Jason was tired. In the span of three days, he'd been forced to screw three women, one of them his stepmother, stabbed out a giant's eye with his bare arm, and then the next day he killed his dead mother for the second time, and then he was stabbed through with a sword. Great times.
Currently, Annabeth and Piper were out on some dangerous mission, so Jason was now left to hope his girlfriend wouldn't die. And since Leo was tinkering on something in the engine room and had told them all this morning that he would beat anyone's ass who disturbed him, Jason was left with Hazel, who hadn't spoken or looked at him since the incident, Frank, who would either awkwardly stumble or stare icy daggers at him when he thought Jason wasn't looking, or Percy, who was definetly making an effort, but was clearly incomfortable.
Jason couldn't blame them. Every time he thought about that night, it was like liquid shame bubbled up and started pouring out his body. Usually, he'd wake up with the feeling and he was bleeding through his bandages again, but that was beside the point. It felt like liquid shame.
In a way, he'd been tempted to join the suiters. Not because what they did was right, but seeing his mom look at him the way she did...it was like he could save her. He hadnt protected Annabeth or Hazel, or gods, even Piper four nights ago. He hadn't saved them from pain-he'd caused it.
He had fulfilled his legacy as the Son of Zeus. Sure, maybe Percy was right, he'd been under a spell; but he had enjoyed it. What if it wasn't a spell? What if he turned into Zeus? Just fucking any girl that came along damn the consequences?
Jason could at least hope that maybe his body would be worn out by now, that it would have had too much sex and now it'd be tired. But alas, no male's body worked like that, and certainly not Jupiter's child. He'd wake up every morning still, with the evidence of his multiple orgasms the night before. Now, it was worse because he was also covered in blood, which meant someone had to come change his bandages before he could shower. Piper either was too polite to notice, or too concerned. But now, Jason had to pick whoever on this ship would do it, because when he brought a shaking hand up from his abdomen he was covered in blood.
He'd been on guard duty all last night, so he'd gotten to bed around seven am, which meanr he got to enjoy a good morning's rest of about five hours. He didn't mind it, though. His dreams were either sex dreams, or dreams about his mother disinegrating before his eyes, so conciousness was welcomed. The girls were still gone, he assumed, so now, he had to go find Percy and beg for medical help.
He eased himself out of bed, wincing as the imaginary hot iron pierced throigh his gut over and over again. His limbs were shaking, and he managed to make it up to the deck, where Percy and Frank stood, clearly having a seeious conversation.
Jason debated for a moment if he just wanted to bleed out rather than face the boyfriends of the two girls he'd recently screwed while they had been forced to watch. Sure, he and Percy had had a good chat, but he hadn't even been spoken to by Frank...
"Hey, man," Percy said jovially. "You're like super bloody."
He made eye contact with Frank for the first time in days, and Frank gave him a small smile. He raised his eyebrows at the mess Jason considered a t-shirt, and Jason gave him a small smile back. Progress
"Yeah," he said. "Uh, since Piper's gone, I, uh, kind of need someone's help."
They gave each other an awkward look, Percy clearly trying to encourage Frank to help Jason out. Jason wondered how Percy felt he was being subtle, but he understood. Percy seemed like someone who thrived when everyone got along and all his friends were each other's friends. Finally, Frank conceded, and sighed.
"Thanks," Jason said, holding his gaze. "I appreciate it."
Jason limped his way down to the medbay, and slipped off his shirt. Frank raised his eyebrows, and shakingly helped Jason unwrap his bloody bandages. Blood immediatley poured from it, and Jason was beginning to feel weak. His head was beginning to spin.
"Percy!" Frank yelled. "I need your help!"
"Is it bad?" Jason asked, and his own voice sounding muffled, and slowed down in his own ears.
Percy was rushing in, now, but he was blurry. Well, a lot of things were blurry these days, but he'd figured that was because he was tired. Percy was saying something to Frank, and then he felt like sawdust was being pushed into his mouth, he tried to get it out, but then everything went black.
