VIII - Jason

Jason yawned and stretched his hands upwards, before reaching down and rubbing his eyes. His back felt broken-what had he slept on?

Oh. The ground. Right, that was a far cry from his King-sized bed back in Olympus.

Jason looked around at the other members of his team, all asleep. As a Prince, he had been trained to wake up at the first sight of dawn, and now his internal clock woke him up without any effort. It aided him, since the early mornings gave him time to think, relax, meditate, or, well, sneak out of the Palace.

Jason carefully pushed Annabeth's head off his shoulder. All five of the benders had snuggled together for warmth around the dying fire the previous night.

Jason smiled as he glanced over the others-Annabeth, who was still asleep, leaning onto him, while Nico lay to her right, in front of her. Resting her head on his stomach was Bianca, who also happened to be resting her legs on Percy's stomach-well, at least someone had slept in style. Jason bit back a laugh as he noticed the small bits of drool lining Percy's mouth. Realising the others would have to eventually wake up, he headed towards the ocean for a quick dip in the water.

Jason slowly trudged towards the ocean with Tempest, who had been resting near Blackjack. Jason had nodded towards the horse-hopefully if the others wondered where he had gone, Blackjack would tell Percy. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but, hey, he wasn't planning on waiting around till the others eventually slowly began to realize that it was time to get up.

As he neared the waterline, Jason glanced around the beach. It was deserted, except for the few gulls that had landed on the cream-coloured sand, looking for the crabs that scurried about, and a few baby turtles, if any. Jason kicked off the leather sandals he wore, fashioned by the best cobblers in Olympus, and relished the feel of the sand under his feet. He cautiously ventured up to his knees into the ocean. The ocean always seemed a bit scary, to Jason. All that huge expanse that bogged your mind with how far anad how deep it was? He could never figure out how the waterbenders did it- to him the ocean was a huge, scary being. Beautiful too, and incredibly majestic, but Jason preferred to view it's beauty from a distance. He shuddered involuntarily, as the freezing cold waves splashed onto his face, the riptides they formed threatening to drag them down to the depths of the ocean with him.

The shells that cracked under his feet as he walked on them always fascinated Jason. He remembered collecting them with Thalia as a child. The homes of creatures, the beginning and end of life, shells represented all that. Especially the conch shells- Jason loved hearing the sound of the ocean, though he knew it was merely the air bouncing off the interior of the shell.

Jason always carried a conch shell in his pocket. He took it out now, and glanced at it's pale, pearly-pink exterior, and noticed how smooth and cold to touch it always seemed. Legend had it that the first conch was created when the Primordials together tried to create something ornate. Tethys made the shell, Terra gave it the beautiful outer layer, and colour, while Ventus made the magnificent airways inside, while Prometheus carved them into the shell resulting in the sound of the ocean. Conches always were regarded as a peace sign, signifying cooperation amongst all the Primordials. Which was something sorely missed now, Jason though, as he sighed and put the shell back in his pocket.

"Get him!"

If it wasn't for his lightning fast reflexes, Jason would have been flattened by a warrior bender.

Jason ducked and fell to the ground as a stream of fire burnt at the spot he had just been, and rolled to the right, evading another bender that landed where he had been. He made a mad sprint to the trees, eager to hide and not broadcast his bending abilities. Looking quickly from beneath the trees, he spotted his attackers. Two men scouted the area, looking for him. Their faces were streaked with red paint, and their dark hair was braided. Their clothes were shades of red and black, and each of them had a sword by their waist. Jason knew that gleam- the swords were of Promethean silver, and meant that the benders could use those swords as an extension of their bending, just like he used the Olympian gold in Ivlis. Most of the men had ugly scars lining their bodies, and burn marks as well. All of them looked deadly, and Jason ran a quick count. A group of fifteen firebenders. Twelve more than all of them could hope to face, given that they were still untrained benders and these were seasoned warriors.

Jason gasped. Their only option now was to flee, there was little chance that they could face so many of them, in their untrained state. He slowly crept back from his spot behind the trees, masking the wind so that his scent did not move, and dulling the air in the forest so his steps were not heard. He stepped back slowly, beads of sweat trickling down his back, before turning and running back to camp when he felt he was a safe distance away.

