𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

98

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 that night. The thoughts of Athens and Gaea kept him up. It was a wonder he could eat dinner. His appetite had shrunk since Tartarus and with the anxiety of what the next day would hold, he hadn't eaten much at all.

His only solace was Dante.

"What are those?" Jason wrinkled his nose when he looked at the plate of cookies in Dante's hand.

He locked the door behind him and sat down next to Jason on his bed. "Raisin cookies," He grinned, "For old times' sake? I noticed you didn't eat much."

"Wasn't very hungry," Jason pulled Dante closer, careful of the plate. He buried his face in Dante's shirt.

"You'll regret not eating later," Dante chided, "Stop being a big baby and eat the cookies."

Jason snorted and took one from the plate, biting into it. He pulled a face as he swallowed the bite. "Still horrible."

Dante laughed and that cleared some of the doubt and anxiety from Jason. He picked one up too and bumped it against Jason's, "Cheers."

Jason felt like he could watch him forever. Now that he had glasses, even from far away, Dante was in focus. Jason could see the way his teeth bit the cookie, the crumbs he brushed off the bed and onto the floor (disgusting if it was anyone else, but it was Dante so...), the way his nose scrunched, the expression he pulled and the way his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed the bite.

Jason's throat was suddenly dry.

"Eat some?" Dante's voice was soft, "Please? I'd feel better."

So they both sat on Jason's bed eating raisin cookies in silence, giggling a few times.

"At least they're not soggy and wet," Jason shrugged.

"At least we're not at risk of dying from hypothermia," Dante added, thinking back to their first quest together.

It hit Jason hard sometimes, just how little they'd been. Thirteen year olds shouldn't have been fighting for their lives, thirteen year olds shouldn't have gone through any of what they did. But then again, two year olds shouldn't have been abandoned by their mother. Four year olds shouldn't have been accepted by the legion at all. Ten year olds shouldn't have been driven from their homes. And seventeen year olds shouldn't be halfway across the world from their home to try and stop the end of the world.

"At least there's no empousa now."

"At least we don't have to stay at Aeolus' palace where we could fall down at any second to our deaths."

"At least there's no swimming."

"At least Juno didn't appear after our kiss."

"At least none of our friends are dead," Jason pointed out.

Dante's expression fell. "Yeah," He said dryly.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked, picking out the raisins from the cookie, "You guys have been acting weird ever since you came back from Delos."

"It's nothing," Dante waved his hand, "Asclepius has got to be the real story."

"Lover—"

"Just drop it, Jason, please."

Okay. Jason didn't like it, but he also didn't like the pleading expression on Dante's features.

He frowned. Leo was hiding something and so was Dante. But none of them were saying anything.