My Boyfriend is a Dead Roman Hero | Jason Grace

I Take a Forced Vacation

"Is this you?!"

"You think I'm able to cause blizzards? I can barely make ice cubes on purpose!" Julie screeches at Leo, hands still up and glowing bright white as she does her best to keep the worst of the swirling winter storm thawed out before it makes contact with the Argo II. "Maybe it's the scepter?"

Nico stands and brushes some ice from his hair. "I'll take it belowdecks just in case."

He glances at Jason, then at Piper and Leo, like he's nervous about what they all might talk about once he's gone. Julie and Jason share a look, and the son of Jupiter gives Nico a grateful smile. "Thanks, man."

"Later, Coco!"

"Don't call me that," He scowls. His shoulders relax, though, so his annoyance just puts a smile on Juliette's tired face.

Once he disappears into the hallway back towards the cabins, Jason steps up to Julie and places a bracing hand on her back. "How are you holding up?"

Julie grits her teeth and gives him an overly bright laugh, arms shaking and sweat pouring down her forehead. "Amazing! Doing great. I could part blizzards in my sleep," She shoots him an exhausted smirk. "Totally unrelated - how much further to Epirus?"

He grimaces. "About a day or so."

"A DAY?!"

Leo laughs nervously behind them. "Yurp. We'll pull in tomorrow morning. To the coast. Then another hour inland."

Julie's going to cry. Her triceps better be absolutely ripped by the end of this if she's going to have her arms raised until tomorrow morning.

"But, tomorrow we get to the House of Hades!" Leo cheers sarcastically. "Can't wait to get me a t-shirt."

"Yay," snorts Piper. Then, she lets out a sigh. "Guys, I've been thinking about the Prophecy of Seven."

"Good things, I hope."

Piper squirms. "In Katoptris, I keep seeing Clytius. I know his weakness is fire, but everywhere he goes in my visions, he snuffs out flames just by passing. Like, any kind of light just gets sucked into his cloud of darkness."

"Sounds like Nico," Leo snickers. "Think they're related?"

Irritation sparks in Julie, but before she even gets the chance to turn and bite Leo's head off, Jason whips around himself.

"Hey, cut Nico some slack," He snaps. He levels Leo with a stern glare until the younger boy raises his hands in surrender. Then, Jason turns back to Piper. "So, what about this giant?"

Whatever Piper says next gets a bit drowned out by the rushing of Julie's blood in her ears. She gapes at Jason as he just casually moves on from the topic, nodding studiously as Piper talks through whatever thoughts she has about their trials to come. It's probably important. Julie should probably listen.

But, that might have been the hottest thing he's ever done.

She's a teenage girl. Sue her.

Jason looks less and less like the Soldier Boy Julie knew with every passing day. His hair has grown, brushing his ears in windswept blonde waves rather than the military cut he'd kept growing up. There's even a streak in it - a wicked slit on the side of his head where Sciron's arrow had just grazed him. It gives Jason a wild look, one to match the confident smirks across his lips that become less rare the longer this mission goes on.

Every time she thinks she can't get more into him, he goes and surprises her again.

"Gaea," Jason's awed voice snaps Julie back to reality. She glances between her friends to try and catch herself up on the conversation. "You mean, to storm or fire Gaea must fall."