𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

158

They needed to leave.

But Percy was still woozy from the poison, so they sat on the edge of the ruined golden dome for a few minutes to let Percy catch his breath... or catch his water, whatever a son of Poseidon catches when he's at the bottom of the ocean.

After Kym vanished, Percy had to use his powers to make a bubble around Hadrian again. And Jason had looked confused when Hadrian said he looked like mysterio

("Who's mysterio?"

"Are you kidding me, don't tell me you don't know spider-man"

"I know spider-man, but-"

"Next you'll tell me you haven't watched the movies"

"There's spider-man movies?"

"Percy, I'm about to commit manslaughter"-)

"Thanks, guys," Percy interrupted after Hadrian had calmed down. "You saved my life."

"Hey, that's what we do for our friends."

"I told you if the roles were reversed, I'd be the same" Hadrian rolled his eyes. How could Percy think for a moment that Hadrian wouldn't do everything in his power to save him? "And besides, I promised I won't let you drown"

"He's tempted by my mom's blue cookies," Percy grinned at Jason. "In any case, the Jupiter and Eros guys saving the Poseidon guy at the bottom of the ocean... maybe we can keep the details to ourselves? Otherwise I'll never hear the end of it."

Jason grinned. "You got it. How you feeling?"

"Better. I... I have to admit, when I was choking on that poison, I kept thinking about..." Percy and Hadrian shared a look. Hadrian knew it even before he said it, "-Akhlys, the misery goddess in Tartarus. I almost destroyed her with poison." He shivered. "It felt good, but in a bad way."

"Akhlys was trying to kill us, she led us in a trap" Hadrian reminded him.

"Thing is, as I was choking just now, I kept thinking: this is payback for Akhlys. The Fates are letting me die the same way I tried to kill that goddess. And... honestly, a part of me felt I deserved it." Percy looked away from Hadrian, choosing instead to look at Jason. He missed the way Hadrian's face went slack, the way he swallowed and tried to regulate his breathing. "That's why I didn't try to control the giant's poison and move it away from me. That probably sounds crazy."

"No" Jason said, looking at Hadrian, He remembered the things Jason had told him about meeting his mom at Ithaca, "I get it"

Hadrian felt like he was drowning in the Acheron again. Just the thought of Percy- Percy!! Of all people, thinking he deserved to die! Hadrian raked his fingers through his scalp, through his dark hair which seemed silky somehow, underwater.

"Don't die" Hadrian tried to control how much his voice shook, "You promised"

"I know" Percy looked at him, his eyes were the color of water around them, "I'm sorry, I just- I fought back against the poison- at the end. Because of you"

Hadrian took a shaky breath and cleared his throat.

How could Percy just say stuff like that so casually?

He turned to Jason, "What did Kym mean about defeating Gaia? You mentioned Ouranos..."

Jason stared at the silt swirling between the columns of the old palace. "The sky god... the Titans defeated him by calling him down to the earth. They got him away from his home territory, ambushed him, held him down and cut him up."

Percy looked like his nausea was coming back. "How would we do that with Gaia?"

Hadrian recalled a line from the prophecy: To storm or fire the world must fall.

He had an idea what that meant now... but, if he was right, Percy wouldn't be able to help. In fact, he might unintentionally make things harder. He shared a look with Jason, an understanding passed just through their eyes.

I don't run when my friends need me, Percy had said.

And there is your flaw, Kym had warned, being unable to step away.

"Let's get to Delos first," Jason said. "Apollo and Artemis might have some advice."

Percy nodded, though he didn't seem satisfied with that answer. "Why did Kymopoleia call you a Pontiac?"

Jason's laugh literally cleared the air. "Pontifex. It means priest."

"Oh" Percy frowned. "Still sounds like a kind of car. "The new Pontifex XLS." Will you have to wear a collar and bless people?"

Hadrian didn't buy the mask of normalcy Percy was wearing, they would have to talk about it later.

"Nah. Romans used to have a Pontifex Maximus, who oversaw all the proper sacrifices and whatnot, to make sure none of the gods got mad. Which I offered to do... I guess it does sound like a pontifex's job."

"Pontifex sounds so unsexy" Hadrian groaned, "Please tell me the Greek version sounds better"

"Its the same in Greek" Jason laughed, "Hads you don't need a sexy title to be hot"

"You're right, my face already speaks for me"

"So you meant it?" Percy interrupted them. "You guys are really going to try building shrines for all the minor gods?'

"Yeah. I never really thought about it before, but I like the idea of going back and forth between the two camps– assuming, you know, we make it through next week and the two camps still exist. Hads and I can do it, I know we can. What you did last year on Olympus, turning down immortality and asking the gods to play nice instead – that was noble, man."

Percy grunted. "Believe me, some days I regret the choice. Oh, you want to turn down our offer? Okay, fine! ZAP! Lose your memory! Go to Tartarus!"

"You did what a hero should do. I admire you for that. The least I can do, if we survive, is continue that work – make sure all the gods get some recognition. Who knows? If the gods get along better, maybe we can stop more of these wars from breaking out."

"That would most definitely be good," Percy agreed.

"Jason" Hadrian noticed, "you look different- better different. Does your wound still hurt?"

"My wound..." Jason looked like he'd forgotten about the sword wound in his gut, even though he'd been dying from it in sickbay only an hour ago.

He lifted his shirt and pulled away the bandages. No smoke. No bleeding. No scar.

"It's... gone, he said, stunned. "I feel completely normal. What the heck?"

"You beat it!" Hadrian laughed. "You found your own cure."

"Come on." Jason clapped him on the back. "Let's go check on our ship."