Ever since their late-night chat, Percy and Leo were getting along much better. Things had become much less tense between the two and they could often be seen helping each other out for some side project or prepping a small prank. That teamwork and coordination was coming in handy right about now as they entire crew scrambled aboard deck to keep things in order.
They had run into a sudden storm that violently threatened to tear the ship asunder and drown them all. Piper and Hazel ran from rigging to rigging, grabbing anything loose and tying them down tight. Frank was shifting rapidly from gorilla to spider monkey to snake to falcon handling any heavy pieces of bronze and wood that were coming undone. Annabeth was up front at the helm with Leo trying to figure out the wiring and generally keeping things organized amidst the chaos. Percy was on water duty, keeping the massive waves from crushing the Argo II.
This mad scramble had kept the crew occupied for the better half of the last hour. Everyone was cold, wet and all around tired and miserable. Even Percy, son of Poseidon couldn't spare the focus to keep himself dry in the rain and wind, his black hair matted down onto his face which he had to sweep back often.
As another wave threatened to crash into the ship, Percy braced himself and quickly dissipated the mass of water. He felt the hull shift and commanded the sea below to right their ship. This was the first real test of his abilities since returning from Tartarus, and compared to controlling the waters of the Underworld, these waves were a breeze. The problem was that he had no idea how long the storm would continue, and he would eventually lose the war of attrition.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Jason Grace's pale face staring back at him. He nodded his head and tried pointing down at the water as another wave threatened to form. Squashing the water back down, he could see Jason's mouth moving, but there were no words reaching his ear. The winds were simply too strong, but Jason was the perfect person to handle this. Percy shrugged and pointed at his ear to indicate he couldn't hear then, stared Jason in the eye, their mutual understanding of duty and sacrifice all the communication they needed.
He watched Jason lasso one of the angry wind spirits and encase himself in his own personal tornado before diving down. Making sure the ship was safe for the time being, Percy followed suit.
Jason was not expecting to meet a relative of Percy's and from the look of it neither did the man himself. To top it off, not only was she making the storm assaulting their ship, but she had struck a deal with Gaea. The whole setup was a trap, designed to lure Percy in for Polybotes to land the killing blow. The whole thing left Jason feeling a bit unwanted.
Before he could react, Percy lunged in headfirst, disregarding any care for his life as he charged the giant. Jason was helpless to watch as a human sized throw net enveloped the demigod and turned the water he relied on for protection into deadly poison.
His mind raced. His friend was dying in front of him as he was being assaulted by basilisks, there was a goddess and a giant behind them waiting to kill him and he wasn't sure how much air he had left. Fighting through his injury, he cut down the serpents as he tried to think of a way out of this mess.
Watching Percy float lifelessly in his mesh prison did not help and as much as it hurt, he forced himself to turn away. Every trained instinct in his brain told him to fight until his last breath down here, but there was no way that would work. He could escape at the very least, but that meant leaving Percy behind and that was not an option.
As he desperately wracked his pain ridden brain for an answer, something clicked. He was trying to figure things out like a Roman would, staying inside the lines and following orders. He thought about his time at both camps, the undead legion and Piper and her charmspeak. Instead of a Roman play, he needed to fully utilize the best tool he had and take a page out of the Greek play book. Thinking back to Michael Varus' last words: 'Die a Roman', at the very least, he would die disproving the shade. Time to try diplomacy.
"Kym," Jason called. "What did Gaea promise you? A piece of ocean to rule by yourself. Is that what you want really? To command and empty plot of water?"
"No," Kym said, furrowing her brow. "No, I am goddess of storms. People should fear me! Worship me!"
"Right," Jason agreed, smiling, he couldn't believe this was working. "Right, but if Gaea wins, there will be no people left to terrorize or worship."
"Stop!" Polybotes yelled, swiping at Jason, but he maneuvered his way past the strike.
"Storms are to be feared, and you have shown you can create the most fearsome!"
"Yes! I do make the fiercest storms!"
"Help me now and we can stop Gaea," Jason pressed on. "I was praetor at Camp Jupiter, and I can promise you a shrine at both camps!"
"A shrine…" Kym whispered dreamily.
"You should never have been forgotten and," Jason knew he had her now, it was time to seal the deal. "And you'll have your first Roman shrine."
Polybotes roared in rage as he tried to silence Jason. His fist swung wildly, hitting Kymopoleia squarely in the chest. "I'm sorry, but you really should move. You're in the way!"
"In the way?" Kim spat indignantly.
"You know what I mean," Polybotes reasoned. "When Gaea rules, she will grant you everything you desire!"
"Mortals that praise and respect my awesome power?" Kym asked, raisin an eyebrow.
"Well… no there won't be any," Polybotes admitted.
"Shrines? Ships?"
"No…"
"Kym, help me and we can kill a giant together," Jason interrupted. "You'll be a hero. An honored hero."
