Chapter 08: Jason's Nightmare
Jason looked around him.
He was on the Argo II. and his friends stood a few feet away.
There was Hazel and Frank in one corner, holding hands and smiling up at each other fondly, lost in their own little world.
He didn't wish to interrupt them so he turned to the next pair.
It was Annabeth and Piper, their foreheads leaning against each other, whispering comforting words at each other.
They seemed so happy together.
He was glad that Piper had found somebody that could truly make her happy.
He looked around and found Leo, talking to Festus.
He called over, but the Repair Boy only waved from afar and started mounting Festus, taking off into nowhere, leaving him behind.
Jason stood there, suddenly feeling lonely.
Then he looked around for Percy, searching for that dark hair and those sea green eyes.
But he couldn't find him anywhere.
.
As he started walking around the ship, looking for Percy, the scene shifted.
He was on the ground in a forest, his sister standing a few feet away, talking to the other hunters.
They were laughing and joking, patting Thalia on the back.
Thalia looked at them fondly, as if they were a family to her.
Something inside Jason's chest tightened and he turned away.
Thalia had found a new family to comfort her.
Again, he was alone.
He went running around the forest, looking for a way out, a way back to the ship.
He had to get to Percy, after all. He was worried about the son of the sea god.
What if something had happened to him?
Everything turned dark around him and the forest disappeared.
He was momentarily blinded, but then different things came into focus and he found himself in Percy's room on the ship.
It looked the same as usual, yet completely different.
The water fountain in the corner was quiet and unmoving.
The floors sparkling clean.
The bed was neatly made and empty.
He frowned and looked around for him, even checking the wardrobe, just to find it empty. Where were Percy's clothes?
He went about the room, noticing how there was nothing that really belonged to Percy in here anymore.
Only his scent still lingered there.
He walked towards the door.
As he stepped out of it, he saw Annabeth and Piper coming towards him.
As they looked at him worriedly, he wanted to ask them where Percy was, but no sound came out his throat.
At least he couldn't hear any.
The girls however looked at each other as if they were thinking of how to best approach the coming subject.
Jason's insides felt with dread.
They said something, but Jason couldn't hear them.
They both started talking to him now, looking concerned and agitated, seemingly explaining something, but he only shook his head, trying to tell them he couldn't hear them.
They however seemed to not understand.
Piper ran off crying while Annabeth pointed after her and then at Jason, glaring at him and pointing at Percy's door, saying something shaking her head, tears in her eyes. Then she ran after her girlfriend.
Jason stared after them.
What?
He started running around the ship, looking for Percy.
He had to be here somewhere.
He tried to get Leo to help him, but Leo was gone. His room was as empty as Percy's and Jason couldn't find him anywhere on the ship either.
When he went to Hazel and Frank, they had also gone.
He ran back to Annabeth and Piper, but their room was blank.
He was alone.
Cold spread through his body, taking away his breath and it felt as if he was thrown into ice water.
He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He tried to concentrate on the air around him, but something was off.
Then the scene shifted and he was in the forest again.
It was the same clearing where he had seen Thalia and her friends.
They were gone now.
Jason was scared. He felt like a toddler again, screaming for his mother as he went looking for her on an abandoned site.
He ran around now too, looking for his sister, for Percy, for anybody.
He did find the hunters. But they weren't laughing. They sat next to each other on the ground, huddled around a fire, their faces dark with sorrow and misery.
And Thalia wasn't among them.
Jason wanted to scream and yell, get them to notice him and tell him that he was crazy, that Thalia was just in her tent and nothing was wrong whatsoever.
That his friends were all hiding somewhere, playing a prank on him.
Yet no sound came out of his mouth and they did not notice him.
.
Then everything turned dark and he was in the middle of nowhere, with nothing alive around him whatsoever.
All he could see wherever he turned was dark plains.
He tried to control the air around him to fly him out of here, but found himself unable to lift off the ground.
He was panicking now and tried to take off, but his powers didn't take effect.
"You cannot run forever, little demigod." A voice reverberated in his head.
He knew that voice. It was Gaea.
He looked around for her ugly face in the dirt, but couldn't see her.
That's when he felt the earth closing around his feet.
He wanted to stab at it but he didn't have a weapon.
Suddenly, he saw people. His friends.
They were fighting Gaeas forces some few feet away.
He tried to call out to them, but without success.
His voice still didn't work.
