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Hallway conversations chapter 2

(^ link to ao3)

James has a talk with the three demigods who've just shown up at his door and gets caught up on a years worth of bullshit he's missed

*edited

James knew that the instant he finished the mission without a hitch that something was going to happen. Life is never this easy for him, not with how he only seems to keep losing (parents, a wife, a lover, a leader) and then mix it will the shit from his godly father's side of the family, along side Melpomene's blessing, only makes his life a recipe for absolute disaster. He didn't even see one monster during this mission! And there's always at least one, even though this year that's gone up to being at least three. Concerning, but they're easily dispatched with his plasma blasts and trusty celestial bronze dagger or celestial bronze bullets (it really is a relief that the two Ms and two Quartermasters he's had know his situation ).

And finally, the new Quartermaster has even made a break through with the earpieces, genius celestial being he was, and developed ones that don't broadcast his position to every monster in Europe when he uses one. No more need to go through the MI6 phone route whenever he's had to make contact.

The time spent as well, working with Q to create those new earpieces was definitely, something, something that's made him want more. Made him want to constantly be there in person and see the glow on Q's face, the way his green eyes sparkle and his perfect mouth stretch into a beautiful grin as something finally, finally works. To put his hands into Q's thick hair and pull him close and devour him until he shines bright like the star he is and can only scream and think of James' name. He wants Q to punish him for once again losing an earpiece by accident (but not really), he wants him to-

Ah... It seems he's gotten off track, his apologies.

So, instead of feeling trepidation when the three young demigods showed up to his hotel room, he felt relief. Finally, the world made sense again James thought (filing away his other thoughts to privately contemplate later) as he followed the demigods into his hotel room, closing the door behind him.

He watched as the three turned to face him as soon as they got themselves in the room, most likely not wanting to leave him at their backs, something he understands. The young blonde girl and boy (he was positive neither was a young sibling of his, they didn't have the tell-tale glow) placed themselves behind the dark haired boy named Percy, apparently their chosen spokesperson.

"You can sit yourselves down," James said, gesturing to the lounge along side the wall behind them. It had two pillows and a coffee table in front of it

The three tensed and then moved to the lounge, sitting down quickly while James moved to sit on a chair already placed in front of them on the other side of the table and stared at each other in silence.

The relief James felt at first had disappeared, what will they tell him? What else has he missed while being busy with MI6? Has he lost anymore siblings?

Nothing they'll tell him will be good, James knew, not with how gaunt Percy and the blonde girl (the two most have a close relationship, if not a romantic one with how close they've sat themselves) look, their sunken cheeks and eyes he's seen before in his double-oh colleagues (and in the mirror) speak of something truely horrific.

And then the blond boy, who appears much more disciplined than the other two. The control he has with his movements and the way he sits tells of a strict military up bringing. Not something familar to what he remembers of Camp Half Blood the first and last time he visited when he went to New York over 20 years ago, just before he started his navel career (just after Tracey's death).

While the camp definitely could have changed its training style in those 20 plus years, the difference between him and the other two make it seem unlikely, there must be something more to him. Something they'll hopefully tell him when they finally explain what exactly is going on.

"Before we start," James said, leaning back a little in the chair and did his best to block the memories of Tracey, "what are your names?"

The three straightened, "I'm Annabeth," said the blonde girl, flinty grey eyes seemingly assessing him.

"And I'm Jason," said the blond boy with a hand clenched around a gold coin (not a drachma?) he pulled from his pocket.

James took his eyes off the coin and nodded. "First thing then, have I lost anymore siblings since the last war?" He asked, fearing the answer. He did not want to morn even more younger (so much younger) siblings he's never met.

The three looked at each other, whispering quietly before looking back at him. James only made out 'your camp' and 'fight', words that sparked a streak of worry through his chest, more than one camp and fighting?

"As far as we know," Percy said, his sea green eyes betraying nothing, a surprising thing for a teenager, or perhaps not, for a demigod at least, "your siblings are alive."

James let out a small breath of relief, not that it was much information, and straightened, "what have I missed then, why has my father stopped contacting me and does this also relate to the higher rate of monsters?"

