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Chapter Text

As far as Jason knew, he was the beautiful mistake of his father wrapped in ribbon and gifted on a silver platter to a drill sergeant. The clock tower of the Olympian's palace was all Jason’s ever since Thalia left. He didn’t blame her though. Honestly, leaving sounds a lot better than being his father's little puppet on golden weaved strings. 

Father needed to improve his relationship with his siblings, so he’d be sending Jason down to take some photos and have some interviews with Poseidon and Hades’ sons. Jason hadn’t even met their fathers, so meeting Perseus and Nicolo shook his bones. 

“It’s just nerves, Mars. I’m fine.” He explained to his older brother. Mars always knew when something was bothering him. It was kind of annoying. 

“Well you won’t be. I’ve met that wet brat, and Poseidon lets Perseus run amuck like a purposeless mortal all because he, the god of the oceans, can’t control a child.” He explained.

“Not promising, judging that I’ll be spending the next month with him.” Jason groaned impolitely. Mars flicked his forehead, disappointed in his unprincely turn of phrase. 

“Just be nice to Nicolo. I believe he is around eleven or twelve years old.” Mars begged. Jason just rolled his electric blue eyes and ran off to his room. 

The clock tower had a titanic sized window, letting in showers of natural light. Shelves upon shelves of scrolls and books, old and new, filled his overly opulent sleeping chambers. Minerva, who had become almost a second parent to Jason when Jupiter and Juno forgot about him, insisted his room be both near hers and stuffed with only the finest of literature. The only sign that a teenager lived instead of an ancient scholar here was his bean bag and mini fridge snuck past multiple gods to bring in here. 

He laid across it gracefully. His limbs weren’t long enough to not fit, yet, but they were coming close. Minerva popped her head through my doorway, golden hair whipping around my doorframe. 

“Jason Andonius Grace- Olympia, please tell me you are packed because father’s chariot has arrived. I will not have you embarrassing us at this godly show off by arriving late. It is not fashionable, Jason, it is rude.” Minerva sneered, glowing with mild annoyance as per usual. Her dark olive skin greatly contrasted the fine marble and colorful paintings surrounding her, yet she caught attention far quicker than her surroundings. Jason had grown accustomed to the great beauty that gods and goddesses took advantage of. Nobody muttered about him looking too long like his father. He knew better, acted better than Jupiter ever would. After all, if all goes well, soon he will become an immortal just like most of his other siblings. Habits are impossible to break once you become a god. Jupiter would know. 

“Good morning, my dear fiance. Oh how I shall miss you these weeks we must spend far appart.” Petunia, Jason’s absolute tragedy of a betrothed, shrilled like a teenage girl at her favorite boyband’s concert. He despised the air she breathed, wishing he had the power to take it away. Petunia was an altogether miserable person to be around. She’d’d so far spent her eternal life sending steaks back because they were ‘over cooked’, left her shoes on in multiple temples with giant no shoe signs, forgotten like twenty feast days, complained about Jason’s yiya’s grape leaves, et cetera. Rooms seemed to absorb her evil energy whenever she decided to grace them with her presence. The worst part was that Jupiter didn’t care about her disrespect because she was prettier and more blessed than her nymph counterparts. And even worse than that, she’s a woman. Don’t get him wrong, women are great. He loves and fears the women in his life, but if he’s up somebody’s ass, he’d rather it be a man’s. His father says he can simply take a lover, but he will never be able to love her. 

“Good morning, Petunia. I will see you in three weeks when my captivity ends.” He skirted past her, bags in hand looking for a servant to take them downstairs. 

“Goodbye Jason.” Minerva and Petunia called. Mars waved goodbye at the door. Juno and Jupiter sat idle in the chariot they planned on taking to make an expensive appearance. 

“Remember the plan, my son: we land and get our photos taken by paparazzi, then I make a speech with my brothers where we will formally introduce our children, then you will be interviewed along with the others.” Jupiter mumbled, going on and on. 

“Interact as little as possible with Poseidon’s brat, he’s trouble. I don’t want that energy rubbing off on you, Jason.” Juno ordered. 

“Yes, your highness.” Jason responded like a soldier. They arrived after about an hour of being drilled on what to say and how to say it. 

