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“I trust you understand the importance of this task, Jason,” Jupiter said, his voice deep and rumbling as thunder as he sat upon his throne and stared down at his son before him.
Jason bowed deeply, gaze lowered with respect, just as he’d been taught. “Yes, father.”
Jupiter made a low hum of approval and nodded. “Very good. Dismissed.”
Jason bowed again, then left without another word, knowing his father wouldn’t have listened, even if he spoke.
As he turned down the corridor, he realized that his hands were shaking. Which was, of course, ridiculous. Trembling was a sign of shock or fear. Which was, again, ridiculous. His father hadn’t told him anything new. He’d been bracing for this day since he was old enough to know what the warning meant. He was a prince. He knew his place, knew his role. He’d been born for this very thing. He couldn’t balk now.
He froze in the middle of the hall. The torches had blurred dramatically until the lights looked like blots of over-watered ink. He tried to blink to bring the world back into focus, but nothing seemed to help. His chest got tight, breath catching in the back of his throat and–
Oh.
He was crying.
Quickly, before anyone could see, Jason ducked into a side hall, keeping his head down and walking with as much purpose as he could. A few people crossed his path, but they offered nothing but a polite dip and a quiet “Your Highness” before letting him pass. No one even considered questioning why the prince would be fleeing through his own halls after a meeting with the king. Why would they?
After what felt like an eternity, Jason made it out to the gardens. It wasn’t the primary courtyard where the Queen would host visitors, it was the common herb garden. The sweet scent of basil and lavender mixed in the warm summer air, softening the rosemary and oregano growing two pots down. Only the staff ever really came up here, and with the kitchens closed for the night, it was bound to be just Jason. He breathed deeply, trying to distinguish each and every plant and remember their uses, but his mind was too clouded to focus properly.
He turned his gaze towards the sky as he let a single tear roll down his cheek. He looked up at the stars above, so far away and glittering coldly over the surface of the sea below, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the gods above even knew the meaning of the word mercy.
“Amazing view, no?”
Jason stiffened, then whipped his head around at the sudden voice. Somehow, Leo Valdez – slender, soot-stained, silent Leo Valdez – had managed to sneak up on him. Despite the fact that he’d been living on the estate for years at that point, Jason still wasn’t quite sure what Leo’s purpose was. Queen Juno was oddly fond of him and beckoned him over to entertain dinner guests with his wit, and he was skilled in the forge (though he never touched a weapon himself), but he held no title, was assigned no task, and bore no responsibility. According to the estate papers and certainly to King Jupiter, Leo Valdez was worthless.
And yet, he was everything to Jason.
“Might his Highness spare a kiss for a lowly beggar?” Leo asked, eyes half-lidded and playful as he cocked his head to the side. “On a night this pretty, it seems unspeakably cruel to refuse a man a small kindness.”
“Well, if the alternative is cruelty, I suppose I have no choice,” Jason murmured, stepping closer.
“I mean as little disrespect as I can manage, but you are entirely wrong,” Leo said, looping his arms around Jason’s neck. “You’ll always have a choice where I am concerned.”
“And that’s exactly why I’ll choose you every time.”
Jason dipped down and pressed his lips to Leo’s, reveling in the feeling of Leo lifting to his toes to get that little bit closer. Jason would have happily stayed in that exact spot until the dawn of the new age, but eventually Leo pulled back, though he brought a hand up to cup Jason’s cheek, brushing his thumb over the single dried tear track. “Your love tastes like salt tonight,” he said softly, not quite an accusation, but certainly not a question. “Tell me why?”
“It‘s nothing that concerns us tonight,” Jason informed him, gripping Leo’s wrist and kissing his palm. It suddenly struck him that he might not get another chance like this, so he kissed him again and again and again, up and down each long, crooked finger until his lips were blackened with his fervor. He pressed his face into Leo’s hand and took deep, shaky breaths, in and out, as he tried to memorize every second of their moment together.
“You can’t ask me to not be concerned, then kiss me like you’re waiting for someone to take me away.” Leo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Wait. No. You’re waiting for someone to take you away, aren’t you?”
The words hung heavy in the salty air, Jason unwilling, or perhaps unable, to lie.
Leo nodded slowly, like he was trying to pretend that this was something he’d prepared himself for, though Jason knew the truth. “You’re being called to battle then?”
“In a sense.” Jason sucked his teeth, trying to decide what he would and could not say. “The battle will be coming to our gates. The Titan Army is sending a champion, Krios. The war will not be decided by a fight between two men, but a battle will. We’ve been at a bloody stalemate in the battle for Hannibal Pass for nearly three months. This challenge will decide that outcome before any more men must forfeit their lives.”
