Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters.

AN: Sorry for the wait boys and girls! It's been a busy week and I've been trying to craft this chapter. Special thanks to 6hostKing for the amazing comment. And to all of you who have been giving kudos or like or adding to favourites or following- thanks so much! You're all amazing and make me want to keep going even when I'm having a little bit of a block because I'm trying this who multiple POV's thing including characters I'm not normally a fan of! Hope you enjoy.

Tempting the Fates

Chapter Thirteen

Demigod Dreams

Jason

Every demigod grew up hoping that they would be next in line for a quest. At Camp Jupiter it was a solemn venture only for the brave of heart and sound of mind… or the seriously suicidal. At Camp Half Blood it was any old food who was ready and raring to go— or whoever snuck out at night and decided to give it a whirl anyway.

At either camp it didn't hurt to have an oracle on your side singing your praises or spouting green smoke or hacking through teddy bear guts. That was a categorical deal maker.

Quests were an exploit to test mental acuity, integrity, mettle and potential. Anyone who returned victorious was a champion. Those who returned at all were congratulated. Those who didn't make it back at all were mourned and served as campfire stories to be cautious because quests were only as glorious as they were perilous. And quests were what all campers grew up training for regardless of background or parentage or endowment and each demigod needed to grasp that they were grave.

Quests were awesome.

But they also sucked.

Jason Grace had seen far more shit than he cared to see and while he still craved the taste of adventure, his heart was full up with remorse. Actually full. Like another drop and this little grey raincloud would piss it down buckets full. He'd had a lifetime's full and yet he was sure that there were plenty more servings the world had yet to supply him. Gaea would make sure of that and barring her success— like if they actually saved the world and it didn't fall to fire or storm or primordial goddesses and various kinds of monsters and baddies— there was always the possibility one or both camps would be razed. And barring that— because there were like so many different things that could blow up in their faces at any time… gods, being a demigod certainly wasn't boring— he then had to choose his future and unlike choosing colleges he was pretty sure he wouldn't be allowed to drop out and change his mind again.

As impressive as the interior of the Argo II was, Jason preferred to be above deck feeling the wind in his hair and the sky overhead. The heavens above him quieted his mind and he felt at home skimming along the clouds. Inside, for as amazing as its was with all the upgrades that Leo had made: the beds that even made themselves… like how had Leo done that? Or the way their clothes put themselves away? Or the drawers that categorised their things but also hid any questionable magazines (ahem, Bare Bacchantes or Naked Nymphs anyone?) or objects from their girlfriend's prying eyes? Really the guy had talent and should design magic contraptions for every teenage boy's room. He'd make a killing. … the ship was stuffy and after a few hours Jason felt like he was suffocating.

The sky was Jason's terrain so to speak and he wanted as much of his element as possible and so he was above deck rather than with Piper below.

His girlfriend wasn't in any condition to go up above and get fresh air let alone leave the room. Whatever had happened— and he wasn't totally sure what had actually happened— has the girl spooked. Her normally sun kissed skin was pale as moonlight and she'd been cold as ice all shivers and goosebumps. As soon as she had been out of Annabeth's room and in their own— well, their room when Hazel wasn't around to protest because the girl was honestly scandalised by so much as cuddling or a kiss that lasted more than half a second forget one that even implied tongue— she'd gone still as a statue. Her skin could have been granite for all that she gave beyond curling up in a ball under blankets and drifting off not long after.

Part of the son of Jupiter wanted to wake her up to prompt her into unleashing whatever it was that was haunting her. But he couldn't charmspeak her though she'd smile and pretend like he could. So Jason didn't try.

Maybe she just needed to sleep it off, anyway. After all, girls didn't honestly want to talk about everything all of the time like they pretended anyway. He was smart enough to know that much.

Gripping at the railing a little tighter, blue eyes remained closed but the boy was not blind to his surroundings. He could feel every particle around him, the air whiting past and the upcoming nebulous clouds.

The daughter of love had been sleeping for some time, unmoving under blankets she had burritoed herself up in. It wasn't that Jason wanted to ignore her or anything but being cooped up inside made him antsy. His skin felt like it had been crawling. And up here? There was a very real possibility of attack. He needed to be ready.

That and ever since the other sons of the Big Three had fallen all Jason wanted was something to do. Hours had passed and it felt like days. But they were still waiting for Hazel's return. Fixed and vulnerable in a land where monsters were not so dumb as to avoid looking for them. They were accessible and the monsters would come— whether he hoped before Hazel arrived or after he wasn't sure. Because he sure could use a fight. Just something to get his hands on and batter a bit of his pent up frustration on.

