"Preators? You wanted to see me?" Jason stood in the middle of Principia, hands bunching the sides of his pants to stop potentially wringing them with anxiety.
Julius wasn't looking at him, staring at a small square paper piece in his hands with brows furrowed. Reyna held a jar with candies in it, shaking her head and mouthing something Jason couldn't figure out. Aurum and Argentum were trying to reach the jar's contents.
"Grace." Julius took a deep breath.
Jason blinked. Julius hadn't called him by his surname for a while, preferring his name or his rank instead.
"I expected this kind of behaviour from your frater but you..." Julius mumbled, "You. The child of Rome."
"I– I don't understand, sir." Jason looked at Reyna for an inkling about what was happening.
"Ariadne once told me a proverb her sponsor had shared with her: Feed the crow and it will gouge out your eyes." Julius huffed, running a hand through his hair, his voice taking the sorrowful tone it always did when he was talking about his late co-praetor and girlfriend. "Explain why your co-centurion Gwen found this photo under your pillow in the last barrack inspection."
He slid the piece of paper across the table. Jason leaned to get a closer look, his blood freezing inside his veins as he saw what exactly Julius had in his possession: A photo of him and Alabaster, arms around eachother and close in a way that no enemies should be.
"We raised you, Jason Grace." Julius hissed, "tell me it's not true, that's it's all a misunderstanding."
"I—" Jason stammered, "Whatever you're thinking, it's not. I'm not a traitor."
"Yes, and that's why you have a photo with Saturn's general? Is that not General Torrington or do I need glasses, Centurion?" Julius got up, circling his desk.
"No sir." Jason whispered. Gods damn it, he knew he should had gotten rid of that photo after their date.
Julius towered over him, raising Jason's chin with a hand cupped under it. "I trusted you, Jason. And to think I was considering you as my successor..."
Julius wiped away a stray tear that Jason hadn't even realised it was there. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see two people from the First Cohort standing to the sides in full armour. Dread pooled inside his stomach. "Sir, please—"
"Seize him!" Julius barked. Before Jason could do anything, they had already latched onto his arms, dragging him towards the stairs leading under the Principia.
"Reyna!" Jason begged, desperation bleeding into his voice, "Reyna tell them, please! Ask Aurum and Argentum! I'm not a traitor, I swear—"
Reyna avoided his eyes. "Were you meeting up with Saturn's general or not?"
Her dogs growled, shifting their weight onto their back legs, ready to pounce at the slightest lie getting past Jason's lips.
Jason slumped in defeat, letting them drag him into confinement.
--------------
"Jason Grace, former Centurion of the Fifth Cohort, with the authority bestowed upon me by the Senate as praetor hereby I declare you stripped from your rank, any medals and citizenship of New Rome." Julius stomped his spear to the ground.
Jason had his back against Tiber, hands tied behind his back. The river raged behind him, the splashing water hitting behind his legs. Julius and Reyna stood in front of him, a group of archers holding a straight line between them and the rest of the cohorts forming a half-crescent.
"For the crime of treason, and aiding and abetting a known traitor—"
Jason wanted to beg, tell them he was no traitor. He had always been a loyal soldier his whole life. One of the archers drew their bow, the others following suit. Something seemed... off. Camp Jupiter certainly didn't have this many archers.
A boy he couldn’t recognise with sandy blonde hair and dull brown eyes stepped forward with a blindfold in his hands. Jason shut his eyes, not being able to bring himself to look at his fellow legionnaires in the eyes.
Arrows whizzed, though they never hit their target. Instead screams rang in open air as someone pushed him down, his back hitting the grass and hands cramped between the ground and his body.
His blindfold was ripped away from him as Jason stared at the same boy who tied it and was currently pinning him to the ground. Jason watched in bafflement as the air around them distorted, the blonde hair darkening to brown, the eyes shining till they reached the poisonous green Jason had came to know. Familiar freckles appeared on his cheeks.
The witch had arrived to the party.
"What are you doing here?" Jason whisper yelled.
"Saving your life." Alabaster drawled, helping them both onto their feet.
Jason looked around in confusion before the scene hit him. Several legionnaires were on the ground, arrows sticking out from their kneecaps, including Julius. Reyna glared at him as she rushed to her co-praetor's side.
Ouch. That hurt.
Saturn's demigods were breaking formations, causing ruckus between the legionnaires remaining on their feet. Alabaster untied his hands and whipped out his sword out of thin air.
Jason knew very well the lives of his friend's hanged on a single command from Alabaster.
"Al—"
"Let’s get you out of here," he mumbled, pulling Jason away from the riverside. Clashes of swords echoed behind them.
Jason turned his head to see how Julius and Reyna were doing; only to see Julius reach out to his spear, ready to throw it. Aimed right at Alabaster's back.
"Alabaster watch out!"
--------------
Jason's head was pounding, cold fingers were scratching his head. Soft sheets were tangled between his legs and... Alabaster's?
"Hhhg," he mumbled.
"Shhh," Alabaster cooed, hugging him from behind, face nuzzled against the back of Jason's neck. "Rest. We can see Lord Kro– Saturn tomorrow morning."
"What?" Jason's heart leaped.
"You agreed to join the army, remember silly?" Alabaster giggled.
Jason had zero recollections about that.
"I- I wouldn't— I," Jason wouldn't. He, he hadn't, right? "What happened?"
"Well," Alabaster hummed, "you did shoot at Julius with lightning."
Oh. Oh no.
Jason made a pained keen. "I have to go back then, explain myself, I—"
He attempted to get up, only to crash onto the bed as Alabaster yanked him back into his embrace.
"I didn’t save your life so you could get yourself executed, Jase." Alabaster spat out. He sighed softly, pulling the blanket to tuck themselves in. "You must've hit your head quite hard, you should really rest."
"But—" A hand clamped over Jason's mouth.
"Sleep." If Jason didn't knew any better he would have said that was a command, even with that though he couldn’t do anything to stop the heaviness of his eyelids.
Alabaster's voice might just as well been thickened honey, dripping and oozing with sweetness that pulled Jason under. The son of Hecate pressed himself closer, legs enveloping Jason's torso. The room they were in was pitch black save for the sligth glow Alabaster omitted, the bed softer than anything the barracks had to offer...
Would it be really that bad to close his eyes just for a second..?
