3 days left until prom:

Piper:

Shock and silence settled in, and Piper's eyes widened as she took in the seriousness on Jason's face.

He wasn't joking.

He wanted her to marry him.

He wanted her to marry him to save her from marrying Anthony.

Her father wanted her to marry Anthony to save his and her mother's future.

What on earth was it with marriage as a solution to problems?

As soon as they all processed what Jason said, the silence was broken. To nobody's surprise, Luke immediately objected. "No, absolutely not! That's fucking ridiculous!"

"Well, I think it's genius," Thalia grinned, giddy.

"It's perfect. That'll get you out of marriage with Anothony!" Annabeth added, agreeing.

Piper's mind whirled, and as she thought about it, she knew that being married to Anthony wouldn't be so bad at all. He knew her better than anyone, and was her closest friend.

But he's older than me, Piper thought.That wasn't an excuse though, was it?

He isn't Jason. That's the real and only reason why she objected.

Piper glanced at Jason; he was staring right at her, his face blank. He looked around the room as they all fell silent once again. Jason sighed, "Let me explain my idea."

When they nodded for him to go on, he continued. "If Piper and I sign some marriage papers from the government, then make a public announcement that we got married, the whole world will know she's taken. Her dad won't be able to do anything about it if the news gets to the press, or he'd ruin his public image if he attempts something."

It was smart.

Piper liked it.

Percy ruined her hopes when he opened his mouth. "The party is only a few days away, though. How are you going to pull all this off so quickly?"

Jason smirked, "If we do this right away, the news will take a few days to get to him, and by then Piper will be eighteen, a legal adult, and then she's truly free. We'd go to the birthday party, and we'll act like we don't know what it's for, and let things play out from there."

Piper gulped. Right away?

Jason would be her husband.

Piper sighed.

You like the sound of that, bitch. The voice in her head was getting the best of her, but she knew it was true. She was in love with him, obviously she'd rejoice in the fact they would get married. But, another thought interrupted, what if he's only doing this because he cares for her as a friend and wouldn't want her to 'suffer'"?

A friend wouldn't do that, she argued in her head.

It's Jason; what else do you expect from him?

True, but still…

"What exactly do you mean by "right away"?" Leo asked, his eyes flicking between Jason and Piper, and Annabeth leaned forward, almost eagerly.

Jason inhaled, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

Piper clenched her thighs together at the sight of his tongue, then frowned at herself.

"Tomorrow," Jason finally replied.

Piper sucked in a breath at the same time as almost everyone else in the room. Silence took over again, until Thalia spoke up, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "One, what about Reyna? Two, I know a chapel nearby that allows walk-ins."

Jason glanced at Piper, then Thalia. "I dumped her last week."

What?

They broke up?

Piper swallowed her smile.

"Is it allowed without a license in Michigan?" Percy asked in response to Thalia's statement.

"Well, we can't go to Vegas," Leo said, raising his brows.

Annabeth clicked her tongue. "We can use Anthony's private jet. We can go and come back in a day."

Luke, who was frowning, blinked. "Vegas is too far. And tomorrow is Monday—we have school. Tuesday's the last day, and the night of prom so that's a no. Wednesday's Piper's birthday, and night of the party, also no. We have no choice but to do it tomorrow."

Percy raised his eyebrows, "And you're okay with Piper marrying Jason? She's your prom date, and it's no secret you've been lusting after her for months."

Luke's face flushed an angry red. "Not like I have a say in it anyway. Might as well try to help."

"Fair enough," Percy nodded. Then he looked at Annabeth, "Are there any other states that have chapels that allow walk-ins?"

Annabeth pulled out her phone, typed for a moment, then grinned as she looked up. "Ohio. That's less than an hour away by plane. The entire thing will take three hours."

Jason nodded, "That's perfect. We can go right after school. We just need a way to make sure the news will get to the press."

Annabeth smirked, "I know some journalists."

"We can go to the mall today to get some dresses. Again," Thalia piped in as Annabeth nodded vigorously beside her.

Piper swallowed as it all hit her at once.

She was getting married.

To Jason.

Her love.

Tomorrow.

"Us guys can also go to the mall so Jason can pick a ring," Percy pointed out, and Luke's eye twitched.

A ring.

Mrs. Grace.

Piper Grace.

Mrs. Jason Grace.

"Good idea. Annabeth, you should call Anthony to make sure he'll actually let us use his private jet," Jason grimaced.

"Right," Annabeth powered her phone to life, dialing Anhtony's number, and pressing the speaker button just as he answered.

"Is Piper there?" Was the first thing he said.

Piper cringed at his voice.

"Yes," Annabeth's tone was curt.

"Am I on speakerphone?"

Annabeth paused, "No."

They heard him sigh through the line. "What is it, Annie?"

Annabeth licked her lips. "We need to borrow your jet tomorrow at 3:30. And if you actually care for Piper one bit you'll let us do this. Please."

"Why?"

"That doesn't matter. She just needs to get away from all this for a few hours," Annabeth shrugged as she stared at the phone.

There was silence from the other end of the line for about a minute before Anthony spoke, his voice hoarse. "Can you tell her I love her?"

Annabeth raised a brow and Piper's stomach twisted. "I'm sure she already knows that, Anthony. You're very close to her."

Piper saw Jason flinch.

"No, tell her I am—shit…"

"Tell her you're shit? What?" Annabeth laughed.

"Damn you, Annabeth, no. Tell her...tell her I—nevermind just...you know what? Fuck this. This is all already so messed up; just tell her I'm in love with her. Fuck. This is such a shitty situation. I can't imagine what this is doing to her. Damnit, you know how badly I wanted to kill myself when she called just a bit ago? I hate myself so much for causing this pain, but I know it would've been worse if she refused to marry me. Your father is powerful, Annabeth, he has money and connections everywhere. He'd make her regret it. I was trying to protect her. He was going to hand her over to Dylan Smith—you remember that fucker, don't you? I knew she'd be better off with me, even if she'd hate me for the rest of her life. Hell, at this point I'm as bad as Dylan. You know your friend, Jason, she should be with him. If you guys are taking the jet to Vegas to marry her and Jason off, I'm not fucking stopping you. Do it. She'll be happy and safe. I won't tell your dad I know. Come to the party as planned on Wednesday, he'll see it for himself. Please. Just...actually, no. Fuck, don't tell her I love her. I mean, tell her I love her but don't say that I'm in love with her. She'll hate me more. I just want the best for her," Anthony's voice cracked at the same time as Piper's heart.

"I need to go, goodbye, Annaebth." He hung up, and Annabeth, shocked, glanced at Piper's stunned face, then to Jason's dumbfounded one, Percy and Leo's astonished expressions, and Luke's raised eyebrows. Thalia was visibly shaken as she sucked in a breath. "Talk about a handful of shit to take in."

"It's settled," Jason finally said. "The only thing left is…" He glanced at her, and her stomach flipped. "Is Piper's consent. So, will you do it, Piper?" She inhaled as he continued. "Will you marry me?"

Piper swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as all heads turned to her. She met Jason's impassive gaze. "Yes."