Percy and the Moonstone

Chapter 19: An Eternity To Go

Jason's POV (A/N Bet you weren't expecting THAT were ya [Unless you were...then boo you])

Let me just start by saying, I didn't expect to wake up shirtless. Nor did I think I'd be lying on the ground with Reyna and Nico standing above me with a worried look on their faces.

"Jason!" They both exclaimed. I stared at them with wide eyes before standing up and embracing them in a hug. I felt my eyes tear up. I hadn't seen these two in years.

I let go and they gave me a small smile but both expressions were soon clouded with worry.

"Where.." I looked around at the misty, wooded area I was standing in, "Where are we? How did I get here?" Remembering what had happened a few moments ago I added hesitantly, "Is this...is this part of the Underworld?"

"No," Nico answered, "I should know. We aren't anywhere near the Underworld."

"But we are..." I continued clearing my throat, "We're dead?"

Reyna nodded before saying, "For some reason we aren't where we're suppose to be. I arrived here first and Nico joined a couple days after, if you can really count days here. We haven't a clue on how or why we're here."

Perfect, I thought. Sitting down on a nearby rock I took in the surroundings. We were in some sort of forest coated heavily in fog. We seemed to be standing in a circle surrounded by trees with a pile of rocks in the middle. A couple feet away was a river, flowing slowly.

I hadn't realized how thirsty I actually was until I walked over to the river. Cupping my hands together I gulped down the water. Splashing some water on my face I looked into the stream. Looking at my reflection I was surprised.

My SPQR tattoo had disappeared and I seemed paler. I still had my muscular look though, so that was a plus.

Another strange thing was the scar on my mouth from when I was a kid was gone too, as if I had never tried eating the stapler in the first place.

I smiled at the dim memory, thinking back to Thalia. Gods I already missed her. And Piper...oh gods Piper. I swallowed sadly and turned back to the others.

They weren't in very good shape. Nico had on a black, slimming t-shirt and ripped jeans. Reyna was wearing a jacket, Nico's jacket actually, and a black t-shirt. She too had messed up jeans and both wore combat boots.

Both were extremely pale and had bags under their eyes as if they haven't slept in a long time.

Looking over my own clothing I was wearing regular jeans and some sneakers.

"Here," Reyna tossed me a Camp Jupiter shirt, "We took it off since you were bleeding. We didn't want your shirt to get dirty being as though it's the only one you really have. Don't worry though, whatever it was healed."

Slightly confused, I slipped on my t-shirt. I hadn't seen anywhere where I could have been bleeding. There was no scars.

"So what do we do?" I asked looking at the two.

"Well first you need to eat," Nico explained, "You won't get far here if you don't. Follow us we know a place."

"And where exactly is here?" I asked.

They just looked at each other, not answering my question. Instead we started following the river upstream, walking in the cold, misty air. We stayed in silence for a while and I noticed how jumpy the two seemed. At any noise their hands would clutch the hilt of their weapons, Reyna's being a spear and Nico wielding a sword. Both weapons were made out of sticks and...possibly bones. I didn't dwell on that fact too much.