension. "And what about the Cthulhu beast from earlier?"
"Her name is Amygdala, not Cthulhu," Luke replied.
Eros fired back with, "Have you ever seen Cthulhu?" No reply came. "Well, then how would you know?"
"Wait," Jason found himself talking, "Cthulhu exists?"
All eyes focused on the blond in the doorway, clearly not having noticed him before. Luke's eyes widened, like a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Uh..." Luke began and shot to his feet. "Well, we don't exactly have all the gods documented for which ones exist. It is possible."
"I don't think he would appreciate you saying things like that," Eros said, already back on the game and killing a giant spider. "He can be sensitive, you know. But the thing from earlier was missing the tentacles."
Frank decided to ask, "If you've met other gods, couldn't you just tell us which ones actually exist?"
Eros, thinking for a second, paused the game. "But you mortals don't even have names for all of them yet. Like I don't think some of them care to be known." He gave a shrug and went back to his game. Not a care in the world was with this nephilim. "Plus, where would the fun in that be?"
There was a smile on Hazel's face as she leaned into Frank. "I feel like you enjoy tormenting us. Go figure from a nephilim, right?" That brought a wicked grin to the nephilim's face.
Pursing his lips, Luke moved over to Jason. "You're not mad that I brought him to the party, are you?" Luke glanced at the nephilim, who was already distracted by the game again. "He didn't really like being left out of the Winter Solstice party. Apparently they really like parties. He's been pretty well behaved tonight, though."
"It's fine," Jason assured him. "Believe me, I've had other concerns tonight." With a groan, Jason pinched the bridge of his nose when Luke arched a brow. "Just... I don't really want to see or talk to Nico or Lee tonight. They're both being irritating. Lee said something to upset Nico, then said something else later after and Nico got into a verbal argument with him, and then Lee said something worse and Nico kind of snapped and used magic to remove Lee's soul."
Luke's brow furrowed and he crossed his arms. Glancing over his shoulder, he made sure the others weren't listening. Mainly Hazel. "Is everything okay? Is he okay?" Why did that matter? Jason just really didn't care to find out right now. "He doesn't need to use dark magic like that, Jason."
"Isn't most of his magic dark? Not the necromancy thing, just the thing with his eyes and stuff. He has a lot of dark in him."
"And who do you think is to blame for that?" Luke let out a sigh and stepped out into the hall with Jason. "With Tartarus' magic, came his fragmented soul, right? Tartarus had a lot of corruption in him. He darkened his own soul. I'm sure you've realized by now that Tartarus wasn't the sweet and innocent boy that your grandfather probably makes him out to be." Luke's lips tilted down as he slumped against the nearest wall. "He saved Nico's life by giving his own that day, but it also left Nico with that taint."
Jason took a spot on the opposite wall. "What does that have to do with being concerned about how he uses his magic?"
"Stealing a soul? That's pretty dark magic." A moment passed, where Luke just studied Jason's face. "You need to do some reading on dark magic, buddy." Another pause. "Just forget it. I'm sure Percy has already found him. I'll talk to him later." Letting out a sigh, Luke let his face soften. "I'm hoping that you'll cool off enough to talk to him eventually. Don't let this tear you apart."
"I will," Jason assured the other warlock. "Just not tonight. I can't tonight." His electric blue eyes locked on to the side of the nephilim's face. "Can I talk to him? I wanted to ask him something."
Another pause and then, "Hazel, Frank, Leo, clear out."
With some grumbling on Leo's part, the three of them left the room and headed downstairs to the rest of the party. Jason and Luke reentered the room and Luke plopped down in his previous spot. When Eros didn't seem to acknowledge anything, the blond leaned forward and pulled the controller from the nephilim's hand and motioned to Jason when Eros turned around to glare.
"Hey," Jason said quietly, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "What exactly did Kronos and Gaea want when they came to talk to you the other day?"
