Chapter Title: The Great Prophecy Begins To Make More Sense
(A/N: This is it! The final chapter of Part One of the story! From here on out, all updates will come from Parts II and III of the story though I'll try to keep going in order. This chapter also features appearances from the OCs of these Wattpad users: -JASONSGRACE (Belle), goddessofwisdom- (Alec), and Az56796743 (Adriana). So shout-outs to all of them as well.)
Jason waited, all alone in Cabin One. He hoped that waiting like this in such a barely used cabin would feel less uncomfortable over time, because right now it really felt unnerving to be in here.
Annabeth, Rachel, and Kayla were due any minute for the head counselors' meeting, and Jason needed time to think. Thalia was also on her way in for the meeting too, so he could at least see his sister again sooner than he had imagined, which felt nice.
His dreams the night before had been worse than he'd wanted to share—even with Piper or with the others, though in the case of Alyssa, Bryce, and Clara - he figured that for the more part, their stories would be similar. His memory was still foggy, but bits and pieces were coming back. The night Lupa had tested him at the Wolf House, to decide if he would be a pup or food. Then the long trip south to ... he couldn't remember, but he had flashes of his old life. The day he'd gotten his tattoo. The day he'd been raised on a shield and proclaimed a praetor. His friends' faces: Dakota, Gwendolyn, Lavinia, Hazel, Bobby. And Reyna. Definitely there'd been a girl named Reyna. He wasn't sure what she'd meant to him, but the memory made him question what he felt about Piper—and wonder if he was doing something wrong. The problem was, he liked Piper a lot.
He pushed those thoughts to the side. He didn't really want to think about those things now.
Jason moved his stuff to the corner alcove where his sister had once slept - for when she slept in the cabin, from what he had heard, she usually either slept in another bed or in the Kronos Cabin with Luke. He put Thalia's photograph back on the wall so he didn't feel alone. He stared up at the frowning statue of Zeus, mighty and proud, but the statue didn't scare him anymore. It just made him feel sad.
"I know you can hear me," Jason said to the statue.
The statue said nothing. Its painted eyes seemed to stare at him, like it was permanently fixed to do so.
"I wish I could talk with you in person," Jason continued, "but I understand you can't do that. The Roman gods don't like to interact with mortals so much, and—well, you're the king. You've got to set an example."
More silence. Jason had hoped for something—a bigger than usual rumble of thunder, a bright light, a smile. No, never mind. A smile would've been creepy, given who he was talking to of course.
"I remember some things," he said. The more he talked, the less self-conscious he felt. "I remember that it's hard being a son of Jupiter. Everyone is always looking at me to be a leader, but I always feel alone. I guess you feel the same way up on Olympus. The other gods challenge your decisions. Sometimes you've got to make hard choices, and the others criticize you. And you can't come to my aid like other gods might. You've got to keep me at a distance so it doesn't look like you're playing favorites. I guess I just wanted to say ..."
Jason took a deep breath. "I understand all that. It's okay. I'm going to try to do my best. I'll try to make you proud. But I could really use some guidance, Dad. If there's anything you can do—help me so I can help my friends. I'm afraid I'll get them killed. I don't know how to protect them."
The back of his neck tingled. He realized someone was standing behind him. He turned and found a woman in a black hooded robe, with a goatskin cloak over her shoulders and a sheathed Roman sword—a gladius—in her hands.
"Hera," he said.
She pushed back her hood. "To you, I have always been Juno. And your father has already sent you guidance, Jason. He sent you Piper and Leo, alongside Alyssa, Bryce, and Clara. They're not just your responsibility. They are also your friends. Listen to them, and you will do well."
"Did Jupiter send you here to tell me that?"
"No one sends me anywhere, hero," she said. "I am not a messenger."
"But you got me into this. Why did you send me to this camp - I mean, me and the others?"
"I think you know," Juno said. "An exchange of leaders was necessary, wasn't the first time I had done so, and given who I was sending to the other camp, it was only natural that others had to be included in this. It was the only way to bridge the gap."
"I didn't agree to it. None of us did."
"No. But Zeus gave your life to me, and I am helping you fulfill your destiny. The others, despite being of different cohorts, trusted you more than anyone else, so I sent them with you."
Jason tried to control his anger. He looked down at his orange camp shirt and the tattoos on his arm, and he knew these things should not go together. He had become a contradiction—a mixture as dangerous as anything Medea could cook up. He knew that full well now.
"You're not giving me all my memories," he said. "Even though you promised. I doubt you have for the others."
"Most will return in time," Juno said. "But you must find your own way back. You need these next months with your new friends, your new home. You're gaining their trust. By the time you sail in your ship, you will be a leader at this camp. And you will be ready to be a peacemaker between two great powers."
"What if you're not telling the truth?" he asked. "What if you're doing this to cause another civil war?"
