Jason picked up the wooden sword and walked to the center of the cave. He gripped it in both hands and held it at the perfect angle. He shifted his feet to be the right distance apart and bent his knees ever so slightly.

"Good, child," said Lupa. The wolf goddess circled him like she would her prey. She was a towering wolf, standing taller than any man. She had deep red fur with just a tinge of brown to it and eyes of silver. More than just her size, she had this aura about her that gave off a look of power. Even without a human voice coming from her mouth, merely being in her presence was enough to know she wasn't truly an animal.

"Now strike," Lupa ordered.

On cue, Jason moved his back foot forward, at the same time bringing his wooden sword down in a wide arc. It cut through the air swiftly.

"Next."

He thrust the sword forward with all his might. It flew perfectly parallel to the ground and made a whooshing sound as it stabbed nothing.

"Next."

Lupa proceeded to make him do every form of attack he knew. He did overhead swings, jumping strikes, leg sweeps, and more. Some he performed more skillfully than others, but he didn't forget any.

"You still require more practice," Lupa commented.

"I'm sorry, my lady," Jason mumbled.

"Don't apologize. Work harder and be better."

Jason nodded, and then suddenly his instincts kicked in. He rolled forward and quickly turned around. Standing right behind where he had been was a ghost of a woman wielding a sword that would have struck him had he not reacted quickly enough.

The ghost was as tall as an average adult male but had the bulk of a gladiator. She had no face and her body had no texture. She was just a grey apparition in the shape of a tall woman that you could see through; Jason had to defeat her. The young demigod raised his sword and took a stance, and the ghost charged.

Looking at the matchup you'd assume it wasn't a fair fight. Jason was a boy who'd barely lived eight summers wielding a wooden sword and the apparition looked like a battle-hardened warrior with a ghostly, yet sharp looking sword in hand. However, Jason had been training and learning from a literal goddess since he could barely walk, and also had godly blood running through his veins.

Jason raised his wooden weapon to block the blow and the ghost's sword connected as if it were solid. She withdrew her sword and struck again; Jason parried. Lupa had taught him how to use his size to his advantage. He was small enough to be able to duck under certain swings and could get inside her guard in ways that were impossible for fully grown adults. Unfortunately, though, this apparition seemed to be far more skilled than the ones Lupa usually sent after him.

Jason got inside her guard and was about to make the winning strike when she unexpectedly kicked him. He stumbled back and just barely managed to bring his sword up in time to block her next swing, but he lost his grip. His wooden blade went flying from his hands and the ghostly woman brought her sword down on him.

Then something strange happened. Right before her sword came into contact with his head, everything slowed down. The blade crept toward him at a crawl and he could hardly move. He thought maybe he was being punished for losing by having his defeat drawn out for as long as possible, but then he felt a surge of energy run through him. He could feel the air rapidly compress around him and a tingling sensation on his skin. He had a metallic taste in his mouth that he kind of liked for some inexplicable reason. Then a bright light erupted from him with a deafening bang, and the apparition was gone. Jason suddenly felt tired.

Lupa trotted up to him with a curious expression on her face.

"What was that?" Jason asked her.

She lifted a paw and pointed at the ground. Etched into the cave's stone floor in front of him was a glowing orange bird.

"What is it?" Jason took a couple steps back from it.

"It is an eagle," Lupa answered. "The symbol of Jupiter. Your father has claimed you."

"My father? Jupiter is my father?"

"Yes, child," Lupa said patiently. "You have the lord of the sky's power within you, and you just harnessed it."

Jason said nothing. His father had claimed him. For his whole life he'd only ever had Lupa. His mother had apparently abandoned him and his father was a mysterious absent god who'd never acknowledged him until now. He didn't know how to feel.

"Show me what you did one more time," Lupa ordered.

Jason nodded. He backed up and faced a wall, then concentrated. Several seconds passed but nothing happened. He didn't even know what he had done in the first place, let alone how to repeat it.

"It will take time to master your abilities," said Lupa. "But even when you do, you mustn't rely on them. They will wear you down and weaken you. They are a tool you can use, but limited. Your sword and your mind will always be your greatest weapons."

"Yes, my lady."

"Get some rest, young cub. You've earned it."

"Thank you, my lady."

Jason bowed to Lupa and then strode through the big open cave that Lupa called home. Off to the side there was a small opening that led to a cozy nook he had all to himself. He crawled inside and lay on top of a bed made from straw and a tanned boar's hide. Jason laid down on top of it and found himself quite comfortable and even warm, despite being in a cave. He quickly began to fall asleep.

Dreams found him soon after. They started off normal and nonsensical, but then they got strange. He saw his fight with the specter, and a bolt of lightning shooting out of his chest. A gorgeous woman wearing a lot of jewelry and a form fitting dress extended her hand to him, her other one holding a golden staff with the head of a lotus flower. Then he saw a different woman with curly blonde hair looking at him with familiar blue eyes. To her side stood a girl a few years older than him with choppy black hair and eyes that matched. She had a warm expression on her face and Jason felt like he should know her, but couldn't remember.

The dreams faded and the girl's face rapidly became more vague in his memory until it was gone entirely. He woke up and lost all recollection of what he'd dreamt about the night before.

Jason panted and gripped his wooden sword tighter. He tried to take just a single second to breathe, but Lupa's specter wasn't letting up. This time it was a hulking man taller than even the wolf goddess herself and wielding a sword in each hand. What was worse, he never seemed to get exhausted. He wasn't sure if he could beat him, but he had to. He'd come too far to lose now.

