Drowning in the Siren's Song

Chapter 44

Percy paced a few steps in silence, occasionally glancing at the base of the tree. 

He debated carrying Jason back to the wolf house, but rejected the idea, knowing that Jason would wake immediately. And in all honesty, Percy wasn't that confident in his strength. But on the other hand, he also couldn't leave him out in the forest. 

He'd tried lifting Jason while wrestling, but that boy was heavy. Or maybe Percy was just weak. Because Jason could easily pick him up and toss him around if not for his reflexes. But the active kid in his memories was nowhere to be found in the darkness of the night, instead being replaced by a sleeping figure with tear marks down his cheeks. 

He must've been completely exhausted after all that crying because he'd passed out soon after Percy started singing. The tension must've caught up to him in a rush after he'd relaxed. He looked much better now, limp and peaceful rather than shivering and tense. 

Thinking of what to do with him, Percy reached out to brush off some dirt from his clothes, noticing that his clothes were muddy from laying on the forest ground. Thankfully, the night wasn't that chilly, but Percy still worried. Judging by the temperature of the water in the air, he knew that the sun was going to rise soon so relaxed knowing that at least Jason won't fall sick. 

Maybe as his mind wandered, he didn't notice that Jason was roused by his touch and was looking at him with big blue eyes, unblinking. 

"Ah, sorry..." Percy retracted his hand in a hurry, flustered. Till then comforting him was fine and dandy but with him staring at him, the embarrassment set it, turning his cheeks light pink. 
"Do you want to go back to the Wolf House?" He asked, backing away a few steps.

"You won't ask?" Jason blurted out, ignoring Percy's question. His face was blank but his eyes were questioning. He'd sat up straight, no evidence of sleep remaining. 

Reading the mood, Percy immediately became serious. "I don't need to ask," He smiled, "You would've told me if you wanted to." He clasped his hands behind his back and looked down where Jason sat dumfounded. 

'Right....' Jason thought, 'that's the kind of person Percy is.'

But before he could further sort out his scrambled thoughts, Percy held a hand out, beckoning to him. "Come on," He jerked his head towards where the Wolf House was. "They'll get worried if you're not in bed by sunrise."

He was referring to the elderly couple who were like grandparents to Jason. He realized that Percy was right. And especially since they started morning training early morning, it was important he returned. He grabbed his hand and got up, taking a minute to stabilize his shaky legs. 

Percy left him to his devices, the awkwardness back. He quickly walked ahead, making conversation with the little birds and dryads who appeared to greet him. 

Jason followed behind obediently, watching Percy who would often stop and place his hands on trees or shoo away chicks who wanted to sit on his head. Usually Keria would intimidate the chatty birds away because Percy was much too gentle. 

"Yesterday was the day my mother abandoned me. I was two at the time." Jason began without much thought. He wanted to talk. Thought Percy was a few steps ahead of him, he knew he was listening. 

"I was with my mother and sister. I don't remember well, but my sister had left for something when she'd grabbed me." Jason paused, the vivid memory which had been haunting him for the whole day revived itself. "I was happy, you know? She'd never really show affection towards me much so when she hugged me, I was happy."

"She had long nails, bright red. They'd hurt, but I didn't care. I thought that at least then, she would start caring for me; Would stop yelling at my sister. It was a child's hope." Jason spoke bitterly. "I hadn't realized that she was crying."

"She was sobbing hard and her makeup was a mess. My mother was an actress, pretty, but that was the first time I remember thinking she looked ugly. And I was right. She was ugly. 

"She left me, Percy," Jason realized he was crying again. "Right in front of the Wolf House, she squeezed my hands till her nails drew blood. It hurt." Jason had stopped walking because he couldn't see what was in front of him anymore. His eyes were too blurry.

"I remember seeing her back. She might have said something, I don't know, but I just stood there and waited. Waited for her to come back or for my sister to call out to me. She'd always look for me, but when my legs started to hurt, I realized that she wasn't going to find me."

Percy was listening attentively. He could see the wounds his mother had left on him. 8 years has passed but he was still hurting from them. Though time was a medicine, it didn't make scars disappear. 

"Lupa found me then. When I first saw her, she looked so big." Percy nodded, knowing that for a two-year old child, she must've looked a giant towering over him. 

"I'd been tested right there and then. The pack had watched me with hungry eyes and I had realized then. I had to prove myself, or else I was just going to be a snack for them. With my cheeks cold because of my tears and blood dripping from my hands, something awoke in me then." 

Jason wasn't sobbing like before. His chest wasn't heaving, but drop-by-drop, salt rolled down from the corners of his eyes and he didn't bother wiping them. He let them fall. He seemed like he didn't even notice he was crying. He was looking down at his hands, and Percy guessed that it was probably where his mother had dug her nails in. He was all too familiar with the marks left on the mind. 

"I fought like crazy." He laughed breathily. He remembered the adrenaline rush and the weird autopilot mode he'd been under. "I bit and scratched like a mad dog and somehow, I had already passed her test."

"The ruins changed into a bungalow and there were Mr. and Mrs. Russo at the door who covered me with a blanket and put bandages on me. I was crying the whole night. I was so tired, Percy, so tired."

He still looked tired, Percy noticed. He'd thrown his head back and was looking at the sky through the canopy of the forest but his expression was... somehow, aged. He looked he'd lived a whole lifetime and was ready to sleep. 

Percy felt the hair on the nape of neck rise. Pure fear surged through him as he looked at Jason's eyes. He'd been through a rollercoaster of emotions through the night, but it was his first time feeling scared. Jason's expression unsettled him in a way which was indescribable. 

"Hey...." He called out. His voice came out weak and soft, which was very unlike himself.

"Hey." He said a bit more forceful, successfully drawing his attention. "Are you happy now?" Percy looked Jason in the eye and asked him seriously. 

His question made him think. And after moment, his question made him stop thinking. Did he even need to consider the answer?

"Yeah." He breathed out. "Yeah, I'm happy now."

And after a night of sadness, the sun rose and so did a smile.