Chapter Text
"Again”
By this time, Jason yearned for air. Lupa granted him no mercy, pushing Jason till he defeated the wolf in front of him. No matter how many times he tried, it won’t back down.
Jason’s muscles burned, arms screaming in protest with each blow he hit. Sweat clung to his brows, dripping down and blurring his line of sight. He tightened his grip on his dagger, looking for an opening to attack. Jason studied the wolf in front of him. This wolf was particularly strong, it was taller than Jason and stronger, he noted the way its ears were pinned back to its head. The way it was crouched, ready to attack Jason any moment.
The wolf snarls, drawing back slightly before launching itself at Jason, surprising him. He only got the time to duck as the wolf went flying over him. But one paw catches onto his back tearing through his clothes, missing his skin by inches. The wolf lands behind him with a thud as he swirled around to face it, his stance ready the way he did in many previous battles, dagger clenched hard in his hand. He could feel his heart slapping harshly against his ribcage. By now he was covered in cuts and scratches, he had been fighting for a long time and it was tiring him.
Jason knew better than to give up, but he had to do something soon. Very soon.
The trick was to do what the opponent expects from you, to make it think it won, and then you take advantage of that and surprise it in the least expected. Those words echoed in Jason’s mind. The wolf knew Jason was getting tired, it knew Jason won’t be able to hold for long. Speaking the truth, he was terrified. But that was okay. Being scared means you are going to do something really, really brave.
With a deep breath, Jason lunged for the wolf. It expected this and simply sidestepped, but what it did not expect was for Jason to throw his weapon away, grasp its fur and bite it on its neck. The wolf let out a pained howl, but that didn’t stop Jason from pressing his teeth harder down on its skin. Not even the metallic taste of blood invading Jason’s mouth. No matter how much the wolf squirmed, Jason didn’t let go and slowly the wolf’s movement subsided, its body going limp. Relief floods him.
Jason moved his head away from the mess, his hands shaking. He pushes himself up, trying to not think about what he just did as he spits the blood out, ignoring the icy ripple of guilt it bought forth. Jason’s whole body is trembling like a leaf on a stormy day, the animals whimper an echo in his ears. Now that the threat is no longer there, he feels absolutely and thoroughly worn out. Like someone has slumped a hundred pounds of stacks on his shoulders. Every part of him aches, and there is a horrible taste in his mouth, his eyelids are like magnets, trying to attract each other, threatening to pull him into a deep slumber. Nevertheless, he forces them open. A wave of dread takes over him. Dread because he killed a wolf with his teeth. There was absolutely no way he could overlook this easily.
Lupa surveyed the mess beside Jason for several seconds before turning her eyes on him. Jason waited for her to say something with his head bowed, breathing heavily as he tried to satisfy the lust for oxygen his lungs screamed for. Hearing nothing but his own breathing, he glances up at Lupa. He sees her move but her outline is blurry. The world around him turns to a brighter shade, too painful for his eyes, his head feels too heavy for it to stay upright. Before he could make another move, exhaustion takes over him and he plunges into darkness.
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It was fairly dark and not much was visible as he took in every single detail of where he was. Buildings were towering high above him, with shops closing for the day, the shopkeepers going home in a hurry. The air was chilly with the moon hidden, as a storm raged around him. Clouds clashed with thunder flashing every few minutes that trembled the very earth. The winds howled violently, whipping around him and threatening to tear apart everything in its wrath. In the middle of the wreckage stood Jason, watching the storm rage on as people around him ran for cover from the blanket of rain that began to pour down violently, with thunder racing across the sky in arcs, illuminating the dark world. Storms didn’t scare Jason Grace. He welcomed them instead of hiding away from it. Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, letting the storm comfort him, he opens them again just in time to see a blur of black shot pass him and disappear around the corner leaving a smokey wisp of trail. Even with the rain and everything dark around him, the trail was fairly visible. Without a thought, Jason follows the trail.
Walking down the trail, Jason felt anxious. Tense. Why he decided to follow the trail, he did not know, it was… a feeling, not explainable, he just did it without giving it a thought, like he had no control of his actions.
He came to a stop in front of a narrow entrance leading down into an underground basement. Distant sounds of clashes were coming from the basement. For a few minutes, Jason stood there, contemplating whether to go in or not, the snarls and screams coming from down there made him want to flee, but at the same time, he was curious. In the end, curiosity won and he tentatively made his way down the narrow staircase. His heart thumped faster and faster with each step he took, the sounds of screams becoming louder as he neared the end. Just as he reached the last step, Jason was not at all ready for the sight that lay before him.
People laying dead around him, some with broken heads, some with swords through them. Everywhere, people being slaughtered, a thin stream of blood flowed by Jason’s feet. Blood-curdling screams filled the basement as those who were alive tried to escape the torture going on. He caught sight of a man still breathing with half the body burned, his lips moving in silent hysteric prayer, but the man’s pleas landed on deaf ears. The man tried to crawl away on the blood-soaked ground, clawing at it in desperation, but before he could get anywhere, a war ax slammed open his skull with a crunch, spilling blood everywhere. Jason stared at the once alive man, blue eyes wide with shock, his body still. He felt sick and coming here was a terrible, terrible idea. His brain couldn’t contemplate what he was seeing, blood covers everything, sick puddles glistening, reflecting the fire torches lit by the walls. It’s a slaughterhouse. Jason shuts his eyes as he starts trembling with fear and horror, the snarls and screams continue filling his ears. But he wasn’t able to keep his gaze away for too long, he opens his eyes again.
Jason notices there was one direction all of them were looking at, pleadingly as they’re having their arms, legs, and heads ripped off. He forces himself to follow their gaze to see one being standing above them all, a satisfactory look on her face as she surveys the slaughter happening beneath her.
Her skin so pale that it’s almost blue. Wearing a long midnight dress, adorned with what looked like the constellations in the sky, with a black crown decorating her dark blue almost black hair. With her pale skin, her pitch-black dress, which seems to be made from shadows rather than fabric, and the chilling aura surrounding her, she looks like a beautiful nightmare. He wants to keep looking at her, never tear his gaze away but at the same time, looking at her is enough to cover him in a cold sweat.
Across the room, the being lifts her eyes and looks straight at Jason. The air howls by his ears as his blue eyes meet her black ones, and everything around them disappears, he can only see her. Luminescent eyes stare back at him, locking their eyes together. He can hear his heart thumping faster and faster. At this point, it’s ready to come out of his chest. There is something…dangerous in her eyes, something that could make him go completely mad if he stared for too long, and he knows it’s not good for him, he should tear his gaze away but he's powerless. The deity’s lips lift upward, and she gives him a smile so devastating, it could make even the most powerful drop to their knees.
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