The specter charged him. Jason stood his ground until the last second. His opponent swung both his swords and Jason slid beneath them before dashing between both his legs. Once in the clear, Jason pivoted and struck his sword at the ghost's back, but it was faster than it let on. The specter rolled out of the way in time and Jason's wooden sword only struck air. Jason retreated several steps as his foe turned to face him.

Jason took a stance and the specter clanged his swords together threateningly. He closed his eyes and prayed to his father. Just one bolt of lightning, he silently pleaded. That's all I need.

The dual wielding ghost sprinted at him. Jason concentrated and tried to channel lightning. Nothing came. He felt ready to accept defeat when a sudden burst of determination spurred him forward. I am the son of Jupiter. I do not need lightning to win a sword fight.

The gap between them closed and the first sword came at him. Jason parried it and jumped over the other sword as it came for his legs. He landed on his toes and charged forward. The specter swung two more times and he deflected both blows. He held his sword in one hand and lunged forward. The tip of his wooden blade connected with the ethereal man's chest, and he vanished.

Jason stood there for a moment, catching his breath, before he noticed the sound of clapping echoing off the walls of the cave. He turned to see Lupa staring at him proudly, but there was a woman sitting next to her, slowly applauding him. She was very beautiful and wearing elegant, black robes adorned with golden decals to match her jewelry. She wore a cloak made of the skin of some kind of animal and a crown in her hair. She looked familiar to him, but he didn't know why. He'd taken trips to nearby towns and villages in the past and met travelers on the road, but never met anyone who looked so royal.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She stopped clapping and frowned. She picked up an item from the ground: a golden scepter with the head of a lotus flower. For some reason he also recognized it, but still couldn't place the memory.

"I am your patron," the woman answered. "I'm the one who guided you here. I'm the one who convinced my husband to finally claim you, a couple of years ago."

"Husband?" It took him a few seconds to register what that meant. "Juno?"

She smiled and nodded. Jason hurriedly dropped to a kneeling position before her.

"Oh, no need for that," said Juno. "Rise, child."

Jason obeyed.

"Juno wished to see your final trial," Lupa said beside her. "As your patron goddess, she wanted to be here when I declared you ready."

"Ready for what? And what does that mean? My patron goddess?"

"It means," said Juno, "that I will be watching over you; guiding you. I want you to be as strong as you can be, so that should the day come that I must call upon you, you'll be ready to face whatever challenges may arise."

"Then why did Lupa raise me instead of you?"

"Because that is her duty. She judges demigods, and if they prove worthy she trains them in the ways of Rome."

"Indeed," Lupa agreed. "And on this day, I declare you have nothing more to learn from me. You are ready to leave this cave and never return. Jason Grace, you are ready to become a hero."

"Not quite," said Juno.

Lupa looked at her inquisitively.

"I noticed your blunder," Juno explained. "You have not mastered your abilities, and I'm told you've yet to face any real danger."

Jason clenched his fists.

"We can fix this. I have a quest for you."

"A quest?"

"Yes. Complete it and it'll prove to me you're ready to be my champion. Meet me outside when you're ready and we will we discuss it."

She then stood and left the cave.

Jason turned toward Lupa. "What did she mean, her 'champion'?"

"I understand what you're thinking, my cub," said the wolf goddess. "Juno will call upon you for a quest now and again, but you needn't fear. You are not her slave. The benefits of having a patron outweigh having to rarely do her bidding."

"What kind of benefits?"

"It depends. She may guide you through tough times, listen to your prayers, answer calls for aid, and even save your life now and again. At least, that's how gods like Mercury, Ceres, and Vesta treat their champions. With Juno, it's hard to tell. She rarely favors demigods, and it's unprecedented she act as a patron to one."

"Why me, then? Shouldn't she hate me, because my dad's Jupiter?"

"I stay away from the other gods' affairs when possible. You should question her yourself."

Jason stared at the wolf for several seconds. "Is this really the last time I'll see you?"

Lupa nodded. "You have no further need for me, my cub. Your journey is yours to take, and yours alone."

One of the things Lupa reminded him of most often was that wolves had to be strong and show no weakness, or else their pack and prey would lose respect for them. Jason often lived by that rule, but at that moment he didn't care. Lupa had been a mother to him, so he hugged her.

Lupa tensed and then relaxed, as if silently saying, well, if you must.

Jason pulled away and sheepishly said, "Sorry."

Her face took on a smile, at least as close to one as a wolf could do. "I will miss you, Jason Grace. So rarely do the heroes I train get to live long and happy lives. I hope you are one of the exceptions."

Jason just stood there, not really sure how he could just leave after all these years.

"Go, young hero," Lupa ordered. "It is not wise to test the queen's patience."

Jason nodded sadly, then turned and walked toward the cave exit.

Jason walked along a road in the direction Juno had told him to go. He only had the clothes on his back and a couple of weapons. Sheathed at his waist was a cheap dagger he'd gotten a long time ago and on his back was an imperial gold spear that was gifted to him by Juno right after she gave him his quest. He was fairly certain he was going to die.

He continued through a large open area for a couple of hours until he reached a wooded area. So far Juno's directions proved accurate, but he still had a bit farther to go. He proceeded through the trees and continued forth for a bit, then a scream stopped him in his tracks. He took a second to determine where he thought it'd come from and then ran in that direction.

He went off the road and cut between the trees until he arrived at some kind of camp. The fire was put out and there was a disturbingly large puddle of blood on the ground by a collapsed tent. A woman stood with her back to a tree, frozen with a look of absolute terror on her face. Standing in front of her was a towering figure with a metal club in his hand. He was taller than the specter he'd just fought and equally muscled. His arms were covered with dark tattoos of violent scenes.