"But will they cower?" Kym inquired.
"Of course!" Jason said. "Plus, a spot in the summer programs, a custom banner, a cabin at Camp Half-Blood and two shrines."
"Tell me demigod, I have heard stories of these things called 'action figures' would there be one of me?"
"You drive a hard bargain," Jason said, feigning thought for a moment. "Deal."
Kym turned to the giant and shrugged. "His deal beats yours."
The moment Jason had started talking, he could feel himself getting stronger. The pain in his chest dissipated with every word as his plan fell into place. With newfound vigor, he sprung at Polybotes, his sword morphing into a javelin, spearing the giant from behind. Kym picked up a bronze disk and expertly hurled it through the water column, cleanly decapitating the enemy.
"Poison is a nasty habit," Kym warned as Jason rushed to free Percy.
He commanded the wind spirit to cover Percy and the poison appeared to dissipate from his body. Percy coughed violently as he assessed the situation. "You did good man," Percy congratulated when he could speak again. "Thanks."
"Our promise?" Kym asked.
"It will be upheld," Jason assured. "I'll make sure of it. When I arrived at the Greek camp, it already had more cabins built thanks to Percy here. I swear that I will ensure no god or goddess is forgotten, no matter who they are."
"Ambitious," Kym applauded. "I like you Jason Grace, shame I can't watch you two die, but the storm is stopped and you should make it to Delos safely."
"Thanks, I hear that a lot," Percy said.
"As for you brother," Kym glared. "I know what the seer told you. You could have run away, but now your blood will be split to awaken Gaea. That will cost you in the form of a sacrifice you will have to make if you are to win."
"I don't run when my friends need me," Percy said, putting his hand on Jason's shoulder.
"Hmm, I wonder. I've heard differently about your time in Tartarus. How would your girlfriend feel if she knew?" Kym mocked. "Still, if you are to succeed, look to the past. A primordial being has been killed before, cut into ribbons by his own children."
"Thank you, Kym," Jason said.
"Thank you, Ponitfex"
The duo swam to the surface in relative silence. Once they were back aboard the ship, Percy quickly did his rounds, making sure everything was in order before excusing himself and racing back inside. Piper ran up to Jason and hugged him tight before realizing her mistake jumping on an injured man. Jason laughed and assured her that everything was fine, lifting his shirt, revealing his wound had healed. Leo and Piper clamored over him, rejoicing at the good news. With the adrenaline wearing off, Jason's nerves were fried, and he also left to return to bed.
As he walked to his room, he thought he could hear some faint sounds of distress coming from inside Percy's cabin. Stopping, he knocked a few times on his door to no answer.
"Hey," Jason called. "You okay in there?"
No response.
"If you don't say anything, I'm coming inside."
Still nothing.
Jason tried the handle, but it was locked. That wasn't going to stop him as he rammed his shoulder into the door, breaking the lock wide open. Percy wasn't in the room, but the sound he had heard earlier was louder now. Opening the bathroom door, he found Percy pale faced and retching into the toilet. Worried it was from the poisoning, Jason ran out to gather the crew who rushed to Percy's aid.
Leo dug some painkillers out from his bag just in case while Annabeth quickly got down to assessing his symptoms while pouring a glass of fresh water. Piper went to fetch some ambrosia and nectar and Hazel scanned for any residual magic on his body. Frank was wracking his brain trying to think of an animal that could help. Percy's eardrums were banging in his head at all the commotion. Weakly, he stood himself up against the wall.
"Get out," He growled. "Now."
Hazel and Leo began to back away, Percy's aura radiating danger. Annabeth gave him a look before turning and leaving. Once they were gone, only Jason and Frank were left to stare down the son of the sea god. Percy didn't scare them, and they weren't backing down.
"What was that for?" Jason asked. "You need to apologize; they were just trying to help."
"Look, if it's the poison, please just eat some of the ambrosia," Frank pleaded.
"Frank," Percy pointed, sinking back down. "You need to leave."
The son of Mars looked hurt, and Jason felt bad watching him back out of the room. Angrily, he turned his attention back to Percy. "Get it together. Go after him and apologize."
Percy shook his head. "You don't get it. How could you? You just willed yourself back together."
"Help me understand then," Jason said. "Or I'm going to leave you worse off than I found you."
He sighed. "I wanted to die back there."
Jason took a step back. "What?"
"I tried to put Tartarus behind me, I really did. But the poison, what Kym said, It all came rushing back. I thought if I died to Polybotes, it would make up for all the wrongs I committed down there. That's why I made them go. I can't look at Frank and Annabeth right now."
"Percy," Jason started, kneeling. "Whatever you did, you can get past it. It's not the past that defines you."
"Even if I tried to kill Annabeth?" Percy questioned, looking Jason straight in the eye. "Even if I ran away after that?"
