CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
DAMAGE GETS DONE

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

ANNAIS DIDN'T STOP TO think. In one fluid motion, she had torn the hem of her dress so it fell in tatters around her knees, granting herself the freedom to grab her sword and volley over the nearest table to slash the suitors seated there into shreds. They had no time to defend themselves, their wide-eyed expressions withering into piles of dust all around her.

She caught glimpses of the others fighting when the crowd of the dead momentarily thinned and their furious shouts faded from her head. It was obvious they were beginning to gain the upper hand, or so Annais hoped. Jason had just taken out Antinous (hot.) Across the courtyard, Annabeth wove her way through the crowd like a spider coiling ghouls in her web. Wisely, most of the suitors tried (and failed) to steer clear of her. Instead, the few who thought they could escape ended up skewered on the blade of Piper's sword. She was now stabbing and parrying with one hand (or trying to, with as much swordsmanship as she could remember in the heat of the moment) while her other hand gripped her cornucopia.

"Save yourselves," she shouted as she chased after a trio of suitors, who also started screaming. They either doubled back to Annabeth, who took them out without sparing them a thought, or meeting their end at Annais' eager hands instead. "I'm too dangerous!"

The Greek tyrant, Hippias, didn't seem to think so. Testing his luck, he lunged at Piper with his dagger raised only for Piper to blast him point-blank in the chest with a lovely pot roast from her cornucopia. Annais snorted as he tripped backwards from the impact into the deadly fountain, wailing like a child as he disintegrated.

"Go Pipes! We've got this," she exclaimed just as a dozen or so suitors regrouped by the fountain, their sights set on her as they prepared to charge. "Actually, hold that thought."

Dropping her sword by her feet, she raised her hands in front of her in anticipation. The first cut of shadow sliced three of them in two, then the next three, then the next, until only three more remained. She was panting, face red, as they bore down on her. Her hands shook as she tried to summon her fourth shadow in quick succession, a small flicker of panic stirring in her chest when the shadows began to form too slowly, but she needn't have worried. The sky sparked with electricity and a bolt of lightning blasted the trio to ions, leaving a smoking crater just a few feet away from her.

Through the smoke and monster dust, she caught Jason's hard-eyed stare and smiled. He nodded back, carefully checking her over for any injuries before throwing himself back into the fight. Annais watched him with a soft thrum of warmth flowing through her veins. He always fought with a strong presence, but now more than ever he seemed to know his purpose. He summoned the winds and flung three ghouls over the edge of the hillside like rag dolls. He skewered a fourth on the javelin he'd used to direct the lightning, then willed his weapon to shrink back to a sword and hacked through another group of spirits while barely breaking a sweat. Annais joined him, her sword in hand once more, and the two finished off the remaining ghosts who were too slow at disappearing on their own.

"You're alright?" Jason asked, sheathing his sword when Annais finally paused to regard the chaos of the courtyard. He was entirely focused on her, one hand on the hilt of his weapon while the other reached up to cup her jaw.

"I'm--"

Annais' heart dropped like a stone as Jason's face suddenly twisted with agony. His body jolted as the tip of a golden sword jutted through the front of his shirt just below his ribcage, spraying blood on a stunned Annais, who remained frozen in place.

Michael Varus' face appeared over Jason's shoulder as he snarled in his ear, "Born a Roman, die a Roman."

He let Jason collapse to his knees then. Tears trailing down Jason's face, his hands caught Annais' legs in an attempt to keep himself upright, clutching onto his girlfriend for dear life. She hated to leave him in that state for even a second, but she resisted her instinctual urge to guide him into her arms and instead launched herself at Varus.

He stood no chance against her. Her sword swung straight for his neck, cutting through bone and sinew like he was made of mist. She shook with so much rage that she longed to summon him back from the dead. It wasn't something she'd ever been able to do before, but Michael Varus deserved to die more than one quick death at her hands. She should've kept her cool long enough to make a lasting impression, to teach him what happened to anyone who hurt the people she loved.

Instead, she was left standing over the empty shell of his Roman helmet, burning with so much rage she couldn't breathe.

"Annais," Piper called her name. She had grabbed Jason's shoulders when Annais moved away, holding him steady as he wheezed in pain. "Annais, please, you need to help me!"

