CATHARSIS, jason grace¹

𝟬𝟮𝟰. the biggest do-gooder i know

JASON'S WORLD WAS CURRENTLY GETTING ROCKED. He was taking swing after swing to the head, hearing Thalia talk about their family, their mother, and eventually how they got separated. The whole time, Jason couldn't believe his sister was real even when she spent almost an hour explaining their story. Thalia Grace was a living, breathing embodiment of all Jason had lost. The more she told him about their family history, the more devastated he got.

It wasn't the fact that his mother was a washed up television actress with an alcohol addiction that wrecked him, it was the fact that she had given Jason up when he was a toddler to appease Hera, who was angry at Zeus/Jupiter for having, not one but, two children with the same mortal woman.

Throughout the quest, Jason was steadily regaining his memories. He began to remember his careful choices and how honest he was throughout his whole life. He never broke any rules, always obeyed authority, and made sure his word was as good as gold.

To think that his life had began with such an act of selfishness was earth-shattering.

To top it off, Thalia handled her emotions so well. Too well. She didn't seem fazed by them reuniting or any detail of their quest. Nothing seemed to surprise her—the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising. Leo tried to break the ice with jokes. Jason was grateful he had agreed to stick around while he and Thalia talked. Still, a small part of him wished it was Aera instead.

After their encounter with the werewolves, Aera had collapsed in the middle of the woods and Thalia had sent one of her hunters to take care of her someplace else. After what he did to Piper, Jason didn't have much faith in Coach Hedge's woodland healing. He worried about Aera and her condition.

If Aera were there, maybe then Jason would be able to take things in stride the way his sister was. Maybe then his past wouldn't be as overwhelming. But Jason knew that was selfish. He was supposed to be their leader.

And yet, it was taking everything in him not to break down. Thalia didn't even bat an eye when Leo recounted how Aera had chased the wolf into the snow after messing with his insides...literally.

Thalia laughed in a strange way. "Aera's never known when to quit a bad habit."

Jason's interest sparked. "Do you know her well?"

"We bumped into her while running from monsters in Virginia," Thalia told him. "Me, Luke, Annabeth. As soon as we met her, she demanded to be let into our group. Aera's always been bossy like that. Said she could be valuable, though she never explained how. She kind of just forced herself in. Aera didn't even know how to hold a knife back then but her determination's what won me over. She just wanted to survive. She was seven."

"Did she know about me?" Jason questioned, unable to resist the urge. "I mean, did you ever tell her?"

Thalia shook her head sadly. "Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home, and I never went back, not even when Mom died a few years ago. I thought you were gone forever. I never told anyone about you—not even Aera or Annabeth or Luke, my best friends. It was just too painful."

"Chiron knew." Jason said weakly and his voice didn't sound like his own. "When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, 'You should be dead.'"

"That doesn't make sense," Thalia insisted. "I never told him."

"Hey," Leo interjected. "Important thing is you've got each other now, right? You two are lucky."

Thalia nodded, her expression softening. "Leo's right. Look at you. You're my age. You've grown up."

"But where have I been?" Jason wondered, feeling increasingly despondent. "How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff..."

Thalia scowled. "The Roman stuff?"