Oh my Leo, I just read the first chapter of the House of Hades… *dies*And people are wondering why my chapters have suddenly gotten a lot longer than usual. Well, my goal is to have this story 50 chapters even. I've even written the final chapter, but I haven't written the other chapters yet to come. And this group hasn't even gotten back to Greece yet, and Percy and Annabeth are still in that prison. Therefore, the chapters will have to be longer so I can fit all of these things into them.

Sorry for typos/OOCness. It's fast paced, but I hope you'll still enjoy it.

Happy Reading!

Chapter 44

Jason

The first thing they did was put Octavian in Celestial Bronze chains.

Everyone agreed on it, Greek or Roman. Even those who had been close friends or followers of Octavian hadn't said anything as some demigods put chains around his ankles and bound his hands. "Treason!" he'd yelled at them. "This is treason. I am your augur and you have no reason to listen to any Oracle. She's a Greek! She'll be the end of us all!"

Even in ancient times it had been a crime to kill someone as prestigious as the Oracle, even if she was a Greek. Those rules still applied today, but now, it was sort of bad to kill anyone, no matter if that person could tell the future or not. It just made it a whole lot worse.

Now, Jason stood in the infirmary while the campers and Romans were being tended to by the Apollo campers that weren't dead and the ones that had decided to help from Camp Jupiter. He was huddled with his friends around Rachel's body. Thankfully, the arrow in her stomach hadn't been fatal, but she had lost a lot of blood and would need time to rest. Chiron was there too, because he was the one that had healed her. He had been fighting near the Big House, but more out of defense than actually trying to hurt them.

Camp Half-Blood didn't exactly have a prison to keep rogue augurs in, so Octavian was being heavily guarded by some of the Ares campers. He was tied to a pole outside of the bathrooms with a knife shoved up under his chin. They weren't sure if they should kill him or not.

He still had goosebumps from what Nico had done during the giant battle around the cabins. Afterwards, Nico had told him that it was called Terror and that it was the only way for them to stop fighting. The things Jason had seen had been terrible and frightening, so he understood where the name had come from. He wondered how Nico had found out he could do it.

Nico wasn't really up to talking though. After Rachel had been shot and taken to Chiron by some of the other campers, Jason and the others had followed in pursuit. Nico had been dragging along though, clearly exhausted from using the newfound power.

Lots of destruction and death had resulted from the battle. The death count was at fifty eight, and there were at least a hundred people with serious injuries. Some had broken bones and some had knives through their body. Only one good thing had resulted from the war, and that was the fact that the Romans and Greeks now saw past their differences and were working together to make sure that the fellow person was alright.

Another good thing was that Tityos had not risen from the battle, but Jason knew that it had been close. While he had been fighting, he could feel the power in the air. He heard laughing coming from somewhere that he could not place. The power was gone now, and the only thing in the air was the stench of bodies. The humid summer air didn't help with it.

Jason had yet to go outside and look at the casualties. The campers didn't have time or energy to move the bodies from the fields yet. He wanted to go out there and see if any of his friends had been killed, but just thinking that had happened made his stomach get twisted up, like he was going to be sick. Enough of his friends had been killed during the Titan War; he wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle seeing anymore dead faces.

The six of them needed to get a move on, but they couldn't until Rachel was awake. She had said that the House of Hades wasn't in Epirus, and that only the Doors of Death were. But they had to know where the House of Hades was, because if it held anyway for monsters to escape the Underworld, they would have to destroy it.

They weren't sure when Rachel was going to wake up. Her skin seemed too pale and her red hair seemed dulled. She was completely unconscious, and they couldn't do anything until she woke up.

Eventually, they dispersed and Chiron stayed with Rachel. Jason went outside to the cabin area and helped people he didn't even recognize carry in bodies on makeshift stretchers. They went around to the Tyche cabin and started carrying off the injured people around there. Blood coated Jason's well-worn shoes, and he didn't have enough time to wash it off, because helping the injured was more important.

Jason looked around, straying from the other people, trying to distinguish who was dead and who was alive. He was surprised when he heard a weak voice say, "Jason."

