Back with another chapter! A lot of reviews last chapter! Thank you all so much! I guess I did a good job? I know I still need to reply to a lot of them; I've just been busy getting ready for my Texas trip next weekend. I know one thing that I needed to answer was that I do not have an actual book title for this yet. I always procrastinate my titles, even for chapters, until everything else is basically done. So I wouldn't expect me to have a book title for this anytime soon. I don't think there was any major things I needed to point out from any of the reviews? I will say that every single person missed a very crucial detail last chapter and it honestly surprised me that nobody pointed it out. But maybe I did a good job of hiding it.

Chapter 26: Sins of Our Grandfathers

The holiday was at its end, and so was his friend's visit. Jason was both glad they came and relieved to see them go. He wanted more than anything to keep some trace of his old life with him, but it seemed more and more like that was going to be impossible. As he stood there, watching Cecil pack the rest of his things, Jason wondered if he would ever get to see his friends again.

The curse didn't seem to affect Cecil any, and that was good. But Jason's friendship with Lee was on a knife's edge. A delicate string that hung from the sharp point, and every fight was more weight being added to it. Lee and Jason had barely spoken since the party, and he had not even seen Nico since that night. He hadn't made an attempt to do so and Nico had apparently stayed inside his house.

Still crouched over and his back to Jason, Cecil softly said, "It was nice getting to come visit. Maybe you could come to California for spring break?" A smile was plastered across the brunet's face when he turned to get a look at Jason.

"Yeah. Maybe." He wasn't sure what was going to happen. It was true that Jason did need to talk to his aunt at some point, and Jason would prefer to do it face-to-face. But going to California would just mean running into Lee again. Not necessarily, he supposed, but it wouldn't feel right to go back there and not see his friends. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah!" As the smile melted away, Cecil arched his neck and looked out into the hall. "Sorry about Lee. I don't know what's gotten into him this past week."

Jason did. And it sucked not being able to tell either of them why this was happening. It sucked that he might have to tell them that he might not ever see them again. It sucked knowing that there was a dead witch up to something around here, and that it was even possible that Jason might not live to graduation.

But it was for the best this way, with them not knowing.

Unfortunately, this did not help Jason.

After breakfast, the three of them got ready to go to the airport. Lee dropped his luggage into the trunk and shut it with a grunt. Cecil was already in the car, trying to find some music to listen to. As he was walking around the car, Lee muttered, "You're gonna be just as weird as the rest of them by the time we see you again."

Things just slipped out before Jason could stop himself. "Yeah, because you haven't been an asshole this past week." It was like word vomit. "You didn't even try to have a good time, just bitched and complained the whole time. And decided to insult my friends, who even opened up their homes to you."

Cecil sunk down into his seat. Lee slammed his palm against the roof of the car. "You might as well have joined a cult, Jason! It's funny, you know. We've known you longer, but you go and jump to defend all of them."

"Can you just... I don't know, leave me out of this," Cecil mumbled with a frown.

"Yeah, don't drink Cecil into this," Jason fired back. "He has not done anything wrong, and you're using him as a shield. He actually made an attempt to get to know them. And got along with Nico. You, on the other hand, did nothing but attack him this whole time." Stop, Jason tried to tell himself. His anger was just boiling in him. Everything that had been happening for the past few months came tumbling out in the form of venomous words. "You didn't even want to get to know Gaea and Kronos, who let you stay in their home. You've been a lousy friends these past few days."

A curtain was peeled back upstairs and Kronos was peering outside. He could probably hear them yelling. Hell, Percy could have probably heard them from his house.

Lee stomped around the car and poked a finger at Jason's chest. "Do you even really care about that kid? You haven't even texted him since the party. I thought that maybe, just maybe, you had gotten some sense into your thick skull." Another shove to the chest. "But you're hopeless!"

"So are you," Jason growled, shoving Lee back. "We've been broken up for a year now, yet you're still hung up on me. It's over, in case you haven't noticed. So stay out of my love life and let me find someone that actually makes me happy." He didn't mean this. "It's just sad, really."

He didn't even see it coming. The next thing that registered in Jason's head was a sharp pain in his jaw. He was on his back and Lee stood over him, fuming with anger. Jason was up in the next instant and Lee prepared another swing. As it came for him, Jason's senses fired into overload and his pupils briefly dilated.

The fist slowly made its way towards his face and Jason stepped to the side. It was seconds to him, but only a millisecond had gone by. And then Lee was stumbling forward with his miss and Jason instinctively brought his knee up to meet the boy's gut. Cecil was out of the car in the next instant as Lee rolled on the ground with a groan.

Glancing back at the house, Jason just found a swaying curtain. Great, he thought to himself as his adrenaline slowly subsided and he let his eyes return to Lee and Cecil. As Lee tried to get up with a growl, Cecil pushed against his shoulder to keep the boy on the ground.

"You two need to calm down," their friend said. "This has been ridiculous. We came here to have a good week, and you two have done nothing but fight. And, honestly, Jason has a point, Lee." That made Lee's jaw drop. "These people have done nothing to you, and you haven't been acting like yourself lately." Then he turned on Jason. "But you shouldn't have hit him, Jason." Then Cecil was back at Lee again. "And you shouldn't have either. You two have never had a physical fight before."

There was the soft sound of footsteps behind him, and Jason refused to look up to meet his grandfather's eyes as the warlock stepped up beside him. "Is everything all right?" He asked calmly.

"We-" Jason began.

Lee cut him off. "He can take us back to the airport." The boy was ripping himself away from Cecil and wiping an arm across his mouth. "We're done, Jason."

Jason's brow furrowed as Lee pulled his luggage back out, pulled his hoodie over his shaved head, and stepped to the side. Cecil let out a sigh and got back to his feet, giving Jason a sad look. This was a disaster, Jason knew it, but he was also still fuming.

Before he could do anything, Kronos placed a hand on Jason's shoulder and said, "I can drive you two back to the airport." He looked to Jason for an answer and the blond softly nodded, not looking up. Cecil's shoulders dropped and Lee just grunted his reply. "Very well," Kronos sighed and unlocked his car.

