Where You Go ― Jason Grace

xx. happy birthday to jason grace

Jason plucked an extinguished candle from his cake. "I've been thinking."

Ophelia looked at him from where her head rested against his thigh, raising an eyebrow. "About?"

"Camp Jupiter," he said. "All the years we trained there. It was always about teamwork, working as a unit. I thought I understood what that meant. But honestly? I was always the leader. Even when I was younger."

"I remember," Ophelia said. "You were the golden child. The son of Jupiter, most powerful kid in the legion. Everyone thought you were a star—'cept for me, of course. I hated your guts."

He cracked a smile. "I remember that," he said. "I thought you were going to kill me on our first quest together."

"I definitely considered it when you walked straight up to that giant scorpion," Ophelia said. "That thing was the size of a house."

"We survived," Jason reminded her. 

"Not unscathed," Ophelia countered. "Are you forgetting that I had to practically carry you back to Camp Jupiter because you got stung in the leg?" 

Jason winced. "I think I tried to block that memory out," he admitted. "Not my proudest moment." 

Ophelia huffed a laugh. "At least you've gotten better at dodging since then. I mean, kind of." She reached up and tapped his forehead, earning an unamused look. 

Jason pulled her hand away from his face, playing with her fingers as he set his gaze on the city before them. "Y'know, being in this crew of eight... honestly, I'm not sure what to do. I'm not used to being one of so many, well, equals. I feel like I'm failing."

"You are not failing," Ophelia said, sitting up.

"It sure felt that way when Chrysaor attacked," he murmured. "I've spent most of this trip knocked out and helpless."

"Jason, you're the least helpless person I know," Ophelia told him. "We all have different strengths—it's why we're all on this quest. Everybody's got a part to play in this save-the-world business. One piece of the puzzle out of place'll ruin everything."

Jason studied her for a moment, a faint smile on his face. "How do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Say the exact right thing to make me feel better."

Ophelia smiled. "One of my many talents."

He leaned forward and kissed her softly, both of them smiling a little too much for it to be a proper kiss. 

Ophelia wanted to bottle the warmth that flooded through her, to carry it with her into her inevitable confrontation with Maren. She never wanted to forget the way his lips felt against hers, or how his hand felt in her own.

They were quiet for a few minutes after that, just letting the sun warm their bones and the silence calm their worries, if only for a moment. Then, Jason asked softly, "Did Neptune tell you where Maren would be?"

Ophelia swallowed. "No," she murmured. It wasn't technically a lie, but it still tasted bitter on her tongue.

"If she's working with Gaea, she's probably with the giants that have Nico," Jason said. He brushed his fingers through her hair.

A sigh slipped past her lips before she could stop it. "None of it mattered," she whispered.

"You know that's not true," he said gently.

"How is it not?" she asked. "I killed someone I loved, dealt with the PTSD and all of the nightmares. I suffered through the betrayal, fought her countless times before the final battle, endured her taunting—and it all meant nothing. She's back and now I have to fight her all over again."