After Jason expined the vision, the two sat together, trying to figure out what it meant. Ultimately, they decided there was little to do other than continue. Jason offered to change clothes, which Annabeth immediately vetoed. The dress was obviously magical and held more protection than the thin linen tunic he'd worn before.

  The search, however, only sted another day and a half before they returned. Thankfully, the fountain wasn't far. They made camp beside it, grateful for the retive dryness compared to the rest of the rooms in the area.

  Jason shifted uneasily, his discomfort that had little to do with spending the night on the cold floor. Why they'd stopped was obvious; having lived with a woman for the st four years, he was fully aware of what was coming. The headache, cramps, and general grouchiness were good signs. What troubled him was that it wasn't bothering him as much as it should have.

  "How's the head?" Annabeth asked, her voice filled with concern, remembering the migraines that often came with her period.

  "I'll survive." Jason pulled his sleeping bag tighter around himself. "How are you taking this all so well?" he finally asked, his voice low but edged with frustration.

  Annabeth didn't move. "I'm not sure what you're asking," she replied, tone neutral. Do you mean being transported to a new world or the gender thing?"

  Jason groaned, exasperated, turning his face away from the faint glow of the fountain. "The gender thing, obviously."

  "I don't know."

  "How do you not?" Jason hesitated, then took a deep breath. Getting angry wasn't going to help.

  He thought for a moment, then asked, "Did you want to be a boy growing up?"

  Annabeth's eyes snapped open. "What the fuck, Jason?"

  He rolled over to face her. "It's a valid question. I mean, other than maybe the first few hours where we were both freaking out, you've been okay with the whole switching gender thing. Seriously, the next day you acted like you'd been a guy all your life."

  Annabeth frowned, her gaze drifting toward the fountain. That couldn't be true. "To answer your question—no. I was happy to be a girl and never had a problem with it."

  "Then why are you okay with all this, and I'm falling apart?"

  "I'm not," she objected, then sighed. "Believe me, I don't know. I didn't ask for this. But I won't apologize for surviving it better than you."

  Jason flinched.

  "Sorry, that came out wrong. You're right. At first, it was horrible—like I was walking around in a body that wasn't mine—and then suddenly it wasn't. You're still having issues."

  "Obviously," Jason muttered. "And the whole bleeding-from-your-crotch thing isn't helping."

  She looked over at him, her expression softening with sympathy. A chuckle escaped her despite herself, and she understood why they were having this conversation.

  "Yes, well, I imagine you could've done without the cramps, too. Makes the whole thing worse, really. Freaked me the fuck out the first time, but you learn to deal with it."

  Jason hugged himself tighter. He was way past the whole freaking out. The thought of dealing with this every month until they could switch back made his stomach twist—but not as much as it did before. He felt as if he were slowly losing himself to this new world.

  Then he had another thought.

  "Do you remember what happened when we were summoned?" he asked, voice muffled by the bedroll.

  "Not really," Annabeth replied. "I don't remember anything until your scream woke me up."

  "Oh. It felt like we were being torn apart and put back together again."

  Annabeth shivered, gd to have no memory of that. "Do you think they cast a spell on us to switch bodies?"

  Jason shook his head slowly. "No, I think the summoner royally screwed up. Remember—everyone but the two of us were in pieces."

  Annabeth grimaced. "Right. But you know, even if it wasn't a spell that switched us, it was still magic."

  Jason blinked, then nodded slowly. "I guess that's true."

  "Since apparently I don't have a lick of magical ability, maybe your magic's been fighting it—since you seem to have quite a bit."

  "Oh." That sounded reasonable, although it didn't help the situation.

  He then wondered which one of them the mage was trying to summon, but on second thought, it didn't really matter.

  The two sat quietly. Then Annabeth shifted, lying on her side so she could see him better. "Are you really having as many problems as before? I know this is all new to you, but you seem— 'better' is the wrong word—more comfortable. I was really concerned a few days ago that you were going to really freak out."

  "A few days ago, I probably would have." Jason sighed. "But you're right."

  Annabeth tilted her head. "That's a good thing?"

  "At least until we switch back." He rolled over. "Thanks for taking care of me."

  Annabeth smiled warmly, setting aside the idea of whether she even wanted to switch back for now. Their immediate survival was more important.

  "Of course. We're in this together. You know I still love you, right?"

  Jason sighed. "Yeah, I know."

  The next morning, Annabeth sat up, surprised to find herself alone. But off in the distance, she could hear someone singing quietly. Next to the fountain, Jason appeared, boiling water in one of the cy jars and scrubbing the blood from some bandages before setting them aside to dry.

  Annabeth smiled and watched him work, wishing the magic that had switched their bodies would hurry up and finish. She'd already apologized for having another boyfriend, so he was just being stubborn. Not that it wasn't something she loved about him, but she was positive they'd be a loving couple again once the magic was done with him.

