Chapter Text
He had felt everything.
Sometimes they say that because of the adrenalin you couldn't feel a thing, well those people were never shot at least six arrows in their body.
He had felt everything.
"Get out of here! Go! Go!" He rememberd yelling.
He had held his gaze in Piper and Lester too long. He was distracted.
The stab had hurt.
More than the arrows.
He had been stabbed before, but this time, it hurt more than anything.
This time hadn't been on his gut, no, this time he was stabbed in the chest.
He had heard Caligula's laugh.
He fell, right into the water, he remeberd the sting in his wounds thanks to the salt.
He remeberd the smell.
He remeberd the sky.
Just for a tiny moment he hoped that his father would come and save him, just save him, heal him, not turning him into a tree or something like that. He just wanted some kind of comfort.
There was no light, no tunel, just darkness, for a moment he thought he heard a crying, a womans face that he could reconize, a tiny part of him thought it could be his mother, seeing him from the afterlife.
But no, this wasn't Beryl Grace.
It was Juno.
Juno, his steph mother.
"My champion." She sobbed. "My boy."
What? What was she talking about? If she cared so much about him then why wouldn't she help him in this?
Why did she left him die?
And then, he saw it, a long line filled with people and a man in a suit sitting in a desk.
"No." He wispered.
The man looked at him.
Charont.
"Huh, another one of your kind." He said. "Well, just because you are you you can cut the line I guess."
Jason took a step back.
"You don't want to? It will take you ages to get inside."
Jason had never broken the rules, he was a soldier. A roman demigod, discipline was on his blood, but where did that get him?
He ran, he didn't knew where but he wanted to get out of there.
He realized he still had the arrows in his arms and legs, a hole in his chest. Well, what a fucking way to die.
The earth beneath his feet shook, he fell in the black sand when a white light cocered him. He suddenly wasn't in the underworld anymore, this place appeared to be like some kind of cave, a fire in the middle and three ladies standing right in front of him.
"Jason Grace." Said one of them. "Why are you trying to run from your fate?"
This were the Parcae, the fates, and the one who appeared to be ready to beat the shit out of him must've Morta.
"I...I want to live." He find himself replying.
"But you have no life no more." Said Decima.
"Why? Why did you do this to me?"
"I thread your life just the necessary. If would've listed to the prophecy given to you, young heroe, you wouldn't be here." Said Nona.
"And let my friends die?"
Decima walked towards him.
"Why the worry, demigod? You godlings always have the choice to rebirth."
Jason clenched his fists, he should just shut his mouth and accept this, he should just go to elyseum and have a nice eternity. But he was tired of always being nice, of being what everyone expected from him. And besides, he was already dead, so what else could they take away from him?
"You are the ones who weave and cut the threads, my life, my destiny was always in your hands, if I choose rebirth, I would have the same fate, over and over again."
Nona got up from her distaff, something like a smile forming on her face, she approached Morta and wispered something on her ear.
He didn't like that, why the gods had always had to plott and scheme?
"Well, young heroe, we can offer you something else. A different path for you to take."
A sob was heard in the cave, faint and soft, but he could hear it.
It was Juno's cry.
"You seem to gain the queen's afection." Said Decima.
"You cannot come back to your old life. You cannot revive." Said Morta. "Not in this world."
"Then that's it? This is really it?"
It couldn't be, he refused to believe that, there had to be another way, there always were.
"Like we say, demigod. You cannot live in this world." Said Nona. "But perhaps another one would welcome you."
"Another world? What does that mean?"
"We can send you to another land, a world without monsters or gods."
What? How could that exist? He knew there were another gods besides the greek and roman ones, depended on the place you were, but he had never heard about a place without the gods. Not even Alaska was totally free of the gods.
"What are you talking about?"
"There are another worlds, hundreds, even millions, not all of them are in the gods domain."
"And where is the catch?"
He knew nothing of this would be as easy as they were putting it. There was always something else with the gods, nothing was free, he knew he would have to pay something.
Nona laughed.
"You are smart, Jason Grace."
"You will never see any of your friends or anyone who you knew in this life again. When you die there will be no afterlife to you, no elyseum. Nothing." Said Morta.
Jason was taken back, yes, he was dead, but there still was a tiny chance to see his friends again, maybe he could stay in the underworld and wait for Nico to go see him.
But again, it would be all the same.
He was already dead, the chances to see his friends again were slim until they all died and that if they didn't chose rebirth.
Maybe this was a good thing, maybe he was finally getting something for everything he had done.
He thought about Percy, he had said fuck off to the gods and went to live his life as he wanted. He could do that. Being free. Yeah, maybe when he die on this other world there would be nothing for him after but before, he could live, he could find himself, find a purpose and just live for himself.