He dreamed of Hera. Jason didn't love the third-person perspective of seeing himself have sex with his stepmother. He was sweaty and bruised, as he pounded into her, and Jason winced at the sound of his moans. That's embarrassing that everybody had to hear that. His eyes had a wolfish gleam to them, as if he was conquering a city. It made him uncomfortable.
But then the scene changed to Zeus and Apollo.
"You take back your punishment for what, Father?" Apollo asked, his tone of voice one thay was clearly not pleased that he'd been punished at all.
"The prophecy of the Seven barely matters, now," Zeus said, rubbing the wrinkles out of his forehead. "Well, it does matter, but Gaea has made a move that will being forward the motion of the end of the age of the gods if we don't stop her."
"Hasn't everything been about ending the age of the gods?" Apollo asked, and Jason had to agree.
"There was a spoken prophecy long, long ago," Zeus growled. "One that has been fulfilled, and one that brings final destrcution on the Olympians."
"Yes, yes, when Hera bears a child that is not yours ancient vows of Olympus will be broken," Apollo said, waving his hand. "If you're worried Hera is having an affair now-"
"Have you been living under a rock?" Zeus shouted. "Do you not know what the giant Aphrolhian has done?"
Apollo shuddered at the wrath, mouthing that he really did not know what was going on. He mentioned softly that he'd been on Delos this whole time.
"Hera is pregnant with my son's child," Zeus said, and Jason shuddered.
"Who? Which son?" Apollo asked, clearly wanting to know for the sake of gossip.
"Jason Grace," Zeus roared. "Who else, Apollo? Must I explain everything to you?"
Apollo cowered again, and apologized. Then the fear seemed to sit in, that his very own position had now been threatened.
"Call Athena to me," Zeus finally said. "I must speak with wisdom."
Jason sat up with a gasp. He knocked heads with Percy, and then Annabeth shoved him back down. She was doing something to him that looked sort of surgical, and Jason decided not to ask. His heart was beating really fast, and he felt sweaty.
He barely felt any physical pain, now. All he could think aboht was his dream. Hera? Pregnant? Gods, what had he done? Even without that apparently bringing impending doom, he was sixteen! Just sixteen!
"Done!" Annabeth said. "Jason, I just stitched you up. Do not break your stitches, or you will bleed out."
Her voice was stern, and Jason realized that he'd better obey. Annabeth and him had always had a rocky relationship. He had always known that she'd never trusted him...he didn't know if it was because he was Roman, or the Son of Zeus, or just because of his personality. But weirdly enough, she seemed to trust him just fine, now. At least, she would talk to him.
"I had a weird dream," he said, his head still trying to clear. He felt groggy. "Apparently doomsday is coming."
"What are you talking about?" Percy exchanged a concerned glance with Annabeth. Jason didnt know if it was because they were concerned about him because he sounded crazy, or because of doomsday.
"Zeus pulled Apollo from Delos," he explained. "Said nothing mattered anymore because Olympus is going to be destroyed."
"Like on August first?" Percy asked.
Jason shook his head. "I don't think so. He said, uh, well, he said something about a prophecy. A prophecy that was fulfilled because Hera's pregnant."
They both blinked at him, it dawning on them what he had just said. Jason felt his head start to hurt. This was too much.
"Are you?" Annabeth let her voice trail off, and Jason held her gaze making her ask the question. "The father?"
Jason looked away from her, a lump rising up in his throat. Tears stung his eyes for a moment before he turned to look at Percy and Annabeth. Percy looked distant, and almost angry. Annabeth looked like she was calculating something.
"If my dream was reality," Jason said slowly. "Yes, my father said Hera's baby is mine."
Jason saw very well as he sat there with his new glasses. He saw so good he hadnt realized how bad his vision had been before. But now, everything was so clear he wished he'd had glasses his whole life.
"Alright, vegetarian," Aslcepius said, looking over at Piper. "That's fine, but you'll need to keep up the protein, especially with the pregnancy."
Jason snapped his head at Asclepius. Leo widened his eyes, and Piper shakily turned to look at Jason.
