𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

27

"𝐖𝐡𝐨'𝐬 𝐋𝐮𝐤𝐞?" 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 Annabeth when he caught the girls together in Hazel's room.

Annabeth was trying to cheer Hazel up with Percy's best idiotic moments (apparently he crashed his own funeral after he was kissed by Annabeth and blew up a volcano and then didn't bring the kiss up until the next year before a battle. Which... wow.)

She was startled, likely she hadn't noticed him walking in the room until he spoke.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. It's just... Percy mentioned him. Blond hair? Blue eyes?"

Annabeth eyed Dante cautiously, calculating how much she should share, how much she should keep to herself. Dante admired her even more for it. She was one of the few demigods who used their brains.

"He was a friend— family, he was my family," She looked like she wanted the discussion to end there, but Dante followed it up with—

"Was he a son of Mercury? Or Hermes, whatever."

Annabeth nodded.

"What happened?" He went on, Hazel sat on the bed, awkward, "You two look like you see ghosts everytime you look at me."

"He died last August," Annabeth said, "It's complicated."

"In the war?" Dante asked, "The Romans took down mount Othrys, you guys took down Saturn himself?"

"Luke did," Dante didn't like seeing Annabeth sad. She was trying to seem strong, but failing miserably, like Dante was bringing up bad memories. "Got rid of Kronos."

"Was he the hero of the last great prophecy? A Halfblood of the eldest gods, that's Percy, shall reach sixteen against all odds—"

"And see the world in endless sleep, a hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap," Annabeth cleared her throat, "A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze."

Even the Romans knew of the last great prophecy, though it had taken Octavian about fifty stuffed animals that he gutted just to hear about it.

"I'm sorry," Dante mumbled. He couldn't imagine anything happening to Dorian. He wouldn't bring it up again. "But I'd appreciate it if you and Percy saw me as my own person. Gods know I've been lumped with other people."

"You said you had a twin?" Hazel sniffled. She was still upset with Jason and Leo, but she attempted a smile. "Tell me about him."

So Dante sat down on her bed a bit awkwardly, glad that Coach wasn't on board to burst in screaming his head off.

"Dorian, he's younger, only by fifteen minutes, but those were the best fifteen minutes of my life," Dante grinned. He liked talking to Hazel, she was kind, empathetic and far smarter than the boys.

"You said he's mortal, how is that possible?" Annabeth asked.

"Do you know Castor and Pollux? The sons of Leda? Same mom, different dads," Dante scrunched his nose in disgust. "My step-dad doesn't like me too much because of that. I ran away when I was ten."

"I ran away when I was seven," Annabeth said with a soft, sad smile. "My dad and step-mom had their own kids."

"They always do favor biological children, don't they?"

Dante wondered how the mood in the cabin had gone so horribly sad. He was about to bring up a funny story when Frank stumbled down the hall and burst into her cabin.

"Where's Leo?" he gasped. "Take off! Take off!"

All three of them shot to their feet.

"Where's Percy?" Annabeth demanded. "And the goat?"