Anyone who knows Arya Jackson for more than five minutes knows her opinion of the world, and demigods not so fair place in it. Unfortunately, since the war Arya isn't that easy to get to know. To most she's little more than a legend.
Arya is fine w...
"So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
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9.
Collect Calls from New York
SHE DIDN'T DIE. She's real. She's standing right in front of you. You're holding her in your arms.
His self-talk didn't help his rapidly beating heart that he was sure Arya could hear between them. Ace had watched her fall. Watched as the giant turtle closed its mouth and swallowed both of them as the scream tore itself out of his throat right alongside Piper's.
Looking back, of course she didn't die by something as measly as getting shoved off a cliff by a bandit. Arya was leaps and bounds stronger and smarter than that. But in the moment it felt real, it looked real.
He had drawn his bow and aimed it at the man, aiming for his heart. As he was letting out a breath, a bullet landed right between his feet. A warning shot. It was Leo who grabbed the weapon and forced it down. Hazel was still up there and still alive.
It wasn't long after that the two who had seemingly fallen to their deaths made their reappearance. Ace caught her black hair as she threw her trident through his chest, and didn't take his eyes off of her until she was back on the ship.
"It's okay. I'm real." Arya whispered quietly enough that no one else would hear. "I'm sorry."
He nodded and let her go, needing to hear the words.
Since the Gaia incident he had been weary of if everything around him was real or not. Arya had been his anchor on the situation. Then he watched her both die and live within minutes and he wasn't exactly sure what the actual reality was.
"Don't be sorry." He took a step back from her, "You did what you had too."
There wasn't much room for a more private conversation. Leo came over to ask Arya if she could take over commanding the giant Sea Turtle. Arya seemed to debate for a minute, reading the turtle, before denying him. The turtle's loyalties were to the bandit and it probably wouldn't be long before it found itself back in Tartarus with its friend.
Ten minutes later the turtle sank below the water and didn't resurface, giving the group the space to escape.
Movement was slow. The Turtle had done some damage to the ship. Leo claimed it was a miracle that they could even stay afloat. After Ace and him did a functioning test, it turned out that all the damage was relatively surface level. Once they repaired the cracks and the oars the ship should be able to continue at its normal pace.