"Piper's not pregnant," Leo said, as if he denied it it wouldn't be true.
Asclepius laughed. "Of course she is. Almost a week along."
Jason swallowed. He looked at Asclepius again, and then Piper. He hadn't told Piper about his dream, and had made Annabethe and Percy swear to secrecy about the Hera thing.
"Asclepius, i know you're a super good physician, but I'm on birth control," Piper said, her voice a little shaky.
"Birth control, even the demigod formula creates by Apollo and Aphrodite, does nothing against the Blessing of Jupiter," Asclepius laughed. "And you're friend here, his son, definitely has it, and is definitely the father."
Jason sat back, shuddering at his words. "You said the blessing of Jupiter?"
Asclepius smiled kindly at him. "You should feel very honored, not all of Jupiter's sons were in his favor so much."
"Sure," Jason agreed half-heartedly, "but what is it?"
"I think you know what it is," Asclepius said softly. "You remember the night he blessed you."
Jason blushed, and both Piper and Leo gave him a curious, but slightly horrified look. He ignored them, pressing on.
"But what does that have to do with Piper being pregnant?" He asked.
"Increased fertility," Asclepius said. "Mortal birth control doesn't work for demigod women because their eggs are too resistant to stop ovulation. Demigod birth control is strong enough to stop the egg, but your seed, Mr. Grace, is stronger. It creates a pull that the egg must respond too-even if the female you're having intercourse with isn't ovulating."
"So you're saying," Piper said faintly, "that every girl Jason has had sex with will get pregnant?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," the god said. "Hercules impregnated a whole village with it!"
Jason's ears were ringing. His clear sight wasn't so clear anymore. He looked up and over at Piper who was sitting back, and then Leo who was looking awkward.
"Anyways," Asclepius continued. "Onto Leo, and why you three are here in the first place-the Physician's Cure."
"Hold on," Jason interrupted. "Is this a one hundred percent chance sort of thing? Demigod birth control was invented ten years ago, far from the last time Jupiter even had a son to bless. We don't know that is doesn't work."
Asclepius looked sad for a moment, then he turned to Jason, kindly. "I have a very good guess, Jason. But you are correct. My guess from your questioning is that Ms. Mclean is not the only one to carry your seed?"
Jason's face burned with shame. Piper wasn't meeting his eyes, and even Leo had stopped fidgeting to stare out at the window. He kept his gaze steady, before giving a nod once. He couldn't bring himself for the full explanation- even now he felt like this had been all his fault, and he'd been behaving like a sex-craved teenage boy, fulfilling his role as the son of Jupiter.
"Take these," Asclepius murmured, handing him a box of pregnancy tests. "They'll detect any pregnancy, no matter how early, in demigods."
Jason swallowed, ready to explain that it hadn't really been his fault, but Asclepius continued.
"I have to warn you, I know mortals have abortion as a pregnancy choice, but this will not work for demigods. The fetus, even now, is too strong, and it will only weaken the vessel that carries it, making birth more of a risk for the mother," Asclepius explained. "You're very young, Jason Grace. I wish you the best of luck with this journey beyond."
Jason called an emergency meeting when the got back. Leo and Piper had been silent, and he had been too caught up in what Asclepius had told him. They explained about the Physician's Cure to the whole table.
"There's something else," Jason said, sitting back, and slamming two pieces of wrapped plastic. "Asclepius told me another piece of information that is worth visiting."
Piper looked at him blinking, seemingly curious if he was going to share that she was pregnant or not. He hadn't been planning on it, but he figured Annabeth and Hazel should know as soon as they could. It was only fair.
"He told me that there is a very high chance of Hazel and Annabeth being pregnant," he said, motioning to the pregnancy tests he'd put on the table. "He gave me these."
Jason squeezed his eyes closed, cheeks burning. There was silence in the room for a moment. Jason basked in it, wondering if one of them was about to chuck him off the ship. Gods, if he was normal, all he'd have to worry about was not getting Piper pregnant, and it would've worked. Even now, if it was just her, that seemed better than the idea that her, Annabeth, and Hazel were all carrying his children. Oh, and Hera.
