Jason spotted Percy sitting next to the swimming pool, engaged in conversation with Drew. As he approached, Drew greeted him with a warm, sisterly hug and cheerfully announced that it was Percy's birthday—August 18th. She playfully teased Percy about officially becoming a man at 13, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Drew handed Percy a gift, which turned out to be a wristband. "This isn't just any wristband," she explained with a grin. "It makes holographic rainbows and, if you throw a drachma into it and say 'Fleecy, do me a solid,' you can talk to anyone you want."
Drew then turned to Jason with a mischievous smile. "So, do you have a better present for him?" she challenged.
Jason, caught off guard and surprised by the revelation, realized he had completely forgotten it was Percy's birthday. Or at least he hadn't known in the first place.
Percy thanked Drew with a genuine smile, his eyes lighting up as he admired the wristband.
Turning to Jason, he said, "I'm going to use this to call my mom."
Drew chimed in, her tone supportive, "You can use it to call her while you're on your quest too."
Percy nodded, his expression determined. "I will," he promised, already imagining the comfort of hearing his mother's voice.
"I'll call you too," Percy added, addressing Drew. Jason noticed a genuine, if restrained, happiness in Drew's expression, finding her endearing.
Percy stood up by the edge of the pool, his foot idly kicking the water as he pondered their next steps. The ripples danced around his feet, mirroring his thoughts. He turned to Jason, his expression serious. "I've got a feeling we should start the quest today. Annabeth will be joining us—she's smart and trustworthy, which Leo said we need."
Before Jason could respond, Drew interjected. "But Annabeth doesn't trust Jason."
Percy's brows furrowed. "Why?"
Jason's eyes were hollow, and he remained silent. Drew continued, her voice softening. "She blames him for her sister's death." She glanced at Jason with reassurance. "But it wasn't your fault, Jason. It never was."
Jason was no longer by the pool; he found himself in a starkly different place, staring blankly at something far in the distance, a thousand yards away. The world around him felt surreal and detached. His hand, now trembling uncontrollably, was weighed down by an incredibly frail, tiny arm. The arm seemed delicate, almost as if it could snap with the slightest pressure.
When he looked over to the source of the arm, he expected to see Drew, but the familiar figure was replaced by someone else entirely. It was Julia. Her once bright blonde hair was now damp and hanging limply around her face. Her eyes, which should have been full of life, were instead etched with a deep, haunting pain. The expression on her face was a haunting mix of fear and sorrow, her features drawn tight as if the very weight of her suffering was too much to bear.
A deafening roar of monsters rumbled from just outside, the sound reverberating through the air like a monstrous growl of anguish. The walls around Jason, made of crumbling stone, seemed to tremble in response to the ferocity of the noise.
Jason's voice cracked with desperation as he called out, "Julia?" His eyes searched for reassurance, but the response he received was filled with dread. "I'm scared, Jason," Julia's voice trembled, a fragile whisper that seemed to pierce through the chaos around him.
"I can save you," Jason promised, though his words came out strained and ragged. "I won't fail again." His resolve was evident, but as he spoke, his throat suddenly tightened painfully, closing up as if constricted by an invisible force. He struggled for air, the simple act of breathing becoming a daunting challenge. His breaths came in shallow, desperate gasps, his chest rising and falling unevenly.
As the panic set in, his entire body began to shiver uncontrollably. The coldness of fear gripped him, causing his limbs to tremble and his teeth to chatter. The noise seemed to close in on him, merging with Julia's fearful voice. The oppressive sound seemed to suffocate him, heightening the sense of terror that was closing in around him.
In the midst of the overwhelming chaos, Jason's senses sharpened unnaturally. Despite the roar of monsters and the oppressive atmosphere, he could hear a distinct, unsettling silence—the exact moment when Julia's heartbeat ceased.
It was as if the sound of her heartbeat had been a thread tying him to reality, and now, with its abrupt stop, everything seemed to unravel. The silence was deafening, filled with a haunting finality that left Jason gasping, his heart pounding with a sense of profound loss and despair.
Jason found himself back at camp, standing in the midst of a scene that felt all too real. Before him, a young Annabeth stood with eyes blazing, her face twisted in anger and grief. The camp's familiar surroundings seemed distant and unreal, overshadowed by the raw intensity of her accusation.
Her voice was a sharp, accusatory blade, cutting through the air with each word. "You let my sister die," she said, her tone heavy with a mix of fury and sorrow. The words struck Jason with the force of physical blows, each accusation a searing pain that pierced his heart.
