CATHARSIS, jason grace¹

𝟬𝟮𝟮. you suck at backstabbing

"We have to stop this," Poppy said gruffly as soon as the doors closed behind Felix. "We have to do something."

Reyna frowned. She had never been the biggest fan of Poppy's forthright attitude. The worry lines on her face made her appear wiser, sterner, and that much older. "What are you suggesting?"

"These monsters are agitated," Poppy said. "They're targeting demigods. They must resent us for destroying the black throne of Saturn. My guess is that they're kidnapping our brethren as some sort of sick sacrifice to bring the Titans back to life. If we launch another assault and sweep through that mountain one more time, it could put an end to this for good. Nip it straight at the bud." Poppy swung her hoe through the air in an arc as though sowing out weeds.

"But we don't know what dark forces still linger on that mountain," Reyna pointed out. "We stay away from it because it's still swarming with evil energy. If we go in blindly, even with our best soldiers, we could be ambushed. Outnumbered. We'd come out with a bigger loss than we have now."

"A smaller party then. Just to scout out the area first."

"We're not gambling with the lives of our legionaries for a mission that may not even accomplish anything."

Poppy's nostrils flared. "How do you know it won't work? Do you not have faith in your own soldiers? In your own comrades?"

Reyna's eyes flashed murderously. "You dare question my loyalty?"

Before they could get into a real fight, Jason broke in.

"I'll go," he volunteered, cutting off their debate. "Alone."

Both girls turned on him immediately.

"Don't be rash," Poppy said, eyebrows furrowed. "How could you go to that horrible place alone, ading?"

Uh oh. Poppy only called Jason ading when she was extremely worried about him. It meant 'younger sibling' in Tagalog. The last time she had used that term of endearment was when Jason was twelve and had been severely concussed after being hit in the head during one of the war games.

"Jason." A muscle twitched in Reyna's jaw. "What makes you think you can take on Mount Orthys without any help?"

"We can't risk any more of our friends," Jason reasoned. "If these ice soldiers truly are working for the Titans, they'll go after me first. They'll want revenge. I defeated Krios in hand-to-hand combat. If I go there alone, I can lure them away from the mountain. Then we can see what we're working with from there."

"You mean, offer you up as bait?" Poppy exclaimed. "No way! Are you crazy? Reyna, tell him that's crazy!"

Reyna's brow tensed at the lack of respect, but her concern for Jason seemed to overpower that. "Yes, you may lure out our enemies, but that could place an irreversible target on your back, which, by extension, affects the legion. It could put Camp Jupiter on the map. We've survived for centuries being hidden from the outside world. We should learn more about who we're fighting before we go charging into battle."

"Reyna's right," Poppy grunted. "You have more than yourself to think about. You're our praetor. You can't lead the legion if you're dead."

Jason almost wanted to laugh. He had been at Camp Jupiter almost all his life and these two had never agreed on anything. Ever.

"There are some fights you can't win on your own, ading," Poppy said, hovering over his desk as though she was anticipating he'd run off. "You might be the pride of the Fifth Cohort, the son of Jupiter, but you can't save everyone."

"But I can't just sit back and do nothing," Jason protested. "Our friends are in danger."

"You won't do nothing," Reyna said with so much certainty it momentarily stunned him. "You will do something. But first you must decide. We must all decide. Who is it that you're trying to protect?"