Juno's expression was impossible to read—amusement? Disdain? Affection? Possibly all three. He couldn't really tell to be honest. As much as she appeared human, Jason knew she was not. He could still see that blinding light—the true form of the goddess that had seared itself into his brain. She was Juno and Hera. She existed in many places at once. Her reasons for doing something were never simple.
"I am the goddess of family," she said. "My family has been divided for too long. This has to happen, for the future demands it."
"They divided us so we don't kill each other," Jason said. "That seems like a pretty good reason." In his mind, he would admit that it actually did sound like a very good reason.
"The prophecy demands that we change. The giants will rise. Each can only be killed by a god and demigod working together, or with the help of the Monster King and his followers. Those demigods must be the eleven greatest of the age. As it stands, they are divided between two places. If we remain divided, we cannot win even with the Monster King faction on our side. Gaea is counting on this, though she did not count on Porphyrion starting a rogue faction from her own ranks. You must unite the heroes of Olympus and sail together to meet the giants on the ancient battlegrounds of Greece. Only then will the gods be convinced to join you. It will be the most dangerous quest, the most important voyage, ever attempted by the children of the gods."
Jason looked up again at the glowering statue of his father. In his own opinion, this felt like pure bullshit. A suicide mission at that.
"It's not fair," Jason said. "I could ruin everything." He knew full well that could possibly occur.
"You could," Juno agreed. "But gods need heroes. We always have."
"Even you? I thought you hated heroes."
The goddess gave him a dry smile. "I have that reputation, and given my actions, I do think part of it is deserved. But if you want the truth, Jason, I often envy other gods' mortal children. You demigods can span both worlds. I think this helps your godly parents—even Jupiter, curse him dearly—to understand the mortal world better than I."
Juno sighed so unhappily that despite his anger, Jason almost felt sorry for her. Key word here being almost, of course.
"I am the goddess of marriage," she said. "It is not in my nature to be faithless. I have only two godly children—Ares and Hephaestus—both of whom are disappointments, though to be fair.. at least Ares has managed to produce a child that has brought the faction of the Monster King to our side - something that even I had not expected to happen. I have no mortal heroes to do my bidding, which is why I am so often bitter toward demigods—Heracles, Aeneas, all of them. But it is also why I favored the first Jason, a pure mortal, who had no godly parent to guide him. And why I am glad Zeus gave you to me. You will be my champion, Jason. You will be the greatest of heroes, and bring unity to the demigods, and thus to Olympus. Alongside the others, of course, especially Colton Reynolds."
Her words settled over him, as heavy as sandbags. Two days ago, he'd been terrified by the idea of leading demigods into a Great Prophecy, sailing off to battle the giants and save the world - especially since one happened to be the current Monster King for gods' sake.
He was still terrified, but something had changed. He no longer felt alone. He had friends now, and a home to fight for. He even had a patron goddess looking out for him, which had to count for something, even if she seemed a little untrustworthy. Plus, he now happened to be also on the same side as the Monster King himself and his followers.
Jason had to stand up and accept his destiny, just as he had done when he was about to face Kronis with his bare hands before the shadowy Monster King and his forces had intervened. Sure, it seemed impossible. He might die. But his friends were counting on him. And besides, he also could count on the power of the faction of the Monster King, which given the brutality of what his minions did to Kronis showed seemed to be a major boost to lessen the odds that he might have to face.
"And if I fail?" he asked.
"Great victory requires great risk," she admitted. "Fail, and there will be bloodshed like we have never seen. Demigods will destroy one another. The giants will overrun Olympus. Gaea will wake, and the earth will shake off everything we have built over five millennia. Perhaps Porphyrion will take the power of the Monster King for himself, and use it to end everything. Either way, it will be the end of us all."
"Great. Just great." No pressure or anything, Jason thought to himself.
Someone pounded on the cabin doors.
Juno pulled her hood back over her face. Then she handed Jason the sheathed gladius. "Take this for the weapon you lost. We will speak again. Like it or not, Jason, I am your sponsor, and your link to Olympus. We need each other."
The goddess vanished as the doors creaked open, and Piper walked in.
"Annabeth, Kayla, Thalia and Rachel are here," she said. "Chiron has summoned the council."
- — - — - — -
Jason hadn't really known what exactly to expect from the council, but it soon became very evident that it definitely was not what had been expecting it to even be. It was definitely nothing like Jason had imagined. For one thing, it was in the Big House rec room, around a Ping-Pong table, and one of the satyrs was serving nachos and sodas. Somebody had brought Seymour the leopard head in from the living room and hung him on the wall. Every once in a while, a counselor would toss him a Snausage. It did help that he had Alyssa, Clara, and Bryce to back him up though, alongside Piper and Leo. That was definitely a positive to all of this.
