Chapter Text
At that moment, the chamber groaned, and the cavern ceiling exploded in a blast of fiery light.
Jason
There were worse things that could happen other than almost getting hit by falling cars Jason supposed as he leapt from the Argo II. For example, he could actually get hit by one to the falling cars. Percy was attached to his side as he flew down towards Annabeth's weak cry. Cars kept raining down around them. Percy released him, landing into a roll and bursting forward to grab Annabeth. Jason didn't have time to watch.
The damage that had been done was only worsening with every second. Rubble and gravel practically poured from the sky. Dodging every piece was difficult. He could barely focus on what was happening against the thundering slams of chunks of the roof against the floor.
The Athena Parthenos gleamed brightly despite the cloud of dust, unharmed and undamaged. Everything bounced around it, as though a force field had been erected around the statue. Jason flew forward towards it, grabbing Percy by the back of the shirt and pulling him up towards the safety of the underside of the statue, Annabeth held close in his arms.
Damages finally ceased as the Argo II settled into place. A rope ladder dropped down, everyone skinnying down and running over to them. Once reached, Piper leaned into Jason's side. Her finger traced a bleeding scrape on his arm. He smiled thinly and looked over at Annabeth.
Her ankle was poorly bandaged. Bruising littered up the side of her legs. Spiderwebs were attached to her. Somewhere he noticed a trailing line of fine silk leading towards the pit. He couldn’t tell how much of it was curled around her skin but he wasn’t going to take any chances. For all he knew there was something poisonous in the webs that could leech into her skin and kill her right then and there.
"I'm gonna cut the webs," he said, pulling out his gladius.
Annabeth blinked at him. Dirt and dust covered the portion of her face that wasn't being shielded by Percy's chest. She looked down. "Oh. Shit. I didn't even think-"
Jason shook his head. "You found the statue." He squatted, cutting through the silk, wary against touching it. "What happened?"
She released a breathy noise, caught somewhere between a sob and a laugh. Her story wove around them as Jason cut away the strings. Hazel and Piper joined him on the ground. As she spoke, both of them worked together to rewrap her ankle.
Bridal style, Percy hefted her into his arms. "Don't whine, Wise Girl."
She rolled her eyes but there was nothing but relief in them as she gazed up at him, the story ending with a content sigh.
Jason squeezed her shoulder, amazed. "You did all of that? With a broken ankle? Amazing."
She laughed. " Some of it with a broken laugh."
Percy leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers. “You made Arachne weave her own trap! I knew you were good, but Holy Hera—Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!”
Everyone gazed at the statue.
“What do we do with her?” Frank asked. “She’s huge.”
“We’ll have to take her with us to Greece,” Annabeth said. “The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants.”
“The giants’ bane stands gold and pale,” Hazel quoted. “Won with pain from a woven jail.” She looked at Annabeth with admiration. “It was Arachne’s jail. You tricked her into weaving it.”
As though he was taking measurements, Leo raised his hands to frame the statue. He cocked his head. “Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something.”
Jason considered the statue and then the ship.
Leo had a lot of optimism on that. All he could envision was a bumper sticker with the words “STEER CLEAR, GODDESS STATUE ON BOARD” on the pedestal.
Annabeth inhaled sharply, shaking her head when everyone looked at her worried. “What about you guys?” She readjusted her grip about Percy’s neck. ‘What happened with the giants?”
Jason shook his head. “We can tell you on the ship.” He looked over his shoulder, the chasm looming at them. Cold air blasted from it, a shuddering reminder of death and darkness. They all followed his gaze before nodding in agreement. “We should move the statue before anything else comes down. If the floor collapses…”
Leo snapped his fingers. “You’re right!” He patted Frank’s back. “You and Zhang here can help me secure it.”
Frank rolled his eyes but turned into a giant eagle, Leo hopping onto his back. The two of them soared away. Jason reached out for Annabeth. Immediately, Percy stepped back protectively. His hands clenched around her tighter.
“Percy, I can get her up to the ship faster.” He looked over at the rope ladder. “You can’t carry her up on your own.”
He could see Percy’s hesitation to let her go so easily. Not when he already had to do that. Not when he’d just gotten her back. But he nodded and slid Annabeth into Jason’s arms. She loped her arms around his neck.
“Let’s go, Superman,” Annabeth sighed.
