Percy and Jason's Totally Rad Roadtrip

5 - Two Boys, One Sword

There was a weird sound like a rope being hoisted, and suddenly he was being hoisted upside down. His foot was pulled out from under him, and he was suddenly dangling in the air by it. It was caught in some kind of a rope trap.

Without his sword, he couldn't cut himself out of it. In the dark, he couldn't see how far of a fall it was to the ground. He was stuck.

He tried to wriggle his foot free, but the more he fought the tighter the rope got. "Great," he muttered for a second time.

"Jason?" the beautiful voice of his girlfriend asked.

"Piper!" he exclaimed, relieved.

Her face appeared in a rainbow of mist before him, her messy hair pulled to the side in a braid. She squinted her kaleidoscope eyes, searching for Jason without luck. "Jason, where are you? I can't see you."

"It's a little dark here," he said obviously.

"I have an idea," she said, rummaging through her backpack. A moment later, she pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on.

She beamed it into the Iris Message at him, temporarily blinding him. "Uh, Jason? Why are you upside down?"

"Long story," he explained. "As much as I'd like to hang around and chat, do you think you can do me a favor?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No problem. What can I do?"

"Can you IM Nico for me? Tell him to come back. Percy and I are inside the ski lodge, somewhere in the lower level. I'm in the restaurant."

"What are you doing at a ski lodge?"

Jason considered what to tell her. He decided the truth was his best answer. "Long story short: your mom asked for a little favor."

She exhaled a laugh. "Gotcha. I'll IM Nico right now, but you'd better be safe. I want to see you in one piece when you get back."

He smiled at her. "No problem, Pipes. I'll see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too, Superman," she winked, sending him an air kiss before swiping away the Iris Message.

He didn't have to hang there for long before Will and Nico arrived. They came prepared, as Will held a lantern in one hand, the other intertwined with Nico's.

"Jason?" Nico asked as they entered the restaurant area.

"Over here," he answered.

Will held the lantern in his direction, and both boys couldn't help but laugh. "A little tied up, eh?" Will joked.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Jason chided. "Wanna help a friend out and cut me down?"

Nico nodded, but the smile didn't leave his face. He withdrew his Stygian iron sword, pulled up a chair and climbed onto it, then began to saw at the rope. A moment later, it snapped and Jason crashed to the ground.

"Ouch," he grumbled.

"You're welcome," Nico said simply. He jumped off the chair and sheathed his sword once more. "So, where's Percy?"