Jason Grace

Jason stood by Piper's bedside watching anxiously as his girlfriend slept. It was the end of the week, and he'd spent all day monitoring Piper's condition. Aphrodite promised him that she'd be okay by the end of the week, if she was lying, he'd make her wish she never crossed him.

By now, most of the infirmary's patients had been released. The medical staff in New Rome worked themselves to the bone to make sure some of them were able to go back to their cohorts.

They didn't always manage to heal everyone though. Jason had seen at least two demigods perish from their wounds. It was depressing and if it weren't for Piper, he would be far away from the infirmary. He knew it hit the doctors and medics hard when a patient died.

A groan from Piper's bed made him look at her. Piper's eyes slowly opened, only for her to squeeze them shut and let out another groan. Jason's heart filled with relief and joy, he felt like he was floating.

"Too bright in here." Piper complained as she raised a hand to cover her eyes from the lights of the infirmary.

Jason couldn't help but smile. He was just happy to see Piper awake and okay. Deep down, he reminded himself to not mention anything about what Hektor did to her. Aphrodite healed her and took it all away, he wasn't sure if mentioning it would do any good. He felt like a piece of shit hiding that, but he also remembered Aphrodite warning him to not speak of their deal to anyone.

"Jason?" Piper said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, Pipes. What do you remember?" He asked.

"Not much," She said, "All I remember is going into Hektor's office and blacking out. What happened?"

Jason wasn't sure what to tell her, so he settled on being vague. "He almost got you killed. I took you away."

Piper rubbed her forehead, "Why would he do that?"

"Because he isn't who you think he is. He's evil, he's the reason Percy and Annabeth aren't at camp anymore."

Piper's eyes lit up at the mention of the couple, "Percy and Annabeth? Where are they now?"

"Traveling." Jason said as he sat down on Piper's bed, "They're trying to fix all the shit Hektor's caused."

"What did he do?"

"Oh, stole a bunch of shit from the gods." Jason said, "Now everyone's about ready to fight. If it weren't for Percy and Annabeth, we'd probably all be dead."

Piper nodded before looking around for something. Jason watched as she reached for a water bottle on the nightstand next to her. She took big gulps, as if she hadn't had a drink in days, which was technically true.

She let out a satisfied sigh before putting the water bottle back. She stretched her arms before climbing out of bed. Jason helped her stand, though he knew she could stand on her own. He slowly led her out of the infirmary.

Piper looked around in amazement at Camp Jupiter. Unlike Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter felt more like a actual city. Camp Half-Blood really nailed the summer camp vibe but they didn't come close to Camp Jupiter's Roman urban feeling.

"So, where are we staying?" She asked.

Jason pointed to New Rome, "There's a apartment waiting for you in the city, you can thank Hazel for picking it out for you. She has the address and everything."

"Great!" She chirped, "Are you coming with me?"

"Yeah, but I can't live with you." Jason said, looking back at the cohort barracks.

The smile faded from Piper's face as soon as she heard that. "Why not?" She asked.

"Because I'm back to serving the Legion again." Jason said with a sad smile, "Part of the whole deal I made when I brought you here."

Piper looked a little guilty, which wasn't at all what he was trying to do. She didn't deserve any blame for anything that happened, she was a victim. If anything, Jason blamed himself for not acting sooner. Maybe if he had done something different, everything would've turned out differently.

"Well, can you visit?" She asked.

Jason nodded, "Yeah, I'll come by when I can. Now come on, let's go get the keys to your new place."

Ω

Hazel was more than happy to see Piper when she opened the door to the Praetor's house. Jason stood to the side as the girls hugged each other after not seeing each other for so long. He wasn't about to interrupt their little moment. He spotted Frank doing the same.

Hazel broke the hug and smiled, "It's so good to see you! You need to visit more."

"Thank Jason for bringing me here." Piper said, pointing her thumb at him, "If it weren't for him, I'd probably still be sleeping."

"You were asleep for a pretty long time." Hazel agreed, "But I'm glad you're back in the land of the living."

"I wasn't dead!" Piper protested.

"You sure? You looked kinda dead to me." Hazel teased.

"You know, for a Pluto kid, you suck at telling when people are dead." Piper said.

Hazel chuckled, "I'm joking." She glanced at Jason, "I'm assuming you're here to get the keys to your apartment?"

"Yeah, Jason told me you picked one just for me."

Hazel narrowed her eyes at him, which caused him to back up a little, "Jason!" she growled through gritted teeth, "It was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Sorry, I didn't know." Jason said with a smile, meaning he wasn't really sorry.

Hazel smiled, clearly showing there were no hard feelings. "Whatever, I'm definitely not letting you help with setting up the surprise party for Percy and Annabeth."

Jason stared at her. He was actually looking forward to pranking both of them. He tried to do his best cute face, hoping he could appeal to Hazel's soft side.