“Does that make you Lois Lane?” Jason joked, laughing at Percy’s hardened expression.
“Just get going, Grace.” As Jason lifted into the air, wind swirling around him, he saw Percy reach for Nico. “Hey, let me-”
Nico pulled back immediately, instead leaning against Hazel who helped him hobble back over to the ladder.
Leo was yelling orders at Festus. Grabbling lines shot down from the ship, securing around the statue’s neck. Jason made sure Annabeth was seated comfortably on the deck before he flew back down to help Frank secure the lines.
Turning into a person, Frank grabbed the statue’s outstretched arm. He hung from it with one gorilla arm. The other hooked the line around the state’s arm before he threw it outwards to Jason. Jason caught it, flying back to the boat and securing it at Leo’s order.
Before he could fly back off the deck, he heard Annabeth yell out to the people below.
The floor beneath them was collapsing quickly. Piper had already scaled most of the ladder, Hazel behind her. Percy was helping Nico follow them up, his weakened form struggling to climb. He was already attached to the rope but the floor under Percy’s feet was cracking. Frank and Leo were too busy securing the lines to notice what was happening.
Jason jumped off the railing, reaching to grab Percy when a blast of air from the crevice knocked him off course. He fell to the ground, groaning as he rolled over metal and rocks. As he stood up, a brick fell from the sky and smashed into the back of his head. He collapsed again.
“Jason!”
He couldn’t tell who was calling out to him as he raised, dazed. An arm secured around his waist, tugging him forward. The smell of the ocean - Percy.
“You should be on the boat,” he slurred, blinking rapidly. His vision kept blurring.
“Can’t leave you behind,” Percy huffed. The rope ladder dangled before them, the others on deck, Nico halfway there. Percy unhooked himself, pushing Jason into the ladder. “Can you grip it?”
Jason blinked. He could feel the ladder under his hand but he couldn’t think straight. His head throbbed from heat, pain.
“My head hurts,” he mumbled, slumping forward.
“Shit.” Percy grabbed him. Jason felt himself heave up, curled half around Percy’s side, half around his back. Keeping himself attached wasn’t as difficult. A warm hand pressed to his temple. “Come on, just tighten your gri- FUCK. ”
They were falling backwards as the ground lurched beneath them.
Jason fell from Percy. Another blast of air hit him in the face, clearing his dazed mind as he watched, panicked as the floor caved, sending Percy rolling towards the imposing chasm before them. He yelled, his head a flame of pain.
His hand shot up. The wind warped around him, grabbing Percy by the leg. With all his focus, Jason managed to hurl him towards the boat before he blacked out briefly. When he came to, he was still on the ground. Blood had dripped over his eye. He grunted, raising to a stand. Wiping away the blood, he stared at his hand for a second, caught off guard.
The wound wasn’t bleeding anymore.
He shook his head. No time to think about that. He needed to get on the boat.
A grappling hook smacked him in the chest. He fell down again.
“Grab on!” he heard.
He reached for the rope, curling it around his wrist as he held on tight. But the ground lurched again as a giant chunk in the north corner broke and shattered into a giant pit below. He swore, stumbling back. He hefted himself into the air, speeding towards the boat. Leo’s hand reached out to him.
He managed to get a grip on the other. Resting his feet against the railing, he let out a deep sigh of relief when the statue’s pedestal smacked into the stable doors.
Leo’s eyes widened as Jason fell again. His hand tightened around Jason’s but it did nothing to secure him safely. The railing, already cracked, broke and instead of pulling him back up, Leo fell forward with him. Jason shouted as he yanked Leo into his chest, safely guarding him from the painful crash below.
Pain erupted against his back and the back of his head, spiking the world into sudden darkness. Once he came to again, he felt nothing under his legs. Leo was shouting towards the boat, He struggled to wrestle his way out of Jason’s grip, which made no sense.
Weren’t they still falling?
Why else would the world be so empty around Jason’s legs?
Dazed, he blinked at the touch of Leo’s hands against his face. “Jason, we need to get up to the boat!”
The boat…
Jason tilted his head back. They were on the floor, he realized, his legs teetering over the edge of the pit. Leo had plunged his hammer into the cracks, stopping them falling completely in but with the way everything was shattering around them it wouldn’t hold them for long.
He nodded, rolling his weight to pin Leo below him as he lifted one leg to dig his foot into the ground.
And then the floor broke.