As Jason got closer to him, the giant's putrid odor met his nose. He had to fight not to gag. Neither he nor the woman seemed to notice him. Jason drew his spear and held it at the ready. He hadn't practiced as much with one as he had with swords, but he was confident that he could use it well enough. The massive man raised his club, ready to strike the woman dead.

"Hey!" Jason yelled to get his attention.

His voice caused him to lower his club and turn around. His face was horribly disfigured, and he had blood around his mouth. Jason looked to the blood on the ground, to the woman, and then back to the giant's mouth and the memory clicked into place. Lupa had told him of many heroes' adventures, including Odysseus who'd encountered a tribe of giant, tattooed man-eaters called Laistrygonians. Now Jason was about to fight one.

The giant's eyes rested on his spear for a second before looking at Jason's face. He made a sniffing gesture and then grinned, showing off his crooked, yellow teeth.

"Demigod!" the Laistrygonian giant announced. "You will taste gooder than mortal!"

He advanced a couple more steps. Now that his attention was fully on Jason, the woman gained enough sense to run. She took off and didn't look back, disappearing into the woods.

"Stop!" Jason said to the giant, raising his spear threateningly.

The giant laughed. "Your voice so squeaky! You will amuse me 'fore I eat you."

Jason lunged and thrust his spear forward. The giant's eyes widened and he retreated one large step back, but Jason managed to graze his thigh. Crimson blood leaked from the wound. The giant raised his club with one hand and pounded his chest with the other.

"Or you will die pain-ly!" he shouted angrily.w

Jason charged but had to roll out of the way when the club came down toward him. Jason attempted to attack, but had to keep dodging as the giant repeatedly swung his club with surprising speed. Evidently, despite his weapon's weight, the giant was strong enough to swing it around as if were a stick. Unfortunately that meant that Jason, who was about half the giant's size, was completely unable to land a hit.

Jason continued backing up, out of the giant's reach, until his back collided with a tree. The giant grinned and proceeded forward.

"No more running, little demigod. Now die!" he said, raising his club above his head with both hands.

Jason looked around but he had no options. The giant brought the club down and Jason raised his spear desperately. He waited for the giant's strength to overpower his block, but it never came. Suddenly, an earth rending bang accompanied by a blinding light came from Jason's spear. The giant stumbled back and dropped to one knee, a charred black spot on his chest. Jason didn't waste any more time. He charged forward and drove the tip of the spear straight through his face. The Laistrygonian exploded into golden dust, defeated.

Jason took a few moments to recover from the sudden exhaustion brought on by the lightning strike before looking around. He scanned the woods for a minute, trying to find the woman he'd saved, but figured she was long gone. He walked past the pool of blood, lamenting the fact that he'd been too late to save that person, and continued back to the road.

He was now even more certain he'd die on this quest. If it'd been that difficult to kill the giant, how could he hope to kill a monster that even Hercules couldn't defeat on his own? He's only eleven years old. What was Juno thinking? And now he was tired from using his powers, which would make the upcoming fight even more difficult.

Once he'd returned to the road, it took him another hour to reach his destination. He veered off the road into a very large clearing and continued until he saw a tree that had fallen over. He walked past it for twenty paces and then turned right. He proceeded straight and returned into the woods until he finally reached a small pond. Jason carefully skirted the edge, scanning around for his quarry.

Snap!

A twig broke under his foot. In the middle of the pond, something he mistook for a boulder began to rise. Several heads popped out of the water's surface, their long necks all connected to the same lizard body. Jason counted nine scaly dragon heads with glowing red eyes, all staring directly at him. Jason took his spear in hand and prepared to go down fighting.

The hydra was smaller than he'd thought it'd be. He'd pictured a colossal beast, towering to the sky with necks long enough to touch the top of the trees. In reality, it was barely larger than the giant. Perhaps it was a weaker hydra than the one Hercules killed, but Jason was still terrified of it.

One of the heads shot toward him and he dodged to the side. Its mouth clamped down on the ground and Jason didn't hesitate to strike. He drove the spear right between its eyes.

Now, he knew how this monster worked. You cut off one head, two more grow back. It was a simple enough rule. Jason had assumed that stabbing the head without severing it was fair game. As it turned out, he was wrong.

The head he'd stabbed went limp and he withdrew his spear, ready for the next one that came at him. Then the dead head exploded all the way down to the neck, leaving behind a bleeding stump. Seconds later, two more heads erupted from that spot at incredible speed, both looking angry.

"Oh," Jason said in a small voice.

Two of the heads spit acid at him and he ran out of the way from the splash. He rolled away from one head that shot at him and then jumped over the next. He had no idea how he was supposed to kill this thing.

Obviously he knew how Hercules had done it. Each time he cut off a head, his nephew burned the stump with a torch, cauterizing the wound so no new head could grow. Jason was on his own and had no torches. He did have lightning, however — that's assuming he could manage to summon it at will, aim it at the stumps, and repeat that for all ten heads. Jason was definitely about to be killed by this thing, but he wasn't going down without giving it his all.

Jason ran out of the way of more acid and dodged away from another head that lunged at him. Then he pivoted and stabbed it through the neck. Just like the last one, the head exploded. Jason backed out of the monster's reach and pointed his spear at the bleeding stump. Then he prayed as quickly as he could.

He felt the air tighten around his skin. The metallic taste returned to his mouth and a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, bounced off his spear, and struck the hydra right on the stump. The monster stumbled back, but only looked more furious and determined to eat him. On the bright side, the head didn't regrow.

Jason cut off two more heads and called down two more lightning strikes. Things took a wrong turn after he cut off the fourth head. He did things just the same. He stabbed it, the head exploded, and backed out of the monster's reach long enough to aim the tip of his spear. He waited, but no lightning came down that time. Three was all he had in him.