"Guys!" he whispered, "Get up now! Firebenders on the way!"

"Firebenders?" Percy woke up with a gasp, rubbed the drool from his mouth, and stood up, accidentally knocking down Nico and Bianca in the process. They glared at him, and he sheepishly grinned, before helping them up. Where was Annabeth?

Jason turned around and saw Annabeth already up, rounding up Tempest and Blackjack. The two steeds had troubled looks on their faces. "Jason, fire dude! They're bad news!' Jason nodded. "I know."

"What firebenders are you going on about? And how many? Where are they?" Annabeth asked Jason, her grey eyes lighting up. Jason could almost see the gears spinning around in her forehead, as she strategized.

"Fifteen by the beach." Jason replied. "I was heading there for a quick morning swim when I was almost ambushed by them. I got away without letting them know I could bend-like Annabeth suggested when we first evaded them," he added, looking at Percy, Bianca and Nico,"It's best they don't know we can bend elements. It's the ace up our sleeve."

The others nodded, and Jason noticed all of their faces become firm with resolve. "Annabeth? Any ideas?"

Annabeth nodded brusquely. "First, get the steeds to morph. Blackjack can head back into the water, it's safer for him there, and Tempest can take to the sky. We should quickly head towards Mount Etna, seeing as the firebenders would expect us to head away from their camp and not towards it. Don't forget to remove all traces showing we were here. Percy, take Blackjack back to the beach. Jason and I will distract the firebenders"

Say what now?

Jason looked anxiously at Annabeth. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "We're the fastest, we should be able to do the job. There's no time to argue."

Oh yeah. Annabeth was all business now-he face set as if in stone, her mind seemed to race faster each minute, and she seemed to be systematically analysing her environment for threats. This was the daughter of Minerva he was proud of.

Jason looked at Percy, who nodded. The two of them looked towards Blackjack and Tempest. "Alright, you heard Annabeth." Percy stated. Tempest quickly morphed and perched on Jason's shoulder. "I'll head down another path to the beach with Blackjack. I'll stay out of their sight."

"Take Nico and Bianca with you-they can make a few earthen mounds to prevent the firebenders from seeing you." Annabeth added. Percy nodded, all business, his eyes beginning to glow green. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

"In case we are separated, head towards Mount Etna. You should be able to find Drakon and bring him there, alright?" Annabeth asked.

Percy nodded, before quickly hugging Annabeth and Jason, leaving Annabeth blushing and Jason surprised. "What was that for?" Annabeth asked.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "In case, I have a feeling that we might get seperated- you never know, we just have to run into the most dire situations. And you" he added, turning towards Annabeth. "Don't treat this like it's a war game. You're not expendable, okay?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Bold of you to assume that you know my thought processes, seeing as we just met."

"I mean it." Percy added, and he looked surprisingly serious about it.

"Sure, fine, whatever." Annabeth nodded, with a dismissive flick of her hand. "I'll do my best not to die."

Percy opened his mouth, then shook his head and closed it, choosing instead to walk towards Blackjack.

Jason gulped as he digested the severity of the situation. He nodded towards Nico and Bianca, who looked back at him. "Be careful, you guys." Bianca added. She and Annabeth shared a long hug, talking for a bit, while Nico just stood there awkwardly. "Stay safe guys, I want to see some actual lightning bending, you know?"

That broke the tension, and Jason chuckled. "Sure thing. See you!"

The trio nodded, before they headed off into the trees, towards the ocean.

Jason glanced at Annabeth. "You ready? I know why we're the distraction- you want us to do what we did that time in the war games, right?"

Annabeth looked surprised, but nodded.

War games. An ancient Olympian tradition, where the best airbenders competed against one another in a simulated battlefield. Being the most agile, and the fastest, Jason and Annabeth were most often the scouts, evading enemy lines and distracting them. "Plan Scout Alpha?" Jason asked.

"Yes. Spread out, and account for the additional coverage Tempest can provide. You and I will head towards the firebender, while Tempest can fly overhead. We trigger an alarm, then evade-don't lightning bend, we need to keep our abilities a secret. Meet at the ozone cluster a bit further away."

