Jason

Jason paced impatiently in front of the large chasm that stretched before him. The whispers of the horrors below echoed through the walls and brushed against his ear. A chill rose from the pit, Jason brushed it off with his refusal to remain still.

He was trembling from the sights of Tartarus. The red tinted sky, the shattered glass ground, the shadows that he couldn't see through. Already that place was burned in his memory. A year. Percy was down there for a year.

"Now?" He asked Nico for nearly the tenth time since arriving back in the Underworld. Nico was sitting with crossed legs on the ground, eyes closed, listening intently to something Jason nor anyone else could hear. He remained silent for a minute, then spoke again.

"Close." He whispered. Will rubbed Nico's shoulders.

"You said close last time." Jason rubbed his hands through his hair. Grover was sitting with his back against the wall quietly watching him.

"He shouldn't be down there for this long. Someone could have seen him." Grover muttered, exhaling heavily into his hands.

"Don't say that. He's going to be fine, they both are." Jason pointed at Grover.

"Gods." Will closed his eyes. "It's almost over. It's almost over."

"Nico?" Jason demanded.

"Not yet." Nico said through gritted teeth.

"I should just go down there. I mean, it's close enough." Jason stared into endless darkness.

"Not yet, Jason." Nico snapped.

"He has to make it out of this. I can't loose him again." Grover pulled his knees to his chest.

"He's going to be fine." Will insisted.

"His mother can't loose him again." Grover looked at all of them.

"He's going to be fine." Jason and Will said simultaneously. This caused Nico to finally open his eyes. All three of the other boys shot their eyes to him. He hesitated a second, then swallowed.

"The gate is healed. Go get them." Nico said quietly.

All the boys just stared.

"Go get them!" Nico said again, standing up this time. Jason shook himself out of his stupor and ran straight towards the pit. He jumped down, not bothering to take his time this trip. He free fell for several minutes before testing the winds, just to reassure himself more than anything. Once the pitch blackness began to lighten to red, he slowed his fall slightly. He cushioned himself before hitting the ground, letting his feet touch the floor gently.

He looked around wildly, expecting to see Percy and Annabeth exactly where he had left them, standing together. But they weren't there. He turned again, but they weren't there either. They were not hiding behind tree, any rock, not in any obvious place. They just simply were not there.

"Percy? Annabeth?" Jason called out, heart hammering. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly? No no, they had to be safe.

He jogged slowly to the other side of a line of trees, but they were not there either. Hands shaking again, he whipped all the way around again.

"Percy?! Annabeth?!" His voice was coming more desperately this time. He was about to run a bit more when he spotted something on the ground. Against the obsidian shattered glass that lined the floor, the clean white drakon bone sword stuck out. He walked over to it and picked it up, turning the hilt in his grip. The sword was Annabeth's.

"ANNABETH?" He yelled this time, panic seeping out of his words. They were taken, they had to have been. Under no other circumstances would Annabeth have left her sword. He ran further with it in his hand, not caring if he lost where the exit was. He spun in a circle, breaths coming unevenly. Where were they?

Then he heard it. The ear splitting scream. The involuntary sound that ripped from the throat of someone he knew very well. It was the sound of pure pain and fear. The simple sound of it tore through Jason's chest as if he was the one being tortured, not her. So without thinking, he charged towards the source of the noise, towards Annabeth.

At some point his running turned into flying, but he didn't remember his feet leaving the ground. All he knew is that no thoughts crossed his mind as he raced towards Annabeth, he sword in his hands. He followed the noise all the way to a large building.

His first instinct was to call it a house, but it wasn't that at all. It was incredibly tall, no windows, and no clear entrance. Which meant no clear exit either. Heart beating in his ears, Jason scanned the building for a way in. He turned around and around in frustration when none presented themselves. That's what kept Percy trapped, Jason realized with horror. There was no way in or out. It was quite literally a prison cell.