"That?" Eros seemed confused. "I believe they were going to make an announcement at the next coven meeting. I'm to return to high school with the rest of you." A smirk spread across his lips. Of course it was what he wanted. "We must keep up appearances, after all."
"Which does beg the question," Luke voiced. "How exactly did you fit in, yet you act so clueless about things?"
Those green eyes of Eros, which once seemed so innocent, watched the controller in Luke's hands like a cat about to pounce. It still felt strange to think about how that was no longer Jason's mortal friend. "It is one thing to know something exists, but something entirely different to know its purpose or what to do with it." His head tilted just ever so slightly. "Observing humans for centuries can tell me how they behave, but how could I grasp their reasoning or things like that from just observing? Plus, you don't honestly think we spend all day long just watching you creatures, do you? We do have an actual job. We have to ferry the dead."
"You tried to eat a can!" Luke pointed out.
The pout from Eros made it clear he did not like being made fun of for such things. "It had a picture of a food on it. Why do you humans seek to seal your food away so much? Are you afraid someone will steal it before you eat it?" He sighed wistfully at his game. "Also, food is very good, a shame we cannot appreciate such things as we normally are, but having a stomach truly does limit your ability to eat all the food you want."
A look was shared between Jason and Luke. It also made Jason wonder if Eros—the nephilim—could get fat while trapped in a human body? Like human Eros had been skinny, and Eros had been eating all that food, so was he going to gain weight? With how things had been going with the nephilim, the blond could only imagine the shocked reaction that would follow if such a thing were possible.
"If you're returning to school," Jason began, "what about your magic?"
"Bound," was all that Eros said.
As he watched Eros' sad expression from his lack of video game, Jason was curious about something. If nephilim knew about gods that humans didn't, if they were above witches and warlocks on the power scale, didn't it stand to reason that they might know more about magic also?
Right before Luke could hand the controller back to an all too eager Eros, Jason posed the question, "Would anything come to mind if I asked you to think of something that could block out a curse?"
The controller seemingly forgotten, Eros got up with a grin and closed the distance between him and Jason. "Now you're asking the interesting questions." With that, he swiped a hand across Jason's chest. Both of the warlocks in the room were surprised when a medallion appeared from thin air and fell to the ground. Had that been around his neck? Eros crouched down and picked it up, admiring it in his hand. "A nephilim's pendant. Quite handy, really. They can only be seen by nephilims and they weigh nothing." It was not a second later that the jewelry turned to dust. "It ran out of juice, though."
"Did you know it was there the whole time?" Luke asked.
With a shrug, letting the dust fall to the floor, Eros replied, "Well I am a nephilim." He still had a grin plastered across his face as he sat down on the bed again, kicking his legs like a child. "Curses are very powerful forms of magic, not easy to overpowers. The pendants only have so much time before they get used up." His eyebrow arched at Jason. "Just in case you were possibly wondering why it was three years after your parents were died that you had to be sent here."
It was hard for Jason to take his eyes off of the now destroyed necklace. If it was nephilim magic, then a deal had to of been made with one. And that thought did not set well with the blond at all. He didn't like thinking about someone he cared about having to owe something to one of those things. The nephilim using Eros' body might be more tolerable now, but Jason would not forget what it had been like the night Nico had summoned it the first time.
It was Eros' voice that shattered Jason's thought. "It was Lupa." Jason's eyes snapped up to the nephilim's face. "She made the deal, if you were wondering." His smile was innocent, but Jason could see the almost feral look in his eyes. He was playing a game, he knew the answer. "Well, the second person to make a deal for you. Your parents also made a deal to keep the curse dampened."
"And how do you know this?" Luke asked.
"Obviously, I'm the one that made the deals."
"Tell me." Jason was standing a little closer without realizing. His pulse had quickened, on the verge of answers. And Eros had known this whole time! Like enough had not been thrown at him tonight. "I need to know what happened. I was supposed to die that night, but I am obviously still here."