"No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to do Percy's baby seal face." Hazel said.

"I don't know," Piper said, "He kinda looks like a baby pigeon if you look hard enough."

Hazel shook her head before saying, "I'll go get your keys." She turned and walked into the house, giving Frank a kiss on the cheek before walking deeper into the house.

Frank stepped forward, a blush on his cheek where Hazel kissed him, "So, uh, nice to see you, uh, Piper."

"Gods, still awkward as ever huh?" Piper asked.

Frank's face grew redder than the Ares cabin back at Camp Half-Blood. Jason couldn't help but snicker a little, it seemed like being awkward was something Frank would always excel at. To be fair, that was overall a decent problem to have as a demigod. At least he didn't have the impulsive urge to steal stuff.

"I'm kidding, Frank." Piper said after noticing the son of Mars blushing profusely.

"I know." Frank said sheepishly, "I just haven't seen either of you guys in so long."

"Well, I think you've seen me plenty of times by now, bro." Jason said.

Frank looked at him with a knowing look, "Yeah. Levitating outside my window was definitely what I needed at 3AM in the morning."

"Jason!" Piper gasped before starting to laugh.

"I mean it was pretty good." Jason said, "I don't think I've heard you scream like that ever."

"Dude, do you have any idea how close I was to turning into a dragon and blasting that window?" Frank asked, "And don't get me started on Hazel!"

"Why not?" Hazel asked from behind him.

Frank's face paled as he spun around to face his smiling girlfriend. Jason swore he heard him squeak a little when she slightly pushed past him to hand the keys to Piper.

"Come on, Frank, I'm not Annabeth." Hazel rolled her eyes, "Gods, don't be such a scaredy cat all the time. It's not like I'm going to gut you in your sleep if you look at me wrong. What were you guys talking about anyways?"

"Oh, just Jason scaring him at 3 in the morning." Piper said.

Hazel's eyes lit up, "That?! Girl, you have no idea. This guy screamed so loud I thought my dad had come to visit or something."

By now, Jason and Piper were cracking up while Frank looked like he was about to explode from embarrassment. Hazel hugged the son of Mars affectionately. She turned to the two demigods, "Well, Jason, if you don't mind, can you show Piper to her apartment? I think it'd be great if you did it."

"Sure thing."

Ω

"Well, here we are." Jason said as he strolled into the apartment with Piper behind him.

Jason wasn't going to lie, Hazel had really good tastes in apartments. The inside was spacious, it almost seemed like too much for just Piper. The walls were painted with a warm peach color. The furniture was made with what looked like a comfortable fabric, maybe linen. The lamps looked like they were brand new.

Exploring the rest of the apartment revealed a decent-sized kitchen, a bedroom with a walk-in closet and bathroom. Then there was a room that acted like a theater with a huge screen and surround sound audio. Jason couldn't help but imagine how awesome games and movies would be on that screen.

"This place is awesome." Jason said as he and Piper walked back to the living room.

"It is, I kinda wish you got to stay with me." She said.

Jason looked at the time, "I can stay for a bit."

Piper's smile was worth it. Jason figured his duties as centurion could afford to wait. He doubted the first cohort would fall apart without him.

Piper sat on the couch and motioned for him to come sit next to her. Jason did as she asked, enjoying the feeling of being next to his girlfriend. There were moments where he genuinely thought he was going to lose her.

"You know, I never thanked you for helping me out." Piper said as she leaned closer to him.

Jason smiled at her, "You really don't need to."

Piper rolled her eyes while muttering, "Quit being such a gentleman for once."

Jason couldn't help but grin when she leaned in and kissed him. He really did enjoy kissing Piper, he didn't have much experience with kissing but he was glad that most of his kisses came from her. Each one left him longing for more.

He wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was Piper's Chapstick that tasted like cotton candy or maybe the fact that she was a really good kisser. It was a commonly known fact that Aphrodite's children, Greek and Roman, were good kissers.

The sound of their lips smacking echoed through the living room. Jason was about to grab her waist when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. At first, he thought it was nothing, then it started again. He pulled away roughly and grasped his chest as he started gasping for air. His vision was blurry and flashed different colors like he was in a disco. He felt like he was going to throw up.

Piper grabbed his arm with a concerned look, "Are you okay?"

Jason swallowed and shook his head. The pain in his chest spread from his chest to his stomach. The pain was becoming more intense by the second, it felt like someone was digging a dagger into his abdomen. He stood up and nearly fell over when his vision pulsed again.

"Jason, look at me!" Piper exclaimed while getting up.

Jason suddenly felt something coming up, so he ran to the bathroom. He shut the door and leaned over the sink before throwing up. Dark red liquid poured out of his mouth. Blood. The metallic smell only served to make him throw up even more. The sink turned red with his blood. His lungs hurt while his throat felt raw. The slimy texture and disgusting taste of blood caused him to throw up again.