“Your highnesses, a pleasure. My name is Huginn, and this is Muninn. We will show you to the waiting chamber until the speech.” A large raven spoke in a raspy voice. He fluttered away with another by his side, urging us to follow. He led them through halls decorated in paintings of godly splendor. Heroic deeds were captured everywhere you looked. Most tales he could recite from memory. Both Zeus and Jupiter spent both forms talking about their heroism.

The waiting room held four other gods in traditional clothes, and three other demigods looking incredibly uncomfortable. Poseidon and Hades held their children close as they approached. Jason watched as Jupiter and Juno became their Greek counterparts to begin chatting with their siblings. Persephone was braiding a young, black girl’s hair while another boy watched them pressed against her side. He expected only two other children of the gods to be here, so the girl was a definite surprise. 

On the couch opposite to Hades and his family was Poseidon watching Perseus Jackson with a hawk’s eye. It had long been an open secret that he was trouble for all demigods and immortals who crossed his path, so Poseidon only agreed to send him here to be around some better influences. Nicolo, everyone in the room agreed, was a good influence for him. As was Jason. People also knew that Poseidon treasured nothing more than his soon to be immortal son and would rather die than let him stay like this. He charished dear Perseus and tried at spoiling him at any opportunity. That was really all that Jason knew about him. Jupiter hated talking about him.

“We shall see you children soon. Please behave.” Amphitrite pleaded as she left by her huband’s side. The others followed suit, glaring at their demigod to stay away from trouble for the next hour. That clearly didn’t pass through Perseus’ thick skull.

“Good morning folks. Nico! Nice to see you again.” Perseus began.

“Leave me alone, Jackson.” Nicolo muttered.

“We all know I’m incapable of doing that. Hazel, my dear, it’s great to see you outside that stuffy ass school uniform. Loving the diadem, sweetheart. And you- I don’t know you, Jason Grace, but I’m always open to new friends. I’m Percy!” He grabbed my hand and shook me around for a minute.

“I’m here on business… Percy. My father warned me against interacting with you, so please leave me alone until we go on.” I said, looking away from him.

“Wow Jason, I knew you were gonna be a sheltered prick, but I expected at least a warm, fluffy welcome, man. Bet you do everything daddy says huh, Grace.” Jason wouldn’t stand for it. 

“You spend your free time muddying up the family name, Perseus, at least I don’t have to worry about flees.”

“My dad’s name is clean, but last I checked your dad has to keep a record of all his lady friends cause last time it ended with you.” No he didn’t.

“Both of y’all need to shut up before you give me an aneurysm.” the dark skinned girl next to Nicolo caterwauled.

“Hey Percy!” A low voice came from the doorway. Out came the sexiest man I had ever seen. A dark tan with piercing green eyes walked up to Percy, kissing him on the cheek. His chestnut colored hair swished in angelic waves, revealing a jawline sharper than a diamond underneath. He streatcehed out his long torso, tee-shirt raising just enough to reveal abs that made Nicolo and Jason jump from their seats. Perseus filled the stranger’s arms in a hug. The man held him gently as if Percy was the most precious thing in his entire universe, as if trying to fill him with love. “Oh! I have been rude, haven’t I, my love. My name is Malik of the Erythaean sea, lover of Perseus Marino Thalassa, and son of Lord Poseidon’s head of treasury. Now tell me, dear Perseus: who are your friends?” 

“Hi! My name’s Hazel Erebus, single, daughter of Pluto or Hades or whichever one comes to mind first.” The dark skinned girl, Hazel, said sweetly. “I know Percy from school.”

“Nico Erebus, father says I’m too young to date, and I am the son of Hades.” Nicolo glanced at Percy, who had Malik playing with his hair. “And I met Percy when he accidentally snuck through my window when he was trying to harass my dad. Thanks.” he deadpanned.

“You’re always welcome, you Debbie downer.” Percy interjected, grinning wildly at Nico. 

“My name is Jason Andonius Grace, I’m sadly engaged to the worst monster to ever grace Olympus, and my father is King Jupiter.” Jasom exclaimed. 

“Oh quit moaning, you dumb blond!” Hazel complained. Jason ghasped dramatically. 