He could see Hazel charging at a mob of monsters on Arion, closely followed by Frank, who had turned into a giant grizzly bear and was tearing the monsters apart that survived Hazels attacks.
Piper was charmspeaking her opponents to fight each other, every now and then shooting loads of fruit out of the cornucopia or slashing at some monsters with her Katropis.
Annabeth was right beside her, confusing and tricking her enemies, fighting them with nothing but her wits and her dagger.
Jason looked around to see Leo flying into a swarm of monsters on Festus, both ablaze, burning everything in their path.
And he could see Percy, fighting in his usually Greek fighting style, slashing at his opponents in wide arcs with Riptide.
He looked around at Jason.
The only one who did.
And he looked worried, calling over to him, but Jason couldn't hear him. He could only watch how Percy battled off unimaginable amounts of forces and then came running to him.
Jason tried to signal him not to, tried to get him to go away.
But Percy laughed it off and came over, trying to help Jason free himself off the earth grounding him.
But nothing seemed to work. There was a hissing noise and suddenly, Percy turned around in shock.
There was Gaea, standing completely awake in the middle of the battle, her eyes fixed on Percy and Jason.
The others came running to them now too and circled around Jason.
It seemed as if they tried to protect him. He frantically tried to free himself, but to no avail.
He was stuck.
Helpless.
Weaponless.
Weak.
The weak link.
He looked around at his friends and tears collected in his eyes as he saw their determined, yet scared faces as Gaea seemed to charge at them.
The earth beneath their feet turned against them, separating them from the others.
There was nothing to protect them.
He saw how Hazel climbed onto Arion, trying to charge at Gaea, summoning the riches of the earth to momentarily drown and distract Gaea, but it was futile.
And he had to stand there and watch helplessly as the earth shot up and closed around Arion, making the horse stagger and fall right into the earth, sinking into it as if it was quicksand.
Hazel screamed, though Jason couldn't hear anything. She tried to free the horse and herself, but the earth began mercilessly swallowing her.
There was Frank, shooting arrows at Gaea, running over to his girlfriend, trying frantically to get her out.
But as he tried to get her out, he himself got sucked into the ground as well.
He wrapped his arms around her, his face full of desperation and fear, trying to protect her from what was to come.
And then the earth closed around them and the next moment, seemed to squash together. Jason was glad he couldn't hear anything, for he knew by the horrid expressions on his friends' faces, that there had been a loud crunch.
Blood poured out of the earth, tainting it dark red and he knew that neither of them had made it out alive.
His heart clenched and tears streamed down his face.
No.
Why was this happening?
HOW could this be happening?
He tried to free himself with Percy stabbing at the earth around his feet frantically, but nothing they did seemed to have any effect. Percy looked him in the eyes and said something, but Jason couldn't hear him.
He wished he could hear him.
He tried to show him he didn't understand, but Percy's face turned sad, resigned.
He nodded quietly but looked hurt, as if Jason had said something really hurtful.
Then they both turned as they saw Annabeth and Piper closing in on Gaeas human form.
Piper tried to charmspeak her into falling back asleep while Annabeth tried to follow up some sort of plan.
But they both got pushed back by a giant wave of earth, throwing them into opposite directions.
As Annabeth hit a stone wall and toppled to the floor, unmoving, Jason, Percy and Piper screamed.
Though Jason still couldn't hear a thing.
He wished he at least had his weapon or something.
Percy was about to rush to Annabeth, but instead turned and stayed with Jason, grabbing his legs now and trying to push him out of the earth with all his power.
It looked as if he even tried to control any leftover water in the earth, judging by his scrunched up face.
But Jason guessed there was no liquid in this earth, for Percy slumped against him weakly without having achieved anything.
Jason was crying.
He tried to put his arms around Percy, but he couldn't move at all.
He saw Piper rushing across the plains to Annabeth, zigzagging through the waves of dirt coming at her.
But right as she made it to Annabeth, an earthen spear came out of nowhere, impaling Annabeth as she just tried to get up on her legs.
She spit blood, her eyes widening in shock before her body went limp.
Piper broke down crying, trying to help her girlfriend, pulling the spear out of her body, holding her face in her hands.
Her tears dripped onto Annabeths ashen face and she looked up at them.
Helpless.
Hurt.
Lost.
Jason's chest tightened as her emotions washed over him additionally to his own.
It felt so difficult to breathe.