"And you left her corpse to rot," Annabeth continued, her voice trembling with emotion. The image of Julia's lifeless body and the abandonment it implied was like a lead weight pressing down on Jason's chest.
"We can't even bury her," Annabeth's voice broke as she uttered the final accusation. The profound grief in her eyes was a mirror to his own torment, reflecting the depth of the loss.
Each word was a cruel twist of the knife, magnifying Jason's sense of failure and helplessness. The accusations echoed in his mind, each one amplifying the suffocating weight of his guilt and sorrow, leaving him paralyzed in a storm of remorse and anguish.
Jason looked down at his arms, the weight of his burden painfully evident. He was carrying Julia's lifeless body, cradled gently but with a gravity that made every movement a struggle. As he flew through the air, the miles seemed to stretch infinitely.
The scene shifted as he approached Julia's father's home. As Jason descended, the father emerged, his eyes widening in horror as he took in the sight of his daughter's lifeless form. The father's reaction was instantaneous—a primal, guttural screech that tore through the air. The sound was raw and anguished, a visceral expression of grief that struck Jason.
It was a sound Jason would never forget, a heart-wrenching wail that conveyed the profound agony of losing a child. It resonated deeply within him, reverberating through his mind with relentless intensity. The scream seemed to echo endlessly, a haunting reminder of the father's unimaginable pain.
Jason stood there, motionless, as the sound replayed in his head like a relentless loop. Each iteration of the scream was a fresh wound, an unending reminder of the heartbreak and failure that marked that tragic moment. The grief of that sound lingered, filling the silence with a sorrow that Jason could not escape.
Jason was jolted back to reality with a sudden, disorienting shift. The vivid, haunting scenes from his memory melted away, and he found himself in the present moment. Drew was nearby, her face streaked with tears, her body shaking with the intensity of her sobs. The raw, guttural sounds of her crying seemed to pierce through the haze of Jason's emotional numbness.
Jason, in stark contrast, stood motionless. His expression was a blank mask of emotional detachment, his eyes devoid of tears. The capacity to cry had been drained from him, leaving him in a state of profound, aching emptiness. His face was impassive, as if he were disconnected from the overwhelming sorrow that surrounded him.
As he stood there, he saw Piper rushing toward him, her movements frantic and urgent. Percy was guiding her, his own face a mixture of concern and determination. Piper's eyes were wide with worry, her steps hurried as she tried to bridge the gap between them. The sight of her, combined with Percy's supportive presence, brought a sliver of focus back to Jason. The stark contrast between Drew's raw grief, Piper's urgent approach, and his own numbed state highlighted the emotional chasm Jason was struggling to bridge.
Piper, her face etched with a mix of concern and urgency, stepped closer to Jason. "Jason, focus on your breathing," she instructed gently, her voice cutting through the fog of his disorientation. Her words reached him only partially, the rest of her advice lost in the muddle of his emotional numbness.
She placed a tentative hand on his arm, her touch both reassuring and grounding. "Can I touch you?" she asked softly, seeking his consent.
Jason, his mind struggling to reconnect with the present moment, gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. The simple gesture was a signal of his willingness, though his body remained rigid and his gaze unfocused.
Piper, sensing the need for more connection, asked, "What can you see and feel right now?" Her voice was steady, encouraging him to ground himself in his senses.
As Jason began to answer, he described the immediate environment in muted tones, his observations starting to cut through the dense fog in his mind. With each description, his senses gradually sharpened. He noted the cool air against his skin, the muted colors of the surroundings, and the distant sounds of the camp. As he spoke, the clarity of his thoughts began to return, and the overwhelming haze started to lift. His mind, slowly emerging from its state of paralysis, began to piece together the fragments of reality, aided by Piper's calm, guiding presence.
Suddenly, Jason's gaze sharpened, and a clear, urgent thought cut through the fog of his disorientation. He turned to Percy with a focused intensity, his voice firm despite his earlier emotional turmoil. "Percy, can we have a training session?"
Percy's reaction was immediate and instinctive. Without waiting for Piper's plea or needing any further encouragement, he sprang to his feet. His body moved with practiced efficiency, driven by a deep understanding of what Jason needed in this moment. Percy's face set in a determined expression, reflecting his readiness to help his friend regain his focus and calm.
Piper, though still distressed, saw Percy's swift response as a sign of hope. She had known that engaging in sword training could help Jason center himself and channel his distress into something constructive. As Percy moved with purpose, Piper's worry began to ease, replaced by a sense of relief. She watched as Percy prepared for the training, confident that this familiar, rigorous activity would provide Jason with the mental clarity and calm he desperately needed.