End of the Line

#26 - The Last Ring

Chapter 26 - The Last Ring
published: Wednesday, 5 June 2019

Jason stared out into the setting sun. He knew he should be admiring how the orange streaks intertwined with the shades of pink and blue in the sky, but the sun simply reminded him that they were running out of time.

The Argo II had been sailing aimlessly for weeks in hopes that Hazel and Frank might be able to track down the last ring.

But it appeared that their luck had run out — though Jason wanted to protest that they'd barely had any in the first place.

July was coming to a close, and Piper was dangerously close to her 40 weeks of pregnancy.

As much as Jason didn't want to admit it, she was most likely going to have their baby on board.

His son, on a life-threatening quest.

Jason has never had any problem with sacrificing himself for others, but now he had a family, and it made him all the more stubborn about staying alive. He had something else to live for now.

And Jasper. Jason might be willing to lay down his life, but there was no way he was letting his son get in harm's way.

Jason sighed as he gripped the poles that ran along the side of the Argo II. He already loved his son so much, and he wasn't even born yet.

Was this how all fathers felt? Nervous, clammy, and perpetually worried?

Because Jason was terrified that he was going to mess this up. His nightmares had significantly decreased since telling Piper about it, but how could he be a father when he couldn't even control his own mind?

"Hey, you good?"

Jason didn't have to turn around to recognise Leo's voice.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Not really. We've got no leads, my son could be born in a few weeks' time, and the world is ending."

Leo shrugged. "Frankly, I should be feeling worse. But I've got you guys. That helps."

Jason slid him a small smile.

Back at camp, they'd talked, yes, but they had all been so distant, only in contact because the Massacre and the crisis forced them to.

Annabeth had never really been the same, and it had gotten worse over time. She would be stuck in the workshop with Leo, furiously working herself to death until Piper went down and dragged them out of there.

Frank was constantly pre-occupied with praetorial duties alongside Reyna, and Jason hardly ever saw them as he organised construction of temples.

Then there was Piper, whom Jason has always felt nervous around — afraid she would find out about his nightmares. And in the weeks leading up to the beginning of their quest, she hadn't been able to meet his eye. Which he now knew was because she was pregnant.

"Seems that life-threatening quests really bring us together," Jason mused.

Leo stared down at the railing. "Do you-do you think that it'll be better this time?"

Jason heard the unspoken question. Could they all still be friends if their lives went back to normal — if the quest ended and they weren't forging friendships while saving the world?

"Yeah," Jason said, surprising himself with the conviction in his voice. "I think it will."

And he really did. There had been a part of him that had been missing something the last few years — it was them; his friends. He missed the comfortable dynamic they had, and the stupid jokes they cracked when around one another.