Percy Jackson, The Missing Hero.

15. Jason, the Camp Gossip.

"That was supposed to be on your face, wasn't it?" Jason asked, gesturing to the mask in Percy's hand.

"Yes, yes it was." Percy nodded. "I didn't think I was going to bump into anyone."

"Need me to pretend that I didn't see a thing?" Jason asked and Percy could see that he was visibly holding himself back. He could only hope that Jason wanted to hug him, not hit him.

Percy sat down next to him with a sigh. "I should probably say yes to that, but I've missed you too much." He admitted freely, turning so he could face Jason properly. "I've missed all of you."

"Can I hug you?" Jason asked, and Percy could see that his hands were shaking slightly. "I'm honestly wondering whether you're actually here or if I'm hallucinating slightly."

"Hey, Jay, no. I'm here." Percy moved closer so he could wrap his arms around Jason. "I'm solid, see?"

"It's been five years, you asshole." Jason cursed at him but hugged him all the same. "We worried so much."

"I didn't mean to make you all worry." Percy bit his lip as they parted, looking at Jason with guilt in his eyes. "I just wanted to get away and didn't think of the consequences to the offer I accepted until I was sat on a different planet having to write a list of my dead friends who I wanted to revive because I thought I'd never be able to see the ones I'd left behind. I thought that maybe in about 70, 80, 90 years, I'd be begging Chaos to ask Hades to open the Gates again so I could pull all of you out if you hadn't accepted offers of immortality."

"Is that who's with you?" Jason asked. "People you've lost?"

"People I've lost, people I've found." Percy nodded. "Friends, some former enemies, people I never knew but didn't deserve the tragedy that their lives ended in."

"Former enemies?" Jason looked slightly alarmed.

"They're reformed," Percy assured him. "But speaking of friends, I've barely seen anyone? Nico said that Leo only pops in on occasion, I saw Piper at the Counsellors meeting, but you didn't speak much? And I'm going to guess that Frank and Hazel are at Camp Jupiter? And I... I saw Annabeth too."

"Pipes and I are going through a rough patch." Jason choked out. "A day or two before you came to camp, she started acting weird. And she just turned around and told me that we were over."

"That doesn't sound like Piper." Percy frowned. "That really doesn't sound like Piper."

"I thought the same." Jason agreed. "I just don't know what to do. I was actually hoping to catch you and ask you about it at some point because I know that the reason you gave us is actually complete bull. You're here for something, and it's not rest and relaxation."

"To be fair, I could have just brought myself, Heros and one or two others along and we could do what we were asked to do and be gone as soon as possible, but we figured that we'd follow Chaos' suggestion and bring as many people as possible and we'd let them relax back into camp and have some time to live again while I did the dirty work," Percy confessed.

"So why are you here, what's the big secret?" Jason asked. "And that sounds like there are more people than we've seen?"

"We got split in two by Chaos, he sent the other half on a different mission with Scorpio, Invicta and Aurum. All of them will be joining us as soon as they're done."

"Scorpio, Aurum and Invicta?" Jason repeated. "Why name them and none of the others?"

"I may be named Leader, and Heros my Lieutenant, but in reality, the five of us more or less 'co-parent' the group. Invicta and Aurum basically co-parent us too, but that's beside the point." Percy laughed.