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TW : mention of self harm in the last segment bracketed with •

Part one. Chapter thirteen.

Intervention, oh intervention. Where art thou, intervention ?

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Aris poked herself in the eye with her mascara wand when a loud ship horn echoed. At first she wondered if it was Leo. That he found out about her and Jason's fight and decided to punish everyone just to punish her for hurting his best friend (though, she knew for a fact that Reyna would always be more Jason's best friend than Leo).

But then it boomed again. And it sounded like it was coming from several hundred yards away—from another vessel.

She was already dressed and mostly made up so she just pulled one her shoes and rushed up onto the deck. The others were also gathering up there, all hastily dressed or only half dressed except for Coach Hedge, who had pulled the night watch.

Frank's Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out. Percy wore pajama pants and a bronze breastplate, which was an interesting fashion statement. Hazel's hair was all blown to one side, as though she'd walked through a cyclone ; and Leo had accidentally set himself on fire. His T-shirt was in charred tatters. His arms were smoking. Jason hadn't even bothered with a shirt, his sweatpants sitting on his hipbones.

Aris tried not to look at him. His hair was a mess which somehow still looked good. And his eyes, they were red. Like he had been crying.

Aris jumped when she felt something next to her. She let out a sigh of relief when she noticed it was just Percy, having thrown his arm over her shoulders. She leaned against him, needing all the comfort she could get as they watch a massive cruise ship glided past, about a hundred yards to port. Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe the Mist made it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the Argo II was a tourist attraction.

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the Argo II had a shaking fit.

Coach Hedge plugged his ears. "Do they have to be so loud ?"

"They're just saying hi," Frank speculated.

"WHAT ?" Hedge yelled back.

The ship edged past them, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it strange that the Argo II was populated by half-asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn't let on.

"Bye !" Leo called, raising his smoking hand.

"Can I man the ballistae ?" Hedge asked.

"Yes," Aris groaned at the same time as Leo forced a smile and said, "No."

They shot each other a look before Leo tilted his head. "What happened to your hand ?"

"Nothing." She quickly hid her badly bandaged hand behind her back.

"Ari—"

"It's nothing," she snapped before clearing her throat and looking around. "Where are we ?"

Hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. "Oh...Wow."

Aris followed her gaze and felt her jaw drop ever so slightly. Without the cruise ship blocking their view, she saw a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north. It was a massive fist of blinding white rock thrust into the sky. On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below. On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, so that the whole thing reminded Aris of a colossal sphinx, worn down over the millennia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over its back.

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth said in awe. "At the tip of Spain. And over there—" She pointed south, to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

Aris felt like shrinking into herself. As beautiful and amazing as all this was, it was like they were about to cross into dangerous territory. Like they were about to enter a land of danger and roots, waiting to show them just how unprepared they were. Just how powerful their past was. Once in the Mediterranean—the Mare Nostrum—they would be in the ancient lands. If the legends were true, their quest would become ten times more dangerous.

"What now ?" Piper asked. Aris found it interesting that her eyes were also red. "Do we just sail in ?"

"Why not ?" Leo said. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time."

Annabeth gazed at the Rock of Gibraltar. Aris curiously looked at it too. "In the old days," she found herself saying, "they called this area the pillars of Hercules. The Rock was supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one."

"Hercules, huh ?" Percy frowned, leaning his head against hers. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn—there he is."

Aris managed a small snort of amusement at that.

A thunderous boom shook the Argo II. "So...these Pillars of Hercules," Piper cleared her throat as if to hide the quiver in her voice. "Are they dangerous ?"

Annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs, as if waiting for the Mark of Athena to blaze to life. "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the known world. The Romans said the pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning—"

"Non plus ultra," Percy said.

Annabeth looked stunned. Aris also tilted her head up to Percy with furrowed eyebrows. "Yeah. Nothing Further Beyond," the daughter of Venus translated.

"How did you know ?" Annabeth questioned.

Percy pointed. "Because I'm looking at it."

