"Umm... J-Jase. They... they f-fell into T - T - Tartar-"

~·~·~

Jason felt the air grow heavier around him, as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end and a slight scent of ozone wafted across his nostrils.

Waves of emotion flooded through him: anger, guilt, sadness. Why hadn't he been there? His own girlfriend... was in hell.

His eyes were clouded for a second, and a deafening bang exploded the still atmosphere. He only heard a couple of frightened cries before he had ran away to his room, unable to face his friends at that moment...

And now Jason was sitting on his bed, staring blankly at the sky blue wall in front of him. His face showed nothing, but really he could barely control the sadness that bubbled inside of him. His mind was scrambled, shocked, unable to process what he'd just heard.

He listened to footsteps passing outside his door, pausing for a second or two before continuing. He'd probably scared them off... but he hadn't meant to explode any tables. It had just happened, as a side effect of being Jupiter's son. Father must still be fighting against Gaia, the nice, optimistic part of Jason's mind told him happily. Jason pushed that thought aside. At that moment, he did not care.

It was only when Jason had seen the golden glint of a drachma underneath his chest of drawers had he decided to move. He was going to send an iris message to Piper, something Frank had taught him before he'd disappeared on his own quest.

He grabbed a spray bottle of water and squirted it next to the window, fixated by the rainbow that appeared in the falling droplets. He threw his drachma through the mist, and noticed how it seemed to just vanish, like it had been snatched away by some invisible hand.

"Oh Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Piper in... T-Tartarus," he murmured, his voice cracking slightly when he mentioned that dreaded place. He was shocked by how low and gruff he sounded; as if he had already given up.

He ran a hand through his hair, watching as a large screen formed in the spray of water. It showed nothing, darkness, before sliding into definition.

A soft blur appeared in the centre of the screen, before the edges sharpened to show a face. Piper's beautiful face.

Her hair was messed up and tangled, cheeks flushed against her pale skin. Her kaleidoscope eyes were wide open as she  glanced around, hand on dagger and entire frame tensed and alert.

"Pipes..." Jason gasped, before raising his voice and repeating himself. His girlfriend jumped, placing a hand on the floor and attempting to push herself up before grimacing in pain and pulling away. Jason saw a couple of glass shards embedded into the soft skin of her palm before she hid it away and cradled it in the crook of her other arm.

"Jason!" Piper whispered, her eyes suddenly shining. "Oh my gods, is it really you?" A huge smile spread across her face when Jason nodded.

"Yeah, it's me. Oh, Pipes... I'm so sorry. I should've been there. I could've saved you. I'm so stupid!" Jason slid his hands behind his back and pinched his wrist... hard. It was all his fault. He had promised to protect her, and yet this is how she ended up. He'd failed.

Piper shook her head, face clouded by stress and sadness once more. "It's not your fault, Jase. None of this is your fault. In fact, no one actually is to blame. Please don't be too hard on yourself."

Jason nodded once again, digging his nails into his wrist even harder. He quickly fixed his face into a calmer expression and brushed aside the guilt he could feel in his stomach, heavy and tiring.

"So... where's Leo? Is he ok?"

Piper's face fell as she adjusted her position slightly. The limp body of Leo Valdez slowly became visible as she moved.

"He's asleep. I gave him the last of the Ambrosia because his leg was broken, and when we'd landed here some rocks had dug into his back. He's been acting like he's ok, but he sure looked to be in a lot of pain."

Jason remembered how his best friend had broken down after Annabeth had snapped at him, and how he thought Leo covered up his feelings with a happy, relaxed façade. He was seriously worried about his friend.

"Well... if he's ok now-" Jason started slowly. "I'd better go. Please stay safe for me, Pipes. I love you."

Piper laughed wearily, shuffling back into a comfortable position. "I love you too, Sparky. I promise me and Leo will get out of here safe and well. I swear it on the River Styx."

And with one last sad smile, Piper waved her hand through the mist, and broke the connection.

The room was eerily silent for a second, before an agonizing pain sliced through Jason's forehead. He screamed, clutching at his hair and falling down to the floor. Gaia's booming voice suddenly echoed into his mind.

An oath to keep with the final breath. Remember that, Jason Grace? An oath to keep with the final breath...

"Get lost, Gaia!" He yelled, rocking back and forth, hands pressed to his ears. "Leave me alone!"

As you wish, you stupid little demigod. But I'll be back. Remember what I have told you.

The pain subsided, and Jason collapsed to the floor, sobbing. A sudden feeling of nausea rushed through him, and he stood, stumbling to the bathroom before throwing up in the toilet, choking on the salty tears that ran down his cheeks.

AN
Well. I was not expecting to write that...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What in Hades!? Anywhoooo... hello drama llamas! I'm back! Omgs, Spain was amazhang! But then I wrote an entire chapter that I really liked... and it got deleted. I tried again... and it deleted. This is, like the third attempt!! Aaaargh!!!

I hope you like this chapter! I actually really enjoyed writing it... even though it's kinda depressing...

Also... my school bestie, wendyfloss, has started a 100 Facts About Me book, and it would be totally awesome if you checked it out and voted and commented... and all that! Oooh, and another of my friends, FallOutGirl111, has started a brilliant Patrick Stump/Fall Out Boy fanfic, and it's REALLY good! Go find and enjoy!!!

Hehe... pandas...

Please vote and comment, mis amigos!!

RandomPhandom xxx

P.S: BREAK UP TOMORROW! YAAAAY!!!