That was enough to bring her back. She ran to Jason's side as soon as her gaze found the gushing red wound on his torso again. The sword was still lodged in his back and Annais dreaded the moment they'd have to remove it, but she tried not to think of it with his watery eyes scanning her expression fearfully. It was her turn to clutch Jason's face in her hands. She pressed her lips to his sweat-lined forehead while Piper called out for Annabeth, leaving Jason to lean most of his weight into Annais' arms once more.

"I'm here, my love," she whispered against his hair. "It's okay. You'll be fine."

"I don't feel fine," he whimpered, colour draining from his skin at a rapid pace.

Annabeth reached them then. She had a nasty cut on the side of her neck but she didn't seem to notice it as she joined them on the ground. "Gods," she cried out in disbelief. "Oh, Gods."

"Thanks," Jason groaned. "I was afraid it might be bad."

"We need to remove the sword," Piper said, trying to remain practical despite the panic they were all feeling. "We can't begin to heal you until it's out. I can--"

"No," Annais' voice cut like her shadows as Piper tried to reach for the golden hilt. "I'll do it."

Maybe she was being irrational, but she felt safest knowing Jason's life was in her hands only. Thankfully, Piper didn't argue, understanding from one look at Annais' miserable face that she was struggling not to lose it. She began to cry once she stood behind Jason and he couldn't see her, but she managed to keep herself composed long enough to pull the sword from his back.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed as he gasped. "I'm sorry. I know it hurts."

She lowered him to the ground, trying her best to avoid pressing his wound against the dirt but she had little choice when he rested his head in her lap, searching desperately for comfort. Only then did Annais nod at Piper, who had hovered beside them, waiting. She took charge the second Annais gave her the go ahead, demanding for Annabeth to find their ambrosia.

"Yeah," Annabeth stirred, hurriedly ripping through her supply pouch. "Yeah, I got it."

"You're going to be fine, Jason," Piper spoke the words like an order. Annais was grateful for her charmspeak. No matter how many times she said the same thing, she couldn't quite believe it and nor could Jason. "Okay, we need to stop the bleeding."

Without pausing, she used her dagger to cut fabric from the bottom of her dress into pieces that mirrored bandages. Deliriously, Annais wondered how horrified Aphrodite would be that her own daughter would commit such a crime against fashion. Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, the twinge of laughter swelling in her chest became another sob. She tightened her grip around Jason, the only thing she could do while her friends focused on saving him.

Annabeth's fingers trembled as she pushed tiny bites of ambrosia into his mouth. "Jason, I'm sorry about your mum. But the way you handled it... that was so brave."

"It was," Annais agreed, realising that Annabeth was trying to distract him while Piper wrapped his wound. "You did the right thing, Jason."

Jason's jaw clenched as Piper's fingers grazed across his wound on accident. "It wasn't her," he croaked as she whispered an apology but continued. "At least, no part of her I could save. There was no other choice."

"No other right choice, maybe, but..." Annabeth hesitated, glancing at Annais for just a moment before she stubbornly averted her gaze. "A friend of mine, Luke, his mum... similar problem. He didn't handle it as well."

Annais swallowed thickly but tried her best to smile softly when Jason looked at her curiously. She threaded her fingers through his hair, an action she knew would soothe him, even just a little bit.

"I've bandaged as much as I can," Piper said after a few more minutes. "Blood is still soaking through. And the smoke. I don't get that."

"Imperial gold," Annabeth said grimly. "It's deadly to demigods. It's only a matter of time before--"

"Don't," Annais snapped, feeling as though someone had smashed her ribs apart and was now squeezing her heart in their hands. "We just have to get him back to the ship."

"I don't feel that bad," Jason told them. "Maybe I could fly." Before Annais could stop him (or scold him), Jason sat up. Just as quickly, he collapsed back into her arms. "Or maybe not."

"We need to contact the Argo II," Piper insisted. "Get help."

Annabeth scanned the ruins. She was no longer trembling, though she was almost as pale as Jason now, clearly rattled from the severity of his injury. Annais wondered if her mind went to Penelope, too. Jason's wound was a few inches higher and just below his ribs, but any lower and he'd have matching scars with her sister... (and they knew well how that turned out.)

"We could use the emergency flares, but--"

"No," Jason cut her off. "Leo would blast the top of the hill with Greek fire. Maybe, if you guys helped me, I could walk--"

"Absolutely not," Annais shook her head. He could barely sit up without getting woozy. There was no way he'd make it down the hillside even semi-conscious, and a teenage boy was heavy enough to carry without being dead weight.

