Dancing with Death

Landing in Rome

Eliza leaned on the railing of the Argo II, the wind whipping her hair as she stared blankly into the sky ahead. They'd decided to fly the rest of the way.

It'd been pretty quiet the last few hours, which probably meant something big was coming.

Jason walked over from where he'd been leaning against the mast. "Are you alright? You seem... tense."

"Really?" She said, letting the sarcasm saturate her voice. "Maybe that has something to do with the fact that we're flying toward Ancient Rome where two giants are waiting to sacrifice us to their psychotic mother."

Jason couldn't respond for a moment. "It's more than that, isn't it."

Eliza groaned. "Why do you care?"

"Because you're the closest thing to family I have."

Eliza scoffed. "We both know that's not true. You have more family than I ever will." She dropped her gaze. "Ever since you got your memories back, you've been sidelining me and pushing me away and shutting me out. Obviously, you don't give a crap. So why do you keep asking?"

Jason didn't know what to say. Eliza's accusations had caught him off guard. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He pulled her into a hug and wouldn't let go until she accepted it.

When they finally pulled away, Jason held her shoulders and met her teary gaze. "You are more of a sister to me than Thalia ever will be. I care about you more than anything else in the world. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I was just trying to keep you safe."

Eliza fought back her tears. "We're on a quest, Jason. You can't keep me safe."

He took a step back. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course I can keep you safe."

"No." Eliza held. "You can try. You can protect me, but you can't keep me from getting hurt." She hung her head. "Especially when your the one causing it."

Jason pulled her into another hug. "I'm sorry."

Eliza hesitantly sank into the embrace. The tight knot in her chest loosened and she found herself enjoying it.

"We're here!" Leo's voice carried across the ship.

Below them the massive city of Rome sprawled out across the breathtaking Italian landscape. Modern buildings mixed with ancient ruins, creating an architectural mess.

Leo set them down in an empty park near the heart of the city.

Percy convinced Annabeth to let him go with her to the Tiber.

Hazel thought she could sense Nico and Frank and Leo decided to go with her.

That left Jason, Piper, Hedge, and Eliza to watch the ship until the others got back.
* * *
Jason and Piper sat on the grassy lawn of the park having a picnic while Eliza stood on the deck, eyes peeled for anything suspicious. Their laughter drew her attention to where Jason was holding a birthday cake.

Eliza internal smacked herself. How could she have forgotten Jason's birthday? Every year they had snuck away from their duties for the day and just hung out. Not that they could ditch the others right now, but she could've done something.

Suddenly, Percy came walking out of the city alone. Eliza jogged down the gangway as he approached Piper and Jason.

"Annabeth?" Piper asked.

"Is on her way to finish her quest." Percy assured. "We split up at the Tiber." He took a deep breath and met Piper's gaze. "Can you check Katoptris for a way to find the Giants?"

"Percy," She clarified. "It doesn't show me what I want to see."

"I know." He held. "Can we at least try?"

Taking a deep beath, Piper pulled the dagger from its sheath and gazed at the sleek blade. "I see... the Romans. They're head for Camp Half-blood." She was silent for a moment, watching a scene play out across her knife. "No!" She dropped the blade.

"What is it?" Jason steadied her. "What did you see?"

Piper spoke through ragged breaths. "I saw a staircase, leading down into a chamber... a chamber where we die." She went on to explain her visions of the four of them trapped in a room, surrounded by black water.

Jason kept his hand around her shoulders. "That's our way down."

"No." Piper pulled away. "Didn't you hear me? If we go down there, we'll die."

"We don't know that." Percy offered. "We know we'll get into trouble, but you never actually saw us dead right?"

Piper shook her head.

Percy nodded in finality. "Then there's a chance - one I'm willing to take."

"Me too." Jason seconded.

"Oh what the heck, we've dealt with worse." Eliza stepped forward, placing a hand on Piper's shoulder. "I'm in."

Piper examined her friends carefully. "You're sure?"

All three of them nodded without hesitation.

Piper released a long breath. "Okay."

Jason smiled and turned to the Argo II. "Hedge! We have a lead. Watch the ship while we're gone."

The satyr's head popped out from behind the helm. He gave an over exaggerated salute. "Yes sir!"

Jason faced the others. "Let's go kick some giant butt."

A/N
It's a shorter chapter, I know, But I hope it was still enjoyable. 😁 We're almost through Mark of Athena. 😓 Thank you all SO much for the support. 🥰
Until next time.
-Cheshire