Jumping up from the bed, Eros eagerly rubbed his hands together. "I always love this part." There was a pout. "Although, you see the past all the time, so this isn't quite as fun." Eros reached up and touched Jason's forehead and a spark of light ignited, sending Jason into a spiral of darkness.
"I can't get a pulse!"
Jason had to jump out of the way to prevent getting trampled by a gurney being rushed down the hall by two nurses and a doctor that was trying to give CPR to an unmoving, younger Jason. The warlock's younger body was rolled into a room, the door shut. The current Jason, however, was able to walk straight through it like a ghost. There was a lot of blood that covered younger Jason's body. One of the nurses ripped young Jason's shirt open as the doctor prepared for defibrillation. The sight of the bullet hole in the younger Jason's chest brought a feeling of irritation to the now healed wound on the current Jason's body.
"Clear!" the doctor yelled and the nurses moved away. Nothing. Jason's body spammed, but did not respond. Still no pulse. The doctor tried again. And again. Nothing worked.
They called the time of death just as Lupa came running around the corner and started pounding one the window of the door in tears. "Jason!" She screamed. "No!"
The doctor whispered something to one nurse as he covered Jason's body. The other nurse stepped outside, soon followed by the doctor, and they talked to Lupa the best they could. This Jason, however, could not move from beside his younger self's body. He was dead. How strange was this? Seeing his own dead body was not something he figured most people could claim they did. Perhaps it was for the best. There was just no words that Jason could find to explain how it felt to stare at his own corpse. He really had died.
"Poor thing," the nurse that remained in the thing whispered with a sad look at Jason's covered body. "He was so young."
A few moments later, the doctor opens the door and nods at the nurse. Lupa steps into the room with her hand over her mouth. With her eyes cast downwards, the nurse peels back the sheet and quietly stepped out of the room. "Take all the time you need," the doctor whispered to Lupa before he too left.
Lupa slowly and unsteadily inched her way to stand over Jason's body. As he watched this, the current Jason tried to reach out and touch her, knowing it wouldn't work. He just wanted to let the woman know that he would be okay. He just didn't know what the price was just yet.
"Oh, Jason," Lupa whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair, "I tried to tell your parents to go back to Louisiana. You might have been safe from the curse, but they weren't. Now I've lost you all." Her other hand reached out to take the younger Jason's hand. Then something clicked in her head, something she had just said. "Oh. Maybe it's not over."
She moved from the dead Jason's bedside to close the blinds on the door. A knife was removed from her purse and Lupa sliced open her palm. All around the bed, Lupa set to work on drawing old symbols, all of which were all too familiar to the current Jason. They were hard to forget. Fire was summoned in her hand and she threw it at the first rune. The circle of blood was lit aflame and the blood seared itself onto the floor.
In the room and all through the hall, possibly the entire hospital, lights flickered for a brief moment. When they settled, Lupa was no longer alone in the room with Jason's body. The nurse that had been standing with Jason was back, now sitting on the other side of the bed from Lupa.
"Well," the nurse said, "looks like this one didn't have a good night." She smirked and her eyes dilated and turned an almost golden yellow. "Lucky for you, I was just in the neighborhood to collect his parents."
Without wasting a moment, Lupa said, "Bring him back. I want to make a deal."
The nephilim bit down on the bright red lip that the nurse had. "Oh, I love it when you guys are all business." It took in a deep breath and hopped off the bed before undoing the bun the nurse had put her hair in. "You're in luck, actually. I can make you a deal." Lupa looked feral when the nephilim placed its hands on Jason's temples. "I can bring him back, or I can go retrieve his father. Only one, not both, and his mother is not up for discussion."
Lupa was about to open her mouth, but the nephilim raised a finger to its lips and the witch's mouth clamped shut. Then it flicked its wrist and rolled out a contract so long that it hit the door across the room. An all too familiar looking contract, Jason might add.