The hydra regrew two heads and advanced toward him. It let out a deafening roar from all eight mouths at once. Jason retreated nervously. Two heads shot at him at once and he only barely escaped being bitten.

He'd always wondered why Hercules had bothered cutting off all the heads. The human heart is located in the chest. Surely a hydra's heart would be too, right? Maybe if he could deal enough damage to the body, it wouldn't matter how many heads the hydra had left.

Jason dodged between the heads and did the stupid thing of getting closer to the beast. He took a guess at where its heart was and drove his spear into its body. The hydra let out a roar and kicked him with its front leg, sending him flying back without his weapon. The spear was still stuck in its body, but it didn't look dead yet. One of its heads shot down toward the spear and bit it. The spear split in half, and then a ball of white light rapidly expanded from it accompanied by a bang louder than a lightning strike.

Once the light faded and Jason could see again, he noticed that everything within ten paces of the spear was gone. The entire pond had evaporated, the hydra was obliterated, and a large crater extended almost all the way to where Jason had landed. Somehow, he'd won.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Suddenly, Juno was in front of him, standing precariously at the edge of the crater and looking at him with proud eyes. "Well done, my champion."

Jason didn't respond for a second, too much in shock over how much had happened in the last several seconds. As soon as he was able to collect his thoughts, he asked, "What just happened?"

"Imperial gold is a volatile substance," she answered. "When it breaks, the results aren't pretty, but you used that in your favor."

"But I didn't know that would happen."

"It doesn't matter. I wasn't testing you on your ability to kill the beast or your creativity. My only reservation with you was that you hadn't gained control of your powers. The hydra helped you get there."

Jason stared at her and then looked at his hands. The metallic taste was still fresh on his tongue. He had managed to control his lightning, even if he could only do it three times in a row. He should feel proud, but didn't feel like he'd earned the kill. He shouldn't be complaining, though; he was still alive.

"So what now?" he asked.

"Now you find your own path; go where you like," said Juno. "Do what you want. I will be watching over you. One day I will have need of your services, but it is a long way off."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. Anywhere he wanted? He hadn't the slightest clue where he wanted to go or what he wanted to do. His whole life he'd been trained to be a warrior. Now he was declared combat ready, but there was nothing to fight?

"You will find help on the road," Juno told him. "Good luck, Jason Grace."

Then she disappeared before he could protest.

So the help Juno promised turned out to be a traveler with a cart. The traveler saw him walking alone and offered him a ride. Jason didn't even ask where to before accepting. Then, a few days later, he arrived in a city called Neapoli. After having spent a couple of days there, he decided he'd liked his life better in the wilderness.

He'd killed a Laistrygonian giant and a hydra in one day, yet found himself begging on the streets. He'd never felt more humiliated. He'd wanted to work for coin, but no one was paying a boy eleven years of age to work for them instead of an adult.

After a couple hours of pleading for money, he'd acquired a mere two denarii. So no — he wasn't going to fall in a spectacular battle against a ferocious monster. It turns out he'd starve to death. Jason really didn't want to go down in history as the only son of Jupiter to die of starvation.

As Jason was sitting against a wall, stewing in his own misery, something fell into his lap. He picked up denarius number three and tried to see who'd thrown it at him, but whoever it was hadn't lingered long enough to receive his gratitude. At least that saved him having to give one shameful "thank you".

For a short while, he contemplated between waiting for more handouts or finding a market to buy a loaf of bread. Before he could make his decision, a girl appeared before him.

She seemed to be right around his age, and looked like royalty. Her long brown hair was braided and resting on her shoulder. She had a very pretty face and tan skin covered by a sleeveless white dress. The most interesting thing about her, though, were her eyes. It seemed as if every second he looked at them they were a different color. He found himself mesmerized by them.

"Um, hello," she said.

Jason stared at her for longer than was appropriate. "Hi," he said in a small voice.

"Why are you just sitting there?"

He tried to think of an answer that didn't make him look pathetic, but couldn't. Even if he had, he wouldn't have said it. There was something about her gaze that made him think it'd be a travesty to lie to her.

"I have nowhere else to go," he answered.

Her brow furrowed. "What about your parents?"

Jason stared at the ground. "I have no one," he admitted.

Suddenly she sat down next to him, right there on the filthy ground.

Jason looked at her in surprise. "What about your dress?"

"I don't care." She extended her hand to him. "I'm Piper."

He shook her hand. "Jason."

The next day, Jason sat in the same spot. He'd obtained a couple more denarii but didn't really care about that as much anymore. He found himself just hoping Piper would show up again. Yesterday they'd talked for at least an hour before she said she needed to get home lest her parents get worried. In that one conversation he was pretty sure he'd said more words to her than he'd ever said to Lupa.

He found it difficult to put into words why she had such a good first impression on him. Perhaps it was just because he'd never had a real conversation with anyone before. Sure, he'd spoken with other people in the past and had many conversations with Lupa, but she wasn't exactly the "How was your day?" or "Crazy weather, right?" type of wolf goddess. She only talked when she had something important to say. But with Piper, it was the first time he'd been able to talk just for the sake of talking — for the sake of connecting to another person and making the time that passed in each other's presence enjoyable. It was different, and he liked it.

There could be more to it, though. He quite liked Piper. She had this aura of confidence about her that meshed well with her lowkey attitude. She was very pretty, but didn't like to draw attention to it. Despite having the appearance of an actual princess, she behaved like she came from nothing. If it weren't for the fancy clothes and hairdo, she could convince him that they came from similar backgrounds. Of course, he doubted she was a demigod since she'd mentioned both a mother and a father, but she had the strength to be a fighter.

