sky blue ● jason grace

knowing

cw: anxiety attack

Daria had fully expected this to happen.

They were all gathered in the dining hall the next morning when it turned out that Percy and Annabeth had not been stolen, and there was no imminent threat. Daria thought the worst thing about this morning was just going to be her first conversation with her boyfriend. But no, her cousin had to go and get almost kidnapped.

She wondered if Annabeth had a sneaky side to her, then shook her head. There was no doubt Percy Jackson was to blame.

Daria figured that this was the one and only time she and Coach Hedge would ever be on the same side. Hazel looked pretty scandalized, but the other five were enjoying the show. Daria figured the least she could do was make it entertaining.

"Never in my life!" She exclaimed as soon as they walked in. Daria was going to pretend that Jason hadn't snuck into her room the night before, that was totally different.

"Against the rules!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat back and forth. "Irresponsible!"

Annabeth seemed to realize that Daria was just doing it to tease Percy. Coach Hedge on the other hand might drop kick them into the ocean. "It was an accident, Coach. We were talking and fell asleep."

"Besides," Percy said, discontinuing his previous task of sticking his tongue out at his cousin, who had now retired to her seat. "You're starting to sound like Terminus."

Hedge narrowed his eyes. "Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll-I'll terminus you, buddy!"

Percy tried not to laugh. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense—"

Annabeth interrupted before he could insult her wits. "Grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

Jason had smiled at her when she walked in, as if nothing had happened last night. The quiet was disconcerting, her Jason, which was how she would refer to the past, was loud and brazenly sharp. She wondered when, in the timeline of Jason's overwhelming need for everyone to like him, he had placed Daria into that category.

She ignored the feeling, instead choosing to wonder about who she would need to talk to for there to be magical breakfast tacos at their Senate meetings. Daria supposed Octavian would be against it, that was a given, but maybe Senator Marcus...

She tuned back in to Percy, who was telling them about the dream he had last night (before he had snuck into Annabeth's room of course). Two twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.

So the idiot had gotten himself captured after all. She remembered their conversation at Camp Jupiter and a resentful feeling made its way to her stomach. She shouldn't have let him go, but he wouldn't have listened regardless. So they were at an impasse.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico... Oh, gods."

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"Well, they're right!" Hazel looked around the table, her confidence apparently crumbling. "Won't we?"

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before... uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."