"Yes," Jason said firmly, surprising Percy. "Because you're still here. You choose how to move forward with your life. What you did was messed up I'm not gonna lie, but are you still running from it if you just admitted it to me?"
He shook his head again.
"Good, now what's your issue with Frank?" Jason pressed. He was using every lesson he'd just learned under the sea to his advantage. Again, every word felt like his identity was becoming more solid and he felt that Percy was going through something similar. "That has nothing to do with Tartarus, does it?"
"No," Percy admitted.
"Great, wait here. Do you mind if I bring in more people?"
Before Percy could answer, Jason was gone and back with Piper, Hazel, and Frank in tow. Piper looked excited, as Jason calmly took a seat on the bed. Frank and Hazel seemed like they had no idea why they were dragged into the cramped room and stood awkwardly in one corner.
"Have a seat," Piper offered.
"So," Piper began. "First, is there anything you'd like to say?"
"Uh…" Percy thought, now sitting across from Piper on the bed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you guys earlier."
"Good," Piper said seeing Frank and Hazel nod. "Now, why do you feel inferior to Frank and what does this have to do with Reyna?"
Percy and Frank both choked at the same time.
"You don't really feel that way, do you?" Frank asked.
Percy looked away, running his hand over his tattoos where the praetor symbol was now missing. "Gods," Frank muttered.
"No, this is good," Piper assured. "Percy, can you tell me why/"
"So that's why Jason brought you here," Percy realized. "Daughter of Aphrodite. You already know the answer, don't you?"
"I do," Piper admitted, biting her lip at the accusation. "But I need you to say it."
Percy glanced at Jason who stared back at him intently. "Well played, Grace. Yes, I don't feel like Reyna's equal after Tartarus. I thought I could be there for her, but reality came knocking down there. Frank was always the better fit for praetor and now, what am I next to her?"
"Percy…" Hazel whispered, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"I don't know where I belong anymore," Percy finished, his head sinking.
"But you still love her," Piper said confidently. "You never stopped, not since we picked you up from Camp Jupiter."
She got up, walked over, and ran her fingers over the purple cloth on his nightstand.
"I think you know the answer," Piper continued, turning the statement on Percy. "You wore this with Frank and Hazel questing to Alaska, didn't you?"
"Yeah, can't say I'd be here without you," Frank said. "You bought me time to say goodbye to Grandmother."
"Definitely," Hazel agreed. "None of us would be here without each other."
"One and the same," Percy added.
"Comrades," Jason said, standing. "Legion. That's what Rome is. But it's not who I am."
Piper smiled at Jason's confidence. Whatever had happened under the sea had not only healed him but shifted something in his mind. The way he walked around the ship, how he talked to her, how he'd come rushing out to grab people to help Percy without hesitation. She felt like she was falling in love all over again.
"I've seen how she looks at you Percy," Piper said. "She wants to make this work. You're not some fill in for Jason. Her feelings are real. Trust me, as a daughter of Aphrodite."
"I trust you," Percy said, looking at everyone. "I trust all of you. You're both right. I know what my answer is, but I'm afraid of turning my back on my friends."
"We're here for you man," Frank said.
"Whenever you're ready," Hazel finished.
Percy, Hazel, and Frank hugged each other tightly before the couple left. Piper followed soon after, giving Jason a light kiss on the way out. Finally, it was just the two of them again, the sons of Jupiter and Poseidon.
"I really want to hit you for making me go through that," Percy said, feigning irritation in his voice.
"But you love me," Jason grinned.
"Let's not go that far," Percy joked. "Still, thank you."
"Hey, it's not like you're leaving your friends. As much as I owe Camp Jupiter, I need to find out who I am. That's why I'm staying at Camp Half-Blood but serving as an ambassador between camps."
"As much as this hurts to say, do you think Hera was right about us?"
Jason shivered. "Maybe…maybe."
The two shared one final laugh before going back on deck where Percy finished his rounds apologizing to Leo first. He laughed it off as he clapped Percy on the shoulder, sparking a small fire on his shirt. Everyone had a good laugh at Percy's expense as the two shook hands.
Finally, Percy walked over to Annabeth who was checking on Festus at the bow of the ship. She turned to face him, small oil streaks and splatter on her face from the wind.
"Figure things out?" She asked coolly.
"Yeah," Percy agreed, breathing in the sea breeze. "I'm sorry. I still can't completely forgive myself for what I did to you. I don't think I ever fully will. But I'm here and I know for sure where I'm needed now. I'll make it up to you, to everyone, I promise."
"Good," She smiled, wiping more oil splatter from her cheeks, leaving them stained black.
Percy laughed at her ridiculous appearance. "By the way, can you help me with something?"
A/N: Thanks again for reading and for 100 follows! I really didn't think a Preyna fic would get this far and I appreciate all the support! Back to Reyna next chapter.