"What's your name, son?" a voice shook him from his thoughts.

Jason looked up to see a man standing before him. He had a chiseled face, dark eyes, and a scruffy black beard that matched his hair. He was decently muscled, but didn't look like a swordsman. His complexion was identical to Piper's.

"Jason," he answered.

"Have you got a place to sleep?"

On his first night in the city he'd found a sheltered alleyway where he'd slumbered uncomfortably. "Not really."

"Come with me."

Jason didn't move. "Go with you where? Who are you?"

"My name is Tristan McLean. You spoke with my daughter yesterday. I'd like to show you my villa."

"Piper?"

He nodded.

Jason got to his feet and followed him. He was wary, but not enough to pass up another chance to talk to Piper. He was worried that the man was about to take pity on him. He didn't really want to go from being a goddess's champion to some rich guy's charity case. There was still a chance that he had different intentions, though.

Regardless, he went with him. They traversed the streets of Neapoli at a leisurely pace. Tristan McLean lead him to the very edge of the city where a fairly large parcel of land sat right up against the city wall and not too far away from the sea. The land was mostly taken up by a field and a fenced in pasture which a handful of animals grazed through. Up in the forefront, though, was a big square house with a courtyard in the center of it. As they got closer, Jason noticed Piper herself sitting in a chair by the entrance looking bored.

"Dad!" she exclaimed once she noticed them.

The two reached the house and Piper hugged her father.

"Hey there, Pipes." He chuckled and ruffled her hair, which was strange to Jason. It'd probably taken quite a bit of time to get it looking so neat and tidy, but she didn't seem to mind.

Piper turned to him with a smile. "Hi Jason! So?"

He gave her a blank look. "So . . . what?"

"Ah, I haven't asked yet, Pipes," said Tristan. He turned his attention to Jason. "Are you capable?"

"Capable of what?"

"Labor. I have need of a worker to help out around my estate. Aid in farming, cleaning the house, things like that. If you're interested, I can pay you in room and board. Depending on your efficiency, I can even add in coin as well."

"Isn't that great?" Piper asked excitedly. "You could live here with us. We could be friends."

"Friends," Jason repeated, the word foreign to his lips. He'd never had a friend before, nor considered obtaining one a necessity. But now the idea seemed really appealing to him. Why would he say no? It's not like her father was handing him charity — he was hiring him.

He took one more look into her unique eyes and said, "Okay."

Jason stood outside the villa with a wooden sword in hand that he'd carved himself. He practiced his strikes one after the other, having already done all his work for the day. After executing a spin move, he noticed Piper watching him from a short distance away. He lowered his sword and she came up to him.

"Why do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" he responded.

"What you were just doing, with swinging that stick around."

"It's not a stick, it's a sword. A practice one, at least, and I'm training."

"Training for what?"

"To fight."

"Fight what?"

He paused. "I, uh. . . don't really know. But whatever it is, I'll be ready for it."

"Then I'll be ready too."

He looked at her confusedly. "What?"

"Teach me how to fight. I want to learn."

He admired the fierce look in her eyes for just a couple of seconds before handing her his wooden sword. He jogged off to the corner of the animal pasture where he'd collected a few branches that could be carved into swords should his break. He picked up one that seemed fairly balanced already and returned to Piper.

"So, what do I do?" she asked.

"First, you take a stance."

"What does that mean?"

Jason moved his feet into position and slightly bent his knees. He straightened his back and held his branch out in front of him at the ready. Then she laughed at him.

"What are you laughing at?" He furrowed his brow and broke his stance.

"Sorry, you just looked so silly," she said, still smiling. "Standing all serious-like with a stick in your hand."

"I thought you wanted to learn?"

"No, no, I do. I'm sorry. I won't laugh this time."

Jason showed her again and then had her try and copy it. Once she did, he helped her adjust so she was doing it right.

"Why do we have to do this?" she inquired.

"It's how you fight," he answered. "A solid stance keeps you grounded and makes it harder for your opponent to knock you off your feet. Knowing the proper form is the first thing you need to know about sword fighting. Without it, you'll be too vulnerable for any fancy sword tricks to really matter. Try to block one blow, and you'll be off balance and probably stumble from the force of the attack."

"Okay. So now what?"

Jason stood opposite her and took his stance again. "Now we fight. Take a swing at me."

She hesitated for a couple of seconds before swinging the wooden sword at him. He blocked it with his branch and immediately countered by bringing the tip of it up toward her face. She went cross-eyed staring at it before he lowered it to the ground.

"With enough practice, you can know how to react to that," he told her.

She frowned, and then struck again. He sidestepped and swung at her side, stopping right before it made contact with her.

"You're so fast," she said. "I don't think I could ever move like that."

"It takes practice. A lot of it if you want to be good. Now I'm going to swing at you. Try and block it."

He brought his branch through the air slowly and Piper met it with her sword. She then tried to mimic what he'd done to her and go straight into her own attack, but he parried it and aimed a jab at her stomach, once again stopping before actually hitting her.

"I don't know how you do that," she complained.

"Patience."

"I've never been really good at that."

He smiled. "Well either you learn it or you don't learn this."

"I can do it," she said determinedly.

"Alright. Let me show you some strikes."

He proceeded to teach her the basics of swordplay for half an hour. She showed promise, for sure, but couldn't be called a prodigy. There'd been some blunders and they'd shared a few laughs. Jason would've been happy going all night, he was having so much fun with her, but then the pigeons came.

"Woah," Piper suddenly said. Her gaze was aimed behind him and into the sky. "I've never seen so many birds before."

