radoddish- WOOHOOOO!
AyeraeW- yes, I'm so pumped for the tv show! I gotta splurge and get Disney plus haha...it's going to be so great getting an hopefully accurate tv show! hopefully it reignites the fandom
SEASBLU- yay i'm so happy you liked it!
And thanks so much for the understanding comments guys! you're all the best
"Yoda and Luke Skywalker. Gandalf and Frodo."
"Rosie."
"Mickey and Rocky Balboa."
Hazel shot her an amused smile. "Are you done?"
"Dumbledore and Harry Potter." She paused. "Okay, I'm done."
"Good."
Rosie hopped onto Hazel's desk. "Just listing the great rankings of mentors and mentees that we'll be joining, because you clearly don't need my help anymore." She paused. "Mentee- What a weird word. Mentee."
"I still need you," Hazel said in a panicked tone. "I mean- we're getting closer to the House of Hades, and I'm...I'm just not sure I'll be able to defeat whatever's in store for me."
Rosie nodded, understanding Hazel's anxiety. It was the same type of anxiety she felt when she drove herself crazy thinking about the different possible outcomes of the prophecy.
"Let's…" she hesitated. "Let's not think about that right now, okay? The whole getting into danger thing gets old after a while."
Hazel snorted. "You're telling me."
"So...instead, let's think of something happy." She gave Hazel a soft smile. "Show me a happy memory, Hazel."
Slowly, a smile appeared on Hazel's face. "You promise you won't tell anyone?" She blushed. "It's stupid, but I feel like the more people I tell...the less special it gets."
Rosie grinned. Deep down, she was thinking of the uncovered memory she possessed- her and Leo kissing on the roof of the Wilderness school. She understood where Hazel was coming from- even if she could tell people, she wasn't sure she would want to. She wanted to preserve its magic, keep it on a running loop in her mind when she couldn't sleep. "I won't tell a soul, Grasshopper."
Hazel beckoned for Rosie's hands. She complied, holding Hazel's hands. Hazel closed her eyes, her face creasing in focus and intensity.
Rosie could see the memory clearly. Hazel was getting better and better at the Mist everyday; Rosie knew in the depths of her heart that Hazel had surpassed her own abilities. It was like a television gaining clarity after a static-filled picture.
She could see a field, horses milling about on the grass. Her heart ached, missing Karey, the horse that had helped her in some of her darkest times. A cool breeze wrapped around her, causing the hairs on her arms to stand up.
Young Hazel appeared in front of them. She was young, maybe eleven or twelve. Young Hazel was fixated on her appearance. She paced the field, smoothing down the skirt of her dress and running her fingers through her hair nervously. Her eyes scanned the field, looking for someone.
"Hazel!"
Young Hazel's face lit up, and there was no doubt what was going on: she was in love.
A boy in the distance was waving at her wildly, running towards her.
As the boy came closer, his features became clearer, and Rosie felt herself gasp.
It was Leo.
It didn't make any sense to her- first off, this was Hazel's memory. It was way back in the 1940s.
But the boy had to be Leo, right? Those eyes, the hair, the wild gestures- that was Leo.
Rosie felt herself hiccup, aware that Hazel- the real one- was standing next to her with a concerned look on her face.
"Are you ready to ride?" Leo called out.
Young Hazel's mouth dropped open. "What? Really?"
"Come on, Hazel!"
The two grabbed hands, and it was too much.
Rosie let go of Hazel's hand, jerking back into their world. She fell onto the hardwood floors with a thump.
That was Leo- it had to be. She had been so close- close enough to touch her.
"Rosie? I'm sorry, did I mess up?"
Hazel was kneeling on the ground next to her.
Words, Rosie.
"I-uh-" she broke off with a shaky laugh. "I don't-was that-" She blinked hard and fast, willing the tears to not come.
"That was Sammy," she said in a low tone. "Sammy Valdez."
"Wait, what?"
"Leo's great-grandfather," she explained. "I loved him." Rosie could hear the wistfulness in her voice.
So that explained things. It wasn't Leo, after all, it was his great-grandfather.
She was still having trouble catching her breath. The sight of Leo- Sammy, she had to remind herself- had shaken her to the core.
She missed him- she missed him so much.
"Rosie?" Hazel placed a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright?"
Rosie hopped up like every nerve in her body was set on fire.
"Rosie-"
"I-" she broke off with a tight smile. "I'm fine! I just have to...pee. Yeah- I have to pee."
She quickly ran out of her room, leaving Hazel in a cloud of confusion. She stumbled over her feet, waving her arms in order to balance herself.
She ended up in Jason's doorway- he looked up, startled as she collided into the doorway. He was on his bed, reading a hardcover of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn- Rosie had lent it to him, badgering him to read it.
He raised her eyebrows at her. "You okay?"
She bit her lip, deciding that one question was loaded. She couldn't quite string together the words- things hadn't been "okay" in a long time.
She let out a painful laugh, leaning on the doorway for support, afraid her knees would give out at any moment.
"Rosie? Are you okay?" Jason repeated in a concerned tone.
She shot him a tight smile, tears in her eyes. "I am just great. I am great, I am stellar-"
"Rosie-"
"You were right." She had finally admitted it out loud, all of her walls crumbling down.
"What do you-"
"You were right, okay?" She exclaimed.
"Oh." His face softened, finally understanding what she meant. "Oh."
