#he would have driven better than percy and i stand by that statement | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fateviled-a · 2 years

Text

@faeties said — ‘ bold of you to assume anybody can stand being near you.’ (Consider... Jadis @ Kendra) RP MEMES FROM MY WIP.

conversations with this once ally were less a pleasant chat and more a battlefield of their own making, but that didn’t make them any less amusing. a simple inquiry about the other’s condition, concern backhanded in the way kendra and jadis had mastered since the early days of their meeting. just what had kendra said? something about the lack of other visitors the red queen had managed to amass after the discovery of herself, alive and well in the walls of their current haven. (before he’d allowed them some privacy, only percy alone in the room with her, hand millimeters away from the other’s on the hospital bed but not touching. that pathetic, hopeful gleam in his eyes. some things never changed.) of course, there’s no apology for the things done to the other in the pursuit of her mission and the petty revenge she’d sought from those that had driven her out of the place she’d intended to be her new defensive ground (not an empire, not like her father). “don’t be so touchy, jay.” soothing words as she leans back against the chair the other’s boyfriend had vacated, a serene smile shot at the other. “the people around me usually end up dead, so that’s not exactly a surprise.” so what if she’d almost killed jadis? she hadn’t, and that in itself is a marvel. if anything, the other should've been thanking her; it wasn’t every day that kendra showed restraint in the lives she was willing to take. the woman wouldn’t have even been a sufficient loss, for all that kendra admired her tenacity and viciousness.

in kendra’s experience, people were predictable. they were greedy, power hungry, or selfish in other ways. jadis gray was all three, to an extent that sometimes bewildered her. (she’d only ever met one other person with that same cool, assessing gaze. kendra had spent the past year trying to put a bullet between his eyes.) it takes all of her restraint not to lean forward instead of back, to get up and close to the other as her smile gains an edge. “you’re not still mad about this, are you? honestly, you should be honored. i could have just as easily taken out your lover boy to send a message.” hell, it would have worked better for her — people cared about percy, loved him even. in every life he touched, kindness bloomed. if she wanted the gangs angry and afraid, he would have been the perfect mark. but. when she saw jadis, noticed the way that she talked and moved, the click of her heels that was a statement no matter if it was over the pristine floors of the cities or debris that should have very well caused a sprained ankle, she saw… someone not like herself, AND THAT MADE HER DANGEROUS. the other woman was theatrical, and equal parts cruel, but her drive was different. it'd been the right call to take her out from the start, to not risk her screwing up kendra’s plans in a way a player who was used to being on top might change the game.

a hum, kendra’s eyes straying from the other’s and around the room in a clear show of ease. jadis won’t try anything against her here, now, and kendra isn’t worried. she hopes it infuriates the other. nothing brings her more joy than being a problem, and now that andrew’s permanently gone — kendra feels like she’s floating, like nothing else in the universe matters now that she’s finally free. she clears her throat, gaze drifting off at the beeping machinery that’s still monitoring the woman. she’d gained no truly risky injuries when kendra had led the ambush against their party, but they’d been methodical; weeks of recovery, weeks to keep her in the safe hands of the cities while everything in new york was wrapped up nicely. “besides, you should be thanking me. these people are much more your speed than the hellscape we just got out of.” hand waving in the direction of the door, she raises a brow, daring the other to say she’s wrong. “hell, when you start the running to become the next governor of this place, i’ll even give you my vote.” oh, jadis was much more suited to become someone powerful here. not out there, in a world destroyed. of that, kendra had no doubt.

