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The sky was the most brilliant shade of blue Percy had ever seen. It was like the ocean had found heaven, it was like the world was made only yesterday…. it was like Jason Grace’s eyes.
Today was the first day of summer vacation and for once in his long and bloodied life Percy didn’t have to do a damn thing. He wasn’t off to camp, or summer school or on some deadly quest. No he was off to the beach to surf and then grab a bite at his favourite diner on 6th street.
It had been a long time since he had felt peace like this. And he couldn’t help but breathe in deeply at every opportunity. Albeit not the best idea in New York City but it calmed something in him that had been brutal and active for so many months, years.
He stepped onto the sand, readying himself to take on a dead sprint right into those crashing waves.
1
2
3
And he was gone, feet sinking, ocean spraying and his board bouncing against his hip.
“Hey yo Jackson!” a voice rumbled from across the ways
Percy skidded to a halt, looking around. And then grinned a grin so dazzling Jason Grace saw stars.
There were few things more addictive in life than the ocean, and hardly anything more addictive than one certain ocean boy going for a surf.
Jason was sure he could die in this feeling.
“Yo Jase, what’s up?”
“Nothing much bro, ready for the hols that’s for sure.”
“Tell me about it,” Percy rolled his shoulders, relief shuddering through him.
“So I know you aren’t going to the camps this year, what are you up to?”
Percy stared into the horizon, his eyes impossibly green, as they always were near the sea.
“I think–I think I’m just going to live.” He finally said.
Jason nodded, understanding more than anyone what his friend meant, “Let me know if you need someone to share that with”
Percy smiled softly and together they walked into the waves, content to live.
Having completley lost themselves to the rhythmless rhythm of the ocean, Jason was shouting excitedly; he was on the verge of catching a really good wave.
Suddenly he was being pulled under, under, under.
It happened so quickly he didn’t even have time to yell before water was filling his lungs. Unable to help but think, This is what you get for stepping into Poseidon territory.
Something grabbed his leg and yanked, pulling him from his thoughts and any hope of rescue.
Whoever- whatever- had ahold of him was dragging him into dark waters. Jason knew there wasn’t much longer before he passed out but he fought and struggled against the grip on his leg, trying at the very least to kick up enough of a splash to notice it above.
Claws gripped into his skin, drawing blood, and suddenly he couldn’t fight it anymore. His whole body was exhausted; he just wanted the burning in his lungs to stop, and the fire crawling up his leg to go away and most of all he wanted to sleep. A single thought rattled in his head.
I hope Percy is okay.
Jason Grace surrendered to the sweet bliss of nothing.
Percy was feeling many things: surprise, frustration, shock, and, fear— never-ending icy fear.
Where on earth did his friend dissappear to?
One minute Jason was catching a wave and the next his board was floating towards the shore.
Before Percy knew what he was doing he untied the strap from his ankle and dived into the ocean-deep.
Swimming furiously, willing his eyes to adjust to the murky darkness, and finally after too many long moments he spotted a group of creatures zapping towards the coral reefs only a few strokes away.
He was about to call out for help when he saw a flash of blond hair bobbing weightlessly between them.
Fear morphed into rage. Cold, lethal, jagged rage.
Percy Jackson was not a boy from New York who loved his mom. He was a halfblood-warrior who only lived to protect the people he loved. And by the seas he would show them how much of god was in his demigod.
He willed the currents to bend to his command and shot off like an arrow towards the monsters. In mere seconds he was upon them, using the water to tug on their limbs, the multitude that there were. He didn’t pull very hard, just enough to get their attention. He wanted to face his enemies and look them in the eye before he killed them.
A gurgling hiss greeted his smirk.
“You seem to have something of mine,” Percy’s voice dripped sickly sweet.
“What do you want Perrcccyyy Jackson?” The one clawing Jason gurgled.
“I want my friend back thank you. He is under the protection of me and Lord Poseidon and to refuse my request would be a very, very bad idea.”