"It does relate," Percy admitted and then pursed his lips, "how much do you already know?"

"I know there was a war," James said, "and some battles before that. I know the great prophecy was fulfilled and you, Percy, are the son of Posideon and the one to fulfill it. I know all the names of the siblings I lost but not how they died. As I said, my father only told me the basics." Not even the few divine beings he slept with after the war told him much of anything (though he now knew why they were all absent during the years of the war), not that these three teenagers needed to know that, at all.

Percy, who's eyes narrowed through his answer, asked "If you knew of it, why didn't you come to help?" Annabeth and Jason tensed bedside him.

"Because I only found out the war happened after it ended." James said, making sure to not let his voice betray too much of the rage he still felt against his father for telling him so late. His anger will help no one at the moment. It didn't matter what he was going through during those years and that his father tired to 'protect' him from more pain. He still could have been there, he could have helped, his siblings could have survived, children should not have been the only line of defence. By gods does he want a drink right now.

Percy nodded but his annoyance at the answer was still visible.

"But, I promise you," James said with levity, "that I have not forgiven my father for telling me of it that late. And he knows it."

The three teenagers relaxed slightly at this response.

"As for the situation now," James continued, "I'm afraid I know very little. All I can say is that my father has not contacted at all since November last year, and the rate of monsters has been concerningly high." James paused, "there was also June where monsters just didn't seem to die no matter how many fatal hits I dealt," or how many fatal hits I received for that matter he thought, "but that issue seems to be fixed, now?"

The three nodded, "Thanatos had been trapped as well as the Doors of Death," Percy said with a dark voice, "I was part of the quest to release Thanatos in June and only a few days ago," here he paused and held Annabeth's hand, squeezing it tight, "released the Doors of Death with Annabeth."

The statement filled the air with a sense of heaviness and both Percy and Annabeth looked far away. Their breathing escalated and their held hands flexed as both became stuck in memories that were no longer a reality. Their friend Jason looked at them both worriedly but made no move to touch them. A good idea on his part, it can be a dangerous thing to touch people with no warning whose minds are stuck reliving traumatic situations, especially people who are trained to fight as these two most definitely are.

James held out a hand in the direction of Percy and Annabeth and created a small ball of plasma, making sure not to make it too bright and only emit a gentle warmth.

Ignoring Jason's wide eyed stare, he stood up and went to the small kitchenette, "say their names, let them know where they are," he told the boy as he got four glasses and began filling them with water from the tap. James made sure to stand in a way as to not block the view of his actions and allow Jason to see that he had only filled the glasses with water and nothing more.

Slowly coming back with the glasses held carefully in his hands, he placed them all on the table, allowing the three teenagers to chose their own glass before taking his own. Whatever Jason had said to Percy and Annabeth, which James heard nothing of given the mix of the the tap and Jason speaking softly, looked to have worked as they both were again present in their surroundings and staring at his ball of plasma in slight confusion.

James ignored their looks and took a noticeable sip of his water, knowing they wouldn't have theirs unless he drank first. Just where had the doors been for Percy and Annabeth to have had a reaction like that from only mentioning them, James wondered, what did they have to go through to release them?

"Are you alright to continue?" James asked, once Percy placed his glass down, the only on the finish his water in one go.

Percy nodded seriously, "yes," he said, his voice calm and clear, hand still in Annabeth's (neither had let go since he took it, even during their flashback) and Jason's hand on his shoulder, whose expression was still worried but said nothing to try and change Percy's mind.

"But, about that light," he said looking at the plasma ball with slight confusion before looking back at James, "did you make that?"

James paused mid sip and placed his glass back on the table, "I did," he said, "would you like for me to get rid of it?"

"No!" Both Percy and Annabeth exclaimed before looking a embarassed at James'responding raised eyebrow.

Annabeth cleared her throat, "it's just something different, something that wasn't there," she bit her lip before continuing, "it helps, having it."

James nodded, "I'll leave it then."

