Twenty-Eight: Ajax

Mom, Really, Why Are You a Jar?

Despite everything that went wrong that night—getting an unwanted prophecy, messing everything up with Kally, forgetting to leave dead treats for Hunnie and Baller in the van for whenever those slackers showed up again—Pax knew he could sleep happily with the pleasant surprise of his brother's company.

He never thought Axel would agree to come in. He had hoped, and he'd actually prayed to whichever gods he could think of that didn't have a vendetta against them, but he'd never actually expected it to work.

Tomorrow would have to go perfectly. He'd have to show off the camp in all its glory, to emphasize that Reyna would come through every so often, that Axel could pummel Jason Grace and Percy Jackson in sword training every day.

He drifted off with the happy thought of Jason Grace literally flying through the air after one of Axel's punches. [footnote 1]

When Pax didn't see the Leonis Caput in his dreams, he wanted to click his heels in excitement and do an intricate victory dance. Thank you world for ending on so many suspiciously good thoughts!

After his and Phobetor's encounter, he was pretty sure Phobetor intended to continue tormenting them, but Pax wasn't about to call up his cousin on the pray phone and say, "Hey, slacker, you forgot to scare me. Augh—no wonder Hypnos likes Morpheus more."

Fear vanquished his sense of victory.

Instead of being alone in the Labyrinth with the Leonis Caput, he was in a throne room, one he'd been in many times before. The throne was made out of human bones, bound together by the victim's tendons. Torches lined the walls but only one was lit, casting a dim light onto a man sitting on the throne. A cane leaned against the grotesque chair.

Pax trembled.

The middle-aged man wore a burgundy suit. His hair was dark, chin length, and slicked back. His fingers clicked impatiently against the metal of the cane's grip.

In front of the man was a simple Greek vase atop an altar: a pithos.

Pax tried to remind himself this was only a dream, that any minute a giant rabbit could rip open the ceiling and wreak rabbity havoc on the inhabitants. Still, he whimpered when the man spoke.

"He'll bring it to me," the man stated, as though repeating for clarity. A devilish smile crept along his lips. "And it can capture any deity?"

If that rabbit would have attacked right then and there, Pax would have been happy. Then he'd know this was in fact a joke from Phobetor, instead of another batch of passive eavesdropping-and everyone knew how he felt about passive eavesdropping. Then, he'd know this wasn't actually happening.

A malicious laugh resonated from the pithos, like, inside, there was a Joker action figure that had gained Mark Hamill's vocal cords. "Oh, Santiago," a woman's deep voice cooed from within, "Already planning to use my ploys against me?"

"One day, you won't be able to leave," Santiago mused. Although the smile remained on his lips, Pax cowered at his tone. That was the tone Pax had learned not to contradict. "Until then, I look forward to having the family reunited. Do you think Ajax suspects anything?"

Pax almost choked.

Until those words, he could pretend this was a conversation completely unrelated to him and just some… weird date his parents were having… with his mom as a jar—he didn't know what goddesses were into and frankly he didn't want to know that about his mother. Upon realizing this was about him, he wondered if he could send a quick shadow puppet SOS to any nearby children of Hypnos or any Sexy Goth Princes.

"He'd have to hear it with his own two ears to be suspicious," she said. Pax could swear two eyes formed on the back of the pithos to wink at him. They vanished. As if he needed a goddess to say his dad was doing evil things. He already knew his dad was always doing something random and evil. "He trusts the Leonis Caput too much. But Hecates charms on the helmet are failing. Axel will slowly start to lose his sanity. He'll bring it straight to you." Clapping, like an excited school girl, echoed about the room.

Santiago glowered. "I raised Axel to be strong. Do not underestimate him."

"So proud of your children," the pithos cooed. "That's why I like you little Paxes. You're a challenge to crush. Thinking yourselves too proud for envy. Too tenacious for despair." Pax disagreed with both of those assessments, but wasn't sure if he could talk in this dream and wouldn't if he could. Though Axel wouldn't go crazy. He was too tenacious for that and Pax wouldn't let that happen. "They received a prophecy. Even if most of the gods aren't sure if they'll acknowledge it as one, they're watching them. Phobetor's brothers will start to notice that he's monopolizing the nightmares of the campers."

Santiago snorted. "They'll think it a stunt for attention. He's known for those."

Another manic laugh from the pithos. " Yes—yes! Another child merely seeking attention from his parent. The campers want more attention from their parents, to be appreciated. You know how important it is for people to appreciate their children. We will help them."

Santiago picked up his cane and stood. He took two steps towards a torch, to a portrait barely visible in the lighting. Pax hated that photo. It was a family portrait, one taken only days after Uncle Frasco and Aunt Nilley died. Santiago had shoved all of them into suits and Lapis into a dress. He'd convinced Kouta to gel all the boys' hair back and tie Lapis' with a ribbon. Axel's face was still swollen and his arm was in a caste.

Santiago touched the frame.

"Yes," he agreed with the pithos. "They'll learn. You appreciate children most when they're gone."


Footnote 1: Imagine Jason agreeing to do this for one of Pax's birthdays. Axel (or someone) stagepunching Jason and Jason literally just flings himself like, 20 feet up. Pax would cry from happiness and Jason and Axel would just agree to make a stage performance of this from here on out.


Thank you all very much for reading the first book of the Traitors of Olympus series: Whispers of a Snake!It's been an exciting adventure with all of you. I would love to hear what you think in comments or reviews! Your support makes this book (and this series) possible. If you enjoyed this series, the second book, Blood of a Mayan, is already out along with a few short stories.

Thank you again for reading!

A quick explanation of this work: before I started this series, I got a nasty concussion. I had a real fear that I wouldn't be able to read or write again. Concussions already cause depression and suicidal tendencies, so—when my doctor told me not to do my life's passion—it got rough for awhile. That's around when I got into the Percy Jackson audiobook series. Those and the Heroes of Olympus audiobooks helped pull me through, and I can't thank Riordan enough for that. Even better, it kick started my creative streak. Within days of finishing The Blood of Olympus, Kally and the Pax brothers were characters (though Kally's original name was Cassandra and Axel and Ajax had different mothers. Things change so fast in writing!) Although I have never written a full fanfiction like this, I'm hoping to finish it as a little homage to Riordan, mirroring his five book pattern. Thanks again for going through the adventure with me!

Lastly, the biggest thanks to my friend and editor Mel. I know I've said it before dude, but this book would have never gotten done without your love and support… And your sexy sketches of the Pax brothers that I hope you'll one day let me post on my Tumblr.