Jason II
Jason looked in the mirror one last time before going downstairs; he adjusted his tie and smoothed his khaki pants. The smell of pancakes and bacon filled the apartment. Piper was waiting for him in the kitchen bar with the breakfast served in her cute bunny pajamas.
"Ready for another day Mr. Grace?"- She said with a charming smile- "you look very cute with a tie".
"Ohh look who´s in a good humor"- he said reaching to kiss piper´s forhead- "Actually I'm a little nervous, today is my first evaluation".
"I'm sure you´ll be fine, everybody loves you at the university"- piper said with a slight of charm speak.
"Don't you dare to use charm speak on me" - He said playfully and took a bite of a bacon strip.
A few years after he left Camp Jupiter to go to CHB, both piper and he decided that it was time for a fresh star for them, so after refusing Tristan´s McLean offer of coming back to California and having a luxury condo in Malibu, they moved out from camp and started searching for jobs. At first it was hard, adjusting from a life in practically a magical kid's camp to live in a huge city like New York, with completely new routines and risks (who knew NY streets were so aggressive). But now after 2 years of living by their own, Piper was starting a career as an anchor in a very important news chain and he had recently accepted a new job as a world and art history teacher in the NY University. He never thought teaching will be his thing, but he had discovered that it was very similar to be a praetor in camp Jupiter; he instructed people and helped them with their futures and plus he still got some kind of authority.
"You think you´ll make it today, to my bosses lunch?"- Piper asked interrupting his line of thought.
"Ohh"- he murmured. He had completely forgotten the lunch. With the evaluations, the grading of homework's and final projects he had been nearly all day in the university and still had a pile of work to check.
"I'm not sure pipes, you know with the big test coming out and the evaluations, I still have a lot to grade and I don't want to get behind, but I will do my best."- He answered
"Well, that´s not a surprise we have barely see each other in this month"- she sighted and rolled her eyes now slightly annoyed.
"Piper I'm trying hard to keep the post, you know how difficult is to find a well-paid teacher job this days"- Jason responded a little bit irritated.
They have been having this discussion for days now; they didn't have enough time to see each other, but still the wanted to maintain the apartment in Manhattan, the cars and all the other stuff. Sure a car was unnecessary in New York, but they had discovered that the monsters liked a lot the subway stations and public transport, so they stayed out of it.
"You know this is ridiculous, I'm all ready to use my bank account if you weren't so stubborn"- she snapped and her kaleidoscopic eyes turned a bit darker- "And you have your dad's money too"
Now he was pissed.
"Piper, you know that money is cursed and just a guilty present for not helping at all with the war"- his voice was now shaking. His father Jupiter had gave him a huge quantity of money after the war, as an apology of freaking out an closing Olympus without intervening in it causing a bloodshed of demigods- "And I don't want to abuse your dads help, he has already helped paying 6 months of the rent, what do you think that's says about me".
"That you are starting a career, cut you some slack Jason"- she said now somewhat kinder. Well, that shut him up; he calmed down, gulped his juice and leaned closed to piper. They continued to eat their breakfast in silence until there was a knock on the door.
"Mail, that's odd"- she said as she stud up.
Moments later she came back with a white envelope with golden ink.
"Look who sends it"- she handed me the letter.
The calligraphy was neat and kind of classic. The direction was from San Francisco. Jason opened the envelope and a picture came from it. It was a picture of the Seven and Nico in the Argo II, taken in our way back to Camp Jupiter after the war ended. They all looked so tired and devastated, but at the same time with an expression of relief. He had tried not to think of those moments or of the war at all, for years. He had learnt that if you tried to avoid those memories, the nightmares and the pain slowly disappeared, even if that meant forgetting some nice moments with his friends.
He gave the photo back to piper and started getting ready to leave for work.
"The message was from Hazel, she wants a reunion"- she said with a small voice- "I really miss our friends, Jason".
"Yeah"- he sighted- "I miss Leo"
"Maybe it is what we all need to finally close that chapter"- she continued- and you know… heal"
He walked out of the apartment, but hesitated and poked his head into the door.
"I will really try to make it to your lunch"
A tiny smile appeared in his face. "Thank you"- she said. And he left.