The lights suddenly flickered out, the only light being the flashlight Hazel accidentally turned on on her phone. Two sudden knocks came from the door. Nico, Hazel, and Jason flinched as the tap-tap sound rang through the air, but Percy and Malik looked over without an ounce of surprise. In came five demigods, armed with weaponry and packs full of wartime supplies. A young, blonde girl around Percy’s age led them, her knife shining in what remaining light came from Hazel’s phone. Behind him were two other women, one with dark skin and eyes changing color magically, and the other a red head with a warm grinn and loud eyes. The other two were an elvish latino who grinned like a caffined up lunatic, and a muscular man, pale and modest. The elvish boy ran up to the blonde with wild eyes, holding onto something that looked vaguely like a machine. He whispered something in her ears, the blonde responding with a smile and thumbs up. The girl with rainbow eyes began making vague gestures at the redhead, a few at  Jason, with the redhead whispering back answers. Another boy ran in, blond and lanky like a cat, with a crazy expression and what looked to be a sledge hammer.

“Annabeth! Annabeth!” the blond boy began, “I hit the lighting with this, so we’ve got about five minutes to get Perce and Malik out before the power comes back on.” the blonde girl, Annabeth apparently, nodded.

“Thank you, Will. Percy, get your boyfriend on his feet so we can get out of here.” Percy pulled Malik to his feet and joined the group. 

“And what do we plan on doing about the rest of them?” The girl with redhead asked, pointing at Jason, Nicolo, and Hazel. “Hazel and Nico aren’t snitches, but none of us have ever met Jason before. For all we know, he could rat us out and send us all back to square one. And- and Percy is putting his happiness on his chance of escape-” Hazel ran over and stopped her.

“I wanna come with, and so does Nico, he needs more experiences outside the underworld. As for Jason… let’s just bring him along.” Hazel said, shrugging her shoulders while walking back over to Jason menacingly.

“What?!?” I screamed. 

“Why!?!” Everyone else yelped. Hazel just cackled while taking a spot on the couch, eating up the attention. 

“He could rag y’all out, plus, he’s strong enough that once hems convinced of the cause, he’ll be one hell of an asset.” She showed him off like a potential tool they could buy. 

“That’s honestly enough for me, love. Frank, can you grab our dear Jay Jay for us, please.” Annabeth asked, smirking at him. “Oh, and Jason?” She began again. “It would find you well to shut up because you’re one against eight pint sized psychos. Jupiter does not need to know about us until there’s nothing he can do to stop us.” 

Jason shook his head up and down. Frank just picked him up and settled him on top of his muscular shoulders like a small child. It didn’t take long before Jason decided being a captive was the only option no matter what stage of life he was on. 

As the nine of them fled the building, the power flickered back to life. Cameras caught the last bit of their escape, though not enough to have any semblance of what could possibly be going on. Honestly, that was all that was on Jason’s mind too. What was going on?

——

The gang had run for a while before getting in a large, white, unmarked van just inside the city. Jason’s mouth was covered with a piece of duck tape. He wasn’t bound nor gagged, though. Most of the others just tuned out to the sound of 90s punk rock and Percy’s war stories. 

“Sorry about the tape, Jason, but we really don’t want you asking a billion questions before we get back to base. I’m Piper.” The rainbow eyed girl told me happily. 

“The scary blonde is Annabeth Chase, the best soldier we’ve got. That red haired girl is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, she knows a guy for any situation. The little tiny Latino is my bestie Leo Valdez. The other blond is Will Solace, our only medic, so try not to get sick or hurt or do anything too stupid. That guy who carried you here, that’s Frank Zhang, the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. And you already know the others.” Piper piped. 

He typed something into his phone, asking a quick question for the sake of boredom. 

“Where did you guys meet?” Piper muttered, “We met at the same boarding school all the gods send their troubled kids. You and Nico didn’t go, but the rest of us have known each other since like kindergarten.” 

He typed in another question. 

“Will I return to my father any time soon? Haha! No!” 

“Alrighty kids, we’re home free!” Annabeth exclaimed, joyous. Her gray eyes met mine sternly. “If I take off the tape and open your door, will you refrain from running?” Jason nodded in fear. “Good.” 

Annabeth pulled off the tape, making no attempt to be gentle. It felt almost liberating to step outside into what looked to be a few acres of land with one very big cottage in the middle. Smaller cottages ran in a few circles around it. In Jason’s fifteen years of life he had yet to really see earth in all her glory, so this was a pleasant experience. The blue of the houses’ walls popped next to the woodlands that made up the surrounding area. Jason had absolutely no idea where they could be as for places as he’d never been outside the city. 

