“Come in.” I said to Jason as I gestured for him to enter. He looked baffled when he entered the cabin. I did a little redecoration inside, to make it more modern and less Roman. “You like it?’ I asked him as he looked at the pictures of him and I embracing each other after winning the war games, way before we were praetors. Then there’s the one when I trained him and he trained me. We were studying and training real hard to become praetors, it has been our dream since we were kids. Then there’s the photo of the feast we had when Jason and I got our role of praetorship. We were being held up above the legion’s shield and were laughing. We seemed so happy back then, before the Greeks came. “Ah, I remember this one.” Jason said as he pointed to a photo on a frame that showed Jason and I pranking Octavian, and this was when we were already praetors. We were young and innocent back then. Now we’re both fed up with our own problems. I need to control Camp Jupiter on my own, with Octavian starting to convince the legion that Greeks are evil and needed to be exterminated. He successfully convinced almost half of the legion. I told him to sit on the couch as I made him and myself a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

“Ah, hot chocolate.” Jason said, delighted that I still remembered his favourite thing about New Rome. “The drink of the gods.” Both Jason and I said, as we clinked our mugs together. We laughed as we remember the old times. Then I looked at his eyes, his beautiful electric blue eyes. No, I can’t fall for him again. I can’t afford to get hurt again. I thought to myself. I immediately averted my eyes from his. “So, what do you want to talk to me about?” Jason asked me, “Where’s Percy?” I asked him. “Why did Annabeth cried when I asked that. Why isn’t he here?” I pushed Jason because I needed answers, Percy was my friend. Well, there was a phase in my life where I considered Percy more than just a friend. “He - he died…” Jason answered me. “He what?!” Jason told me the whole story, of how Gaea was taunting them and how Annabeth got a blessing by five gods at once, how she killed the giants in a single strike, how she commanded the owls, horses, pegasi, and skeletons to attack Gaea and how Gaea is now locked in the deepest pits in Tartarus. Never able to wake ever again. When he finished, I already used a whole box of tissue. Percy’s gone. He was such a nice person. How can this world be so cruel? He deserved better. He deserved to be with Annabeth, he deserved a happy peaceful live, with no monsters disturbing him whatsoever. He couldn’t be gone, but he is, and the sooner I accept the fact that I will never see his mischievous smile again, the easier it’ll get for me to move on with my life.

I slowly sipped on my cup of chocolate, now already cold. I looked up and saw Jason trying to blink the tears away. Of course, if somebody saw the son of Jupiter crying, he’ll be made fun of the rest of his life, but this is different. He lost somebody, somebody very important. He lost his best friend, the world has lost the cheerful, funny, Percy, the one that everybody loves. “Does Nico know?” I asked him. He looked surprised. “Aren’t they friends? Even though he stays away from everyone, he looks pretty close to Percy, so have you told him yet?” I blurted out, as nonchalantly as possible. Of course I didn’t mean it, but it’s as if after Jason told me the story of Percy’s death that my heart suddenly became numb, still in shock, still paralysed. “No.” Jason’s voice woke me up from my thoughts. “What?” I asked him, “You asked if Nico knew. No.” Jason said. Not lifting his face from his empty mug of hot chocolate. “I don’t know how to tell him. It will break him beyond repair."