Percy was crying next to him, shouting and yelling, raising his sword and fighting off a wave of stones flying at them, but not leaving Jason's side.
Jason tried to talk to him, telling him to go and save his friends. To save himself.
But Percy either couldn't hear him or ignored him, for he stuck to his side.
The earth moved once more and grabbed hold of Piper, holding her up in what looked like a fist, with only her head to her shoulders showing out. Jason yelled and tugged.
Never had he felt this helpless.
This weak.
This useless.
Why couldn't he save his friends?
Why was this happening?
They needed him.
He needed them.
Leo came shooting down on Festus, setting the hand ablaze, forcing it to let Piper off.
Jason was about to hope she might get away safely, but the moment she hit the ground, the earth catapulted her towards Jason.
She hit the ground a few feet in front of him, looking dazed and broken.
Tears were still streaming down her face and she looked around to where Annabeth laid, dead.
Percy started towards her, but an earthen hand whooshed down on her, pushing all the air out of her lungs and flattening her.
Jason closed his eyes, not wanting to see.
Not wanting to hear.
Not wanting to feel.
He could feel a hand on his arm and looked around at Percy, who looked grave.
Tears were streaming down his face the same way they were streaming down Jason's face.
He shook his head and looked away to where Leo was, flying towards them on Festus.
The earth welled up, trying to catch him, but he managed to avoid it several times.
Right in front of them though, the earth caught hold of Festus, instantly pulling him down, grabbing for Leo.
Festus surged and Leo found himself being thrown off his back, flying through the air and landing next to Percy, who helped him up instantly and all three of them looked around at the earth swallowing Festus, tearing him apart into shreds.
Leo seemed to whimper helplessly, pulling things out of his tool belt and trying frantically to rush and help his dragon, but Percy held him back.
Jason had no idea what to do.
What COULD he do?
He looked around at Percy, who had closed in on him again, holding onto his shoulder, talking to him again.
Jason only wished he could hear what he was saying.
Then Gaea materialized in front of them.
Percy put himself in front of Jason, readying for a strike should Gaea close in or anything.
Leo went ablaze.
Then he surged past Percy and attacked, trying to burn away her face or at least something along those lines, throwing bombs at the earth goddess that made her body corrode away.
But she only rematerialized.
Then, while Leo was moving back, she seemed to summon all the parts she had divided Festus into – and sent them flying at Leo.
He didn't stand a chance. Several parts smacked him 'only' in the sides, throwing him into the path of others that embedded themselves into his skin, making him yell out in pain, blood pouring down his scrawny body.
Then, as he looked around at Percy and Jason, he whispered something that made Percy's eyes widen and yell – but then a small part, like a bullet, hit him right in the head, shooting through his skull.
And he fell to the floor, unmoving.
.
Jason couldn't take it anymore.
Everything inside him screamed and he felt as if he was turning insane.
If he could have moved his arms, he would have begun scratching away at himself, harming himself in any way possible to match the pain he felt on the inside. Anything to make it remotely bearable.
He had to do something.
He couldn't just stand here.
Why? WHY?! He screamed and yelled and cried.
And now there was only Percy left.
And Jason felt a fear he had never felt before.
Dread spread through him.
He couldn't let anything happen to Percy.
Not Percy.
He called his name and Percy looked around, looking grave and battered, weakened by the loss of their friends.
He tried to give him a reassuring smile but Jason only whimpered and cried, sobbing like a little kid.
Percy cupped his hand in his face, whispering something Jason couldn't understand. His throat constricted, his insides clenching painfully.
Tears were running down his face in streams and he wanted nothing more than to touch Percy.
Hold him.
Protect him.
Destroy Gaea and get all his friends back.
Seeing them alive.
Happy.
Cheerful.
But most of all alive.
Gaea, however, mercilessly advanced. Percy let his thumb caress Jason's face, flashing him one last smile and turned around, raising his sword.
What followed was the most heroic and most cruel fight Jason had ever seen.
Percy fought as he always fought.
With a passion and elegance unmatched by any other being on this planet, slashing and stabbing and blocking and attacking.
But he didn't stand a chance against Gaea.
The earth grabbed hold of his feet, yet he continued fighting with all his might, trying to protect Jason, while Jason just stood there, feeling as if he was going to burst from both the pain and his futile attempts of freeing himself.