"Then what do we do?"

For a moment, they were quiet. Annais was at a loss, and then, "Annabeth, do you know Morse Code?"

Annabeth turned to Piper, offended she'd even ask. "Of course."

"So does Leo," Piper grinned, handing the daughter of Athena a compact mirror she kept in her own supply pouch. "He'll be watching from the ship, so go to the ridge--"

"And flash him," Annabeth exclaimed, finally realising what Piper's plan was.

Annais' lips twitched. "Interesting way to put it. Piper, you're a genius."

"That came out wrong," Annabeth admitted with a blush. "But yeah, good idea, Pipes."

She ran to the edge of the ruins, leaving Annais to help Jason sip on nectar while Piper checked that his bandages were secured.

"Hang in there," the daughter of Aphrodite encouraged him. "You are not dying from a stupid body piercing."

"Seriously, babe, if you wanted a belly button piercing, you could've just asked," Annais joked weakly, lowering the flask of nectar from his lips once some of the warmth had returned back to his face again.

Jason managed a small smile. "Hey, at least it wasn't a head injury this time. I stayed conscious the entire fight."

"You did," Annais agreed. "And I'm so proud of you."

She swallowed hard around the sudden lump in her throat, this mass of words she wanted to say but feared she'd never get to again if she did. There were no shadows around him yet, but Annais didn't trust this as a sign that he'd live.

"You defeated, like, two hundred enemies on your own," Piper added when the silence started to weigh on them. "You were scary amazing."

"You guys helped."

"Maybe, but -- hey, open your eyes!"

Annais patted his cheek as his head started to sway. He groaned, forcing his eyes open with every bit of strength he had left. Annais hated seeing him this way, mumbling about being dizzy even as she helped him sip on more nectar. It wasn't her Jason. Her strong, brave boyfriend.

"Reyna, Nico, Hea and Coach Hedge," he whispered when she pocketed the flask once more. "They're in danger. We need to warn them."

Her strong, brave, selfless boyfriend. Even when he was on Death's Door, he was thinking of others.

"Let's not worry about that now," she muttered.

"We'll take care of it when we get back to the ship," Piper promised, teary-eyed. If they made it back. The four of them, alive. "Besides, those four are a tough group. They'll be fine."

Annais couldn't afford to fear for anyone else in that moment. She trusted her sister would be alright, that she'd watch over Nico and the others, step into her role in the prophecy just like she'd promised. If Annais started worrying about them too, she'd lose all sense of reason.

"You know, once the war is over, everything will work out for Nico," Piper said, not just to Jason but to Annais too. Out of everyone, she seemed to sense what was wrong as of late. Maybe it was a daughter of Aphrodite thing or maybe she was just observant, but she hadn't pressured either of them to talk about it, even then only using it as a distraction, a reassurance to them both despite their dire circumstances. "You've been a good friend and a good sister."

Another wave of pain made Jason wince. For the time being, Piper's words were now forgotten.

"You promised you'd stay with me," Annais whispered, pressing her forehead to Jason's, her words for him only. Piper sat back and let them have their moment, hoping against hope that it wasn't about to be their last. "Remember?"

Jason's reply was slow. "I remember."

"And that we'd travel."

"Yeah."

"Have you thought about where we'll go?"

"I was thinking Korea."

This, Annais hadn't expected. "Why Korea?"

"Because that's where you're from," he murmured. "I know you were born here, but Ezra's been telling me stories of your parents. The original Min siblings. I'd like to see where they came from."

Annais had never thought about it before, but she found that she agreed. "I think that'd be nice. You'd have to learn Korean, though."

"You can teach me," his voice was barely a whisper now.

Annais didn't have the heart to tell him she only knew a few words.

"I love you," she said instead, kissing it into his skin. "Saranghae."

"That my first lesson, huh?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Then saranghae."

She let out a laugh at his poor pronounciation, but her heart felt ready to burst. She was glad that Jason's mind had drifted to better times now. A soft smile had curved the corners of his mouth when Annabeth came back limping from the edge of the hill. He turned his head to look at her as she drew near.

"Are you hurt?" his brows furrowed with concern.