Directly ahead of them, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence. Aris was positive no island had been there before. It was a small hilly mass of land, covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. Not very impressive compared to Gibraltar, but in front of the island, jutting from waves about a hundred yards offshore, were two white Grecian columns as tall as the Argo's masts. Between the columns, huge silver words glittered underwater—maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid in the sand: NON PLUS ULTRA.

"Guys, do I turn around ?" Leo asked nervously. "Or..."

No one answered—maybe because, they had noticed the figure standing on the beach. As the ship approached the columns, Aris noticed a dark-haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, staring intently at their ship as if he were expecting them. He didn't look very happy.

Frank inhaled sharply. "Could that be—?"

"Hercules," Jason spoke up for the first time that morning. Aris found herself immediately looking at him as the sound of his hoarse and tear worn voice. "The most powerful demigod of all time."

The Argo II was only a few hundred yards from the columns now.

"Need an answer," Leo said urgently. "I can turn, or we can take off. The stabilizers are working again. But I need to know quick—"

"We have to keep going," Annabeth said. "I think he's guarding these straits. If that's really Hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn't do any good. He'll want to talk to us."

Aris knew that Annabeth was right. If they wanted to pass into the Mediterranean, they couldn't avoid this meeting. Didn't mean she had to like it.

"Won't Hercules be on our side ?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean...he's one of us, right ?"

"He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods. Or demigods as it turns out," Jason stated dully. Everyone blinked at those words. They blinked even harder when Piper flinched.

Percy cleared his throat as if to try and ease the tension. "Great. Eight of us against Hercules."

"And a satyr !" Hedge added. "We can take him."

"I've got a better idea," Annabeth said. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group—one or two at most. Try to talk with him."

"I'll go," Jason volunteered. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"Or maybe he'll hate you," Percy suggested. "Half brothers don't always get along."

"Jackson—" he cut himself off, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Not today. I'm begging you, not today."

"Oh...um, sorry," Percy coughed. He looked at Aris who pointedly avoided his gaze, playing with the belt of her new dress.

"It's worth a shot," Annabeth said, encouragingly. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Somebody who's good with words."

All eyes turned to Piper.

She was just about to answer when a cold and decisive voice stated, "No."

"Jason—"

"No," he shot Piper a glare. "I'll go with anyone else. Just not her."

Everyone blinked in surprise. "Dude," Leo slowly began. "She's your girlfriend—"

"Not anymore."

"Can we please talk about this ?" Piper begged.

"You don't trust me," Jason shrugged. "What's there to talk about ?"

"Can you at least try to get where I'm coming from ? You said you loved her !"

"I do love her !" Jason yelled. Everyone flinched in surprise, never having heard Jason raise his voice in anger. The booming of thunder and smell of ozone didn't help anyone's nerves as they warily eyed him. "And the daughter of the goddess of love, I thought you would understand that there's more than just romantic love."

"Jason—"

"Pick anyone. Anyone. And I'll go with them," Jason headed below deck. "Just not Piper."

Everyone stood frozen for a minute. Then Piper glared at Aris. "This is all your fault."

That had her blinked back from where she had watched him disappear. "I didn't make you eavesdrop on our conversations, Piper," the girl reminded quietly as she left Percy's side. "You made your choice. Live with the consequences. I'll be in my room if anyone needs me."

🖤💔🖤

Once Leo had anchored the Argo II between the pillars, Jason summoned the wind to carry him and Annabeth ashore. It was finally decided that she was the best choice. He had to agree. Out of everyone on the crew, Annabeth was the most likely to stay on task and get this shit done. The one who could best figure out how to get them out of there.

The man in purple was waiting for them.

Jason had grown up hearing stories about Hercules. It was hard to avoid when you lived in a Roman military camp your whole life. It was even worse when you were a son of Jupiter because there was always someone comparing you to all the heroes of old who also happened to be children of Jupiter.

Hercules was one he was often compared to. Both sons of Zeus/Jupiter. Both somehow linked to Hera/Juno. Both with absolutely tragic love lives.