A pounding came from the door. Jason couldn't move, he kept throwing up.

"Jason!" Piper yelled.

Jason tried to respond but was cut off when he gagged. He wasn't going to throw up anymore, he doubted he could even throw up a little. His chest and throat hurt, and he felt weak. Each breath he took was shallow, he could hear his own breaths. A infernal headache started to set in, it made his head feel like it was about to pop.

Piper kept yelling his name, no doubt out of concern. He'd be surprised if she didn't hear him puking his guts out into her sink. He felt horrible, this wasn't even his bathroom. He looked back at the sink, all the blood was inside the sink, luckily none of it landed anywhere else.

He looked in the mirror and realized just how bad of shape he was in. His skin was ghostly white, his blue eyes tired and full of fatigue. Streaks of blood flowed from his mouth and onto his chin.

"Jason, I'm coming in!" Piper yelled.

Jason turned and got ready to yell for her not to but he was too late. He could only watch as the doorknob twisted and the door opened, revealing Piper. As soon as she saw the blood on his face and the sink, her eyes widened, and she let out a terrified scream.

Honestly, Jason didn't even blame her for screaming. Watching someone you love look like they were dying was definitely something worth screaming over.

"Oh my gods!" Piper panicked, "What happened to you?!"

"I-I'm fine." Jason struggled to say as he took in gulps of air.

Piper carefully approached him and guided him, so he was bent over the sink. "Don't strain yourself, just take it easy." She said, "Everything is going to be okay."

She turned the water on, washing away the blood in the sink. She filled her palms with water and started washing his face. He desperately wanted her to stop, to let him take care of himself, but he didn't trust himself to speak. He felt tired, he wanted to sleep.

After cleaning him and drying him off with a towel, Piper led him out of the bathroom and to the bed. Jason could hear his own breathing and it didn't sound good at all. He was wheezing.

"Lay down." She ordered.

Jason had no problem with that. He was thankful he took his shoes off at the door, otherwise he would've fallen over trying to get them off. The pillows felt heavenly to him. The white bedsheets and pillowcases made him feel like he was sleeping on one big cloud. The mattress seemed to caress his broken body.

Piper sat next to him, her eyes full of fear and worry. Jason swore she looked like she was about to cry.

"What happened while I was passed out?" She asked, "Don't say nothing. This never happened to you before."

"Probably just from some lucky hit by a monster." Jason croaked.

Piper shook her head, "I hope you aren't lying to me."

Jason felt guilty, he was lying. He was sure he knew what was causing his condition, and he knew he couldn't talk about it. Perhaps this is what Aphrodite meant by taking ten years of his lifespan. Maybe she had inflicted him with some injury that he hadn't been aware of.

Piper leaned over and placed a hand on his forehead, "No fever. You're not sick with anything, I don't think."

"I'm not sick, Pipes." Jason said weakly, "Just tired."

She sighed as she took her hand off his head. "Get some sleep." She said, "I'll see what I can do tomorrow."

Jason didn't want her to do anything. This burden was his and his alone. He wasn't about to let her carry his cross for him. He knew what he had done by making a deal with Aphrodite, he wouldn't be surprised if the love goddess was giggling as she watched him slowly die.

It was quite ironic to him really. He had been so worried about Piper's life that he all but sacrificed his own. He now understood what Lupa meant when she told him heroes didn't have happy endings.

Against his thoughts, his body started to shut down. His eyes drooped closed before his breath steadied and he faded off into the realm of sleep.

Ω

"Stupid boy." A dark voice said from behind Jason.

Jason looked around in his dream. He was in some dark whirlwind. The shadows danced and howled around him, seemingly tempting him to jump in and join them. He looked up and saw nothing. He looked down and sat nothing. He was standing on pure void.

The air around him was cold, ice cold. It felt like he was trapped in an iceberg. He noticed his body wasn't weak anymore and his breathing was actually normal.

Jason turned around and found himself staring at a man in a black suit. He was handsome yet intimidating. He looked like a shady businessman, but he had a feeling this guy wasn't here to con him. Some of this guy's features reminded him of Nico, yet there were differences. This guy's eyes weren't dark or gloomy, they were just blank. No emotion.

"Who are you?" Jason asked.

"You may call me Thanatos." The businessman said.

Yep, Jason had really fucked himself over now. At least he died in his sleep. He'd rather that then go out how demigods normally do, brutally and painfully.

"Great, I'm dead. Now what?" Jason asked.

"You aren't dead yet, fool." Thanatos dismissed, "I just wanted to talk with you."

Jason was weary of this god. The last god that had come to talk to him was Aphrodite, and she was the reason he was in this situation in the first place.

"Talk to me about what?" He asked.

