CATHARSIS, jason grace¹

𝟬𝟮𝟮. you suck at backstabbing

THE DOORS OF THE PRINCIPIA STORMED OPEN. Felix Nichols of the Second Cohort ran in, his breathing heavy and face drained of color. Jason, who had been going over case files with his co-praetor, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, raised his head from the paper-scattered desk.

"Another legionary's been taken," Felix informed before the doors opened all the way. "Nathaniel Myers. He was on guard duty at Caldecott Tunnel this morning. When Hazel Levesque went to switch shifts with him, he was gone."

Reyna threw down her dagger on the table so hard the jelly-bean bowl they kept as a joke rattled. Jason was fast to move it off the desk. Poppy, who was leaning against the back corner wall, polishing her gleaming gold garden hoe, set down her prized weapon on the polished marble floor with a clunk.

Reyna had told her several times to clean up her unconventional battle gear someplace else, but Poppy was persistent if anything. Jason, on the other hand, was inwardly glad to have her around at times like these.

"How many is that now?" Poppy asked, her voice hoarse as gravel.

"Six," Reyna answered darkly. "Six missing demigods."

She was seated next to Jason behind the praetor desk, her hands folded in front of her face. Her dark eyes were alert and dangerous. Jason got the feeling she was about half a demigod away from running someone through with the knife at her belt.

Poppy cursed in Latin. Jason silently agreed.

"Praetors, if I may..." Felix said reluctantly. "I think this has something to do with the ice soldiers spotted around the ruins."

Reyna exchanged a meaningful look with Jason, who knew her well enough to capture what she was thinking. They had come to an agreement to keep the existence of those things a secret. Chaos would ensue within the legion if word got out that these ice soldiers were lurking closer and targeting demigods. Specifically if it got to Octavian. They didn't need another challenge on their leadership when their leadership was so vital right now.

"What do you know about these ice soldiers?" Jason asked carefully. Reyna helped herself to a jelly-bean from the jar in his lap.

"Not much," Felix confided. "Just that demigods started disappearing as soon as they showed up. I mean, it's gotta be connected somehow, right? They must be the monsters left over from the assault on Mount Orthys last summer. They want revenge for their master."

Something churned nervously in Jason's stomach. Months had passed since they raided the iron throne of Saturn and he still got bad feelings thinking back on it.

"Interesting theory," Reyna said cryptically, not giving even an inch away. Her piercing brown eyes raked the length of Felix. She was trying to access him, to decide if she should put an end to the gossip around camp or not bring attention to them. She chewed on her jelly-bean slowly, as if savoring the observation.

"Leave us for now," she finally said. "Go back to your afternoon duties."

"But—" Felix was silenced immediately by one of Reyna's steely looks. Jason couldn't blame him. Even Jason sometimes found himself stumbling on his words when his co-praetor stared him in the eyes.

"Go on," Jason encouraged, mustering a reassuring smile. "Reyna and I will speak on the matter at evening muster. For now, you should at least enjoy your lunch."

At this, Felix nodded and took his leave, but not without casting another reluctant glance back at the war banners on the walls behind them, a symbol of his dad, Mars. He muttered something like a prayer under his breath. Jason got the feeling he wasn't the only one around camp who was feeling uneasy. They could all sense something dark stirring out there, looming closer towards them, abducting legionaries.