Jason Grace: After the Burning Maze

500 Years of Terror

"400 years?" I gasped, "I've been dead for 400 years?"

"No, dummy," she rolled her eyes, "Do you think someone executed by her relative could've died after you in your day and age?"

"Well..." I stuttered, "I haven't heard of anyone getting executed by a family member recently. And you mentioned that you're the Princess of the West?"

She sank half her face in one hand and raised an eyebrow, "Westphalia. A kingdom near modern-day Germany." I nodded slowly, still slightly confused, "No, I died a long time before you. You're pretty recent. I think I've been in this seat for a month or so."

I looked at the ticket in my hand and frowned. A month wasn't as bad as 400 years, but I still couldn't believe that that much time had slipped away without me knowing.

"Why were you moving seats?"

"Oh Charon hates me," she grinned, "Every time I get to the front of the line, he always tells me there's been an error and sends me all the way back to section 30. I'm not really sure why."

"Is it like that for other spirits?"

"I'm not sure," she shrugged her shoulders, "But you mentioned that your father is Jupiter. You shouldn't have the same problems I'm having."

"Hey," instinctively, I wrapped my arm around her, to which she stiffened a bit, "I'll help get you through this time. Charon won't reject you if you're with me."

She reached a hand through her shoulder and made a flicking motion. A jolt of electricity shot through me—the first feeling I had had in a month. "Sorry." She grinned as I messaged my tingling finger, "I don't really mind being stuck here. It's better than what's beyond. Plus I get to meet a lot of new people. I probably remember each soul that died in the past 100 years-"

"Wait," I interrupted, and she glared at me, clearly not used to being cut off, "Sorry, it's just, well, how do you find out the time?"

"Oh, you can ask Charon. He'll tell you if you ask nice enough. Or you can be like me and evesdrop when others ask."

I stood up, before turning back and looking at Scarlett one more time. "Hey, can you hold my spot?"

"Hm," she hummed, staring at another spirit who had just entered the door.

I walked up to the counter, where Charon was recording names and dates in a large binder.

"Hey, Char-." I waved, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

"1:34 pm, June 3rd, 2018."

My stomach suddenly tied up in knots. I knew I'd been dead for a month, but June 3rd was Piper's birthday. My eyes threatened to leak at how sorry I was. I'd had been planning her 17th birthday for months before we broke up, romantic dinner date, star-gazing, s'mores, maybe even a little bit of flying... When we split, the first thing I did was call PF Chang's and cancel our reservation. Now, the wound of Piper's breakup and me being torn from her side stung fresh in my mind.

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud "Ding." Scarlett's head jerked up in alarm as she beckoned to me to come back to my seat. Rushing over, I sat down just in time as all the sections of chairs lifted up and were transported one spot to the right. Section 4 was now Section 3.

"Date?" she asked when the moving and machine whirling had stopped.

"June 3rd, 2018," I replied dazedly,

Scarlett let out a whistle. "Time flies. Last time I checked it was only 1902."

I nodded absentmindedly, suddenly, an idea came to my head.