Argo II: After Tartarus

Jason IX

Hi guys! I was annoyed that I didn't get to write as much as I would have wanted so here's quite a short chapter. I didn't want to make you guys wait so I've posted what I wrote here. I'll definitely update before the end of the week though.

Again, thank you all for your support and please leave a comment! (And thank you for the birthday wishes!!!)

Xxx

(Also, I'm not sure how to end this fanfic so if anyone wants to give suggestions, my inbox is open!)

Jason POV: Chapter 9

Jason was counting down the seconds till he could leave. He'd also settle for blasting Epiales' head off - what, with his constant commentary after Frank's room.

I didn't know the fatty son of Mars had it in him.

Please, just shut up. Jason thought. None of the seven dignified the god with a response as Piper's door moulded out of the cavern wall. Frank just rolled his eyes. The dove sign was lit up by a neon pink light that flowed throughout the grooves, pissing Piper off immensely because, and Jason quotes, "Why am I always stuck with pink?".

Excuse me, demigods? Don't you know it's rude to ignore a divine being? Back when I had my worshippers, they were afraid that I would send them into insanity just because I felt like it. You lot should be terrified.

Jason grit his teeth together, surely cracking his back teeth with the force put on them. Ignore him, ignore him. He caught sight of Piper eyeing Leo, who looked like he was about to explode with the way he was biting back his bitter words. Shame rolled through Jason quickly as he remembered a couple rooms ago. Of all the memories so far, Jason was surprised with Leo. He felt like he epically failed as a friend. He never knew of Leo's mother's - ahem - unfortunate demise. He wondered what his mother would say if she saw him right now. It wasn't possible, of course. She was long dead, those memories only reminded him. Mountains upon mountains of pressure threatened to rip the pit of his stomach, to rip open the disgusting truth of demigod-ness. He was no stranger to loss but Jason naively thought that maybe his friends had a smidgen of a better family life than him. Jason's usual solemn frown graced his face once more. He could almost feel the bags under his eyes, somewhat making Jason feel weirdly self-conscious. The demigods all went through the door, each sporting their own irritated faces; Percy's being by far the scariest. Jason expected the now-familiar plate to be placed in the centre of the room but, much to Jason's surprise, there was nothing there. It put a wrench in Jason's thoughts of getting this all over.
Jason heard Annabeth curse under her breath that was much too colourful for his liking. As if a switch flipped, the room was flipped with some sort of danger. There was a terrible rumble from deep in the belly of the earth that struck fear into Jason's heart. It didn't seem like your usual earthquake, the ground shook so much that a large crack appeared in the ground, enough for a fully grown adult to fall all the way to the depths of Tartarus. Jason cringed.
"Hazel? Percy?" Annabeth pulled out her dagger warily, "you're not doing this?"
Percy lifted his arms up in a surrender motion, "not me."
"Me neither."
Stupid demigods.

Then a series of ominous scraping noises echoed up from the crack in the floor, each sound more sinister than the next.
"Epiales! You're kidding right?" Shouted Leo up at the ceiling of the dome.
"Jason watch out!" Frank pulled an arrow back.
Jason instinctively ducked and rolled out the way as he saw a rock flying directly at where his head was. Frank's arrow hit the rock right in the middle causing it to explode into rubble. The seven each pulled their weapons out of their respective sheaths, Jason himself as he reached for his sword.
Jason felt a pang of unwavering fear attack his heart as he caught sight of the monsters that crawled out of the crack. Words couldn't describe how they looked, nor how they made Jason feel. It was much like he was watching the scariest horror films of all history all at once. His heart was flooded with adrenaline but he was too terrified to move. Pain seared through his head better than a branding iron, his mind conceding to the torment, unable to bring a thought to completion. Screams filled his head like he was hearing a group of people massacred, but they sounded far away, maybe like they were underwater or something. Jason couldn't tear his eyes away from the monsters slinking their way towards the group. They had large hulking bodies, each misshapen and never similar to the others, with green skin rippling across taut muscles. Their mouths were like black holes, a mixture of tiny and large rotted teeth sprinkled around their mouths with rich red blood dripping down what would have been their chins. One monster had six claws on one hand and three on the other, whilst another had ten long nails sticking out on the left and basically a stump on the right. Their eyes were the only similarity they shared. Both pairs of eyes were a foggy white that seemed to stare into Jason's soul. Jason could distantly feel himself being pulled away. Jason could only stare helplessly at the monsters as he was moved back into Frank's room. The door, Jason noticed, hadn't disappeared like the others which seemed way too convenient. Once he dimly registered all six other demigods were safely back in the room, what looked like Piper shut the door behind her. Instantly Jason felt better. He no longer heard the phantom screams ringing in his ears, or had a searing pain in his head, or felt completely defenceless. He realised with a startle that he could now move freely.
"What the Styx was that?" Percy shouted as he flung his arms up frantically. He was in a similar position as the rest of the group, all facing the now closed door belonging to the daughter of Aphrodite.
"I-I don't know." Piper stammered. "I saw you all freeze the moment you saw the-those things. I could move, but it was like I was in a trance or something. I don't-I don't know what happened."
The group was forced into silence while they all caught their breaths.
"Why weren't you affected then?" Leo demanded.
Annabeth rubbed her eyes with her palms then spoke, "I suppose Piper could regulate her emotions", she narrowed her eyes, "with all the daughter of Aphrodite stuff. You are related to Phobos and Deimos too, gods of fear. Pavor and Metus for Romans."
Jason heard Percy mutter something along the lines of "bastards" and "bullies". He didn't want to ask.
"Well, what are we supposed to do? We can't exactly go out there lest we want to be paralyzed and then crushed to smithereens." Jason put forward.
Leo gestured for Annabeth to take the stage, it seemed like he was mocking her but his face betrayed his joking as his forehead was covered in worried lines.
Annabeth took a breath. "First things first: what do we have? Frank any exploding arrows? Leo any building supplies? Hazel, what grasp of the earth do you have? Do we have any spare fabric? Frank, any animals good for blind fighting?"
"I have my grenade form arrows and I suppose I could change to a bat for the--"

