A tribute for Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter. This is how he left the Underworld.

Jason never expected to live past twenty.

Seriously.

Like, he was the son of Jupiter. He might as well have had a large orange beacon strapped to his chest at all times. Monsters would stop at nothing to hunt him.

Thalia had it better. She was the immortal lieutenant of a band of hunters whose job was to hunt all monsters that they come across. Heck, they even went traversing the country looking for prey. Not the typical demigod's life, but since when did the children of the gods ever have a normal life?

And then Herophile gave him that prophecy about either him or Piper paying a visit to the Underworld.

Immediately, Jason resolved it would be him. But he didn't want to risk taking chances, so he procrastinated fighting Caligula until Apollo and McCaffrey showed up.

They didn't know, but when Medea stuck him and the daughter of Demeter in the ventus cages, Jason swore on the Styx not to leave the ship alive.

He died that day, heroically sacrificing himself to fight Caligula. Giving his friends a chance to escape.

At seventeen, he died.

His last living words were to Apollo: Remember.

Jason had a relaxing time in Elysium.

He had his own small cottage near a lake, with a baby potted pine tree on the porch, which never seemed to grow.

Somedays, he would walk over to the nearby daffodil field, where he would meet up and chat with a happy couple of demigods. Charles and Silena. He never knew them before death, though, so he reasoned they were Greek.

The benefits of being a spirit in Elysium was that you would remember your name, and a tiny bit of your background history. Children of Hades, of course, would remember everything about their past life, but any demigod heroes in Elysium could make small chat about some random things.

For instance, Jason remembered a raven girl named Thalia. The couple in the daffodil field perked up at her name, though they didn't know why.

After a while of strolling the cobblestone roads and eating spiritual fruit and whatnot, Jason became tired of Elysium. Restlessly attempting to go fishing for celestial tuna in the lake. Restlessly talking with the other deceased heroes.

Jason Grace was a born leader, a son of Jupiter. Demigods like that were never intended to just sit and put strands of wheat in their mouths.

So one day, Jason decided to rebirth.

He calmly walked out of the paradise, and queued up for the Rebirth line. There was a similar line from the Fields of Asphodel, but it moved much slower. Jason pitied the agitated spirits there.

After what seemed like a couple of hours, Jason reached the end. There was a willowy girl sitting at a desk, poring over sheets of lists, chewing a slightly-transparent pink pen.

A rock nymph, of some sort. She was beautiful. The best get assigned for duty in Elysium.

Jason patiently tapped his fingers on her oak desk. She looked at him with big, golden eyes.

"Name?" she asked in a sweet, serene voice.

"Jason Grace."

The nymph took out one of her lists and bit her tongue, scanning the page for his name.

"Demigod?"

"Yeah. I think my dad's Jupiter – or Zeus."

The dryad smiled charmingly at him. "Lord Hades requested you visit him before transitioning to your next life."

Jason raised his spectral eyebrows. No spirit can deny a visit to the Lord of the Underworld. Jason wasn't sure why, but something at the back of his mind buzzed softly. Maybe he did Lord Hades a giant favor during his lifetime? He really couldn't tell.

The rock nymph motioned for him to walk past her. "You know the way to his palace," she chirruped.

Every spirit did.

"Do you know how long most spirits wait before they get another chance at life?" Hades boomed. He towered over Jason, seated in a throne of obsidian, gold, and ivory.

Jason quailed slightly, though he wasn't intimidated by his uncle's sinister appearance. He did know that the god could snap his fingers and dissolve Jason's essence.

He also knew the god didn't have a good reason to.

"Five hundred years, if they're lucky! But most have to wait around a thousand years." Hades leaned forward and glared at Jason. The demigod didn't flinch.

"You surely don't remember, but you were one of the seven mortals who traveled to Athens and helped save Olympus. Your father, my brother, demanded that all heroic demigods be given a speedy rebirth. I have no problem with that. It means more space in the underworld."

"Will I get reborn soon?" Jason asked.

Hades glowered. "Yes, boy, be patient. In addition to saving the Olympians, you gave your life to help Apollo defeat Triumvirate Holdings and re-secure the Oracles. For that, Apollo personally pleaded for your spirit, among many others, to get back to the living world as soon as possible. You were only in the Underworld for about two hundred years." Hades let a small smirk grace his pale features. Where did Jason see that smile before? Something about an angel…

The lord of the dead cleared his throat loudly, to get Jason out of his reverie.

"Your father requested you stay in the sky, since your soul belongs there."

"What does that mean?" Jason asked.

Hades sighed. "Mortals," he grumbled, "always wanting the straight truth. You'll know when you're reborn, or rather, you would if you weren't to bathe in the River Lethe."

The demigod raised his hand. "Will I have to lead others?"

Here Hades gave a throaty laugh. "Boy, it's in your spirit. You will always be born a natural leader."

The god snapped his fingers, and Jason found his surroundings dissolving. Then they solidified into some rocky terrain. Jason looked around him. He was at the front of a line of other pale, muttering spirits. There was a milky white river flowing nearby, and several spirits were washing their hands and drinking from its waters.

Directly in front of him was a doorway. The door itself was dark, but through cracks at the bottom and the edge came blinding, pure light.

Unconsciously, Jason stepped toward the River Lethe. He let the milky liquid rush at him, dissolving his past memories and experiences, leaving behind his empty, frail spirit, golden haired with electric blue eyes. The experience was like being scrubbed raw with a sharp brush, though the sensation was surprisingly pleasant.

He calmly stepped out of the river, and toward the doors. A Fury, a Kindly One was guarding the gates. She glowered at him, her coal eyes burning. "Name?" she rasped.

The golden haired spirit with electric blue eyes scrunched his eyebrows together. "I can't remember," he whispered.

The Fury nodded her head appraisingly. "Then it is as it should be," she said, and allowed him to enter the doorway.

At the same time when the golden haired, electric-blue eyed spirit stepped into the door, a young boy was born in the world of the living. 232 years after Jason Grace died.

The child was not born on a planet. He was born on a medical shuttle, kicking and screaming as his mother sobbed in relief and sorrow. His father was on a collision course, to save both of their lives.

The child had fuzzy, golden hair. As he first opened his eyes, the nurse could see they were not the usual shade of baby blue. They were a brilliant electric hue.

The child was James Tiberius Kirk.

Read, please review, etc.

I had this idea when I realized how similar Jason Grace and James Kirk are. They look similar and seem to have been born leaders. The James Kirk in this story was from the rebooted version of Star Trek, since both he and Jason grew up under the shadow of a famous father, whether the renowned, deceased George Kirk, or the Lord of the Sky.

Both excellent people. Sometimes I feel a bit sorry for Jason when he doesn't have as many fans as the other PJO and HoO characters.

*Raises wine goblet in respect for Jason Grace*

The only difference between the Jason and Kirk is that the Kirk in the rebooted version was more charming, flirty, and sometimes sarcastic. Not so Jason-like.

But if you watched The Original Series, you would see how similar Jason and Kirk are.

- Cat Nari