Half-Blood High

XXIX

        Jason

I had the weirdest dream.

I was shrouded in darkness, falling through a sea of black. I reached out to try and grab on to something, a ledge, a crack, anything, but there was nothing. Only more darkness.

I thought I would fall forever, when a sharp pain bit at the back of my head. My eyes snapped open, and I screamed.

It hadn't been a dream. I really was falling through darkness, with nothing so grab onto. I didn't know who or where I was. But I did know that when I hit the ground, it would be the end for me.

"Wake up!" Someone slapped the back of my head.

Then, it all came flooding back to me. Kronos, Chiron, the football game. Piper fighting with her knife, and me tackling Kronos. Then, nothing.

I looked up. Kronos was glaring down at me, his golden gaze dark with anger. "Had a nice nap, son of Zeuce?"

I glared back at him. "My name is Jason. But... is Zeuce really my father?"

He shrugged indifferently. "Perhaps. Or maybe it's his Roman form, Jupiter. Hard to tell since you switched schools." We were still falling. I began to wonder if we would ever stop, or if this was what I was going to spend the rest of eternity doing. Free falling with an evil Titan Lord.

I frowned. "Why did you take me? And where are we going?"

Kronos said nothing for a while. Then, he closed his eyes. "Human emotion are fickle and nonsensical. But sometimes, they have their uses. Take your friend, Piper McClean. She cares deeply enough for you that she is currently crying her heart out for her lost friend. She, and the others, will do anything to get you back."

I frowned. I didn't like the way he was talking about Piper, or the others, for that matter. "And what about our destination?"

"That is for me to know, and you to discover when we get there."

Of course, I thought. The evil, annoyingly ominous Titan Lord has to kidnap me. This was beyond unfair.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the Fates didn't care about what was fair.

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       Leo

"There there Piper," Hazel patted Piper on the shoulder awkwardly. "It's going to be okay." Piper didn't respond.

The six of us, Chiron and Lupa, had gathered in his office. We were practically on top of one another. Chiron was in wheelchair form, tending to Percy, with Annabeth's assistance.

"Miss Levesque is right," Lupa said. She'd gone into her wolf form to "make more room" she'd said. Personally, I figured she just liked it better then being a human. "Now isn't the time to panic. We must turn our focus to the matter at hand."

Piper blew her nose and nodded in agreement. "Okay. I think I'm good now."

Chiron finished bandaging Percy's head and added: "I think I may have an idea of our next move."

"Really?" Lupa cocked her head to the side. "Do tell."

"Considering his past moves, I believe I can safely say that Kronos has taken Jason somewhere into the Labyrinth. We don't know where exactly, but I have a few guesses. But first, is anyone familiar with Daedalus?"

Only Annabeth raised her hand. The girl was a blonde, walking encyclopedia. "Are you referring to the famous Greek inventor? The one who was a son of Athena?"

Chiron nodded. "Yes. That one."

Percy raised his hand. "No offense, sir, but how is this relevant to our next move?"

Annabeth sighed. I got the feeling she was getting tired of having to explain stuff constantly to us. "Percy, Daedalus built the Labyrinth. He's it's creator. If anyone can help us track down Jason and Kronos inside it, he can."

Percy didn't look very convinced. "Are you sure? What if he sends us to Canada or something?"

Frank looked oddly offended. "For the record, Canada is very nice this time of year."

"Ignoring that," Chiron said with a funny look at the two of them. "It would be in our best interests to ally ourselves with Daedalus."

"But how are we going to find him?" I asked. "I can barely even find my homework!"

"Like you ever do your homework." Piper muttered. I let her off on the grounds that she was still upset about Jason.

"Leo has a point," Hazel said. "How are we going to find him? Isn't he supposed to be dead?"

Frank held up his hands. "Okay, I'm all for saving Jason, but if we have to go to the Underworld, I'm sorry, but that's where I draw the line."

The room erupted into argumentative chaos. Lupa sighed and, don't ask me how, somehow managed to whistle. In wolf form.

"Enough." She said, once the yelling died down. "Look at yourselves. This is exactly what Kronos wants!" Her golden eyes met each of our gazes in turn as she looked at each of us. "We shouldn't be dividing over small issues. We need to focus. Chiron," Her gaze went to the centaur. "Where can we find this inventor?"

Chiron sighed and glanced out the window. It was dark, and I hadn't realized how late it had gotten. "Unfortunately, I fear it's too late for us to pursue him now. I'm afraid our quest for Jason will have to wait for tomorrow."

"WHAT?!" We all jumped. Piper shot to her feet with surprising speed. "Are you saying we just leave Jason until tomorrow?" Her shoulders were heaving, her face red. "We can't! Who knows what Kronos might do to him!" She covered her face as tears dropped down her face. With a sob, Piper raced out, leaving awkward silence in her wake.

I felt bad for her. I'd suspected that she and Jason were closer than friends for a while now. There was no telling how his capture was affecting her.

Hazel stood up, to go after her, or stretch, I don't know, but Chiron shook his head, his withers twitching. "Just let her go. She's dealing with a lot right now." He cast a sad look at the hall. "We all are."

That was the truest thing I'd heard all day.
. . .
Thoughts?

Peace ✌️

-SilverQuillsandRoses