But as Percy stopped fighting and looked around at him, that foolish, helpless smile on his face, mouthing a sentence to Jason that he understood, and he realized that it was hopeless.
Everything was hopeless.
'I'm sorry.'
Jason couldn't even make himself look away as Gaea slashed at Percy.
He couldn't look away as the blood came gushing out of Percy's chest.
He couldn't look away as Percy fell forward, landing face down on the ground.
He couldn't look away when he saw the pool of blood building around Percy as he laid there, motionless, Riptide laying by his side uselessly.
Jason howled in pain.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
Why hadn't he been able to prevent any of this?
And then he heard that horrible voice in his head again.
"I will take anything from you that ever mattered to you."
..
He shot up, screaming.
Tears were streaming down his face and he thrashed around, thinking he still had to free himself from the earth.
He tried to run blindly, but instead felt as if he was freefalling.
Two strong arms caught him and pulled him upright.
In his fright, he tried to fight off whatever it was.
He had to get to Percy. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't.
"Jason, calm down. Calm down!" Came a soothing voice against his ear and he stopped flailing instantly.
He was breathing hard, tears still streaming down his face, the pain still etched into every fiber in his body.
He was trembling like a leaf.
Then he felt Percy's warm hand against his back and his body just slumped against him.
A nightmare.
Nothing but a nightmare.
Yet the pain was real.
He reached out with one hand, touching Percy's soothing warm skin.
He was real.
He was alive.
Everything was ok.
But the fear remained.
He heard Percy's soothing voice against his ear, trying to comfort him.
He couldn't really catch the words but it was the sound of his voice itself that slowly calmed him.
The happenings from his nightmare came flashing through his mind making him shiver and start sobbing.
It had just been a nightmare.
It hadn't been real.
He tried to force himself to get a grip on himself, but he found himself unable to move.
Panic surged through him and he tried to jump up, but Percy grabbed him and held him back.
"Jason! Jason it's ok. You are awake now." He said and Jason caught a view of his face.
His hair was a mess, his sea green eyes full of emotion, looking at him not with pity, but with worry and care.
Jason still felt the tears dripping down his face and tried to swat them away quickly before Percy could see – which was stupid, because Percy already had a wet shoulder due to his crying.
Percy pressed his lips together and pulled Jason close again, pressing his warm body against him.
Jason shivered, noticing how cold he was.
As he began snuggling closer to Percy, the dark-haired boy grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around them.
Jason slowly began to take in his surroundings.
They were in his room, where they had gone to bed last night.
It was still dark outside, so it must still be night.
Percy's clothes laid in the center of the room where he had taken them off, uncaring.
Jason shivered at the memory of the empty room and the quiet water fountain.
He tried to picture how it must have felt to Percy to wake up because Jason screamed in terror and tried scrambling off the bed.
The thought made him feel guilty.
He was keeping Percy from his sleep.
Because of something stupid like a nightmare.
Jason shook his head slowly.
He shouldn't keep Percy awake. He needed his sleep.
They'd be travelling by sea again from tomorrow on. He needed all the sleep he could get.
Percy began moving, slowly pulling Jason with him.
He pulled his legs up and pulled Jason onto his lap, facing him.
Then he cupped his face, brushing away his tears with his thumbs.
Remembering the nightmare, Jason flinched and pressed his eyes shut, trying to force the pictures away as well as keep himself from sobbing again.
Percy's voice was still soothingly soft, his fingers stroking Jason's face.
Then he felt the hands moving from his face to his neck to his ears, slowly massaging the spot behind them.
It made Jason relax a bit, which only made him cry again.
Percy didn't scold him.
He kept up those reassuring sounds, now moving his hands upwards to his head, going through his hair softly, pulling him closer.
Jason dropped his face onto Percy's shoulder.
"She...she..." He began, but his sobbing cut him off again.
Percy patted him with one hand, his other hand still inside Jason's hair.
"Shh…it's ok now. You don't have to tell me." But Jason shook his head, pushing away.
"No…no…she…she took you all…she…she killed…"
Pictures zigzagged through his mind.
Hazel and Frank sinking into the earth, puddles of blood oozing out.
Annabeth impaled by the spear.
Piper squashed.
The piece of Festus going right through Leos brain.
And Percy…
.
Percy held on to Jason, trying to calm him down somehow.
He had never seen him like this.
He seemed utterly beside himself.
Percy had woken up to Jason thrashing around.
