𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

9

𝐃𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡. It felt like waking up from a long sleep to disgusting breath and gross taste.

He gasped dramatically (because why not? Let him indulge, he just fucking died).

When he opened his eyes, Frank was standing over him, hands clenched in a fist and face flushed with anger. Everyone around him looked taken aback, some actually stepped back.

Dante noticed the seven foot harpoon sticking through his chest. "Oh someone should take a look at that. It doesn't look good."

"There's no way. He was dead. He has to be dead." A medic whispered.

"There was a river," he mumbled, half to himself, trying to remember his weird dream. Gaea and the Underworld. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say her name and he knew it was a good idea. "And a dog, but— the exit door was open so I just... left."

Everyone stared at him in horror. Nobody tried to help.

"Dante." Frank knelt next to him. "Don't try to get up. Just close your eyes for a second, okay?"

"No," He said immediately, partly because he was afraid he'd die again and partly because he knew what Frank wanted to do, "No, it'll hurt, Frank—"

"Just trust me."

Dante didn't close his eyes, though he let Frank grab the shaft of the pilum. His hands were shaking. Dante was shaking as well.

The wood was slick. "Percy, Hazel— help me."

One of the medics realized what he was planning. "Don't!" he said. "You might—"

"What?" Hazel snapped. "Make it worse?"

Frank took a deep breath. "Hold steady. One, two, three!"

He pulled the pilum out from the front. Dante didn't even wince. The blood stopped quickly.

Hazel bent down to examine the wound. "It's closing on its own," she said. "I don't know how, but—"

With Frank and Percy's help, he got to his feet. Frank glowered at Octavian, but the centurion's face was a mask of polite concern.

"Did he—"

"He's the only one with a missing pilum." Frank grit out.

"So I was dead," Dante deadpanned. "And I came back."

"How?" Percy's eyes were wide in concern and confusion.

"Good question." Reyna turned to Nico, who was watching grimly from the edge of the crowd. "Is this some power of Pluto?"

Nico shook his head. "Pluto never lets people return from the dead."

He glanced at Hazel as if warning her to stay quiet. Dante wondered what that was about, but he didn't have time to think about it.

A thunderous voice rolled across the field: "Death loses its hold. This is only the beginning."

Campers drew weapons. Hannibal trumpeted nervously. Scipio reared, almost throwing Reyna.

"I know that voice," Percy said. He didn't sound pleased.

In the midst of the legion, a column of fire blasted into the air. Heat seared Dante's eyelashes. Campers who had been soaked by the cannons found their clothes instantly steam-dried. Everyone scrambled backward as a huge soldier stepped out of the explosion.