Jason kind of hated it. No one ever saw him as anything other than the continuation of a father's legacy. The only ones who ever really saw him as just Jason were Reyna and Aris. Reyna was on the other side of the ocean and Aris...

Jason didn't want to think about Aris.

In fact, he couldn't afford to. Not when they were about to more or less ensure whether or not they would go any further.

Hercules' feet were bare, covered in white sand. His robes made him look like a priest, a bishop if he wasn't mistaken. Jason also suspected that purple meant they were with the Roman version of his half-brother. His beard was fashionably scruffy—the sort of I just happened not to shave for two days and I still look awesome look.

He was well built, but not too stocky. His ebony hair was close-cropped, Roman style. He had startling blue eyes like Jason's, but his skin was coppery, as if he'd spent his entire life on a tanning bed. And something that was both surprising and not : he looked about twenty. Definitely no older.

He had a club, which lay in the sand next to him, but it was more like an oversized baseball bat—a five-foot-long polished cylinder of mahogany with a leather handgrip studded in bronze. Coach Hedge would have been jealous.

Jason and Annabeth landed at the edge of the surf. They approached slowly, careful not to make any threatening moves. Hercules watched them with no particular emotion, as if they were some form of seabird he had never noticed before.

"Hello," Annabeth greeted.

"What's up ?" Hercules said. His voice was deep but casual, very modern. He could've been greeting them in the high school locker room.

"Well...a lot," Annabeth said. "I'm Annabeth. This is Jason."

Before she could continue, Jason found himself asking, "Where's your lion skin ?"

"Jason, what the fuck ?" Annabeth deadpanned.

"It's for research purposes," he waved her off. Really, it was to tell Aris because he knew how much of a history and mythology buff she was. It wasn't until after he had already asked that he remembered he had told her and himself he would stop caring.

Hercules looked more amused than annoyed.

"It's ninety degrees out here," he said. "Why would I wear my lion skin ? Do you wear a fur coat to the beach ?"

"Fair enough." Jason tilted his head in agreement.

"What's this research you asked for ?"

"Just...for a friend." He concentrated his fingers, twirling the single silver band he wore on his right hand. "I figured she'd be curious since the pictures always show you with a lion skin."

Annabeth took a step closer to him, almost out of support. He had to say, he hadn't expected that. He would have thought Annabeth would side with Piper since he knew they were good friends.

Hercules glared at the sky accusingly, like he wanted to have words with his father, Zeus. "Don't believe everything you hear about me. Being famous isn't as fun as you might think."

"Tell me about it," Annabeth snorted.

Hercules fixed those brilliant blue eyes on her. "Are you famous ?"

"Something like that," she waved off. She was extremely popular at Camp Half-Blood. Came with the territory of dating the guy who saved Olympus. She looked at Hercules the same way she had Jason when he first came to Camp, like he was a blueprint she wanted to figure out. "You're young."

"Being immortal helps. But, yes, I wasn't that old when I died. Not by modern standards. I did a lot during my years as a hero...too much, really." His eyes drifted to Jason. "Son of Zeus, eh ?"

"Jupiter," Jason corrected, his hand rubbing at his tattoo.

"Not much difference," Hercules grumbled. "Dad's annoying in either form. Me ? I was called Heracles. Then the Romans came along and named me Hercules. I didn't really change that much, though lately just thinking about it gives me splitting headaches..."

The left side of his face twitched. His robes shimmered, momentarily turning white, then back to purple.

"At any rate," Hercules said, "if you're Jupiter's son, you might understand. It's a lot of pressure. Enough is never enough. Eventually it can make a guy snap."

Jason knew all about that. But he wasn't about to bare his soul to this guy.

The god turned to Annabeth. He eyed her. "Not a girlfriend, I'm guessing."

"A girlfriend, yes. His, no."

"She's out of my league," Jason shrugged.

Annabeth snorted and smiled at him. He playfully winked down at her.