“I guess we have some explaining to do, huh.” Hazel remarked. 

“We’ll give you anything you wanna know if you promise to not snitch.” The little blond, Will, promised. Jason, knowing full well he had no other feasible options, shook Will’s hand with what remaining hope he had left. 

“Good, cause snitches don’t survive RARA, do they Rachel.” Leo said, turning his chestnut eyes on Rachel Elizabeth Dare. 

“Never!” 

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

About two minutes before Jason was kidnapped

The Gods… 

So far no one had declared war on Olympus, so the whole event had gone far better than the last inter-pantheon event. The Korean and Japanese pantheons had sent Jowangshin, goddess of the hearth, and Soosano, god of the sea. Egypt had sent the current pharrow’s sister, a little spitfire named Sadie, to be present for the event. Apparently she was to spend her time with Hades’ girl during the month the sons of the Big Three were to stay together. The Norse also decided quite last minute to have their demigod representatives stay here. Frey had come to be present for the Vanir, sitting his teenage son, Magnus, right next to him. He kept glancing over at Magnus with an amount of love in his eyes that made Zeus wonder if he ever looked at any of his children that way. On Magnus’ other side sat a child of Loki viewing the proceedings with Sif who had been rumered to take the child under her wing after their first meeting. Many other gods came to view the event as well, but very few demigods joined their parents.

“I’m so sorry I am late, everyone, but I do hope that I haven’t missed much.” Zeus stood from his seat, shaking Odin’s hand firmly. “Zeus! So good to see you again, and even more delighted to finally meet your Jason.” 

“Jason and the other children of my brothers are seated inside of a separate area waiting until their interviews to leave. If you could have your raven fetch them it would be most appreciated.” he hinted. Odin nodded, calling over a raven to fetch the four. 

Suddenly the lights sputtered out all throughout the building. Jupiter could hear the faint sound of rushing feet from far away. Jowangshin walked around the room lighting candles. Even with what little light he had, Zeus could see Sadie’s judgement as she wrote down notes on a clip board. She looked unhappy, already texting her brother.

Suddenly, out the window he could see a group of teens running out of the building. He could recognize a few children of the gods, all of them missing person cases. Jupiter teleported down, catching a glimpse of the group running away. His heart raced. Teenagers… that’s what Jason is! One of them could be his son, all scared and alone with maybe seven or eight other teenagers. Jason had never been alone with someone his age without supervision, something he’d had until the power went out. Oh dear gods, could Jason have been taken? Zeus teleported back into the room Jason and his cousins were in. Alas, Jason was gone from the room along with all other teens. There wasn’t a sign of struggle, only a few pillows displaced as if Jason didn’t have time while leaving to clean up. All that was left was a diadem he remembered Hades’ daughter wearing. Hades and Poseidon met him there, shock painted on their faces just a moment after the lights flickered back on.

“Where are our sons, Zeus? Are you incapable of keeping track of a couple children?” Hades raged, his obsidian eyes welling with tears. 

“It cannot have been three minutes since they could have left, Hades, so we should be able to find them before any borders are crossed. We will find them soon if we leave at once.” Poseidon reasoned, looking at Hades with a sympathy Zeus rarely (if ever) saw from him.

“I shall send someone after our children now-” Zeus was cut off by the onslaught of gods rushing their way. Leading the pack of devine disasters was Sadie Kane on the phone with someone who sounded important. That was bad news for Zeus, judging that this was his gathering.

“... yes Carter, all four are missing. There’s no sign of struggle from anyone, so it’s safe to assume it was willing. They couldn't have left more than five minutes ago. Send some people over, please, before these idiots make the case more difficult.” Sadie blabbed into her phone, her english accent not yet broken by over a year outside the United Kingdom. 

“Wait, look at those foot prints. There was another preson in here with wet, small, bare feet.” A boy’s voice rang from the crowd. Magnus Chase ran out from the center of the crowd to meet Sadie, pulling along a less enthusiastic Alex Fierro. “They’re faint, but another person walked in here, joined Percy on the couch, and left with them.” Magnus ended.

