Chapter-2

Jason

It was odd that Jason felt relief walking with a bunch of bandits. Maybe it was the fact that living an entire day without seeing people as well as fighting monsters had really kept him in a jittery mood.

At least the bandits didn't take that long to get me. Jason thought. He was afraid that they would have attacked him regardless, and an opportunity to gain information will slip out of Jason's hands. Even then, Jason had to be careful in case the Bandits went back on their word and attacked him.

He could definitely beat them. Although they did have some degree of combat skill, it was clearly not enough to match his own training and experience.

But remember why you didn't, Jason. He chided himself as he arrived at the camp. It had wooden walls like a roman camp, although constructed in a less organized manner. Inside, people dressed in a similar manner to his 'captors' stared at him with narrowed eyes, although some stared at his spear and gladius with greed.

But with all that, Jason couldn't really see any one of them who exuded the aura of a leader. Jason would know, considering how many times he's seen Reyna back when they both governed Camp Jupiter as Praetors. Reyna had this certain posture and look that told you that she was someone who led.

Reyna would also say that he also exuded that aura, which Jason used to hate considering how much he wanted to be just 'Jason Grace' and not 'Jason, son of Jupiter' at that time.

Jason slipped back into memories of his days as a legionnaire. Even with the strict rules of the legion, it was a happy period of his life. He had no pressure to be a leader because of his parentage. It was all fine until he was sent to Sonoma to find Bacchus' leopard. That quest was when his parentage was revealed and Jason's actions would start off his climb up the ranks of the legion and his inner turmoil to live up to everyone's expectations as their 'hero' and being able to enjoy a normal life like he did before.

But now, Jason had gotten over that turmoil, after his discovery of camp half-blood and friendship with Piper and Leo as well as the freedom of taking the burden of a leader because of Percy and Annabeth. He was free.

Wherever he was, Jason was sure he'd make it back home. Lester, Piper and Meg were safe. The mission was over. They no longer needed him. Jason could return to his life in Edgarton.

Jason came back to the real world when one of the bandits shoved him to a cage with Tempest in a separate one.

"In the cage. You'll stay here until the boss lady decides to meet you."

"How long would that be?"

"Eh, probably a few days. Although with your interesting look, you might be lucky enough to get an audience today." The bandit spoke before walking off as Tempest whinnied.

Jason raised his hand in a calming gesture. "Simmer down, Tempest. We'll leave once we're done." He spoke as Tempest snorted.

For most of the day, he sat staring at the Branwen bandits going about. Jason jaw clenched whenever he saw the bandits come back with goods and money taken from poor travelers, but he kept himself calm.

He couldn't attempt to fight them. After all, his weapons won't affect them. Using his powers would kill them and with so much forced handicap, Jason would only get himself in trouble.

So for the time being, he would have to keep up his act of submission and get to talk to the leader.

"So, he's the one?" Jason heard a voice as he noticed a short-haired woman walk up with the long-haired bandit. However, Jason could tell that while she was of high rank, the woman wasn't really the top of the chain of command.

The woman looked at him and whistled. "That's some pretty armor." She spoke before squinting. "Got into a fight with some grimm?" She spoke.

Jason's eyes widened. She definitely meant those black monsters he fought earlier. But, how? She's a mortal.

But she could be a clear-sighted one. Jason thought. That could perfectly explain it. If so, did that mean all of the Branwens could see through the mist? That…was very unlikely, unless they weren't mortals and were in truth mythological creatures posing as mortals.

If that was true, then Jason was in deep trouble.

He then noticed a bandage on the woman's arm as the woman frowned. "What? It's just a cut. What's gotten you so interested?"

Jason kept looking at the bandage. "Nothing…"

"Pah, I can hear the doubt. Honestly, are you that stupid that you can't recognize a wound? I thought you have bled considering you look like a huntsman." She spoke sticking a finger at the wound and flicking the blood at Jason.

So its real… Jason thought. She really is a mortal, which at least elevated some of his concern. Although, the fact that there was an entire group of clear-sighted mortals living alone in the woods was very strange.

Another strange fact was what the woman called those monsters.

Grimm…

If they had a name, then they had to have been around for enough time. But that contradicted Jason's theory about Hades because he woke up only yesterday morning. There's no way a bunch of monsters being sent to hunt him would garner enough attention to be given a name in such a short span of time?

Jason let out a grunt of frustration. Every theory he had seemed to get contradicted by something or the other. He just couldn't figure out where he was. He may not be as smart as Annabeth or other children of Athena, but he should have gotten a rough idea of where he was by now.

"But enough distraction, what's your name?" The woman asked.

"…Jason." He replied.

"Jason? Sounds like a name of someone from Argus in the north. You from Argus?"

Jason stifled a gasp. Argus was a greek name. But again, the only place of Argus or Argos isn't very well-known in the modern world. So, how the Hades does someone in the wilds of supposedly Japan know of Argos?

"No? I'm from San Francisco?" Jason asked hesitantly.

"San Francisco? Is that from somewhere near the border of Vale and Vacuo? Pretty sure the towns over there have names like those."

