Don't ask. Been a long year. But it was nice to get back into writing and be prepared because this chapter is by far the most I have strayed from the original show. Lots of weird stuff happens this chapter.
A long drawn out sigh came from the backseat of the Camaro as Percy slumped down. The Jackson's had been waiting at the bus station for thirty minutes waiting for Calypso and her friend. Paul had turned the car - and the heat - off despite the fact that it was the end of November in New York and snow was falling from the sky for probably the tenth day in a row.
Percy shifted and groaned. "Can we turn the heat on? I'm freezing."
"I'm not wasting gas just so you can be comfortable," Paul answered through chattering teeth. "Oh, and you'll be sleeping in the basement, Perce."
Percy groaned even louder as he slouched further down.
"I've been thinking," Sally said as she burrowed deeper into her thick jacket, "maybe this Thanksgiving we should skip the big turkey. Piggly Wiggly has the small turkeys on sale this year. Poseidon doesn't even eat turkey, so I don't want to work myself to the bone for something that's not going to be eaten."
Paul shook his head with a glare. "This family doesn't scrimp on holidays. We'll eat every bit of that turkey and you know it."
Sally shifted uncomfortably in her seat, she'd been trying to find ways to save money for weeks but Paul was still in denial that anything was wrong. She'd taken to buying generic rather than brand name without his knowledge just to save a dollar or two.
The car started suddenly, much to everyone's relief. Percy let out a sigh only to groan again when the door opened to let in a rush of cold air. Calypso sneered at him as she climbed into the backseat followed closely by a girl with fiery red curls.
"Hey, Daddy! This is Rachel," Calypso greeted cheerfully. There was a moment of pause before she added as an afterthought, "Mother, Perseus."
Rachel's jeans and jacket were covered in paint spatter. She seemed just as annoyed with Calypso as Percy always was which only made him confused. Why follow someone around if you didn't like them? What did Calypso have on her?
He narrowed his eyes at the newcomer, unsure if he should trust her or fear her. When she noticed the suspicious look he was sending her way, Rachel snorted.
"Easy, kid," Rachel said with a laugh. "I'm an art major, the worst I can do is critique your style."
With that statement, Percy knew he both feared and trusted her.
The car ride was relatively quiet with only a small family dispute breaking out over whether or not Calypso was sleeping with her professor. Percy may or may not have been to blame for starting that little argument.
When they pulled into their driveway, Sally sighed as she saw Marybai Chase meandering around the Jackson's kitchen. Percy resisted another urge to groan as he caught sight of Will and Leo sitting at the dining room table.
There had been an unspoken rule that Will was not allowed back at the Jackson household after the Disco Fiasco of '76. Leo had punched Nico in the arm and the two of them had been fine friends again. Will, however, remained a bit of a tense subject, so everyone thought it best to keep him away. From what Leo had told the gang, he and Will were taking a break.
Percy got out of the car apprehensively. He saw Annabeth waiting for him on the patio with a sheepish smile. When she shuffled up next to him with the same shamefaced grin on her otherwise perfect face, he groaned aloud.
"What'd you do?" he demanded to know.
She straightened his collar with gloved hands. "Well, Leo said that Will felt really bad about what happened and he's just as much our friend as Nico or Jason, right? So, I figured he would be welcome here. It's been a week anyways. Everything should be fine and if Leo and Will can still be friends after everything I don't see why we can't be friends with him."
Her tone had morphed into anger at some point during her tirade and Percy realized begrudgingly that he'd already lost any chance of winning the argument. With a little effort he managed to smile and nodded in agreement.
"Son," Paul called from the car where he was unloading Calypso and Rachel's bags, "show Rachel to your room."
Annabeth's grasp on his collar tightened so much that Percy found breathing to be somewhat difficult. "Rachel? Who's Rachel?" she asked with a cheery smile and eyes that promised death if he answered incorrectly.
Percy swallowed. "She's Calypso's friend from college. She's staying in my room and I'll be in the basement." The grip didn't loosen for a minute, so Percy kept rambling. "Or I could sleep at Leo's house across town. I'm sure his parents won't even notice I'm there with all his siblings running around."
