ANTI-HERO, j.grace

THIRTY TWO

There is a moment, watching Klein Maddox hit the ground, that the others are all convinced that she is going to be okay. That the daughter of Apollo is doing to push herself up off the floor, brush herself off, and tell everyone off for looking at her so strangely. When the moment stretches for just a moment too long for any of that to happen, they all know that they're wrong.

Jason is the first to her, dropping to his knees besides the Maddox girl as panic overtook his system. He reached for her but froze as uncertainty took control. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to help?

Why won't she open her eyes? 

Why did she do that?

He saw it - Hera go nuclear, the bright light of energy go shooting towards him as if he was a target rather than the remaining monsters. He saw his life flash before his eyes, the life he was just beginning to remember. Jason saw it coming and he just couldn't bring himself to turn away, but it was okay. It was okay. He had served his purpose to the gods and freed Hera, and if that was it for him, then fine.

But Klein?

This wasn't supposed to happen. There is no possible way this was what was meant to happen.

His fault. His fault. This was all his fault: the quest, the monsters, this. Klein Maddox was lying dead in front of him and it was his fault. His fault.

He's not sure how many times he's called her name, but Thalia and Piper are both standing behind him now. His sister doesn't look sure of how to react - there's a resigned look on her face, as though the Maddox girl lying dead in front of her reminded her of far more. Piper is standing shocked, having never thought this a possible outcome. Every time she's ever said she hated Klein Maddox is playing in the back of her head, every time she called the girl selfish, only for her to be the one to save Jason Grace.

"Klein!" Jason's voice is loud in his ears. He's not sure how long the girl had been unconscious at this point - two, three minutes. Her eyes were rolled to the back of her head, she wasn't breathing.

"It's no use, child." Hera stood over them, but her face seemed far from remorseful.

"This is your fault." Thalia scowled at the goddess, "Do something!"

"Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen-"

"Fix her." It's Piper who speaks next, her eyes still wide in shock.

Here's eyes flickered with power, the very same power that had just exploded and leveled the field. "I did warn her. I told you all to close your eyes before I revealed my true form."

"Um..." Leo frowned. "True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?"

"I unleashed my power to help you, you fool!" Hera exclaimed. "I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice."

"But mortals can't look upon you in that form! You've killer her!"

"That's what our prophecy meant. Death unleash through Hera's rage. Will find her strength to contain the plight. It all makes sense." Leo looked sick to his stomach. "Come on, lady. You're a goddess. Do some voodoo magic on her!"

"Bring her back."

All eyes turned to Jason, who had gone silent as soon as the goddess brought herself closer. They all stilled at the hoarseness of his voice, like he'd swallowed some blended up concrete.

Hera only shook her head, "It is impossible, child. No mortal can look upon a god in true form, I am afraid-"

"I said, bring her back." He slowly stands from the ground, this time as the son of Jupiter he warned Porphyrion about, not the confused boy he'd woken up as on the Wilderness School bus. The static that rises in the air is visible as it sparks off his body, but what's more unnerving is the electricity that crackles in his eyes. The blue has never looked darker, a usual bright glimmer now a threatening spark of pure and utter lightning.