Betrayed But Never Forgotten

Jeoulsy gets the best of us

     Jason's pov

      Bitterness has a way of consuming you. Every time I see Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase strutting around Camp Half-Blood like they're some kind of divine royalty, my blood boils. It's been six weeks since we defeated Gaia, and my resentment only grows stronger with each passing day.

   If we were at Camp Jupiter, things would be different. I'd be the leader there, and they'd be the ones on the outside looking in. But here? Here, everyone except my closest friends treats me like I'm nothing – like I wasn't one of the Seven, like I didn't help defeat Gaia herself.

      "Jason! Get over here and spar with me!" Piper's voice cuts through my brooding, echoing across the arena. It's free time before dinner, and the familiar sounds of clashing weapons fill the air.      I pull my coin from my pocket, trying to suppress my irritation as I make my way over to her. "How many times do I have to remind you that you can't beat me?" The words come out harsher than I intend, my earlier frustrations bleeding through.

      Piper draws Katoptris, her celestial bronze dagger catching the afternoon light. "No need to be cocky," she says, her kaleidoscope eyes narrowing slightly. 

     Something inside me snaps. First my so-called friends call me cocky, and now my own girlfriend? Without thinking, I flip my coin, watching it transform into a gleaming Imperial gold sword mid-air. I lunge forward, all technique forgotten in my anger.

      Piper sidesteps gracefully, and I crash to the ground, eating dirt. She brings her dagger down, but I roll away just in time. As I scramble to my feet, she's already moving – a blur of motion that ends with me flat on my back again. Before I can process what happened, her dagger is at my throat, her knee pressed firmly against my stomach.  

    "I win," she says simply, standing and extending her hand. 

     I ignore it, pushing myself up and brushing off my clothes. "Lucky shot," I mutter as the conch horn signals dinner. I storm off toward the dining pavilion, hearing Piper's footsteps behind me, but I don't slow down or look back.