Jason rose from the bed he was in. The window to his left let in moonlight. He saw the others in the room.
Armin's head was resting at the edge of his bed. He was sleeping soundly. Under the window, with nothing but a pillow, lay Jean. he was snoring loudly.
On the other side of the window lay another bed holding another occupant. Eren moved quietly in his sleep. Mikasa sat on the floor at the edge of Erens bed. Her head was tilted down, soft in sleep. A red haired girl's head was resting on her lap.
He rubbed his eyes.
What a dream. He thought to himself.
Or was it a dream within a dream?
Jason, not wanting to think in the slightest, felt like going for a walk. He slowly got out of his bed so as not to disturb the others. He tiptoed around the unconscious bodies.
After gently closing the door behind him, he headed for… somewhere.
The compound he was in was quiet. No one was around. He liked it that way. He wanted to be alone.
Jason walked through hallways. He turned at whatever corner there was, and avoided any open door. He entered an atrium with a singular tree in its center.
It was a growing cedar tree. Its small branches were reaching for the stars.
He recalled something. A voice.
It's nice to finally meet you.
Who had that been? He knew it wasn't from his dream.
Then was it from before?
He left the atrium and was greeted by a set of stairs. He climbed them.
He never had trouble with his memory before… except when Hera took it away from him. He couldn't understand why his memories before his dreams were so hazy. Except for that voice.
He noticed a door at the end of the staircase.
It's nice to finally meet you.
Who did he meet?
Reaching the top, he opened the door.
The cold night air greeted him. A large outdoor courtyard sprawled before him. He seemed to be in a fort of some kind, as the top of the wall had indents every few feet. It looked like a rook chess piece.
He walked to the edge of the building. Beyond the fort walls was a sprawling, quiet city. Only some of the buildings had light in them. The rest of the city sat in darkness, illuminated by the moon. The ever present fifty meter walls dominated the horizon.
He took a deep breath.
Then there was that girl.
The girl in the RV. The one who asked for his help when he woke up in this world. He was sure of it now. They had the same voice.
Why did she think I wasn't real?
He sighed loudly.
At least Percy seemed to be normal. He wondered why that was. Despite the circumstances, he had seen one of his friends again. And by the way Eren looked, it seemed like everyone else had escaped the dream unharmed.
He hoped that was the case.
He sat at the edge of the building and stared at the moon. His sister came to mind.
Thalia… did you make it out okay? Will I ever see you again?
Jason's head drooped.
It was a steep drop.
But maybe…
He felt, for some reason, that his powers had returned to him.
Maybe I can fly.
He leaned forward.
A hand grabbed the back of his shirt.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Jason broke out in a cold sweat.
He knew exactly who the voice belonged to, but he had to make sure. He turned around, and a pair of slitted eyes greeted him.
"Hi Levi…" He chuckled a bit. "I was… I was gonna try flying… I guess."
"Are you retarded?" He pulled him back, "You fell out of the sky two days ago."
Jason made a disappointed face. His hopes of regaining his powers were now moot. Wait, I've been asleep for two days?
He sat to the side, not wanting to face Levi, but not wanting his legs dangling off the building. He pulled his knee up.
"Am I… am I in trouble?"
Levi sighed, "If it was up to me, you'd be enjoying a prison cell."
Jason winced. That bad?
Levi crossed his arms. "However, according to the initial reports, an attack on the soldiers as they were retreating was thwarted. Eren insisted you were the reason the remaining soldiers survived that attack."
Jason kept a straight face. But an uneasiness slowly settled in.
What does he mean by attack? The last thing Jason remembered before the dream was being in the forest of Giant trees. He made a deal with Gaia to save Berthold and then…
He couldn't remember.
Did he fight her? Would she return? He didn't know. But he had a feeling that she wouldn't be a problem anymore. He didn't know why, but he felt sure about that one fact. Why do I feel so certain about that?
Jason noticed Levi glaring at him. He didn't know what to say, so he stayed silent. Levi said nothing.
Jason noticed the empty city, "Where are we?"
Levi sighed impatiently, "We are in Trost District. The southernmost city within the walls."
"Why is it empty?" Jason asked.
"There's been a curfew order due to recent events."
Jason exhaled. He did tell Percy that he would come back here, but it didn't fully hit him until Levi showed up. Jason promised Percy he would try and find a way home. But would he be able to on his own?
He didn't know why, but Jason asked the following, "Why did you join the military?" He wouldn't make eye contact with the Captain.
The man was quiet for a moment. Then, "It wasn't by choice. Erwin blackmailed me with prison time."
Jason raised an eyebrow, "Prison time?"
Levi stayed silent, as if not sure he wanted to elaborate. Then, "I was a criminal before I joined the scouts. Erwin gave me the choice to join the scouts or go to prison."
Jason chuckled nervously, "Must have been quite the criminal to get his attention. Or were you the leader of some notorious gang?"
Levi didn't respond. Instead his eyes darkened.
Jason didn't understand his reaction, but from what Jason figured Levi had been through a lot. Would Jason have been able to handle what the Captain had?
Camp Half-Blood felt like a distant memory at this point.
A harsh wind blew past the two. The night air was cold.
"Why did you become a soldier?" Levi asked, breaking the silence.
Jason met the man's gaze, a little surprised. He didn't think Levi would want to speak to him after his careless statement. He thought about it.
He would have said that he joined the legion because he was a good person. Because he wanted to help people. But recently, things have been put into perspective. Living in this world, barely surviving, has shown him that tragedy and death happen no matter what you do. And him being a hero? Please. He had no real heroic qualities. He was just the son of a powerful deity. Even that advantage was taken away here.
He didn't know why, but the girl in his dream came back to him. You're not real!
Why didn't she think I was real?
He hugged his knee.
Jason joined the legion because his mother left him in a barnhouse as a toddler.
"I had nowhere else to go." He whispered into the silent night.
The truth hurt, but for once in his life, he felt he was being honest with himself. A weight he didn't notice had been lifted. There was something else he needed to be honest about. He turned towards Levi.
"I'm sorry I brought up your subordinates that night in Ehrmich. I was trying to rile you up to get what I want. I shouldn't have…"
Levi raised hand.
"You were right."
"What?"
"You were right. You're not my subordinate. I had no right to order you around like one."
Jason could not believe what he heard.
Levi started to walk towards the door he came out from. Then he looked back. Jason raised an eyebrow in question.
"Follow me. Erwin wanted to see you as soon as you awoke." Levi said. Jason had forgotten that he was still beholden to their military.
He thought he would have been scared of Levi's request, but he felt no fear. Ever since they met, Levi had been nothing but hostile towards him. But that wasn't true. Levi had been kind to him once before. Back in Stohess. And even outside the walls. Jason would have died if he had tried to save those soldiers. And a couple minutes ago, he grabbed him before he could jump off the building.
Is Levi… nice?
The thought made him shiver. There was no way.
And yet…
Jason hopped off the ledge to follow Levi.