thankyou so much for reading the last chapter ! hope you enjoy this one
Jason didn't want to dream at night.
He was always plagued with the same horrific nightmares, bombarded by the same flashbacks, but he couldn't control it. He had to sleep.
Tonight he dreamt he stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast ocean, hot wind whipping at his face and ruffling his short hair. He wore a laurel wreath and saw the dark purple storm clouds roll in, lightening forking out to sea and rapidly approaching where he stood.
Jason watched, frozen, as dream-him, no older than 6 and being chased by his older sister Thalia, ran towards the cliff at full speed, looking back over his shoulder and not watching where he was going. Seeing Thalia, even in a dream, made Jason's heart swell under his ribs. He tried to yell out to dream-him, who was running ever-closer to the point of the cliff, but found he had no voice.
"Jason!" Thalia screamed, but it was too late, dream-Jason toppled over the edge.
Thalia dropped to her knees and wailed, clutching her hair and shrieking, until Jason flew back over the lip of the cliff and back onto the grass as though someone had caught him and thrown him back up. The little boy stood shocked for a second, wobbling on his feet before smiling widely and throwing his thin arms in the air.
"I flew!" He exclaimed proudly as his older sister rushed forward and cradled him to her body. "Like a bird!"
Then the scene rippled like a hand dipped in water, and Jason was sitting at the head of a long banquet table. The guests were the men he'd killed in the arena, sitting in what they died in, blood running down their temples or gaping wounds in their stomachs. They sat and stared at the food longingly, wanting to eat the food of the living, but knowing that that was not possible.
Jason stood with a chalice of blood in his hands and all the dead men looked to him.
"I apologise" he said, and they lifted their cups to him.
"We forgive you, son of Jupiter" they said in unison, creating a chorus of dead, croaking voices.
Jason awoke on his hard bed in a cold sweat. He sat panting for several moments, collecting his wits and staring at his tattooed hands; something the people of Rome could identify him by if he ever escaped. He knew the dreams were penance for what he had done, a way of coping with the lives he'd taken.
It was the middle of the night, that much Jason could tell. Moonlight filtered in through his high cell window, and he was reminded of his family he had had to leave behind.
His mother and sister had called the moon Selene, but recently, he'd been retaught to call her Luna. Jason remembered vividly sitting in front of a fire, his head resting on the arm of the whicker chair his mother would sit and tell stories in. Thalia would whack at a wooden post she'd made with a knife or a stick, pretending they were fabulous weapons forged by Cyclopes under the sea while their mother told them the stories of Odysseus, Heracles, and all of the other heroes that had played parts in history. His mother would stroke his hair, close her eyes and smile, her beautiful face lit up by the warm, crackling flames.
She'd told them Greek stories, and in the end, that was part of his downfall.
A knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts and he threw off his canvas blanket, standing promptly and resting his hand instinctively on his hip where he usually kept his sword. The only light in the room came from the filtered moon, bathing his small cell in a soft, powdery light.
The door unlocked despite Jason failure to answer it, and Frank stepped in, shutting the door behind him, careful not to make a noise.
"Jason, I have news" he said, not bothered by formal greetings, stepping forward and taking off his helmet.
Frank had taken immediate pity on him when they had met, Jason remembered vividly. He had been thin, young, and fragile from time in jail when they saw each other first, and Frank was a new recruit into the army, still soft from lack of experience.
They were even around the same age, and had struck up a strange friendship. Jason always felt guilty, because he had nothing to offer the relationship between the two, whereas Frank always had new information that would help him, or an extra blanket on a cold night. All Jason could do was try to make sure Frank's efforts didn't go go waste by not dying.
"What news? Does it have anything to do with Perseus Jackson?" Jason inquired eagerly, rubbing the sleep out of his heavy eyes.
"No, sadly. But, I thought you should know there's going to be a special guest at the next fight. A princess. She holds no royal power, but she's fabled to one of the most beautiful girls in Rome" Frank gushed, his ears turning pink. "Almost as beautiful as Venus herself, and twice as beautiful as Helen of Troy."
"And?" Jason asked, raising his eyebrows. As much as exceptionally beautiful Princesses appealed to him, he had given up the luxury of romance a year ago, along with everything else, for that matter.
"The winner becomes her husband" Frank said, pausing for dramatic effect.
Noticing Jason didn't seem too enthusiastic, Frank raised his eyebrows and continued, hands out in front of him.
"The winner doesn't become king because there are sons lined up for the crown, but he does get to go live in a beautiful country house with the princess, waited on hand and foot by servants. He gets a full pardon for his crimes and is excused from the Colosseum forever. Jason, this could be your way out!" Frank sounded so excited for Jason, but he couldn't help but see the flaws in the plan.
"Why isn't she married already? Why give her away as a prize? Did she have any say in the matter, do you think?" He asked, sitting on his bed and looking up at Frank, elbows on knees and his hands hanging between his legs. As low on his list of interests a princess was, a forced marriage to one was even lower.