Lee didn't even look at Jason again before climbing into the car. Cecil, on the other hand, came back over to Jason after loading up his bag and pulled the blond in for a hug. "Just give him some time, he will cool off. I know he didn't mean what he said." Cecil didn't even know how true that statement probably was. "I'll miss you, buddy. I hope this won't be the last I will get to see you. Even if Lee doesn't want to talk to you again, I'm still your friend. Don't forget about me."

With a sigh into the brunet's shoulder, Jason mumbled, "I could never forget about you, Cecil. And thank you for coming to visit. It meant a lot to me." He let Cecil pull away with a sad smile. "I'll probably swing by California at some point. I have some things to talk over with my aunt, so I'll hit you up while I'm in the city."

"For sure," Cecil replied with a smile. Then he was turning around and walking over to the car.

Jason stood there as they drove away, and continued to stand there until they were long gone. Honestly, he had wished they had come earlier during the break, because now Jason just needed another break for his break. And school was already looming on the horizon in the next few days.

As Jason turned to go back inside, he let out a hiss and touched his lip. There was blood staining his fingertips when he pulled it back. To top off the cherry that was this morning, Jason still had lessons later today. He had missed a week's worth already, so he doubted any of the adults would take it easy on him. And then there was the coven meeting tonight, which everyone was expected to attend. Somehow, Jason had the feeling that he would be discussed, now with this new revelation that they had attained from the nephilim.

After some coffee and a shower, Jason found Gaea adjusting one of the paintings in the upstairs hallway. The waterfall in the painting began to flow on its own after her hands were removed. The two stared at it for a moment before Jason furrowed his brow. A weight came off Jason's shoulder in that moment, no longer having to worry about his friends finding out about anything.

"The curse will start to wear off once he is on the flight," Gaea suddenly said.

With a small grunt, Jason checked his phone. He still had some time before his lessons were to start. "Did Circe really have to die? Maybe if-"

"Don't try to overwhelm yourself with possibilities or 'what ifs'." The woman took a step back, examined the painting, then tilted it to be perfect. A deer had wandered up in the painting and was having a drink at the bottom of the waterfall. "There's always more to the story, Jason, and the decision to kill Circe was more than her discovery of Kronos and Tartarus. People died and she risked exposure in her anger."

Funny how she tried to play the victim whenever she spoke to Jason. When he looked at his great-grandmother again, something came to Jason. Gaea had been alive a long time, hadn't she? Around seven hundred years. Annabeth had pointed Jason to Gaea about the book, hadn't she? Then again, Annabeth herself should have known something with her pyschometry.

But here Jason was, asking Gaea, "I was doing some research on Circe, and I found this book. Maybe you could help me with it?" That had managed to catch Gaea's interest. "It was old and Annabeth said she couldn't even understand it."

Without missing a beat, Gaea replied, "The coven will be taking care of Circe. Plans are already being made, if you'll just wait until tonight." Then she waved a hand to the ceiling and brought it to life again. "There is only one book that even comes to mind of which you described." She shook her head. "Why would you be interested in that book?"

"I don't even know what it is."

With a deep breath from Gaea, she motioned for them to walk, and they moved to sit down at the top of the stairs. "Stories always get created and passed down in all cultures. What you found is just that: a collection of stories. In this case, since the dawn of time. Because all cultures throughout time have stories that some have thought are related." Raising her hand above her knee, Gaea summoned the very book they were talking about to her lap. Absentmindedly, she flipped through some of the pages. "Once upon a time, I knew the witch that compiled the stories that filled this book. To some she was a genius, and to others... crazed. She grew fascinated with the idea and belief that a greater power existed out there. A Creator, if you will."

Jason's lips tilted down as he studied the book in Gaea's hands. "Marie mentioned something like that when we were in New Orleans."

Gaea nodded and let her fingers trail across the cover. "That is one example."

"So, you mean like God?" Jason inquired. "Is he real?"

"Not exactly?" She offered her descendant a sad smile and handed the book over to him to look at. "You're asking how things came to be. I'm sorry to say, but we have no more knowledge about what is real and what is myth than the mortals do. The reason the vast majority in our society do not worship this Creator is because we tend to believe in what we know." Her eyes were on Jason, studying every inch of him, as he peered at page after page. None of the writing made any sense to him. "Faith? What is faith? What can I do with such a thing? Magic is belief. I have seen it, therefore I believe in it. Ours is not a religion in the same sense that mortals practice their religions."

Until Jason had discovered magic and the gods of witchcraft, the blond had never given much thought to the creation of the universe. For the most part, he just went with the scientific answers. Which, in the case of the dinosaurs, was technically true. It also had to do with nephilim accidentally wiping them out for fun, as Eros decided to tell Jason one day. Or when they decided to flood the planet, so that they could "see how humans fared under water."

"We never found Atlantis after that," Eros had said during that story.

"This is more of a history lesson, isn't it?" continued Gaea. An eyebrow raised above her hairline when Jason looked up at her. "Religion by mortals was established to give them hope, to believe in something, to give them meaning and purpose. We have a connection to our gods, we know how the balance of the afterlife works, though not what it entails. It all does make for a good story, though."

"I just thought that maybe the Triple Goddess would have been your creator figure," Jason admitted.

With a hum, Gaea said, "No one has ever asked her, nor has she ever desired to comment on it."

There was a loud pop outside and Jason's face contorted into confusion. He got up, setting the book aside, and went to peer out the window. Kronos' car was back in its spot. Of course he would just use his magic to travel back after Lee and Cecil were dropped off.

When he let the curtain fall back into place, Jason frowned and looked back at his great-grandmother. "When I found that book, it was in a pile that Annabeth said Tartarus was looking through." Nico's face flashed through Jason's mind, how dark and corrupted it looked the other night. It was frightening how eerily similar Nico truly looked to his grandfather in that moment that he was holding Lee's soul. "There was also a book about succubi and incubi, and I'm a little confused as to what they have to do with whatever it was he was researching."