If this was his oportunity to live at his fullest then he would take it.
"I'll do it. I'll go."
Nona smiled, looking at her sisters like she had won something.
"Then so it be." Said Morta.
Decima approached him, putting a finger in his forehead.
"Good luck, Jason Grace." She said.
It had been very confusing, he remeberd some parts, it was like a dream, at some point he even remeberd talking to Apollo but that could've been his imagination.
The next thing he knew he was seeing the sky, blue sky, white clouds and the bright sun, he felt weird, there was too much air.
He was falling.
Oh, that could explain the air.
He looked down, the only thing he could see was threes and a lake.
He commanded the winds, it was harder, it made him spin and twirl around, trying to head over the water so he wouldn't die from the fall.
Once he hit the river he felt a sting, people thought that if you fell in water you couldn't feel a thing, well it was another thing that people were fucking wrong about.
He resurface, taking breaths and trying to stabilize himself, this had been the Parcae, one last laught at his face. He swam at the shore and colapsed into the rocks, there was no sand, just stones and dirt. For a second he wished he was Percy and dry himself in a thought.
It was unconfortable, but then he looked around, he listened to the birds, the way the leafs clashed into the threes, the sun in his skin and the smell of wet dirt. He smiled, a laugh escaping his lips.
He had done it, he was free.
He raised his arms, no arrows, just scars. A hand in his chest, there it was a beat. His heart was beating, he had made it, he got another chance to make his life.
He got up, he was in the middle of the woods and had to figure out a way to get to civilization if there's one. Jason didn't even knew if this new world was inhabited, a world without gods didn't have to meant a world without humans.
After what it looked like hours he knew he was lost, he had been raised by Lupa, the forest wasn't something unconfortable for him, but he wanted to get to know this earth.
Controlling the wind had been complicated, he didn't knew if his powers would work here, he could felt the magic, it felt different, more raw, pure. Once he was in the air he looked around, looking for some kind of human sign, he saw a small village and fly there getting in the ground a couple of miles before anyone could saw him.
There was a lot of people, living a perfect normal life. Their clothes appeared to be like his, so this world must be a lot like where he was from, there was cellphones, he realized that in this place he could finally enjoy tecnology without being afraid of monsters tracking him.
Suddenly he felt something hit his legs, looking down he saw a small child on the ground, a girl with ashy blonde hair and brown eyes.
"Mi dispiace molto, signore, non ho visto dove stavo andando." She said.
Jason froze when listened to the language, he had begged Nico to teach him italian for some time, only managed to learn a couple sentences.
"Oh, eh, non preoccuparti, stai bene?" He said while helping the girl to stand up.
"Sì signore, grazie mille."
He smiled at her, he notice the toy the girl had had broke in the fall, the girl gasped in a sad tone. He picked up and put the pieces together to then give it back to her.
The girl laughed and jump.
"Grazie mille, signore!"
She ran again.
So, he was in Italy, a strange place to land, he still had to figure out in wich part. He walked towards what it looked like a coffee shop, there was chairs and tables outside, a few people sittin in them, none inside. He went in and took a chair next to the window, for a second he could see his reflection on it, the same blue eyes, the same scar above his lip, his nose was a little croocked but it was still his same face. He really made it, a new beginning.
"Ciao tesoro, come posso aiutarti oggi?"
A old lady was in front of him, she looked in her mid fifty's, her hair was grey and was wearing a yellow dress, her smile was kind and warm and her brown eyes were bright thanks to the light.
Jason was taken back, yes, he knew a few phrase thanks to Nico but he hadn't understand any word that she had said to him.
"Amm, Buongiorno, sono proprio qui...ehmm"
She nodded the smile still on her face, catching his struggle she yelled.
"Leo! Abbiamo un americano qui, muovi il culo e vieni ad aiutarmi!"
She touched his arm.
"Don't worry boy, my husband knows more english than I do, he will take care of you." She said with a marked accent.
"Grazie." He said.
A man went down from a stairs behind the counter. He approached them, his skin was darker than the lady, appeared to be a lot time in the sun, he also looked at the same age as she.
"Welcome, american boy, what can we get you in today?" His accent was less strong than the lady's, he looked as kind as her.
"Hi, well I actually don't know. I..." he fidget with his shirt. "Can I ask a weird question?"
The man nodded.
"We can make you anything you want boy."
"It's not about that I'm... could you tell me where am I? I mean, I know that I'm in Italy but exactly where am I?"
The man laugh.
"Well, young man, you are in Capitignano."
"Emm, is it close to Rome?"
"Not so much. Where you in Rome with your friends? Don't worry, a lot of young ones go to Rome to party and end up getting lost. It must've been a hell of a party if you wind up here." He laughed.
