My Boyfriend is a Dead Roman Hero | Jason Grace

I Get Roped Into Another Quest

Jason is having a weird day.

He'd say it's been the weirdest day of his life, but he'd have to remember anything prior to today to be sure of that.

In the last twelve hours, he's woken up on a bus with two complete strangers claiming to be his best friend and girlfriend respectively. He's watched his gym coach grow goat legs and get kidnapped by a tornado. He's been attacked by a jock turned venti and saved Leo, his aforementioned "best friend," from falling off the Grand Canyon. And, then...

Well, what happened next is still confusing him. In sort of a good way, though.

Jason shuffles awkwardly into the amphitheater. Swarms of kids in orange t-shirts are already filling most of the rows, all clustered together under banners with different symbols of the gods. Jason glances down at the tattoo on his forearm. The eagle. It matches the symbol brandished proudly on the Jupiter banner. He sort of hopes that's a coincidence.

"Jason!"

He looks over at the shout, spotting Annabeth sitting at the front of a group of blonde kids he can assume to be her siblings. She waves him over, patting the empty seat beside her, and he complies. He sends her a thankful smile, which she answers with a curt nod and returns stormy grey eyes to the bonfire.

Someone taps Jason on the shoulder, and he looks around to see Piper settling into a seat behind him. Guilt twists in his chest, but he shoots her a tight grin, and she returns it warmly. She's been very patient with him. More than he deserves. The thought makes Jason feel even worse when he turns back to the group of campers and catches himself searching for a pair of hypnotic green eyes.

His concern over the Juno - or Hera, rather - situation is leaving him chomping at the bits. He isn't sure what Chiron is going to share during this campfire. He isn't sure what is safe for Jason to share with anyone here. He still has the vague sense that he's in danger. Though, he can't pinpoint exactly why.

He hears Piper sigh irritably behind him and looks up. His heart jumps in his chest.

It's like she's magnetic. His gaze finds her the moment she enters.

Jason remembers how she'd looked when he first lay eyes on her. She'd come running up to the group, cheeks flushed with exertion and summer green eyes wild with excitement. She'd smiled at him, rosy lips parting into a perfect arc that made Jason's chest ache with familiarity. Like he'd watched them do so a thousand times before. And when she'd spoken - when she'd kissed him...

All Jason knows is that she's been the only thing to feel real to him since waking up on that bus. More real than the sound of his own name.

She's more put together now. Her hair is falling in rose gold waves down to her elbows, a few strands braided randomly throughout and adorned with pieces of sparkly streamer-like material. She's one of the only kids sitting in front of the dove banner that's wearing a camp shirt, but it's tied higher up her stomach with a green ribbon. Jason flushes and hastily pulls his eyes away from the strip of skin exposed on her midriff. He focuses instead on the little yellow stars she's drawn by her eyes. They're bright and cute. He has to fight a smile at the sight of them.

She seems to be pointedly not looking in his direction. There's a bashful flush on her face, though, like she can feel his eyes on her. He looks away so as to not make her uncomfortable.

It makes sense that her mother is Venus. She's beautiful. It'd be great if he actually knew who she is.

Jason's mouth is dry. He swallows and turns to distract himself with a conversation. He almost jumps out of his skin when he notices Annabeth's calculating gaze already on him. The blonde is frowning, her eyes scanning over his features like she's memorizing his genetic makeup. He clears his throat and starts to greet her when he's interrupted by a sudden riff of a saxophone.