Finally, her hands released him as she rolled her eyes at him. She opened her mouth to reply, probably to call him a seaweed brain, but a sharp laugh stopped her. A hand landed solidly on his shoulder and he saw red curls out of the corner of his eye.
Laughter bubbled out of Rachel's mouth before she could stop herself. "Don't worry so much, Princess. I don't even like men."
"That's why your friends with Calypso!" Percy shouted without thinking before adding a quiet, "Sorry."
Rachel snorted. "No, Kelp Face, I'm not interested in women either."
Annabeth's eyes stared at the newcomer with a calculated gaze. "Then what are you interested in?"
"Painting, the rebellion, strange music, you know, the usual hippie crap," she answered. "If you mean romantically, then my dream person would have to be tall, bronzed, and the Greek god of the sun and prophecy."
Percy's face scrunched up. "Did you just describe the god Apollo?"
"Yeah, I've had an obsession with that guy since I learned about him in fifth grade. But even then I think I was more attracted to the idea of being the Oracle of Delphi"
Annabeth began to giggle. "Oh, I like you."
The two girls were still discussing Greek gods when they entered the kitchen. Will raised an eyebrow when he heard his father's name but seemed to catch on when he also heard a flying chariot mentioned.
"Hey, Leo," Percy greeted and after only the slightest of pauses, he continued, "Will."
Will smiled tensely as Leo nodded in acknowledgement.
Percy caught Annabeth's eye before running a hand through his hair. "So, you guys wanna hang out in the kitchen with my mom or you gonna come hang out in the basement?"
The bright spark of hope that lit up Will's eyes made Percy feel guilty for ignoring him for so long. From what he had seen around school, Will only ever hung out with the prankster couple Lou Ellen and Cecil. The two were usually so wrapped up in each other and their pranks that Will ended up left out, though. Percy squirmed uncomfortably under the gaze of those too blue eyes as the guilt welled up in him.
The boys stomped down the stairs while Annabeth and Rachel Elizabeth Dare followed quietly.
Nico was lounging in his usual chair peeling an apple with a pocket knife he'd stolen from Leo a few days ago. His sunglasses were on even though it was fairly dark inside the Jackson's basement and his mouth was set in a firm line as it had been for the last week. As Percy came down the stairs he worried that he may have made a bad decision in letting Will join them.
On the couch, Jason, Piper, and Frank were squished together joking about some prank the Stoll brothers had pulled on the mayor's office earlier. Hazel sat on the arm of the couch leaning heavily on Frank's shoulder with a gentle smile on her face.
Reyna was sharpening a wicked looking knife on the lawn chair while she glared daggers at the scrawny blond sitting directly in front of the television with a panda stuffed animal clutched tightly to his chest. Her mother had all but ordered her to take Octavian with her so that she could have a moment of peace from his ravings.
Hearing the newcomers make it down the stairs, the group stared in awe at the new red head. When Will stepped out from behind Percy, though, everyone turned their attention to their resident anarchist.
The sunglasses hid any major facial responses he may have had but they did not hide the way the corner of his lips twitched.
Will hovered awkwardly at the foot of the stairs while Leo plopped himself onto the free arm of the couch effectively forgetting his ex-boyfriend. Annabeth smiled encouragingly at him before she went to sit on the floor near Reyna. Percy moved quickly away from Will to hide behind Jason and Piper.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare glanced around the uncomfortably tense room with a confused smile and a small wave at the startled group of high schoolers. "Either you guys have never seen an art major or Preppy ran over someone's dog."
At the reminder, Leo jumped up to Will's defense before Nico could say anything to hurt his feelings. "He's been hanging out with us for weeks, he stood up to Clarisse and Chris, he gave up his ticket to the Todd Rundgren concert, and he helped Annabeth find Percy a birthday gift. Will belongs here as much as the rest of us and if you disagree then you can… you can leave, tonto del culo."
The small Italian continued staring in silence at the blond for a moment longer before returning his attention back to his apple peeling, a smirk on his lips. "If he wants to stay then go for it but I think that last step is proving to be a little too difficult for him."
Will breathed out a quiet sigh of relief as he finally stepped off that last step. Rachel sat down beside Annabeth on the floor and Will stood between Leo and Nico.
"So, who's your new friend?" Hazel asked in an attempt to move on from the tense subject.