Annabeth barely glanced at her ankle. "Oh, it's fine. Just the old break from the Roman caverns. Sometimes when I'm stressed... Well, that's not important. I signalled Leo. Frank's going to change form, fly up here and carry you back to the ship. I need to make a litter to keep you stable."

Annais wasn't sure what to think of the sudden image that appeared in her head; one of Jason swinging back and forth in a hammock that was clutched in the claws of Frank the giant eagle, but she decided soon enough that she'd prefer it over him dying in her arms.

Annabeth and Piper got to work, leaving Annais to continue whispering in Jason's ear to keep him focused. Soon enough, the two girls had collected a series of scraps from the mess in the courtyard; a leather belt, a torn tunic, sandal straps, a few broken spear shafts. They even managed to find the pieces of Annais' ripped dress. Once they returned to Annais and Jason, Annabeth got to work putting the materials together.

"How are you doing that?" Jason watched her in disbelief.

"Learned it during my quest under Rome," she murmured, suddenly unable to look at them. Like Ezra, she seemed to clam up every time Rome (and, consequently, the Underworld) were mentioned. As if she was picking at a scab not quite healed, reopening the wound for the blood to flow. "I'd never had a reason to try weaving before, but it's handy for certain things, like getting away from spiders..."

After a few more minutes, she sat back and declared she was done. Sitting at her feet was a stretcher large enough for Jason to be laid across. It had spear shafts to use as carrying handles and she'd incorporated the suitor's belts to be used as safety straps across the middle. All in all, it looked very efficient.

Piper made a noise of approval. "The next time I need a dress altered, I'm coming to you."

"Shut up, McLean," Annabeth's face burned as Annais snickered in amusement. "You too, Min. Now, let's get him secured."

"Wait," Jason exclaimed before anyone could move.

Annais' heart seized with worry. "What is it? Are you in pain? Do you want more nectar?"

He didn't answer at first. "A bed. There was a special bed in this palace."

Annais stared at him. Was he losing his mind?

Piper also looked concerned. "Jason, you've lost a lot of blood..."

"I'm not hallucinating," he argued. "The marriage bed was sacred. If there was any place you could talk to Juno..." He took a deep breath and called out as loud as he could, "Juno!"

He was met with ringing silence. Gently, Annais put a hand on his forehead as though she was feeling for a temperature. Jason sighed in defeat and sunk into her touch just as the ground began to rumble. About sixty feet away, the stones cracked in two. Branches pushed through the dirt until a full-sized olive tree shaded the courtyard and the dark-haired woman underneath. She wore a white dress rather like Annais' own (though Annais' was much dirtier in comparison to the glowing silk) and a leopard-skin cape that could only belong to one temperamental Goddess. If that wasn't obvious enough, she wore a face rather like Ezra's, if not a few years older.

"My heroes," Hera -- sorry, Juno -- regarded them with a regal glare.

"Hera," Piper said her name in disbelief.

"Juno," Jason corrected on instinct.

"Doesn't matter," Annais mumbled to herself. Same shit, different smell as far as she was concerned.

Annabeth seemed to agree. "What are you doing here, Your Bovine Majesty?"

Juno's obsidian eyes glittered dangerously, though she remained rooted in place beneath the softly swaying branches of her tree. "Annabeth Chase. As charming as ever."

"Yes, well, I just got back from Tartarus, so my manners are a little rusty, especially towards Goddesses who wiped my boyfriend's memory, made him disappear for months, and then--"

"Honestly, child," Juno's sigh cut off Annabeth's ranting. "Are we going to rehash this again?"

"Aren't you supposed to be suffering from split-personality disorder?" Annabeth spat with a surprising amount of hatred, even for her not-so favourite Goddess. "I mean, more so than usual?"

"Whoa," Jason interceded, still the voice of reason even in his state. "Juno, we need your help. We--"

"What are you doing?" Annais hissed as he tried to sit up again and almost immediately regretted it. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry," he murmured, curling back into her arms, not that she'd given him much of a choice.

"Okay, first things first," Piper clapped her hands. "Jason is hurt. Heal him, Juno."

Juno's eyebrows furrowed. Normally, she'd blast a demigod where they stood for daring to speak to her like that. She'd made that threat more than enough times to the likes of Annabeth, Ezra, Thalia... the list went on. But at that moment, she seemed uncertain. She gazed at Jason's wound and their attempts to staunch it with wide eyes.