The three things laughed, a vile drowning sort of cackle, “We do not answer to Poseidon and we have no obligation to you Percy Jackson”
“See I was afraid you were gonna say that,” He sighed.
And without another thought Percy grabbed onto the water in their body, searching for those molecules that sung to him.
“The thing about descending from humans,” He grinned manically, “Is that there’s still some intricate parts of you that are just like me,”
The creature flanking Jason’s limp right side, started gasping, before any of them could react Percy twisted its body obscenely and continued
“How about a quick biology lesson? Did you know that cerebrospinal-fluid is ninety-nine percent water? And I guess that’s the part you share with us puny humans because—”
The monster started shaking, seizing up— Percy rushed forward and with one tap to the center of its back, a deafening crack sounded.
“CSF protects the spine and the brain and without it, your body is really really vulnerable. Now how about we give my friend back, mhm?”
That grin was so very sharp .
Jason Grace cut off the arm of the monster still holding his legs and pried those bony, slimy webs off his skin.
The monster shrieked but did not have time to react before his head was being sliced off, mouth framed in a silent cry.
“Hello Jackson, what took you so long?”
“You lucky I even came to find you. The only thing that tipped me off was your lack of incessant prying questions,”
Jason smirked, “Thanks for the air bubble, drowning sucks.”
“Tell me about it,” Percy rolled his eyes.
“You’ve drowned? How is that even possible?”
“Long story but there was a lot of mud and way too many nightmares afterwards.” He shuddered
Jason nodded and then turned to their last little friend, only to find he had called for some back up.
“Honestly do they ever get tired of going to tartarus?”
“Maybe Son of Poseidon,” a particularly nasty variation of whatever monster this was, piped up, “Maybe it will be you going this time?”
“Been there done that, got the trauma, try again.”
They simply hissed at the two demigods and surrounded them, cackling and gurgling menacingly.
“You ready?” Jason smiled wide.
Percy’s smirk made three monsters scream and flee, “I just wanted a godsdamn peaceful vacation, so let’s make this quick.”
With a dangerous, throaty laugh the two boys became weapons of destruction.
Jason took the left flank, following in his partners lead, but instead of using CSF he charged the ions in the monsters’ blood. Flooded them with so much electricity, they just collapsed. One by one the creatures were electrocuted from the inside out.
Their eyes glowed, red and green, blindingly bright. It was like their brains were exploding. Jason watched in glee as these disgusting creatures convulsed around him.
Percy was just as intoxicated. Laughing as he broke spines, and made contortionists out of bodies.
For so long these two heroes had fought fair, but it had only gotten friends killed and hurt, it had made their wars so much longer, so much bloodier. Well no more. This was easy and painless for them, and so very very fun.
Back to back they called on lightning and water.
Percy figured out how to drown them from the inside out, Jason figured out how to make their brains short circuit. Together they learnt just how lethal lightning and water could be.
Just how beautiful crackling blue and ocean blue can look.
Together they learned to be terrifying.
When there was only swirling sand and some variation of bone around them, they finally turned to each other.
“Well that was a morning workout if I do say so,” Percy breathed hard.
Jason laughed, “Come on let’s go wash off the stench,”
“We’re in the ocean, how much more water do you need?” Percy motioned.
“It’s not so much the water as the soap Jackson,”
And as they lazily swam up, Percy using the currents to do all the hard work, the glow in their eyes slowly faded and the look of human seeped back in.
“I should really get this leg checked out,” Jason frowned.
“Can’t you just use your lighting and zap it better?” That green-eyed boy smirked
“Haha, not all of us can use whatever domain we control to heal.”
“That sucks,” He nodded sympathetically even though the sparkle in his eye told a different story “Come on we can go back to mine I have ambrosia and I think my mom just made some chocolate-chip cookies”
“You owe me for taking so long,”
“You lucky I saved your ass Grace,”
“Not as lucky as you are for having this ass to save.”
“Can’t argue with that logic,”
They grinned at each other, and the world trembled. They didn’t notice. Lost in whatever they were, whatever they could become.
Jason and Percy: Beautiful, Terrifying Gods