“A strategic choice,” Leo said, his tone more than dry enough to express his true feelings on the matter. “I’m guessing you’re to be Olympus’s champion?”
Jason swallowed thickly. He’d worn the title of champion since he was old enough to walk. He’d resented it nearly as long. “I am.”
Leo scowled and looked out over the sea, picking at the brick wall before them. “Do you think you’ll win?”
“I… am capable of defeating Krios.”
Leo’s gaze cut to him, sharp as a razor’s edge. “That wasn’t the question I asked.”
“In a standard one on one fight, I think I’d beat him.”
Leo sucked his teeth and returned his eyes to their resting place. “You don’t lie well.”
“One of the reasons I avoid lying to you.”
Leo’s lips twitched, but he didn’t soften. “You also don’t keep secrets well.”
“You’d be surprised,” Jason shot back, his voice thick with bitter amusement. “I’ve held this secret for longer than I’ve known you.”
That got Leo’s full attention, and he turned to face Jason properly, a frown pulling at his mouth. “You? A secret? Since when?”
“Since I was about six,” Jason said simply. “My father took me aside and told me what I was born to do. How I am destined to serve the kingdom.”
“And what, exactly, were you born to do?”
Jason knew the answer. It was a simple, three-letter word. Yet, standing here before the man he loved, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He settled instead for the softer truth. “I’m not the heir to Olympus.”
“That’s not exactly news, considering you are the youngest son,” Leo said slowly. “I’m not sure why you’re saying it like it’s a death sentence now. Usually it’s a fact you rely on.”
“Even if I weren’t the youngest, I’d never be King. I’m not Juno’s son.” Leo just gaped at him for a moment, and Jason felt himself smile a bit. “In all the years I’ve known you, I think this might be the first time I’ve ever seen you speechless.”
Leo immediately went red and blustered a bit. “I– Well– You–” He threw up his hands in mock exasperation. “Fine, I concede your point. You can keep a secret. It appears that there’s nothing the great Jason Grace can’t do.”
“Still can’t lie.”
Leo’s laugh was bright and pretty and startled like someone dropping windchimes. “Every man has his flaw. That is a nauseatingly noble one to have, though. It suits you.”
“Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.” Jason just hummed, so Leo tucked himself into his side. “Now that you’ve shared your big secret, do you think you could share the smaller one for tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow’s secret is even bigger than the identity of my mother,” Jason corrected. “It’s a secret connected to my status, though, and one only my father knows.”
“So, to avoid lying or telling your secret, you intend to give me a riddle?” Jason nodded and Leo huffed. “Very well. I’ll have you know that I am a master of riddles, though, so your secret won’t be safe for long.”
“I’m counting on it.”
Leo cut him a quick, silent glance, but began solving regardless, flapping his hands through the air in theatrical animation. “So, a challenger is coming to the gates. He will face our kingdom’s beloved prince in solo combat. Only, our beloved prince is a bastard, and not an heir to the throne. And for some reason, our beloved prince has hidden deep within the gardens to cry, so he–” Leo suddenly went still and pale as death itself. “Jason?”
“Yes?”
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Leo whispered. “Please. I’ve never wanted to be wrong before in my life, but if the gods have any mercy they will make a fool of me now.”
Jason didn’t tell him he was wrong. He already knew he was a bad liar.
“Olympus has been at war with the Titan Army since before I was born,” Jason said slowly. “It’s a decades-old war, one that has decimated our kingdom. We are no closer to winning than we were twenty years ago.”
“Jason. Please.”
“Resources aren’t the first thing to go when a war lasts this long,” Jason recited, almost word for word, the decree his father had handed down to him at six. “The people’s faith in the crown goes sour first. The people are the ones who suffer most, they’re the ones who clamor for surrender before the thought even touches the crown.”
“Stop talking.”
He didn’t stop talking. He couldn’t now. “The people of Olympus are nearing the end of their rope. They may one day revolt, which is something that can never be allowed. They must maintain their own faith in this war. Historically, one of the most grounded ways to ensure the fervor of the people is through a–”
“Don’t say it.”
“Martyr.”
Leo made a choked, wounded noise and nearly collapsed against the sea wall. Jason thought he should probably feel something similar, but he couldn’t. He’d spent a decade and a half carrying that truth on his shoulders. He wasn’t sure if he knew how to breathe without it compressing his lungs.
“So, that’s his plan,” Leo said, his voice hollow with disgust and horror. “He raised you to be the perfect prince. Olympus’s golden boy whom everyone adores. And now that it suits him, he’s going to have someone else kill you because he’s too much of a coward to slaughter his own lamb.”
