𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 - jason grace

01. THE PROPHECY OF EIGHT

THE ROMAN DEMIGODS had assembled in the forum as the warship came to a stop, hovering over the city, probably as a way to avoid the wrath of Terminus. It was a technicality, to float over the city and not touch it, and the god loved his technicalities. It was smart.

The first to climb down the ship was a blonde girl, with stormy gray eyes and a determined expression on her face. Maia could tell, from the way Percy's breath hitched when he caught sight of her, and the giant smile on his face, that this was Annabeth Chase, Percy's girlfriend.

She was clearly a leader, from the way she walked, sure of herself, and from the way a group of demigods parted for Annabeth as she walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. This was a big deal, Greeks at a Roman camp. It was odd. It was new.

The crowd of demigods parted when Reyna stepped forward. Her cousin seemed confident, but Maia knew she was nervous.

The two girls considered each other. Maia could tell they were similar, in some ways. They both stood confidently, as if the weight of the world was resting on their shoulders, and a single misstep would have it come crashing down. They were poised and clearly respected, and something told Maia that, just like Reyna, Annabeth was not someone to be overlooked. Annabeth's friends fanned out on either side. Maia took the time to look at each and every one of them – the one she remembered to be Leo, from the scroll, a beautiful girl with brown hair and probably the prettiest eyes Maia had ever seen (aside from Jason's, of course, there was no competition to Maia when it came to Jason), and another girl, slightly taller than the last, with honey blonde, almost light brown hair, who looked both too bored to be there, but too excited to have missed out.

Then, she saw him. The Romans murmured his name, staring at him in awe. Maia stood frozen, scared that if she were to move even an inch, he'd disappear all over again.

He looked a little different than she'd last seen him – his hair was messy, he looked slightly taller, if that was even possible (he was already unfairly tall, Maia didn't need him to have even more of a height advantage on her), and he wore an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt instead of his usual purple one. More than that, he looked at ease, something Maia had only seen when he wasn't facing a crowd. His eyes were the same, though. They had the same curious glint they always did, and they were still that gorgeous shade of sky blue Maia would always get lost in. And, even more than that, his eyes sparkled like the stars, with hope, and fear, and so many things Maia didn't even dare to try and understand.

Jason was home.

For a second, Maia was scared he'd forgotten her. Eight months was a long time, he'd probably gotten the chance to make as many new friends as Maia could dream of ever having. He'd probably been granted so many opportunities, Maia couldn't ever catch up. He was probably worlds away, and Maia was still here. Standing in the middle of a crowd at Camp Jupiter, feeling more afraid than she'd ever felt.

And then, he turned, slightly facing her, and they locked eyes. And the smile on his face made it all worth it. Maia wasn't blushing. She'd deny it, if anyone ever asked.

Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason. "Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"

The blonde, Annabeth, surged forward. Percy rushed toward her at the same time. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there. Maia and her friends didn't dare to move, they simply watched. They stumbled toward each other. Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed, and Maia really felt like she shouldn't be watching.