Just as Jason was saying that, Nico di Angelo suddenly emerged up from the shadows. “What will break me?” He asked. “I’ll live. I handled a lot worse things than you ever had. I already lost my mother and Bianca. I don’t think anything will be worse than losing Bianca.” He insisted. “Nico, I—“ Jason started. “Tell me!” Nico shouted. I know that he didn’t meant it but skeletons emerged from the ground and pinned Jason down. The tip of his Stygian Iron blade was pointed at his chest. “Now, TELL ME!” Nico bellowed. Dam, the son of Hades could be scary when he’s angry. “Nico!” I yelled. “Let go of him! What he’s about to tell you will be worse than anything you ever had in your life!” “Never.” he said, he dug the tip of his blade deeper into Jason’s throat. “Nico.. can’t… breath.” Jason said, gasping for air as the skeletons choked him. “Tell me, or you would never speak ever again.” Nico said. Although Nico is younger than Jason, he looked much scarier than him. With his deathly pale face, sunken eyes, body ripped with muscles from training with the dead, he looked down right ready to kill someone. “Its Percy.” Jason managed to choke out. “He’s gone. Gaea.. took.. his life.. away.” Jason’s body is starting to go limp from the lack of oxygen in his lungs and Nico suddenly fell to the ground, the skeletons disappeared and his sword clung down to the floor.
Nico was there, hugging himself. “You’re lying.” He said, with tears falling to the wooden floor. I can’t help but look at his face, that desperate little kid, willing to cling to any hope that he was still alive. I tried to blink my tears away, but looking at the son of Hades, sobbing on the floor, even Jason can’t help but cry silently next to him. “He couldn’t be gone. No, I’ll bring him back. He couldn’t be gone. He’s at the Argo II now right? This is a prank isn’t it? He’s about to burst through the door with a camera, any moment now, wouldn’t he?” I crouched and lifted Nico’s face. He looked at me with those red puffy eyes. “Nico, I’m sorry but he’s gone.” I said to him, face wet with tears. “The funeral’s tomorrow if you wanna come.” Jason told him. He nodded and said, “I just need some time alone. Don’t search for me.” With that, he shadow-traveled to who knows where. No doubt, training with the dead again. He always does that. He hides his emotional pain behind all the dead and training. “That is why I didn’t want to tell him. He’ll freak out on me, and without you, I would probably be dead right now.” I managed a smile.

There was an uncomfortable silence, until Octavian suddenly burst into the room. “Reyna! This is unacceptable, those Greeks back here after—“ He noticed that Jason was here too and abruptly stopped. “You.” He said, his eyes squinting and burning with hatred. “Yeah, me. I’m J-a-s-o-n, and you’re O-c-t-a-v-i-a-n” He spelled the names slowly, as if he was a little kid. It took everything in me not to burst out laughing. “Ha-ha, very funny Grace. And as I know, you’re not praetor anymore, aren’t you?” Octavian said, obviously unamused. “Yeah, but are you? I gave my position to Frank to save others. If you became praetor, no doubt you’ll be laughing evilly and rubbing your hands together like a villain.” Jason said again. This time I can’t hold it in anymore. I laughed and Jason looked behind his shoulders to find me laughing hysterically, falling flat on my butt. He smiled at that and Octavian just got angrier. “I’ll show you, Grace. I’ll show all of you!” Then he stormed off. “Just like old times, huh?” Jason said to me. When I remember the times when I used to be best friends with him, when everybody said that we should be together, when we were still ‘we’, I flinched and unfortunately, Jason noticed. “Reyna? What’s wrong?” He said, with a look of concern in his face. I forced a smile and said, “I’m fine. It’s nothing. Yeah, just like old times.” Jason didn’t look convinced and I cleared my throat, “Well, I’m going to go to my room for a while.” To cry, I thought. “Just make yourself at home.”

Then I went into my room and locked the door. I saw my night desk and the pictures on it. All of them were pictures of Jason and I, oh how I miss those days. When we can run around, when we used to be praetors together, when we used to dance in the rain, when we flew in each other’s arms at night so we can see the city lights, the most painful memory was the kiss. Once, before all this started, way before. Before the Titan war even started, we were young and were still kids. As praetors, we worked together everyday, we were so close and one day, after winning the war games, Jason suddenly pulled me into a kiss. I smile at the memory as I still could hear the cheering crowd roar louder as they saw their two praetors, kissing as they were covered in mud and dirt. After the kiss, we were almost a couple. We held hands almost everywhere we go. Jason would sneak into my room late at night to watch movies together or just to chit chat while drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows. Then one day, when we fell asleep on the shores of the Little Tiber, wrapped in each other’s blankets, I woke up in the morning to see him gone. Good thing nobody saw me sleep on the shore of Little Tiber, or questions and rumours would be flying here and there about their two praetors. I sobbed to my pillow as I remember how when I did find him, he came with another girl. In love with her probably just as much as I’m in love with him.

I went to the sink to wash my face, and said to myself. “Don’t let them see you like this. Be strong. Be a tough warrior. Don’t fall in love again. Don’t get hurt.” Even after I say those words, three words keep ringing in my head, the words that Jason said in his sleep right before he was taken. I love you.

Notes

Hey, it's Eliza!! I hope you enjoy this chapter and please don't kill me for spelling or grammar mistakes! English isn't my native language!

And if you enjoy, please rate and subscribe! Any feedbacks in the comment section would be EXTREMELY appreciated!!

Well, with all the demigodishness and all that, peace out!!