He turned around, and near the very back of the cabin was a kid around his age. He was buff and head curly black hair, and blood coated his chest and legs. The blood that speckled his lips was almost like the Kool-Aid that he loved to drink. It was Jason's friend, Dakota, son of Bacchus.

He rushed over to his friend and knelt down beside him. "Dakota, are you alright?" He wanted to hit himself after he said that. Of course he wasn't alright. He was covered in blood. "Don't answer that. Where are you hurt?" Jason examined him, but he was covered in so much blood that he started to panic.

Dakota said, "I think it's my leg. Don't pay attention to the blood on my shirt… I'm not hurt there, I don't think." Jason brushed his fingers over Dakota's leg, and he arched off of the ground and hissed in pain. Jason saw torn flesh and bones popping through his pants. Jason turned around and called over some people. They were two people, a Roman son of Victoria and a Greek daughter of Hypnos, who actually wasn't sleeping. They grabbed a tarp, because that was the only thing left to use.

Jason helped the carefully pick up Dakota and put him on the tarp. He was sweating and the wound was bleeding even more from all of the movement. The son of Victoria looked at Jason. "We can carry him in. You keep on looking for more survivors."

He shook his head. "This is my friend. I'll be seeing him in."

The daughter of Hypnos shrugged and they picked up the tarp and started walking towards the infirmary. Jason walked beside them. "I heard rumors about my father being in charge of this camp… is that true?"

"Well, technically it's Dionysus, and that's what I've heard. Ever since most of the gods were recalled to Olympus, he hasn't been at camp. I haven't met him yet." He didn't mention anything about what Bacchus had done against the giants, because that would just be way too much to explain.

Dakota nodded and held up his hand. Jason clasped it for a second. "Man, I'm sorry about attacking you back in Charleston. I don't know what I was thinking, going after you. I trust you and Percy, and…" Dakota trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"I don't blame you for attacking me," Jason told him. "We didn't mean to attack Camp Jupiter, but it happened and anyone who cared about their friends and family would try and stop the attacker."

"Are we still friends?" Dakota asked through gritted teeth.

"Of course," Jason said automatically.

Dakota took a deep breath, like the next words that were going to come out of his mouth were bad, but he said them anyway. "You know, the Greeks aren't as bad as I thought they were going to be."

"Glad to hear that," muttered the daughter of Hypnos. Jason grinned.

Before Jason could respond, however, they were inside of the infirmary, which was so loud from all the people that it was impossible to hear anything. The two demigods from different camps led him away to be treated and healed. Jason went back outside to observe the area and all of the people searching for survivors. He started walking to join them before someone tapped on his shoulder.

He turned around and was surprised to find Reyna standing there.

"Uh… hey," he said awkwardly.

"What are you going to do with Octavian?" she asked quietly.

"We aren't sure. Rachel isn't dead, but she did get hurt and we can't risk him hurting anyone else. So… I don't know. Maybe we'll just keep him tied there as an example to anyone who might think of hurting someone else."

"That's some prophecy the Oracle said," Reyna mumbled, almost to herself. "When it said the Ghost King, did it mean Nico? Is Nico going to be the one to die?" Jason shrugged. "Well," she continued, "I am sorry that Octavian did such a thing. We are lucky that the people didn't riot, and we are lucky that she is not dead. I suppose once you find out where this House of Hades is you all shall be leaving." He nodded.

Reyna sighed and pulled at her outfit. She was still wearing her armor over her purple shirt and jeans. Her hair was messed up and some of her medals were gone. Jason wondered where Aurum and Argentum were, as they rarely ever left her side, but he knew it wasn't the time to ask. Only about an hour ago had he and Reyna been battling head on with each other. It was the first time in his life that he had ever fought her in a situation other than training.

"Jason, sometimes I wonder about you," she said with a shake of her head. "You get yourself kidnapped and befriend the Greeks. You become an enemy of your own people and sail into the Mare Nostrum. You date a daughter of Venus… excuse me, Aphrodite. You pretty much abandon the camp that you were raised in for some people that you barely know and go off on all of the quests that could mean your certain death."