#i really should not enjoy writing kendra as much as i do and yet she really is everything to me #i wrote this one in literal minutes i hope you know i just . their dynamic? im obsessed #faeties #faeties ( jadis )#╰ 𝙺𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚁𝙰 𝚂. ╯ ⋯ i will carve my way out with only my teeth #╰ 𝙰𝙽𝚂𝚆𝙴𝚁𝙴𝙳 ╯ ⋯ a story is no small thing #╰ 𝚀𝚄𝙴𝚄𝙴 ╯ ⋯ like a fist ‚ like a knife

1 note · View note

m4gp13 · 3 years

Text

I generally try to keep relationshippy type posts more platonic on my blog but ethabaster shippers (or ethaster, as I’ve seen it referred to) y’all gave me content when there was none, this one’s for you babes <3 Also quick sidenote, this ship has extremely limited content in canon (which is to say, NONE) so a lot of this is based on speculation but bear with me because some of them are actually fairly plausible (or at the very least they aren’t explicitly ruled out by canon). Si tight because this may end up being pretty extensive.

The main reason they are shipped is because they are the only two similarly aged demigods in the titan army that we have any information on (including name) and thus have some small chance of meeting however it would be silly to say this is the only reason and - believe it or not - there are some other interesting reasons on why this is shipped. Keep in mind this is the PJO fandom, a fandom that visibly adores the “the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one” trope (have y’all seen how popular Solangelo is ???) and in that respect Ethan and Alabsters personalities are easily compatible.

I can’t recall a single instance in the books where Ethan is described as smiling; he is usually serious, driven and has very sharp responses to questions or statements he doesn’t like (see: “there is no wrong side”, glaring after being asked about his eye and almost pulling a sword on Percy for questioning his mothers motives and ethics). Alabaster on the other hand, while he is still traumatised from the massacre he recently witnessed, does still make ironic comments, smile and he is described at one point as “happy-go-lucky”. And yes, it is important to note that Ethan was with his enemy and Alabaster was with an ally during pretty much every page we see them in, the fact that Ethan had moments ago been rescued by the people he was snapping at and Alabaster still being somewhat cheery despite the horrors he had only just witnessed suggests it is more of a personality thing rather than a situation thing.

This beloved trope is of course not the only instance of compatibility between the two. For example, Ethan’s story ended with him giving up the notion of getting revenge on the Olympians like kronos wanted and instead giving his life to pursue and fulfill his original goal of balance. On the contrary, Alabasters story is currently in a state in which vengeance helps keep him going; he sites revenge as the only thing that would make him go anywhere near chb. This sort of balances them out and creates and interesting dynamic and it would be a joy to see them interact after this but considering Ethan’s current predicament I don’t think that’s likely except in fics. (although in this Ethans calmer demeanor would make him the sunshine one and Alabaster with his John Wick revenge plot would be the grumpy one).

They also have a lot in common but not so much that they start looking like mirrors. They are both clearly passionate about their cause, both of them are willing to kill and die for what they believe is right. They both openly express how strongly they feel to the conflict and they didn’t get so far in the army by being apathetic to what everyone around them is fighting for. Alabaster was chosen to lead the demigods into battle and Ethan is definitely a person of note in the army from the things we’ve seen him do (meaning they had a very high chance of meeting during their time in the army). However, Alabaster and Ethan view the army in very different ways. Al clearly sees the army as a heroic force from his “hero’s never die, right?” line while Ethan isn’t so black and white with his world view which we know from his “there is no wrong side” line. This means that they are similar enough to have common interests that they can bond over while still being separate people that can act on their own wishes, desires or simple personalities. (because sometimes it’s nice when characters are characters instead of just existing to serve a ship)

They understand each other. As they were both high ranking members of the titan army with similar goals they will have had similar experiences and therefore know things about each other that most people just can’t; as in, they don’t have the experience necessary to understand them like they understand each other. This is very appealing from an observers perspective because a lot of the time people don’t want grand declarations of love and massive bouquets, they just want someone to know them intimately enough to be truly in love.

They also have a lot of story potential both before and after Ethan’s death. Especially if you consider the fact that Al could have saved Ethan or brought him back as a mistform. People like drama and intentionally or not seek out dramatic things. Ethan and Al’s storys are dramatic enough on their own but when you put them together and then imagine all the things they could have done or could do!!! The spice! The flavour! The DRAMA!!! and the intrigue. They are both very interesting characters that can pique one’s curiosity easily. When people are curious about characters they look more into them, think about them more and in some cases this leads to shipping.