"I know, I know. 'Why not Beryl?'" The nephilim's impression was like it had actually stolen her voice. "Well, that is for me to know and Jason here to find out in a few years... should you pick him. But let's be honest, we both know you're going to pick him." Now there was an obnoxiously large feathered pen in the nephilim's hand. "As you know, my boss doesn't like this one's family very much, being immortals and all. So I can only give you one back."
Lupa, glaring at the nephilim, took the pen and wrote Jason's name into a blank space at the top. It seared itself in a blood red ink and Lupa let out a hiss. There was now a deep cut on her arm. "I want him brought back, creature."
Before Lupa could sign her name at the bottom, the nephilim grabbed her wrist and said, "Not just yet, deary." The grin on the nurse's lips split open more and more with the passing seconds. "His parents made me a deal for him. I prevented that nasty curse from getting to him, and Jason here has been able to live his normal life. But that's over." Holding out a hand, the nephilim showed Lupa a charred contract. "You see, this one fulfilled its purpose. Now, if I bring him back, Jason will have his magic, and all of his dear little friends will slowly start to turn on him."
"What do you want?"
"Well now, you really are direct." The nephilim crushed the old contract in its hand. "You see, when Jason was laying there dying, his other little half to the other curse... Well, he felt it." Sitting on the bed, the nephilim ran its fingers up Jason's covered leg. Lupa looked ready to kill. "I'm afraid keeping the curse away is no longer an option." It didn't look sorry. "I can, however, offer you a few years. When that time is over, you'll have to ship him off to his family." Leaning in, it whispered, "I don't see Jason here taking it very well when he finds out he has magic and that you, and even his parents, lied to him his whole life."
"Just tell me how long," Lupa hissed, fingers wrapped tightly around the pen.
It took a moment for the nephilim to ponder it over. "Three years? I can seal Jason's magic away and give him his normal life in that time, but I'm afraid I can't keep the other curse out." When he spoke next, he looked right at the current Jason and grinned. "Some things are just unavoidable."
"Fine," Lupa growled. She took the pen and wrote her name at the bottom. She didn't even flinch when the back of her shirt darkened with blood. When it was done, the nephilim rolled up the contract with a grin and sealed it. "Just bring him back and let me enjoy the next three years with him.
The nephilim nodded. It tossed the contract over its shoulder and it vanished into the wall. "Three years for him. Five for you." Lupa's head snapped up. "You really should read the contract. Come now, you knew I had a price. His father made one. Betting he didn't bother to tell anyone that." It tutted under its breath and trailed a nail across Jason's bare chest. "He didn't have much longer. Souls never last more than ten years after a deal is made. Since I had to bring him back and now bind his magic again, I'll give you five years. That will give you plenty of time to say your goodbyes to him after he learns to the truth."
When Lupa didn't move, the nephilim arched a brow and motioned towards the door. A dark looked past over Lupa's face before she took her leave. The nephilim circled the bed and raised its hands over the dead Jason's body.
"Come to see the show, deary?"
When Jason looked up, the nephilim was looking at him again. "You can- You can see me?"
It rolled his eyes like that was a stupid question. "Of course I can. I am one of the embodiments of death, and not even time can stop death." Its head tilted back and looked the blond over. "You look angry."
Looking down, Jason found his fists shaking. "It's just... you knew. This whole time." He motioned to the door. "You even showed me Lupa's contract."
"Did I?" The nephilim quirked a brow. "I might can see things that exist out of time, but I do not see the future. Perhaps I'm not the me that you should be upset with." It took Jason a moment to recover from that comment. But he still made to lunge forward. He didn't move very far, but he still tried. The nephilim didn't even budge, but Jason was flung back against the wall. "I can only gather we meet in the future, yet you don't seem to be afraid of me." It walked closer to Jason and got close enough to peer into the depths of Jason's blue eyes. "Interesting. So very interesting."
"What's interesting is how I'm going to wring your neck when you let me go," Jason growled, his eyes sparking with electricity.
"I see you get the fire from your aunt there." With a raised finger, the nephilim stepped over to the bed again. It leaned over the younger Jason's body, opened his younger version's mouth, and breathed into it.
