𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 - jason grace

15. WORTH THE RISK

MAIA BIT HER LIP, anxiously waiting for someone to say something.

It wasn't easy, basically confessing to the fact that most of the things that had happened so far were probably her fault, and that, regardless of what happened, her fate was already set in stone from day one.

She'd told them about her mother, what she'd told her. She'd explained everything she could–her past, everything that was in the journals, and how her mom had told her that, regardless of everything, she could still change things.

It honestly didn't feel like she could.

She knew she'd just laid a lot on them, but, if she'd waited any longer, she might not have had the guts to tell them in the first place.

Jason's hand found hers under the table, their fingers interlocking. His hand gave hers a slight squeeze, as if he was telling her that he was there with her. That everything would be okay, because he was there, and the others were there, they'd all deal with this together.

The group sat in silence again, but it wasn't awkward. It was kind of... understanding, in a way. Like, they'd all been taking it in, trying to figure out what to do next. It took Maia a second, but, from the looks on their faces, she realized they weren't judging her. They believe in her, and, more than that, they wanted to help her. They just hadn't exactly figured out how.

The relief that flooded through Maia was almost immediate. They didn't hate her. Jason's hand in hers served as a reminder of that—he wasn't about to let her go. Not after everything. So what if her life had been made a little more complicated than other demigods' from birth? It wasn't like it was her choice to be a little unlucky. Besides, the consequences of the actions of those like her shouldn't have fallen on her shoulders, because she wasn't them. She was Maia, and she would be responsible for her own decisions, she would build her own future.

Still, it was quiet in the mess hall. But, it wasn't unwelcomed.

Judging from their half-eaten breakfasts, the others still felt uneasy; but Leo managed to shake them out of it. He pushed a button, and a loud blast of steam exploded from Festus's mouth, making everyone jump.

"Well!" he said. "Good pep rally, but there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your super fun list of chores!"

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

Maia didn't mean to close herself off from everyone–she was just a little nervous. Sure, it seemed like everyone was taking her little confession well (not counting the part about Gaea trying to get her on her team–she hadn't exactly mentioned that), but that didn't mean they weren't all on edge. With Annabeth's solo quest and Maia's new confirmation of her role in the prophecy, things were suddenly getting real. Not to mention Cassie's whole "solo prophecy" situation.

She'd been left to her thoughts for the rest of the day, helping clean around the Argo II.

Now, she was at the lower deck, accompanied by Jason. They worked in silence, Maia just wanting to get everything over with, and Jason not wanting to overstep.

The pair had been pretty efficient in their tasks, Jason had just finished fixing up one of the barn doors and Maia had just finished sweeping up some hay and other things that had broken or fallen out of place in their most recent monster attack.

Maia had been so up in her head, she hadn't realized Jason was asking her a question. Actually, she'd been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't even realized she was crying.

It wasn't until Jason pulled her into his arms that she snapped back into reality. Maia took a second, uselessly trying to blink away the tears that fell down her face, before she wrapped her arms tightly around Jason. She sobbed into his shoulder as he held her.