Another reason is simple vibes. Sometimes you just look at some characters and go “yeah bro those guys vibe together” and that’s that. Your ship has been chosen by the Vibes ain’t nothing you can do about it.

These aren't the only reasons of course but these are the only ones coming to my mind; if you have others please tell me. Now that we’ve got a couple of reasonings of why they’re shipped it’s time to look at their canon interactions. Since there are none you may expect me to skip this part entirely but you underestimate my devotion to both my favourite (platonic and romantic) ship and ✨obsessing over throwaway lines that only exist to give the readers a clearer image of a scene in their head rather than any plot important reasons✨. That’s right fellas it’s over analysis time (as the old saying goes, “if i cannot find homoerotic subtext, I will create it”) !!!

Before we begin, fear not avid lovers of sticking to things explicitly mentioned in the books, my argument is not “On page 228 of my copy of battle of the labyrinth, Ethan is first mentioned by a demigod holding a torch. Alabasters mother is the goddess Hecate and one of Hecate’s symbols is the torch therefore Alabaster is the person who found Ethan and thus the first times both are mentioned is in conjunction with each other which means boyfriends”, although I will admit my mind did have fun spiraling down to that little tidbit.

We know from the son of magic that Alabaster was able to use his magic to protect himself from the Princess Andromeda exploding but we are never given an explanation on how Ethan survived. I have mentioned this theory before and I’m going to say again the idea that Alabaster used the same magic to save Ethan that he used on himself. Alabaster doesn’t mention Ethan when he tells Claymore how he survived but remember he is still traumatized and it is anything but rare for trauma victims to seriously suppress their trauma (for example: almost watching a close companion being blown up right in front you and knowing that you are the only thing standing between them and breaking their toe on the big bad bucket) Of course there are reasons this might not work such as Ethan leaving the main deck to go to the engine room before the ship blows and Alabaster, being a high commanding officer, was likely on the deck when she blew however, Alabaster could have easily given Ethan some kind of magical protection before hand as they were warned of the anti Andromeda plot and will have prepared for any possible outcome.

Another deadly event that Ethan miraculously survived is the bridge incident. Realistically, do you genuinely believe that an unconscious, minorly wounded kid is going to be able to drag his unconscious body through a massive crowd of tightly packed teenagers, to the other side of a very large bridge and get far enough away from that bridge to be safe from it completely collapsing all by himself ??? We already know Alabaster is powerful enough to survive an explosion of greek fire so a collapsing bridge should be nothing to him, even if he is lugging around his friends limp almost-corpse. Also, if you like the trope of character A lovingly teasing character B then there’s nothing to say Alabaster wasn’t the “nice knowing ya” guy and, If you prefer it when character A ruthlessly defends character B from silly jabs then there’s also nothing to say Alabaster didn’t stomp on the guys foot the second Ethan left.

Another thing, ya know how Al has a bit of a revenge thing that he might need to tone down ever so slightly? Who better to help with that than a kid whose mum is the goddess of that kind of thing?! And yes, I know Ethan was already dead at that point but also, I don’t care; it can sort itself out. Anyway, I feel like with Nemesis kids it’s less of a “constantly seeking revenge for everything” and more of a “having a deeper understanding of revenge and therefore more able to regulate who does or doesn’t need some vengeance in their life”. It would have been interesting if Ethan survived and sorta coached Al on his feelings and how to deal with them in the least destructive way possible.

