Jason Grace: After the Burning Maze

Easy Way Out

I woke up with a weight on my chest. Looking down, I came face to face with Scarlett's dark brown hair. Slowly unraveling my arm from around her, I laid her head on the dry grass. By now, she had stopped shivering and only her lips were purple. 

As soon as I got up, Scarlett started coughing. Specks of dark red blood came out and splattered the grey grass around us. Crouching back down, I helped to hold her hair back and pat her back until the fit stopped.

"I'm sorry," she whispered weakly, "I should drink from the Lethe and end this." Ever since they had arrived in Asphodel 10 years ago, Scarlett would be overwhelmed with shivers and consumed by the cold each night. After her first night freezing, I had taken upon myself the job of nestling her while we slept to prevent her soul from disintegrating. That was the underworld's way of disposing of those who did not belong in their realm. In their minds, Scarlett deserved the fields of punishment, not Asphodel and they were set on making sure she would fade into nothing over time. 

"You're fine," I soothed her, "We'll get out of this. When those I know die and pass on, we'll join them in their ships and travel on. You don't have to lose your memories to end the conscious pain." Ever since we had arrived in Asphodel, it was as if Scarlett herself was slowly fading. The once confident, sassy, dramatic, youthful teenager was now quiet, reserved, pale, and lifeless. Though she was physically there, it was as if it were an entirely different person.

That day went by no different than most. Silently sitting on the banks of the Acheron, watching the joyful pass into Elysium. Some would completely ignore Asphodel, caught up in their own delight, others would look pitifully at the greyed-out spirits. I was completely wallowed in my own self-pity and anger until a black boat carrying a familiar looking figure passed by. She passed nervously around the boat and kept spinning a golden dagger on the tip of her finger. Seeing her lips move rapidly, she must have been either ranting or cursing herself. 

"Reyna!" I shouted at the boat, part of me relieved she was here, the other half surprised she was the first of those I knew well to die. Hearing the cry, the dark figure flinched and turned around. She had tan skin, was very tall, and wore a black jumpsuit with a golden chain around her waist. Though I couldn't get a clear look at her features, her stature and aura were enough for me to know it was her. One of my closest friends, the girl I'd secretly admired for so many years. 

Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano had come to the rescue. 

The boat traveled in my direction and I felt my eyes grow wide upon seeing her face. She was a lot older now, around her mid-30s. But upon second glance, she was taller than I remembered, she looked angrier than I remembered, and it didn't make sense that she was buried in Amazon clothing.

"Ohh." was all I managed to force out when the boat docked at the shore. The dark figure stomped out onto the beach and thrust a hand at me that passed right through my neck. Clearly even more annoyed, she drew it back quickly and crossed her arms, staring down at me. 

"Hylla," I greeted awkwardly, still extremely relieved to meet someone I knew. "You really are her carbon-copy. Sorry I mistook you for Rey-"

"Whatever," she waved a hand at me, "Let's cut to the chase, Grace. I'm in no mood for chitchat. Why are you here? Surely you didn't have that many secrets. My sister spoke quite fondly of you."

I explained the whole situation to her, starting with my choice to not use my fast pass, meeting Scarlett, balancing the scales once she was accused, and finally having to literally cling onto her spirit every night. Hylla looked so much like Reyna when she was surprised and entertained at the same time it was almost distracting. When I finished, she stood silent for a while before reaching into the boat and pulling out a thick black blanket embroidered with complex golden patterns. 

"My burial shroud. This should help with the cold until I can send help back." She passed it to me, I was so grateful and excited that I almost forgot to thank her. "I should go now," she stepped back into the shaky boat and only as she sailed off, I remembered that I had a list of questions to ask her. But in the moment, I forgot all of them and just blurted out whatever came to me.

"Hylla!" I shouted, cursing myself for not asking sooner, "How is Reyna? Did she get married? Is she still praetor?"

Hylla snorted as she faded away into the fog, "You'll find out soon enough."

"Hylla! Hy-" I yelled, tugging my hair in different directions, and stomping my foot in frustration, "Hylla, please. HYLLA!"

But she was gone.

After a couple more hours of staring at the burial shroud in my hand, Scarlett's groans came from behind me--my queue that it was getting too cold and it was my time to leave. But when I arrived at our barren tree and saw that she was gone, I cursed myself and listened for her voice through the fog. Surely but slowly, I managed to track it all the way to a different spot, the banks of the Lethe, where she was dipping her finger in the creek gently. 

"Perite," I mumbled as I approached her from the other side of the narrow part of the river "Scarlett? It's me, Jason. I have good news."

Scarlett's eyes glazed up at me blankly, desperate for any information.

"A friend came. She brought you a blanket for warmth and is coming back with help soon. We can get out of here. Our time here is almost over." I smiled so widely I thought my skin might crack. Holding out a hand, I offered her an easy jump across the river. But to my surprise, her eyes grew wider and filled up with tears as her 'Oh no's became louder and louder.

"Scarlett, what is it?" I asked, growing increasingly worried,

"Jason, I'm so sorry," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands, "It's going to happen any moment now... Oh no. Jason, I'm so sorry."

"What is it?" I snapped, suddenly registering why she was here and what she had done. "Scarlett, tell me you didn't-"

"Look I need to tell you something before it happens," she took a deep breath, "You saved me, thank you. I didn't know, and, I'm so sorry. Jas- Jason Grace, I lo-" her eyes glazed over and her body went rigid as a board. I barely had time to catch her before she fell face-forward into the creek. 

"No. NO!" I cried as I dragged her stiff body out of the water and onto the grass, quickly wrapping the shroud around her. All the while pinching myself and praying that she hadn't really drunken out of the Lethe. That she wasn't that selfish, that she wasn't that mindless, that she hadn't lost faith in me yet.

"Scarlett, please. Scarlett." I groaned, wiping her cold, wet hair away from her face. "You only drank from the creek part of the Lethe, your memory isn't completely gone. Come on..." Feeling utterly useless, all I could do was to stroke her hand and pray, which seemed to be all I was doing lately.

After what seemed like a tense forever, Scarlett opened her eyes slowly.

"Scarlett," I laughed, "For a while there you had me-"

"Who are you?" she furrowed her eyebrows and looked around her, "Where am I?"

I dropped my hands to my side and threw my head to the heavens above me. This time it was my turn, "Scarlett, what have you done?"