“Maggy, good to see you again. Do you think this other person could be directly responsible for the disappearance of Jason, Percy, Nico, and Hazel?” Sadie wondered. 

Magnus shook his head. “Like you said, all of them likely went willingly, so it was probably someone meeting them to leave.” He turned his attention to Poseidon, glaring into his soul. “Lord Poseido, judging that this person went to Percy and was wet, could this person be a close friend or lover that Peryc could have already planned something with?”

“For about a year and a half Perseus has been meeting with the son of my head treasurer, Malik. Sometimes when they’re alone I hear them talking about a place outside Sleepy Hollow where they can be free of judgement for their relationship. They are closer than I would wish my son to be to someone at his age, though it is quite useful having at least someone my son can turn his attention towards as he rarely speaks to me of his life and desires.” Poseidon responded. Sadie and Magnus looked pleased with this answer, and began whispering to each other.

“What about the other three in the room? If this was some romantic getaway Jason, Nico, and Hazel wouldn’t have left with them.” Alex butted in.

“Someone lead me towards the security room, I need to view what happened before the power turned off.” She demanded powerfully. A raven approached her, leading her, Magnus, and Alex away from the scene. Zeus followed them, his brothers trailing behind. After arriving, the raven turned the fead back to a few minutes before it got cut off. It opened with a sort of feud between Jason and Perseus, much to Zeus' disappointment in his son.

“I’m here on business… Percy. My father warned me against interacting with you, so please leave me alone until we go on.” Jason said, looking away from Perseus.

“Wow Jason, I knew you were gonna be a sheltered prick, but I expected at least a warm, fluffy welcome, man. Bet you do everything daddy says huh, Grace.” Jason seemed enraged at that, his glare rivaling Jupiter’s. 

“You spend your free time muddying up the family name, Perseus, at least I don’t have to worry about flees.” In Zeus’ opinion, that was not bad, though could be far better.

“My dad’s name is clean, but last I checked your dad has to keep a record of all his lady friends cause last time it ended with you.” No! Zeus couldn’t stand such a slight against his pride.

“Both of y’all need to shut up before you give me an aneurysm.” the dark skinned girl next to Hades’ son caterwauled.

“Hey Percy!” A voice fluttered in from the doorway. A teenager around Jason’s age walked in, bare feet and improper clothes discusting Zeus to no end. He ambled over to Perseus, lover in his seaglass eyes. They flirted for a few moments before the boy turned his attention to the rest of the room. “Oh! I have been rude, haven’t I, my love. My name is Malik of the Erythaean sea, lover of Perseus Marino Thalassa, and son of Lord Poseidon’s head of treasury. Now tell me, dear Perseus: who are your friends?” 

“Hi! My name’s Hazel Erebus, single, daughter of Pluto or Hades or whichever one comes to mind first.” Hades’ daughter explained sweetly to the room. “I know Percy from school.”

“Nico Erebus, father says I’m too young to date, and I am the son of Hades.” Nicolo glanced at Percy, who had Malik braiding it into a complicated style gently. “And I met Percy when he accidentally snuck through my window when he was trying to harass my dad. Thanks.” he deadpanned in the same way Hades did whenever he or Poseidon ever spoke to him for longer than a few moments.

“You’re always welcome, you Debbie downer.” Percy interjected, grinning stupidly at Nico in a way that made Zeus far more annoyed with Perseus than he initially thought possible.

“My name is Jason Andonius Grace, I’m sadly engaged to the worst monster to ever grace Olympus, and my father is King Jupiter.” Jason told them formally. It was relieving to know that Jason remembered how to interact with others in a more polite manner than before, though discribing his fiance in such a way to others greatly disappointed him. Jason would be punished for his insolance the moment he found him. 

“Oh quit moaning, you dumb blond!” Hazel complained. Jason ghasped, just as offended as his father was at that moment. 

At that moment the lights went dark and the fead cut for a few minutes, but when it went back on, there was a few seconds where at least a half dozen teens were running out of the building. Jason was sat atop the tallest boy with a concerned expression. When Zeus listened close enough he heard Jason trying to get the man to put him down and let him go. He even tried fighting the man, but the man wouldn’t let him down despite the confusion in his expression. At several points the man looked over to the woman at the front of the group with concern, yet she brushed him off. 

