𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

95

𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 to hide Leo's plan from Jason. Unfortunately, he'd given his friend his word to not tell anyone else.

That didn't mean Dante had to like it though. His mood was in general worse after Delos, a fact Jason picked up on.

"What's up?"

"The sky, son of Jupiter Optimus Maximus," Dante rolled his eyes and went back to his plate of Spaghetti and meatballs. Now more than ever, he missed being able to contact his brother. Dorian would know what to do, Dorian would tell him exactly what he needed to do and Dante would follow his instructions blindly.

But the iris messages were down and for once, Dante had to take charge of his own life and not rely on Dorian's visions.

Jason furrowed his eyebrows and sat at the table. He looked at Piper as if to ask what's up with him?

Leo gave Dante a wide eyed stare so Dante kicked his leg under the table which was immature and childish, but Leo was immature and childish and stupid. So he deserved it.

He was going to work on the Argo II throughout dinner and through the night but Dante and Hazel had dragged him to the mess hall (literally, Dante grabbed him like a feral cat and had to pull him away from the engine room).

He tried not to think about how it was almost the end of the world. He tried not to think about how not all of them would make it out alive. He tried not to think about what would happen if they didn't manage to find the healing god and failed to have the physician's cure. He tried not to think about Jason, sitting diagonally to his left or about Dorian and Octavian's onagers...

Safe to say, Dante had a lot on his mind. He knew he was a handful when he got annoyed, he wouldn't be mad if Jason figured out he wasn't worth the effort. Dante would always remain stubborn and bitter and angry and maybe Jason had thought that would change. Maybe Jason saw the best in Dante, something even he couldn't see.

So yes, that night, when he didn't go to seek out Jason or to sleep in his room, he fully expected Jason to leave him alone. The blond had all the right to be annoyed with him too. Ever since the three had come back from Delos, Dante had barely looked at him and gave him tightlipped smiles.

But then, why had Jason knocked on his door? Why did Dante know it was him just from his knock? Why did he imagine Jason confused and desperate on the other side of the door?

Dante sighed, plucking himself off the bed and hesitating at the door handle.

Jason knocked again. Dante could tell it was him because the two of them had made up a knock when they were kids. It was one knock followed by two sharp knocks if Jason was doing it— morse code for the letter D. And if Dante was the one knocking it would be one short knock with three following spaced out knocks— the morse code equivalent of the letter J.

It was so stupid to hear it now, thousands of miles away from home, nearly six years later.

"Hey," Dante cracked open the door and leaned his head against the door frame, "Sorry, I just... I'm not feeling that good, I was going to just sleep."

"Can I come in?"

Jason looked awful. He looked absolutely ridiculous. Downright disgusting. So repulsive he made Dante's stomach flip.

He was shirtless.

"Sorry?" Dante stared in his eyes because if he looked down for even a second he knew Jason would never let him hear the end of it and also because Dante would probably turn brighter red than he already was.