Thanatos summoned a chair and sat down, "First, I want to know why exactly you thought taking the deal with Aphrodite was worth it? Was it a guilty conscious? Love?"

"She promised to heal my girlfriend, I couldn't pass it up." Jason defended his choice.

"Ah, so love it is." Thanatos said, "You know, for a son of Zeus, you seem awfully loyal to your lover. Most sons of Zeus use their status to complete multiple conquests, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, most, not all. I'm not one of them." Jason said.

Thanatos smiled at him, "Funny, you are right. You're the only son of Zeus I know of that made such an idiotic decision for love."

"It wasn't idiotic!"

"Oh yes it was, my misguided friend." Thanatos laughed, "Did you really think Aphrodite was going to leave her deal at just that? Sure, she may have loved her daughter and wanted to see her well, but the truth is, you're the main prize in all of this."

"Me?" Jason asked.

"Yes, you." Thanatos confirmed, "Aphrodite is the goddess of lust, she wants to partake in you. That goddess is more cunning than people give her credit for, but I saw right through her scheme. Before you die, she will offer you a choice. You will stay alive and continue to live out your days with Piper McLean, but you will have to either offer your firstborn child to the goddess or father one yourself with her."

As beautiful as Aphrodite was, Jason just couldn't see himself having sex with her. He just couldn't wrong Piper like that. He had a choice in his fate, or at least that's what it looked like.

"If you know all this, why are you bothering to tell me?" Jason asked.

"Because I want to let you know it will not go down that way." Thanatos said with a sharp voice, "You cut your string shorter, which means I get to take you very soon. I will not have a meddling love goddess get in my way. Doing so would be violating good order."

"Great, so I'm going to die soon, that's what you're saying?" Jason asked.

"Yes." Thanatos confirmed, "and I want to destroy your hopes of escaping my clutches. If you so much as attempt it…well, let's just say I will be very, very angry."

"Wait," Jason said, catching the god's attention, "What about Piper?"

"What about her?"

"Is she going to die when I die?" Jason asked.

Thanatos shook his head, "No, because unlike you, she didn't make a deal with the love goddess. The truth is you doomed yourself with that deal. I will not bother you for the rest of your life but when the time comes, I will be seeing you again."

The dark winds surrounding Jason suddenly closed in around him and propelled him upwards. He braced himself for the inevitable feeling of slamming into the ceiling of wherever he was.

Instead of crashing into something, he awoke in the bed of Piper's apartment. He shot up, letting out a shout as he did. He looked around frantically, it was dark, and he couldn't see. The window's curtains had been pulled shut and he could barely see the lights of New Rome's streets peering in.

His body still felt weak, but he was feeling a bit better. He remembered his dream of Thanatos in vivid detail, the death god had come to give him a warning. It all but confirmed everything for him. His puking of blood was caused by Aphrodite's deal.

Piper sat up next to him, turning on the lamp next to her. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jason said while rubbing his forehead, "I just had a bad dream."

Piper stared at him for a few seconds, "You still look horrible, maybe you should sleep some more."

Jason wanted to get up and go back to his bunk in the barracks but his body refused to obey him. The mattress was so soft and warm, he didn't want to leave. So, he figured that's what he was going to do. He laid back down and shifted a little, only to press up against Piper. As he did so, he felt bare skin. He looked over and his eyes nearly widened to the size of dinner plates.

Piper was basically naked, save for a lace bra that left little for imagination. Jason was willing to bet if he pulled off the covers, he'd find her wearing panties that matched the bra. He blushed a little. It wasn't like he hadn't had sex with her before, but he still felt a bit nervous around her.

"Something wrong?" Piper asked, "You're staring."

"N-nothing's wrong." Jason said, "I just, uh, realized you aren't wearing anything."

Piper looked down at her body and snickered, "Oh, so that's what you're hung up on. How about I give you a better view?"

Jason watched as she untied her bra and let it fall off. She pushed her chest out towards him with a grin.

"Do you like them?" She asked.

Jason was speechless, he didn't know what to say. He could only stare as Piper let out a laugh and straddled him. She rested her hands on his chest and leaned down, her face inches away from his.

"Enjoy the show." She said.

"Wait, what?" He asked, sounding heartbroken.

Piper rolled her eyes, "I'm not going bang you, not while you're still recovering from whatever the hell that was in the bathroom."

Needless to say, Jason watched with wide eyes as Piper basically showed off her flawless form to him. He certainly saw how she was Aphrodite's daughter, she had the curves and good looks from the love goddess.

The rest of the night was spent with Jason basically being teased by Piper. She would grind on him but never actually fuck him, it was like she was torturing him. He wondered if it was an Aphrodite thing to torture people.

When Piper was done, she let herself sleep on his chest while he faded off to sleep. Tomorrow would be just another day, hopefully.

A/N: Ah, very unfortunate circumstances for our boy Jason. I appreciate the reviews!