“Holy Odin on a stick! Sadie, that's my cousin.” Magnus bursted in shock. Sadie looked at the leading blonde, seeming to reconize her as well.

“Yeah, and that girl’s Piper McLean!” Magnus looked at Alex confused, “You know, the daughter of that movie star guy. The girl that went missing for like a solid year before Tristan McLean made a public statement that she was attending that one school for mythical related teenagers that the public just thinks is a very specific religious school. That Piper McLean, ya heard of her?” Alex glared at him like he was incredibly oblivious. Magnus blushed.

“Anyways… if we can identify them, I could get witness statements by the afternoon rush hour, so please tell me if any of you reconize them.” Sadie deduced. The gods whispered among themselves for a few moments before anyone spoke up.

Dionysus looked up from the crowd in an almost sober way. “The happy one with the light still in his eyes, him and Apollo’s little oracle, I reconize them.” 

“And who might these two moderately sane teens be?” Sif asked.

“Will Solace and Rachel Dare. The only two who aren’t my children that can be in my presence for more than five minutes without giving me an ungodly headache.” he replied.

“Dionysus, why on Jord’s green earth does anyone put you on guest lists for these sort of events?” One of the more logical representatives for the Norse Pantheon asked.

Dionysus shrugged. “I’m in charge of the school all you neglective, orphan makers send your depressed, listless children to, so excuse me for having the right to be important every once in a while.” My son sassed. Good thing Zeus didn’t send Jason there, though he attempted to send Thalia there when she began showing… disconcerting signs of emotional withdrawal and frequent disrespectful behaviors. At least he wasn’t his son Apollo, who seemed to fill half the school, or worse, Odin. 

“Hey, I don’t send my son to your Mångata Academy of Sierra, home of the Bakunawa. Leave my family out of this, man.” A slightly offended Frey peeped from the back of the ever growing crowd. Magnus rolled his eyes at his dad in between his quiet conversation with Alex and Sadie and eavesdropping on what the other gods were muttering about in the back.

“Please, don’t act all high and mighty, Frey. Being better than the rest of them doesn’t get you very far in the real world. Also, you pay like 200,000 dollars a year at that Swedish place. Mighty waste of money if you ask me, eh.” Dionysus snarked back. Frey huffed but stayed quiet.

“Okay, so we’ve got Annabeth Chase, Nicolo Erebus, Hazel Erebus, Jason, Piper McLean, Malik, Will Solace, and Rachel Dare. Does anybody have a clue who the others are?” Sadie asked, addressing the crowd.

“Oh yeah, the tall one carrying Jason is mine. His name’s Frank Zhang. He’s usually pretty chill. And that other one’s Heph’s boy, Leo Valdez. When I’m bored I’ll just rewatch his life before Hephaestus remembered he had another one.” Why? These children of this other man-child I’m forced to narrate for are weird. 

Ding! Ding! Ding! Went the sound of Sadie Kane’s phone. Her brother had reinforcements on their way. She’d already managed to message several people about possible whereabouts for the missing group. Ms Kane was currently on the phone with the police, having them search the cameras for a group of teenagers in a mix of formal wear and sweats running eastward. It almost impressed him how prepared she was for such a situation. 

Magnus walked over to his father, seeming to beg for something. It took his mind off of Jason for a moment, so he listened in carefully.

“I want to join Sadie on the search. Please let me go, dad.” Magnus pleaded, enlarging his eyes the same way his children did when they wanted something.

“But pixie, your flight back to school is in a week. Winter break ends soon, adn I was hoping we could spend some quality time together before you sent back.” Frey complained, though in his eyes he pled that his son didn’t put himself in more unnecessary danger. 

“Sadie’ll need help. She always thinks she’s got everything covered, but she could use some help. Plus, Alex has already convinced Sif to let her go, and I can’t let her go alone. Alex has the self preservation skills of a pomegranate. Please let me go with her.” he begged, eyes expanding.

“Get home by next Wednesday, keep your phone on you at all times, call me or I’ll call you even more, set alarms on your phone to remind you to eat because I cannot trust you to remember at this point, don’t you dare drive anyone anywhere, and Magnus?” he whispered.

“Yeah dad?” Magnus looked up at his father in confusion.