He gulped and wanted to take a step back. Reyna didn't have any weapons in her hands, but who knew where she kept them hidden. She took a deep breath and said, "But because of your choices that you have made, you have kept us from destroying each other and less people would have died in this battle if we had bothered to listen to you."

He didn't know what he was supposed to say back. Reyna put her head into her hands. "You're my best friend, Jason. You're the one I'm supposed to always count on, and yet we fought out there as enemies." She looked back up at him, and her eyes were glossy. But that was impossible, because Reyna never cried. "I know this hasn't ended today, and that our remaining troops will have to somehow find a way to get to Greece to help you and your friends, but after all of this is over… will you still be Praetor? Or are you going to move on completely from us and stay with your new girlfriend?"

Jason opened his mouth to answer and then stopped, because he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. He loved Piper, but it was his duty to lead the people of New Rome. "Why can't I just take Piper and we both stay in New Rome and we just stay Praetors?"

Clearly, that had been the wrong thing to say, because Reyna's eyes cleared up immediately. Her sorrow was replaced with steely anger. "As much as you think that the Romans and Greeks can work together, they are only doing so because of tragedy and circumstances against the Giants. We all have a common goal, but do you think this will remain this way. We are natural born enemies." What she was hinting at was that Jason either chose the Greeks or the Romans.

When he didn't answer, she cursed in Latin. "You're choosing her over your own people."

"Wait. I haven't chosen anything yet," he told her. "I mean, Piper's my girlfriend. I love her, and she's been with me from the beginning. I can't just turn my back on my friends; we've been through everything together. I don't have to decide anything yet." Part of him wanted to tell her that the Greeks and Romans would keep working together, but he wasn't sure. Only time would tell.

"I've been with you longer than they have," she said, her voice raising. "We've been your friends longer than they have. How can you choose her over me?" And suddenly, Jason got the feeling that they weren't just talking about where he was going to live. Reyna looked around, like she was trying to make sure no one was watching them. No one was; they were all still trying to salvage bodies.

"Reyna, I—" But his words were cut off, because Reyna kissed him.

He froze, unsure of what to do. Reyna pulled back, a bright blush on her face like she couldn't believe what she had done. Jason's face felt red too. What had made her do that? Reyna stuttered, "I-I can't believe… I don't know…"

They heard footsteps behind them and they both whirled around. Jason's heart skipped in his chest. Oh gods, this wasn't happening. Not now. Not like this.

But it was. Piper was standing there, her mouth half open in shock and betrayal.

Jason wanted to tell her that it wasn't what it seemed to be, because he knew that she had seen the entire thing. He wanted to tell her that Reyna had kissed him, but his mouth wasn't working right anymore. His eyes darted to Reyna; she seemed to be in shock too. Her mouth was moving but her words her inaudible. Then, Piper's face hardened into thins lines of anger. She turned around and said, "Rachel has woken up. Maybe you two would like to join the rest of us." Her words were cold.

She started walking away, and Jason went after her. "Piper," he tried, but she just shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this right now. We have more important things to discuss." But to Jason, nothing was more important than telling her everything, but it really wasn't the place. The three of them went back into the infirmary.

When they made it to the Oracle's bed, she was indeed sitting up in bed. She had on a new orange shirt, and there were wrapping around her stomach. When Rachel moved, she winced in the pain, but there wasn't any blood leaking through the bindings. There's a tall glass of nectar beside the hospital bed. Piper, Jason, and Reyna are the last ones there. Chiron, Leo, Frank, Nico, Hazel, Gwen, Larry, and Hank.

Once they joined them, Nico was the first to talk. "Well, Rachel, we're glad you aren't dead."

"I can feel the love," she said sarcastically. "But let me guess: you want to know where the House of Hades actually is. Otherwise, you all would be long gone."

They nodded.

"It isn't in Greece. It never was. The House of Hades has always been in Tartarus."