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Percy answered, "she's Calypso's art major friend who isn't interested in men or women. But, Nico you'll be glad to know, she is interested in the rebellion."
One of Nico's eyebrows raised above the top of his sunglasses. "Hmm, sounds like my kind of woman."
Leo muttered something under his breath before stating loudly, "That's too long of a name. I'm calling you RED from now on."
"Because of my hair or because of my initials?" Rachel asked with a challenging raise of her eyebrow.
"Your initi… ¡Hostia puta! Your initials do spell RED!" Leo gasped.
Rachel looked to Percy in utter disbelief and Nico snorted. "He's set himself on fire so many times that the fumes have killed most of his brain cells," Nico explained.
"Right on, man," RED said with a chuckle.
The group began making jokes at Leo's expense. With the attention shifted assuredly elsewhere, Will leaned towards Nico and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Nico stiffened when he looked up and found Will so close. He hoped to every deity he could think of that the heat blooming across his face wasn't visible. "There's nothing to apologize for, Sunshine," he whispered back, grateful that his sunglasses hid the fact that his eyes were lingering a little too long on the blond's lips.
(***)
"I've decided to major in philosophy," Calypso informed them proudly over breakfast the next morning.
Percy moved the peas on his plate around with his fork. "That's good, I heard they just opened up that big philosophy factory down in Albany."
Paul fixed him with a glare even as Rachel struggled to keep from doing a spit take. "Perce, go sweep the garage."
"Yes, sir."
Percy opened the door just as the phone started ringing. He slammed the door shut in his haste to get to the phone. The deep and jovial voice that answered him from the other end of the phone made him laugh out loud. He hadn't heard from his father in months and had started to worry that he wouldn't hear from him again for another sixteen years.
"Poseidon!" Percy said in disbelief.
"Hey, son, just calling to make sure that invitation to your family's Thanksgiving dinner is still valid," Poseidon replied easily.
Percy's cheeks were hurting from how long he'd been smiling. "Yeah! Of course. I didn't think you were going to come. I mean, I didn't think you'd be able to get shore leave for this."
A deep laugh rumbled through the phone. "I managed to pull a few strings."
They talked for a few minutes more before Percy hung up the phone and turned to face his family and their guest. Sally and Paul smiled knowingly as the two college girls stared at him in confusion.
"Poseidon's coming for Thanksgiving," Percy announced.
Calypso sneered at him. "Probably just coming to tell you he's thankful he didn't have to raise you."
"Oh, I almost forgot, the orphanage called and said they were thankful Paul adopted you," Percy shot back.
She started to call him an idiot before freezing. "Daddy?"
"No, Cal, you're not adopted. Percy don't lie to your sister like that," Paul said without looking up from his newspaper.
A gentle tap came from the sliding door just before it opened to reveal Fred Chase. He waved awkwardly at the people before him. "Hey, fancy running into you guys."
Paul put the paper down a bit to stare at his neighbor. "Fred, we live here."
"Yep." He paused as he realized what he'd said. "Anyways, I actually wanted to talk to you, Sally. The community college I work for is looking for a professor with a focus in journalism and I suggested you. The pay isn't much but you'd get to help with the school paper and I know you're having issues at work, so…"
The family stared in shock as Fred shifted nervously from foot-to-foot.
Sally laughed in disbelief. "Fred, thank you! That's perfect, when do I start?"
"Oh, you… Uh, how does the day after Thanksgiving sound?" Fred stammered.
(***)
Leo was hunting down some pieces of metal around the Jackson's house since he knew he wouldn't be able to find any at his own home thanks to his older brother. He'd already searched Percy's room which was currently covered in RED's art supplies and a few of her paintings that Leo found creepily beautiful.
Upon hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, he dove through the first door he saw without thought. After registering that the room he dove into was occupied by a startled Calypso he reprimanded himself for being so jumpy. He hung out so often at the Jackson's that no one would have questioned his being on the second floor.
"I was just looking for stuff for a project," Leo mumbled as he pressed close to the door. "Someone was coming up the stairs and I didn't realize this was your room?"