Also, as I mentioned before they are both high ranking individuals in the titan army. Al is chosen to lead the demigod forces into battle and Ethan seems to get called on by Kronos for a lot of specific tasks i.e. the sword of Hades, capturing Beckendorf, guarding Prometheus and being with Kronos during what he thought would be his final victory. From this we can assume that they probably worked pretty close together as the only high ranking demigods aside from Luke that we know of. All other important people in the army are titans, monsters or gods. As the only two demigods with such importance they probably gravitated towards each other and bonded over their workloads, goals or other things that people talk about before developing more intimate feelings (I assume but anyone who knows how relationships work please correct me if I’m wrong)

Also, a couple of things I noticed is what drives them is, at surface level, the same thing. They both want the Olympians to back up a bit and allow for the minor deity’s to receive some of the respect that has been with held from them for centuries. However, Al is more deeply motivated by his emotions while Ethan is not so much. Al expresses anger at the gods and disdain, he almost immediately latches on to the closest father figure he can get and gets notably excited when it appears he’s about to win and distraught when he thinks he’s lost. Ethan is motivated less by hatred for the gods but by a less emotionally draining thought of the minor gods deserve respect. He never gets emotionally invested in tasks, even life or death ones, unless attacked with something personal (he was generally apathetic during the parley until Percy started insulting him and his mother).

This could be due to Al being allowed to openly express emotion while Ethan has been taught to suppress it. What evidence do I have for this? Their mothers. To Nemesis, Ethan is a tool, a means to an end, a “thing” to use so she can get the desired outcome. To her, taking his eye and telling him to join the army was little different from drilling a hole in a board. She took a part of his body as payment so she clearly doesn’t see him as or care that he is his own person with thoughts, feelings and desires of his own. Hecate on the other hand actively acknowledges that her son has his on interests ideas and she wants to see him happy which is a complete U turn from Nemesis. We know that Al ans Hecate have regular enough conversations through dreams but we don’t know if Ethan ever met Nemesis after the eye thing. So we know that Al has contact with a mother that not only supports him but actively uses her powers to improve his life (see Claymore) and Ethan saw his mother once, was presumably traumatized and never saw her again. Big yikes. (Also the reason that Hecate stopped resisting the Olympians was because they threatened her with Al’s life. If Nemesis was the one who chose to resist and Ethan was still alive would she have stopped to keep him alive? I doubt it)

But yeah that’s pretty much all possible character interactions they could have had, the rest is up to our dear old friend, imagination. have fun kids. Also pretty much everything here can be read as platonic sooo.

#pjo #percy jackson #ethan nakamura #alabaster torrington #alabaster c torrington #the way i almost misspelled platonic as paltonic #which is arguably better #also why does Rock Boy have such a long ass name i'm tired of typing it #also #hi Chrys how's the content starvation going :)#tw: trauma #this has been in my drafts for months i'm so paranoid about this

26 notes · View notes

desperauxtilling · 6 years

Text

Rentrée (Jason/Nico)

History repeats itself: Jason hates his family, has good intentions going rogue, and Nico is collateral damage.

Happy Jasico Saturday, here’s some canon divergence angst.

“Can you tell me about my sister?”

Nico sits with his legs swinging over the crow’s nest, leaning into Jason, who stands with arms folded over the guard railing. He focuses somewhere beyond the rouge spattered sky. Nico thinks he looks good bathed in the red light. It tints his hair to a soft, strawberry blond he wishes he could run his fingers through.

“Thalia is… headstrong,” he starts. “I met her around the same time I met Percy. We became reluctant allies. She was better friends with Bianca than me.” He takes a shuddering breath.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up--”

“No. It’s okay.” Nico pats his knee, smirking when he jumps. “You know about the quest with our sisters, right?”

Jason nods. Some distant storm fills his eyes. There’s a tension in his shoulders Nico wishes to unknot, understand. “Annabeth told me when I asked about her gray hair.” He raps his knuckles against the rail. “My sister changed her fate by becoming a hunter. She refused the prophecy.”

Nico nods. The opposite happened to Bianca. If she stayed, she would have survived. It haunts Nico that he’s the reason she was so eager to get away from camp. The Hades figurine she tried to get him sealed her fate.

“Thanks for talking with me,” he says after a long silence takes over them. Nico’s hardly talked but he gives the slightest twitch of his lips. Jason traces a lock of Nico’s hair that fell in his face, casting it behind his ear. When he turns red, the son of Jupiter smiles. Then he leaves.