Vale? Vacuo? Jason thought. Both of those were latin words, but there aren't places like that. What was this woman talking about?

"From your face, I can tell you have no idea what I'm talking about?"

"I…know what they mean, but I don't think I've heard of places like that." Jason spoke in confusion as the woman's eyes widened.

"Wha…? Have you been living under a rock? You don't know the names of two of the kingdoms?"

Kingdoms?! Jason thought in alarm. There were kingdoms with latin names in a place looking like Japan in the 21st century? That information would give a geography teacher a heart attack.

"What's going on, Vernal? Has the prisoner scared you that bad?" Another woman's voice came as the speaker stepped up. Her face was covered by a bony mask that eerily resembled those of the 'grimm', and she wore a red dress with black shorts and plating on her forearms and waist. A large black sheathe with rainbow coloured blades in it hung on her left hip with a hilt sheathed into it. She had long spiky black hair.

This is the 'boss lady'. Jason thought. She exuded that aura of authority only the leader of any organization could have.

"No…just baffled at this guy. He doesn't know about Vale and Vacuo at all." She spoke as the woman took off her mask to reveal her pale face with crimson red eyes.

"And? He could be outside of the kingdoms. They aren't usually aware of the names." She spoke before looking at him, her eyes briefly glancing at Tempest with mild curiosity.

"So…his name?"

"Jason."

"Jason…Alright. Jason, are you aware of the Poleis?"

Jason slowly nodded. "Yes…?" He spoke, although he was highly doubtful that those exist in the 21st century.

"Great. Vale and Vacuo are the names of some Poleis." The woman spoke looking at Vernal. "See? He's just someone from North Anima. Although…I do am interested in the strange mount he has." The woman spoke looking at Tempest.

"Is it a grimm?" Vernal asked as the woman shook his head. "No. Can't you sense its aura?"

Vernal looked back at Tempest. "It…does. But its aura is…"

"Fluid? Very illusory? Same. Its like this creature is not supposed to exist but it somehow does…"

Jason looked at Tempest. It was said that creatures like Tempest come from the chaos of nature that threatens to consume civilization. If the gods were the ultimate manifestations of the rules of civilization, monsters were the products of the wild that civilization wished to bring under control. In that sense, Tempest was a conceptual being that did not truly have a physical form.

Oh gods, I'm sounding like Annabeth. Jason thought with a shudder. He didn't want give Leo's nerd jokes about him ever since he started wearing glasses any more truth than he already has.

"Its something we've never seen before." She concluded.

"So…"

"No. Who knows what this strange creature is capable of. Its clear Jason is its master and it won't cooperate if we did away with him."

"But what about your…"

"Vernal." The leader's voice cut through Vernal's protest. "Don't finish that sentence."

Vernal then looked at Jason and gulped. "S-Sorry…"

They're hiding something. Jason noted but didn't pay much mind. After all, he was here to get information from them, not sniff out their secrets.

But before that, Jason needed to confirm something. Just what were these 'Kingdoms' they were talking about?

"Well, if you're done, could I get a map?" Jason asked as the two woman looked at him.

"Could you repeat that?" The woman asked.

"Could I get a map?"

"A map?" The woman spoke leaning towards him. "Pal, are you, our prisoner, making demands from us?"

"…Yes. Now, I need a map." Jason spoke in a firmer voice staring at her coldly as the woman leaned back slightly.

"A map?" The leader repeated as she stared at Jason, trying to figure out his intentions. Jason met her stare with a neutral one of his own. He knew he wasn't in the position to make such demands, but he could no longer keep his curiosity for any longer.

They stared at each other before the woman smirked.

"Oh…I like you. I thought you were some clueless snowflake at first. But, I can see you're hiding some nasty fangs underneath that 'nice-guy' act."

Jason sighed as the woman gestured to Vernal. "Get him a map." She spoke as Vernal looked back at Jason before nodding and walking off.

"So, I'm Raven Branwen, leader of the Branwen tribe." The woman spoke as Jason nodded. "Ok?"

"Hm, you don't know of us. The names of the kingdoms I can sort of understand. But us? We're well-known even to settlements outside of the kingdoms." She spoke.

And yet I've not heard even a peep about people called the Branwen tribe. Jason thought bitterly. He still could not understand.

Vernal returned with a map and handed it to him.

Finally…Now I can get a better…What? Jason thought as his mind screeched to a halt at the map.

What is this? He thought as instead of the seven continents he was used to seeing, he was seeing something completely different. Instead of seven continents, there were only five. On one there was a large green landmass which was labelled 'The Kingdom of Vale'. Connected to the green landmass was what looked like a arid place labelled 'The Kingdom of Vacuo'. To the right of the Green landmass across the sea was a massive landmass with more dense green landscape than Vale called 'The Kingdom of Mistral'. To the north was an icy landmass called 'The Kingdom of Atlas'. Other than them, there was a smaller landmass to the southeast just labelled 'Menagerie' and another dragon shaped landmass labelled 'The Dragon continent'.

