AN: I don't own PJO.
Raiden Grace was woken at three in the morning by someone tapping on his bedroom window. He didn't panic, didn't get his weapon, didn't call his parents. Because he already knew who's face would be at the window, hoping to be let in and given a place to hide for the night after her latest mischief.
He yawned as he opened the window for his best friend, Maxine Valdez. Max grinned at him.
"Morning, Grace. You look like Tartarus." She whispered, careful not to wake his parents in the next room. Jason and Piper weren't exactly happy when she broke in during the middle of the night, and her parents were even less happy when they got called by an annoyed Jason and Piper about something Max had done. Not that Raiden's parents often did that-they liked Max. But they, unlike him, needed their beauty sleep.
"Looked in a mirror lately?"
"Of course, you always look like that, so it isn't saying anything."
"It's "in" this season."
They grinned at each other, then high-fived. "Can I crash here tonight?" Max asked, collapsing on his desk chair. "I screwed up."
"No kidding." Raiden said, sitting down on his bed and sipping his coffee. The fifteen-year-old always kept coffee by his bed for these occasions.
Max looked confused. "You already know?"
"Wait, we aren't talking about your face?"
Max rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. "Funny, Grace. Seriously, I'm in hot water this time."
"Unlike all those other times?"
Max shrugged modestly. "This is worst. My parents will be so pissed. Even my dad, and he usually isn't."
Raiden was actually getting nervous. If something could anger Leo Valdez, the most laid-back person Raiden knew, then it must be really bad.
"What did you do, spray-paint "loser" on the back of Zeus's throne?"
"Worse."
"Summon an army of monsters into camp?"
"Worse."
"Try and break Ares's nose?"
"Worse."
"Just tell me already!" Raiden said, getting a little annoyed. He didn't mean to charmspeak-he really honestly didn't. Sometimes it just slipped out, like the time he'd accidentally electrocuted his math teacher. He wasn't fully in control, unlike Max. She hadn't accidentally lit something on fire for years.
Max's eyes glazed over. "I got a tattoo."
Raiden squeaked and nearly spilled cold coffee on himself.
"You're totally dead. Can I see it?"
Max nodded and turned so her back was to him, tugging down her collar just a bit. Raiden pulled off the bandage. There was a small simple red flame symbol tattooed on the top of her spine.
"If you wear turtlenecks for the rest of your life, they won't even notice."
"That's helpful, thanks." Max said, turning to face him again. Even in the dark, Raiden could see she was worried.
"Right. We could get it removed?"
"The tattoo place closed. I was the last customer."
"Or not. You could run away and live among the woodland creatures?"
"Probably not. Also, shut up."
"This is your mess, Max. You wanna suggest something, be my guest. Why did you even get a tat if you're so eager to get rid of it again?"
"I got dared! Trixie dared me!"
Raiden groaned. Of course Trixie Stoll had something to do with this-she usually did. She and Max were always daring each other to do stupid things, but this was the worst yet. "We were having a sleepover, and she dared me. I came straight here after the tattoo parlor. Trixie's promised to cover for me with my folks for as long as she can."
"So how long will that be?"
"Noon tomorrow? Sooner?" Max guessed.
"Okay." Raiden said, nodding and running a hand through his blond hair (which was already sticking up from sleep). He didn't look quite like his mom, or quite like his dad. He had Jason's blond hair, but Piper's eyes and skin. He was pretty tall and muscular for a fifteen-year-old, but still shorter then his Aunt Thalia (which meant he was way taller then Max). It was strange to think that his next birthday he would officially be older then his aunt. "Right. Noon tomorrow."
"Am I doomed?"
"You are so doomed."
"Great."
They both sat in silence as long as they could stand, desperately grasping for ideas. Finally, Raiden perked up. "I got it!"
"What what what what?" Max asked eagerly, though still quiet enough not to wake his parents.
"Let me get dressed first. You, go on my computer and google, 'how to remove a tattoo at home fast'." Raiden instructed, sorting through his closet for clean clothes. Max looked a little worried, but did. Once Raiden was back out of the bathroom in jeans and a gray t-shirt, he leaned over Max's shoulder to see the results on the laptop.
"This one looks good." Max said, pointing to one article. "Removing tattoo's with salt."
"Isn't that supposed to be painful and ineffective?" Raiden asked skeptically.
"This site says it's okay if you wash the salt off really fast."
"Max, look at my face."
"I'm looking?"
"This is my disbelieving face."
"Shut up and get the salt from the kitchen."
Half an hour later, Max was bent over the kitchen sink, Raiden standing over her holding hydrogen peroxide and a half-cup of salt. "The website says it's gonna hurt and bleed." Raiden told her.
Max nodded. "Do it already."
Raiden nodded reluctantly, and followed the instructions on the site. They were okay until they got to, Step four: wash off the salt quickly or else it is going to cause a bit of pain.
"OHMYGODS IT BURNS." Max squealed, trying desperately not to yell loud enough to wake Raiden's parents. Raiden winced in sympathy as he quickly washed the salt off the wound. "WHO'S IDEA WAS THIS?"
"We'll get Trixie back for this dare, don't worry." Raiden promised. "I hafta put the hydrogen peroxide on it so it doesn't get infected. It's going to hurt."
"NO KIDDING."
Raiden poured hydrogen peroxide on the tattoo, and this time Max actually screamed.
They both froze at the same time, slowly straightening to stare at the ceiling in horror. But after a moment, when neither Jason or Piper came pounding down the stairs to kill the attacking monster, they went back to work.
Raiden washed off the hydrogen peroxide.
Jason flew down the stairs just as Raiden taped the gauze onto Max's back. Max, who was still bent over the sink, couldn't see what was going on. "Raiden? What is it?" She straightened up and turned, and went just as pale as her best friend.
Jason glared at them. "Okay. What."
It took some explaining. Jason finally agreed not to tell Leo, admitting that he had done stupid things when he was a teenager, too. But he finished with, "And no more nighttime visits!" Which Max and Raiden figured was fair.
And Leo and Calypso never needed to know a thing.
AN: I just googled 'how to remove a tattoo at home' so I'm not sure if what Raiden and Max did works or not. So don't try this at home, kiddies!