"What do you know about them?"

"I know that there was one around here, but you banished her," Jason answered.

It was strange that the front door hadn't opened yet. As he waited for Gaea's answer, Jason peered out the window again. Kronos' car was still there, but the warlock was nowhere in sight.

Gaea's words managed to chill Jason's spine when they finally came out, freezing the boy in place. "It was Medea's mother."

There was a pause, where Jason had to find a way to recover. He supposed that explained a lot with Medea herself, born to a succubus. "Hades had a sister?" the blond whispered. Gaea nodded. "And you banished her?"

"I banished Melinoe's mother as well."

"Melinoe?"

Gaea gave a single nod. "That was the name of Medea's mother. I say 'was' because I have no idea if she is still alive or not." Her fingers were trailing across the surface of the book next to her. "She has made no attempt to make contact with her daughter, so I can only imagine that she isn't."

"And her mother?"

It was like Gaea had become lost within her own mind. Several moments passed, where Gaea just studied the book. Then she said, "It was a dark time in Tartarus' life. Melinoe was only the half sister to Hades and Pluto. With her, I felt it would help improve Tartarus' state if she was no longer in his life." A sigh escaped her lips as she waved a hand and sent the book back to the crypt. "He did improve, though he was angry with me for a long time. But with all the darkness that he put upon his self, his soul was never truly able to revert back to what it was. And it took many, many years for him to even become a fragment of the warlock he was when I first laid eyes on him."

So much had happened before he had come along, before he had even been born. With his dreams and the knowledge others slowly passed on to him, it was all becoming unraveled. Maybe the answer to the Circe problem, even the curses, could be found somewhere deep within.

He decided to ask, "Why did you banish Melinoe?"

"I made the decision after a long coven debate over the issue," Gaea replied, standing to her feet. "We had a death in the coven three years ago, and one of our younger ones was attacked for witnessing it." Jason's mind started running through everyone as soon as she said that. "Artemis' husband was killed by Melinoe."

There was only one name that came to mind.

"Luke," Jason whispered. Gaea nodded. His mind began to spin at this knew information. Luke's scar came from witnessing a murder? "Why did she spar Luke?"

"Probably to keep him quiet. He has never spoken about the incident. Refused to even testify when we were discussing Melinoe's banishment."

Before he could ask anything further, the front door finally opened and then slammed. It was then followed by, "You do not seem to take a hint!" Kronos sounded angry. Jason and Gaea peered over the railing to find Kronos standing there with the witch that had shown up a few days ago. "Most people would take a hint, but you don't seem to get it through your head. Honestly, I have to wonder if there is more going on here!"

With a sigh and roll of her eyes, the woman said, "I do want to marry you. Why would anyone not want to marry the son of the most powerful witch alive? I imagine that more would want to marry your mother, if she weren't so terrifying."

"Glad to see you again as well, Silene," Gaea called from where she and Jason stood above them. Jason was surprised to find a martini glass in her hand. And by that he meant that he was not surprised at all. "Back again, are we? I have to wonder if your uncle has some other motives for sending you here."

The woman named Silena quickly bowed as Gaea descended the stairs, her face flushed. "My apologies, Your Greatness." She refused to look up as Gaea walked by her. "It was my uncle's idea, I swear. I meant no disrespect."

"What is she talking about?" Jason clamped a hand over his mouth as soon as the words left his mouth.

Three heads turned to look up at Jason, who chuckled awkwardly and cleared his throat. The woman was looking at him as if he were an insect as Jason descended the stairs. "My uncle," the woman began, finally taking her eyes off Jason, "feels a marriage would be a good way to keep an eye on things around here. And, if nothing else, my visit would let him have a good idea of what was happening."

Kronos shared a look with his mother. Gaea stepped forward and poked a finger to Silene's forehead. The skin around the point began to turn ashy and yellow lines spread out across the woman's skin. "I believe your uncle has forgotten how things work, and he has apparently grown complacent in his position and my absence." Pressing her nail into the girl's skin, Gaea pushed her back and Silene fell to the floor. Her skin slowly cleared up. "Tell Hyperion that if he tries anything like this again, I will be paying him a personal visit. Now then, I do believe it's time for you to leave."

"Gaea, please don't-" She was cut off as Gaea waved her hand and Silene was blown away like dust in the wind.

Kronos crossed his arms and removed the martini glass from his mother's hand, downing what was in it and returning it to his mother. The glass slowly refilled. "This just keeps getting worse and worse." No response came from Gaea. "Suggestions?"

As Gaea turned to leave the room, she said, "Perhaps we should work on making an offensive against Circe, instead of waiting for her to make a move." She left the room, and Kronos and Jason shared a look. Then she called back, "It'll be discussed at the meeting tonight. Circe has caused us enough trouble."

"Come on, just do it already," whined Castor.

"You're slowing us down," added Pollux.

Jason groaned as he stared at the cat in front of him, who just meowed in his face and jumped down to curl around Jason's leg. Not helping, the blond thought to himself. Castor and Pollux both stood on his right side, tapping their feet and huffing every few seconds. His family lessons had been going great the past few weeks, but the lessons with everyone else was another story. And now he was getting shown up by kids that were four years younger than him.

Artemis came up beside Jason and placed her hand on his shoulder with a warm smile. "It's okay, Jason, not everyone has the ability to bond with familiars." She hummed and picked up the cat, stroking its back. "Or maybe you just need to find the right familiar."

"What a noob," Castor whispered to his brother. Artemis shot them both a look.

"Why don't you boys run on home," the witch suggested to the boys. "The coven meeting will be soon, and I'm sure your mother will want you to eat beforehand." As they scampered away, laughing to themselves, Artemis turned back to Jason. "Don't let them discourage you too much. Magic isn't easy, even if you're making good progress with your time magic. Your house magic will always be a lot easier to learn."

"What about you?" Jason asked and received an odd look from Artemis for it. "I'm a little confused about your family, with you and your brother." There was a lot that Jason did not know about half of the families in the coven. Hell, there was plenty to learn about just every family. "How did each of you become Head of House?"