“A slaughtered lamb has its use,” Jason said, voice flat and empty of feeling. “It appeases the gods and feeds the people. You shouldn’t weep over a slaughtered lamb.”
Leo looked like he was about to be sick. “That would be the lesson he taught you.”
“It’s the only lesson to be learned.”
“What about the lamb who lives?” Leo challenged. “What about the lamb who grows old, cared for and loved until its dying days?”
“What good is a lamb like that?”
“That lamb makes wool.” Leo’s eyes were blazing with fury as they pinned Jason in place. “Every year, it sacrifices its coat to keep the people it loves warm in the winter, and in return the people love it back.”
Jason’s fists clenched at his sides, though not in anger. “And what of the gods? If the lamb doesn’t die, who appeases the gods? Who feeds the people?”
“Who ever said that the gods asked for the lamb? Perhaps the gods would be more satisfied with a tribute that didn’t involve the death of an innocent. As for feeding the people? A lamb offers very little to feed a crowd. It would be much more fitting to slaughter the bull.”
Jason’s blood went cold, and he swallowed thickly. “That’s treason, Leo.”
“Is it?” Leo snapped. “I’ve never once professed my loyalty to the man sitting on that throne. My devotion belongs solely to one royal, and that bastard has just declared war on the man I love.”
“Leo, please,” Jason croaked. “You can’t say that. Not when I– My affection has always afforded you privileges. You won’t have that forever.”
“Then he can take me,” Leo snarled, trembling with outrage. “I would rather die than swear fealty to a man who would murder his own son. A man who would look at a child and see nothing but a death to be used when convenient.”
Jason didn’t say anything for a moment. He was trembling as well, though not with fury. He was standing at the precipice of something he couldn’t yet name. He hadn’t been asked to jump yet, but he knew it was coming. He just wasn’t sure if he’d know how to say yes. “I’m sorry. That is the way things are, and I can’t change my orders.”
For a moment, Leo looked too overcome to say anything at all, then he froze and slowly looked at Jason. “Jason, would you do something for me?”
Jason gulped. “You know I’d do most anything for you. What would you have me do now?”
“I would have you run.”
The world stood still, and Jason’s breath with it. “What?”
“I would have you run,” Leo repeated, leaving no room to doubt his intent. “With me, preferably, but so long as you leave this place, abandon this insane destiny, you are free to leave me wherever you like.”
“I’d never leave you anywhere.”
Leo’s smile was gentle, gentler than it had been all night, and he looped his arms around Jason’s neck again, pulling him down to press their foreheads together. “Good. That will save me the trouble of following you.” Jason chuckled, and Leo breathed in through his nose like he wanted to memorize the scent of joy. “We could run away together. Somewhere far from the crown and all its poison. Ships leave at dawn every morning. I know sailors who won’t talk.”
“And what would happen after that?” Jason asked. His voice was hoarse, but he was staring at Leo like he had the only answers in the world. “I’m meant to be dueling to decide a battle. What of that?”
“The King will simply have to forfeit, or find a new pawn to sacrifice, preferably himself,” Leo said darkly. “He was already planning to lose Hannibal Pass with your death. All you have done is rob him of the opportunity to manipulate the people who love you.”
“And what of us?” Jason asked. “Where will we go? What will we do?”
“We’ll go somewhere farther north. Across the sea to the east, towards the mountains, perhaps,” Leo mused. “Maybe we’ll become farmers, raise a few sheep. Or, maybe we’ll find ourselves in a city. I have skills with my hands, and you can read and write well enough to manage any estate you’re charged with.”
“Oh?”
“Mhm,” Leo hummed, brushing his nose across Jason’s cheek. “But regardless of where we end up, some things will stay true: you will wake me every morning with kisses as the sun comes up, and I will feed you every night as the sun goes down. You will never know a day that doesn’t involve the sun on your face.”
“Really? What about when it rains?”
“Blast the rain! I’ve no use for it!”
“That doesn’t sound like the words of a future farmer,” Jason teased gently. Leo bit him on the cheek, and Jason squeezed him close. “You would really do this? For me? Even though I would have no privileges to offer you?”
Leo cupped the cheek he just bit. “The only privilege I’ve ever truly wanted was to stand at the side of the bravest, kindest, most decent man I have ever met.”
“Then consider it done.” Jason gripped Leo’s wrist again to kiss his palm, though it was less desperate now. When he was done, he hummed softly and confessed, “I don’t know if I’m going to be any good at making wool.”
Leo just laughed, a weak, wet sound that was brightening with every breath. “Foolish man. All you’ve ever done is keep me warm.”
And then Leo kissed him, and for the first time in his life, Jason Grace braced himself to live.