The younger Jason's body took in a sharp breath and electricity sparked all through his body. The force knocked over the nearby defibrillator, but it stopped in midair. Then fell another inch, and then froze again. This continued until the nephilim drew a circular line around Jason's neck, and then a pendant appeared. There was a lot of voices closing in on their room and the nephilim smiled.
"Time for you to return home," was all it said.
Jason felt his body move again and he lunged for the nephilim. Everything changed with a surge through his vision. The next thing he knew, he was on top of Eros on the floor, with his hands clamped tight in Eros' shirt. Luke had jumped off the bed.
"I'll take it things didn't happen quite the way you thought they might have," Eros said with the tilt of his head. Jason wanted to punch him, he really did. But when he raised his fist, all he saw was his friend's face. "You know, when I woke up in that water, I knew then that this was why you didn't look scared of me."
With a growl, Jason dragged them both to their feet and shoved the nephilim against the wall. "Break the contract." Eros smiled and went to raise a finger. Jason was done with discussing this. "Now!"
It didn't seem to bother Eros at all with how angry Jason was. He still smiled and said, "I knew that you'd be back for the contract." Jason slammed the nephilim's head into the wall for that comment. "If you want to end that contract, I'm afraid you'll have to make a deal for it."
"Deal?" Luke's brow furrowed and he worked to separate the two. Jason, reluctantly, released his grip on the nephilim's shirt. "What are you two talking about? Jason, what happened?"
"He..." Jason's eyes flared with anger and he ground out, "It made a deal with Lupa to bring me back. He knew, this whole time, what had happened to me. He knew that Lupa only has two years left now."
"A year and a half," Eros interjected.
Jason went to hit him, but Luke wouldn't let him. "You knew Circe had my mother, didn't you?" Jason yelled, his anger only growing at the innocent look on the nephilim's face. "That's why you wouldn't make a deal for her."
"Yes," Eros replied when Luke looked at him. His smile fell away. "I don't know what she wants, not exactly, but I know my bosses are worried about it." His eyes returned to Jason. "That's why I was allowed to make a deal. She would have never let your father come back, but she would allow you."
"She?" Jason asked, head spinning. He turned to Luke for clarification.
Luke, who still had his eyes trained on Eros, said, "He probably means the Triple Goddess. She's his big boss. He does ferrying for the others, but nephilim ultimately answer to the Triple Goddess." His brows furrowed as he studied the nephilim further. "But why she would be willing to make a deal exclusively for you is beyond me. Probably beyond him. Whatever it is, must be big. Perhaps we should tell the coven."
"Tomorrow," Jason grunted and stepped away from the nephilim. Why did he open this door? He had come up here to help get his mind off things, but he had just made himself more angry. How much more fucked up was his life going to get? He wiped a hand across his mouth. "How do I break Lupa's contract?"
For a moment, the nephilim was silent, deep in thought. Then it grinned and said, "If you want the contract, you'll have to trade a life. Lupa's life for... Eros' father." It was clear that Jason was going to make the deal. Lupa's life in exchange for letting the nephilim tear Eros' father apart? Fine. But the nephilim stopped him before Jason could agree. "But you have to do it, Jason Grace. He has to die... by your hand."
"What?" Jason and Luke both exclaimed.
Smirking, the nephilim pushed itself off the wall, only to be put back by Luke. The blond had a frown on his face as he stared at the nephilim. "No. That's not fair at all." He put a firm hand on Eros' chest when the nephilim tried to move. "The man is wretched, there is no doubt about that. I even agree that he deserves to pay for what he did to Eros, but Jason should not have to murder him. Break the deal and leave it at that."
Honestly, Jason was surprised when there was no fire in the nephilim's eyes. No smirk, not even a toying stare. His shoulders just slumped and he frowned. "I can't. It's a binding contract." He shook his head. "The deal was a life for a life. I can't just rip it up. So, it has to be a life for a life if you want the contract fulfilled."