Jason turned around and spotted what she was referring to. Flying over the walls in their direction was a large flock of pigeons. They continued getting closer and just when Jason thought they'd pass by overhead, they suddenly dove at him. He smacked the first with his branch but it didn't seem hurt. A couple more came for him and he did a backwards somersault to avoid them. He prepared for the next ones, but then he saw Piper. A couple of birds were aimed straight at her, and his instincts took control. His ears popped and his tongue was met with that familiar metallic taste. A bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck the pigeon closest to Piper, then arced off of it to the next one and then the next one. For a brief moment, the air was filled with a web of lightning as it branched off to strike every single bird. Then the lightning disappeared leaving his ears ringing. Every bird was completely gone, except for a few shiny beaks that fell to the ground.

Jason dropped to a knee and panted heavily, his skin covered in sweat. That was the most he'd ever asked of his powers before, and he'd never felt so drained. It left him extremely tired, so much so that he'd be willing to just fall asleep on the ground right there. But he needed to know that Piper was okay.

For just two beats she stood there in complete shock before coming to her senses. "Jason!" she cried out and rushed to his side. Several of her hairs were standing on end, but she looked unharmed. She took his hand and he met her worry filled eyes.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"Me?" she said in disbelief. "I'm fine. What about you? What just happened?"

"I'm a. . . demigod," he said between breaths. "I had to. . . protect you."

"Hey, hey! Keep your eyes open. I won't lose you."

Her words washed over him like a spell and he suddenly felt more alert and like he really shouldn't go to sleep.

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Honestly. I just need some rest. Took a lot out of me."

"Let's get you back to the villa, Sparky."

"Sparky?"

She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Come on. Lean on me."

He did as she ordered. She helped keep him upright and took him all the way back to his room. He dropped into his bed and fell asleep instantly.

After a visit to the bathhouse, Jason returned to his room one night having finished all of his duties. He was contemplating calling an end to the day and going to sleep when he heard a noise outside his window. He barely pushed it open before a face appeared in it.

"Hi," said Piper with a smile on her face. She had her elbow on the sill and rested her chin in her palm. Her other hand held onto a bottle. Around her neck she had a silver necklace with celestial bronze bird beaks hung on it like beads — trophies from the Stymphalian birds he'd killed a few years ago.

The necklace wasn't the only thing that had changed from when he first met her, though. Her hair, instead of being neatly braided, hung loose in a choppy, shoulder-length cut. She'd also taken to wearing more casual looking clothing consisting of sleeveless tunics and trousers, the only fancy thing about them being that they were custom-tailored to fit her perfectly. On top of all that, she'd gone from being pretty to outright beautiful.

Her mother had used to "dress her up like a doll", as Piper had frequently put it. She'd make sure she always looked perfect, wore the right clothes, and her hair looked presentable. After she passed away a little under a year ago, Piper began making her own decisions regarding her appearance. Jason had never said it aloud to her, but he thought she looked a lot better now than when her mother had deemed her "perfect".

Wait, sorry — Claudia. Piper hated it when Jason called Claudia her mother, as her father had revealed shortly after her death that she actually wasn't. Piper had been born to a woman Tristan refuses to name a year before he married Claudia. It explained why the two looked so different and had always been at odds with each other. He still couldn't get out of the habit of calling her Piper's mother, though.

"What are you doing? Where'd you get that?" He pointed at the bottle in her hand.

"The mulsum? I stole it from the pantry," she said casually. "And I'm here to steal you away, Sparky, because I feel like it's been a while since we last hung out."

"You stole from your father? I don't know, Pipes. I don't want to get in any trouble."

"Oh come on. I live for trouble. And it's not like he's going to find out."

"Fine," he said after a couple seconds of attempting to fight her gaze. "But why are you outside my window? I have a door, you know."

"We're going outside anyway, so this is faster." She stepped back from the window and waited for him to go through it.

Jason shook his head and sighed, but couldn't help a small smile as he climbed through. "It's so difficult to say no to you."

Her cheeks reddened slightly but he made no note of it.

Once they were outside, she led him around the villa until they reached the back of it. In the early night, the only lightsource was her necklace, the celestial bronze beaks glowing slightly. She pushed a crate up against the wall and then climbed up it and on top of the roof. Jason followed her, accepting a hand for assistance.

The roof had kind of become their "spot" over the course of their friendship. She usually kept a woolen blanket up there with some stuffed pillows which made sitting or lying there comfortable. Sometimes the two of them would go up there and they'd talk and joke around for a while until they got tired and returned to their rooms. Sometimes she'd point out to him the constellations her father, who'd grown up in Athens, had taught her when she was young. Occasionally they'd even have a laugh inventing new ones, like Jason's personal favorite, "pregnant sword", which was a cluster of stars in the loose shape of a sword with a bulge on one side.

Piper sat down with her legs crossed and Jason sat down next to her, making sure there was a decent amount of space between them. She opened the bottle and took a sip before handing it to him. He took a hesitant drink and found himself pleasantly surprised by the taste. It was perhaps the sweetest liquid he'd ever put in his body before.

"Gods. That's amazing," he commented.

She grinned. "Dad has a business partner who runs a vineyard and brewery. He sends over free mulsum every now and again."

"I still don't feel right, stealing from your father."

"Stop worrying so much. He hardly touches them. This is just one of five bottles we have on hand."

"That's different, then," Jason conceded. He took another sip of mulsum and then passed the bottle back to Piper.

She held it with both her hands and stared at it instead of drinking from it. She had a strange look on her face.

"You alright?" Jason asked.

"Yes, Sparky," she answered shortly. "You don't need to keep asking me that."

"I just worry about you. With, you know. . . your mother —"

"She wasn't my mother," she snapped.

Jason winced.