"Some things even the Gods cannot heal," she sighed. "This wound touches your soul as well as your body. You must fight it, Jason Grace. You must survive."

"Yeah, thanks. I'm trying."

"What do you mean 'the wound touches his soul?'" Annais demanded. "Since when were you the Goddess of riddles, Juno?"

"My heroes, our time together is short," Juno said, overlooking Annais' question like she'd never spoken in the first place. They should've expected this of her. Annais wasn't sure why she was so shocked. It was rare that a God was ever straightforward. "I am grateful that you called upon me."

"I'm definitely not," Annais muttered under her breath.

Jason's gaze flicked to her pleadingly, only returning to Juno once Annais sighed and pressed her lips together in a thin line, a silent promise to keep her mouth shut (for now.)

Juno continued, "I have spent weeks in a state of pain and confusion. My Greek and Roman natures are warring against each other. Worse, I've been forced to hide from Jupiter, who searches for me in his misguided wrath, believing that I caused this war with Gaea."

"Gee," Annabeth snorted. "Why would he think that?"

Annais' smile was nasty. She was unable to resist replying, "I can think of a few reasons."

Jason sighed. Juno flashed them both an irritated look. "Fortunately, this place is sacred to me. By clearing away those ghosts, you have purified it and given me a moment of clarity. I will be able to speak with you, if only briefly."

Lucky them, Annais thought with a grimace.

"Why is it sacred..." Piper's eyes widened in answer to her own question. "Oh! The marriage bed."

So Jason wasn't delirious after all. That was certainly a good sign.

"Marriage bed?" Annabeth frowned, not catching on just yet. "I don't see any--"

"The bed of Penelope and Odysseus," Piper explained. "One of its bedposts was a living olive tree, so it could never be moved."

"Indeed," Juno said with palpable pride. "An immovable marriage bed. Such a beautiful symbol! Like Penelope, the most faithful wife, standing her ground, fending off a hundred suitors for years because she knew her husband would return. Odysseus and Penelope; the epitome of a perfect marriage!"

Annais frowned. She was almost certain that Odysseus was anything but faithful to his wife during his infamous travels, though she wisely kept her mouth shut for now, knowing Juno wouldn't tolerate much more of their spitefulness.

"Can you advise us, at least?" Jason asked her. "Tell us what to do?"

"Sail around the Peloponnese," she said. "As you suspect, that is the only possible route. On your way, seek out the Goddess of victory in Olympia. She is out of control. Unless you can subdue her, the rift between Greek and Roman can never be healed."

Great. Another side quest.

"You mean Nike?" Annabeth asked. "How is she out of control?"

Before Juno could reply, thunder clapped overhead, shaking the hillside in warning. Zeus (or Jupiter) was closing in on his wife.

"Explaining would take too long," Juno hurried, just as Annais had expected she would. "I must flee before Jupiter finds me. Once I leave, I will not be able to help you again."

"Is there anything else we should know?" Jason asked.

Annais didn't understand how he kept his cool sometimes. There he was, slowly dying, and Juno hadn't given them anything to help him. She'd bequeathed them with a new quest to trouble themselves over and was now preparing to take her leave.

"As you heard, the giants have gathered in Athens," Juno said. "Few Gods will be able to help you on your journey, but I'm not the only Olympian who is out of favour with Jupiter. The twins have incurred his wrath."

"Artemis and Apollo?" Piper frowned. "How come?"

Juno's image began to fade, but her gaze locked on Annais and stayed there. She didn't have to say it. Annais knew why.

"If you reach the island of Delos, they might be prepared to help you. They are desperate enough to try anything to make amends." Annais wasn't so sure this would be good for them, not with the current state of their crew. "Go now. Perhaps we will meet again in Athens, if you succeed. And Annais Min?" Annais' gaze turned back to her, warring against the force of Juno's own glare. "Tell my daughter that madness can be a gift when you know how to wield it. I'm watching her closely."

Then she was gone. At the same time, Jason's head lolled back and his eyes slid shut. He didn't respond as Annais cried his name, pressing her fingers to his neck to find only a weak pulse beating back at her. His pain had overcome him, and now the rest was up to him.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

A/N: Just a little sidenote, I don't know many words in Korean. The translation for 'I love you' is from research on Google, so do let me know if there's a better way to say it. Thanks for reading :)