"Oh!" Smiling, Artemis put the cat down and it dashed away and into the witch's house. "It was our parents. Both of them were Heads of House. Unfortunately, they were each only children. They, technically, were not supposed to get married, but they fell in love." She shrugged and sat down on the porch. Jason chose to stand. "So, since they were both the last of their lines, they both became Heads of House. Now, my mother's line actually had more to them, but they were all killed off in the early 1900s. It was 1917, to be exact."

1917... Why did that date stand out to Jason? It hurt his pride, as someone that loved history, to not come up with the answer. Well, it was around the time of the first World War. And he had heard that the twins descended from some sort of nobility. Which only left...

"You're descended from the Romanov dynasty?"

Artemis smiled a little and nodded, her hands gently laced together in her lap. My great-grandfather was actually brother to the first Tsar. Also his older brother. But Michel loved power and tried to kill my great-grandfather. After my great-grandfather left Russia, Michel had our family stricken from the history books." It seemed like Anastasia was not the Romanov people needed to be searching for all this time. "Which worked out fine for us, since our side of the family was long forgotten by the time of the revolution."

He wanted to ask why they didn't go back to Russia and maybe take back their birthright, but he didn't. Why would they? It all came back to their common problem. The curse on the coven. The people of Russia would hate them and try to kill them probably.

"You know," Artemis began, "I'm surprised you haven't asked me about your sister?"

He didn't even hesitate. "I guess I would like to know why she is still in your house." Jason didn't mean for it to sound rude or anything, but it probably did.

Luckily, Artemis didn't take it as such. "You know, I asked her several years ago if she wanted to go and stay with Kronos and Gaea. She chose not to. To be honest, I'm not sure why your parents just didn't leave her with them." That didn't make any sense. Jason had been wondering why his parents just didn't bring Thalia with them. "They dropped her off one night, saying they'd be back to pick her up, and then just disappeared. Kronos searched intently for them, but your father did not want to be found."

More questions and not enough answers. What else was new with Jason's life? That was all his existence was ever setting foot in Aimes. Perhaps only his parents would hold the answer to this new question, or maybe Lupa would. Yet another reason he needed to talk to Lupa.

The coven meeting was the first time that Jason saw Nico since the party. It wasn't that Jason was trying to stare at Nico, he just couldn't help it. So he stood there—like all those that weren't Head of House or a First—staring at the boy that he was still angry with.

If it were possible, Nico looked even more tired than normal. On Nico's wrist was a dark bruise of a hand print and several scratches. He sat next to his father, leg tucked under himself and possibly the cause of the faint chill in the air. Earlier, Apollo—who apparently had to come in for the meeting—pointed out that Jason felt a little cold during their lesson. Jason hadn't even noticed.

When Nico's eyes darted up to meet Jason's, the blond looked away and rubbed his arm. He wasn't sure if he was ready to forgive Nico just yet, even with how much seeing him like this stung Jason's heart.

Gaea stood up and drew everyone's attention to her. With a clear of her throat, she said, "It seems that the High Coven has decided they need to keep an eye on us." Several of the adults shifted in their seats. "The nephilim is now under control, but we still have Circe out there. She is biding her time, planning something against us. And, at this point, does not care about exposing us to the town. With the curse still in play, it would be detrimental to our survival for anyone to find out." Her hands were laced together lightly in front of her. "If the High Coven knows something strange is happening here, it is only a matter time before witch hunters could be breathing down our necks."

"Perhaps we should start mounting a defense plan, should any show up," Athena suggested. A few of the adults nodded in agreement.

Ares let out a grunt. "Or we could just take them head on when they get here." He grinned with a clenched fist. "We always run. Why not stand and fight?"

Apollo, who had slouched down in his chair and had his leg hanging over the side, let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "It's not a question of if we can defend ourselves against them." The blond warlock smirked when Ares growled at him. "It's a matter of exposing magic. Every encounter that any witch or warlock has ever had with the hunters always ends up threatening to expose magic."

"My brother is right," Artemis added. She regretted it immediately when Apollo let a huge grin split across his lips. "Unfortunately." She motioned over to Athena. "We need a good defense plan. Something that will not draw any unwanted attention, should we have to defend ourselves. We are on a ley line of spiritual energy. We do not need to relocate."

It was Poseidon that directed the discussion back to the matter at hand. "We need to focus on Circe." Hades grunted, twisting the ring on his finger, and nodded. "She has been a thorn in our side for too long." He then turned to Hades. "Any thoughts on how your father planned on fixing this?"

"I found a few of his notes," Hades said, his dark gaze trained on his ring. "There are several artifacts that he listed that could destroy her." Destroy? Like completely? She wouldn't even be in the afterlife? "Unfortunately," Hades finally looked up and met Gaea's eyes, "they are all lost or destroyed. Over the years, mortals—specifically the witch hunters—have destroyed them. They didn't know what they were probably. Thanks to Annabeth," he indicated at the blonde witch who sat beside her mother, "I know that two of these still exist. Or should. We have not real guarantee. Annabeth?"

"Right," the girl whispered as she stood up. She had the book Jason had seen her studying the other night in her hands. "The only objects that can end Circe are an orb and a dagger. Unfortunately," she began thumbing through the book, "the orb has not been seen since the days of King Arthur. Some scholars believe that Merlin might have had it destroyed. The other is the Dagger of Souls." She looked up with a grim look on her face. "Unfortunately, no one has ever documented where it comes from, at least not in any text I've been looking over. It just pops up throughout history, and then disappears as mysteriously as it came."

Gaea had sat back down and had a finger pressed against her lips. Wheels seemed to be turning in her head, trying to solve their problem with any knowledge she might have locked away inside her head. Jason had to wonder just how much she knew about things, having lived so long. He wondered what it would be like for him in a few hundred years, even after all those in this room had passed on. Save for Kronos and Gaea. A lump formed in Jason's throat and he frowned. Thinking about that, about losing his friends, wasn't comforting.

