"If a werewolf is transformed and eats a human, does that make them a cannibal?" Leo asked. There was a philosophical look on his face that was ruined by the spoon hanging from his mouth. "Or, is that only if they eat someone while in human form?"
"What the fuck, Leo?" Piper demanded as she lowered her spoon full of ice cream. Jason turned his head to stare at his best friend. Leo looked at them and frowned.
"It was just a question," Leo defended.
"You're so weird," Piper complained. Leo stuck his tongue out at her. Jason chuckled to himself and looked back at his ice cream.
"Both of you watch your language," Jason warned. "Annabeth and Percy will be here soon, and Estelle is coming with them. I am not going to face the wrath of Sally Jackson because someone decided to teach her a bad word."
"I can watch my language, but you know Piper," Leo teased. Piper glared at him, and Leo cackled. "Are you coming back to the bar yet, Jason? This last week has been boooring."
"I'll be back on Monday," Jason replied. The only bright side to being forced to rest at home was that he was able to be with Thalia. With her traveling around for her job so much and Jason having to work, they hardly had time to spend together. Thalia took some time off to spend the week with him, and it was going great.
Jason still felt bad that he couldn't be at the bar and helping out. The others told him not to worry about it, but he knew how busy the bar was and how they were still understaffed. It wasn't right that everyone had to pick up the slack. A sigh left him as he looked down.
"Did you ever hear anything about the police charging Lycaon?" Piper questioned, a tinge of hope in her voice.
"Thalia hasn't updated me anymore, but I can see how mad she has been getting. I think she has been pushing it, but the cops don't want to pursue it. Why can't they do their damn jobs?" Jason muttered. Piper gently grabbed his hand.
"I wouldn't want to deal with that psycho," Leo admitted. "Besides, we know the cops here are corrupt. They don't really care about the little man."
"You think they would care about a big actor's daughter being attacked," Piper grumbled. She crossed her arms angrily. "Also, this last week has sucked without you."
"It has," Leo agreed. "Frank won't laugh at my jokes. Hazel is too innocent for me to use my best ones, and Clarisse has been in a really bad mood too. Everyone is just cranky."
"Not everyone can handle you," Piper said with a wave of her hand.
"Most people max out after five minutes," Jason added.
"You two are so rude," Leo said as he turned his head dramatically and his nose up. "And for your information, both of you, Hazel loves me. Frank does too, even if he won't admit it. Clarisse is just overworked and tired. Otherwise, she would love me. You know, I could be security."
"I guess you could use fire," Jason said with a shrug. "That would scare people away if they tried to get violent, but it really wouldn't work inside. Too many bystanders."
"I am very careful with my fire," Leo pouted.
"You literally caught my guest room on fire because you were so excited that Calypso talked to you," Piper countered. Leo looked at her like she had betrayed him. "Besides, I can't see you fighting anyone, Leo."
"I don't have to fight anyone to be security. I just have to keep the area secure," Leo remarked. "And check ID's. It can't be that hard. I know the legal drinking age."
"Which is?" Piper prodded. Leo glared at her. "Exactly. It's different for each type of creature. Jason would be better security than you."
"Well, that's not fair," Leo complained. "He's a werewolf! How can that be fair!?"
"No one said it was fair," Jason added as he lowered his ice cream. It was almost halfway gone, but he couldn't help himself. Everyone teased him for having a sweet tooth, but he didn't have that many sweets and treats as a kid. He had to make up for it.
"Alright, fine. Whatever," Leo grumbled. He focused back on his ice cream. "I could totally be security. I'm not as scrawny as Reyna."
"Reyna defended herself against Lycaon," Jason cited. Leo opened his mouth, probably to defend himself. "Without using fire."
"Just because she's not cool enough to have fire," Leo muttered under his breath. Jason chuckled. "I could defend myself against Lycaon. Without fire!"
"You couldn't defend yourself against an inflatable tube man," Piper roasted. Leo's mouth fell open in shock, and his spoon hit the table. Piper laughed as a bit of ice cream trickled down Leo's lip and chin. Jason smiled at his two friends.
"Jason!" a voice called. Jason turned his head towards the person who called his name. His smile widened as he saw Annabeth walking towards him. Percy followed a foot behind her, carrying Estelle in one of his arms. Jason waved as his friends made it over to them.
"Hey, guys," Jason greeted. He looked at Estelle, who hid her face in Percy's shirt. "Hi, Estelle. How are you today?"
"Don't be nervous, Estelle. You remember Jason, right?" Percy asked gently. There was a grin on his face. "You asked to play with his tail."
Jason chuckled. When Estelle had heard that he was a werewolf, the first thing she asked was if she could ride on his back. The second question was if she could play with his tail. Jason had politely declined both of those, and Percy gave him grief for it. In a joking manner of course. Hopefully.
"Rocky road?" Percy asked as he looked at Annabeth. She looked at him and nodded. He grinned at her, and a blush came to Annabeth's face. Percy set Estelle down, and the toddler moved to Piper's side. Piper made room on the bench and sat her down.
"How are you doing, sweetie?" Piper asked. Estelle looked up before hiding her face.
"The Estelle I know ain't nervous," Leo teased gently. "What has you so scared? A meanie at school? We'll beat them up for you."
"The monster," Estelle mumbled. She turned towards Piper and hid her face in Piper's side. Jason frowned as he looked at the toddler. Leo lost the grin he had.
"What monster?" Annabeth inquired as she settled next to Estelle. Jason turned his head to see that Percy was ordering the ice cream and out of ear shot. Estelle climbed into Annabeth's lap and hugged her. "Sweetie?"
"You can tell us about the monster," Jason said gently. Estelle slowly lifted her head and looked around the table.
