{Jason}
AS SOON AS DREW started talking Jason wanted her to stop. He really didn't want to hear about how great she was and how to match handbags to certain clothes. His head was instead preoccupied with Lina. He had tried to ignore the way her hands on his arm made him nervous. He had also squashed the need to blush when she was peering curiously at him.
He was so distracted that he hadn't even seen them come up to the house. However as soon as he did, he knew he shouldn't be there at all. Every molecule in his body told him he was on enemy ground, he just didn't know why.
"Here we are!" Drew said cheerfully. "The Big House, camp headquarters."
"I am not supposed to be here," he said eyeing the house.
Drew looped her arm through his. "Oh please. You're perfect here, sweetie. Believe me, I've seen a lot of heroes."
Jason slipped his arm from hers. "Look you seem nice and all but—"
"Is it that girl?" Drew pouted. "Oh please don't tell me you're dating the Dumpster Queen. Or is it Little Miss Sunshine?"
Jason had to try hard not to turn red at the mention of the daughter of Apollo. He didn't know how to answer. He had never seen Piper or Lina before today and he felt guilty especially towards Piper. She believed she was his girlfriend however he couldn't seem to get Lina out of his head.
Before he could answer he heard footsteps on the front porch. No—not footsteps, hooves.
Drew gave him a look, as if saying that this conversation wasn't over. She then called out, "Chiron. This is Jason. He's totally awesome!"
Jason backed up so fast he almost tripped. Chiron started to smile at Jason. Then the color drained from his face.
"You..." The centaur's eyes flared like a cornered animal's. "You should be dead."
Chiron ordered Jason—well invited, but it sounded like an order—to come inside the house. He told Drew to go back to her cabin, which Drew didn't look too happy about. Jason was having a party inside.
Jason tried to concentrate on everything he saw inside the house. It was a lot but what caught his attention the most the stuffed leopard's head above the fireplace. Then it snarled, and Jason nearly leaped out of his skin.
"Now, Seymour," Chiron chided. "Jason is a friend. Behave yourself.
"That thing is alive." Jason said.
"You must excuse the décor." Chiron said. "All of this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled back to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us to remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of humor."
"Mr. D," Jason said. "Dionysus?"
"Mmm hmm." Chiron poured lemonade, though his hands were trembling a little.
"So Jason," he said, "would you mind telling me—ah—where you are from?"
"I wish I knew." Jason told him the whole story. From waking up on the bus to crash landing at Camp Half-Blood. He didn't see the point in lying.
When Jason was done, the old man sipped his lemonade.
"I see," Chiron said. "And you must have questions for me."
"Only one," Jason admitted. "What did you mean when you said I should be dead?"
Chiron studied him with concern, as if he expected Jason to burst into flames. "My boy, do you know what those marks on your arm mean? The color of your shirt? Do you remember anything?"
Jason looked down at the tattoo on his forearm.
"No," he said. "Nothing."
"Do you know where you are?" Chiron asked. "Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?"
"You're Chiron the centaur," Jason said. "The old one from the stories, who used to train Greek heroes like Heracles. This...this is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods."
"So you believe these gods still exist?"
"Yes," Jason said immediately. He then winced as if something had hurt him. "I mean I don't think we should worship them or you know sacrifice people to them. However they are still around, moving from country to country as the center of power shifts."
"I couldn't have said it better." Something had changed in Chiron's voice. "So you already know the gods are real. You have already been claimed, haven't you?"
"Maybe," Jason answered. "I'm not really sure."
Seymour snarled.
Chiron waited, and Jason realized what had just happened. The centaur had switched to another language and Jason had understood, automatically answering in the same tongue.
"Quis erat—" Jason faltered and made a conscious effort to speak english. "What was that?"
Chiron gazed curiously at Jason. "You know Latin. Most demigods recognize a few phrases. It's in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice."
Jason tried to wrap his head around what the centaur had said. He was still lost in space when he saw Chiron was saying a few things but it was almost as if the world had gone mute while Jason was stuck in his mind.
Finally something clicked and he could hear again. In the corner, the arcade game made a sad pew-pew-pew-pew sound, like Pac-Man had just died.
"...I swore on the River Styx and on all things sacred that I would never ..." Chiron frowned. "But you're here, in violation of the same oath. That too should not be possible. I don't understand. Who would've done such a thing? Who—"
Seymour howled. His mouth froze, half open. The arcade game stopped beeping. The fire stopped crackling.
"Chiron?" Jason asked. "What's going—"
He turned but the old centaur had frozen as well, his mouth open mid-sentence.
Jason, a voice said.
Jason scrambled back before standing. Grabbing the golden coin from his pocket, he flipped it and it changed into a sword.
A dark mist formed into a woman in black robes. Her face was hooded but her eyes glowed in the darkness. Over her shoulder was a goatskin cloak. He didn't know how he knew it was goatskin but it seemed important.
Would you attack your patron? the woman chided. Her voice echoing in Jason's head. Lower your sword.
"Who are you?" Jason demanded. "How did you—"
Our time is limited, Jason. My prison grows stronger by the hour. It took me a full month to gather enough energy to work even the smallest magic through its bonds. I've managed to bring you here, but now I have little time left and even less power. This may be the last time I speak to you.
"You're in prison?" Jason decided maybe he wouldn't lower his sword. "Look, I don't know you and you're not my patron."
You know me, the voice insisted. It was starting to get a little annoying. I have known you since your birth.
"I don't remember. I don't remember anything."
No, you don't, she agreed. That was also necessary. Long ago, your father gave me your life in order to placate my anger. He named you Jason, after my favorite mortal. You belong to me.
"Woah," Jason said, starting to think she might be a tiny bit unstable. "I don't belong to anyone."
Now it is time to pay your debt, she said. Completely ignoring Jason. Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the Earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory.
"Is that a threat? You took my memories?"
You have until sunset on the solstice, Jason. Four short days. Do not fail me.
The dark woman dissolved leaving Jason with more questions than answers.
Time unfroze. Seymour's howl turned into a cough like he'd just sucked in a hairball. "—would dare to bring you here?" Chiron finally finished his sentence.
"Probably the lady in the mist." Jason offered, shrugging lightly.
Chiron looked up in surprise. "Weren't you just sitting ... why do you have your sword drawn?"
"I hate to tell you this," Jason said. "but I think your leopard just ate a goddess."
He told Chiron what had happened with the frozen-in-time visit and the dark Misty figure.
"Oh dear," Chiron murmured. "That does explain a lot."
"Then why don't you explain a lot to me?" Jason said. "Please."
Before Chiron could say anything, footsteps reverberated on the porch outside. The front door flew open, and Annabeth and another girl, a redhead, burst in, dragging Piper between them. Piper's head lolled like she was unconcious.
"What happened?" Jason rushed over. "What's wrong with her?"
"Hera's cabin," Annabeth gasped, liked they'd run all the way. "Vision. Bad."
The redhead looked up, and Jason saw that she'd been crying.
"I think ..." The redheaded girl gulped. "I think I may have killed her."
Chiron rolled over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't you fret child. Go get Lina. She'll know what to do to help."
The girl gave a nod and ran back out the door as Jason could only stare at Piper's body.