love is embarrassing | j. grace

xxxvii. jason gets eaten by a turtle

thirty seven. jason gets eaten by a turtle

IVY PACED BACK AND FORTH on the deck, Piper had tried to calm her down but with no luck. Leo had attempted to give her random tasks to do, and Frank had turned himself into small animals. But nothing worked. Besides, she knew Frank was just as worried so his cute animals weren't as cute when worried.

She squints up at the cliff, barely able to see Jason and Hazel's blurry figures as they talk to whoever was at the top.

Ivy watches in horror as Jason tumbles backwards over the edge, arms flailing, screaming as he fell. Piper immediately rushed to Ivy's side. She yells out for him, but as he was about to hit the water, the turtle rose up and swallows him in one giant bite.

"No!" Ivy screams and alarm bells sound across the ship. Frank, Leo, Nico and Hedge scramble around to man the catapults.

Ivy wails and Piper only holds her tighter, "Hey, it's alright."

Ivy can't think straight. And the voices in her head weren't helping, they were screaming even louder than normal and she couldn't understand a word they were saying. She doubled over in pain, gripping her head, Piper was still holding her.

Piper gasps, but Ivy can't open her eyes or move.

"Wake up!" She hears Piper saying faintly.

"Ivy, Ivy —" Someone says. She feels hands move off her, Piper must be moving, and then someone is holding her again.

'Oh, my gods!'

'A ghost!'

'Voices and a ghost!'

'Ivy, look!'

Ivy forces her eyes open and sees Jason staring at her, "What the fu —"

"It's me!" Jason smiles, "I'm okay, Hazel just twisted the mist a little bit to look like that. We had to trick him."

"Oh," Ivy whispers and Jason leans over to kiss her forehead, then gently wipe her tears.

"I'm okay."

Ivy sniffles, feeling a bit embarrassed by her reaction.

'Girl, how were we supposed to know she could manipulate the mist?'

'Obviously he's not going to die by getting devoured by a giant turtle. That was stupid!'

'You were screaming too!'

"I'm glad you weren't eaten by a turtle," Ivy whispers to him.

"Me too," Jason says and helps her to her feet.

The couple head to the mess hall where everyone was already sitting around. Ivy sat close to Jason, hand on his thigh, she was still shaken up about the whole "pretended to get eaten" thing. Jason didn't seem all that okay either, he kept tapping his hand against Ivy's, tapping his feet. Jason was usually pretty good at staying still, even with his ADHD.

Ivy picked at the grapes on Jason's plate, stealing them and placing them on her own. He told them of his mid-air vision.

"A note from Annabeth. I don't see how that's possible, but if it is —" Piper begins.

"She's alive," Leo says, "Thank the gods and pass the hot sauce."

Frank frowns, "What does that mean?"

"It means pass the hot sauce, Zhang. I'm still hungry."

Frank slid over a jar of salsa, "I can't believe Reyna would try to find us. It's taboo, coming to the ancient lands. She'll be stripped of her praetorship."