Falling for You

Jason: II

Jason: II

Jason wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, taking a wobbling step back to support Piper, who had taken a nasty blow to her leg. Frank stepped in front of him, hovering beside a victorious Hazel a step away from where the Giant's body was, her spatha clattering to the floor as she flexed her fingers.

"Your hair's still on fire." Jason said absently.

Next to him, Leo patted it out with his hand.

Hecate seemed to be exchanging a word with Hazel, who couldn't keep the satisfaction off her face at bringing down Clytius. Jason had never been prouder of her; when Clytius had lunged at them, Frank had been a blur, first a demigod then a dragon, almost rugby tackling the giant before they had all stepped in. But it was Hazel who had stepped in halfway, the room hazy with magic, and delivered the final blow.

"Drakon!”

He jumped as Mars bellowed behind him, shooting past them and the other Gods with his sword held aloft.

The big three Olympians had seemingly stayed up on the surface; only Hecate, Mars, and Mercury were fighting down in the temple. He watched Mars charge towards a drakon that had somehow survived. It pressed itself up against a wall, rearing back as if to strike. If he didn’t know better, Jason would have said it seemed almost defensive.

"Stop!" someone shouted, a body darting in front of it. Jason stared.

He knew that voice. He knew that face.

Mars ground to a halt and Jason saw his weapon slide out his hand a little. The God seemed surprised. Jason was too.

"Jackson?" he heard Mars say.

He blinked.

"Percy!" Nico was a blur as he shot past him.

"Percy?" Piper gasped next to him.

"Percy!" Leo shouted gleefully.

"PERCY!" Hazel shouted, louder than he'd ever heard her before.

The rest streaking ahead, Jason helped Piper limp as quickly as possible over to their missing friend. Percy was back. And he was just standing there looking at them.

"I can't believe it, we- you- and-" Piper seemed to be lost for words as she babbled, running her hand over Percy's head as if she couldn't believe he was truly there; Jason couldn't either.

He hadn't expected to miss Percy as much as he did.

"Bro-" Jason choked, grabbing his shoulders and yanking him into a tight hug, feeling Percy's shoulder blades on his back, sharper than they had been before.

They all retreated after a few minutes to give the son of Poseidon some space. Jason’s mind rushed at a thousand miles an hour.

When had Percy come out? With the drakon? How had he held off long enough to make it? The more Jason recalled the past events, the more his eyes widened. He had seen a figure fighting in the middle of a horde of monsters, sometimes slashing with a sword and other times just throwing monsters back with his bare hands- at the time, Jason had assumed it was Mars. Maybe Nico. Now he wasn't so sure. But it couldn't have been Percy? Not in the state he was in...