Contrary to popular belief, Jason had no problems with Annabeth. He actually thought she was really cool. People like Piper and Leo thought he might not like her because she had always been so suspicious of him, especially after finding out where he was from. But as a leader himself, Jason got it. Being overly suspicious and always having been trusted to lead is what led to him saying what he said about Nico a couple of days ago in the first place. He completely understood the stress Annabeth was under and actually deeply respected her for sticking to her guns of suspicion despite everything trying to convince her not to.

But Jason would only ever really be grateful to Annabeth. She might not even realise just how much she helped him when he arrived in Camp Half-Blood completely lost and with two people who were convinced they knew him. Annabeth had tried to help. Maybe it was all so that he could help her find her boyfriend. But that support she had given had meant the world to him.

There was a mixture of sadness and darkness in his eyes that seemed not quite sane, and definitely not safe. "Ah, probably for the better. One should always be careful. Sons of Zeus can be...well, never mind."

Jason wasn't sure what he meant. And he wasn't sure he wanted to. A look shared with Annabeth told him that she felt the same.

The daughter of Athena cleared her throat. "So, Lord Hercules, we're on a quest. We'd like permission to pass into the Mediterranean."

Hercules shrugged. "That's why I'm here. After I died, Dad made me the doorkeeper of Olympus. I said, Great ! Palace duty ! Party all the time ! What he didn't mention is that I'd be guarding the doors to the ancient lands, stuck on this island for the rest of eternity. Lots of fun."

He pointed at the pillars rising from the surf. "Stupid columns. Some people claim I created the whole Strait of Gibraltar by shoving mountains apart. Some people say the mountains are the pillars. What a bunch of Augean manure. The pillars are pillars."

Jason and Annabeth shared another look.

"Right," Annabeth said, trying to make him feel like she was agreeing with him. "Naturally. So...can we pass ?"

The god scratched his beard. "Well, I have to give you the standard warning about how dangerous the ancient lands are. Not just any demigod can survive the Mare Nostrum. Because of that, I have to give you a quest to complete. Prove your worth, blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I don't make a big deal of it. Usually I give demigods something simple like a shopping trip, singing a funny song, that sort of thing. After all those labors I had to complete for my evil cousin Eurystheus, well...I don't want to be that guy, you know ?"

Jason gave a tight smile, just wanting to get this over with. "Appreciate it."

"Hey, no problem." Hercules sounded relaxed and easygoing, but something was seriously off about him. That dark glint in his eyes made Jason think of charcoal soaked in kerosene, ready to go up at a moment's notice.

"So anyway," Hercules said, "what's your quest ?"

"Giants," Jason explained shortly. "We're off to Greece to stop them from awakening Gaea."

"Giants," Hercules muttered. "I hate those guys. Back when I was a demigod hero...ah, but never mind. So which god put you up to this—Dad ? Athena ?" He raised an eyebrow at Annabeth. "Your mom, I'm guessing. You have her intense eyes."

Annabeth managed a tight smile. Jason understood. Godly parents weren't exactly something you liked talking about as a general rule when you were a half-blood. But with the Mark of Athena and her impending solo quest, the goddess of wisdom was definitely a sore subject.

He patted her on the shoulder. He answered but it was only after Jason had pronounced the words, "Hera sent us," that he realised he fucked up.

"Shit," he swore, closing his eyes and rubbing at his face. He was completely and utterly disappointed in himself for not thinking about this earlier.

"Hera." Suddenly Hercules's expression was like the cliffs of Gibraltar—a solid, unforgiving sheet of stone.

"We hate her too," Annabeth said with so much annoyance and snark that it was impossible to think she was lying (which she wasn't). "We don't exactly want to help her. But she didn't give us much choice, but—"

"But here you are," Hercules said, all friendliness gone. "Sorry, you two. I don't care how worthy your quest is. I don't do anything that Hera wants. Ever."

"I get that."

If he had it his way, he wouldn't be listening to Hera either. But Jason didn't have it his way.

