Hi! This is a little one-shot I started working on yesterday, but then got sidetracked and didn't finish it. You know how in The Lost Hero, Thalia mentions that Jason tried to eat a stapler when he was two? (Coach Hedge says: Staplers—excellent source of iron) Well, this is kinda of how I imaged that little scene happened. It's kind of cute, but beware, there's a little blood.

Disclaimer: I'm not R.R. Therefor, I don't own Heroes of Olympus or Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

- Staplers Are Not For Eating: Thalia's POV -

I sat in one of the worn chairs in our house, watching Jason, who was sitting in the middle of the floor, contently bouncing a ball over and over and over again. I wondered how little kids could ever find something that boring so amusing. But I enjoyed a second of sitting while it lasted—Jason was ADHD, like me, and I knew the peace wouldn't last long. Besides, if I watched him, I could take my mind off of other certain things in the house—like my drunk mother, passed out in the back bedroom, asleep.

Jason giggled as the ball hit the coffee table, sending my homework off the side in a flurry of white. Looking at his smile and hearing his laugh, somehow, I couldn't find myself being mad. Little kids were so cute...

I gathered up my papers, and sat them back on the table. I thought better of it, and grabbed the stapler, stapling them together so they wouldn't fly away like that again. I looked at Jason, who was still sitting on the floor, looking up at me. I set the stapler back down on the coffee table.

I bent down and poked him in the stomach, causing him to roll over and collapse into giggles. "Don't do that again, Jason. Be careful."

"Okay," he said, sitting back up. He leaned across the table, reaching for the ball again. It was a little out of his reach, so I handed it to him. He gave me a large grin—looking completely adorable with one tooth missing. I couldn't stop my face from stretching into a grin in return.

As Jason bounced the ball, I crouched down next to him. "You want some lunch, Jason?" I asked.

He dropped the ball, and nodded excitedly. Boys and their food, I thought to myself as I stood up, ruffling his hair and walking into the kitchen. I looked around at the cabinets, wondering what I could make for lunch. There were only so many possibilities for a nine year old kid to make.

Finally, I settled on generic peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, and started pulling things out of the cabinets. Bread... peanut butter... jelly... a knife... Spread the peanut butter on the bread...

Suddenly, I heard a wail come from the living room. Jason cried a lot—didn't all two year olds?—but this time it was louder, more urgent. He was in some kind of distress. I felt my pulse quicken considerably. I dropped the knife into the jar of peanut butter, and sprinted out into the living room.

I saw Jason sitting on the floor, leaking tears like a faulty pipe, the stapler sitting next to him on the floor. There was blood dripping from his lip, and onto his t-shirt. Oh, please. Don't tell me he tried to eat a stapler. That doesn't even look like food!

"Jason..." I sighed, bending down and scooping him up off the floor. He buried his face into my collar bone, resulting in smearing my shirt with blood. I didn't like this shirt, anyways.

I carried him back to the bathroom, and sat him down on the counter next to the sink. He was still crying, his hand going up to his lip, but I kept swatting it away. He'd only make it worse.

I grabbed a washcloth and cleaned his face off, so that I could see his lip properly. There wasn't a staple in it—thank the gods—but he still had a little tear where the edge of his lip must've caught the metal on the stapler. I wasn't a doctor, but I figured it was going to end up scaring. Then again, it was an adorable place for a scar. Ugh, this kid was turning me into a softie.

I pressed the washcloth back to his lip, and wiped the tears off his face with my thumb. His hands were still a little bloody where he'd been grabbing at his lip, so I ran them under the faucet too. I put his hand on top of the washcloth, showing him to hold it, and rummaged inside of the cabinet under the sink. There has to be some butterfly bandages somewhere...

"I'm hungry," Jason informed me from the counter as I stuck my head into the cabinet. Like I said, boys and their food.

"You mean the stapler didn't fill you up?" I said sarcastically as I found the box of bandages and pulled them out of the cabinet. Jason pouted, which looked kind of ridiculous since he was still holding the washcloth to his lip.

"No," he said truthfully. I smiled and rolled my eyes as I pulled out a butterfly bandage. "It hurt."

"That's because staplers aren't for eating, Jason," I reminded him, taking down the washcloth. I pressed the butterfly bandage over the cut, and pressed it down with my index finger.

"Why not?" he asked as I picked him up and carried him back to the room we shared, so I could get both of us new shirts.

"Because they're metal. You don't eat metal," I explained as I pulled a black t-shirt on over my head.

"Why not?" he repeated, as I dressed him. I stared at him. Really?

"Because metal isn't good for your stomach."

"Why not?"

"Because it rips up your insides."

"Why?"

"Because it's sharp."

"Why?"

"Do you want to eat lunch or not?"

"Yay! Lunch!" He ran out of the room and towards the kitchen. I made a mental note that if he starts asking questions, bring up the subject of food. I sighed to myself, and followed him out. Little kids...

Haha! I love writing about the characters as little kids... I might do a Leo one next. That would be adorable...

But anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are appreciated. :)