The Mark Of Athena

- Lunch Time With Jason And Percy

Chapter VI - Jason

IT WAS PIPER WHO HAD CONVINCED JASON to come to lunch in new Rome. If he had known Percy Jackson would be there, he would've declined.

He walked in to the small Pizzeria on the high street. It was a large room, with white walls and an open kitchen with a fire so you could watch them cooking the pizza.

Then he saw Percy, He was sitting at a table with Leo, Frank, Hazel, Annabeth and Piper. Piper looked up and waved for Jason to come over.

"Jason!" she called, motioning to the free seat next to her. He sat down, looking at Annabeth, who was leaning on Percy's shoulder and smiling. He had never seen her so happy, the Annabeth that he knew was grumpy and hostile,not happy and forgiving.

Annabeth grinned as he sat down. "We were just talking about quests we've been on." she looked around at their group, not sensing Jason's hostility towards Percy. "So, whats the hardest thing you've ever had to do on a quest?" she asked.

"Hide a secret from my friends." said Piper.

"Watch my friends get captured by Cyclopes." said Leo.

"Watch Percy jump off the glacier with the skeleton army." said hazel, punching him in the arm. "We thought you were dead."

Frank sighed.

"Leaving my grandmother to the Laistrygonians." he said sadly and hazel hugged him.

""Fighting Krios" said Jason without hesitation. Leo turned to Percy and Annabeth.

"What about you? " he asked, and the table echoed his statement.

Percy looked at Annabeth. "Holding up the sky." they said in unison. Jason almost spat out his food.

"You did WHAT!" he exploded and Percy looked sad. Annabeth fished through his hair and pulled out a tuft of grey hair. She showed everyone hers aswell.

"A few years back," started Percy, "We were on a quest to find a monster and save a godess." he began to narrate his story, but started at the battle. He choked up a bit when it got to Zoe, and Annabeth finished the story.

The table looked at him in awe.

"Man..." muttered Leo.

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Leo-

LEO WAS IN AWE OF PERCY. AT FIRST HE HAD thought Percy would be full of himself, selfish and vain. Leo now knew that Percy wa she opposite of these things. He was down to earth, and quite shy sometimes, although he had a hilarious sense of humour. Annabeth seemed ontop of the world, and Leo didn't blame her, he had noticed the way piper had stared at Percy when she first met him.

Percy finished his story and Frank piped up.

"I don't know if im the only one, but I'm interested in Jason's story." he said, after looking in awe at Percy.

Jason looked pleased at the attention and took the opportunity to launch into a full blown description of the event. Percy listened attentively and Jason seemed to relax, going into detail on which sword strokes he used, and how the Titan reacted. "We assumed that when we destroyed Kronos' seat of power he faded away." he finished, looking proud.

Percy shook his head. "That's not what happened."

Jason looked surprised. "How do you know that? You Greeks weren't even part of the war." he said it accusingly, looking angry that Percy was taking his spotlight.

"Well actually... We were." said Percy. "We defended mount olympus itself last summer." there was silence around the table.

Annabeth spoke up. "And it was Percy who fought Kronos and won. " There was a shocked silence at the table. Leo just managed to utter. "What?"

Annabeth looked proud of her boyfriend. "He also fought Hyperion and won." If it was possible, their jaws dropped even lower. Annabeth launched into the story. She spun the tale in a way that her mother, the goddess of weaving, would have been proud. She explained how the 40 campers had faced up against thousands of monsters, Clarisse slaying the Drakon, Percy defeating Hyperion and Hyperion getting turned into a tree. There were a few 'oohs' and 'ahhs' as she described the battles, her hands moving animatedly as she talked. Percy filled in on the bits that she wasnt sure on, like ropeclimbing on a giant pink flying pig and splitting the sand dollar between the two rivers. She finished the battle with Kronos and sat back. The group of demigods looked at Percy in disbelief.

Jason looked defeated. "And the gods, didn't acknowledge this .. At all?"

Percy shook his head. He explained about Annabeth redesigning Olympus and Grover becoming the lord of the wild. "And I, I got one wish. Anything. They sort of assumed there was one thing I'd want though." he trailed off and everyone at the table shouted at him to continue.

"They assumed I would want to be a god." he said, and there was a stunned silence.

"AND YOU REFUSED!" shouted Leo.

Percy grinned and hugged Annabeth. "I couldn't leave my friends behind."

Frank spoke next. "What did you ask for?"

Percy grinned. That was easy. "I asked that all the Olympian gods be recognised at camp and on Olympus and all demigod children would be claimed by the time they were thirteen."

Hazel grinned.

"You, mister Percy Jackson, are too nice for your own good." she said, and the table burst out laughing.

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Jason-

AFTER LUNCH, JASON BUMPED INTO PERCY OUTSIDE THE restaurant. Percy raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry Jason, about the Praetorship. It's yours for the taking, just ask." he said, and walked away.

Jason shook his head at the sky.

"It's just too hard to hate that guy."