"Do you now ?" He glared. "If you want to pass into the Mediterranean, I'm afraid I've got to give you an extra-hard quest."

"I understand—"

"You understand nothing," Hercules cut Jason off coldly as if the boy wasn't about to calmly agree to what he wanted. "My first family : dead. My life wasted on ridiculous quests. My second wife dead, after being tricked into poisoning me and leaving me to a painful demise. And my compensation ? I got to become a minor god. Immortal, so I can never forget my pain. Stuck here as a gatekeeper, a doorman, a...a butler for the Olympians. No, you don't understand. The only god who understands me even a little bit is Dionysus. And at least he invented something useful. I have nothing to show except bad film adaptations of my life."

"That's horrible, Lord Hercules," Annabeth jumped in, coming to stand in front of Jason as if she could somehow stop him from attacking her friend. "And nothing we've been through can compare, I'm sure. But we're not bad people."

Hercules seemed to hesitate. Then his jaw tightened, and he shook his head. "On the opposite side of this island, over those hills, you'll find a river. In the middle of that river lives the old god Achelous."

Hercules waited, as if this information should send them running in terror.

"And...?" Jason prompted.

"And," Hercules said, "I want you to break off his other horn and bring it to me."

"He has horns. Wait...his other horn ?" Jason pinched his brow. "What—?"

"Figure it out," the god snapped. "Here, this should help."

He said the word help like it meant hurt. From under his robes, Hercules took a small book and tossed it to Annabeth. She barely caught it.

Jason looked over her shoulder. The book's glossy cover showed a photographic montage of Greek temples and smiling monsters. The Minotaur was giving the thumbs-up. The title read : The Hercules Guide to the Mare Nostrum.

"Bring me that horn by sundown," Hercules said. "Just the two of you. No contacting your friends. Your ship will remain where it is. If you succeed, you may pass into the Mediterranean."

"And if we don't ?" Annabeth asked, though she clearly didn't want the answer.

"Well, Achelous will kill you, obviously," Hercules said. "And I will break your ship in half with my bare hands and send your friends to an early grave."

Jason rubbed his face in annoyance. Gods, if only he'd stopped for a minute and thought about it. Or brought Aris along. Aris wouldn't have let this happen. She probably would have seen his dumbassery coming for a mile away and slapped him before he could mess things up.

"I'd get going," Hercules said coldly. "Sundown. Or your friends are dead."

🖤💔🖤

"I'm sorry," Jason mumbled to Annabeth as they truged through the jungle.

"I know you are."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not mad ?"

"I mean...it was dumb," Annabeth told him. "But, I also didn't stop and think about it. And...you're clearly going through something."

"You could say that again," the son of Jupiter snorted.

They walked in silence for a little while. Annabeth looked up at him. "You want to talk about it ?"

"You don't even like me."

It wasn't a yes. But it also wasn't a no. For some reason, Annabeth actually seemed like the only person he might want to talk to about this. Or rather, the only one available.

If there was one person he wanted to see right now, it was Reyna. His best friend. He wished she was there so he could just curl up in her arms and cry. She would probably call her an idiotic moron but ultimately hold him and comfort him like she had the first time he thought he lost Aris forever.

Annabeth was the next best thing. She was a lot like Reyna in a lot of ways. A strong, confident, beautiful, badass leader. She was smart. She was strategic. She would know what to do other than carve his heart out of his chest.

"What ? I like you !"

Jason shot her a deadpan look. "Annabeth."

"I do ! I just—I was scared, okay ?"

Jason spared her a small smile. "I get it," he promised. "I probably would have been the same in your position."

Annabeth smiled back. "I just...I was worried the Romans would want to keep Percy from me."

"Oh I'm sure they wouldn't have minded up until they found out he was Greek. If he wasn't, they definitely would have."

"Wouldn't they want you back ?" Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows.

Jason smiled mirthlessly as he looked down. The blue bracelet on his wrist mocked him yet he couldn't bring himself to take it off. "Nobody wants me, Annabeth," he told her quietly.

