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when they told me blood smelt like
iron
i grabbed my mother’s favourite pan
and sniffed till I got dizzy off the smell
when they told me crying tasted like
salt
i gulped down a glass of ocean water
and watched as tears fell
when they told me silk felt like
polished glass
i dove into the ocean
and scraped shards against shell
i wonder what gold looks like?
maybe it’s time to tell
“Dude take my left I’m going for the thing behind us” Percy Jackson yelled, pounding towards the hydra.
“I got you” Jason Grace said, pulling up next to his friend.
“Gods these things get uglier every time I deal with them” Percy grimaced
“Ugh agreed and those damn empousai are worse than Drew with all the stupid cackling” Jason huffed
“Yea I fought those a while back, they really are the evil cheerleaders of the underworld” His friend grinned sordidly
“I feel like there’s a story there but we don’t have time right now so add it to the list of stuff you have to tell me when this shit show is over”
Percy laughed before swinging his sword down on one of the slithering snapping heads of the hydra.
“Jay, light it up!”
The blue-eyed boy grinned and pulled lightning from clear skies directly onto the stump of monster neck.
“Damn that never gets old” Percy smirked and then he was back to swinging.
Together the two made a barbecue meal of the hydra and when it crumbled to dust, screeching towards darkness, they laughed.
“Now to get rid of our cheersqaud,” Green eyes rolled in annoyance.
“Honestly Percy Jackson how do we end up meeting in such delicious circumstances?”
“Hi Kelli glad to see you look as whole as ever, figured you’d be in the trash since Bob swept you up?”
Jason snickered at the sweetness dripping from his friend’s voice.
“An acquaintance Perce?”
“Just some housekeeping jobs gone wrong.”
Kelli hissed and with two lethal movements stood in front of the two demigods.
“Your blood is going to be as salty as the ocean Percy Jackson and I cannot wait to drink it.’
"Well that’s just dramatic” And with that he swung Riptide around.
It clanged resoundingly against Kelli’s bronze leg.
Jason was about to stab from behind when another evil cheerleader popped up next to him. He scrambled back raising his sword. The empousa cackled and shuffled towards him, hair flickering with flames.
He attempted to create a storm, snapping her with lightning.
“Your little tricks do not work on me son of Jupiter.” She crowed, pulling her mouth into a fanged grin.
“Guess we’ll have to do this the hard way then” He shrugged, striking his sword against the ground.
He snuck a glance at Percy to make sure everything was okay. Rookie mistake. The empousa used that moment to charge.
“Jason!” Percy yelled
He whirled back around to see the evil cheerleader flying towards him. Jason twisted his sword and flung it towards the shrieking monster. With a vile squelch it found its mark and before she could touch the ground she was ash.
He sighed in relief and turned to thank his friend. Percy was lying on the floor, a hand clutching his abdomen.
Bile climbed up Jason’s throat as he rushed forward.
“Percy oh my gods what happened? Fuck shit Percy!” He screamed
“Kelli,” Percy gasped, eyes rolling back, “Kelli managed to gut me before I killed her.”
Jason sobbed as he felt warm red blood soaking through Percy’s shirt.
“What must I do? Tell me how to help you?”
“Ambrosia,” The demigod rasped, trying to reach his jeans’ pockets.
“Right right okay, just stay with me, you aren’t allowed to close your eyes you have to stay with me” Jason was hyperventilating
He shoveled some ambrosia into his friend’s mouth and watched the green-eyed boy nibble it, groaning as he tried to swallow.
“Thanks buddy, you’re a really good—” Percy succumbed to the darkness.
“No no fuck no! Wake up gods fucking dammit open your eyes Jackson!” He yelled
The son of Poseidon did not stir again.
Jason heaved, blueberry pancakes and water.
Minutes later the tears ran dry, and the shaking ceased.
“This is not fucking over.” He swore.
And with that he picked up his friend and started walking. If anyone saw him they stayed far away. Those blue eyes crackled with murder.
Someone was going to pay f
Jason walked and walked and walked, until he stood at the entrance to Olympus. Then and only then did he dare look down. Black hair was plastered to a pale forheadhead and blood had soaked right through the Bon Jovi picture. He tightened his grip under his friend’s knees and squeezed the hand holding Percy’s shoulder.
The Son of Jupiter prowled onto the marble bridge of Olympus and the entire structure shuddered. Each step struck sparks of electricity. Dryads and nymphs scuttled back to their homes, not daring to make a sound. The infinite music halted in a single note. The chatter of thriving life died. The only sound was the heavy, deadly footfall of a demigod.
Jason Grace stepped into the throne room and Gods became men.
“Fix this.” Two words.
Nothing had ever sounded so paralyzing.
Nobody moved. No-one dared to loose a breath.
“This is your fault. We were down there because you couldn’t keep the monsters out of the fields. FIX THIS!” The blonde haired boy bellowed.
“Son we are sorry but we—”
“I don’t fucking care what you can and can’t do. Fix him.” How does a whisper sound louder than drums.
“We cannot change death Jason Grace.” Ares frowned.
“Then you should have prevented it,” Still so soft.
“I cannot say I’m unhappy to see him gone,” Athena mused, unaware of the volatile half blood in her midst.
Jason’s laugh entwined itself around his throat,
“And I thought you were the smart one”
The Goddess of Wisdom did not have time to open her mouth before a sword hilt stuck out of her rib-cage.
Her eyes widened a fraction before she slumped over.
The demigod retrieved his sword, inspecting the gold liquid that clung to it.
“Who’s next?”
“You think you can beat all of us Son of Jupiter?” Artemis looked at him with interest
“I don’t care if I can, I’ll die trying if you don’t fix him.”
Only malice glittered in his eyes. Nothing of the good boy who followed rules and obeyed the divine.
Nobody bothered to move.
Jason smiled and the skies opened up. Lightning rained down like shards of glass, cutting and searing flesh.
Thunder echoed against the stone walls, loud enough to burst eardrums. Blood dripped down the side of agonized immortal faces. Storms, the demigod thought, had never looked so rich.
“JASON!” Zeus roared.
“What?” His son hissed.
“Stop this right now! Dionysus take Percy Jackson to Poseidon, he is not dead. The sea should heal him. And as for you boy you will not defy us like this ever again. I will strip you of everything you are.” Zeus slashed.
“If you don’t want me to act like this maybe you should stop getting us into life and death situations.”
“Get out and do not come back unless you are invited.” His father seethed.
“I always did want to know what gold looked like.” Jason Grace grinned.
And all around him drops of sunlight coated the stone floor, dripping from those ancient bodies and glittering in the evening beams.
when they told me blood smelt like
iron
i grabbed my mother’s favourite pan
and sniffed till I got dizzy off the smell
when they told me crying tasted like
salt
i gulped down a glass of ocean water
and watched as tears fell
when they told me silk felt like
polished glass
i dove into the ocean
and scraped shards against shell
i’ll tell you what gold looks like
go ask the gods
they’re bottled sunshine
and I am hell