Hellfire

29: The Vessel

TWENTY-NINE

Jason had felt power before. He was a son of Jupiter; he had been a praetor of New Rome. Jason had fought Titans and giants and gods and monsters of all kind. Jason knew what power felt like and he knew how to wield it like a sword, steady and precise. Deadly steel.

But this was different. The power that Jason felt now didn't fell like power. It felt like... nothing. He felt the exact same as he always had, but a part of him knew he had changed forever now. He could feel wind wafting through his hair and his clothes, touching him, whispering in his ear. He could feel the winds of a storm in the Philippines, halfway around the world. He could hear the whispering of the breeze at Camp Half-Blood while it prepared itself for war.

"Gods," he whispered to himself, staring at his hands in amazement. It felt as though he was made of wind and air and clouds.

"You got that right," Frank grunted, still staring at the sky. "I can't even count how many chariots are up there."

"How are they doing that?" Leo demanded. "I thought... I thought things were over for them."

"It must be us," Piper murmured in amazement. She linked her fingers through Jason's and an energy pulsed between them. All of a sudden, Jason was full of love and adoration. It warmed his entire body, sending a slight shock through him as he absorbed it.

"Pipes," he murmured, squeezing her hand. "Do you feel that?"

She blinked and looked down at their hands. "I... I think I'm projecting my feelings," she said slowly. Lightning fast, she reached over and grabbed onto Annabeth's wrist.

Annabeth gasped. "Oh! Piper..." Her eyes were wide. "That's... a lot of love." Tears welled in her eyes. Piper let go of Jason to hug her friend tightly. He flexed his fingers slightly, frowning as the warmth of love faded from his body.

"You have to focus," Kelly broke in firmly. "All of you." She was still clutching her swords tightly, crouched slightly as though ready to fight off an attack at any moment. "There will be time to express feelings and revel in your new powers when this is over."

Hazel set her diamond sword on the ground. "We have to find Chaos," she said, nodding.

"No, we don't." Percy stepped forward, pointing to the other side of the clearing. "Chaos is coming." He grinned widely at their friends. "We had to prove ourselves," he explained. "That was the only time Chaos was going to find us. I heard it in my head."

Sure enough, a figure was becoming visible at the edge of the trees. At first, Jason could barely make it out. After a moment or two of anticipatory silence, however, he could see it. Chaos.

It looked like a man. Smoke billowed from its clothes as it walked. Jason could see the faint outline of a fedora on its head. Everything was shrouded in black smoke. It did not have eyes, a mouth, hands, or any other discerning body feature. Jason's stomach lurched when he noticed that, with every step Chaos took, the grass below turned into black sand.

A heaviness settled over the clearing. The sky darkened somehow. The trees seemed to shy away from the foreboding presence of the primordial deity in their midst. Chaos seemed unbothered by nature's reaction to its presence. It marched on, coming to a halt ten feet away from Jason and his friends.

"Holy Hades," Leo whispered, his eyes wide. His flames had gone out completely.

"I can feel it," Annabeth murmured, face paling. She reached for Percy and held his arm tightly. "I remember it from... from Tartarus. It was there."