Chapter Text
“Hazel's Mist is only a mile or so away I think. As soon as it covers us, Jason can fly us up." Piper looked skyward, where the Argo was just a rather large dot in the sky, invisible to everyone but them, thanks to Hazel.
And because they didn't have much of a choice, there wasn't need for any affirmations. Instead, Percy twisted, gritting his teeth and using the tree to try to stand. Piper and Jason were at his side in less than a second, gripping his arms and helping him up.
“Don’t do that,” Jason reprimanded, watching Percy sway on one foot, the other raised off of the ground as much as he could. The guilt was back, panging at his chest.
Percy did a valiant effort of disguising the pain of even standing, but he hadn't fooled either of them. Jason was looking guiltier by the minute, especially when Percy had stumbled into him in an attempt to keep weight off his injured leg.
“You’re not walking on that,” Piper said. “We’ll help you.”
"I'm okay," Percy said unconvincingly, barely managing to keep his shallow breaths from becoming full on pants. Still, he didn’t resist them putting his arms around their shoulders. Once they were situated, he tried for a smile. "Let's go."
Hobbling through the woods with three exhausted demigods, one of which looked (and felt) like he'd climbed out of a grave, was not fun, nor was it efficient.
Percy had gone pale the moment they'd started walking, and his nails had started to dig into both Piper and Jason's shoulders when the pain became too much to ignore.
His head had dropped down, probably in an effort to conceal the tightness of his face and the sudden glassiness of his eyes.
Piper didn't falter when they started to slow, and Percy's steps became more and more uncoordinated as he supported himself less and less. That should have warned her of what was to happen, but she'd been so trapped in the worry of her own mind that when it happened, she didn't expect it.
They must have been halfway back when Percy's legs gave out. Piper swore as he went limp, barely managing to twist herself around enough to lower Percy gently to the ground. Jason helped with that, face and muscles straining as they got Percy onto his back.
Piper's heart raced as she brushed hair out of his eyes. "Percy? Can you hear me?" His eyes were shut and his face covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "Percy? Crap."
She soon saw what the problem was. Her bandages had failed, and blood was rapidly soaking through them, dripping onto the ground.
Fear streaked through her. "Jason, I need more bandages."
He shook his head, eyes wide. "We don't have any."
She grit her teeth and looked away from Percy to rip away her other sleeve. Any other time, she might have commented on how punk she was looking, but Percy had passed out and was pale as paper. She needed to help him before she couldn't.
"You're going to be fine," Piper said to him under her breath, keenly aware as the sun retreated from the leaves above that they were running out of time.
The others had probably expected them half an hour ago, and they still had half a mile to go.
Percy didn't stir as she wrapped his leg again. Earlier, he'd been writhing in pain when she'd even brushed the back of his knee. Now, he was still as marble.
"Jackson, if you die because of me, you won't have to worry about Annabeth. I'll kill you first," Jason threatened, sounding intimidating but looking as scared as Piper felt.
"It's not soaking through anymore," Piper commented, somewhat relieved. "If we can---"
Percy groaned softly, eyelids fluttering. Piper cut off to watch him. Jason grabbed her hand.
"I think we should risk it," he said tightly, feeling as exposed as a live wire. "I can fly us---"
"No."
Percy's voice was no more than a croak, but his eyes were clear and insistent. Already, he was trying to sit up. Watching him was like watching a baby horse trying to walk.
"We have to keep going." He seemed overly frantic. Piper wondered if this was a side effect from his time spent in Tartarus.
"Percy, wait," Piper said, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to push him back down. "You need to relax for a second."
"We don't--- we don't have time for that," Percy said, eyes flickering between them wildly.
He may have had a point, but it didn't matter. Piper would ignore the rapidly darkening sky in favor of saving his life.
"He's right," Jason said, and Piper rounded on him with a venomous glare that immediately had him retreating.
"He's hurt." She glanced back at Percy, who was shaking his head and mumbling about how "fine" he was. "Stop, Percy," Piper said harshly, and Percy would have listened then even without the slight charmspeak undertone. "I'm serious."
Jason rushed to defend her this time, because seeing Percy struggling and fighting back tears was not helping the guilt gnawing at his chest.
"Percy, she's right. You can't keep powering through like you're not injured, you'll make it worse. Maybe we should find some water---"
"There isn't any for miles," he grunted, though he surrendered and laid back against the ground, breathing raggedly. "Like you said, our best bet is to get to the mountain and fly up."
"I'm already compromising by not flying you up right now," Jason countered, spurred on by Piper's approving nod. "And if you don't take at least a five minute rest, I'll risk it anyways."