Nothing Jason could see even remotely resembled Earth's continents or countries.

A pit settled in Jason's stomach as all of what he had seen clicked onto his mind.

The strange places…

The weird monsters…

The lack of people…

The inconsistency of technology…

The Branwens being seemingly 'clear-sighted'…

They all pointed to one possibility: Hera hadn't just sent him to a distant land, Hera had sent him to another world altogether.

And being in another world…

I'm stuck. I can't go home. Jason thought as he started breathing heavily. Of course, it all made sense. Why would Hades send new monsters that he can kill easily when he could have easily sent furies to kill him and bring his soul back to Hades? Why would Jason be even alive for so long if he still was on Earth where Hades could easily find and kill him?

"What happened? Something got you spooked?" Raven asked as Jason looked at her again, the weight of realization still weighing down upon his mind.

"I…I…"

"CALM DOWN!" Raven yelled as Jason shook his head. Raven's shout strangely brought his mind to a halt.

"…What?"

"Now that you're back to your senses, I've got a deal for you. You want information, don't you?"

Jason was silent.

"Don't be so surprised. With how clueless you are, you definitely want someone to give you an idea of what stuff is going to be like. Well, then you're lucky. I'll be willing to answer some questions."

Jason looked at her with a wary look in his eyes. Being a bandit, she was going to demand a price. And from what he heard…

Please don't say what I think you're going to say. He thought in vain.

"But you're going to have to lend us a little help. I want to see what your pet can do."

Tempest whinnied in anger as lightning sparked across his flanks, but Raven was unperturbed.

"Accept, and we're good. Refuse, then we'll have to do this the hard way. You don't want your horse to change owners so quickly, do you?"

"…"

Jason had a certain set of principles, and if he accepted Raven's offer, then he would be forced to commit acts that went against his morals. But he was in a different world. There was nothing and no one he was familiar with who could get him settled. He desperately needed Raven's information to be able to find his footing, otherwise his journey might end before it even began.

Jason found himself in a dilemma. What was more important to him? His morals, or his survival?

Jason shut his eyes, contemplating what to choose, carefully considering what scenarios could happen with both choices.

"Hurry up, I don't have time." Raven spoke in irritation as Jason opened his eyes, having made his decision.

"Fine, I accept." He spoke in resignation as Raven grinned. "Good. You'll be staying here, though. Only when I say it, you can come out." She spoke.

"I accepted your offer. So when do I start?" Jason asked.

Raven shrugged. "Dunno. Could take some time. Depends on my mood." She spoke before leaning down to stare into Jason's eyes as their faces were only separated by the wooden bars of Jason's cage. Raven unsheathed a katana with a red blade and touched Jason's cheek with its flat side, slowing drawing a small line of blood.

"My men have threatened to blow your brains out. But do know that if you go back on our agreement, then I'll make sure you beg for eating those bullets. Got it?"

"Crystal."

Raven leaned back as she walked off with vernal.

Jason stared at Raven's form going into a tent before he slumped, his cut already healing due to his regeneration.

Now that they were gone, Jason could get back to the biggest issue.

"I'm stuck in another world." Jason spoke in a hollow voice. At the worst possible moment, all the memories in the past came flooding back to him.

Lupa raising him…

His rise through the legion…

His friendship with Reyna, Gwen and Dakota…

Him leading the siege on Othrys…

Him embarking on the Argo-II to sail for Athens…

Earlier, he thought It would be difficult to get back home.

"But now…" Jason spoke leaning against his cage staring at the stars in the sky.

Him, Piper and Leo sitting by a campfire under stars roasting marshmellows…

A tear formed and raced down his cheek.

"…I-Is it even possible?"

A/N: Wow, I think I'm actually going to have a more relaxing time writing Rowan's shade because I've decided to make it short. Even though I enjoy writing Soulless Plains, I don't think I've felt so relaxed writing a chapter since I released Soulless Plains' prologue. Heck yeah I'm going to enjoy progressing this story.

Coming into the chapter, woo hoo! Jason now knows he's no longer on Earth but in Remnant and its craziness. But, Jason still doesn't know about aura, semblances or the mecha-shift weapons, so poor Jason's still going to have to experience some world shock.

Also, Raven's going to be the canon Raven with some minor tweaks to her backstory.

But on a serious note, rarely have I seen fics which show a person's devastation of being torn away from home. I mean, if you look at it, suddenly finding yourself far, far away from home can really make a person feel down. So how bad would it be when you're literally trapped in a place alien to you with chances of getting back home almost 0? It would be pretty, pretty bad. Plus, there had to be some highlight that did not just make this chapter look unnecessary. The effects of this revelation will be shown later.

Hope you guys enjoyed and constructive criticism is appreciated!

Response to reviews:

Xedornox: I am also excited for Jason to show Remnant why demigods are not to be messed with, but I am also keeping a check so that I don't make Jason a Gary Stu. Its pretty much a catastrophic failure for me if I let this story get out of control and become a Gary stu story, especially when the very reason that this story came to my mind is that I wanted to show some love to Jason by exploring his backstory and giving his character some development.