Even Nico would be gone.

Jason cleared his throat and looked at the boy he had just been thinking about. Nico had been listening to the adults debate the situation, but his eyes soon fluttered over to Jason, like he sensed the blond watching him. Jason did not look away this time. Looking into those dark eyes now, he couldn't find a trace of Tartarus inside of them. It was just Nico. It was just a frightened boy, who seemed afraid of himself more than anything.

"What about the nephilim, though," Hera's voice broke through the discussion. "What is the update on it?"

Hermes sat up in his chair and laced his fingers in his lap. "He has been fairly well behaved, I must say. More than I expected." He glanced at Gaea. "I see no reason we should not send him back to school. It would help not raise any further suspicion."

"Right now," Kronos voiced, "we don't not need any more than we already have."

"Agreed," nodded Gaea. She still looked like she was thinking over something in her mind. Although, she did not voice it. "The nephilim will go back to school, but he will return back to our care. His powers will remain bound." Her finger tapped lightly against her lips as her brow furrowed. "I would like the adults and the Firsts to work on preparing a defense, should any witch hunter show up. We also need defense plans for whatever Circe could possibly throw at us. That will be the objective for all of you." Her eyes focused to where most of the younger ones were standing. "I need one or two of you to volunteer to do some research. We need one or both of those objects Annabeth listed to be found."

There was a long silence that followed. Nobody wanted to volunteer right away. Jason did want to, but he was still new to all of this. There was so much that he did not know about... well, about everything. Right now, the best thing Jason could do to prepare for the coming storm was to keep going with his lessons and try to catch up the best he could.

Then, quietly, "I can do that." It was Malcolm. His face flushed from all the attention he suddenly got. "I might... uh, need some help. The library down here is rather huge."

"If it would be all right with the coven," Frank piped up, "Reyna may be better suited to help with the defense plans." The girl in question raised a brow at him. Ares did not object, though. "While she is handling that, I could assist Malcolm with his research."

Gaea waited for Ares to say anything, but the man didn't. His eyes kept darting back and forth between Frank and Reyna. When nothing further was said, Gaea replied, "Very well. Frank and Malcolm will tackle the research that we need. Report anything you find as soon as you do." Both boys nodded. "When we have some form of answers, we will meet again to discuss a plan of attack."

When the meeting was over and they were on their way out, Jason stopped Malcolm in the cemetery and pulled him off to the side. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Well you just did," the other warlock replied with a smirk and an adjust of his glasses. Jason rolled his eyes and shook his head. Malcolm just chuckled. "Shoot."

"It's about Annabeth," Jason confessed. Maybe he should have gone to Annabeth herself about this, but he didn't know how she would respond. Maybe asking someone else would yield better results. "I asked her about this book. A very old book, which she said she couldn't read."

"Maybe she couldn't."

Jason tilted his head to the side. "Maybe. But we both know that your family has psychometry as their house magic. So," Jason crossed his arms with a raised brow, "why couldn't she tell me something just by touching it?"

Malcolm let his eyes wander over to where Annabeth was leaving with Bianca. "Well, I do know which book you are talking about. It's not about touching it. At most, she can't decipher the language just by touching it. Everyone knows that is a book about the old religion. In the very old days, people worshiped it just like Christians worship their God today. That's not a secret." The blond adjusted his glasses again. "She probably just didn't want to be wrong, not being able to come up with anything. There are plenty of objects out there in the world that our magic doesn't work on. Merlin even enchanted objects, so that people like my family could not decipher anything just by touching it."

"She could have just said that," Jason muttered.

Malcolm let out a chuckle. "Clearly you underestimate my cousin's need to always know the answer." He smirked and began walking to the exit, only turning back to say, "The real question you should be asking is: Why was Tartarus looking at that book in the first place?"

Yeah...

Perhaps Malcolm had a point. Perhaps Jason had been looking at it all wrong. How did the book fit together with all those that Tartarus had picked out? If Annabeth couldn't help him, perhaps Eros could. The nephilim was the oldest thing there, predating even Gaea, and probably that book as well. If anyone could decipher it for Jason, it had to be him.

The next day, Jason stood in the middle of the foyer with Kronos following behind him. "It's just a few school supplied, I won't be gone long." Jason reached for his keys and patted his pockets for his phone, which was there. "You don't need to worry so much."

Kronos followed him to the door. "You know, you do have this ability to conjure what you need." His arms crossed as he leaned against the frame.

"I could," Jason supplied as he pushed the button to unlock his car, "but I would rather do it this way."

Honestly, Jason just wanted some sense of normalcy in his life right now. And shopping for school supplied, while simple, was a way to do that. School would be starting again soon, which he was also thankful for. It did mean his days would be crammed full, though. With his lessons, there was no way Jason could balance playing sports on top of school. He was going to have to decline Hedge's offer to let him back on the team. Even if it did suck.

Like he could read Jason's mind, Kronos said, "You know, I know you want your old life back, but you're going to have to accept your heritage sooner or later." Why couldn't he have both? "You're making good progress, though. Normally there would be no rush, but these aren't normal circumstances. I would feel better if you were capable of defending yourself when Circe decides to show her face again."

"You mean show my mother's face again," Jason muttered.

Kronos' lips became a thin line. "I am sorry about that." He sighed and looked at the sundial in their driveway. "Just don't be gone too long, and perhaps ask someone to go with you?"

Instead of saying anything, Jason just tossed a wave over his shoulder as he descended the steps and headed for his car. He was content with just going into town by himself. After all, it was just going to be a quick trip to Walmart and then back home. It didn't seem like there should be anything to worry about.

As he was driving past some of the other houses, Jason came upon Reyna. He slowed down and rolled down his window. "Headed home?"

Reyna smiled. "Yes. Long day and it just started." The girl massaged her neck. "We've been up for a few hours, trying to prepare some wards for the crypt. Even though we already have measures to keep out anyone not from our families, we added a few more measures." Jason could already guess. "Now only one living can enter. Don't need Circe getting in. I think the others are going to start working on the houses."