Frank stood over him, huge as always and looking the part of a classic Roman soldier. His upper arms rippled with corded muscle, buzz cut black hair accentuating the sharp, handsome lines on his face, and the fact he carried a bow and arrow with him at all times did nothing to help steady a nervous heart. His gold armour was just another thing that made people fear him. What was so strange then, to Jason, was how gentle and kind he was.
Frank spluttered, running his fingers through his hair, his mouth opening and closing without noise.
"T-this could be your way out!" Frank repeated, putting his hands on the back of his neck, eyes wide.
"I would rather earn my way out than win it from some princess" Jason muttered, laying back on his bed and picking at a loose thread on his blanket.
Frank yanked the blanket off Jason, his lacklustre angering him.
"You don't need to earn your way out of something you don't belong in" he snapped, voice low.
"I do belong here. I violated the rules of Rome. I am a criminal and am being punished like one" Jason argued. They'd been through this a thousand times.
Jason was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and he did the wrong thing when he should have done nothing at all. Mostly he did it to save Thalia, but he didn't like to think about it. It did no good to dwell on mistakes when you lived in a place with no happiness.
"Jason, you protected your ill mother and sister, and got taken to jail for hurting a soldier in the process. The soldier wrongfully accused your sister, you're not the one to blame. He should be fighting for his life right now, not you" Frank urged, trying to coax Jason into fighting for the Princess's prize.
Ill, Jason thought ruefully, cracking his knuckles. He had told everyone that Thalia and his mother were ill, driven insane by a temporary fever. But the guard had seen it, he'd seen what Thalia had done and that man knew the truth.
"You're right" Jason said, swallowing hard. "But that doesn't mean I want to marry a princess."
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Breakfast was a sombre affair in the gladiator barracks for the criminals. The volunteers were given special treatment and a high protein meal that included good meats and cereals. But for the people forced to be there, like Jason, they were given a small amount of leftover lean meat and a single piece of bread. After a portion of that already small meal was sacrificed in a fire to the Gods and Goddesses, there wasn't ever much left. Jason often went hungry.
While Jason ate he watched Perseus Jackson, who was sitting several tables away, guards flanking either side of him and his hands shackled. Jason wasn't surprised he hadn't recognised him before, he looked very different since he had last seen him.
Perseus Jackson in his mind was a skinny boy with a sweep of black hair and big green eyes, his skin pale and undernourishment showing through his thin arms and legs, all knobby elbows and knees. This Perseus Jackson, however, was the complete opposite. No longer skinny but leanly muscular, he looked as though he'd had a hard life. His skin was olive and scarred, the light pink showing out on the darkness of his tan prominently. He was a great deal taller and his eyes didn't seem so bright. He looked like a hard, broken person.
"I can eat by myself" Perseus insisted angrily, jerking his head away from the guard trying to feed him. He grabbed the spoon with his shackled hand and began swallowing the bland soup he had been given. It was disgusting and watery, and looked just like Jason remembered it tasting.
Perseus lifted his gaze and it fell instantly on Jason, cutting and baleful. He smiled at him, a frightening thing.
Jason looked away before he picked up his plate and changed tables. The guards didn't even look up when he went to move, and with shaking hands he sat down opposite the son of the sea god.
The shackled boy glared at Jason through his dark eyelashes, spoon gripped so tightly it started to splinter. A mug of water started to shake, and Jason reached over to hold it still.
"Perseus..." he began, clearing his throat. He wasn't completely sure what he wanted to say, but he supposed firstly an apology was in order. Jason had a lot of people he wanted to apologise to, but it had never occurred to him that the first person would be Perseus Jackson.
"Before we go on with this, could you please call me Percy?" he asked. It confused Jason that Perseus would want someone who he hated to call him by an affectionate nickname, but he nodded nevertheless.
"Wait," Percy said, holding up a finger to silence Jason as soon as he'd opened him mouth. He swivelled around on his bench and looked up at the guards.
"Can I have a minute alone?" Percy asked, and when the guards didn't move his head slacked to the side and he raised his confined hands to their faces.
"I'm already handcuffed, and chained to the table! All that I am asking for is ten minutes to be alone" he requested, rattling his shackles to emphasize the fact he wouldn't be escaping.
The guards looked at one another before finally coming to an agreement, nodding.
"You have two minutes" one finalised, and Percy sighed.
"You Romans are generous, aren't you?" He said as they walked away, before turning back around and facing Jason.
"Um, Percy, I wanted to say-" Jason began, but again, was interrupted.
"I want to apologise for how I came off yesterday. Probably a bit rude of me, I suppose, treating an old friend like that" Percy grinned. He took a sip from his cup of water and watched Jason from over the brim, eyes shining with facetious humour.
It was Jason's turn to glare now. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to let his anger wear down the way Thalia had taught him. It wasn't safe when Jason got angry, which was why he'd avoided it for his entire life. But despite all his practise, the room started to smell like a storm.