"I'm sure that's not true."

Jason brought his hand up and started counting off. "My mom abandoned me. My sister found a new family. I only matter to my dad if I can shine a good light on his name. My childhood best friend who I've been in love with since forever first had a crush on our mutual best friend and literally betrayed camp after she indirectly rejected her and I wasn't enough to keep her there. Want me to keep going ? Because I can."

Annabeth pulled a face like she was trying to make him feel better but didn't know how. "Piper wants you."

"Piper wants the me she thinks I am," Jason correct. "Not...me." He bitterly laughed, shaking his head.

"What ?"

"Well, that is actually the problem Aris and I have too. She thinks I love the idea of her instead of her."

"I don't think so."

Jason raised an eyebrow at Annabeth. "She literally told me that's how she thought I viewed her to my face."

"I'm no Aphrodite kid," Annabeth said. "But you can't fake the love you have for her. The way you yelled it out this morning..."

Jason scoffed, rubbing at his face. "Doesn't matter anymore."

"Why not ?"

"Because I fucked up !" He groaned in annoyance towards his himself. "I manage to fuck it up with Aris like I always do."

"It can't be that bad, I'm sure you can—"

"I told her I was done caring."

"What ?" Annabeth stopped. She looked a Jason with wide grey eyes.

He stopped too. "I looked right at her and told her, I was done caring about her."

Annabeth processed that information. She licked her lips thoughtfully before wondering, "Are you ?"

Jason closed his eyes, feeling a tear rolling down his cheek. "You have no idea, how tiring it is loving someone who doesn't you to."

"I didn't hear a denial in there." Annabeth wiped the tear away in a sisterly manner.

Jason pathetically laughed. "I love her, Annabeth. I couldn't stop caring anymore than I could stop breathing."

That seemed to be the answer she was looking for. She lightly tapped his cheek. "We'll figure it out."

"We ?" Jason sniffed.

She smiled. "We. Now come on, let's this thing over with."

Jason managed a small smile back, nodding as he followed after her.

🖤💔🖤

Percy walked into Aris' room without knocking. Then came Frank. Then came Hazel. Aris stared at the three of them confused, lowering her book. "Hi ?"

They all sat down. "This is an intervention," Percy declared.

"I don't need an intervention."

"She says she doesn't need an intervention," Percy repeated. "Frank, did you hear that ?"

"I did. Hazel ?"

"Absolutely," Hazel nodded. "Frank, could you still repeat it ?"

"She said she doesn't need an intervention, Hazel."

"Of course, of course," Percy nodded. "People who have mysterious injuries and people breaking up and have clearly not been sleeping most definitely don't need interventions."

Aris was not amused. "You guys done ?" She drawled, raising an eyebrow.

"But we had a whole bit prepared," Frank pouted, looking like a sweet little panda.

"No, don't do that," Aris whined. "Don't give me that face."

Frank did one better. He moved to sit next to his sister and transformed into a baby panda, curling up against her side. Aris softened and softly broke, crying as she hugged Frank's baby panda form.

"Crying for no apparent reason other than Frank being adorable," Percy commented. "Clearly you're fine."

"Fuck you," Aris blubbered as she flipped him off.

Hazel came and sat on her other side. She hugged around Aris' waist and put her head on her shoulder. "What happened ?"

"Nothing," Aris cried, unconvincingly.

"Ari/Mal," the pair deadpanned while Frank nudged her with his fuzzy little head.

"I'm fine," she cried.

"Oh babe," Percy picked Frank up to complete settle him in her lap and sat on Aris' other side. His arm went around  her shoulders. "You are so far from fine."

Aris punched him in the gut. "Dick."

"Please talk to us," Hazel begged. "You always make sure we're okay. Why won't you let us do it for you ?"

"Because I don't deserve it," she cried some more, trying to wipe away the tears just for them to be replaced by new ones. "I don't deserve any of you."

"Where's this coming from ?" Hazel asked, stroking at her friend's open hair.