“Be safe, sweetheart.” Frey told his boy. Frey pulled his son into a warm hug which Magnus reciprocated after a few moments. It made Zeus try to remember the last time he’d held Jason. He couldn’t remember… 

—— Meanwhile, somewhere in the countryside.

About an hour and a half after the events of the words above 

A confused, nervous Jason

More importantly: a scary RARA

Jason was terrified out of his mind. He’d spent the past ten minutes inside a dark room with awful lighting, waiting on a RARA to come and ‘talk’ to him. Around him was a chair facing him behind a small table, some paperwork, and a piece of paper talking about emotional damage and how to identify it. The walls reflected the unnatural light eerily, reminding him of a hospital. He could hear mumbling outside from the people they’d passed on the way in. Old pipes creaked above. Dust floated around like snow. Jason found the room quite unbearable to stay in. 

A young woman suddenly joined them. Her dark hair swooped gracefully down her muscular shoulders. She wore leggings with a dark purple jacket unzipped to reveal a Mångata Academy tee shirt. If it weren’t for the sheer amount of muscle tone, deep glare, and two dogs following her, Jason wouldn’t assume she was a threat. Behind her was another teenage girl around her same age. Unlike Rayna, she was decked out in punk clothes. Her skin was darker than his, hair a striking jet black practically shimmering in the light. 

“Jason, my name is Rayna Avila Ramírez- Arellano. I’ll need you to answer some questions, and don’t you dare lie to me. My dogs don’t appreciate lies.” Rayna introduced with fire in her dark eyes. 

“Hi… Jason. My names Thalia, Thalia Grace. I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m your big sister-“ Jason tackled her in a hug, tears flying down his face faster than the falling dust. Sweet Hades! Jason thought. There was his dear sister. 

“Tally! Is it really you?” He asked, knowing the truth but being too scared to accept it. 

“It’s me, sunshine, it’s me.” Thalia reassured. Jason sobbed into her shoulder pads for once not worrying someone will judge him for it. 

“What- what happened? Where have you been, Tally?” He asked. 

“I-“

“As sentimental as this is, Thals, Jason has some questions he needs to answer.” Rayna interrupted. They separated, though Thalia’s eyes never left him.

“I’ll ask you a few questions, then you may leave. If you pass, we will tell you about our lady, assign you a room, and assign you to a group. Percy and Malik have previously had this interview, but Hazel and Nicolo will be having theirs after you. Now… please state your full legal name and address for the record.” Ms. Ramírez- Arellano began. 

“My name is Jason Andonius Grace-Olympia. I legally live at 70 to 71 Cobb Ln, Water Mills, New York, but most of my childhood was spent on 111 Thunderous Rd, Olympus at the family estate.” Jason told her. She rolled her eyes at him when he mentioned the estate.

“What type of education did you get, and what have you been taught?” She asked.

“I was homeschooled by a team of tutors personally chosen by my father and Queen Juno who educated me on arithmetic, english, latin, greek, sciences, theological studies, ancient and modern history, the art of battle, the sword and spear, personal image, corporate etiquette, dining etiquette, hospitality, the art of hosting, deportment and manners, economics, and human culture. I never acceled in manners, though.” Jason informed her.

“I figured, Jason. Now, what was your access to the outside world, and how often did you interact with those outside your family?” She quired. Jason felt oddly confused by the statement.

“What do you mean, Rayna?” Jason asked, tilting his head in confusion. Rayna groaned in light annoyance, though she clearly wasn’t labored by him.

“What I mean is what access did your father give you to other kids your age, your access to modern media, and just how often you could go out. Percy’s answer to this question was… concerning, as was Rachel’s.” Rayna explained. 

“I-um… well, my father has allowed me to meet a few younger nymphs that live on Olympus and the children of some very wealthy, New York families. As for human media… I really liked the John Dickens books, but Shakespeare's work was incredibly entertaining on the days when my father wouldn’t allow me out of my room. Most of my knowledge of humans is simply their history.” Jason told her. Rayna looked at him as if some great offense had happened against him. She sighed, jotting down some notes on her clip board. From what little he caught, there was something about him probably needing therapy. That was insane, judging by the fact that he was a child of Jupiter, a warrior, not a mad-man.

“And finally Jason, how likely are you to run away to your father, sharing confidential information with the gods?” Rayna ended, glaring deep into his soul. 

