The Veil of Worlds

Chapter 3: The Messenger from Olympus

Jason Grace had been restless for days. Ever since returning from the latest Roman mission, a nagging feeling had settled into his bones. It wasn't like the usual after-mission exhaustion; this was something deeper, like a storm cloud building just out of sight, waiting to strike.

At Camp Jupiter, the air felt heavy, almost suffocating, like something in the very fabric of reality had shifted. Jason knew better than to ignore his instincts. He had spent years battling monsters, titans, and gods—he could sense when the world was on the brink of chaos.

"Jason!"

He turned at the sound of Piper's voice. She jogged toward him from the Senate House, her face a mixture of frustration and worry. She had always been able to read him better than anyone else, and right now, she could see that his mind was miles away.

"Hey," Piper said, stopping in front of him and catching her breath. "I've been looking for you. What's going on?"

Jason glanced out at the training fields, where several cohorts were practicing drills. "I don't know," he admitted. "Something's wrong. I can feel it. It's like the air itself is... off."

Piper nodded. "You're not the only one. Reyna's been getting visions. She says they're not from any god she recognizes, but they're all the same—storms, darkness, and strange symbols. She's worried."

Jason frowned. Reyna was usually unshakable, the kind of person who faced any threat head-on without blinking. If she was concerned, then things were much worse than Jason had initially thought.

"Where is she now?" Jason asked.

"She's in the Senate House with the rest of the Praetors," Piper replied. "They're trying to make sense of it, but nobody knows what's coming. Some of the augurs think it's a warning from Jupiter himself."

Jason's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his divine father. If Jupiter—or Zeus, depending on which side of the gods was more active—was involved, that meant whatever was coming wasn't just a Roman problem. It was global.

Suddenly, a shadow passed over the training grounds, darkening the sky for a brief moment. Jason and Piper both looked up in unison, their instincts kicking in. From the clouds, a figure descended, flying with an unnatural grace that could only belong to one person.

"Thalia?" Jason murmured, squinting against the sun.

Sure enough, his sister, Thalia Grace, touched down lightly in front of them. Her electric-blue eyes sparkled with urgency, and her bow was slung over her shoulder, a quiver full of arrows strapped to her back. As a Hunter of Artemis, Thalia was no stranger to strange prophecies and looming disasters, but the look on her face told Jason this was something even she couldn't brush off.

"Jason," Thalia said, her voice tight. "We need to talk. Now."

Jason exchanged a quick look with Piper, whose frown deepened. "What's going on?" he asked his sister.

Thalia glanced over her shoulder, as if expecting something—or someone—to follow her. When she finally spoke, her voice was laced with urgency. "There's a message. It's from Artemis, but it comes from someone else. Zeus is panicking, Jason. All the gods are."

"Panicking?" Piper asked incredulously. "The gods don't panic. They're usually the ones causing panic."

Thalia shook her head. "Not this time. This time, they're the ones hiding. They've gone into full lockdown mode, just like when Kronos was rising. And you know what that means."

Jason's blood ran cold. "Something big."

"Something bigger than anything we've ever faced," Thalia confirmed. "I was sent to warn you because you and your friends are involved. There's a prophecy—"

Jason groaned. "Not another prophecy."

"Trust me, I'm sick of them too," Thalia said, a small smirk breaking her serious expression. "But this one's different. It's bigger. It involves more than just the Greek or Roman pantheons."

Jason's heart sank. "What do you mean?"

"I mean all the gods," Thalia said, her expression darkening. "Greek, Roman, Norse, Egyptian. Everyone. Something's tearing the veil between our worlds, and the gods are terrified."

Jason blinked, stunned. "Wait—Norse and Egyptian? You're talking about Magnus Chase and the Kanes."

Thalia nodded. "Exactly. They're involved too. Artemis didn't tell me everything, but apparently, there's a convergence happening. The duat, the mist, and other realms are starting to bleed into each other. Magic, the gods, even mortals—everything's becoming one big mess. And if we don't do something, it's going to end in Ragnarök."

"Ragnarök?" Piper said, her voice rising with alarm. "The end of the world? That Ragnarök?"

"Yeah," Thalia replied grimly. "And not just the Norse world. If the barriers between the pantheons fall completely, it'll be the end of all the worlds."

Jason ran a hand through his hair, trying to process what his sister had just told him. Every time he thought he'd found a moment to breathe, the universe threw him back into the fire. But this... this was bigger than anything he'd ever faced.

"Okay," Jason said, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him. "What do we do? Where do we start?"

"Percy's already been contacted," Thalia said. "I think Magnus is with him. We need to meet up with them as soon as possible. The prophecy—"

"I know," Jason interrupted, gritting his teeth. "I've heard enough about prophecies to know they're never simple."

Thalia smirked again, but it quickly faded. "This one's worse. It mentions you by name, Jason. You and Percy, Magnus, and the Kanes. You're the only ones who can stop it."

Jason stiffened. "Me?"

Thalia nodded. "Yeah. You're one of the key players, whether you like it or not. And we don't have much time."

Piper grabbed Jason's hand, squeezing it tightly. "We'll figure it out, Jason. We always do."

Jason looked into her eyes, grateful for her support, but the weight of the prophecy—and his role in it—hung heavy on his shoulders. He had faced gods, giants, and even death itself, but something told him that this time, they were truly out of their depth.

"We need to get to Camp Half-Blood," Jason said, his voice resolute. "If Percy's already involved, that's where we'll start. We need to get everyone together."

Thalia nodded. "I'll take you. I came prepared for a quick exit."

Jason took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead. Another prophecy, another world-ending crisis. But this time, it felt different. This time, it wasn't just their world at stake—it was every world.

"Let's go," he said, summoning the winds to lift him into the sky.

As the three of them took off toward Camp Half-Blood, Jason couldn't shake the feeling that the storm wasn't just coming—it was already here. And this time, they might not be able to stop it.