"I've been through worse," Percy argued, and that was a blatant reminder they could've done without.
Jason still considered Tarturus a personal failure. He'd failed to save Annabeth and Percy. He'd let them fall to what very well could've been their deaths and very nearly was. He'd been surprised that Percy had even gone out of his way to forgive him after he'd first gotten back. It was hard to accept an apology from someone who'd nearly been destroyed both physically and mentally like he had. Percy was mostly okay now, except for the occasional nightmares that nobody talked about, but he seemed to realize that he had brought up an unbreachable topic, because the fight went out of him.
"Five minutes then," Percy consented, relaxing against the ground.
Piper looked like she wanted to argue, but realized that they really shouldn't take too much more time lest the demigods on the Argo risk themselves trying to find them.
"Try to relax. Catch your breath," Jason advised.
Percy's eyes were already slipping closed again. Piper looked like she wanted to shake him awake but Jason shook his head not to. Percy would need to get his strength back however he could.
Five minutes went by faster than they thought, but the sun was already dipping below a horizon they couldn't really see. Percy did a good job of pretending he was good to go when they eventually shook him awake.
It was hard to see if he was looking any stronger. The light had begun to drain away from the forest. Either way, he didn't complain, only hissed under his breath when they hoisted him up again.
Jason didn't complain either, when Percy's head dropped against his shoulder as they stumbled through the wood. He could feel the heat pressing against his shoulder even through his shirt, and that only succeeded in worrying him more.
Time blurred. The sky darkened. Jason could have cried in relief when Piper said suddenly, "There!" using the hand that wasn't supporting Percy to point at the base of the mountain barely visible through the grayish silhouettes of trees. More specifically, the literal white Mist curling off of it, soaking into the ground.
Jason briefly wondered what Hazel had conjured for the numina montanum to see. She'd stuck with literal mist for them, probably to make sure they could see it.
Jason tasted magic in the air, stale and putrid sweet, as the mist clung to their ankles. As soon as they were close enough, Jason turned to Piper.
Her eyes were dark as flint with the sun gone, but he could see the grim determination shadowed on her face. Between them, Percy was barely conscious. Jason was pretty sure there were minuscule tear tracks carved through the dirt beneath his eyes, but he didn't comment. This wasn't the first time Percy had been through hell. Hopefully he could handle it until they were up there.
Letting out a deep breath and summoning some of the strength that had been sapped, he secured his grip on Percy and Piper, holding them tightly but mostly relying on the air to keep them close as he propelled them skywards.
<>-<>-<>
It was fair to say that the demigods were anxious as they awaited Jason, Piper, and Percy's return.
Hazel was manning the front of the ship while Annabeth, Frank, and Leo were looking down from the other sides, searching the woods for both signs of the missing demigods and also signs of extra hostility, but the mountain gods had quieted as soon as the sun had set. Maybe they got tired, too, or more likely, bored. While you couldn't really see through the treetops, looking like that was easier than succumbing to the worry.
For Hazel, it was all she could do to keep the Mist functioning as well as her brain. Often, she found herself zoning out, spending too much time thinking about the Mist to search for flares or signals or signs of her friends.
That's why, when she first saw the dark form flying up towards the Argo, she'd thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. That was, until they flew closer, and she began to recognize stuff like Jason's unmistake tuft of blonde hair.
"They're here!" Hazel shouted joyfully, some of the anxiety seeping from her body.
She heard Annabeth, Leo, and Frank clamor to get over to where she was, and by the time they were nearly caught up, Jason was propelling himself, Percy, and Piper over Hazel's head, preparing to land behind her.
Hazel didn't even realize anything was wrong until she heard Frank say, "Oh, no," followed by Leo saying dreadfully, "I called it!", followed by Annabeth frantically calling Percy's name.
Hazel spun around, watching Jason make the worst landing he'd ever done, practically dumping Piper onto the deck but managing to keep a hold on Percy who... wasn't moving?
Hazel's heart skipped a beat, and she rushed forward with the rest of them, helping Piper up on the way; Piper, who didn't even seem concerned about her rough landing and was trying to get to Percy too.
"What's going on?" Hazel asked, as Annabeth sent Leo running towards the sickbay. "What happened?"
Piper cast a grim look at Hazel as her and Annabeth situated Percy and managed to make everyone clear a decent circle.
"Eidolons," was all Piper said, but Hazel felt her heart drop.
She automatically reached for Frank, who gripped her hand tightly as they watched Annabeth hover over Percy's lifeless form.
After a moment, Hazel glanced up at Jason, who was standing apart. Looking... guilty? It suddenly made a whole lot of sense what had happened.