Jason made a face.
"Yeah, a hell of a party."
"I'll tell you what, I will get you a coffee and something to eat, you seem like you need it."
Jason tried to say that he didn't had any money but the man was gone.
He looked around, all those people seemed to have normal and wonderfull lives, they never had to train and lead armys.
Yeah, maybe he could do it, no, he had to, that's why he was there.
"There you go boy." Said the lady. "Enjoy, my name is Aurora. If you need anything you can tell me, but Leo will understand you more." She said with a smile.
"Grazie." He said.
It was a plate of eggs, bacon and toast, besides it there was a cup of coffee. Once he started eating he realized that he was starving, he hadn't eaten since...well since he died.
Leo, that was the man's name, he couldn't help but think about his friend, he knew he was alive, Lester had told him, he really hoped his friend could get the life he deserved, without all that godly bullshit.
The door opened, a woman and a little girl came in, the same girl that bumped into him earlier. When she saw him she recognize him and she tugged the womans dress.
"Mamma, guarda! È il ragazzo che mi ha aiutato prima."
The woman smiled, she appeared to be like thirty, the girl took her hand and dragged her towards him.
"Ciao, mia figlia mi ha raccontato cos'è successo qualche tempo fa, grazie per non averla disturbata e per averla aiutata." She said.
Jason swallow his food.
"Uhm, I'm sorry I didn't got all that you said..."
The woman made a face and laugh.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I should've know, you don't look like you around here. I was just saying that thank you for how you treated my daughter earlier." She said.
"Oh, it was nothing, she seems to be a good girl."
The girl stood behind her mother, a shy expretion on her face.
"Forza Sofia, ringrazia il giovane." She said.
"Oh she doesn't have to. She already did when we met, isn't Sofia?"
She nodded.
"Well, at least I know that english clasess are worth it." Said the woman.
Jason smiled.
"My name is Chiara. This is my parents shop, if you need anything feel free to ask."
"Thank you, I'm Jason."
"Ah, Amore mio, sei arrivato!" Said Aurora and went to hug Chiara.
"Sento forse il frinire di una graziosa farfalla?" Said Leo.
"Nonno!" Said Sofia, running into her granpa's arms.
Jason looked at the scene, a happy family, once when he was travelling with the seven he imagine what his life could be, a wife and kids, at that time he imagine that life with Piper, but well, things never went as planned, not for him.
He didn't knew he was staring until Leo came up to him.
"Do you need anything else my boy?"
He felt his ears go red.
"Eh, no, thank you so much."
"Well, we have a phone back there if you need to call your friends, I'm sure they must be looking for you."
"Oh that wont be necessary, but thank you so much. Ehm, about the bill..."
"Oh don't worry about that." Interrupted Chiara. "It's on us after what you did for my Sofi."
"Ha riparato il mio giocattolo, nonna, guarda!" Said the girl, showing the toy to Aurora.
"Davvero? Oh, che bravo ragazzo." Said the woman "You sure you don't want something else my boy?"
Jason felt embarassed, like he was stepping into something private. Something that in his world could never have.
He shook his head.
"No, thank you very much."
On another occasion he would have rejected the woman's gesture, offered to wash dishes or do something else to pay the family, but now he had no money or anything so he stood up.
"I'm very greatfull for your hospitality, but I have to go look for my friends. Thank you much for everything."
"Well, you are welcome any time you want boy." Said Leo. "Good luck finding your friends."
Jason nodded and got out of the store. He walked around the town for some time, watching and enjoying anything he could see.
Once it started to go dark he found himself returning to the woods, it wasn't strange to him to sleep there, it was almost like being home, being with Lupa.
He didn't knew what time it was when the sound of lightning woke him up. There was no rain, just thunder, he walked, venturing deeper into the trees until he found a clearing, where lightning was, it struck the exact same spot every time. Until it didn't.
When he arrived to camp halfblood he had casted one with his powers, usually, it was a trick that cost him a lot of his energy, but this time, getting hit by it didn't hurt, it had been like some kind of charging, he felt full of power, more than he ever felt. He could feel it in his veins, something just had happened to him, like he had absorbed it, made it its own. There was something pure in it, old. Like it had been wating for him.
Another one fell on him.
It made him feel like he could do anything.
When the fourth one struck him he fainted.
Diana Prince was sleeping, she was stayin in Paris before returning of her trip to Themiscyra, it was raining outside, no thunder. Just rain.
Until she felt it.
Something in the atmosphere felt wrong. It was like something just had woken up.
Something was coming, or perhaps was already there, something was going to happen, and for the first time in some time, she felt afraid of it.