"I didn't know children of Apollo could do that," Percy said, thumb stroking Annabeth's hand, "I've only ever seen them have healing powers, do really well in archery and also in music. Oh, and cursing others to speak in rhymes, can't forget about that. But," he tilted his head, "I've never seen them use any powers that deal with light at all." Annabeth and Jason nodded in agreement.

James shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you, my father is the god of the sun and so I have abilities that deal in light. Perhaps it's not a common power amongst my siblings. I can't really say since the last, and only time, I've met any of them was 20 over years ago, but even then none could do anything similar."

All three nodded before Percy spoke again, "why was it over 20 years ago the first time you met them and then never again?"

James held up his hand absolutely not wanting to share the loss he went through, "if we go down that path, we won't have enough time to get through your explanation of why the godly side of things has gone to shit again, I only have an hour left until my check out time, so please, let's stay on the topic that's actually important."

Percy nodded and closed his eyes, letting out a breath, "right," he said and opened his brilliant green eyes, "after the war ended in August last year, my friend Rachel became the new Oracle of Delphi and revealed a new Great Prophecy called the Prophecy of the Seven, which called for seven half bloods to save the world again."

James narrowed his eyes, "I see."

Percy continued, "we thought it was nothing to worry about, since we just finished a great prophecy, the next one wouldn't come so soon, but, two months later Jason went missing," patting Jason's knee next to him, "the next month Zeus called back all the gods and closed off Olympus allowing no communication from them to any of us half bloods, as you noticed with Apollo, and mortals."

James pursed his lips and nodded sharply.

Percy paused for a second before speaking again, "the month after that, I went missing and I lost about four months before I woke up in April, I guess, in California with no memory of anything."

James clenched his fists on his lap and spoke in a controlled voice, "what happened in those four months then? What had happened to you, Jason?" He asked, hoping with everything that the conclusion he's coming to is wrong.

Jason looked at James, "I 'woke up' earlier than Percy," he responded, "three days after he went missing, actually, on a school bus heading to the Grand Canyon for an excursion also with no memory, yet apparently everyone on the bus knew who I was and that I had a best friend called Leo and a girlfriend called Piper. Our school supervisor, Coach Gleeson, was actually a faw- Satyr," he corrected himself as James narrowed his eyes at the slip, "we ended up getting attacked by monsters, which we defeated but not before losing Coach Gleeson, Annabeth," he nodded to her, " then came to us in a chariot and took me, Leo and Piper to camp half blood as we found that the three of us were half bloods."

James nodded.

Jason took a deep breath, "landing at camp Leo and Piper were claimed by Hephaestus and Aphrodite respectively before we were issued a quest to rescue Hera who had been kidnapped and set to be sacrificed to raise the Giant king Porphyrin."

James' eyebrows flew up his forehead, "who would dare kidnap the Queen of Olympus?" He asked incredulously.

The three tensed, "the earth," Jason said eyes imploring for James to understand which he did. James closed his eyes, his conclusion was right, the next great prophecy has begun so soon after the first, and it being a war with Gaia, the earth herself, at that. How could you hope to win a war with an opponent who's the very ground you walk on.

James had no time to continue those kind of dark thoughts however, so with a deep breath, he steadied himself and opened his eyes, staring back at Jason, "continue."

Jason nodded, "our quest led us to rescuing Coach Gleeson and Hera, stopping the rising of Porphyrin, but, regardless of that the war had begun and the Prophecy of the Seven started."

James absorbed this information, wishing desperately for a strong bottle of scotch to loose himself in, but regrettably this was not the time or place. "And what of your memories?" James asked, mind still half on the expensive scotch he had hidden at home, "have they come back?"

The three had a quick glance with each other before Jason responded again, "they have," he affirmed, "we found that Hera placed me on the bus that day and created memories for everyone so they believed they'd know me for a while."

James clenched his jaw and dug his fingers into the armrests they layed on, manipulation at such a degree was disgusting, even more so done to children.

"And why were your memories taken?" James asked when the answer wasn't forthcoming as quickly as he wanted.

Jason looked at the other two before warily looking back at him, "that's also another big thing," James raised an eyebrow, not liking how this is being drawn out, "Hera took my memories so I could act as a bridge," Jason finished.