"Sorry," she said.

"Don't be. I get it. Some wounds stay fresh."

She took a swig from the bottle and placed it on the ground between them. A few seconds passed and Jason decided he needed to change the subject, but couldn't think of a single thing to talk about right then. Half a minute passed in silence before something in the sky caught his attention.

"Hey look!" he said and pointed.

Piper followed his finger to where a single star was moving quickly across the night. Jason looked at her as she watched it, and from that angle he could see the stars reflected in her uniquely colored eyes. For just a moment, the shooting star passed by her irises. His heart began beating faster in his chest.

Many people believed shooting stars to signs from the gods. They like to interpret their meanings and find some way to apply it to their lives. A shooting star meant they'd have a bountiful harvest, their child's sickness would be cured, or they'd come in to wealth. But everyone could see the sky. And if it truly was meant as a sign from the gods, how can you tell whose eyes it was meant for?

Maybe there was someone clear across the world that the gods favored in that moment in time. Maybe the star was meant to signify to them that their life was about to get better. But Jason's father was the king of gods. Whether or not it was meant for him, he chose to believe that it was, and he chose to interpret it as a sign that he needed to finally admit what he'd been hiding for too long.

"Jason," Piper said before he got the chance to speak his mind.

Her eyes moved from the sky to meet his. Right then they were all he could see. Something cold pressed against his leg and he looked down. He realized with a start that Piper had scooted closer to him, the bottle of mulsum now sandwiched between the two.

"I'm tired of waiting for you to do this." Piper suddenly leaned forward and kissed him.

It was incredible, and better than he'd imagined. Her lips were warm and soft against his. He could feel the breath from her nose against his face. He was too happy to think straight. He didn't want it to stop, but she eventually pulled away.

He stared at her, his face probably looking stupid with his mouth agape. For once, Piper didn't look at all confident. Her cheeks were bright and her eyes were pointed down at the roof, but she had a tiny smirk on her lips.

Jason closed his mouth. It took him way too long to collect his thoughts. "You were waiting for me to do that?" he finally said.

"Yes, you dummy," she responded without looking at him.

"Pipes." He took a second to find the right words. "I was literally raised by wolves. I know how to fight and survive, not how to tell if my friend wants me to kiss her."

She met his eyes with a vulnerable look on her face. "Normal people aren't really taught that either," she muttered.

Five seconds passed before he understood what that meant. "Yes."

She gave him a confused look. "Yes?"

"I meant, yes, I wanted to kiss you too."

Her expression softened and a smile played at the corners of her mouth. "You did? Then why didn't you?"

He gave her a flat look that said quite plainly, really?

"Right. Raised by wolves. I just always thought the guy was supposed to make the move."

"Since when did you start conforming to societal expectations?"

She laughed. "I don't know. I can't really think clearly when it comes to. . . being in love with my best friend."

Jason literally couldn't keep himself from smiling if he'd tried. It was simply impossible. Here he was thinking a shooting star meant he should finally confess to his only friend that he loved her, and she did it first. He couldn't be happier.

"Piper," he said. "Honestly, I don't know what to say right now other than, I love you too."

"We don't have to say anything." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again, but this time he was ready for it.

He kissed her back, not really knowing what he was doing but just following his heart. She straddled him and he rested his hands on her waist. Then she leaned into him and he fell onto his back. His head was met with a pillow and he felt her tongue licking at his lips. He parted them to allow entry and he could taste the mulsum on her breath.

Perhaps he just knew her that well or maybe there was some sort of magic tipping him off, but he knew for a fact what she wanted to happen. He wanted it too. He pulled away from the kiss long enough to ask, "You really want to do this, on the roof at night?"

She smiled mischievously and gently traced a circle around his chest with her finger. "I'm a dangerous girl," she told him.

"I've known that for a while." He rejoined their lips.

Jason sat on Piper's bed. She was currently lying down with her head in his lap. Her eyes were closed and she had a happy little smile on her face. Her hand lay at her side with her fingers interlaced with his. They'd already done plenty of making out and even more talking. Now the two were just enjoying a comfortable silence in each other's presence.

"It's getting kind of late," Jason eventually forced himself to say.

She opened her eyes and put on a pouty expression. "Why do you always have to ruin the mood, Sparky?"

He gave her an apologetic look. "I've got to sleep, Pipes. I have work to do."

"Then sleep here."

"Piper —"

"No, not this time. You're not arguing against it this time. I just want to sleep in the same bed as the man I love for once."

Jason sighed. "What about your father?"

"Forget him."

"I don't want to risk him finding out. I already feel bad enough sneaking around behind his back like this. If he finds out, it'll be like betraying him after everything he's done for me."

"He's not going to find out. Stop worrying so much."

He resisted her pleading eyes for all of two seconds. "Fine."

She grinned triumphantly.

The two stripped down to their smallclothes and then snuggled up close together under the covers. Jason felt her head on his chest and he closed his eyes. He was still worried that her father would walk in and see them like that, but now he was too content to care. He could take a risk every now and again, right?

He drifted off to sleep. He dreamt he was with Piper on a boat, for some reason. The wind was blowing her hair around and she was laughing at something. She moved in for a kiss, and then a clap of thunder made her back away. A lightning bolt struck the boat between them and it split completely in half, himself on one side and Piper on the other. They got farther and farther apart until he could barely see her.

"Jason," a distant voice said.

He turned around and saw a girl standing on his side of the sinking ship. She was a couple of years younger than him and had choppy black hair, blue eyes, and a caring face. He felt like he should know her, but couldn't think of a name. Another clap of thunder shook the sky. She opened her mouth and Piper's voice came out.

"Jason!" her voice hissed urgently.

