"Is Luke dead?"
Jason halted abruptly, his boots crunching against the forest floor. He stood still, the question hanging in the air as he slowly turned to face Percy. For a moment, his blue eyes softened, and the hardened expression he usually wore flickered with something more vulnerable. The question had caught him off guard, and he paused, searching for the right words, his body momentarily frozen in place as Percy stared back.
"No"
Percy continued,
"You told me he loved his mother, so why hasn't he come back?"
"He's just doing what every son would do for his mother"
"Leave them?" Percy said in disgust.
Avenge them, Percy thought.
"Percy, you would have done the exact same thing in his position. It's your fatal flaw"
"What is?"
"Loyalty. You would let the world burn to save those close to you."
"How do you know?"
Jason sighed, his gaze growing distant. "From experience," he replied, his tone heavy with the weight of his own past.
"Jase, has anyone ever told you that you act all mysterious and whatnot?"
"No, not really"
"It was rhetorical," Percy sighed.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the forest, interrupting the conversation. Jason flipped IVLIVS and caught the sword that emerged from thin air, Percy uncapped his ballpoint pen.
Percy waited for what seemed like centuries until he saw a woman emerge. She possessed chocolate-brown hair, cut choppy and unevenly, with thin strands braided delicately down the sides. Her eyes were a mesmerizing kaleidoscope, seeming to shift in color with every glance, reflecting the depths of the earth and the sky. She locked eyes with Jason, a tempest of anger swirling within her gaze.
Percy also glanced at the dagger she held tightly, hoping it wouldn't be necessary.
Percy decided to say something since Jason and the newcomer were locked in a staring contest. He raised his sword in a friendly gesture.
"Hey, fellow demigod, right? Nice to meet you."
The woman's voice, smooth and commanding, cut through the air with an almost hypnotic quality. "Drop your weapons," she said, her tone imbued with an undeniable authority. Percy heard Jason's sword clatter down onto the floor. Percy raised his eyebrows towards Jason in confusion.
"Charmspeak. A rare ability from Aphrodite, it makes you do what you most desire."
Percy frowned. He wasn't sure why Jason had dropped his weapon.
"Listen, Lady, there's no need to use your mind magic. We don't want to fight."
Apparently the Lady wasn't in the mood for talking as her hand flicked with swift precision, sending the dagger hurtling towards Jason at bullet-like speed. The blade gleamed ominously as it sliced through the air, cutting a deadly path. Jason's reflexes were sharp, though, and with a swift, practiced motion, he deflected the knife with his forearm. The blade skidded off his defenses, grazing his shoulder with a sharp sting.
Dark clouds amassed on the horizon. A palpable tension hung in the air, charged with static electricity. The wind, once a gentle breeze, now stirred with increasing urgency, rustling leaves and bending branches in its wake.
Percy was about to rush in as he saw the lady momentarily standing disarmed with the knife now embedded in the wall behind them.
Jason put his hand on Percy's chest to hold him back.
The storm calmed. Percy wasn't causing the storm. He hesitated, his eyes meeting the Jasons. In that moment, he saw something unsettling deep within Jasons gaze—something dark and powerful, lurking just beneath the surface. It was a flicker of raw intensity, a force that felt both ancient and overwhelming, Percy could feel that Jason was struggling to hold back a storm of immense power. Percy's breath caught in his throat,
"Jase," he said, uncertainty creeping into his voice.
Jason ignored him, looking straight ahead.
"I'm taking Percy to bunker 9," he said, his gaze locked on the woman.
The woman's eyes widened in shock, a mix of disbelief and anger flashing across her face. "You can't be serious," she breathed, the very idea almost too much to comprehend.
Jason remained unfazed by her reaction."It's the only place where he'll be safe," he continued, his tone making it clear that he wasn't asking for her permission. He knew the weight of his words, the bitter irony of bringing Percy to a place she had once fought to protect from the very forces Jason had served.
His eyes, dark and commanding, searched hers for any sign of lingering defiance. The memories of battle, betrayal, and loss hung between them like a heavy, unspoken shadow.
"I will take care of him," the woman nodded at Percy. Her eyes flicked briefly to Jason, a silent message of defiance passing between them before she returned her focus to Percy. Percy had a feeling that she was telling Jason that he was not welcome.
"I'm Piper Mclean"
Before Piper could say anything more, Jason stepped forward, his voice cutting through the air with quiet intensity. "I swore an oath to take him there," he said, his tone brooking no argument. His gaze, hard and unyielding, fixed on her, as if daring her to challenge him.
"There's no need to protect him," he said, his voice firm but calm. "Percy is a son of Poseidon. He can hold his weight"
"That's not good. The both of you together.."
Piper turned to Percy, searching his face as if seeing him for the first time. Percy shifted uncomfortably under her intense scrutiny.
Piper said with increased urgency, "We should go, before we attract monsters."