"A bridge?"

Jason nodded slowly, "a bridge between the Greek camp and," he hesitated for a second, "and the Roman camp."

James stilled, Romans? "There's a Roman camp?" He said, slowly.

"I am a son of Jupiter, and former Co-Preator of the Roman Legion." Jason said.

James closed his eyes and the headache he'd been ignoring since the start of the explanation grew in a fierce intensity, more child soldiers?

James focused some healing energy to his head to starve off the headache, when it backed down to a more manageable level he opened his eyes and drank some water, "go on," he said as he put his glass down.

"Once I revealed that back at camp half blood, I realised that if I had been taken to be bridge of the Romans at the Greek camp, then Percy must have been taken as a bridge for the Greeks at the-"

"Roman camp." James finished, "so the Roman gods exist too?"

The three nodded, "most of the Roman gods are aspects of the Greek gods," Annabeth explained, "as when when the Romans adopted the gods, they gave them different names and added attributes. As the camps have been kept separate since the last civil war, the gods aspects have been able to be seperate, but since according to Hera, the camps need to unify to have any hope of winning this war, the gods have been at war with themselves as their different aspects try to be in control. It also hasn't helped that there is still deep resentment between the camps and we are once again at war with each other for reasons that'll take too long to explain."

The headache James had hoped he got rid of came back with a vengeance, "please, just get through the end," he almost begged.

"My friend Leo also built a flying boat with his siblings that he named the Argo II and we've been traveling around the world in it." Jason said with Percy and Annabeth nodding next to him.

"The Argo II?" James asked dryly.

"Because I'm Jason."

James sighed, "you certainly are."

Percy began to speak, "now it's back to my side of the story." And started where he left off, "I woke up in California and made my way to camp Jupiter while being chased by Medusa's sisters with no memory at all. I crossed the camp's boarding river while carrying Juno," Hera, James thought, "and was accepted by the wolf goddess Lupa. I became acquainted with my now two friends Frank and Hazel, Frank who we found out just before going on the freeing Thanatos quest is the son of Mars and Hazel is the daughter of Pluto. The quest took me, Frank and Hazel all the way to Alaska where we found Thanatos and freed him and defeated Alcyoneus and Polybotes and also regained my memories."

Percy stole Annabeth's water and drank it all as she just rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's(?) action.

Apparent thirst quenched, Percy continued, "Jason and Annabeth arrive on the flying ship along with Leo, Piper and Coach Gleeson the day after we finished the quest. After things went wrong as they always do, me, Frank and Hazel join up on the ship, creating the seven and leave camp Jupiter in a state of anger against camp half blood. We went on many adventures and solved a lot of issues, rescued our friend Nico, a son of Hades, from a jar he'd been captured in by the giants Ephialtes and Otis, defeated those two giants with the 'help'," Percy and Jason rolled their eyes, "of Bacchus," Dionysus, James' mind supplied, "and afterwards found out from Nico that he had been taken from Tartarus," Percy spat out the name, giving James a very bad feeling of where this was going, he didn't even want to think of how young Nico was either.

"Why was he in Tartarus?" James asked dreading the answer.

"He fell in while looking for the doors of death," Percy responded, with his eyes closed and Annabeth leaning against his arm, her other hand holding onto his bicep, "and he found them, right in the heart of the pit."

"Fuck," James said quietly, "if they were in there and you two released them, then you both?"

Annabeth nodded, "we fell in after taking back the Athena Paethenos from Arachne," she responded softly, stroking Percy's arm as he was no longer in a position to speak, "it was my hubris, I suppose, that did it, if I hadn't taunted her or moved further away from the hole she couldn't have dragged me down with her and Percy wouldn't have fallen with me."

"It wasn't your fault, and it shouldn't have been your responsibility." James said, they're only teenagers, it shouldn't be up to them to save the world. Thinking of that lead him back to the memory of his father telling him of the first war and the siblings he lost. It was a struggle to keep himself from glowing as bright as the sun, but he wouldn't be where he is if he had no self control. Only gods and children born of Apollo could view him safely when he burnt with anger.