Jason nodded. As an airbender, he could sense the composition of the air around him, and a bit further into the forest was a place where ozone had, for some mysterious reason, formed-it was probably due to some excessive lightning fmro a thunderstorm. Jason knew the airbender powers were amplified there, and the ozone would make it difficult for the firebenders to combust anything there. Annabeth was a genius.

She was also ready to undertake all costs to ensure the mission succeeded- in her eyes, everyone, even herself, were just pawns in the game. She knew that Percy was the one to find Drakon and defeat Kronons, while she was more 'expendable', though Jason disagreed.

"I know what you're thinking, and face it, you're right."

"No." Jason shook his head. "You're not. You are the leader of our team-even Percy defers to you. Don't underestimate yourself, Annabeth Chase. I know why you chose the ozone deposit- I'm not going to use lightning there, even if there's a slim chance the extra ozone might give me enough power to teleport."

Jason suspected that the extra ozone concentration might lead to easier ionization, something he had learnt from Annabeth, that would conduct lightning better. There was a chance that the easier conduction would allow for enough lightning for Jason to teleport away, if the situation grew dire.

Teleporting was a painful process- none of the scientists of Olympus had found out how it occurred-it seemed that one would dissociate thought the lightning and reform wherever it struck next. That was a risky, and as Jason knew, painful process, and only used as a last resort. That was one reason Jason wasn't willing to teleport.

The other was that Annabeth wouldn't be able to go with him. Few Olympians could lightningbend, and Annabeth wasn't one of them.

"Percy was right- you do think of yourself as expendable. You are not. How is he so good at reading people?"

Annabeht rubbed the tears beginning to pool around her eyes. "I know, okay?" she nearly shouted. "It's not easy to see yourself as expendable, but I know what I am! I am the daughter of Minerva, granddaughter of Athena. I'm an airbender, and Olympain. But I'm not royalty, nor am I the last of my kind. I am someone who should be ready to sacrifice myself, though I hate it. Don't make this harder than it already is!"she continued, taking a moment to gather herself.

"Drop it."

"But-"

"Drop it. Let's get this damned firebenders and get it over with." Annabeth continued, walking towards the woods on their left, where Jason could hear the steady tramp of firebenders marching through. "We don't have much time."

"Okay. but remember." Jason added, quickly reaching for Annabeth's hand. "We're a team. You can't go ahead and die without my permission, okay?" he asked, chuckling weakly.

"Quit talking so much about death-you'd think we'd be tired of that by now. Let's just get this over with." Annabeth pulled her hand out of his grasp. "But thanks-I appreciate that."

"Commence scouting?" Jason asked.

"Indubitably."

Jason snorted. "Word-maniac."

"Simpleton."

"Big-headed brainiac."

"Airhead."

Jason rolled his eyes. "You're an airhead too, remember?"

Annabeth chuckled. "Let's go ahead and scout already."

Jason crept towards the source of the sound, muffling the air around him to prevent sound or smell from carrying. He slowly worked his way through the undergrowth, watching Annabeth do the same from at his right. Tempest flew overhead, to keep a look-out and warn them ahead, in case.

Jason reached over a hand, and slowly moved the leaf in front of him-and stopped. Why hadn't Tempest given the signal? There were firebenders right in front of him! The two of them gestured to one another, Jason couldn't decipher what they were saying, but then the two of them suddenly stilled.

"Damn." Jason muttered, as the two of the firebenders began looking directly at him and Annabeth- they had forgotten an essential part of scouting, the blending in part.

Their blond hair stuck out of the foliage like a sore thumb, and probably announced where they were. The firebenders had probably split up, to ambush them.

That was not good.

Jason gave out the call of the Olympian watchbird, the signal he and Annabeth used to signal the start of a fight. Annabeth would probably be confused, but he was sure she would figure it out soon. Besides, she must have been really overthinking if she forgot that they had to cover their hair with mud and dye.

