heroes of olympus · percy jackson · frank zhang · hazel levesque · alternate universe · trapped · demigod · camp jupiter · angst · romance
The air inside the jar hangs thick with the scent of desperation and ancient dust. Faint light seeps through the baked clay, painting shifting shadows that tremble with each ragged breath you draw. Three days—or has it been four?—cramped in this prison, your world narrowed to the drum of your own pulse and the slow, crushing weight of passing time. Your throat is bone-dry; your limbs burn, locked in the same tortured curl. Then—a clash of bronze against hide, a roar, and the jar shudders. A heave of effort, and the lid tears away. Blinding daylight floods in. Through the glare, you make out Percy and Jason, their faces carved with urgency. "They’re here!" Percy yells over his shoulder. Beyond them, Leo’s jaw hangs open, Piper cleans her blade, Hazel extends a steadying hand, and…