For a moment, they just stared at Rachel, and then five of the demigods of prophecy turned and stared at Nico. He was the only one who had been to Tartarus, and he was the one who had told them that the House of Hades was in Epirus! Nico jumped when he saw their stares. He had bags under his eyes. "What? I'm an amnesiac! Don't blame me; I didn't know it wasn't in Epirus." Jason rolled his eyes.

"But the Doors of Death are in Epirus. The mortal ones are. The other side of them are in the House of Hades, which is where Percy and Annabeth are, I suppose. Now, you guys need to leave the camp and go to the next Gate of No Return that'll take you back to Greece."

Reyna and the other centurions looked confused as they didn't know what a Gate of No Return was, but there wasn't time to explain. Chiron looked understanding, but he had seen more things than anyone else; he obviously already knew what they were. "But, Rachel, we don't know where a Gate of No Return is, and we don't know if it'll even take us right back to Greece. Those things could take us somewhere like… South Africa."

"There's a Gate on Olympus," she explained after taking a sip of her nectar. "It'll take you right back to the tombs in Epirus."

"How can you be so sure?" demanded Frank.

"Because I made a painting about it. If I were in better health, I could show you."

Leo snorted. "Yes, that's a great reason to trust your judgment. You made a finger-painting that told you what to do."

Rachel looked like she wanted to slap Leo or shake him, but she couldn't get out of her bed. "My paintings are always right. During the Titan War, my paintings changed everything. They are never wrong, and I am the Oracle. Honestly, you don't have another choice. You're going to have to jump off of Olympus and it'll take you right to Epirus."

"Whoa," said Hazel. "You never said anything about jumping off of Olympus. Where is Olympus, anyway?"

"The Empire State Building," Rachel said shortly. "But really, is jumping off of Olympus that bad? You've already jumped into a geyser and a volcano."

"How do you know about that?"

"I'm an Oracle," she said, as if that explained it all. "Now, I know you guys want to help the camp and everything, but you don't have time to. Percy and Annabeth are running out of time, and you have to meet them at the Doors of Death. They must be closed at the exact same time. You six need to go to Olympus now and finish all of this." She sucked in a breath and grabbed at her stomach. They rushed to help her, but she waved them away. "I'm alright. Where is that idiot augur anyway?"

"Tied up to the bathroom pole," Piper told her. Rachel smiled a little at that.

"We can handle getting the campers to Greece," Reyna said. "You won't need to worry about that."

"I will help with this great move too," Chiron agreed. "But I don't believe that this can happen right away. This camp has faced destruction, and too many people have died. We will need rest and we will need to regroup before we do anything else. Our campers need to heal." The centaur wasn't talking that much, though. He had to be thinking about all of the students of his that had been hurt or killed.

"Remember," Rachel started. "You may have stopped Tityos from rising here, but that doesn't mean that it is the end of him. Gaea is rising in the House of Hades right now. And Nico... that prophecy. They always have double meanings, but I don't know about this one. Just stay strong and keep fighting." Nico didn't say anything in response. There was nothing to say. The prophecy said he was going to die, and Rachel was agreeing. That was pretty bad.

"How are you guys going to get to Olympus, though?" asked Gwen, changing the subject.

Jason hadn't thought about that. Calling a cab was out of question, because that would attract too many monsters that they didn't need or want. Walking would take too long. They didn't have the Argo II to fly them across through the sky. There weren't enough Pegasi in the stables; many of them were hurt after the war too. Jason didn't know if Tempest would be able to help them.

Hazel snapped her fingers. "Do you guys have a large chariot we can borrow?"

Half an hour later, they were zooming through the farms roads of Long Island with Hazel's horse, Arion, pulling them along.

Arion was super strong and super fast. Frank and Hazel rode on his back, and the others were all piled into the chariot and holding on for dear life. Whenever they passed a car, they were just a blur. Jason's skin felt like it was being pulled tight against his bones, and it hurt. But soon enough they were approaching the busy city of New York.

It had been hard for them to leave all of their friends there, but they had to trust them when they said that they would be okay. Jason was afraid that war was going to break out between them again. Reyna hadn't said a single word to him. He'd hugged Gwen and said goodbye to some of his old friends from Camp Jupiter, including Dakota, who was looking a lot better. Chiron had made sure that they had new backpacks full of clothes and supplies.

