ENTRAPPED ₂

119

THAT NIGHT, ETHAN GAVE UP ON SLEEP AT AROUND TWO IN THE MORNING. For some reason, he decided to make his way to the Zeus Cabin.

Jason and Piper were sitting up on the roof, their feet dangling. Ethan made his way up via the ladder on the side that he had known about for ages. After everything he had been through, Ethan didn't feel very scared of heights anymore. His worst fear had already come true.

He scared the shit out of Jason and Piper, though. They both jumped about two feet in the air when his head appeared over the side of the roof.

"What are you guys doing up here?" Ethan asked.

"Grieving," Piper told him. She had always been the most truthful of the three of them.

Together, they sat. It was a beautiful night. The whole of Long Island Sound spread out to the horizon. 

"Look." Jason pointed at the stars, which made a splash of diamonds across the sky.

"Beautiful," Piper murmured.

The air felt stained with grief. Ethan glanced at Jason. He was the only other person that had lost their significant other in that fiery explosion. While everyone else had someone else to count on now, Jason looked as lost as Ethan felt.

Jason cleared his throat. He looked at Ethan, as if he sensed his gaze. From his pocket, he withdrew an envelope.

"Madeleine gave this to me," he said. His voice trembled a little, like he might cry. "Right before... you know."

Ethan nodded. "She gave one to Drew, too."

"Have you read it?"

Ethan shook his head. "I haven't talked to Drew. I don't have the guts."

"She thinks you're avoiding her," Piper said. "She's kind of devastated, because she feels like she's lost both you and Madeleine."

"I didn't think she wanted to see me," Ethan admitted. "I told Madeleine to go through with it. It's partially my fault that she's dead. I don't think she would've gone if not for me. I'm kind of shit."

"You're not kind of shit," Jason murmured. "If anything, I should've been watching them more closely. I knew something was up. Madeleine was like a sister to me, and Leo..." his voice broke.

"Hey," Piper said soothingly. "It's nobody's fault. They made their choices." She looked at Ethan. "But of course Drew wants to see you, Ethan. She needs you right now. And I think you need her."

Ethan inhaled shakily. "I just don't know." He really didn't. "You know, Jason, I almost hit your sister on the way back with the Athena Parthenos. The Hunters ambushed Reyna, Nico, and me, and they drugged all of us. I got these god fucking awful flashbacks and I almost hit Thalia right in the face. I just keep picturing it."

"Why did it trigger you?" Jason asked.

Ethan swallowed. "My father used to drug me." It was still hard to admit, but he was getting better at being a person.

Jason shook his head. "You and Madeleine are a lot alike in the sense that you both think you're horrible people for the things you've had to do to survive. You're not bad people. You've just been through some really bad shit."

"Madeleine is a lot better than me."

Piper snorted. "I think Madeleine was arguably worse than you, actually. She hated us for a long time. Especially me. I think she was putting me through trials to make sure I could be a good sister to Drew after she was gone. But, gods, it was hard to get under her skin."

Ethan laughed. He hadn't laughed in days. "Yeah. That's Madeleine."

"I forgive you for Thalia," Jason told Ethan. "Madeleine would forgive you, too. She loved you. Loves you still. I can't believe she and Leo would just die like that."