Annabeth snapped her head to him, "I am a daughter of Athena, of course it was my responsibility." She said sharply, "and who else could it have been, there's no child of Athena older than me."

James breathed and held up his hands to placate her, "I'm sorry," he said, "I just wish it wasn't so."

Annabeth stared at him and nodded before Percy continued, snapping himself out of whatever thoughts held him, "we travelled through Tartarus and made our way to the doors of death with the help of the peaceful giant Damasen and the Titan Iapetus, who was our friend after I doused him with water from the river Lethe, don't ask," Percy said quickly when James opened his mouth, "we released the Doors and me and Annabeth were both sent up while Damasen and Iapetus defended the doors for the ten minutes it took for us to get to the top."

"And this happened almost two days ago?" James asked, feeling his 40 years and now wanting nothing more to just drown himself in scotch.

"Yes," all three said at once.

"Is that all then?"

"Our friend Nico is on a journey with two others to take the Athena Paethenos to camp Half Blood through shadow-travel."

"Shadow-travel?" James interrupted.

"He can travel between shadows," Jason said quickly.

"Ah."

"Nico left with our other friend Reyna, daughter of Bellona and Co-Preator of camp Jupiter and our saytr protector Coach Gleeson in hopes to prevent an all out war between the two camps while we, the Seven, continue on our way to defeat the giants and keep the Earth from rising."

"Now, is that all?" James asked tiredly.

"Yes." They all said.

"By the gods," James said and dragged his hands down his face, sighing. "So, what was it that Melpomene sent you to me for?"

"She came to me in a dream saying that you could help us, not how or why, only that you could." Percy said.

"And you came to Albania from?" -"Greece"- "From Greece, on the word of a goddess?"

Percy shrugged, "She's the muse of Tragedy, I feared more what she could do to me if I ignored her than if I listened to her, so, here we are."

"Here you are," James repeated quietly before standing up and allowing his plasma ball to fade away.

The three looked at him with wide eyes as he grabbed his suitcase from his bed, thanking whatever gods were listening that he was already packed and ready to leave. His gun was holstered under his jacket and full of bullets, his second gun was holstered at his ankle filled with celestial bronze bullets and his danger was strapped to his other ankle. He was good to go and help these kids in whatever way he could, he wasn't going to have his decision taken from him like the first war, not this time.

James looked at them from the room's small hallway, "well, are you coming?"

The three quickly got up and made their way over to him.

"You're coming with us?" Percy asked with barely hidden delight.

"I am." James responded and walked out the door, holding it open for the three teenagers to get out.

Annabeth and Jason had small smiles on their faces.

"I just have to make a quick call first however," James said as they walked to the elevator.

"To who?" Percy asked as they looked at him in confusion.

"My superior," James replied and pressed the ground floor button once they were all in.

"Your superior?" Annabeth asked.

James looked at the three of them with faint amusement, "I am an employed adult you know, I cannot just take time off with no explanation," not that they need to know that he has, in fact, taken time off with no explanation multiple times before.

"Why do you call your boss, your superior? Is that a British thing?" Percy asked.

"Firstly I'm Scottish, not British and second I assure you that this won't take too long," and with a smile James made his way to the front desk, ignoring the muttering of how he didn't even answer the question behind him, to check out before asking for the whereabouts of the closest payphone, knowing that as soon as he got to it, it would start ringing. He hoped Q didn't think he was being sneaky using the hotel's security cameras to watch him leave and then most certainly use whatever cameras there were outside to watch him make his way to a payphone. He was a predictable one, his Q.

Hopefully his three trailing demigods won't be too surprised at the sudden ringing of the phone, or the fact that the help they're receiving is coming in the form of an international spy, infamous for leaving a trail of explosions and brutality. James knows it's not something he can keep hidden forever, but it's something he can keep hidden for now.

Well, perhaps until they're on the flying ship.

#fanfiction #james bond #daniel craig james bond #00q #q james bond #james bond is a son of apollo #pjo #percy jackson #annabeth chase #jason grace #percabeth

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