The Veil of Worlds

Chapter 4: Convergence Begins

The landscape of Long Island Sound sped by beneath Jason, Piper, and Thalia as they flew toward Camp Half-Blood, the wind rushing through their hair and the looming sense of doom tightening around Jason's chest. He glanced at Piper, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, her face set with a look of grim determination. Thalia flew beside him, her eyes scanning the horizon, ever watchful for threats.

Jason had always relied on the wind to help him clear his mind, but today it did nothing to dispel the heavy thoughts. He couldn't shake the feeling that every gust carried with it the whispers of chaos from the far corners of the world. From the Egyptian duat to the Norse realms of the gods, everything felt like it was hanging by a thread.

"How much further?" Piper shouted, her voice barely audible above the roar of the wind.

"Almost there!" Jason replied, squinting as Camp Half-Blood's strawberry fields finally came into view. The familiar sight of the pine trees and the shimmering barrier gave him a fleeting sense of relief, but it didn't last long. The prophecy—Thalia's warning—kept repeating in his mind.

Landing just inside the camp's borders, they quickly made their way down the hill toward the Big House. Camp Half-Blood was oddly quiet. There were no sounds of sword fights from the arena or excited chatter from the campers. Even the usual bustling activities seemed to have come to a standstill. It was eerie.

Jason's unease deepened. It reminded him of the calm before a battle, when everyone held their breath, waiting for the storm to break. A few campers, their faces drawn with concern, watched them pass but said nothing.

"Where is everyone?" Jason muttered, glancing around.

Piper frowned. "Something's not right. It feels... off."

Thalia shot Jason a knowing look. "You're not the only one who feels that. I don't think it's just here. This silence is everywhere."

They reached the Big House and found Percy, Annabeth, and Magnus already waiting on the porch. Percy looked up as they approached, his sea-green eyes flashing with a mix of relief and concern.

"Jason!" Percy called, standing to meet them. "You made it. I was starting to think you'd flown off to the Roman camp instead."

Jason grinned weakly. "Tempting as that was, we got your message. What's going on?"

Magnus stood next to Percy, his arms crossed, a distinct tension in his usually relaxed posture. His hair was windswept, and his usual smirk had been replaced with a more serious expression. Annabeth was beside him, her face calm but her grey eyes hard with focus.

"We've got a problem," Annabeth said, getting straight to the point. "And I mean, more than the usual kind."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Bigger than world-destroying gods?"

Annabeth gave a wry smile. "More like every world-destroying god from every mythology. At once."

Jason's stomach tightened. "The prophecy," he said. "It's about us, isn't it?"

Percy nodded, his expression dark. "Yeah, and it's not just the Greeks and Romans. We're in this with the Egyptians and Norse, too. You've met Magnus, I assume?"

Jason shook hands with Magnus, who gave him a nod. "Welcome to the party. It's like a giant 'end-of-the-world' reunion, but with a twist. The walls between our realms are breaking down, and if we don't act fast, Ragnarök is going to look like a warm-up act."

Jason exchanged a glance with Thalia. This was worse than they had imagined.

"Sadie Kane contacted us," Annabeth continued. "She's on her way with Carter. They're bringing some important magical artifacts from the House of Life. They'll be here any minute. But the barriers between the pantheons aren't just falling apart; they're merging. The duat, the mist, the Norse realms... all of it is bleeding into each other."

Magnus nodded grimly. "The Nine Worlds are collapsing, too. My uncle, the god Loki, has been eerily quiet, which is never a good sign. I think we all know what he's waiting for—Ragnarök."

Jason felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "So, what's the plan? How do we stop this?"

Before anyone could answer, a blinding light exploded in the middle of the camp, followed by the crackling of magical energy. Jason's hand instinctively went to his sword, as did Percy's and Magnus', but Annabeth and Thalia held up their hands.

"It's them," Annabeth said. "The Kanes."

Sure enough, two figures stepped out from the shimmering light. Carter Kane was the first, his staff held high, a look of steely determination on his face. Sadie followed close behind, her eyes alight with magical energy, her face tense with urgency.

"Nice entrance," Percy muttered, sheathing his sword.

Sadie grinned. "Thought I'd make an impression. Not like the end of the world needs any more drama, though."

Carter didn't waste any time. "We found it," he said, walking straight up to Jason and Percy. "The prophecy. The one that ties all of this together."

Jason nodded, his throat tightening. "We've heard parts of it. But why does it involve us? What makes us so special?"

Carter unrolled the scroll Sadie had shown him earlier, placing it on the ground between them. The ancient hieroglyphs and symbols glowed with a faint light, as though the words themselves held immense power.

"It's not just you," Carter said. "It's all of us. You, Percy, Magnus, me, Sadie—together, we're supposed to unite the pantheons. The gods are losing control of the barriers between their realms, and if we don't step in, every world is going to collide in one massive, chaotic battle. And believe me, no one will survive that."

"Great," Magnus said dryly. "So, we've got what? A prophecy, a handful of demigods, some magicians, and an impending apocalypse? Sounds like a typical Tuesday."

Sadie shot him a grin. "Pretty much. But hey, we've faced worse."

Jason's mind was racing, but one thing stood out to him. "The prophecy says something about uniting under one union. What does that mean? Are we supposed to bring the gods together?"

Sadie's face grew more serious. "Not just the gods. The mortals, too. The veil that's protected our world from theirs is falling apart. Soon, humans will see what's been hidden for millennia. And when they do... it's not going to be pretty. The gods and their realms are coming out of hiding, and we need to be the ones to manage the fallout."

Jason swallowed hard. He had always known that the world of the gods was fragile, that it was built on a delicate balance between mortal belief and divine power. But this... this was something far more dangerous.

"So, how do we start?" Piper asked, her voice steady despite the weight of the question.

Carter and Sadie exchanged glances. "We need to find the others mentioned in the prophecy," Carter said. "Other demigods, other gods—anyone who can help. We can't do this alone."

Magnus folded his arms. "The problem is, a lot of the gods are going to resist. They're terrified of the mortals finding out about them. We'll be fighting on multiple fronts."

Thalia stepped forward, her voice resolute. "Then we'll fight. We've faced worse odds before, and we've won. We'll do it again."

Jason felt a surge of determination rise inside him. The prophecy was terrifying, but it wasn't hopeless. Not yet. They had the key players here—their friends, their allies. If anyone could stop the convergence of the worlds, it was them.

"Then it's settled," Jason said, looking around at the group. "We gather our allies. We unite the gods, the magicians, and the demigods. And we stop this convergence before it's too late."

Percy grinned, though there was no humor in his eyes. "Guess it's time to save the world again."

As they stood together, staring at the ancient prophecy before them, Jason knew one thing for certain: the battle had already begun. And this time, it wasn't just about saving one world.

It was about saving all of them.