But Piper hadn't said a single word to him since Reyna had kissed him. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she just ignored him.

Hazel didn't have to tell Arion where to go, as he seemed to know without any directions.

When they reached New York, Arion zoomed in between the crazy traffic and ran stop lights. A very small part of Jason wanted to explore New York. During his time at Camp Half-Blood he was never able to leave. But this wasn't the time to be a tourist. They needed to get to Olympus.

This was going to be the first time for all of them to go to Olympus, except for Nico. He had been there during the Titan War. Jason tried to sight see, but Arion was going way too fast for him to see anything. They zoomed past Times Square, and none of the mortals even saw them. Hazel's horse was just that fast.

Her horse stopped when they reached the entrance to the Empire State Building. The four of them in the back fell off of the chariot rather than stepped off. Jason's legs felt like jello. Hazel stroked Arion's mane and fed him a piece of gold. A civilian walked passed them and said, "You can't just park your motorcycle on the sidewalks, freaks." Jason shook his head. The Mist could do the craziest things. Arion snorted at the mortal, but he didn't seem to notice.

Hazel undid the chariot and said goodbye to Arion. He zoomed off after that, and she said, "Come on." They all walked inside the building and tried to ignore the odd looks from the people all around them.

"Follow my lead," Nico whispered. They walked up to the front desk. "We need to get to the six hundredth floor."

The front-desk guy wasn't looking at him, and he answered, "There is no such thing." But when the guy looked up, he jumped back. "Oh great, more demigods in the lobby. Look, it's closed off. No one is allowed in or out, so you might as well turn around now and walk back over to your camp or whatever."

Nico slammed his hand down in front of the guy. "We don't have time for this. We aren't here to talk to any of them. We just need to jump off of Olympus."

The man blinked. "Are you mental?"

"Perhaps. Now, are we going to have to fight you or are you going to let us in?"

He gulped and tossed them the key card the hung around his neck. "I suppose you know how this works. If Zeus finds you, I didn't help you at all."

Nico smiled, and it was one of the creepiest things Jason had ever seen. "We'll see."

Nico led them around to the employee elevator. "We don't want to go through the metal detectors," he explained, and they all agreed. They went inside of the elevator and Nico inserted the key card. A new button appeared with the number 600 on it. Nico pressed it and they started going up… and up. The elevator music was terrible, like the BeeGees or something like that. Jason's stomach got butterflies. He was getting ready to go to Olympus, just to jump off of it. How messed up was that?

Ding. The doors opened, and Jason's mouth dropped.

There was a small walkway with no railing. Clouds were around them, and a giant city in the mountains was in the sky. Palaces made of marble and gold were everywhere. Giant fountains and temples were everywhere. Fires burned and crackled while forests grew beside the winding roads. There were open markets with colorful tents and signs. There were statues, coliseums, and hippodromes. The place was magnificent, but unfinished. Buildings weren't completely built yet. Annabeth had never had a chance to finish. And the scary part was that there was no one outside.

Olympus was silent and empty.

"This is amazing," breathed Hazel. "This is like a dream."

"Too bad we aren't on vacation," sighed Nico. "We gotta jump."

Jason turned to Piper and held out his hand, but she turned away, grabbing onto Nico's and Hazel's. Jason felt a pang of jealousy and hurt, but he brushed it off. They all linked arms and hands and walked to the edge of the bridge linking the building and Olympus. All they had to do was jump and hope that Rachel's prediction was true. But he looked down. It was a LONG way to the road below them.

He turned his head and looked at Olympus. He hoped that if he survived all of this, he would be able to return someday as a hero. He hoped he wouldn't return just because they needed someplace to take his body.

They took one huge collective breath. "Three… two… one."

And then, they jumped.

Well, I hope it was okay. I tried. Review Challenge: What do you plan to do this summer? And what are your thoughts on the first chapter of the House of Hades?

Reviews and ideas are loved! There are about six chapters left in this story...

-BBH