“What do you know about Reyna?” he asks Nico. Hazel and Frank are there, too, relaxing beside him. Jason is determined to be friends with Nico after the Split incident, forging something real out of the crash that Cupid crafted.

“Strong leader. Self assured. Driven.” He scratches his neck. “She led the assault on Mount Othrys with you. Well, she led the army while you took on Krios.”

“She had faith in me, even when she knew my rocky ancestry,” Frank says. “She could have refused me from camp… but she didn’t.”

“You two seemed close,” Hazel said. “Whenever I saw you both together, I got the sense you had been friends for a long time. You always covered each other’s backs.”

Jason’s fingers tap nervously against the deck. He’s fidgeting. He’s doing that more lately, Nico has noticed. It’s unlike him. An impulse strikes him and he places his hand over Jason’s. Jason is surprised, cheeks tinging pink, but he grins. Thanks Nico again and leaves.

This continues. Jason unintentionally inspires Nico to open by inquiring about the past. Thalia, Percy and Annabeth’s quests, Kronos’ rise from the side of the Greeks. He gets to know Nico, too. Wants to get to know him. It makes him feel good to have someone like that there for him.

“Is it okay that I’m mad at Thalia?”

Nico’s head lolls against Jason’s shoulder. “I was mad at Bianca.”

“I’m just angry at her because she’s lucky. Dad cares about her. She was able to escape the prophecy. She has the gods’ favor.”

“The gods’ favor doesn’t mean everything, Jason,” he points out.

“It doesn’t mean anything.”

His voice turns to gravel and Nico looks up in surprise. Jason’s face is contorted with anger. Sparks dance along his knuckles. He’s heard angry curses from Annabeth when Percy was missing, but nothing so outright opposed to the gods from anyone but… since... “Hey…” Nico hesitates to reach for his hand. “Jason. Are you all right?”

He flexes his fingers and, with steam, the electricity dissipates. “Sorry. Frustrated, that’s all.” His words grow small. “Wish that I could remember.”

“Percy remembers. Hera hasn’t…?” Nico asks sadly, trailing off when Jason shakes his head.

“Guess she still needs me.” Jason rubs the back of his head. Firms his hand on Nico’s shoulder then stands. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

Jason turns to grant Nico a small smile. “I can tell when people are lying. You never lie to me.”

Percy and Annabeth are plucked from Tartarus and he’s getting ready to leave with Reyna and the statue. There’s something about it that’s changed Jason. Seeing Annabeth and Percy sets off something in his blue eyes. His jaw clenches. His shoulders tense. When Leo and Piper try getting close, he pushes them away. “Annabeth sure is lucky,” he says one day. Nico stands beside him at the helm, trying not to look too giddy as he mans the wheel (maybe he’s finally getting to live out all those pirate adventures he read about).

Nico, stepping on pinpricks, asks, “Why?”

“She has Percy.”

Nico snorts. “Thanks for reminding me.”

“She got to grow up with Thalia.” His blue eyes are cold, his tone cross. “I wish I’d had that.” Nico lays a hand on his shoulder and Jason takes it, smiling softly. But Nico can feel a storm trembling under his skin. Jason is itching to leave, itching to spread his wings. Dangerous. Jagged. Nico pushes those familiar thoughts away.

Jason’s getting worse.

He sees him speaking quietly with Reyna by the statue while he’s securing the ropes to himself. And, to his dread and delight, Jason claps him on the shoulder and turns him around. “You be careful, okay, Nico?”

“You know me. Nothing but careful.” His taunt makes Jason laugh and the sound lift Nico’s heart. It’s just the two of them, now. Nico can’t say he’ll miss the ship but he already misses Jason.

“You know you can trust me, right?” Jason asks. He claps his hand to Nico’s face, traces his thumb against his soft cheek. Nico feels very small suddenly. “You can come to me for anything.” Jason takes a step forward.

“Yes,” Nico breathes. He hates the way his voice catches on his high breath, but. It’s hard to stay coherent with Jason this warm and this close and this intense.