"That's great! Hazel? Leo? Anything?"
"Nope." Leo shook his head in an exaggerated manner, "I didn't think to bring anything but my tool belt, I guess. But I could always toast some monsters like marshmallows."
"The pull of the earth is pretty normal; no Gaia tampering."
Annabeth looked distant as her eyes scanned around the room as if she were reading battleplans. Her breathing slowed. It unnerved Jason how she was able to freeze with such precision; she looked like a statue. She didn't flinch as the monsters banged the door on the other side nor did she blink when Piper and Hazel started to rip strips of fabric from the bottom of their shirts. Jason looked at Piper wearily as he waited for Annabeth's input. She ripped the bottom hem of her shirt clean off and when she caught him looking, lifted it to her head and covered her eyes. It took Jason a couple of seconds before realising what it meant. It appears Leo did not, however.
"Dude, what are you doing?"
Piper sighed, "we need blindfolds. Now we have them."
"Ah, okay. Makes sense. I just thought you were going all savage for a sec."
It was quiet for some time after that.

It couldn't have been more than three minutes of twiddling thumbs but to Jason, it felt like eternity. Percy was murmuring to Annabeth who still stood tall and unbothered. Like a true goddess. When Percy spoke to Annabeth, she just looked forward as if he were a radio and not a person who is there to be interacted with. It is as if the words are still circulating her mind and not yet allowed to flow outward into the world. It reminded him a lot of Reyna, who he hadn't thought about in quite a while. At least, not since she, Nico and Coach Hedge left with the parthenos.
The awkward pause was quickly broken by Annabeth and her plans, seemingly making up her mind about something.
"Right, so to start off, Piper, you'll be our eyes. It makes the most sense, what with you being able to see perfectly. Leo, you'll stand by the door before we all go in and blast them with your fire. Many monsters with thick skin aren't affected by fire but we may be lucky here. Those of us - myself included - are rendered practically useless with the inability to see, especially with creatures that could easily crush us. Hazel, is there any way you could somehow open up the crack in the ground more? I understand actually manipulating earth can be challenging but with no set way for us to kill them, sending the monsters back down the cavern may be our best bet. With what limited sight I had, I counted at least four of them out there. Piper can you somehow charm speak them into sleep?"
Piper took a breath, "I could try. I'm not sure how well it will end though."
"That's fine." Annabeth tightened her ponytail behind her head. "These things, I'm not familiar with them. They're not in the Greek, and by default nor Roman, pantheon. We just need to be extra careful." Piper and Hazel held out a couple of the makeshift blindfolds to Annabeth who promptly weighed them in her hands as if determining their worth. "After Leo hits them with fire, hopefully, this will be enough to briefly incapacitate them while Piper directs Frank where to aim with his arrows. The rest of us can attack them in any way we can while still being safe and acting careful." She cast a pointed look at Percy who looked like he might object but decided against it. "After, Frank, you'll advance as a bat and use your senses to fight them somehow. We all need to make do with what we got." She passed out the blindfolds to all of the seven except Piper. "These are just an extra precaution - can't have ourselves paralysed."
The group nodded and started to rear themselves for a fight. Jason secured his own band of fabric to his forehead, the grey fabric of Piper's shirt ready to be pulled down to make him temporarily blind. He pulled out his sword and waited next to Annabeth and Hazel on the left side of the door, while Percy, Frank and Piper waited on the other. Leo was standing in front of the door with his palms outstretched, beads of sweat rolling down his scrunched forehead. Jason could already see the heat waves rolling out from his palms. Unease blossomed from within him; as brilliantly as Proserpina makes spring. Jason was familiar with the adrenaline pumping through his veins but there was something different now as something in his head was telling him to run.

Annabeth gave a nod to Piper opposite her, her silver eyes glinting dangerously. Piper reached for the doors and pulled them open with a flourish then rolled away with ease and agility. The fight had begun.