  The vision of Jason standing there, in that beautiful dress, appearing so domestic, really excited her. Fantasies of having him underneath her, groaning in pleasure, had been in her mind for days. God, right now, she wanted to bend him over the fountain's edge, grab those hips, and fuck him into oblivion.

  For a moment, dreams of a lovely home with the whole 'white picket fences' thing flittered through her head—that was, of course, after she knocked him up. But that all could wait. They needed to get out of here first.

  "You seem better than yesterday," Annabeth greeted him with a smile while taking off her shirt.

  Jason leaned back, then shrugged. "For the most part. I decided that wallowing in self-pity wasn't going to change anything. And sitting around here is boring, so I figured after we eat, we can search some of the other corridors we've been skipping."

  Annabeth began to wipe herself off. "Sounds like a pn."

  Dressed and armored, she found Jason cross-legged in the corner of the chamber, the rosewood box resting on his p.

  "What's going on?" she asked as he opened it slowly.

  "I think I know what the runes mean now."

  He picked up the first two deep green potion bottles, which had a symbol resembling a leaf wrapped in fmes.

  "I was right. This one's restoration," he grinned. "Apparently, it accelerates healing. Bone, tissue, blood—that sort of thing."

  "You got all that from a rune?"

  Jason tilted his hand back and forth. "Sort of. It's the underlying meaning behind it."

  "Well, at least that vision gave you something useful."

  "True," he smiled, then picked up the third bottle marked by a symbol resembling a crescent moon and a single eye. "Pretty sure it's night vision. Nothing permanent, but something an adventurer would bring if they were searching inside a necropolis."

  "Nice. What about the third?" Annabeth asked, kneeling.

  "Protection. Magical barrier. I think it's simir to my spell, but not as powerful. You could use it."

  "Also, useful."

  Jason ran his finger along the fourth symbol—a blue-bck, swirling rune. "I think it's a silence potion, or something like that. I can sort of transte it, but I think it's an older symbol, so it might mean something else."

  "Maybe we should hold off using it until you're sure."

  Jason nodded. "Probably for the best."

  He pulled out the fifth and spun it around. "Speed potion."

  "Another good one," Annabeth grinned.

  Jason ughed. "I know, it sounds like something out of some game, but I think you should carry it with you."

  Unfortunately, none of what they found could switch their bodies. These were simply adventuring tools for those who searched the tomb for treasure. They were still useful, and maybe Jason thought they now had a better chance of walking out of this pce in one piece.

  Ignoring the obvious discomfort, the two headed out, taking a new path. Keeping track of time was almost impossible, so it was only a guess that Annabeth's prediction became true a few days ter. There were indeed rest stations of sorts spread throughout the massive complex.

  Behind a small archway made of red stone, they discovered a third fountain with clear, refreshing water pouring out of bronze fish-like creatures to welcome them. The room was small, though—no bigger than their old guest bedroom—but it, like the other found rooms, felt safe,

  The next day, they fought another monster, but this time, the two were not attacked first and managed to ambush a pig-like beast. After a swift hammer blow, Annabeth added more meat to their dwindling provisions. Jason had no compints this time; it did taste like pork.

  When they believed they had been traveling for nearly two weeks in this strange world, they found a hidden door behind a colpsed archway, half-buried in rubble and sealed with a rusted lock. It shared the fate of the pig monster, revealing a circur set of stairs leading upward.

  They looked at one another, then began to climb.

  The stairwell, carved into the stone, was narrow, winding, and steep. With no handrail, they hugged the wall but didn't stop. Soon, the air grew colder as they ascended, and surprisingly, the walls were covered in frost.

  Jason's breath came faster, not from exertion, but anticipation. "This has to be a way out."

  "I hope so," Annabeth whispered, then continued to climb.

  After what felt like hours, the stairwell ended. With effort, they pushed open the door that blocked the way forward and stepped onto a wide ptform rimmed with frost, open to the sky. It was nighttime, the stars hidden in the clouded sky, with snow blowing around them, barely more than a dusting but cold enough to sting.

  Jason didn't care, taking a deep breath. "Fresh air,"

  "Fuck it's cold," Annabeth murmured, then closed her eyes, relishing the wind on her face. "I almost forgot what it felt like."

  Then a gust of freezing wind hit them like a hammer, almost causing them to retreat, but a familiar scent pushed them forward.

  Without thinking, Jason moved carefully to the edge, looked down, and discovered they were in a tower high above the necropolis.

  Far below, nestled against the edge of the ruins, warm lights greeted them—a town, a city built beside the tombs, perfect for adventuring parties to rest and pn.

  Jason wanted to cry, discovering no other way down.

  "It's right there. People. Heat. Food." Annabeth ughed grimly, "And we're still trapped."

  The two stood silently before finally returning to the warmth of the tomb; their journey would continue.