Horizon's Point: The Rise of the Lyre (Jason Grace)

Chapter 17: Jason met my mum

We spent exactly one hour in the sea, Percy was being so patient with me, knowing why I didn't want to go under. Then, when he realised that it was going to take a lot more than his efforts to do so, he beckoned Jason over. My friend looked out into the ocean and at the two of us, then his eyes lingered on the horizon, I'd told him before we left that I now thought of the horizon as the three on us: the sea and sky meeting together. We were the horizon's point.

"Come on, man!" Percy called before sending a small wave at him, splashing his face with sea water.

"Oh, that's it!" He called, giving us a crooked smile before pulling his shirt off and diving in.

I'll be the first to admit, Jason is an excellent swimmer, Percy was just changing the flow of the water to make it harder for him as a joke. We messed around for a while and I actually felt like a normal teenager, one that wasn't about to march to their death the next day.

Eventually, Jason became cold -although he'll never admit it- so we got out and I dried him off by simply removing all of the seawater on him with Poseidon powers, or whatever they're called. It left his hair looking about as messy as mine does every day: nots everywhere.

"So, we can scout out the area of dad's Kingdom for a bit then come back here for some dinner and rest, we'll need all the energy we can get." Percy stood up, ready to dive back into the water with me. Jason flew overhead and off we went.

˜"*°•.˜"*°.•°*"˜.•°*"˜

We didn't find much, maybe because there wasn't much to find from the distance that we were scouting around at like Jason had said. Still, I felt like we were missing something, as if the horrible, cloudy water was hiding something from us, better yet: someone. The image of Thalia in that cell, Triton in those shackles... I couldn't help but feel the duty to help them, to bring them back to the surface. It felt like it was my job, like this was my quest too, although that was stupid. It was the three of us on this quest, we didn't have a leader. It was a joint effort.

"Hellooooo," Percy waved his hand in front of my face "Earth to Abigail. Helloooooo."

I blinked three times, sitting back in my chair. We were at a sea-side restaurant, it was lovely weather considering that it was early February. There was a light chill in the air -other than that gentil breeze- it was warm. Percy had managed to relocate his Lotus Hotel Debit Card that he'd lost. Apparently, it has more money on it that Jeff Bezos owns and that Annabeth gave hers away to a taxi driver.

There was food on the table: the burger, chips and coke that Percy had ordered, a cheese and ham panini and hot chocolate for Jason (both boys had almost finished their meals) and my hot dog and lemonade sat in front of me, untouched.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jason asked, touching my arm and looking severely concerned.

"Yeah," I managed a forced smile for the two of them, "Just... thinking."

Percy nodded before replying with "Thinking is a dangerous hobby that I steer clear of." Causing my grin to be a real one.

But then Thalia's ghostly, tortured, famished face floated back to the front of my mind. I ducked my head down and started eating a little, though I didn't feel hungry. My brother rested his arm around my shoulders in a comforting gesture which I appreciated.

"I've been thinking too, and -while you were getting harassed by statues- I had a vision. Abi, I saw your mum." Jason came out with. That took mee completely by surprise, so much so that I chocked on my potato. Percy helpfully thumped me on the back.

"You- what?!" I cried; Jason had seen my mum? Why didn't she appear in my dreams? Why him? Also, how did he know that it was my mum?

"What did she say?" Percy asked in a more reasonable tone then I had. A whole year! It's been a year and she hasn't seen me once, I thought that it was because she was in the fields on Asphodel and didn't remember anything. A year of trauma, a year of fear, a year of missing her, a year of not knowing where to go and where I stood without her. Even in the beginning months when I was having suicidal thoughts, she didn't come to me in my dreams, but she went to Jason Grace?!

"She- she said that this is a part of a bigger game, a bigger plan. I'm not quite sure, but she told you to go back to your roots, Abi. Said that those women could help us later." He glanced at me nervously and, with a jolt, I realised that my annoyance had shown through. How could I be mad at him? It wasn't his fault, maybe she knew that I would be too busy getting angry at her to hear her out properly. But, my roots... she couldn't mean those women that I had seen before going to fight the Neame lion, could he?

"Did she elaborate on that point?" My voice was now calm and at ease. I could never get angry at Jason, I just couldn't.

"Well, she said that you should have forgotten."

"They gave me my swords," I recalled from the brief flash-back that I had had, I was hardly whispering now "I was little, maybe four, but they told me to fight like 'the warrior I was destined to be'. I- I think they trained me, that's why I knew how to fight with the scimitars I arrived at Camp with." Glancing up at my two companions, I could tell that they were just as confused as I felt. "That's all that I can remember." I added, straightening a little.

"Well, I think that you just did something impossible Pup: get more awesome." Percy stated which forced a small giggle out of my lips. "Anyway, dude, what does her mum look like? How did you know that they were related?"

"Coz, she said that she's Abi's mum." He responded in a 'duh' tone, but carried on, "She's verry tall, tanned and strong. You two look so alike, you know, Abi: same face shape, same hair, same smile and build; but she had ocean-blue eyes."

That sounded exactly like my mother. She was always grasping the attention of other men randomly. This one time when we were at a beach in France, someone tried to get with her and that night she realised that he had spiked her drink; it was terrifying and always was to me, but my mum was so calm and collected... she really did go to soon.

I nodded my head as I remembered her beaming face at an Egyptian beach (where she was diving in the Blue Hole) when I complained to her for the millionth time about not having a concrete home, about always being on the move. Now I realise that it may well have been better for my safety, being a demigod. A lonely tear made its way down my cheek, that's how I always felt before meeting Eric: lonely. Although, I was usually enveloped in my mother's embrace, even underwater.

"I- I remember, when she was diving the Chriss of Abyss in Italy, she told me that my aunties would be proud. But she never had any sisters... maybe she means whoever they are?" I attempted to move the conversation away from my mum, and it worked. Only after Jason got up out of his seat and hugged me tightly on seeing my tear, he then sat back down, pulling me onto his lap. I loved that, I love being close (physically and emotionally) to him, maybe it's because I love... ugh! I'll have to ask Piper when we get back.

"Wait," Percy made a time-out gesture "You went it ITALY?!"

"Alright, don't let the whole country hear you." I rolled my eyes but internally grateful for the change of subject.

"Abi, that's the same place that we struggled to stay alive in for a few moments!" Jason exclaimed "You're saying that you stayed there for your mum's work?"

"Yeah," I replied "But, she wasn't at the place we were staying in for much of it, or the water. She'd always come home with cuts and bruises..." My voice drifted off.

"Did she have any weapons?" Jason asked calmly but he couldn't hide his interest verry well.

"She said that axe was just a family air loom and that it hadn't been used for thousands of years." I stared out into the sea, dumbfounded, "She said that the caretakers always got it dirty when re-painting the walls, usually red."

We all looked at each other in bewilderment, how hadn't I picked up on this before? Also, what was I supposed to have forgotten, and why?

"Here's the bill." A waitress put down a recite and card scanning thingy. Percy didn't look at the recite and just scanned his card, giving the waitress a twenty-dollar tip.

We decided to get some sleep as the sun was setting, in the morning, we save Thalia and I have to get over my fear of going underwater.