Fallen Guardian

Chapter Four - Third Day

Despite Solus' unique training methods, he wasn't the worst leader they could have gotten. Everyone got along decently well with him- Except for Jason.

"I don't know how long you expect us to follow your every demand, but you can clearly tell that Leo's tired! Give him a break!"

Solus stared Jason down with level eyes. "Your anger is rising, and yet I detect nothing for negative emotions from Valdez. It seems your emotions are futile. Tell me, do you have any outlet for your emotions other than rage towards me?"

"I'm tired of you treating us like shit! You're not better than us!"

Solus gave Jason a lazy look up and down. "Mm. I see. If you're so enraged, perhaps hand-to-hand combat will help. Would everyone please back away, please? Except for you, Grace. You're going to learn a very valuable lesson today."

Jason grit his teeth, his nose twitching, while Solus looked completely calm. "Well? C'mon. Take a swing."

Anger overwhelming him, Jason took a step forward, making a swing straight for his face. Instead of doing anything, Solus just stood there, taking the punch. He staggered ever so slightly, and Jason scowled victoriously. "Couldn't even dodge when you knew it was coming?"

"Mm? Oh, was I supposed to dodge something? Sorry, I didn't feel anything."

Jason let out what sounded like a roar of anger, swinging for his face- again and again.

Solus stumbled back, coughing aggressively. For the first time, Jason hesitated as Solus spit a mouthful of blood at his feet, standing back up slightly shakily. "Well? Your anger isn't gone. Hit me again."

"Your temper doesn't control you. You control it. Whether you use it for motivation or turn it into a weapon against yourself is up to you, Jason. Now c'mon. Hit me again."

Jason grit his teeth. "Jason, please, think about just calming down-" Piper tried, but it was too late. 

Jason was a flurry of attacks, each strike reverberating through his body. Every time his fist made contact with Solus' stupid body it sounded like a mini victory in his ears. Eventually, Solus fell to the ground, but Jason didn't stop, dropping on top of him and rearing his hands back, driving them forward with enough force to kill. Each snap, crack and thud that echoed through his ears only enraged him further. 

When he came back from his blacked out rage, he stared in horror at what he'd done. A giant pool of blood surrounded them, Solus' nose was completely crooked, his jaw was basically hanging off of one side, his lips and brows split, covered in bruises and blood. Despite that, Solus smiled shamefully.

"You've forgotten what you're fighting for," he croaked, coughing up another dangerous quantity of blood onto the floor. "You let your rage get the best of you. Now look what you've done. You didn't want to do this, did you?"

Jason, trembling, scrambled away, eyes wide. His eyes only widened further as Solus' face injuries played in reverse, his jaw re-hinging, his wounds closing and nose snapping back into place. The bruises faded, the only evidence of their fight being the blood and bruises on Jason's knuckles. 

"You don't want to actually hurt people. You're just frustrated. You didn't mean to hit me, did you? You just needed to vent. I get it. But you're letting your anger get the best of you."

"You're letting your anger control you, Grace."

Your temper doesn't control you. You control it.

Jason's eyes widened, but Solus just pushed him away, sighing and smearing the blood across his face in an attempt to wipe it away. "Use your anger to attack your foes, not your allies. Didn't Jackson teach you that?"

 Jason was back on Solus in a second. "Don't-" Punch, "You," Punch, "DARE!" punch, "Speak his name!"

With the same amount of effort it takes to pick up a kitten, Solus delivered a single punch to Jason's chest, sending him flying back into the wall of the ship. The wood around him splintered and the rest screamed as he groaned, falling to the floor. Piper screamed, running to his side in a panic while everyone else watched in shock.

"Don't tell me what to do. Get your shit together. You're going to be one of the reason this missions fails. And once you're all dead, because all of you are fuck-ups, I'll go back home and explain that the mission failed because of all of you!" Solus' appearance flickered as he stood straight, his voice turning somewhat mechanical, walking towards the group. "You all failed! Everything! Look at you! Valdez was right! You call yourselves hero's?! It's disgusting!"

"What about you then, huh?" Leo shouted, his body starting to smolder as he grit his teeth. "What makes you so high and mighty? I bet you just think you're tough because you haven't been through the shit we have!"

"Oh I've been through shit," Solus growled, his appearance flickering even more, the glitches growing sporadic. "I've been to Hell. I've been to Tartarus. I've wandered the Labyrinth. I took down gods, titans and giants, I've defeated every monster in your stupid little books. I jumped into Tartarus for the girl I loved, for NOTHING!" 

Annabeth realized why the mechanical voice sounded so familiar and immediately started to tear up.

"I was betrayed! I was hurt, I was broken, I was battered and left behind like rot!" The flickering stopped, halting on one figure- One that was familiar to them all. "I've been through more than all of you could fathom. I kept it under wraps for so long- But my death made me realize something." 

Percy Jackson leveled his head, glaring at all of them with a look of pure disgust. 

"I'm stronger than all of you. Because on my own, I've survived. You're all shells. Empty fragments of who you used to be. It's pitiful."

"Percy-..."

A sword was at her throat before she could blink. Annabeth stared in shock as the tip of the blade dug into her throat- even a swallow could sever something crucial. 

"My name is Solus, and you will address me as such."