The sky rumbled as if in response.

Jason's heart sat a little lighter in his chest when the wind blew through his hair. When he had been younger, he'd pretended it was a hand fondly parting the blonde strands; he knew better now. Opening his sky blue eyes, he let a breath out slowly. Leo had the ship on autopilot while he was below deck tinkering with one thing or another which meant probably attempting to make sure the accommodations were fine and the Athena Parthenos was secure.

Or trying to keep himself together.

It wasn't a harsh thought but it was bitter and hell, probably true. Fingers clenched at the rail until the knuckles turned white and he leaned out a bit, closing his eyes once more. With the majority of his upper body held suspended above little more than atmosphere, he still felt safe. The sky cradled him and he noticed the way the currents felt charged in a way only a son of the sky god could. His father was frustrated but the winds felt that way more and more often. Unsettled and changing. Split between two things and not wanting to disappoint anyone— kind of like himself.

"I know how you feel, pops," he whispered but the sound was lost to the wind. A rumble came from somewhere far off so he hazarded that just maybe his dad might have been listening just this once.

"So how do you decide, huh? Is there even a choice?" He shouted to the wind. No one was on the deck and after all that had happened, he was sure they'd forgive him if he want a little haywire. "I mean… everyone's watching me and I just… I don't know which to pick! Who am I supposed to be, huh? How are any of us supposed to know who to be? We're kids down here, dad. We're just kids!"

This time there was no rumble of thunder or flash of lightning, not even an sizzling pop of ozone or increase in static electricity to make the hairs on his arms stand on end. Big fat goose egg of nothing. Jason remained where he was, leaning out into the air and watching the clouds part around the hull of the ship and did what he had become so accustomed to doing: he waited.

Waited for Hazel to return. Waited for Piper to wake up. Waited for the war with Gaea or the war between camps or the end of the world or some other horrible event in between. Jason Grace— the boy who died from continuously waiting.

Maybe he doesn't know either, he consoled himself but the less beholden side wondered if maybe Zeus did know and just wasn't willing to share.

"The gods don't interfere my ass," he swore back instead.

Jason had pushed himself over the edge only to use his powers to catch himself, enjoying the ten seconds he allowed himself to feel free falling before planting himself back on the deck. Using his powers was like flexing a muscle and if the seven minus one… oh and minus another one… weren't going to move then he'd have to keep himself on his toes. Not long after he'd disappeared below deck to check on Piper.

At some point the child of the sky god nodded off to sleep. And while he was asleep he had a dream of somewhere far away through darkness deeper than an inkwell and the haze of a thousand short wave radios. Somehow whatever godly channel he was surfing had just enough juice to give him a little something and that something was just enough to tell him that Nico and Percy were alive. Absolutely screwed in the middle of Tartarus, yes, but alive. That was more than he'd known just five seconds prior and more than he had hoped for if he was completely honest with himself.

Inkwell eyes met his own and all sharp angles and shadows, Nico met his eyes.

"Take care of my sister and I'll take care of Barnacle brain."

Jason's bodiless form shuddered.

"Holy shit, you can see me?" He wondered out loud.

"Well… yes. Child of Hades? Ghost King and all that? You're not exactly tethered to your bed right now, genius. Or your body for that matter. Now get back before someone notices you're here. This isn't a place you want to be— body or not. They might not let you out again if they find you."

With a wave of his hand— was that blood he was covered in? and he could swear that he smelled some kind of barbecue sauce. That was way too weird.

As if reading his thoughts, Nico waved and sent a chill through him, unsettling his supernatural form.

"Hey! Watch it! That tickles."

"Get out of here! Now." He hissed.

And just as quickly, Nico turned around and in the haze of what Jason was able to see, a Titan loped up beside him with— was that a squeegee on his belt? And a bottle of Mr Clean?— and Nico wasn't smashed into the dark earth. Jason was about to shout a warning but something held him back.

"Percy's shirt is ruined. Too much gorgon sauce! All over the place but… maybe next time he needs a bib?"

Jason swore he saw the child of the underworld raise a hand to his face and using his forefinger and thumb squeeze the bridge of his nose. This was a meticulous motion that Jason-without-a-body was all too able to see helped contain the quiver of lean muscles that suggested the son of Hades much like his father had a short temper and was very consciously keeping from flipping his shit.

The Titan, recognising the very short fuse that was about to light, held up a bottle in his hands and shook it at the smaller boy. With his white hair and wide eyes and the way his bottom lip quivered, he looked like a naughty child before a chagrinned parent. Which was hilarious, if it wasn't so life threatening, given the Titan was about ten times the size of Nico when factoring in things such as height and weight— the boy couldn't have weighed more than a hundred and twenty pounds soaking wet despite his increasing height.