"Then take my life," Jason offered without missing a beat.
Both Luke and Eros stared at him, unmoving. Then the nephilim regained it senses and shook its head. "No. Sorry, but no." He finally was let free from the wall and Eros dusted himself off. "Unfortunately, the Triple Goddess will not issue a deal fulfilled in exchange for your life. Surprising, since she doesn't like your family, right?" He frowned more when Luke didn't look convinced. "I'm telling the truth. I swear! I don't know why, just that she took the contract for Jason's life and wrote in an addendum. Your life is not eligible for trade."
Luke glanced at Jason. "What do you want to bet it has something to do with everything going on around here?"
"Circe?" Jason asked. Luke nodded.
"Yes," Eros said. His lips tightened when both sets of blue eyes turned back on him. "I don't know details, just that whatever Circe is doing isn't good. I know that the Triple Goddess seems to think Jason relates to it." With a huff, the nephilim sat back down on the bed and took the controller up again and went back to playing. "Whatever it is has to be big enough to worry a goddess like my boss, though."
Great thing to learn, Jason thought bitterly. One look from Luke told Jason that the blond did not feel good about this piece of news either. Such a great start to the new year this was turning out to be!
"Let's have Jason and Nico fight, and Jason not forgive Nico right away." I got you fam. In the future: "Wait, no, not like this!" Too late! Don't give me an idea if you aren't prepared to roll with it :D
So why might that frustrate you? Take a look back at the last thing Nico was going to say before Lee interrupted them after the kiss and tell me what it looked like Nico was going to say. Started with an "L". What a shame, I guess they can't get together quite yet. Hmm. Yes. A pity.
Anyways, on an actual serious note, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I actually had more planned for this chapter, but it got to be 17 pages and I just felt the chapter was finished with how it ended with the discovery with Eros. If anyone suspected him of dealing with Jason's family before, because of the contract he offered Jason chapters ago, good for you. Also, I mentioned before, but the series I'm making this into was supposed to be six books. Yeah, it's more like seven now. So the first book will end when Jason's character finds out he's a warlock. Basically, I just feel this change is necessary in order to make the changes I want to. I want to expand on a lot of things before all the magic happens. Nico and Jason's characters could use a little tweaking on the development of their relationship. Reworking characters to fill in gaps. I also want to give more time to mortal Eros, and give a better flow of Jason's character descending into the curse before he finds out about magic. Like I want the mortals to start disliking him for no obvious reason to him.
Just things like that. I'm sure you guys won't mind an expanded story. Yeah. So I'm gonna take a short break to do a little work on that. Plus I want to finish "Dream Thieves" and start on "Blue Lily, Lily, Blue". When I say break, it's probably not as long as it sounds. I'm trying to configure myself a better schedule for doing everything I need to. Like Carlee recently suggested to me that I spend some of my day time to outline my changes and slowly start to rewrite what I need to, and then spend my night time writing more of the fic. That way I can be done with at least the second book by the time I start trying to get this published.
Also, I might cut the book where book two of six was going to end. Which would now be the end of book three. The main reason being is that I don't want to get any further than that and cut you guys off midway through something big happening. And I feel like this spot would be a good place to end. And you'll all still be getting a fresh experience with the books as they come out. Plus I won't be able to keep going writing this if I do get it published, they just won't let me do it.
Sorry for the long note, yet again. I'll hopefully see you soon with another update. If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review down there and let me know your thoughts. Reviews are just a good way to know a scene I enjoyed writing went over well, and that others enjoyed it as much as I did. Anyways, I'm gonna go be productive with reading. See you all soon!
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PS: I'll be traveling soon. It's my turn to visit CarleeAdison. So I'll be flying out to Austin, TX the first weekend in February. Late Christmas present and it'll be to celebrate my birthday, which is also in February. Get to fly from Memphis, TN(Probably super early in the morning). I think the flight I'm looking at hits Huston for like an hour? There will probably be pictures posted to tumblr.