Jason looked around the room and tried to remember everyone's name. Thankfully, Leo and Piper were sitting next to him—it was their first meeting as senior counselors. Clarisse, leader of the Ares cabin, had her boots on the table, but nobody seemed to care. Clovis from Hypnos cabin was snoring in the corner while Butch from Iris cabin was seeing how many pencils he could fit in Clovis's nostrils. Travis Stoll from Hermes was holding a lighter under a Ping-Pong ball to see if it would burn, and Will Solace from Apollo was absently wrapping and unwrapping an Ace bandage around his wrist. The counselor from Hecate cabin, Lou Ellen something-or-other, was playing "got-your-nose" with Miranda Gardiner from Demeter, except that Lou Ellen really had magically disconnected Miranda's nose, and Miranda was trying to get it back. Kayla was simply sitting in a chair at the edge of the table, with Kelli in a chair next to her - Jason, to be honest, just found it weird that a monster would willingly join the ranks of the Olympian forces, though he suspected that her loyalties were more towards the current Monster King and Queen than anything else to be honest.
Holly and Laurel from Nike stood nearby as well, chatting with each other.
Katie from Demeter was simply chatting with Ethan from Kronos towards the back of the table, while Damien from Nemesis simply tossed up a bouncy ball up and down in another corner. Nearby, Alec from Hyperion just stood attentively along with Cato from Kratos. Jason had to admit, while what was said of Colton had already made him out to be intimidating, Cato looked really intimidating too. Sure, Jason was tall and strong as well, but those advantages simply fell flat in his mind when looking at the buff, strong Cato. Jake from Hephaestus was also there too for some reason, deep in thought.
Rachel Dare, the oracle, sat next to Chiron at the head of the table. She was wearing her Clarion Academy school uniform dress, which seemed a bit odd, but she smiled at Jason. Nearby was Thalia, who simply waved to Jason while chatting with Adriana from Gaea. Jason had to admit, it definitely felt weird to have the daughter of the primordial you were going to have to fight in six months there in a room with you.
Annabeth didn't look so relaxed. She wore armor over her camp clothes, with her knife at her side and her black hair pulled back in a ponytail. As soon as Jason walked in, she fixed him with an expectant look, as if she were trying to extract information out of him by sheer willpower. Belle, who was nearby, simply nudged her to try and get her to calm down, but Annabeth just wouldn't stop.
"Let's come to order," Chiron said. "Lou Ellen, please give Miranda her nose back. Travis, if you'd kindly extinguish the flaming Ping-Pong ball, and Butch, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you. Now, as you can see, Jason, Alyssa, Bryce, Clara, Piper, and Leo have returned successfully... more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in."
Everyone looked at Jason. He cleared his throat and began the story. Piper, Bryce, Alyssa, Clara, and Leo chimed in from time to time, filling in the details he forgot.
It only took a few minutes, but it seemed like longer with everyone watching him. The silence was heavy, and for so many ADHD demigods to sit still listening for that long, Jason knew the story must have sounded pretty wild. The amount of terrified looks, including from even Kayla and Kelli's eyes when he mentioned the whole part about the mysterious figure Bryce, Piper, and Leo had seen actually being the Monster King's shadowy spiritual backup, were real enough though, even now hearing the story for the second time. Jason honestly figured that none of them were even aware of this feature, not even Kayla herself.
He ended with Hera's visit right before the meeting, and almost instantly, Annabeth spoke up.
"So Hera was here," Annabeth said. "Talking to you."
Jason nodded. "Look, I'm not saying I trust her—"
"That's smart," Annabeth said.
"Yeah.. well.." Bryce interrupted. "Neither do we mostly."
"Also smart.." Belle added.
"—but she isn't making this up about another group of demigods. That's where I came from" Jason finished.
"Romans." Clarisse tossed Seymour a Snausage. "You expect us to believe there's another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the gods. And we've never even heard of them."
Piper sat forward. "The gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other."
"I can respect that," Clarisse said. "Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quests?"
"Oh, yes," Chiron said sadly. "You have, many times. It's always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities."
"Pretty sure slight is an understatement.." Clara said.
"More warlike," Jason said. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."
"Yuck," Travis put in.
Belle shot him a warning look. "Travis."
"What?"
"Sounds like something Colton would enjoy.." Ethan muttered.
Kayla shot him a look, and that shut Ethan up.
Several of the others looked equally uncomfortable, though Clarisse shrugged like it sounded okay to her.
Annabeth twirled her knife on the table. "And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles, and made them part of the Roman Empire."
"Not exactly hated them," Jason said. "The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times, demigods started to divide—either Greek or Roman."
"Makes sense.." Cato muttered. "Hatred and jealousy does lead to fractures."
"And it's been that way ever since," Annabeth guessed. "But this is crazy. Chiron, where were the Romans during the Titan War? Didn't they want to help?"
