𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

105

𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐱, 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝. The war was over, Gaea was gone, Leo was okay... mostly... somewhere. But still, he shifted in the bed inside the makeshift Roman camp.

Now that the immediate danger was gone, all the other anxiety and stress started to weigh on him.

What about his mom? His step dad? Being a Centurion of New Rome? Juggling that with his relationship?

It all felt a bit too much like a goodbye. The life he had known was about to change, he knew it. He quite liked change. And whatever happened, it would be for the best. But getting used to the change was the hard part.

He woke up in the middle of the night, unaware of what the time was.

His heart ached when he thought of the Argo II and all the time they had spent on it. He thought of his room on the ship and Jason's. It hadn't been their home for very long, but it still felt like a loss.

He tried not to think of Leo.

He shifted in the bed and found himself face to face with Dorian.

The bed was too small for two people, but there was no way Dante was giving up this chance. So many things had changed from the last time he had met Dorian, he wanted to get to know his brother again.

It sort of felt like starting from scratch. They were strangers more than brothers at this point and Dante hated it. He hated not knowing that Dorian no longer mumbled in his sleep. He hated not knowing Dorian's favorite food or his nervous mannerisms or his tells while lying. There was only so much he could have known over Iris messages.

Gently, he slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake Dorian up.

These days he couldn't sleep well alone. He needed someone by his side. A particular someone.

His nightmare that night was about Gaea. At least it wasn't recurring ones about Tartarus. Some variety, Dante appreciated that.

The scene played in his head for a while, Leo telling them to go, Dante nearly passing out from the effort of the mist trick and then suddenly Gaea had been awake again. By her side had been Dorian and the vines covered him instead of her.

All Dante could do was watch as his brother died.

He shivered in the cold night air when he walked out of the Roman camp.

Camp Half-Blood had defied all his prejudices and expectations. It was truly gorgeous, surrounded by low hills and a forest, not to mention the canoe lake and the various Greek style buildings.

Dante still thought New Rome was better, but he had to give credit where it was due.

The walk to Zeus' cabin was long and cold but he didn't mind. He quite liked the night air. It cleared his mind and wiped away the nightmare.

When he finally made it to the buildings arranged in a horseshoe shape, he paused to admire them all. He had no doubt Annabeth had a hand in building some of the newer cabins.

With Jason volunteering to be a Pontifex, Dante had no doubt more buildings and temples would be erected in Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. They truly had their work cut out for them, but as long as he had his friends, he'd be okay.

The less he thought of the nightmare, the less attached he felt to his own body. Like he was watching himself walk toward Jason's cabin, but he wasn't entirely present.

It was incredibly weird, he thought of everything and nothing at the same time. He could feel the cool wind chill in his bones but also he felt entirely numb. He wasn't sure what that was all about.