“Unlikely.” Jason glanced down at Rayna’s dogs, their crystal eyes gleemed under the limited lighting beautifully, yet they sent chills down his spine. Luckily, they stayed beside Ms Ramírez- Arellano. He breathed a sigh of relief, exhaling a dozen breaths he had a death grip on. 

“Thank you, Rayna. May I leave now?” He asked, bowing his head gracefully towards Rayna and Thalia before getting up and pushing in the chair. Thalia followed him out silently as if she were holding in a breath of her own that wouldn’t come out. They took a hike around the perimeter just as Jason had done a thousand times at the legal estate, but he’d never had Thalia with him since he was five. His lungs filled up with fresh air so much unlike the stuffy, dusty air he’d grown accustomed to in his room or the unnaturally sweet air of the gym where he trained. For once he could shake off the constant fear that followd him wherever the wind would blow. A coat of snow was beginning to fall for the first time in the season. Winter covered his worries with promises of Yule and presents and trees lit with candles. Juno had always been a fan of the Holidays, so his childhood home had won several awards for Holiday cheer. She’d tried to make it better than any Christmas movie on TV, but Jupiter never had enough holiday cheer to play along. Thalia ran away before they could spend Christmas together all those years ago. Back when Juno still treated him like her son, not a tool. Nobody really celebrated anymore. Stop! Jason thought to himself. We can’t lose ourselve to the despair again. Calm down, Jason. Calm down… 

They stopped in front of a luxurious looking cottage in the middle of the clearing. From the outside it seemed like a normal, large home, but from the inside he could spot a large alter covered with vases and offerings. Little banners hung from the ceiling and the walls with names Jason knew from his history classes. Under each banner was a smaller altar to a variety of giants. The hearth grew larger and larger as he approached the center. His lungs filled with the scent of incense, herbs, and flowers. No one spoke as he leaned over the hearth, watching the flames change colors under candle light and the little beams of sunlight shining through the drawn curtains. Jason felt his mind slow, eyelids fighting to stay open.

“Hello, Jason.” A feminine voice rang from the fire. All the sudden the flames took a loosely human-appearing form. She glided across the fire with an aged grace as if she was groggy. “I have long awaited my grandson to finally make an heir without it feeling so superior to all those around him. You’ll do very nicely, my child, very nice indeed.”

“I’m guessing you’re Gaea, goddess of the earth. Mother of the titans and wife of Tartarus.” He guessed, gazing up at her banner with her name printed very largely on it.

“What gave it away, child?” She quiered, though she seemed as if she knew the answer already.

“The banner- anyways, your… earthliness, why exactly am I here?” He tried at coaxing out of her. Gaea just laughed this massive boom that filled the room. He’d heard it from the few times he’d ever heard his father laugh around him. Jason couldn’t decide whether he should smile at her or not.

“Oh you sweet, innocent child, the gods need you more than any of them could ever admit. Without their precious demigods, they have no back up plan to… rid themselves of me like they did all those years ago. Why do you think they send their children to special schools? Why do you think they keep you isolated? Why do you think most demigods aren’t discovered until they almost die? Jason, does your father really care about you, or are you just another puppet he’ll rid himself of when you stop playing the game?” No! Jason thought, tear brimming his crystal blue eyes like glitter glue. His father had to care about him, he had to. Right? No! No! No! Jupiter and Juno raised him. They had to care about him in some shallow, far away way. 

“Heavens to Betsey, as you kids say, I can practically hear how miserable your childhood was. Jupiter isn’t a saint, sweet child. At some point you’ll have to accept that. Now run along, we’ll take good care of you…”

——

“Magnus, Alex?” Sadie Kane said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“Yeah?” Magnus tooned in. Alex suddenly tripped over something, a large, gray trail marker with the emblem of a lunar bull on it. She ran her fingers over it, tracing over a few words.

“Garden of Gaea.” Alex read, fear and interest mixing in her voice. “We’re on ancient grounds, aren’t we.” 

“Yes, you are. I’m sorry to do this, kids..” a voice rang from the darkness. “But I can’t let you three try and thwart my mother’s plans.” 

“Who are you!” Sadie screamed, kicking it while the monster scooped them up. 

“My name is Damasen, bane of Ares, but today I am your bane.”