-Percy-
I paced the road, rubbing the back of my neck and wishing I was wearing jeans and sneakers. But, em'Noo! You have to look nice!" With the charmspeak flooding over me, it sounded like a good idea, but when I was in the slacks, dress shirt, and sports coat, I felt stupid and uncomfortable.
"Dude, chill out it's not a big deal, you'll be fine," Jason cautioned from the hood of my truck. Frank glanced nervously at him like, 'Are you trying to get us soaked with sea water?' He turned around and continued setting up the camera.
"You try 'chilling out' when you're in this situation. I'm not gonna forget that comment, Sparky."
He closed his eyes and took three deep breaths. "Okay, fine. But give me your jacket, untuck your shirt, and take off those awful shoes, the formal thing isn't working for you."
I smirked at him, doing as he asked, "Your girlfriend would kill you for that comment. She put this outfit together, remember? No matter how unAphrodite she tries to be, and how cool she really is, she's a child of the love goddess. You can't prohibit some things." He rolled his, taking my jacket and shoes.
"Call Pipes, she'll get you to calm down." I pulled out my cell phone, a waterproof replica of the one Valdez finished just before... Well, the one that Leo invented. Piper was number eight on my speed dial (after Annabeth, my mom, Frank, Jason, Reyna, and Hazel).
She picked up with, "Hello?"
"Uhhh..."
"Yes, I'd like to place an order for a large olive and sausage pizza."
"Piper, it's me."
"Yes. Thank you." It dawned on me, she was in the car with Annabeth. How stupid could I be?
"Umm... Yeah, so, how far away are y'all?"
"The wait is about an two hours?"
"Umm... Okay, sure, yeah."
"It's okay, just calm down, we didn't need the drinks too," her words washed over me and I felt instant relief. I could hear Hazel and Reyna yelling in the background, music being turned up. They were covering for me.
"Thanks."
"Yeah, that's fine. Thin crust would be preferable. Oh! And garlic sauce too." Her words made me want to go buy her a pizza. She whispered into the mouth piece, "Calm down, you're gonna go into the water, stay calm till I get there. But don't you dare get your clothes wet. And tell Jason not to eat. He'll get his shirt dirty." I glanced up, Jason was about to take a big bite of a hamburger. I shot him a warning look and he spewed some Latin curses.
"Okay, thank you," I ended the call, "I'm gonna go for a swim." Jason looked at me for a second like, 'Dude, you're all dressed up!' But then got it. I guess even after years of being demigods and years of living in the same cabin wouldn't make us used to each other.
I took of towards the shore and heard Jason mumble to Frank, "Do I look that good when I run?" Glancing back, I saw Frank smirk and shake his head, laughing at Jason's annoyed expression.
The tide was cool and I willed myself to stay dry. As much I wanted to be get wet, I didn't need Piper forcing me to punch myself or do something embarrassing, especially today. I let myself get lost in memories. Memories of the past four years, of Annabeth, of his now expanded family, of his friends, and of the friends we'd lost.
It was hard being with Jason Grace. First of all, he was a showoff, and constantly was trying to outdo me. Second, he thought just because his daddy got the sky, that he was better. Not true. Who needs clouds? But at the same time, he was a reliable and forgiving friend.
Even when he made mistakes that could've cost him a lot more than I took, he wasn't all that bad, like the time her tried to kiss Annabeth in a game of truth or dare. Will Solace had told him to kiss the prettiest girl in the room. Piper had been on a temporary ban from this game because she would use charmspeak to "bend" the rules. And when Solace said, "Either kiss the prettiest girlin this room, or tell us about your relationship status with the Charmer." (Will had a knack for nicknaming people, and that was Piper's latest pet name.) Jason's face went red, because their was a little bit of magic in the game that: A. Prevented us from refusing the dare and B. Made it so we couldn't lie. He had, without pause, turned to his left, where An stood and leaned in, but I was already there. One of the rules was that we had to be across the room from our siblings and/or significant others, but I saw Grace's brain wheels turning and was between them with Riptide at his throat. I love playing games, but there is a time when the fun must be over. When Solace tried to tell me that I couldn't interfere with the game, I accidentally made our canteen, along with all the other drinks in the room (some still in the bottle, some just liquid), hit him in the face, full force. Let's just say, he was out for a good hour, and no one had tried to kiss my girl since.
Then there was my little sister. She was my mom and Paul's kid, not my dad's, thank the gods. She was three years old and quite a surprise. My mom is in her forties and Paul is almost fifty, so it was shocking for them and me. But Joy truly was a joy. I loved her to the ends of the earth. The only thing is whether or not we can hide all of this from her./p
