Supernatural Demigods-Book 2

Chapter II-Jason

I lied. I'm just going to upload now because I have to start packing for college soon and knowing me, I'm going to procrastinate. So, surprise!

***********

"Everyone's looking," Jack said. "North and his yetis; Tooth and her fairies. We also got Sandy on air duty and Bunny on ground duty. So far, we haven't gotten anything yet."

Jason sighed. After two weeks of searching, the gang hasn't found a trace of their wayward friend. This wasn't supposed to happen to them. Not now. They just got home to their friends and families and now Percy's gods know where, searching for answers about what happened after her died.

Percy should be here with his friends, not out in the world, looking for clues. Jason didn't like the fact that he, and the rest of his friends, had lied straight to Percy's face for weeks. It didn't sit right with him. He was their friend, for Olympus' sakes!

Jason knew that he should be unsurprised about these kinds of things by now, but a demon bringing someone back to life? He just can't wrap his head around it.

But the only thing that Jason was focused on at the moment was making sure that his cousin is okay.

"Earth to Jason. Come in, Jason." Leo's voice popped into Jason's head.

He shook his head. "Yeah, sorry. What?"

"You with us, bro?" Leo asked.

Jason looked at the faces staring back at him in his cabin. They decided to have the meeting in Jason's cabin, since no one else knew what had happened with Percy. They normally would've gone to Percy's cabin, but...

Jason didn't blame them for not going into Percy's cabin. Really, the only one who goes even near his cabin is Annabeth.

It helps me calm down, she had told Jason one day. His cabin smells like him and whenever I'm frustrated, I just go in Percy's cabin just to breathe and clear my head.

Jason cleared his throat. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Jack looked at him in concern. "We don't have to do this today, Jason," the winter spirit replied softly. "You look beat, man."

It was true. Jason hadn't exactly been getting enough sleep recently. It's not like he could help it or anything. Whenever he tries, all he sees is Percy being stabbed and dying; he'll wake up in a cold sweat and stay up for the remainder of the night, trying to figure out where his cousin could be. He thought that if he stopped studying the map for even a minute, they might never find their friend.

Jason felt the beginning of a headache coming on. He pinched the bridge of his nose to try to stop the pounding in his head.

"I'm fine," Jason lied. He glanced over at Annabeth, who was concentrating on the map in front of the gang.

Her face was impassive, not even giving an inch. She was trying to be strong, but there's only so much a person can take before they reached their breaking point. And Jason could tell that Annabeth was almost at hers.

Which is way we find to find Percy, Jason thought to himself. And fast.

Annabeth already lost her boyfriend once, and now...

One of these days, she will break. And without Percy here to help steady her, there will be no one to stop her from doing something stupid.

"We need to keep looking," Jason insisted. "He's our friend and we need to apologize to him. We shouldn't have lied to him. He deserves to know the truth."

The demigods in room each bowed their heads in shame, but Jack looked the guiltiest. But that wasn't his entire fault. Jason helped start the lying when Percy woke up after he had been brought back to life. So, if it was anyone's fault, it was Jason's.

Apparently, Piper read his mind because she spoke up then. "This wasn't your fault, Jason."

Jason looked over at his girlfriend. "If I had just been honest with him and told him what happened-"

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Piper softly said.

"She's right, Jason," Jack agreed. "Did you know that Percy was planning on searching for clues?"

"No." Jason scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, wondering where the young Guardian was going with this.

"Did you know that Percy was going to wonder about what happened to him after a couple of weeks?" Jack continued.

Jason realized what his friend was trying to do.

He sighed. "No," he muttered. "But that doesn't mean-"

"Yes, it does," Annabeth spoke up for the first time since the meeting began. "You didn't know how Percy would take the news, so you tried to protect him. In retrospect, I probably should've told him when I had the chance, but I had no idea what to say."

"How about," Leo interrupted, "'You died, but the demon that killed you brought you back to life because his master said that you were needed for something big and bad.'"

That resulted in either slapping Leo upside the head or simply glaring at him.

"What?" Leo asked. "You said that you didn't know how to say the truth to Percy, so I gave you an example."

"Idiot," Piper muttered under her breath.

"They meant to say it in a subtle way," Frank supplied. "Not in a rude way."

"Well, you never implied it," Leo protested. "You just said-"

"Okay, knock it off, you guys," Hazel interrupted the argument.

"So, how can we track Percy?" Frank changed the subject.

"We can try to use my shield," Annabeth suggested. "See where he's headed and catch up to him."

"But isn't it broken?" Piper asked. "You told me once that the shield broke during the Second Titan War, then later when Percy was fighting a gorgon."

Annabeth cursed under her breath. "I totally forgot about that. I knew I should've let Percy bring his own shield." She ran a hand through her hair. "I was going to get it fixed, but with everything that's been going on..."

"It's okay, Annabeth," Jason reassured. "There's gotta be another way."

"What if Frank turned into a bloodhound or something and sniffed an item that belongs to Percy, and then track him down?" Leo asked.

Everyone fell silent at that. Jason thought about it. That wasn't such a bad idea. Sure, it's not foolproof, but it's still something.

"Uh, Leo," Hazel said. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Wait a minute," Jason intervened. "Leo might be onto something."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Jason." Annabeth stepped in. "It might be foolproof, in fact it might even be the stupidest plan I've ever heard of, but it's the best chance we've got."

"Frank, are you okay with this?" Jack asked, snowflakes slightly falling around the demigods.

Frank nodded. "If it gives us even a glimpse of finding Percy, I'm in."

"Great." Jason grinned for the first time in days. "Let's go find our friend."

The others smiled back at him, determination in their eyes. Even Annabeth had gained a little sliver of hope in her eyes.

And with that, the demigods and the Guardian left the cabin, and for the first time in weeks, the friends were filled with hope.