He tried to imagine telling Piper's dad that he had not only gotten Piper pregnant but three other women, including his stepmom. That was a for sure way for him to go all 'King of Sparta' on Jason immediately. Gods, how would they explain this to Chiron? He'd at least have to understand because he was used to the messed up Greek gods shit, but any mortal was going to think this was batshit crazy. This was a TLC show waiting to happen. Or maybe a Lifetime movie?
"Okay," Annabeth started. "Tell me exactly what he said."
Jason opened his eyes to meet Annabeth's-they were the stormiest he'd ever seen them. He felt sparks go up down his arms at the look. He told them what Asclepius had told him, meeting Annabeth and Hazel's eyes equally. He didn't say anything about Piper, but when he glanced over at her, her eyes flashed with anger.
"Well, I guess we'll test then," Annabeth said, handing a test to Hazel.
Hazel looed terrified, but she nodded, her chin quivering, eyes holding back tears as she stood to follow Annabeth. Jason was ready to start crying himself-this was perhaps the most awful feeling, and though he'd never been seasick, he was starting to feel nauseous.
"You could've waited until after Gaea to tell them," Piper told him, and he glanced over at her.
"They deserved to know as soon as I did," Jason responded.
"Now you've just discouraged them days before we fight the giants and provided an unnecessary distraction," Piper snapped, and Jason raised an eyebrow.
He and Piper had never fought before. She'd never snapped at him. He ignored the awkward glances from Frank and Percy.
"We're a team, Pipes. The more information we have all together, the better," he responded, his voice steady.
Jason figured that made him a hypocrite that he hadn't told her about his dream about Hera, and he wouldn't blame Percy for bringing it up. But if he and Hera knew, what was the difference?
"Or, we all die anyways and they spent their days needlessly worrying about stuff that didn't matter," Piper said hotly, and Frank shuffled, clearly feeling awkward.
"Piper, it's their bodies," Jason said back. "They should know as soon as I do. Besides, we're worried anyways, either Gaea is going to destory us or not."
"Is it their bodies? Because Asclepius was pretty clear we don't have a choice about this," Piper snapped. "No abortion or anything."
"Because it's dangerous to you," Jason repeated. "I learned that in New Rome."
"Did you also learn about your little blessing in New Rome?" Piper asked, and Leo cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't grow up a demigod, so I wasn't aware I couldn't take care of an unplanned pregnancy. Maybe if I had known as much as you, I wouldn't be pregnant right now."
Jason raised his eyebrows. "Piper, I didn't know about the fertility thing, I promise."
Tears were dripping down Piper's eyes, and he reached for her hand, but she slapped it away. She was about to say something, but Annabeth interrupted her.
"Jason, it's positive," she said, holding her head high. "So is Hazel's."
Piper slammed her fist on the ground before slamming the dining room door behind her.
The war ended and Leo was gone. Jason was miserable. Piper was barely talking to him, and Chiron had asked him to step back and let her heal. Chiron didn't know yet about the giant fiasco, and Jason, Annabeth, and Percy were trying to figure out a way to tell him.
Jason woke up early most mornings. It was three weeks after the war, and he still hadn't recovered. He kept busy enough, with making shrine plans, and other camp classes. That, and worrying about impending fatherhood that would apparently usher in impending doom.
A knock at the door startled him, and he quickly rolled off, rolling his eyes at the sticky mess that was his pants.
"Just a second," he said, dumping his come-smeared shorts into a corner and wiggling into clean boxers and jeans.
He opened the door, half wiggling into his t-shirt. Percy stood there, and Jason yanked his Camp Jupiter shirt down.
"Don't worry man, I've already seen you in your full glory," Percy said. "Gods, it's somehow lonlier in here than my cabin."
"Thanks," Jason grumbled letting him in. "What's up?"
"Just wanted to see how you're holding up," Percy said. "Gods, I can't imagine losing Grover. And with everything else..."
