icarus complex ● jason grace

one way flight.

Anastasia didn't know half of the people at the counselors meeting, but every single one of them seemed sure that they had a problem.

They were supposed to have them monthly, and they did, but it had always been more of Ivan's forte to play nice than Ana's. Still, she kept quiet, didn't pick a fight. In a room with this many armed demigods, she was keen to speak only when spoken to.

Jason and his crew were all at one end of the table, de facto leaders, even after this many years—not head of their cabin but invited guests. Beside them was Nyssa, but she was the only other one older than 16. Most demigods didn't live that long. Anastasia hadn't. She couldn't say she'd ever once been as naive as these guys though.

"Camp isn't safe anymore," some daughter of Demeter protested. "We have to do something, Chiron."

"Camp is still the safest place you could be," Annabeth interjected. There was only one empty chair separating the two of them, like Annabeth was trying to prove a point. "I mean, the Hunters..."

She trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Thalia's hands were curled into fists across from them.

"You should go," Annabeth said finally. "Percy and I can join you if—"

"No," Rachel interrupted. "This isn't your quest."

She looked better off now that she wasn't demanding Jason kill Ana, but she hadn't apologized for it. The better, kinder part of Anastasia wanted to believe it was because Rachel wasn't fully aware when the Oracle possessed her. The more logical part knew what making enemies felt like. She knew no one wanted her at the meeting. Nyx wasn't even supposed to have a cabin here—she hadn't when Ana died and it didn't feel right to make a martyr of her children after the fact.

Nyx wasn't a very good mother, was all.

She found herself missing Nico di Angelo. Or well, not 'missing', but feeling out of place without, like she was missing part of a puzzle and knew exactly the piece she needed to fix it. He never liked her either, really, but at least he understood her, which was almost as alright.

Anastasia knew it wasn't her place to say anything, and she didn't want to help these people anyway, but something was itching at her, burrowing under her skin. She wasn't an Oracle. She didn't know things like this. But there was something about Jason coming back to life and the monsters that were so suspicious, even an idiot could see that they were connected.

She leaned forward in her seat. The room was quiet, deliberating. Jason sat across from her, close enough for him to pick up on the small movement. He looked like he was going to refute whatever she said preemptively. Something told her to say it anyway.

"The monsters came out to kill you," she pointed out. "That's the only reason they're here. You must realize that."

Jason rolled his eyes. "People wanting me dead isn't the same as an army of monsters waging war on Camp Half-Blood."

"Yes it is," she protested. "Underworld shit is—you can't sense it? They're only here to bring you back."

Jason looked like this annoyed him. Suddenly, the thing she didn't want—all eyes on her—had happened. It was the JasonAna show. Seemingly not for the first time. "So what? You want me to just, like, die?"

"It's not like it isn't tempting," she snapped, equally as frustrated by her own intuition.

She wasn't sure if she was irritating him or hurting him, but it was the truth. He wasn't responsible for the deaths, but he couldn't pretend he didn't have a hand in it. That was the problem with heroes, they only wanted to claim the good stuff.

"I have no idea why you're telling me this if you're not even going to offer up a solution," Jason said.

"I don't need to come up with a solution," she replied. "Seeing as it's not me that they're trying to kill!"

"Anastasia," Chiron said sharply. "That's enough."

Ana didn't care much about being silenced, but she hoped they wouldn't brush her off just because they hated her. She couldn't help this feeling, that funny feeling Eleanor would call it, that said this could be the start of another war if they didn't act now. Monsters didn't take kindly to people coming back from the dead, especially when they were the children of Zeus.

"I mean," Jason continued, because obviously that's enough had never applied to him, "how do we know Ana didn't summon them?"

She lunged out of her seat, hands pressed into the table, only seconds away from vaulting herself at him when Annabeth tugged her back down by the hem of her shirt. The smirk Jason was wearing told her that this was his goal, a challenge that she was always going to fail. She realized then, she had underestimated what she was dealing with. He may not be much of a warrior anymore, but he was an artist, painting a picture; setting the scene.

"Don't," Annabeth said, uncertainly. "It's not worth it."

Anastasia had never been blood hungry, but she felt nauseous with it now. She could kill him with her bare hands. She wanted to.

They still hadn't arrived at a solution. If anything, they were now even more unsure of the problem. Everyone looked reluctant to comment, perhaps afraid that Jason would shut them down too. People didn't tend to be scared of Anastasia. If there was fear in the Hermes counselor's eyes, that was all him.

People started packing up to leave, wishing Thalia their goodbyes, but Ana was still—"You don't know anything," she spat across the table. "Go to Hell."

Jason Grace smirked and reclined back in his seat, amused at her outburst. His eyes glittered with disdain. "Already been, sweetheart."

they hate each other sooo much <3 but that's just showbiz baby!

-m