Percy's instant reaction was, "What did he do ?"

"What ?" Aris blinked.

"Jason. What did he do ?"

Aris shook her head. "It wasn't his fault."

"Right...my best friend is just mysteriously hurt and crying for no reason. It just so happened to be on the same day he's acting skittish and broke up with his girlfriend."

"Coincidence." Aris shrugged. "I haven't been sleeping. It must be catching up to me."

"Don't you fucking dare," Percy warned. "Don't cover for him. If he hurt you, I will kick his ass."

"It was my fault."

"What was your fault ?" Hazel tried a different strategy.

"Because I finally did it."

"Did what ?"

"I pushed him too far." Aris sobbed, all the emotions she was trying to repress and hide bubbling out. "I pushed him away. He told me he loved me. I said he didn't. I told him he couldn't fix me, and when he said he didn't want to fix me, that he loved me anyway, I told him he only loved the idea of me. I finally pushed him too far. I succeeded."

"You succeeded ?"

"I got him safe. I got him away from me. And now it won't stop hurting." Aris clawed at her chest.

Percy, Hazel and Panda Frank all shared a look. They were starting to understand what had happened.

Hazel moved Aris' dark hair out of her eyes. "You never hated him, did you ?"

Aris cried even harder as she shook her head. "I love him. I love so much."

•

Percy's face filled with horror as he stared at her. "Aris...please didn't do that to yourself," he begged, looking at the badly bandaged hands.

"It hurt so much," Aris whimpered, hand still on her chest. "I thought if I hurt somewhere else, my heart would stop hurting so much."

"Oh Aris," Hazel breathed.

•

She held her friend tightly. Frank had gotten off her lap and joined their hug. They stayed there for what seemed like hours. Aris had cried all the tears she had inside her. She had run dry but her heart still ached.

It ached a little less in this cocoon of love that surrounded her, but it still hurt. It felt like it would always hurt.

They only broke apart when they heard something landing on the deck above and Annabeth calling, "Go !"

The small quartet rushed up.

"Percy, gonna need some help," Jason called.

The ship's oars were already in aerial mode. The anchor was up.

Percy rushed to Jason who summoned a gale so strong, it pushed them into the sky. From the way Percy moved his arms, he was probably making a wave.

He stood next to Jason for a minute, both young men intently staring at where the island had been. It was only when the Argo II was safely sailing through the clouds above the Mediterranean, that Percy's head turned to Jason with a harsh look.

"No." Aris stepped between, pushing Percy back. "Jason, go."

"What's going on ?"

"Just go," she begged. "I don't know how long I can hold him."

"Aris, let me go."

"It wasn't his fault !" She tried to reason.

Hazel and Annabeth both joined her in holding Percy back. The three girls were so focused on him and expecting him to keep straining that when he stopped struggling all three of them stumbled.

"What are you—"

Hazel was cut off by a surprised yell and the unmistakable sound of a body falling to the deck.

"Jason !" Annabeth gaped, rushing to him and helping him sit up. He nursed his jaw, looking up in surprise as his head leaned on Annabeth's shoulder.

"Frank..." Aris couldn't even get more out. She was too stunned.

In that moment, Frank Zhang looked every bit his father's son. Angry. Brutal. Fiercely protective. He glared at Jason. "Stay away from my sister."

Pari Speaks !

I low-key hate this but am also really happy with it. It also made me indulge in a brotp I think we were all deprived of : Jason and Annabeth. I am sorry, but I need these guys to have a sibling relationship. If Jason's mom hadn't abandoned him, Thalia might have run away with him and he and Annabeth would have grown up together. And Annabeth makes me think a lot of Reyna and since in this version, Jason and Reyna were only ever best friends, he would miss her and Annabeth is the next best thing.

Also, I am in love with Percy and Frank being so protective of Aris. The original plan was that only her and Percy had that conversation but I decided to add Hazel and Frank because they would be equally worried about her.

Anyways, I hope you guys all liked this chapter ! See you !

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