“I can trust you.” Not quite a question. The statement carries a finality that scares him back to reality. Jason is so cold and serious, now. The hand, once charcoal, turns to lead against his cheek. Dragging him into the earth.

“Yes,” Nico says again. He trusts Jason and wants Jason to trust him too so he burrows that fear away from his heart.

Jason pats his cheek. Kisses his brow. Then he leaves.

Reyna and Nico and Hedge have a good dynamic. He understands why Reyna and Jason were close and sees some of those same comfortable qualities in her that drew him to Jason. But she’s harder and colder, closer to Nico. Their relationship grows. He sees the same want to protect him that he once saw in Bianca. And he doesn’t feel like he’s being bossed around, either. They’re equals. Friends. They care for each other.

That’s why he screams when Bryce’s ghostly hands wrap around her neck and she vanishes into the earth. Hedge is yelling something, swinging his bat, only to get flung back into the hard rock of the Athena Parthenos. A finger on the statue cracks. His head bleeds.

“Reyna--” he gasps out. Sword hangs heavy at his side. The earth starts to swallow him, too. The jar. Tartarus. Gaea’s soft hands creeping up his ankles. “No, no, no--” They’re supposed to be safe here. With each other.

Bryce leers over him. Grips Nico’s chin in hand. Something thunks against his head. Blood. He tastes it in his mouth, spilling over his cut lip onto Bryce’s thumb. The Roman laughs. That sound bounces around Nico’s head for hours, echoing, echoing in the tunnels of the underground.

Nico catches one last glimpse of the sky and for a moment, he thinks of Jason’s eyes.

Then nothing.

Warm, soft dirt. Spilling into him. Filling the space around him. Tempting and suffocating. Reyna’s here, somewhere, but when he tries to reach for her it’s like wading through clay. Slow. Slippery. Mud filling up his mouth and nose. Blood spilling from his mouth and nose. The earth binds him and raises him up, presenting a prize to the middle of the acropolis. Giants loom in the distance, footsteps shaking stone pillars. The sun is high and hot. Reyna’s back rests against his. That’s all the comfort he has.

Footsteps. Racing up the stone stairs. He tries to make out a voice, but it’s a garbled mess of syllables he can’t pronounce. His sister’s voice slips in there somewhere and he tries to raise his head but he’s so weak and it hits the tile again with a groan.

“Hazel, no! It could be a trap.” A beat. “Let me go in. I can fly in and out of there.”

“Careful, Jason.” Sick and barely conscious, Nico still recognizes Percy’s voice. Welcomes it.

There’s a cool gust of air and he welcomes it with a weak sigh. Careful footsteps toward him. Someone kneels down, casts a friendly shadow over himself and Reyna. “Nico.” Jason’s hands are warm on his face, rousing his consciousness. Brush some of his bangs off his forehead. “Nico, it’s me. You’re okay.”

“Jason.” He licks his lips. Tries to let the name settle on his tongue again. “What are you… why… here.” He tries to open his eyes and everything is bright, so white, he can’t focus. Jason rides the tremor out with him until he can see the rest of the seven, blurry in the distance. “I’m here to help you, Nico,” he whispers. “You were in danger.”

He remembers Bryce’s laugh ringing in his ears, slipping into the warm earth, and a horrible, familiar darkness. “Jasonngh... Where’s—Reyna is...” Unconscious beside him, groaning as she starts to stir.

“You’re both in kind of rough shape.” Jason jostles Nico into his arms, gentle, examining his wounded head. There’s something off about his blue eyes. Something that screams danger. His hair is mussed, the bags under his eyes are heavy, the scar on his lip seems so much more jagged. So unlike Jason. The reality he’s been unwilling to accept until now hits him full force. “But I’ve got you. You’re both going to be okay.” And so much like Luke.

“Jason, get out of there,” Frank advises quietly. He takes a step forward and Jason holds out his hand. Suddenly, a spark of electricity flies forth, crafting a field around the trio. Nico jumps but he doesn’t leave Jason’s arms, how warm and safe it feels. He’s scared. But he can’t leave.