He didn't know why he phrased that into a question but his brain was short circuiting as he realized he'd caught Calypso in the midst of her getting ready for bed. Her loose light purple T-shirt had the Ogygia University logo on the right breast pocket and her sweatpants were covered in dirt and grass stains. He'd caught her in the middle of removing her makeup as one eye had been wiped clean of all the powders and mascara she wore on the other. Leo forgot how to breathe.
Calypso's brow furrowed as she began yelling at him, "What're you staring for, you creep?"
"You're beautiful," Leo said reverently. He couldn't remember a time he'd been so speechless. Growing up with Percy, he'd seen Calypso all his life but she'd always seemed like some fairytale goddess, something imaginary and out of reach. But seeing her appearance slightly dishevelled, it made her so much more attractive to him.
The blush that ghosted over her nose as she struggled to form a response made Leo's heart skip a beat.
There was some shouting coming from downstairs and Leo was vaguely aware that it was Percy looking for him but his mind elected to ignore it for the moment. It wasn't until Calypso quietly told him she needed to get ready for bed that he nodded and turned to leave.
A huff and some shuffling from behind him made him turn and he found Calypso standing a couple feet away. One of her hands gently held the back of his neck to guide him towards her as the other ghosted up his arm.
Their lips met in the barest of kisses before Calypso pulled away and ushered Leo out the door. Leo's body buzzed with an imagined electricity as he leaned heavily against the closed door. He'd made out with several guys and girls throughout his life but that peck on the lips blew them all out of the water.
In a daze he drifted down to the Jackson's living room where Percy and Jason were still looking for him. They shared a concerned look when they saw the distracted look in their friend's eyes.
"Uh, Leo, you good?" Jason asked.
"Mhmm," Leo muttered dreamily.
Percy rolled his eyes. "Probably has something to do with my witch of a sister and I don't wanna know."
"Mhmm," Leo repeated as he gazed starry-eyed at the stairs.
"Ew," Percy grumbled.
(***)
The next evening, Leo found himself in the Big House with Nico and Reyna. They kept giving him weird looks, probably because he wasn't cracking stupid jokes or flirting with the foreign exchange student who kept trying to get his attention. He hadn't really been paying attention, too busy daydreaming but he managed to make some half-assed joke about her name which he was fairly certain was Echo. Judging by her giggle he'd at least gotten that right.
When Echo finally figured out that Leo just wasn't interested she moved along to flirt with some blond guy staring at himself in a pocket mirror. Nico slammed his hands down on the table in front of him. Leo jumped and let out a girly squeal.
"Okay, what the hell, man?" Nico almost shouted.
Reyna pointed a french fry accusingly at him, "You're quiet and haven't set fire to anything in over twenty-four hours. If someone has threatened you or your family, I will destroy them for you."
Nico nodded slowly. "You may be like the annoying little brother I never wanted but I will legitimately send someone's ass to the depths of Tartarus if they've threatened you or harmed you in any way."
"Oh, please," Leo snorted. "Have you seen who I'm friends with? You two scare away any pendejos. Annabeth, Percy, and Jason scare everyone away from you which scares them away from me. I've got double the layer of protection thanks to you, eses."
Reyna put the fry down to lean in close. "Are you on drugs?"
"No, la cuate," Leo scoffed with a roll of his eyes.
"Nah, we'd know if he were on drugs. He's annoying enough as is, could you imagine him on drugs?" Nico grumbled. He stared at his friend in silence for a second before his eyes flashed intimidatingly. "Wait, you're not in love with Will again are you?"
Leo blinked slowly. "What? No way, man. He's a cool guy but he's not really my type. And apparently I'm not his either," he added the last bit with a lewd grin.
A blush flared up across Nico's pale skin that had Leo laughing hysterically.
Reyna threw a fry at the giggling Latino to get him to focus. "Well, something's up so come on, out with it, Valdez." When Leo gave her another excuse, she took a deep breath and levelled her glare on him. "Valdez, be honest with me or my foot is going to go so far up your ass that it'll have to be surgically removed, understood?"
The boy in question gulped and turned to Nico for help who was pretending not to notice.
"Fine, there's this girl that I've always kind of liked but never really thought much of until recently. Have you ever looked at someone and thought you knew everything about them based on how they looked, but then one day they do something and you realize that they're just so much more than this stereotype?"
