EVEN GROUND| JASON

Just before dusk, Melanie pulled herself away from the office long enough to change clothes and shower before heading out to meet Jason. She almost regretted it, standing by the water and thinking about the past few days. What had she been thinking?  Inviting him to a Hydrokinetic's playground could be a disaster. Then again, she really just wanted to speak to him one on one, maybe even show him a few things now that she could. After the disaster that her life had become, any sense of normality would be amazing.

At least the water was calm from where she was standing, the rising moon glinting off the surface like a jewel. It was almost too serene, too peaceful to be a part of her world. A chill ran down her spine as she heard someone approaching, causing her to reach for her knife, even if she stopped herself before actually reaching that point.

@calloway

Jason approached, and as she reached for her knife, he reached for his sword, stopping short as she did with a grin.

"Jumping straight to the throwdown, eh?"

He laughed a little, slowly bringing his hand back to his side as he walked down to her. He would gesture at the water and the sea, which fed the cove. "You are brave giving me so much ammo. Or you trust me. I hope it's the latter- I trust you here in the darkness, after all." He kept the grin and would put his hands in his pockets. "Before we really talk I just want to apologize- It has been rough. Tere and Accalia are hospitalized and the death was...is...hard to deal with and comprehend. And I didn't mean to sound like I was blaming you. So. Yeah. I'm sorry."

He would put his hands behind his head and lean back a little, exposing his midsection to her....or seeming to.

"Anyway....what did you want to talk about?"

"No worries. It's been hard all the way around. The Hades household didn't lose anyone this time around...or maybe we didn't last time...it's complicated. Either way, command has had it rough trying to get things sorted out and getting the agents back to the island. Thank the Gods our records weren't compromised." Melanie sat down by the water, close enough to touch it if she wanted to.

"And for the record, I'd like to think that it is a little bit of both. I trust you, most of the time, but I'm not afraid of you when I don't." And she wasn't. It didn't matter what he could potentially do to her. If her training failed, if she died, what happened to her? She would have to see her father. That would be the worst part.

"Everything. I want to talk to you about everything, get you caught up to speed and get you ahead of the game before you go back in. Dynamics are key in understanding how things work and I'm going to give you that."

He tilted his head.

"That sounds like a plan, but....before we go into it, I'm curious what you mean by most of the time? Are there times you don't trust me?"

Not that he would be offended. He was just....curious.

Without even looking up, Melanie began to run her hand through the cool water. "It's my job to be suspicious, Jason. You are smart, ambitious, and powerful. I'd be stupid to not look at you twice." Ember Lynn would be safe, she was certain of that. What about the commander? Or even fin...Brax...Dante? "How do I know when you can't go any higher, when there isn't another position to walk into, that you won't make one? Any logical person in my position would at least have to keep that in mind."

"I trust you with my life, but there are precious ones who I would give mine for that I have to wonder about." Melanie looked him in the eye as she finished, hoping he could understand.

Jason blinked several times before he burst out laughing.

"Oh...man. You and I have entirely the wrong idea about each other. Shit....haha....you...you over-estimate my zealous desire for advancement. It's true I am ambitious- but not for ambitions sake. Not for rule or for power. I want to be in a position where I can help make decisions that will help everyone- but not so far up the totem pole that everything relies solely on me. That's...no. I think Ambition in healthy, even good to a certain extent. But if there is anything you can believe- believe that I would never, ever, do something like that. And I take my friends' concerns seriously. If there ever came a time where I out-ranked you, for instance...I would still talk with you and take your advice the same I would a private."

He grinned, blushing a little.

"You may not have a reason to believe that but....believe at least this: That in the end, I just want those I love to be safe, same as you. That's all I'm fighting for."

Still, it was good to know that she trusted him with her life. Though he didn't know what that meant or how much it meant to a child of Hades. He doubted they feared death much.

"up until the battle, I didn't have anything left to fight for." Melanie conceded."the battle at camp took everything from me slowly. My brother, my two best friends. This one gave then back. I was more dangerous, more aware before that. Now...the game has changed for me on a personal level."

Jason would watch her, then crouch beside her.