"B-but… I did try! Bob cleaned the shirt! I-i… I tried Hygieia's No Hassle Hydra Strengths Kitchen Cleaner b-but… it was maybe a little too strong. The shirt is ruined." All the air went out of him like a week old balloon.

Onyx eyes flew open. "Of course it's ruined— it's Percy freaking Jackson," he muttered and the name was like a curse falling from his lips.

The son of the sea surged up to them all wicked smiles and Riptide in hand pretending not to notice a number of things: the way the vein above Nico's eye was twitching, the way Nico was grasping to his Stygian sword and likely thinking about stabbing it through his heart, or the way the shirt he was wearing looked like it had been in a tumble dryer with a hydra. The thing was rags, holes eaten through it like acid. Some of them might still have been smoking.

"No big deal, right? I mean, at least it's not blood. A little chilly but I have a feeling they don't get much in the way of fashion updates down here."

Jason swore to himself right then that he would forget the way the son of Poseidon licked his finger and pinched himself not all that far from his nipple (which was very definitely protruding through one of those acid eaten holes) all while making a sizzling noise. He did not however promise to forget the way that Nico's jaw was on the fucking ground with the young boy's own soul practically jumping from his body hands like nooses around Percy's neck… or how he hadn't blown up like a nuclear bomb and killed them all Jason didn't know because the son of Hades' face was World War red.

"It could be worse," Percy said.

Worse was the way Nico's face went pale and he threw his arms down and the strangulated howl that left him as he stomped off. Jason had heard more human noises from the monsters he slated on a daily basis.

Bob and Percy shared a look before starting after him.

It was very much a look that said neither of them was particularly distressed by this behaviour.

Go figure.

The dream wasn't the thing that woke him, though. What woke him was being clawed by a set of fingernails that hadn't been trimmed since before this quest.

"W-what the hell!" He shouted though sleep stuck his eyes shut and Jason had no idea who or what he was even shouting at. In fact not only did he shoot up but, tangled in the blankets because he'd fallen asleep next to Piper, he fell out of bed and landed face first on the ground. This of course caused him to bite both his tongue and his lip, filling his mouth with the taste of copper and his sleep dazed eyes with stars.

Apparently this going from corporeal to body bound thing was a bit difficult.

"Oh for fuck's sake," he mumbled under his breath as he untangled himself and crawled back up on the bed.

Piper had shot up stiff as a board. Chocolate eyes were unseeing as she threw the blankets off the bed and bolted forward. Walking the length of the room, her foot steps slapped hard echoing in the quiet of the night. What Jason mistook for cold initially was her body shaking; it wasn't until the hitch in her breathing that he understood she was crying.

"Piper," he murmured softly, approaching her soft as a breeze on a summer's day so as not to spook her. His hands drafted over her arms until he trusted she wasn't going to retaliate by punching him in the face from fear. Sharp as lightning, she met his eyes and held them but her words and he tears were torrents.

"Only one of them is going to make it back, Jason. Only one of them will come back!"

"Wait… who… what are you talking about?"

Grabbing hold of him, her fingernails dug into him not for the first time. Really, she needed to trim those bad boys before he wound up with more scars from Piper's unkempt hands than he did from monster's they met while trying to save the world for the nine hundredth time.

"Gaea's rising and we need all seven, Jason. All seven of us. We can't be the six of us or we won't be enough. Gods only knows how seven of us will be enough in the first place," her voice faltered trailing off. Piper's dark eyes were distant, focused on a point on the floor down by his ankle and far away. She trembled then despite the warmth of the room.

"Piper…"

"Styx will give us Percy back… she'll make sure that he makes it but we have to go. Now, Jason! We have to! Get everyone. Tell them to meet above deck. We need to have a meeting. Now." She said the last word with such force that Jason felt his feet fly from under him and hurry him out the room and down the hallway. It was only a fraction of a second later he heard a surprised intake of breath and the way it left Piper's lungs much too quickly. She flew out of the room right behind him and with apologies dripping from her brown eyes by the way of tears whispered "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to charmspeak you, too…" before dashing up above.

Jason woke everyone on the Argo II.

"What the heck, man? Are we being attacked or something?" Frank yawned all while fisting at his eye looking like an exaggerated anime character just as he was waking up. His hair was sticking in every single direction except the ones it was meant to— gravity defiance was usually Jason's thing but Frank's hair was all about it right then.

"No, worse. Piper just had a dream."

Giving a nod, they all rushed up above.