All the more reason to get away for a little bit. "Don't suppose you'd want to go into town with me?" the blond asked. Reyna arched an eyebrow. "Just want out of the house. Thought I would do some school supply shopping."

It Reyna a moment, but she agreed to tag along. Their conversation started off light at first, asking about what the other would do after high school. Reyna didn't seem to know. They didn't really leave in this coven, not with the curse. When it came Jason's turn, he found himself just as unsure as Reyna. What did he want to do? Months ago, the answer would have been obvious. He would have said that he would leave the town and never look back. Get back home to California. But now? Now things had changed. Jason had changed. Lee had at least been right in that regard.

Jason asked about Reyna's parents. "My mother died in Iraq a few years ago. Ares and her both always loved to fight. I think Ares would have gone as well, but he has responsibilities here." Reyna's eyes were staring at the trees out her window. "Even all the way over there, on the other side of the world, she died because of the curse. She did get shot fighting extremists, but it was her troop that left her to die. Apollo said that any doctor could have saved her, if they had just helped her get back."

"Your father?"

"Never knew him," Reyna confessed. "My mother never spoke about him, and Ares doesn't seem to have liked him."

When they got to the store, Jason was displeased to find it mildly busy. The two got out and made their way inside. Since Jason didn't need anything major, they opted not to use a cart. At first it wasn't so bad. The greeter that had been there the last time Jason had been here with Nico smiled and offered them a shopping cart, but that was about the extent of it.

The people at the registers turned to give them dirty looks when their customers first noticed them. People hurried out of their way like Reyna and Jason carried the plague. His winter break had made him nearly forget what it had been like at the end of the school semester. When it started again, Jason had a full semester of this to look forward to.

But his friends had been dealing with this their whole lives.

"Seems that it was too good to last that all of you would stay locked up in your homes forever," came Mrs. Dodds' voice. It was the first time that Jason had seen the woman since he had learned what he was. As he had found out, after the nephilim had left her body, it had screwed with her mind a lot and the woman had to be committed for a few weeks. "Jason, I knew when I first laid eyes on you that you would be trouble from this town. And here we find out that you come from those families as well."

He had never liked Mrs. Dodds in the first place. Someone that could be so mean to someone like Demeter was not a good person in his books. Some dark part of his mind wished that Eros had left her with a permanent need to be in a mental institution.

"I'm just here to get some school supplies," said Jason with a dull look and waving a thing of paper.

He wanted to remember that everyone in town was under a curse, but after Lee's visit it was rather hard. Still, it was a new light that he looked at them with from when he first got to town. Back then, Jason just thought of them as a town full of assholes. He did wonder what they might be like without the curse. Jason knew that most of them were decent whenever anyone from the coven wasn't involved in the discussion. If they broke this curse, would the town remember how they had acted this whole time?

It became obvious rather quickly that Jason and Reyna needed to hurry and get out. After Mrs. Dodds, the store manager had pulled them aside and asked if they were stealing anything. Even asked if they were planting hex bags in the store, perhaps to burn it down. The cashier barely even wanted to touch Jason's money after it had come in contact with him. He would need to ask Kronos about getting a debit card.

On the way back, it was Reyna that dictated the topic of their conversation. And she clearly had already thought of one before they even got back in the car. "Are you still mad at Nico?"

As Jason pulled out of the parking lot, he gave it some quick thought. He was and he wasn't. Some part of him would never truly be able to stay mad at Nico, and he knew that now. But it scared him a little at what he had witnessed at the party. But how could he voice that to one of Nico's best friend? How could he voice that to Nico?

"I guess I am," Jason confessed. The sun shown down on them directly as they drove back home. It was the beginning of January, and Jason did not even need to wear a jacket outside. "It surprised me. There's still a lot that I don't understand, I know. If I asked, Nico would probably just tell me that it is complicated." Reyna glanced over at him. "That seems to be the standard answer, even after finding out I'm a warlock."

"I think," Reyna began, "a lot of it is just that... it's a lot. I don't think any of us, at least us younger ones, know all there is to know about what went on before we were born." She was tracing a nail against the window when Jason looked over at her. "Hell, even our parents probably don't know everything from their parents' time. I imagine the ones that know the most are Gaea, Kronos, and maybe Nico. But I know Nico doesn't like talking about what went on in Tartarus' life." Their eyes met for a brief silence. "Just give him some time, don't pressure him, and I'm sure he will tell you eventually. I know that you are confused about a lot of this, and I know that Tartarus probably is the center of most of your questions."

"I can't trust Kronos to give me an honest answer," Jason admitted.

For a moment, Reyna just watched him. Then she turned her attention back to the trees, letting her head rest against the glass. "No. I don't imagine that you can. He was too blind to Tartarus, willing to ignore what was happening right in front of his face. Ares said once that Kronos left for several years, when he should have been here to deal with Tartarus."

It was nice to hear someone else voice what Jason had been going over in his head. She was right, everything seemed to come back to Tartarus. He still didn't know what had caused the warlock to turn so dark, but Jason could imagine that it had something to do with that book that Circe wanted. All the more reason not to let her get it.

And to keep that from happening, Jason needed to find it first.

"He didn't want to talk about what happened," Reyna continued. Her eyes seemed concerned, almost motherly. "Percy was angry that night after the party. He pulled Nico aside and asked what happened, because someone had clearly upset Nico. But Nico wouldn't tell him." She gave Jason a small smile when she looked at him. "Luke came downstairs when most of the people were gone and found me and Percy talking with Nico. He was the one that had to tell Percy what had happened."

"You all care a lot about him."

I know that even now you probably feel like an outsider to our group, but you'll get there." She didn't have pity in her eyes when she said this, just... sadness. "Give it time. After he lost his mother, Nico refused to talk to anyone. There was almost a month where he didn't utter a word. His father tried everything and I don't think I have ever seen Hades in such a state of panic. Not to mention that he was dealing with his own grief. But Nico wouldn't even talk to Bianca, which was saying something. Hazel was upset that Nico wouldn't talk to her either.