"You are included in those I want to protect, you know. If you have friends you have to look after, know that I'll be looking after them too. We're all on this island for the same reason- and we need to look out for each other."

He would then sit.

"Tell you what. Lets you and me break the rule our fathers made and not just be friends but good friends. You and I are cousins, right? I mean I never thought about it like that but it's true. So...let's you and me get to know each other. We can ask each other all sorts of deep and personal questions, make this night truly uncomfortable. Beyond even your brother's nearly throwing down the gauntlet."

Yet another grin. He was curious about her life, and he knew she had reasons not to trust him- their families were usually at odds, and she knew so little of him. Perhaps it was time to change that?

"Deal, as long as you don't mention the technical cousins thing again." Melanie replied with a mock shudder. Technically, they were all related in some weird way, but Gods didn't have DNA. Therefore, whatever she did with anyone on the island was fair game...right?


"Sorry about them by the way. I think they are all waiting for me to have that mental breakdown that's long overdue. Ethan means well, he really does. Aimery is just like that and Damien...well, he's a long story. Anyways, what do you want to know?" This could get interesting and fast, depending on where he wanted to go. She wasn't quite an open book, but she wouldn't keep anything from him either.

He chuckled. "Done."

Yeah, it was an easy deal. His words grossed him out a little too.

He didn't reply much to the bit about her brothers. They were protective, and she was in an argument. He understood their desire to protect their sister, especially from a child of Poseidon, God of the Sea. That was probably one of the key factors to their disdain. He would think for a long moment on his question- what would make her feel most awkward? She didn't seem like the type to get deep really often, so he figured the love life was a good place to start.

"Well first, do you have anyone your interested in? A lover, boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever your fancy happens to be?"

Hey, he didn't judge. People had their rights, after all.

Melanie groaned, falling backwards into the sand. "You would go there right off the bat!" She exclaimed, covering her eyes with her hands. Not this, not now...but she had promised so she would answer. "There is someone, but it's super complicated and we're not a thing, I think. We've slept together a couple of times and he was my best friend years ago, but now...things have been weird the past few days." If Jason wanted to know more, he'd have to pry it out of her.

"What about you? Any of our local girls catch your eye yet?" She asked as she finally made herself look at him again, knowing her face was still bright red.

He grinned at her blushing. Theeeere we go. The usually calm and collected woman, finally opening up a little. This was more like it!

"I do, actually! Accaila. She and I have spent a lot of time together- no bed mojo, but that's alright. I'm patient." Well, at least one of them was getting some action. "Tell me more about this fellow. His name, how it's complicated....fill in the blanks!"

Awww yeah, asking the questions that got the blush!

"No judging." She warned, trying to decide if she would rather just jump into the water and hope he let her drown rather than answer. Taking a steadying breath, she finally found the courage to reply. "It's Colonel Wyatt, Braxton, from the Minotaur Brigade. His sister is the girl I was telling you about that caused all this. Like I said, it's complicated in the highest degree and I doubt you want to hear that whole story." Yupp, that's how you start a night off that was supposed to be talking about military politics. Sleeping with the Colonel who tries to get you fired every time you breathe wrong was definitely a hot topic.

Jason wriggled excitedly.

"Ouuu drama in the bunk house! Noooo no. I definitely wanna hear the whole story."

He gave a large grin, leaning over a little and bumping her shoulder with his own! this was getting so good. She was giving all these insights into her life....he loved it!

"I met Brax at Camp when I first arrived. We were unlikely friends, always messing around and hanging out even though I was a party girl that could rival the Aphrodite and Dionysus kids on any day and he was a military buff." Melanie started, not sure how far back he wanted to go. "We did everything together. Right before the battle, I think we had started realizing there was something...more. We were only fifteen, we both had full siblings at the camp, and we were having the time of our lives. But the battle took everything from both of us. His sister was missing, my brother was killed. I changed, a lot. The only reason I survived that night was because Braxton made Octavia and I train on a regular basis. He was serious, even if he was fun."

She had paused there, caught in her thoughts and the nostalgia of the memories. How young they had all been, and how innocent they should have stayed. Braxton had saved her life in more ways than she could even count.