Another scream pierced Jason's ears, this one not being alone. Annabeth's scream was intermingled with another. Percy's scream, not out of pain, but out of desperation and horror entwined with Annabeth's. A sound came out of Jason's mouth that was a mixture of many different emotions, fear, desperation, frustration, and anger. Unable to take anymore, he started to slam Annabeth's sword into the wall.

Pieces of the stone began to spark, but came off in small pieces, along with shards of Annabeth's sword. He swung and swung with every ounce of strength he had in his arms and finally made a hole in the wall. Yelling, he thrust his hands through the shards and began pulling stones. He widened and widened the hole before he threw his body through it. He was in.

He wasted no time and ignored all of his scraped limbs as he dragged himself through the jagged stones. He immediately raced down the hall, not knowing if he was going towards the source of the screams.

"ANNABETH? PERCY?" He yelled out, not caring if an army of monsters found him. He yelled out their names praying that one of them would respond. He turned a corner and saw in his peripheral vision a staircase to go further down into the building.

Basement. Hadn't Percy said something about being kept in a basement? Praying he was remembering correctly, Jason barreled down the stairs. Further and further down the spiral staircase he went as the dim light leeched away. He could barely see in front of him and had to pull out his sword to emit a small golden light ahead of him. The ground finally leveled out and he was in a room. He couldn't see the corners, he could barely see five feet in front of him.

"I swear to all the gods I will kill you. You let her go. Now." A hoarse voice came from the darkness, strain and sobs dragging on his words.

"Percy?" Jason hushed.

"Jason?" The voice came again, clearly Percy. Jason hurried towards the noise and met bars. Percy's gaunt face came into light.

"I don't know how to get you out of here." Jason said panicked as he examined the bars.

"Don't. Go save Annabeth. Get her out of here." His voice shook.

"No. I'm not leaving you here, Percy. Not again." Jason pulled on the bars.

"Please." His voice broke with that one word. "I don't care what happens to me. I really don't. Just save her."

"Percy-" Jason felt his chest falling.

"It's my fault she's down here. Don't let her die because of it. Save her." Percy was begging now, sobs racking his voice.

"I-"

"Tell my mom I'm sorry." Percy's voice came out broken.

"No. I'm not leaving without both of you. You're both surviving this." Jason wished his words could force that fact into existence.

"Save her." Percy's voice was no more than a whisper now. A broken, shattered, whisper of a voice.

"I'm finding a key." Jason turned from the cage and ran towards the stairs.

"Jason!" Percy yelled after him, but Jason kept running. He had to find the key. He pushed his way up the stairs and back into the dim light of the building. It had to be somewhere in here. Annabeth's screams came again from several floors above him. He ran around the corridors, trying to find another staircase. He tried to open a door, but the knob wouldn't turn.

Shaking with adrenaline, he took a couple of steps back and rammed into the door. He clawed his way through a wall, he could force his way through a door. He and the door fell to the ground. Jason pushed himself to a sitting position, noticing for the first time how raw and bloody his fingers and palms were. He ignored them and continued on. In the room, he found a desk and chair, sitting on the far wall.

Walking briskly towards them, he flew open the drawers and found a whole box filled with nearly thirty keys. Grabbing all of the keys, he rushed back into the basement. He flew down the stairs again, mind racing with plans. He skidded to a halt in front of Percy's cage, again being greeted by Percy's dimly lit face.

"Jason, I'm serious, leave me." He insisted.

"One of these has to be it." Jason muttered to himself.

"Leave me." Percy's voice was no more than a guttural sound. Jason ignored it and kept trying keys.

"No." Jason muttered under his breath. Annabeth's screams sounded again.

"ANNABETH!" Percy screamed again, voice breaking off into sobs.

"Jason, PLEASE!" Percy begged him.

"I GOT IT." Jason yelled as the cage door swung open. Percy came running out of it and up the stairs. He limped, but it hardly affected his speed. Jason followed after him a brief thought entering his mind. Percy wasn't even healed from the last time he was here, now here he was, escaping again.