He had whimpered and yelled in his sleep, trying frantically to free himself off something.
Lightning bolts had hit the ship several times. A storm was raging outside.
Percy had tried to wake him, but he would only thrash around more, yelling and crying and flailing.
He yelled names.
He cursed and cried out in anguish, whimpering like a little child.
Of course Percy had known what Jason was dreaming about.
How could he not? All of them had nightmares like this.
Though it seemed explicitly detailed and horrid for Jason.
Percy held him tightly, feeling helpless.
What could he do to help him? What could he do in general?
"Don't worry, it was just a nightmare." He muttered quietly, now stroking Jason's back up and down slowly.
He wasn't even sure Jason noticed.
The blonde looked around him, seeming completely out of it.
Percy swallowed. "Jason?"
Jason looked at him with those sky-blue eyes, but right now all that showed in them was fear and pain.
Something inside Percy clenched painfully.
Then he hugged him again, pushing Jason's face against his chest and kissing the top of his head.
Jason's arms wrapped themselves around him weakly and Percy frowned worriedly, tightening his grip on him.
He placed some more kisses on his forehead, then nuzzled his hair with his face quietly.
Jason shuffled and looked up at him. "I'm scared..."
Percy's insides clenched.
He shook his head and held him tightly pressed against him.
He wished he could tell Jason everything would be alright. But he knew it would be a lie.
"Shh, it's ok, Jason. We all are. The trick is to stay above your fear."
Jason looked so lost.
It tore Percy apart on the inside.
Nobody should have to feel like this.
Especially not Jason.
"I...I couldn't move...I just stood there and...and had to watch how you all..."
He didn't even need to finish the sentence.
Percy understood.
He stroked over his back still, wishing inwardly that there was something he could do to help Jason.
But there was nothing.
He kissed the side of his forehead softly, feeling Jason snuggle up against him a bit, so he tightened his grip on the blanket wrapped around them.
"We are all alright, Jason." He said quietly.
Jason wrapped his arms around him tightly, crying again.
"It was so horrible."
"Shh, I know..."
"She...she killed you all...she killed Hazel and Frank, she killed Annabeth, she killed Piper. She killed Leo and she...she...she killed...she killed you..."
Percy could feel the tears dripping down on his shoulder and felt his throat constrict.
He swallowed.
He pulled Jason's face up carefully, looking him deep in the eyes.
"I'm ok, Jason. See? I'm completely fine." He reassured him.
Jason only looked at him with those lost, helpless, teary, blue eyes.
Percy stroked some strands of hair out of his face.
Jason inched closer, needing the closeness right now.
Percy stoked his face again and began leaning closer, placing soft kisses on Jason's face. His forehead, his sides, his cheeks, his nose.
Lastly, he placed them on Jason's lips.
He had no sexual intention whatsoever, and he felt Jason relax against him, kissing him back hesitantly.
It was so soft, so tender.
Exactly what they both needed.
Percy pulled Jason with him and laid back down, wrapping Jason up tightly in his arms, the blanket over them.
"I'm right here, Jason." He whispered into his ear and held him tightly.
Jason nodded quietly. "I...thank you...Percy..."
Percy put his head in Jason's crook of the neck and inhaled.
He smelled like the air after it had just rained.
Clean and fresh.
He snuggled closer to him, holding him tight.
"No need to thank me. Try to sleep, ok? I'll be watching over you."
Jason didn't respond.
Instead, he snuggled back against Percy, occasionally letting a shiver run down his back.
..
Percy placed soft kisses on his soft skin and talked to him reassuringly until the early morning hours.
When Jason finally did fall asleep, Percy inwardly prayed it would be a dreamless sleep, so the blonde could finally get at least some rest.
He only left to go to Leo and ask him to take over his shift for him and grab some food and drink.
He didn't really expect Leo to go with it, especially since he hadn't even named a reason, but Leo nodded instantly and leaped out of bed, fully dressed, while Percy waited for him to be out of the hall before returning to Jason.
For the rest of the day, Percy stayed with Jason, taking care of him, feeding him, making him drink and comforting him.
And for the first time, Percy realized how much he truly cared for the blonde.
And he wasn't feeling alone anymore at all.
His resolve to beat Gaea seemed to have reestablished itself because of Jason.
Nobody should have to go through what Jason had right then.
Especially not Jason.
Gaea would have to pay.
Percy would make sure of that.