DA : Chapter 28: Brothers in Arms III

He gave her a grin as their eyes locked on each other and she smiled back shyly. He started walking her way and she couldn't help but lick her lips slightly as she noticed his toned body. 'Definitely going after this one …'

...

A Couple of Hours Later

Andromeda stood shocked at the events unfolding. She'd listened in to Jason and Nico's conversation for a good while and had felt suspicious when he said that Piper had been rather tense with him lately.

Now that she was close, Andromeda could feel it … the slowly dying love and growing lust.

Piper had loved Jason but it seemed that with the distance and influence of Aphrodite that love had wilted slowly. Her inner rage grew at the love goddess as Andromeda watched helplessly as Jason had his heart broken right in front of him.

She felt as if she herself had been stroke when his heart broke and could already feel tears building in her eyes.

He didn't deserve this, no one did. Were the Olympians so lost in their ways that they even tried to destroy their own heroes just to get what they want? It was clear to her from what she'd heard Jason say before that Zeus had enlisted Apollo to help break him up from Piper.

Seeing as she was probably one of his actual reasons for remaining mortal … the possibility of someday passing and going on to Elysium after his duty as a guardian had been finished.

Like Percy, they didn't want to lose another of their great heroes, again they were insulted because their offered rewards were rejected, and again their pride escaped them to lead to these tragedies.

Just watching all this made Andromeda so angry she wanted to find Aphrodite and skin her alive along with the other heartbreakers! With those thoughts she watched in awed surprise as Jason let loose a lightning coated fist.

It was so sudden Apollo didn't have time to react as the fist met his nose, a satisfying crunching sound following but Jason wasn't anywhere near done. He let fist after fist fly in an angry rage, Nico standing by silently as he watched while Piper screamed for him to stop.

After the fifteenth blow Jason kicked Apollo in the gut, knocking him back into the villa before he turned around, tears still streaming down his face.

They stood in silence, looking between the groaning form of Apollo and Jason. Then, in a voice so broken that Andromeda wanted to run up and hug him, Jason spoke.

"Get out … I don't want to see you again … Piper Mclean."

"Jason … why?" Piper had the gall to ask as she looked at him with red-rimmed eyes.

"I shouldn't have to even explain my reasoning spawn of love," Jason retorted harshly without looking back at her.

"But I need you and … y-you need … me," she choked out while looking at his back.

"I won't miss one. Typical. Love. Spawn," Jason replied with clenched fists but Andromeda could see the pain in his eyes as he said every word, more for himself than anything.

"N-Nico?" Piper begged as she looked to the silent Ghost King.

He didn't deem her worthy of words as he simply shook his head and turned away. Piper started to cry again but Andromeda wasn't paying attention to her. What she was paying attention to was the recovering Apollo as he wiped some ichor off his lips while glaring at his half-brother's back.

Then, in seconds Apollo summoned a golden dagger and rushed for Jason. Andromeda's eyes widened as she watched, knowing that Jason wouldn't react in time … so she made a choice.

Dashing forward she all but materialized between the two as her mist illusion dropped and Jason turned around in surprise along with Nico. Andromeda ignored their looks as she slapped Apollo's wrist making the dagger veer off as he looked at her in shock.

She didn't wait as she used her other hand to smash a fist into Apollo's temple while griping his outstretched wrist so he wouldn't get out of reach. With the sun god stunned Andromeda let a little vindictiveness slip through as she grabbed ahold of Apollo's shirt.

At the same time her knee shut up … right into his groin hard enough to lift him several inches off the ground. She caught Jason and Nico hissing in empathetic pain but she focused more on Apollo's stuck pig squeal.

She followed up with a fist to his gut making him double over before another knee met his face, breaking his nose further.

With one last sucker punch she knocked his ass out, making him drop like a string-less puppet.

Silence reigned as the three demigods looked at her in shock but she didn't have time to answer questions now so she rushed to Piper, gave her a sharp blow to the head to knock her out as well and sent a quick prayer to Mnemosyne to clear both their memories to the point she came in.

With that she spun around and grabbed both Jason and Nico's shoulders before they could react and shadow traveled with them out of New Rome.

They landed in a sprawling mess of limbs in a park centered in San Francisco but luckily it was empty at the moment. She quickly detangled herself from them and took a step back as they got up and looked at her wearily. After a few seconds of silence Nico broke the silence.

"Who are you?" he asked as he eyed her up and down while Jason looked for possible escape routes should things go south.

She knew both were unarmed so they were right to be cautious but she tried to give them a disarming smile while showing she didn't have any weapons in her hands … the bracelet on her wrist though was another matter.

"Easy there … I was just trying to help," she said softy.

"Why?" Jason asked with narrowed eyes. "And how did you do that to Apollo? I threw some serious juice into my punches and all I got out of it was a broken nose and some bruising."

"Well I'm a lot stronger so it wasn't that hard," she replied honestly but it didn't seem to make them feel any more secure. "Look, I don't mean either of you harm. In fact I might even have an offer you might like if you're interested?"

"An offer?" Nico asked with a quirked eyebrow. "What kind of offer?"

"And why do you think we'd do anything for you? How do we even know if you aren't someone who's after Olympus?" Jason added while his fingers crackled with electricity.

"Because I am against Olympus and after what you just saw, are you really willing to fight on the side of the gods?" Andromeda countered before sighing.

"Look, you can come with me and hear me out if you want or not at all, it's up to you. If not … I'll be going," she said as she half turned to get ready to shadow travel back to the House of Night.

"Wait!" Nico said before she could leave. "… Who are you?"

Andy bit her lip as she thought about the reply. She wasn't supposed to reveal herself yet but maybe it could get Nico and Jason's trust. But, didn't the gods say she died? Then they would think she is a liar and they would attack which would mean knocking them out and having Mnemosyne clear their memories as well. Taking a leap of faith she exhaled before facing them fully.

"My name is Andromeda Jackson, younger sister of Percy Jackson," she said in a grave voice while Jason and Nico gapped at her.

To add some validity to her statement she willed the disguise she had on to change, revealing her natural hair and eye color to them.

"B-but … they said you died," Jason said in a small voice.

"She didn't," Nico cut in as he looked at her closely while Jason's gave him a questioning look. Nico glanced at him before explaining.

"The gods lied. The Jackson family was murdered by your sister's mistress and Andromeda was kidnapped … however, a few years ago, Andromeda disappeared along with a wolf and girl that had infiltrated the hunt.

But that doesn't explain how you're this old now," Nico finished.

"I can explain it all somewhere safer. It will only be a matter of time before Apollo comes to and looks for us or worse, gets help from other Olympians."

She said as she noted how the night had only a few hours left and with the day Apollo would be significantly stronger.

"Look, you'll just have to trust me and I'll bring you to him."

"Him?" both demigods asked at the same time making Andy smirk.

"Why, my brother of course …"

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Don't forget to throw some power Stones, to keep the story going.

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