"Yeah," Jason murmured, inviting him in. "How's Annabeth doing?"
"Morning sickness started yesterday," Percy responded, eyeing Hippie Zeus.
"How are you feeling about all of this?" Jason ventured.
Percy grinned. "Dude, are you asking me how i feel about the fact that you impregnated my girlfriend?"
Jason sat on his cot, defeated. "This mythology stuff if fucked up, man."
"You haven't known anything else," Percy pointed out, sitting next to him. "Haven't you gotten used to it?"
"Roman mythology was less weird, and more violent," Jason admitted. "Their worst parts of history are cruelly killing people for sport, the Greeks worst part has everything to do with how obsessed they are with sex. And wine, honestly."
Percy just laughed, clapping a hand on Jason's shoulder. "You're going to be okay, man."
"I just can't believe Leo's gone," Jason murmured. "There's so much left unsaid."
Percy looked down at their feet. "I know."
"I take that back-" Jason said. "I can believe Leo's gone. I didn't get even this far without losing a lot of valuable people, You know that, too."
"Gods, I know that, too," Percy whispered back. "The Titan War killed a lot of good demigods."
"It's funny. I got a lot of my memories back since the swap, but most of them are full of death," Jason murmured.
"You haven't gotten them all back?" Percy asked him curiously.
"I remember being left at the Wolf House, alone. I remember my days with Lupa. I remember being branded a year later. I can picture Reyna, and Dakota, and I can tell you what they meant to me, but I can't give you memories. I can picture becoming praetor, and everything else fades into nothing," Jason said. "It's funny, Piper scolded me on the Argo II for flaunting our relationship in front of Reyna. I can remember what Reyna wanted, like places we both wanted to go to, but I can't imagine her. I wasn't trying to be dense, I just couldn't feel what our friendship was. It's still gone. And I'm scared that it's going to be like that with Leo."
Percy looked up at him, and Jason realized that for the first time, he had tears in his eyes. He hadn't cried about Leo, something that had made Piper yell at him multiple times. He'd tried-but he hadn't been able to feel anything. It was like he'd already taught himself not to cry at death. He'd blamed Rome, but now they flowed freely.
"I'm so sorry, Jason," Percy said. "The Fates haven't been kind to you. And fuck Hera."
"Technically, I did," Jason pointed out.
Percy laughed. "Now she's carrying your little bastard. What do you think a child of Hera would be like?"
"Gods, I don't want to imagine," Jason said. "Though I guess in nine months I won't have to."
"So are you just going to raise all four of them?" Percy asked, and Jason raised his eyebrows.
"What else am I going to do? Gods can't raise demigod children, so I'll be on my own with that one. I haven't talked to anyone else yet on how the other three are going work," he said.
"You and Piper don't have a plan?" Percy asked, looking surprised.
Jason snorted. "Piper and I aren't talking right now."
"Dude, what?"
"She yelled at me to "the fuck out of her cabin with my patronizing ways" four days ago and Chiron told me that she asked him to tell me to giver her some space," Jason explained.
Percy blinked at him. Jason figured it was safe to assume that Annabeth had never said that to him. He was happy that Percy and Annabeth had a seemingly perfect relationship, maybe it would make raising a baby with Annabeth a little easier.
"She's just distraught over Leo," Jason said, even though her words during their fights stung over and over again. "This is her first time grieving someone. Not to mention going through everything pregnant and knowing your boyfriend got three other girls pregnant."
"Being a demigod these days it tough," Percy said. "Like I know it was tough back in Ancient Greece, too, but imagine being a demigod in like the nineties or something. No Big Three children to start wars with each other, only little missions and quests. None of this impending doom and teenage dad of four kids, you know?"
Before Jason could answer, Annabeth burst into his cabin. It wasn't like she wasn't welcome, but Jason didn't know why she was in such a hurry.
"Jason? Piper's in the infirmary," she said, her voice steady and calm and the opposite of what it had been when he'd been stabbed in Ithaca. "She's asking for you."