Hazel felt almost as bad for Jason as she did for Percy, but it was kind of hard to focus on Jason when all he had was a pale bruise on his forehead versus the blackened eye and jaw Percy showcased, not to mention the dark marks at the bottom of his throat and the blood soaking his chest and jeans.
Hazel swallowed, edging forward to grip Percy's limp hand while Leo returned with an armful of supplies from the sickbay.
Piper looked positively exhausted, but that didn't stop her from joining Annabeth in fixing him up. Hazel tried to get a better look while Leo regretfully left Percy alone in favor of getting them into the sky.
"We couldn't make peace," she heard Jason saying. "We'll have to go the longer way."
"I figured as much," Leo said, as the Argo started to rise. "Nothing to worry about. We already have enough on our plates without wasting breath worrying about getting to Gaea."
He was right. Hazel focused back on Annabeth, whose face was shiny with extertion as she worked to keep her boyfriend alive.
"He's lost too much blood," Annabeth said, expertly removing half of his pant leg and dousing the wound with a flask of water.
Hazel wondered if the water would help with healing him. It must have, because a second later, and Piper was undoing her bandages, Percy shuddered and gasped and then he was awake, squinting at Hazel like he was confused that she was there. After a moment, his eyes focused completely, and he seemed to relax.
"We made it," Percy croaked, and Hazel couldn't stop the alarm that coursed through her at the sound of his raw voice. Had he gotten into the habit of gargling gravel while he was away? "I wasn't sure we were going to."
Annabeth looked up, seeming tearfully relieved though they all knew they weren't out of the woods yet. "Of course you made it, Seaweed Brain. You know I'd kill you if you even tried to die."
Percy gave her a weak smile, trying to sit up to see his girlfriend, though Hazel pushed him down with an admonishing smile that was probably too happy with his return to reality to seem mad. "That's what I figured."
"Stay down, Perce," Hazel ordered, meeting his (somewhat hazy) eyes. "Annabeth and Piper are going to fix you up but until then, you're going to be a model patient."
He cracked a grin her way. "Yes, Nurse Levesque."
She shook her head, blinking rapidly and finding that her eyes were wet. "This is where you shut up, Jackson."
He relaxed and looked up at the darkening sky, saying weakly, "Shutting up."
"Good."
Hazel squeezed his hand, then glanced at Frank, who offered her a dopey, also relieved smile and gestured towards Jason, who was standing where Hazel had been a few minutes before, peering off into the clouds. Frank hiked a thumb at the demigod and Hazel nodded. He could probably use someone to talk to.
"Hazel," Piper said, and she looked up to see Piper extending something her way. "Nectar. Can you---"
"Of course," Hazel complied immediately, twisting the lid off the flask of nectar and getting Percy's attention. "Percy, this will help. It's nectar."
Annabeth and Piper had moved to treating Percy's chest, which meant the three of them had to sit him up --- all pretending that stifled moan of pain he tried to keep to himself didn't make their stomachs flip --- and position him against the mast. Hazel almost looked away when they cut off the rest of his shirt. The wound didn't seem infected, but it wasn't pretty. Annabeth immediately got to work cleaning it with water, which made Percy hiss.
Hazel remembered her one task. "Let me help you."
Percy didn't seem all too willing to have her help drink the nectar, probably out of embarrassment or some equally as noble reason, but she'd rather kill his pride a bit than get him killed.
"We gave him some earlier but not a lot," Piper said without looking up as she pressed an antiseptic wipe against his wound. "He should be good for a normal---"
Percy immediately tensed, squeezing her hand tightly and closing his eyes shut. Hazel swallowed and looked at Annabeth, who had faltered when Percy went rigid.
"It's okay," Percy said, sounding completely not okay as he cracked his open and offered Annabeth a smile that probably wasn't meant to look as pained as it was. "Keep going. I'm good."
Annabeth nodded, but her movements were more hesitant as she replaced the discarded bandages with new ones.
"I guess Leo was right," Percy said with a more genuine looking grin as he was offered a square of ambrosia by Piper. "We really are not a good combo for quests."
Piper left, sitting back and admiring her neat work. "You can say that again."
"Seriously though," Percy said, eyes flicking to Annabeth as she moved to kneel next to him, prodding at the dark bruises on his face. "What were the odds that one of us would get mind controlled again?"
Nobody had an answer for him except for Frank, who was trying to scowl as he crossed his arms and rejoined them.
"Uh, they were 100% odds."
Percy laughed. "And also, this is why I miss the ocean---"
"You always miss the ocean," Annabeth mumbled.