The two of them stood there, and Rosie could feel herself unravel. She didn't want to be in love- she had no interest in it her entire life. She was fine being alone- she was good at it. But Leo had invaded, crept into every thought in her body, and he was there to stay.
Her eyes began to blur with tears, as her mind hopped through possibilities of what to do.
Jason opened his arms.
And she let herself go, sobbing into his arms.
"It's not the worst thing, Rosie."
She looked over at him, on top of the pillow she stole from him. "Really," she said flatly.
"Bad timing? Maybe, but-"
She rolled over onto the pillow with a groan.
"Are you going to tell him?" Jason asked.
Rosie hesitated, then curtly shook her head.
Jason frowned. "Rosie-"
"What am I supposed to tell him? That because we're best friends we're supposed to end up together? Just because we kissed in a memory he doesn't even remember?"
Truth was, up until this point, she was going to tell him. Her post-it notes had culminated in an embarrassing outburst of love.
I promised him I would never speak of this to anyone, but Jason just forgot the name for a screwdriver.
Festus misses you- he seems to have forgotten that he used to want to burn me to a crisp. I'd like to think I'm his favorite now- Nico is totally afraid of him.
How dare you go MIA without teaching me how to use a jigsaw.
I miss you.
The southern venti are unhelpful. I'm ready to whip out a kite and show them who's boss.
Why do people say you can do anything you set your mind to? If that was true, the ship would be fixed.
I think I'm in love with you.
No, I know I am. And it's probably going to mess everything up.
I love you. I love you. I love you.
"You and I both know it's more than that."
"Right," she said with a flat laugh, turning over and staring up at the ceiling.
"Grant and I used to play this game as kids."
There it was- the brief snippets of Jason's old life that he would dole out. Rosie softly smirked at him. "You're telling me that at some point, Jason Grace was a kid?"
He smirked back at her. "Hardly." He paused. "This game we would play...we used to sneak into New Rome and gather up a group of kids to play. It-" he broke off with a laugh. "It was pure madness, it had to be at least twenty or twenty-five of us. Imagine tons of little kids running through the streets."
"Terrifying."
"It was two teams- usually Grant and I wanted to be captains and go against one another. It...it was basically team tag. Just pure chaos, everyone chasing one another. Except...there'd always be one area- one area you couldn't be tagged in."
"And it didn't matter who's team you were on, Rosie," he continued. "As long as you were in that zone, you couldn't be touched. It was...safe. You know what we would call it?"
"What?"
"It was the sanctuary- a refuge from the craziness of the game." A small smile appeared on Jason. "A safe haven."
Sanctuary.
"I want a sanctuary," Rosie said softly.
She really did- she craved a place where she could be safe with her friends. A refuge.
"Yeah," He said. "Me too." Jason pauses thoughtfully. "That's the thing, though- a Sanctuary doesn't have to be a place. It could be a person."
A person- instantly, Leo flashed into her mind. After all, he was the one who made her laugh despite all of the world falling apart around them. He was her oldest friend, her right hand, her partner in crime. She couldn't ignore the aching in her heart when he wasn't here.
"I miss him," she said softly. "I...I'm scared not knowing where he is or if he's okay. You're right that Leo means a lot to me. I'm just not sure if it's worth it- what if I lose him?"
Jason paused, pondering her question. "There was always a risk getting to the Sanctuary- people chasing you, trying to get you out. But it was worth it to get to that safe place. It's always worth it, no matter the risk."
Rosie felt his words sink in.
"Geez," she muttered, under her breath, picking up the abandoned copy of A Tree Goes in Brooklyn and smacking him on the head with it. "Your professor-like tendencies are getting out of hand."
Jason smiled, giving her hand a squeeze.
"Sorry for getting snot on your shirt," she apologized.
He shrugged. "Eh, I never liked this shirt."
The two of them dozed off a little later. It was anything but romantic- Rosie's foot somehow ended up pressed against Jason's cheek, and Jason was breathing loudly.
Get up.
That voice sent a chill down Rosie's spine.
She jerked up, stifling a scream when she saw Jason do the same.
"Jason?"
He looked panicked. "Rosie? Did you hear-"
Rosie jumped out of the bed, not because she wanted to. Her feet moved independently. She wasn't controlling them.
Jason's body seemed to be doing the same, as he fell out of bed, knocking into his nightstand.
"What's going on?" She exclaimed, as her body moved towards the hall.
Jason tried grabbing onto the wall with no avail. "Some kind of-" He gritted through clenched teeth. "Spell?"
Rosie fell into the dark hallway, yelling out as her body collided with the wall.
"Rosie-" Jason called from behind her. "Look."
She glanced down at the hallway, only to see Nico struggling like they were, holding onto his door handle.
"Nico!" Jason yelled, arms pinwheeling as his body propelled past Rosie.
"What is going on?!" Nico couldn't hide the anger in his voice.
Rosie's feet moved her up the stairs, Jason and Nico climbing up behind her onto deck.
"Guys?"
The three of them suddenly stopped, taking in the sight before them.
Coach, Piper, Hazel, and Frank knelt before them, their eyes open but unmoving, their lips slack, their faces blank.
"What- what's wrong with them?" Jason whispered.
Before she could answer, the four of them opened their mouths, as they spoke in tandem- a creepy, ominous voice.
"The time has come."