JULIET

"I am."

"I respect that you wish to die for your friend, but sadly I still need to eat." Lycaon said.

"Okay, just let my friends go." Maverick said. Lycaon nodded.

"Of course."

"This is ridiculous. We're not letting you die!" Percy said.

"No one is stopping you." Jason said. Percy began struggling against his chains but not to get to Lycaon this time.

"The second we get out of this cave I will kill you Jason Grace." Percy warned.

"I'll be right behind you on that one." I said.

"Jason's messed up but he's still my brother." Thalia said.

"For every word you say, I'm putting an arrow in your back." Taylor warned Jason.

"I'm glad that you're all turning on each other, really I am, but I would like to start eating." Lycaon said.

"Don't you want to let us all go?" Piper asked, voice dripping with charm speak.

"Nice try but that sort of thing isn't going to work on me."

"How about I try something?" Fisher said. He looked like you was trying and struggling to lift an imaginary weight.

"If you haven't noticed I have you all in magical shackles. Your powers will not work."

"Maybe there's wont but mine will." A new voice said. Before anyone had time to react there was a stygian iron sword sticking out of Lycaon's mid-section. Lycaon dispersed into a pile of golden dust.

"Nico!" Percy, Annabeth, Piper, and Thalia called. Nico calmly walked over and freed everyone from their shackles with the exception of Jason.

"It's great to see you." Thalia said and hugged Nico.

"Great to see you guys too." Nico said.

"The hunters." Annabeth warned. Annabeth, Percy, Taylor, Fisher, and the newly freed Artemis rushed into another section of the cave leaving Maverick, Piper, Thalia, Nico, and I alone with a chained Jason. I stood in the dark entrance to another part of the cave to silently watch what was about to happen. Maverick walked up to Jason who was sitting on his knees and kicked him hard in the chest. Maverick began delivering kick after kick and punch after punch until Jason was a bloody mess spitting blood on the floor. Thalia kneeled down in front of Jason with tears in her eyes.

"Jason, what happened to you?" Thalia asked.

"I finally decided where I belong." Jason said with blood flowing from his mouth. "I'm not Roman and I'm not Greek. I don't live in the shadow of Jackson. I'm the leader. I'm the one with all the power."

"Jason, that's your fatal flaw. Going power hungry like this is taking a toll on you." Piper remained quiet but had a steady stream of tears on her face. Jason started laughing.

"Hey, Nico, what's your fatal flaw?" Jason asked. Nico started laughing evilly.

"Holding grudges." Nico said. "I still do. It's Percy's fault. He's ruining people's lives."

"Nico, not you too. Please." Thalia begged.

"Percy is saving lives, not ruining them." Maverick defended quickly.

"You're a fool." Nico said and slammed his sword into Thalia's back. Thalia crumpled to the ground with sword protruding from her chest.

"Thalia!" Piper yelled. She made a wild slash at Nico who slammed the hilt of his sword on Piper's head. Piper crumpled to the ground. I stood in shock as Maverick aimed his arrow at Nico and Jason. Nico turned to say something to Jason and shadow traveled away. Maverick aimed his arrow at Jason's head. Everyone returned with tear stricken faces to see the new scene of horror in front of them.

"Go ahead Maverick." Jason said. Maverick did nothing. "I knew it. You're weak. You don't have what it takes to let the arrow go." Everyone silently watched confrontation in front of them. "I don't understand what Piper sees in you." Jason leaned closer to Maverick. "I would have killed her. Probably would have pretended to go on a date, get her away from everyone, and kill her. I would have blamed it on a monster." He was seriously getting in Mavericks head. Maverick was literally shaking with anger. "But it doesn't matter, you won't kill me." Maverick aimed the arrow at Jason thigh and let it go. The arrow lodged itself deeply in Jason's leg. Jason screamed in pain and then started laughing. "I knew you couldn't do it. You can't kill me. You never will." Now, Maverick started laughing.

"Don't be so sure. That arrow is coated in poison. Right now, it is slowly coursing its way through your body. I can kill you. I just want to make you suffer." Jason's face morphed into one of complete fear. "If you thought that the arrow breaking your skin was bad, just wait until the toxins kick in. Your skin will feel like it's on fire, your muscles will be torn apart from the inside, your bones will feel like liquid, you're going to die a slow, painful death Jason Grace." Maverick turned and walked out of the cave. I quickly followed to make sure he was okay. Maverick sat down on a log. I could tell that it was late into the night, about two in the morning. I sat down on a log opposite of Maverick and pulled up others to make a circle. I started a fire in the middle like I usually did when we were on the run. Maverick didn't say anything.

"Hey, Maverick? Do you remember when we first ran away?" I asked. Maverick looked up at me.

"Don't you want to talk about what just happened?" He asked.

"What's there to talk about? That guy deserved to die. You did the right thing. He would have just hurt more people." Maverick nodded along to what I was saying and then smiled.

"The first night when we ran away, you slept up in a tree because you were afraid that the monsters were going to get you." We both laughed at that.

"I was twelve. Give me a break."

"I know that's what I hate so much."

"What?"

"I was twelve too. I should be scared you know? I should be hiding up in that with you but I couldn't. We were pushed into this life too early. It's not fair." I nodded.

"The life of a demigod isn't fair."

"I think what scared me is how alike we are to them. Jason and Nico were normal campers who just couldn't deal with their life. I've heard stories of this Luke guy. He went completely rouge and housed Kronos but before he was like the leader of the camp. It just makes me wonder."

"How easy we could become like that?" He nodded. "Don't think that way." Jason's screams erupted from the cave and the whizzing of an arrow could be heard.

"I guess they decided to put him out of his misery." I nodded. "Do you remember when we first met?" I smiled and nodded.

"I was hiding behind a car from a pack of hellhounds and you shot one with an arrow. Fisher came to my side and you battled the pack by yourself while he made sure I was okay." He smiled. "That's how I know you and Fisher could never become like that. You care too much. You are the bravest guy I know and Fisher is too loyal to his friends like Percy. Both of you would die to protect us and that's something that Jason and Nico would never do." He smiled even wider.

"Thanks, Jules. I needed to hear that." I frowned.

"Don't call me Jules."

"Fisher calls you Jules. Why can't I?"

"He's Fisher."

"And I'm Maverick."

"Not funny."

"Oh, it's like a pet name for your lover. My bad."

"Lover? Really?"

"Yes lover, you guys are so in to each other." The rest of the group emerged from the cave.

"We will talk about this later."

"No we won't." Fisher sat down next to me on the log across from Maverick. Taylor and an injured Piper sat down next to Maverick across from us. Percy and Annabeth sat on a log to my left and Artemis sat by herself to my right.

"Did any of the hunter's make it?" I asked. Artemis shook her head with tears in her eyes.

"What happened in there?" Annabeth asked. No one responded. "Maverick, what happened." Maverick stared into the fire unresponsive. "Piper was unconscious, my friend, Thalia, is dead, Jason is dead, Nico is missing. So I will ask again, what happened?"

"Nico." I said. Annabeth looked at me.

"What about Nico?"

"Nico killed Thalia and knocked out Piper and then he vanished into a shadow."

"Maverick, what the Hades happened in there."

"She just told you." Maverick said while keeping his eyes glued on the flames.

"I mean, what happened with Jason?"

"I killed him."

"No you didn't kill him. You tortured him."

"I know and you put him down like old dog."

"No, I didn't." Annabeth took a shaky breath. "I unchained him and put an arrow through his good leg." Maverick looked up from the fire and stared at Annabeth. "We're a team. We're friends. We look out for each other. When you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. Welcome to the family, Maverick."

"The family."