Love Against All Odds

Jason - Porphyrion

After the fight on Mount Diablo, Jason didn't think he could ever feel more afraid or devastated. Now, his sister was frozen at his feet, surrounded by monsters. His golden sword was broken and replaced with a piece of wood. And they had maybe five minutes before the king of the giants, Porphyrion, would rise and destroy them all. Jason had already used his trump card—calling down Zeus's lightning to defeat Enceladus—and he doubted he had the strength, or the favour from above, to pull that off again.

This meant their only assets were a whiny, imprisoned goddess, a girlfriend with a dagger, and Leo, who seemed to think he could defeat the armies of darkness with breath mints.

And now, Jason's worst memories were flooding back. He'd done many dangerous things in his life, but he'd never been closer to death than he was now.

The enemy was beautiful. Khione smiled at him, her dark eyes glittering with malicious delight as an ice dagger formed in her hand.

"What have you done?" Jason demanded.

"Oh, so many things," the snow goddess purred. "Your sister is not dead if that's what you're wondering. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. We'll defrost them individually and let them be hunted for amusement. Let them experience the other side as prey."

The wolves snarled in agreement, their glowing red eyes fixed on Jason.

"Yes, my dears," Khione cooed, her gaze never leaving Jason. "Your sister nearly killed their king, you know. Lycaon's off licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us for revenge. And soon Porphyrion will rise, and we shall rule the world."

"Traitor!" Hera's voice rang out from her cage, filled with fury. "You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren't even worthy to pour my wine, let alone rule the world."

Khione sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "Always so tiresome, Queen Hera. I've been wanting to silence you for centuries."

She gestured again, and ice thickened around the cage, sealing the cracks between the earthen tendrils.

"That's better," Khione said with a smirk. "Now, demigods, about your deaths..."

"You tricked Hera into coming here," Oskar said, his voice low and calm, cutting through the howling wind. "You gave Zeus the idea to close Olympus."

For the first time, Khione's icy gaze shifted from Jason and locked onto Oskar. Jason could immediately see the change in her demeanour—how her eyes lingered on Oskar, hungry and intrigued.

"Son of Hades," she said, her voice suddenly soft, almost reverent. 

Her eyes swept over Oskar, lingering on every detail as she took in his stance beside Thalia's ice-encased statue. The storm raged fiercely around them, the freezing winds cutting through the air with a bite that would have chilled anyone to the bone—but not Oskar. The cold seemed powerless against him. Snow swirled and whipped past, but it didn't touch him as if he existed in a bubble of calm. Jason could sense that this intrigued Khione even more. There was something otherworldly about how he stood there, tall and unbothered by the icy chaos around him.

Oskar's striking features only added to the effect. His sharp, handsome face contrasted with the dark aura surrounding him—one of quiet but undeniable power. Cool and detached, his eyes held the same eerie calm as his stance. Even his effortless confidence seemed to be drawing Khione in like a magnet as if the storm goddess had found something more compelling than the storm itself.

Jason watched as Khione's attention seemed to sharpen. Her interest was evident as she studied Oskar like he was a rare specimen. Something predatory was in her gaze, a hunger that unsettled Jason. On the other hand, Oskar looked utterly at ease, oblivious or perhaps deliberately ignoring how the beautiful goddess was eyeing him.