"---because usually, I can just take a quick dip and bam. I'm ready to go."
Piper rolled her eyes and exchanged a fond look with Annabeth, who said teasingly, "Well maybe if you stopped injuring yourself all the time, you wouldn't have to need the ocean to get better."
Percy’s eyes were sparkling, and seeing the color as well as spirit return to his face lightened everyone's mood tenfold. The ambrosia and nectar were already having an effect.
"Touché. Though, I'd get injured every day if it meant that I'd have you as my doctor, Ms. Chase."
"Gods, no," Annabeth breathed, but she couldn't resist pecking him on the cheek, right above a large purple bruise that blossomed from his jaw towards his cheekbone. "Let's get you into the sickbay, yeah? Gods know you can use a shower."
Percy squinted in mock offense, but didn't protest when Annabeth and Hazel helped him up. "What are you trying to say, Wise Girl?"
"Only that you look like you got dragged through the mud by a horse," Annabeth said playfully.
Percy shot Hazel a charming smile, like, Can you believe this? "Exactly what every guy wants to hear."
While Percy seemed to be doing better, he couldn't hide the severe limp he walked with as Annabeth and Piper led him away, nor the pain he was in from moving. They'd have to let nectar take care of the nasty cut behind his knee and mortal medicine take the edge off.
"There's pain meds in the sickbay," Annabeth assured him, looping one arm around his waist. "You'll be alright by the morning."
"Good to know," Percy said, and they limped down the staircase.
Hazel sighed, the weight that she'd been unknowingly carrying dissipating with each second. She pushed a damp curl out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Frank was talking with Leo, and Jason was still staring off into the sky, looking so tense that she thought he'd snap in half if she touched him.
Knowing it was the right thing to do, Hazel approached him. She figured Jason could use some support, and it might also provide clarity as to why Percy was looking like death. As in the concept, not the person. Since she'd actually met Thanatos, she always felt the need to clarify, even to herself.
"Jason," Hazel breathed, giving him a tight hug when he turned around. "Are you okay? What happened out there? What about the numina montanum?"
Jason shook his head, looking almost as exhausted as Percy did. "Unwilling to make peace. Even though we promised them action figures." He was trying to joke, but the guilt in his eyes wasn't so easily erased. "You would think that gods who liked throwing rocks at demigods might appreciate a world in which there were actually demigods to throw rocks out."
"You would think," Hazel agreed, before sobering up some. "Seriously, though, what happened?"
Jason shook his head again. "I don't know. We were on our way back. One second, I was fine, and the next... Percy tried to keep me away from Piper but it didn't matter because the eidolon wasn't even directing me at Piper. It's like... she wanted me to take Percy out."
Hazel swallowed, mouth dry. She knew immediately this was Gaea's fault, Gaea who had taken away everything she once had, and now almost her friend.
"Don't blame this on yourself," Hazel said softly. "I'm sure Percy doesn't blame you for anything."
Jason sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Yeah, he said that." A pause that Hazel didn't fill in hope he'd continue. "He doesn't have to, though. Blame me, I mean. I'm already doing it enough for the both of us."
Hazel's face fell. "Jason..."
"It's fine," he said, looking away. "I know that this is Gaea's doing. It's just that... if I had killed Percy... that would be on me. For not fighting it off."
"You can't say that," Hazel said.
"It's true. There's got to be a reason that Gaea chose me to be the host for the eidolon."
"Percy almost killed you, too, that one time," Hazel reminded him. "It's not as simple as just fighting it off."
"Percy tried to kill me, but not like this. He didn’t hold me down or..." Jason gestured vaguely to his neck, and Hazel remembered seeing the marks at Percy’s throat. Coupled with the quality of his voice, pieces fell into place. Hazel felt her chest tighten, but she remained quiet.
"I'm just saying, I can't be the reason people keep getting hurt."
Hazel shook her head. "You're not, and the only person who doesn't know that is you." She gave him another hug, letting him be the one to pull away after half a minute. "You're stronger than you've let yourself think lately Jason Grace. Once you figure that out, you'll be okay." She brushed her hand over the pale bruise gracing his forehead. "Now, why don't you get down to the sickbay? I'm sure Piper can use some company, you can use some rest, and we can all use a break from thinking about Gaea. Sound good?"
He smiled, and for the first time since they'd returned, it was genuine. "Yeah, okay. Thank you, Hazel."
She smiled softly and he disappeared passed her. Hazel gripped the railing and stared off over the horizon, as night began to get comfortable in the sky.
They all had their problems, but when this was all over, she knew they'd be okay. They would have to be.