"She told me not to tell anyone. Or she would hurt my brother," Estelle mumbled. The mood around the table instantly changed. Jason found himself tensing, and his friends had the same reaction. Annabeth looked like she was trying to control herself as she gently made Estelle look at her.
"Who told you that, Estelle? We won't let them hurt you," Annabeth promised. Estelle shook her head and looked away.
"This is something you have to tell an adult," Piper added.
"We'll make sure they don't mess with you anymore," Leo promised.
"The monster had one eye," Estelle whispered. Jason froze in place.
"Estelle, did she threaten to hurt Percy or Tyson?" Annabeth asked.
"Tyson," Estelle answered in a quiet, scared voice. Everyone looked around the table as they realized what that meant. Ma Gasket was escalating the issues she had not only with Tyson but with Chiron. And, she was involving a child.
If Ma Gasket was able to find Estelle and threaten her alone, the Cyclops either knew where Estelle lived or where she went to school. She would know about Sally and would have no problems threatening the human. And following through on it.
"Rocky road!" Percy announced as he placed the ice cream down in front of Annabeth. "And chocolate with sprinkles for my favorite sister!"
Jason tried to force a relaxed look on his face, but Percy quickly picked up on the mood shift. He frowned and looked around. Annabeth fixed Jason with a warning glare. Jason frowned and tried to understand what that look meant. Annabeth made a motion where she took her hand and made a circle with it.
As Jason gave her a confused look, Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Percy, I think Jason needs to talk to you about something. Over there."
"Oh, okay," Percy said. He took a bite of his ice cream and looked at Jason. Annabeth gave Jason an expectant look, which he returned. What was he supposed to tell Percy?
"Why didn't you just say that?" Jason whispered softly. He stood and walked away with Percy. The two made it out of earshot of the table and stopped. Percy looked at Jason and took a bite of his ice cream.
"How's the groin doing?" Percy asked.
"It's better," Jason said awkwardly. He cleared his throat. "Has Estelle been acting weird?"
"She's been quiet for a few days. Mom thinks she's sick. I think she just doesn't want to be at school," Percy answered. He shrugged and took another bite of ice cream.
"It sounds like Ma Gasket threatened her," Jason began. He watched for his friend's reaction. Percy was easy going and relaxed, but there was one thing that instantly sent him into a rage: threatening his family. Percy tensed, and a scowl morphed his features. "We're not going to let anything happen to her. I promise."
"If she lays a hand on Estelle, I will rip her apart," Percy promised. He looked at Estelle. "Why didn't she tell me?"
"Estelle said that Ma Gasket threatened to hurt Tyson if she told anyone," Jason explained. Percy scowled again and stared down at his ice cream.
Jason hated what had happened to Tyson. Despite being a full blood Cyclops, he did not know his family. They just abandoned him one day on the side of the street. Most Cyclopes would be drawn into gangs or worse. Tyson was lucky enough to find Percy on the beach one day, and Percy helped take care of him. Even though they weren't related, Tyson was treated like family.
But Ma Gasket didn't care about that. She thought that any Cyclops in a hundred mile radius was just a minion for her to use when she wanted. Like they owed her for their life. It was just like Lycaon. If the city could just get rid of those two entitled bastards, life would be great.
"Is this because Thalia paid a visit to her?" Percy asked in a low voice.
"Percy, that wasn't her intent," Jason began. Percy glared at him. "She was just trying to help Chiron, especially since Ma Gasket tried to attack him."
A sigh left Percy, and he nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry. I know she is doing the best she can to protect her friends. We can't just ignore Ma Gasket, but I don't know what we can do about her."
"My sister can figure it out," Jason promised. "We can still let the cops know. I'm sure they can get someone to watch your house. And if Ma Gasket does anything, you know I will have a talk with her."
"Thanks, Jason," Percy said. He smiled, but it looked forced. "Come on, we should enjoy our time with the others. Especially because you have to get back to work soon, don't you?"
"Yeah," Jason said. He saw movement past Percy, and his eyes widened. Percy turned and tensed. "Don't."
"I might," Percy growled. Jason grabbed his shoulder as the last Cyclops they wanted to see walked towards them. Ma Gasket had eyes on them, but she also kept moving her gaze to the side to focus on the table that held their friends.
"If she tries anything, I will handle her," Jason promised as he looked at Percy. "A werewolf is more than a fair match for a Cyclopes."
Percy nodded stiffly. Ma Gasket came to a stop in front of them. Jason tensed his muscles and prepared to transform. He had to stay focused in case Ma Gasket lashed out. Then, he could handle her and take her out. Percy spoke, "What the hell do you want?"
"I'm just here to get ice cream," Ma Gasket answered. Her gaze moved to the table and focused on Estelle. "And, maybe even a snack."
"You're going to leave them alone," Jason stepped forward. Ma Gasket looked at him unamused.
"I know that Chiron sent those hunters to my bar to threaten and intimidate me into handing over my worker. That boy is mine, and if Chiron tries anything again, I will pay that little girl a visit," Ma Gasket promised. Jason had to grab Percy to hold him back. "It would be a shame to eat her. Too much chewing for not enough meat."
"I'll kill you," Percy growled.
"I might eat that mother of yours. Sally Jackson, correct?" Ma Gasket questioned. Jason dragged Percy a few feet back. Ma Gasket grinned and took a step back. "Stay out of my business. Or else."
Ma Gasket turned and walked away. Jason dragged Percy back to the table, but he knew this wasn't just going to stand. They had to do something about Ma Gasket, but if they weren't careful, the monster would hurt Percy's family. And if she did, Jason would make her pay.