Percy scrambled his way to the first floor, then stopped and looked around.

"How do we get up there?" He rounded on Jason.

"You don't know?" Jason asked frantically.

"I've never been up here!" Percy looked around wildly.

"Where do you two think you are going?" A voice sounded from behind them and both Jason and Percy whipped around.

"What have you done to her?" Percy's voice dropped and shook with rage.

"Nothing she doesn't deserve. And you?" The capture turned towards Jason. "Why are you freeing my pet from his cage? He's just been returned to his owner, he can't go running away again."

Jason's face reflected his deep outrage and disgust. He pulled out his sword and leveled it in front of him.

"Dear Perseus, are you letting him fight your battles for you? Have I taught you nothing?"

"No. Because I'm going to kill you myself." Percy brought out the shattered remains of Riptide, the light from the celestial bronze cutting through the red mist.

"How can you when you can barely walk by yourself? I wonder how well your girlfriend will be able to walk once I'm through with her." The capture grinned and Percy and Jason charged.

Percy went to slice above his arms while Jason bent to jab at his chest. The capture with expert moves managed to avoid both. Percy turned on his side, trying to sweep the legs. The capture jumped, avoiding Percy's and Jason's strike. Jason's and his swords clashed into each other while he kneed Percy to the ground. Percy tried to roll it off and kick up, but the Capture used it to his advantage.

Jason tried again to sideswipe at him, but he managed to disarm him. When Jason went scrambling after his sword which had skidded across the floor, Percy had managed to get to his feet. Anger radiated off him, not just for what was happening to Annabeth, but for every single thing he had ever done to him. He used the sound of Annabeth's scream as fuel for his rage.

He swung again, but realized too late that his chest was undefended. The Capture gripped his sword and plunged it deep into the side of Percy's stomach. Percy didn't yell, but instead let out a soft gasp and collapsed to his knees. Jason yelled and pulled himself to his feet. He kicked the Capture in the chest, catching him off guard. He went tumbling down the stairs to the basement.

"Percy!" Jason gasped as grabbed the shoulders of his friend who was now slumping.

"I-" Percy seemed out of breath and startled.

"I have to get you out of here." Jason grabbed under his arms and pulled him to his feet. Will was up there. Will was the best healer. Will could help Percy.

Jason was very careful of the sword sticking out of Percy's side. He didn't trust himself to pull it out, not to risk Percy bleeding out on the way up.

"No." Percy gasped. "Annabeth."

"Percy we have to get you to the surface. You're going to die." Jason said with as much strength as he could muster. Percy weakly tried to get out of Jason's arms, tried to make his way towards where he had last heard Annabeth.

"Percy stop! You're going to die. He's going to come back and you're going to die!" Jason exclaimed.

"Annabeth!" Percy tried to call out, but his struggle was getting weaker. Jason screwed his eyes closed and tried to ignore Percy's labored breathing. He couldn't leave Annabeth. He just couldn't. But if he tried to get her, Percy would die in the time. He had to save Percy first, then save her. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Jason hauled Percy through the hole in the wall.

They hit open Tartarus skies and Jason grabbed Percy and started to fly.

"No! Stop!" Percy yelled breathlessly. "You can't leave her!" Percy tried to claw his way out of Jason's grip. Blood was coating his entire right side, dripping off his shoes and falling back towards the ground.

"I'll go back, Percy! I have to save you first!" Jason tried to explain.

"No!" Percy again struggled. "Go back!" But Percy's strength was failing him and he was becoming limp in Jason's arms.

"Percy stop! I-" Jason started to say, but then felt a searing pain in his back as an arrow sank through his skin.

And he was falling.

All ability to fly left him as the unbearable pain flared though his entire body and he dropped out of the sky. His grip on Percy was lost and he lost conciousness right before they both plummeted back to the ground.

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