The rest of their group stares at him. Nico blinks. “Jason?” he asks quietly. Tugs his shirt collar. “What’s…” He looks to Hazel, her eyes wide and full of fright. And now he knows he is in great danger. Something presses sharp and hard into his side and he winces.

“Jason, l want to see my brother,” Hazel says. Her voice shakes. “Let me see him.” Nico’s head lolls to the side to catch her worried eye. “Haze—“ Jason’s hand comes to cup his jaw and pull Nico’s face against his chest. “I can’t do that, Hazel. I’m sorry.” Jason’s tone is laden with finality and remorse. Nico is panicked now but. His lids are so heavy. His limbs are so heavy. Movement isn't an option. And Jason is still soft and temperate. Reyna props herself up on her elbow, wheezing. “Nico,” she grits out, her eyes shut tight. “Nico, where—“ Jason places a forceful hand on her shoulder. “Rest, Reyna. I’ve got you.” Her eyes remain closed. His voice registers slowly and she releases a shuddering sigh. “Jason. What are you doing?”

Percy strides forward, pulling riptide. Ready to defend. Ready to save them. There’s an understanding in his eyes. He’s watched Jason deteriorate in Nico’s absence, something he loathes to have missed. Could he have stopped this? Done anything? Could any of them have?

And still, can they?

Nico looks whatever’s digging into his ribs--a sharp golden dagger hanging on Jason’s belt. As soon as it registers as a knife, Jason’s pulled the weapon and pressed it to Nico’s throat. It’s only light pressure but he struggles to breathe. “Don’t come any closer, Percy,” Jason warns, crouching, forcing Nico onto his knees to avoid the sharp cut of a knife. “If you care about Nico at all... you’ll stay right where you are.” “Jason, you have no idea what you’re doing.” Percy’s weapon is clenched tight in his hand. His desperate eyes meet Nico’s. “I’ve seen this before. I know what’ll happen. You can’t honestly believe Gaea is more trustworthy than the gods. Than our family.” He gestures to the stars, to the disheartened crew. It's so hollow. It didn't help then and it won't now. Somewhere, Nico hears, Family. You promised. “Please don’t do this. Let Nico and Reyna go.” Reyna’s hand reaches for Jason’s upper arm. His wielding hand drops the smallest distance from Nico’s throat. “Don’t. He’s... don’t hurt him, Jason.” Her voice still sounds so strong, even when it’s that quiet. “Come home. Don’t do this.”

“Percy... this is the only way I can protect them. Protect all of you.” He doesn’t waver, though he pauses to suck in a breath. “I’ve been following the gods for so long... they’ve done nothing but hurt me. Hurt us. Hurt my sister. They hurt you, too. I can see it. I know how angry you are. They took you from Annabeth, they let you fall into Tartarus... But now I have a chance to stop that from happening again. They won’t be able to hurt us anymore.”

"This is only going to make things worse," Leo whispers. He looks so cold. "You know this isn't right."

"I don't care about what's right. I care about justice." The blade rests cool, taut against Nico’s throat and he gasps.

"Where's the justice in this?" Hazel demands. "I know you're hurt, I know you're scared--but you're just hurting the only people you're trying to protect." Her eyes meet Nico's and he almost whimpers. He wants to struggle but that knife is so tight against him he can't move. "Gaea's just using you. Don't let her."

"Don't tell me that. I know, and I--I am sick of your camp telling me what to do." Jason's blue eyes turn dark and stormy and his hand pulses low with electricity. "Your name is soldier first. War is burned into you before you can even ask what it is. You're a machine, you're a weapon, you're a means to an end. The first thing they did to you, Hazel, was burn that mark onto your arm. You're hardly a teenager. And I was--five? I don't know. I don't know anymore." Reyna's head bows low and Jason draws in a shaky breath. And despite everything, Nico just wants to unwind him, to hold him, to calm him down. All he can do is grip the hand with the blade tighter, try to soothe Jason by tracing his thumb over the back of his hand. "I've been there since I was a kid. And I took every order, every word... I was perfect. And for what?" The traces of tears in his eyes turn to ice. "If I'm going to be used, from now on, I'm having some kind of say in it."