He looked up to see if his friends were following along with his rantings, they both nodded solemnly for him to continue.
"Well, I always thought this girl was kind of… I just always thought she was perfect in every way - maybe a little loose and easy with the guys but I can't really say anything about that. Anyways, I just always thought she was so incredibly flawless that I never considered her as someone who I could ever really see myself with. But I saw her the other day, her hair a mess, her face only partially put together, and her clothes covered in grass stains. I'd never seen her with so many flaws and I just… She was gorgeous," Leo finished in hushed awe.
Nico groaned. "You're talking about Calypso, aren't you?"
Leo's face turned fire engine red as he floundered for an excuse.
"Dude, you were messing around at the Jackson's and stumbled into Calypso's room when she was getting ready for bed. She already told half of us about it, I just don't see why you're moping around like some lovesick puppy over it," Reyna sighed as she leaned her chair back.
There was a beat of silence. "Wait, she told you that she kissed me?" Leo asked in amazement.
Reyna's chair slipped, spilling her out on the floor as Nico choked on a fry. "SHE WHAT?"
(***)
Sally strolled into the kitchen to finish preparations for Thanksgiving only to find three high school boys hanging out in her kitchen. Although, if she were being honest, they looked more like gossiping old women by how they leaned close to whisper to one another.
"Well, what's the word, ladies?" She said, digging around in a drawer for her oven mitt.
All three boys jumped away from each other before breathing a sigh of relief when they saw who had interrupted their discussion. Percy stood up to give his mother a quick hug as Jason and Nico slouched in their chairs.
"Oh, don't let me keep you girls from your stories," Sally encouraged as she began preparing the turkey.
Jason chuckled goodnaturedly. "It's nothing, Mrs. Jackson. Leo's just got a big crush on Calypso and we're joking about it."
After handing the boys a small bowl of potatoes and a couple knives to peel them with, Sally said, "Well, that poor boy has always had a crush on her. I remember when you boys were little, he'd nearly set the house on fire every week trying to impress that girl."
"Hmph," Nico muttered as he carefully peeled at a potato, "he seems pretty serious about it this time."
"I personally think she put some kind of love spell on him and sealed it with that kiss," Percy said, pointing his knife at Nico and Jason to reinforce his point.
A plastic pie tin clattered to the floor. The boys turned to see Mrs. Jackson staring at them with wide eyes. "She did what now?"
Jason and Nico turned to Percy expectantly. With a heavy sigh and a silent reminder to get new friends, Percy explained how his sister had made out with one of his friends.
When he was finished, Sally turned her back to them without a word to finish prepping the turkey. She was just setting the timer and gathering up the now peeled potatoes from the boys when Poseidon tapped on the sliding door.
"Oh, good, Poseidon," Sally exclaimed. "Watch the turkey and make sure this pot of water doesn't boil over!"
She rushed out of the kitchen and was up the stairs before Poseidon could formulate a response. He looked to his son for an explanation but Percy just shrugged in response.
Calypso was lying in bed, painting her nails a fiery red when her stepmother swept into the room. The look of pure confusion on Sally's face caused Calypso to pause in her usual snarky remark. "What?"
"Calypso, honey, Leo is a sweet kid," Sally started, "please tell me you're not going to just play with his heart like you do. He thinks that you kissing him meant something. You need to go tell him the truth."
Nail polish spilled out of the bottle as it toppled over the edge of the bed when Calypso jumped out of the bed. "Who told you?" she demanded. "Who told you that I kissed him?"
Sally stared at her stepdaughter in confusion. She hadn't expected her to get upset so upset. "The boys were discussing it downstairs."
Without another word, Calypso was storming down the stairs.
(***)
Annabeth and Piper were sitting at the Chase's dining table watching Leo pace back and forth across the kitchen. Will was perched on the kitchen's island picking lint off his gray polo shirt.
"I hope it's not awkward to talk about this in front of you," Leo was saying to Will who looked up innocently. Will smiled encouragingly and waved him on. "Okay," he said turning his attention back to the girls, "what do you think that kiss meant?"
Piper tugged at one of her braids. "Knowing Cal there's no telling. It could be her telling you she likes you or it could be she's playing you. And even if she does like you now, that doesn't guarantee that she'll feel the same way you seem to feel about her."