"I just looked after him. I didn't ask him to talk to him, didn't expect him to. I stayed over a lot, making sure he ate. Luke and I both did. As you have probably seen, Luke still takes it upon himself to make sure that Nico stays healthy. Percy was different." Reyna looked down at her lap for a moment when she said this. "Percy has always been like a brother to Nico. They bicker and argue, but they were raised together and are closer than some would think just by looking at them."

"You didn't mention Percy, though, when talking about taking care of Nico."

She nodded as they pulled onto the old road that led to their homes. "Percy said he didn't know what to do. Then you died, or were supposed to. This was so soon after losing his mother and we had just gotten him talking again, then he was devastated. Someone he had never even met just taken from him." Jason didn't know. He wondered if Nico had spent nights upset that Jason had died, thinking they would never meet. "Percy was the one that got him to laugh for the first time after all that. Then, after Nico's failed dating attempt with Alabaster, Percy also broke the guy's nose and gave Apollo a black eye. My only regret was that he beat me to it."

When they arrived at Reyna's house, Jason decided to ask, "Why did you ask me if I was still mad at Nico?"

Smiling, Reyna reached for the door handle. "Because, if you weren't too mad, I was going to tell Nico to come and talk to you. I think he wants to apologize." Before she got out, she turned back to give him a serious look. "Just go easy on him." She let out a sigh with her head lowered, contemplating over something. "Maybe you should know."

"Know what?"

"Luke spoke to you a little about succubi and incubi the other night?" Reyna asked and Jason gave a nod. She hummed in acknowledgment. "How do you think incubi and succubi are born, Jason?" He didn't know. "Dark magic. They become corrupted, their blood taints, and they seek more power. They become addicted by their own power, and eventually the only way they can use their magic—use that power—is by taking the life of someone else and using that life force to fuel their needs. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

There was a sick feeling rising in the pit of Jason's stomach. He didn't want to say it, didn't even want to admit it. But Reyna's words made it all too real, and Jason did understand what Luke had been trying to tell him. "I-" His lips pursed and Jason tried to swallow the bile that he could feel rising inside of him. Why didn't he know all this the other night? Part of him felt disgusted with himself for how he had spoken to Nico, and the other part made him afraid of what it meant. "Just say it. I need to hear it out loud."

"Tartarus was already decaying into a incubus when he gave his life."

Hours passed by after he dropped Reyna off, and Jason felt like a ghost witnessing the world carry on around him. He didn't speak. When he didn't seem to want to talk, Kronos had sighed and informed Jason that his lessons would be canceled for the day. Thankfully, his grandfather did not ask what was bothering Jason.

The blond just laid there on his bed, his right ankle resting against his other knee, as he stared up at the top of the canopy bed in deep thought. His mind wouldn't stop going over what Reyna had told him earlier. Was Nico going to become an incubus? Could he stop it from happening? Those were just a few of the thousands of questions that had been racing through Jason's mind.

Perhaps that was something else to add to his list of things Jason needed to fix. It just felt like more and more was weighing down on him. Maybe because you keep putting these burdens on yourself, Jason thought. But everyone else seemed almost complacent in accepting their fate to this curse and the actions of those in the past, and Jason just wasn't.

Jason's eyes focused on the space in front of his mouth and he exhaled. He could see his breath and it became obvious to him that the room felt colder. Shooting up, Jason looked around the room until he found the source.

Nico stood quietly in the corner of the room, away from the windows. Darkness seemed to radiate off of him, but yet every inch of his body looked soft and gentle. "I didn't mean to-" Nico bit his lip. He wouldn't look at Jason, but the blond could still see the look of panic in his eyes. "I can come back if-"

"Stay," Jason commanded before Nico could flee. Those dark eyes met with Jason's and the blond felt like ice would start coming out of his eye sockets. "Reyna told me... about you. About Tartarus." He tried his best to keep his voice calm. He didn't want Nico to bolt for any reason. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"You think I even want to admit it to myself," came Nico's reply without missing a beat. "I..." The boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "There are days where I'm not sure if I want to be thankful or wish I were dead because of what Tartarus gave me. My soul became tainted because of his. Do you see now why I don't like talking about him?"

"You resent him."

Slowly, Nico nodded. He didn't move from where he stood, even when Jason motioned to the spot beside him. When he spoke again, he seemed almost out of breath, borderline hysterical. "And I can't do anything about it. I can't remove it. There isn't a way to without killing me. And, you know, I've really considered that option."

"Nico," Jason said sternly. He didn't want to hear Nico say anything of the sort. If Nico died, Jason would go to whatever afterlife there was and drag him back. It didn't matter if they were fighting or not. "You should have just told me."

That came out a little harsher than Jason meant it to and Nico flinched.

"You don't seem to want to tell me anything, really," Jason continued. His tongue pressed against the inside of his mouth and he looked off to the side. He could already feel his eyes burning and no longer able to look at the boy in front of him. "You twist words to avoid actually talking to me. I want to be there for you, I do, but you always seem to push me away. Like how am I supposed to even know if you like me?"

"You actually want to talk about feelings right now?" Nico shot back, his eyes no longer full of fear or sadness but fierce like a blade's tip. "I think the problems going on right now are a little bigger than you and I. Which is why I decided to pull away last time. Because it was my fault that the nephilim was loose. It's basically my problem that Circe is out there, and it's my problem that we are curse." Jason shot him a look. "Might as well be, right? My grandfather isn't around and I have his fragmented soul inside me."

"I'm at least trying to help you! Maybe you should let someone help take on the burden every now and then!"

"I figured you were a little too busy with Lee lately! You pretty much kept him at your side the whole time he was here!" Nico bit back.

Jason was on his feet. "Maybe because he was under the influence of the curse! And I haven't seen my friends since I came here!"

"Sorry that we had to go and ruin your life."