“Jason, I know...” Piper whispers. "But this isn't the way. Just put down the knife. Let us talk to you. Let us help you." Her melodious voice carries over and stills them both. Mechanical, the blade starts to fall from its position. Jason's eyes glaze over. That gives Reyna the opportunity to pull his hand away from Nico’s throat. He falls to the floor as soon as he’s released.

Jason looks between Piper and Reyna in disbelief, then settles on the former with a scathing look. "Stop trying to control me!" Nico tries to breathe again, dizzy. The sky and the stones spin around his head.

Piper panics. Grips her choppy bangs. "No, no I wasn't--please, just listen--"

"I'm done listening." Through his struggling consciousness, he watches Reyna grapple for the knife. Jason pin her down. Jason cutting her arm. Not too deep, but he knows just where to cut to get blood to flow. She grits her teeth and groans against the stones of Athens. Her wide eyes meet Nico’s. Run.

He tries but he can hardly stand. Hazel starts running toward him, too, despite the electric field between them. "Help--" He doesn't know who to ask for help anymore. He reaches, staggers— Jason pulls him back in.

“This’ll hurt, but not for long.” Jason pulls Nico’s back to his chest, forcing his hand out. He presses the dagger tight into his palm, a threat, a promise. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, Nico.” “You’re hurting me.” He chokes. “Jason, it hurts—“ The blade is cool when it slides across his palm. He gasps, soft, and the blade clatters to the ground. Jason grasps his bleeding hand. Forces his palm open. His chin rests on Nico’s shoulder, blue eyes narrowed in focus and cold as steel. He can hear the crew screaming. Hazel trying to find a way around the field, shaking the ground. Percy swinging his sword at it even though horrible shocks course through him. Annabeth standing there frozen in wide eyed shock. “They won’t hurt you ever again,” Jason promises. He isn’t sure if Jason means the gods or their friends. Then his blood spatters the ancient rock of Athens, joining Reyna’s, and the earth splits in two.

“This can’t be happening,” Nico whispers, hoping the words are enough to wake him from this nightmare. He’s not part of the prophecy. He’s not one of the seven. He’s not supposed to be here. But he is. He’s bleeding. He’s waking the earth mother.

Reyna launches herself on Jason with a cry, reaching for his blade again. His arm tightens around Nico’s throat. “--Rey--Ru--ngh--” He tries to throw off Jason and Reyna. Don’t save me, he wants to beg.

“Jason, you idiot--!” She’s yelling, arm bleeding all over his camp shirt. Jason elbows her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground again. He has the audacity to look ashamed. Nico still can’t breathe. Claws at Jason’s arm. The ground shakes and the seven are scattered. But Reyna’s distraction works. The electricity dies down.

Leo and Hazel run forward. Jason blows Leo back with a gust of wind but Hazel grounds herself in the faulty stone and raises it up around them, crafting a prison. “You don’t want to fight me, Jason,” she growls. Cursed gemstones rise from the ground and the mist warbles around her fingertips. She radiates darkness and magic. “Not when my brother is on the line.”

And then the giants come in.

Footsteps shake the entire acropolis. Nico remembers the jar. Walls start closing in around him. He’s shaking. Jason’s hand over his mouth is gentle, fingers tracing his cheeks, pulling the breath from his lips through gesture. He can’t breathe. Reyna is yelling. He’s getting dizzy. Hazel is crying. He’s so tired. Percy’s green eyes meet his through cracks of stone. Darkness.

He falls slack in Jason’s arms.

#jasico #pjo #hoo #nico di angelo #jason grace #thalia grace #luke castellan #:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))#jasico saturday #jasico discord tag

28 notes · View notes