"I came to say sorry to you, Jackson" Jason grimaced. "Although it seems you've already made up your mind about me."
"No, I made up my mind about you when you gave me into the soldiers for being the same thing you are" Percy informed, the smug smile never leaving his face as he talked. Jason wanted to punch it off.
He flexed his fingers and blinked, visualising the anger rolling off of himself in clouds. He continued calmly.
"There was no other way-"
"How is it, being a demigod in here?" Percy butt in. "I bet you haven't told anyone. No, you couldn't have, could you? Because they all love you out there. Love it when you kill all those men. Loved it when it looked like you were coming to kill me. Maybe, you should have."
Percy put down his eating utensil. "Why do they hate demigods so much, do you know?"
"No one knows about me, you can't...you can't tell them" Jason whispered urgently. He only had another year ahead of him and he would be out. Another year and he'd be free to walk the earth as his own man.
"Oh I won't tell anyone. I'm not a traitor like that" Percy assured, giving Jason a small nod.
His green eyes were bright again, like Jason remembered. Only not with the joys of being a child, or being happy, but with some sick kind of glee. Jason could only imagine what he was thinking. How happy he'd be now they were on the same level.
"They hate demigods because they're powerful" Jason answered, his head down.
"Ah ha! Because they're powerful! Now your speaking the truth, Grace" Percy laughed, leaning back in his seat a little more comfortably.
"So powerful one would think they could probably break out of prison, wouldn't you say?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. There was a silent suggestion behind it, and Jason knew he had to deny that suggestion.
"I couldn't, my mother and Thalia could face consequences if I do something like that" Jason mumbled, swallowing against the lump in his throat. He had entertained the idea of escape many, many times, but never gone through with it. He knew he could blast the door down and run for it, but who knew what would happen to his mother and sister when the word got out?
"As far as I remember, Thalia can fend for herself" Percy said, before his eyes darkened, no longer dancing. "You've been in here awhile haven't you?"
"A year" Jason answered, finally meeting Percy's eyes. He was surprised to see his gaze held nothing but sadness.
'What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Jason asked, leaning forward, but someone grabbed his shoulder.
He followed the arm up to Frank, who's face looked grim. "Someone has dropped off a present for you" he said.
Jason didn't see what was bad about a gift, but he stood anyway.
"Jason" Percy said urgently, standing from the table, making it jump and the glass of water fall over.
The guards rushed forward and shoved him back down by the shoulders, their grips like iron. Jason held eye contact with him until he'd left the room, trying to figure out what Percy needed to tell him.
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"Now, don't be startled. Also, she may try to bite you" Frank warned, searching for the right key to open the cell.
"Someone gave me a dog?" Jason asked. He supposed the gesture was nice, but he didn't really know how he could take care of a dog inside a gladiator barrack. Sometimes after particularly good matches, people would send Jason gifts, like flowers, or olive oil.
"Not a dog" Frank said, shaking his head sharply once. Finally, he got the right key and unlocked the door.
Jason didn't know what to think.
Inside the unilluminated cell, sitting on a bench was a girl, her wrists and ankled bound, a gag in her mouth, looking beyond livid. She wore an ivory dress with gold fastens and a necklace made from milky white seashells. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in a braid, but it was messy like she'd been throwing her head around. As soon as she saw Jason she screamed madly, thrashing and shaking her tied hands at him and kicking.
Jason turned around and shut the door, standing unblinking to face Frank.
"A girl?" Jason implored, tilting his head forward.
"A girl" Frank confirmed.
"Why would someone give me a... a girl?"
"For winning the game, I suppose. Admittedly I'm surprised you didn't get one sooner"
"What am I going to do with a girl?" Jason demanded, pressing his back against the door as a force bumped against it. Jason could hear grunts from the other side, and came to the conclusion that the girl was throwing herself against it. The Gladiator barracks were no place for a lady, even if she was murderous.
"Well, I assume they expected you to...you know" Frank said, blushing.
"I can't do that. She's been gagged and captured, and I think she'd disembowel me first!"
"It's up to you, Jason. Although if it were me, I'd leave her in there" Frank said, craning his neck to watch the door jump behind Jason's back.
"I can't just leave her to die!" Jason argued over the muffled maniacal yelling of the girl inside.
Suddenly, an influx of guards ran down the passage way towards the eating quarters, weapons in hand, and Frank grabbed one's shoulder and asked what was happening.
"A prisoners started a fight in there" the guard answered.
Percy, Jason guessed.
All of a sudden, a door burst open down the corridor, and a wave of water gushed out, knocking some of the soldiers at the front of the assemblage off their feet.
"Styx" Jason swore.
Thankyou for reading!
i hope to be introducing more of the main 7 in the next few chapters, bc theyre all gonna be in this story, as well as some other characters like Nico & Reyna + tons of others
Again, thankyou for taking the time to read!