They were closer now and Jason ground his teeth together. "Don't put those words in my mouth." The door slammed in Jason's anger and he heard the windows rattle. "I never said anything of the sort." His face felt hot and his blue eyes pierced straight into the abyss that Nico called eyes. "I have been trying to spend so much time with you ever since I got here, wanting to get closer to you, and you always push me away! So don't put this on me!"

The light flickered above them. "How was I supposed to know that you were a warlock?" Nico growled. "Let alone the warlock I was bound to! Did it ever occur to you that I thought that maybe you would start to hate us like the rest of the town? Why would I let myself get close to someone that could hate me after a few weeks? Why would I want to hurt myself for letting myself care for someone like that and have it ripped away?"

"Yet it didn't change anything after the fact!"

"Because we are cursed! I was afraid that we would just hurt each other the closer we got!" The bed slid an inch across the floor as Nico let his hands fall to his side. "I was scared! Scared that you were going to leave." His eyes started to redden and he let his head fall. "That you would leave and I would never see you again. I was scared that, if we broke the curse, you wouldn't like me anymore and would want to go back to your old life." A tear hit the floor. "I should have known, really, when I met you and felt something. Because I shouldn't have." Raising an arm, Nico wiped it across his face and whispered, "I shouldn't be falling in love with you."

Still letting his anger course through his body, Jason didn't hesitate as he said, "You can't just tell me any of this?" His mind started working over what it had just heard, but Jason's mouth kept going for him. "Does it really take us having a fight for you to say anything to me?" Then it hit him like a brick wall. "If you really-" His eyes widened and every once of anger fizzled from his body as he looked down at Nico's downcast head. Oh.

Nico had said...

Fuck.

His hands were hovering on either side of Nico's head and trembling. Holy shit. Nico's words kept playing over and over again in his head, and Jason was honestly okay with that. His eyes were wide. He just wished that he could get a word out, but his mouth kept floundering.

"I-" Jason tried to get out, but words were failing him. He let out a breath and said, "Nico, I'm not going anywhere. I wasn't planning on going back to California." The boy looked up at him, a few tears still in his eyes. Jason's voice was softer now, but he still did not touch Nico. "My place is here now. I'm not going to leave you."

"I just," Nico whispered, "didn't think it would matter." He stood there, wiping his eyes, and Jason felt his heart break. The blond couldn't stand not touching the boy and longer and pulled him in for a hug. "You can't beat a curse, Jason, and I don't know how to break it."

"We will beat Circe. We will break it."

"You sound so sure of this," Nico mumbled into the blond's shoulder.

Jason couldn't help but smile as he sat them both on the bed. Nico's legs were draped across Jason's lap and the blond refused to let the dark haired boy too far from him. Nico curled himself against Jason's side and was clinging to his shirt.

"I can't stay away from you," Nico admitted in a whisper that might not have even been meant for Jason's ears.

With his index finger, Jason tilted Nico's chin up so that the boy was looking at him. "I don't want you to. We will fix this."

"You may not even want me after the curse is broken."

"I don't think that's possible." He brushed a strand of hair behind Nico's ear, their faces so close now. Jason's eyes lingered on Nico's lips. "I will always want you. If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm falling in love with you as well."

Those words brought a smile to Nico's lips. The very lips that Jason was still staring at. Unable to help himself any longer, Jason leaned forward and sealed their lips with a kiss. Their eyes closed and Jason felt as if Nico was pouring every ounce of himself into their kiss. Jason could only hope that he was doing the same for Nico. He wanted Nico to know how much he meant to Jason.

When they broke apart, Jason rested his forehead against Nico's and whispered, "I promise you that we will work through this. But only if we work together." He placed a small kiss to the boy's nose. "Talk to me. We need to communicate better. It's the only way."

"You're right," Nico whispered, wiping at his eyes. "I'm sorry. I promise to be more forthcoming with you."

When they kissed again, it was like Nico was trying to set Jason's lips on fire. Their tongues met like two electric wires touching. Even though his shirt, Jason's skin was hyper aware of every touch that Nico made to his body. And every inch of Nico's face that Jason touched was like drowning in Nico's warmth. He needed more.

Nico pulled back, smiling, and put a finger to Jason's lips. "Go out with me," Jason whispered, their lips a feather apart. Nico's breath was like a warm summer's breeze against his lips. "I want to be your boyfriend."

Their lips ghosted over each other as Jason awaited Nico's answer. His heart was beating into overdrive inside of his chest. Nico pulled back and looked Jason in the eye and said four words that Jason had been waiting months to hear.

"I would love to."

I hope you're all happy with this! I felt happy with it. Not just that they are finally together, but I felt pleased with how Jason described the kiss and everything turned out. I did not plan for that fight at the start either. Well, I didn't mean for it to be a physical fight. We will be seeing Cecil again soon? I am not sure when just yet, but Jason does plan on visiting his aunt for some answers.

Now, this will be where the story stays for a little bit. Which is why I said that I hope you're all happy with where it leaves off. Because, right now, my big priority is reading over the first 13 chapters and marking notes of what needs changing or deleted. I need to cut some scenes to make room for some new ones, because I plan to flesh out a lot of the chapters that make up the first book. I would definitely like to stretch out the part between where Jason learns about magic and when he discovers he is a warlock. In this, it's only a week. In the book, it might be more like a month. We will see. My goal is to add some mystery and fascination towards Nico by Jason, and Nico to feel rather intrigued by Jason.

But another reason that it might be a while is that, when I get back from Texas, I'm starting work on another fic. For any Voltron fans, I hope you'll check it out. As I said above, don't ask me a title yet. It'll be a Klance fic, because I am Klance trash. I have three short stories planned for Klance, and I might do a few one-shots as well. A few of those one-shots might be Otayuri from Yuri! On Ice. But I promise I will be back to this before you know it! I typically don't go more than a month without updating. Also my birthday is on the 16th! But I'm gonna go. If you follow me on tumblr, there's a chance you'll see plenty of photos from my trip to Austin. I will also be trapped in the Dallas airport for three hours, so we will see what that yields.

But let me know your thoughts on this fic! I mean, if any of you are still alive after that ending.