HORIZON ⸺ jason grace

v. the prophecy is off to a pretty rough start

JASON WASN'T DEAD, so that was something, at least.

Violet would never admit it, but when she first saw Jason with blood oozing out of his forehead—she was terrified.

Even now, as Percy and Annabeth helped her maneuver his unconscious body into his bunk, she felt her hands shaking in fear. That scared her, too.

Ever the level-headed one, Annabeth assured the brunette that Jason would be perfectly okay. He hadn't been hit terribly, and Coach Hedge was more than willing (happy, even) to perform his nature healing on her blond boyfriend. It didn't quell Violet's incessant worries, though.

As they left Piper to watch Jason while the "Leo situation" was handled, the daughter of Athena grabbed Violet's hand, stopping the younger girl in her tracks.

"Look at me, Vi," her grey eyes bore into Violet's green ones. "Jason. Is. Okay. You don't have to work yourself up. He'll be as good as normal in a few days."

For the first time in his life, Percy held his tongue, allowing Violet to take a long, much needed breath before cracking a smile.

"Not the leader my ass, Chase."

Annabeth smacked her arm lightly before continuing toward the deck. Percy gave Violet's shoulder an affectionate squeeze, sending her a small smile as he passed.

The stairs creaked as the three made their way out into the fading sunlight.

Leo was immediately at Violet's side. "Is Jason—?"

"He's resting," she said, her voice strained. "Piper's keeping an eye on him, but he should be fine."

Percy gave him a hard look. "Annabeth says you did fire the ballista?"

"Man, I—don't understand how it happened. I'm so sorry—"

"Sorry?" Percy growled.

"Perce," Violet warned.

Annabeth put a hand on his chest. "We'll figure it out later. Right now, we have to regroup and make a plan. What's the situation with the ship?"

Leo's legs trembled as he told Annabeth about the damage and the supplies they needed. Percy's Asian friend, Frank, stood awkwardly to the side. Violet gave him a friendly wave, to which he awkwardly returned as Festus began to whir and squeak.

"Perfect." Leo sighed with relief.

"What's perfect?" Annabeth asked. "I could use some perfect about now."

Leo managed a smile. "Everything we need in one place. Frank, why don't you turn into a bird or something? Fly down and tell your girlfriend to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah."

༄

Once they got there, it wasn't a pretty landing. With the all the damage, Leo could barely manage a controlled descent, even with Violet and Percy's skill with ships (thanks, Poseidon!)

The others strapped themselves in below—except for Coach Hedge, who insisted on clinging to the forward rail, yelling, "YEAH! Bring it on, lake!" Leo stood astern, alone at the helm, and aimed as best he could.

Festus creaked and whirred warning signals, which were relayed through the intercom to the quarterdeck.

"I know, I know," Violet heard Leo say.

There wasn't much time to take in the scenery. To the southeast, a city was nestled in the foothills of a mountain range, blue and purple in the afternoon shadows. A flat desert landscape spread to the south. Directly beneath them the Great Salt Lake thrummed with power that Violet could feel in her veins.