Leo threw his hands up in frustration. "You girls are no help. Will?"
"I gotta go with Beauty Queen on this one," Will said with a small shrug of his shoulders.
The door to the kitchen swung open just as Leo leaned against the island. Calypso stood in the doorway, anger burning her dark almond eyes. Seeing the angry college girl glaring at the boy next to him, Will hopped off the island and scooted a few feet away from his ex-boyfriend.
"We need to talk, Valdez," Calypso said in a tone that left no room for debate.
Annabeth gripped Piper's arm and began dragging her friend towards the living room door that Will had already disappeared through. "We'll leave you two alone."
"No, you should stay," Calypso said coolly. "We don't keep secrets, apparently. We just go blabbing every gods forsaken thing to the nearest person."
Leo blinked twice before he managed to find his voice again. "Cal, what're you…?"
"Despite popular opinion, Leonidas Valdez, I do NOT just go around kissing guys," Calypso stated with a quiet anger. "I actually thought you were a decent person and that… I don't know…Doesn't matter now. You've proven that you're just another horny little rat who can't help but spread more rumors about people."
Piper gasped. "Oh, honey."
Before Leo could open his mouth and say something stupid, Annabeth spoke up, "Calypso, Leo didn't spread any rumors. He was worrying some of us because he was acting all lovesick and weird. Some people forced him to tell them why and they're the ones that blew the whole thing out of proportion. I highly doubt Leo was even aware they were saying anything, he's been over here with us all day trying to figure out how to talk to you."
Leo glowered at the wise girl. "Thanks, Annabeth."
His expression softened, though, when Calypso's shoulders relaxed. Her eyes shifted to him as she struggled to find a response. Her attempts at an apology went unheard as he smiled softly at her.
"I completely understand why you thought that and I am sorry," he said much to everyone's surprise. To Piper and Annabeth's astonished faces, he answered, "My dad's disabled, Beckendorf's face is fucked from a blow torch mishap, Nyssa and I are bisexual, Chris and Shane were both held back a grade, Jake's a college dropout living at home, and Harley's a freaking psychopath. On top of all that, my family is one of the only three latino families in town and we're the only family of pyromaniacs. Trust me, I've dealt with my fair share of rumors; I understand where Calypso is coming from."
Tugging at her auburn hair, Calypso tried to hide her blush. She mumbled something under her breath but quickly bolted out the door before Leo could ask her to repeat herself.
"Dear Vulcan, she's amazing," Leo whispered as he leaned heavily against the island.
(***)
Once dinner had been prepared and set out for everyone, Sally and Paul informed the high schoolers and Calypso that they would be sitting at the kitchen table while the adults ate in the dining room. Percy grumbled and groaned even while following Annabeth to the kitchen table. Calypso begrudgingly went to sit next to her brother but Leo pulled her into the seat next to his. She gave him a strange look as Nico sat in the chair she had been about to take but Leo just winked conspiratorially at her.
They were halfway through dinner and Annabeth was in the middle of offering to help tutor Calypso when Nico and Percy's chairs gave out from beneath them with an audible crack. The girls gasped in surprise as Leo called out in faux concern, "Oh, wow, guys. You alright?"
Calypso covered her mouth as she struggled to keep from giggling even as Leo shot her another wink.
By the time the adults made it into the kitchen to see what all the commotion had been about, Percy and Nico had already settle down in the floor.
"Well, son, think you might want to lay off the turkey for awhile," Poseidon laughed.
Paul went to look at Percy's broken chair to find a couple screws missing, he shot a look at Leo who smiled innocently at him. "Leo, was this you?" Paul asked.
"It couldn't have been Leo, Daddy, he was with me and Piper all day," Calypso said, quickly coming to Leo's defense.
Leo gently nudged her foot with his under the table as Paul and Poseidon moved two old folding chairs in for Nico and Percy at Sally's request. Once the adults had left to resume their dinner, Leo leaned over to whisper a quick thank you to Calypso.
She gave him a wink of her own. "Our little secret," she whispered as she grabbed his hand under the table.
Hope this was good, already got chapter 11 in the works so you won't have to wait long I pinky promise!