He opened his eyes and saw a panicked look on his lover's face. With a start he realized the thunder he'd heard in his dream had been knocks on the door. He threw himself out of bed and gathered up his clothes before diving out her window.

Inside he could hear her stifle a laugh before calling out, "Just a second!"

Jason was glad she couldn't see his cheeks burning red as he walked along the side of the villa before climbing through his own window. Once in his room, he put his clothes on and fell onto his much less comfortable bed. He tried to remember what he'd dreamt about last night. There'd been a boat and some thunder. Piper was there, too, but he couldn't recall any more than that.

Half an hour later he heard a knock on his door. Piper poked her head through when he called out for her to enter. He didn't look at her but could out of the corner of his eye that she was smirking.

"Well at least you didn't panic and jump out the window this time," she teased.

"I knew sleeping in your room was a bad idea," he muttered.

"Hey. I said we wouldn't get caught and we didn't."

He met her eyes and saw a strange look in them. "What did your father want?"

A gloomy expression passed over her face briefly before she forced a smile. "Nothing important."

He knew she was lying. "Piper —"

"It's not important," she said forcefully. "Now I didn't get a kiss before you flew out my window. Can I collect it now or do I have to wait until after you finish your work for the day?"

He decided not to push her further. Whatever her father had said to her, she clearly wasn't comfortable talking about it. She'd tell him when she was ready.

A few days later she revealed what had been bothering her: Tristan had arranged for her to be married. He didn't fully understand the weight of the news at first. He thought they would fight this, that she could convince her father to call it off, but then she said she didn't want to disappoint him. An argument ensued that ended in uncertainty.

After that another week followed in which Piper pretended the betrothal wasn't a thing. Jason tried to convince himself that things would work themselves out. He tried to go on with being with her like it wouldn't end. Unfortunately, he couldn't run from the truth forever.

One night, Jason was carrying a crate back to the house when he saw a man shaking hands with Tristan at the front door. The man turned and walked away from the house while Tristan retreated into the villa. Jason continued on toward the estate and stopped when he crossed paths with the strange man.

"Ah, you're the farmboy," the man said. He was a few years older than him. He was quite handsome and sported a bit of muscle, but less so than Jason.

"Well, I suppose you're not wrong," he replied.

"You know, my bride-to-be seems to value your services quite highly. Perhaps I could return in a month after the wedding and hire you for my own estate?"

Jason stared at him. "Your bride-to-be?"

"Yes. I'm certain I can make you a better offer than whatever her father is paying you."

An irrational wave of anger swept over him. He could feel his skin tingling and sparks might have even come off of him. Before he did something he'd regret, however, he took a calming breath. He looked the man who'd come to steal away the love of his life in the eye.

"Yeah, maybe," he said.

The man retreated a couple steps. Jason realized he was unintentionally glaring, but didn't stop.

"Um, right." The man gulped. "I'll see you soon, I guess."

Jason watched him walk away at a quick pace until he couldn't see him anymore. A stone set itself in his heart as he realized what he had to do. If he didn't do it now, he'd probably never find the courage to and regret it forever.

Jason set the crate down where he was supposed to and entered the villa. He strode through the halls and was making his way toward Piper's door when he almost ran into her turning a corner.

"Oh, hey Sparky," she said with a forced smile. "Didn't see you there."

He stared into her eyes and found it made it even more difficult to say what he had to. He looked around and then said, "We need to talk about this."

She frowned. "About what?"

"You know what."

She wore an apprehensive look for several seconds. Jason took that time to memorize every detail of her face. He wanted more than anything for this to not be the last time he was going to see it, but already knew how this conversation was going to end.

Finally, she nodded. She walked to her door and entered with Jason behind her. Once they were in private, Jason turned on her and froze. Why did she have to be so beautiful? Why did she have to stare at him with those mesmerizing eyes like that? The only way he could force himself to speak was by looking away from her.

"I don't want you to marry him," he told her.

"Jason. . ." she said softly. "You know I don't have a choice."

"Yes you do. Don't marry him. Please. Marry me."

She was silent for a moment, but he still didn't turn his eyes her way. He imagined a look of shock on her face, followed by a bit of disbelief. But when she spoke her voice was steady.

"I have a responsibility to my father," she said. "I can't disappoint him."

"You don't have to do this. You can talk him out of it. I want us to stay together."

"We still can!"

He finally turned his gaze on her. She had a desperate look in her eyes. It told him she was just as aware of what was about to happen as he was.

"No. Not while you're married to him."

"Please. This doesn't have to be the end for us. We've snuck around for months and my dad never suspected a thing. There's no reason we can't keep doing it."

"Piper," he said heavily. "I'm not going to live like that. It's me or him."

Tears started welling up in her eyes and Jason's felt wet too. "Jason, please. I love you. Don't make me do this."

"Me or him."

"I can't." She sobbed. "I can't betray my father."

Jason nodded sadly. He turned away from her. He couldn't stand to see her looking so broken. Not only sorrow clawed at his heart but guilt too, because he knew it was his words that made her look like that. He left the room, wiping tears from his eyes as he tried to ignore the sounds of her crying behind him. She'd made her choice, and she hadn't chosen him.

A/N: 10k word chapter, baby! And surprisingly, that wasn't enough to fit everything I wanted to fit into this chapter. Yes, you heard me right. So this is Part 1 of Jason's chapter. Next week will be Part 2. If that's still not enough to fit everything in, I'll continue on with Percy's chapters until a point where it makes sense to insert Part 3, because as it stands I don't have any more plans for more non-Percy chapters during the story. Reyna will get hers, of course, but it's going to be after the story is concluded.

See you all next week!