Bryce, Clara, and Alyssa all facepalmed.
Chiron tugged at his beard. "They did help, Annabeth. While you and Percy were leading the battle to save Manhattan - before Colton turned into the Monster King for the first time at the end, who do think conquered Mount Othrys, the Titans' base in California?"
"Hold on," Travis said. "You said Mount Othrys just simply crumbled when we beat Kronos."
"No," Jason said. He remembered flashes of the battle—a giant in starry armor and a helm mounted with ram's horns. He remembered his army of demigods scaling Mount Tam, fighting through hordes of snake monsters. "It didn't just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself."
"Impressive.." Kelli muttered.
"Belle defeated Hyperion with Grover's help.." Travis called out. "And Colton defeated three, including Kronos."
"Yeah.." Thalia muttered. "Almost all of us, except you six.." She was referring to the six questers who had went to save Hera, as well as Alec, Cato, Adriana, Butch, Clovis.. you get the idea.
Annabeth's eyes were as stormy as a ventus. Jason could almost see her thoughts moving, putting the pieces together. "The Bay Area. We demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn't the only reason, was it? The Roman camp—it's got to be somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titans' territory. Where is it?"
Chiron shifted in his wheelchair. "I cannot say. Honestly, even I have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the sharing type. Jason's memory, too, has been burned away, as have those of Bryce, Clara, and Alyssa."
"The camp's heavily veiled with magic," Jason said. "And heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it."
Rachel Dare laced her fingers. Of all the people in the room, only she didn't seem nervous about the conversation. "But you'll try, won't you? You'll build Leo's boat, the Argo II. And before you make for Greece, you'll sail for the Roman camp. You'll need their help to confront the giants."
"Bad plan," Clarisse warned. "If those Romans see a warship coming, they'll assume we're attacking."
Kayla looked absolutely miffed at Clarisse's words.
"You're probably right," Jason agreed. "But we have to try. I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering."
"Hmm," Rachel said. "Because Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giants. Eleven heroes of Olympus—some Greek, some Roman."
Annabeth nodded. "Your Great Prophecy—what's the last line?"
"And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."
"Gaea has opened the Doors of Death," Annabeth said. "She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas—there'll be more, I'm sure. Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek demigods will unite, and find the doors, and close them."
"Or it could mean they fight each other at the doors of death," Clarisse pointed out. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."
Thalia looked a bit worried. "That's true.." she muttered.
There was silence as the campers let that happy thought sink in.
"I'm going," Annabeth said. "Jason, when you get this ship built, let me go with you."
"Same here.." Jake said, while Belle, Thalia, and Kayla all looked at Jason with determined looks.
"I was hoping you'd offer, Annabeth," Jason said. "You of all people —we'll need you."
"Wait." Leo frowned. "I mean, that's all cool with me and all - for the rest of you, that is." Leo was sweating a bit when he looked at Kayla because of the issue that would arise when they found Colton. "But why Annabeth of all people?"
Annabeth and Jason studied one another, and Jason knew she had put it together. She saw the dangerous truth.
"Hera said my coming here - well our coming here in regards to me, Bryce, Clara, and Alyssa - was an exchange of leaders," Jason said. "A way for the two camps to learn of each other's existence."
"Yeah?" Leo said. "So?"
"An exchange goes two ways," Jason said. "When we got here, our memories were wiped. None of us didn't even know who we were or where we belonged. Fortunately, you guys took us all in and we found a new home. All of us now know you're not the enemy. The Roman camp, on the other hand—they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to them, and if they learn where they come from, all four of them are going to be in serious trouble."
"Them?" Leo said. "Who are you talking about?"
"My boyfriend," Annabeth said grimly. "He disappeared around the same time Jason appeared, same as with Jake's boyfriend, Kayla's boyfriend, and Thalia's boyfriend. If Jason and the other three came here to Camp Half-Blood, then—"
Annabeth's voice stopped and everyone in the room, minus the six new demigods and Chiron, all gave worried looks at each other silently, understanding completely what that meant. Even Kayla looked very, very worried now.
"Exactly," Jason agreed. "Percy Jackson, Colton Reynolds, Luke Castellan, and Michael Yew are all at the other camp, and it's perfectly likely that none of them probably even remember who they even are at all."
Kayla now hoped that these six months she would have to wait didn't go by slow at all now. She wished they didn't. She had found the answer that she had been looking for, but honestly, she didn't really like it at all. All she could do now was pray that her boyfriend didn't get himself killed at the other camp before she found her way back to him.
He was now going to be in a very dangerous situation if or when he woke up. She just hoped that like Jason, Colton had at least some memories left that would help him to figure out exactly who he really was and where he actually belonged.
She hoped that would be the case.
- End Of Part I -