Jason slowly reached his hand into his pocket, relishing the cold touch of Ivlis, before drawing it out and holding it on the palm of his hand. He noticed Annabeth reach out and wrap her hand around the handle of her dagger as well. He met her eyes, and nodded. Both of them used their airsensing. Jason felt a tugging sensation in his gut, as he felt the air bend according to his will. The air around them cleared, amplifying their senses.

They were surrounded by firebenders. It was an ambush. And by the looks of it, the ambush began now.

Jason rolled to the side, crashing into a nearby plant, just as a beam of fire landed at the spot where he had been at exploded in a burst of flame-not enough to kill him, but more than enough to incapacitate him. He coughed as the sulphurous fumes mixed with the dew gathering on the plants, releasing a poisonous mix of smoke and early morning mist. The forest seemed to quiet-the birds stopped their chirping, and the distant cries of animals stopped. The firebenders crept out of their hiding spot, while Jason and Annabeth stood back to back. Jason flipped Ivlis and noted the slight widening of eyes of the benders when the glowing sword appeared in his hands. He counted only twelve firebenders-where were the other three?

"Surrender your weapons now, or we will take them with force." One of the firebenders called, gruffly. He seemed to be the leader of the group- he had an ugly scar lining one side of his face, and his red cape differentiated him from the rest of the group. There was a mural of a dragon on his breastplate, instead of the regular flames decorating the breastplate of the other firebenders.

Jason regarded the firebenders that formed a circle around them cautiously, before looking at Annabeth. She shook her head. The firebenders could not be trusted-who knew what they would do if the two of them surrendered? He gripped his weapon and waited for the charge.

The firebenders did not disappoint.

All of them inhaled, and Jason could see the air around them heating, as they sourced their elemental power. On one accord, they released plumes of fire towards the two. Jason and Annabeth split up, and headed towards the circle- the firebenders would be forced into hand-to-hand combat if they were close enough.

Jason steeled himself, ready to kill if needed.

He caught up to the circle of firebenders, before quickly slashing at the closest one, creating a vacuum in the air before his sword, forcing it to scream as it cut through air at unbelievable speeds- this was the Olympian slash, an innovative technique developed by Athena. Of course, there was some aerodynamics behind it, and a bit of some effect Jason could not recall- the Magnus effect, was it? But he shoved those thoughts out of his mind to leave space for the more important one-he didn't want to die.

The firebender did not expect the unearthly speed of Ivlis, and his screams were cut short as the sword sliced him in two. Jason started as blood spurted across his hands, and the firebender in front of him collapsed.

He felt sick. He had just killed someone. He bit back the bile entering his throat, having no time to think, but just duck, as a sword slashed at his side.

He whirled around, facing the firebender, who gazed at him with rage and hatred in his bloodshot eyes. The firebender lunged again, and Jason pivoted, allowing the lunge to carry forward, before slashing vertically as the warrior overexposed his side. The warrior dropped to the ground, and rolled, raising his sword and holding it with a two-handed grip, defending against Jason's cut. Jason pushed down, and forced the swords closer towards the firebender, but he kicked out his legs, knocking Jason off balance momentarily.

Jason recovered his balance, and ducked again, as the warrior sliced at him again. In the back of his mind, he wondered why the other warriors weren't attacking. He parried and riposted the warrior's attack, and the other man cursed and ducked as Jason's sword managed to leave an ugly scar across his forehead. He looked at Jason in fury again, before nodding. "Let's get this over with."

What was he talking about? Unless-

Jason whirled around, but it was too late-the pommel of another warrior's sword clanged against his head, hard. The last things he saw before he passed out were Annabeth and Tempest-who should have flown away to safety- being tied with ropes and led away.

Jason closed his eyes, welcoming the darkness that relieved the pain in his head, though every nerve of his being told him to keep fighting-he was spent.

He barely felt the ropes tied around his hands and legs, or the pain he should have felt when the firebenders tossed him roughly atop a horse, before riding away.

"Look out, Percy." he whispered, deliriously, as the blackness overcame him.

A/N: Yeah, I was dying for some fight scenes, sorry. I think Jason should have had a more dramatic response, but bear in mind that he is too tired to have one..we'll see. -HP