Chapter 8: Glasses and Pens

Percy had never realized how much fun glasses could be. Of course he didn't have any himself but Jason's, well, they were one of the best things about his friend. The boys had gotten a lot closer since Percy's return and now were the best bromance of all. The whole month of August as they cleaned up camp from the fight and spent time together they got even closer.

Of course one of the biggest parts of a bromance was the teasing and inside jokes. Percy's favorite thing to tease Jason about was his glasses. He even gave Jason a new nickname, "Eagle Eyes." Doubly ironic because Jupiter's sacred animal was an eagle.

Since getting back to Camp and settling back to the normal routine Percy had started falling into his old behaviors. He sparred with Clarisse, played fetch with Mrs. O'Leary, talked with Grover and any other of the normal activities he did in camp. That included teasing his friends and pulling pranks, sometimes with help from the Stolls.

Most of them were on the spur. The greatest victims were his best friends, but no one was safe. Jason was aware that Percy had been acting, well, Leo-like since he had been able to relax. When they headed to practice together in the arena Percy dropped that. He teased and taunted like usual when fighting but otherwise it was a normal sword fight, and no one was harmed.

At the end of the practice both of them were sweaty and gross. Percy poured some water over his head which splashed Jason. The roman looked at his immature cousin/friend indignantly. His glasses were now spattered with mud. He rubbed it off with his shirt before realizing his face was dirty too.

"You're the worst Percy," Jason complained setting his glasses on the bench and rubbing the mud off his face with the bottom of his shirt.

"Just a little fun Jason," Percy teased pocketing the glasses as Jason blinked the rest of the dirt and water out of his eyes.

Jason looked around then reached toward the bench grasping around with a confused expression. "Did my glasses fall or something?"

"No," Percy told him. "Maybe they're on your head again."

Jason frequently lost his glasses and asked everyone around him about them. Most of the time they were on his head, he had just forgotten they were there. No one ever told him though and it was a favorite joke of Percy's. Jason ignored him and rolled his eyes. "Well they're not on the bench. Can you see them?" Jason squinted looking around.

"I don't," Percy told him. Honestly he didn't, because the imperial gold rimmed glasses were in his pocket.

"I'm so happy I got spares. I'll come back here to look after I put them on," Jason told him. He strapped his gladius to his side and started walking away. "Come on."

"Bro you're going to the wrong exit," Percy told him. "That would take you to the big house."

"Right," Jason chuckled. "Why don't you lead the way?"

When they got to his cabin Jason couldn't find his spares either. Percy spent the rest of the day leading a stumbling Jason around camp. Everyone laughed at the poor blond roman that entire day, even Piper was relentless. "You should keep better track of them," she had laughed.

By the end of the day Jason was frustrated and miserable. He would need new ones then, but until then he could get by. At dinner he sat down with his food alone as always. Percy plopped down next to him grinning.

"What's up?"

"I found your glasses."

"You did?" Jason asked. " Where were they?"

"Right here, in my pocket."

"What?"

"Bad mistake leaving them were someone could take them."

"You're a jerk."

"No," Percy grinned. "Don't say that. You'll hurt my feelings."

"Well you are."

"You're already plotting your revenge aren't you?"

"Maybe."

The next day Jason accompanied Percy as he went to teach a sword fighting class. Percy assembled the kids with their partners and placed dummies and adjusted armor. As he did that Jason used his skill of controlling the wind to maneuver Percy's pen out of his pocket and it dropped in his lap. Picking it up he pocketed it grinning.

Two minutes later with the kids all in their armor correctly and everything set up Percy stood up in front of them. "Okay, we're going to start with some basic blocks. Jason, get off your butt and help me."

Jason grinned getting up and stood next to Percy. Percy spoke again wrapping his arm around Jason's shoulder lazily. "Guys this is my bro Jason. He fights a bit differently than me because he's roman but this should work. He's going to strike from different directions and I'm going to block."

Jason drew his gladius. The kids looked at their swords uneasily. "Where's your sword?" a kid of about 12 asked Percy.

"Right here," Percy took Riptide out of his pocket and uncapped it. Jason stared at him for a minute as all the kids started to ask him questions. Jason felt his pocket. Riptide wasn't there. Percy must have swiped it back when he introduced him to the kids. He'd have to hide it better next time.

As Jason continued to exact his revenge on Percy he realized it would be harder than he thought. Percy was smarter than he thought and better at finding the small object too. Anywhere Jason hid it, his cabin, Piper's, the armory, the big house, arts and crafts and even the woods Percy found it. Jason saw him using the sword every day.

The thing was he stole Jason's glasses several more times, never for more than an hour. Jason always came after Percy who often had the glasses on him. He could never catch him. When Percy did hide the glasses Jason barely ever found them either. Probably because Percy's hiding places were in Seymour's mouth, on him, or in the Athena cabin where the glasses looked like they belonged.

Jason would never figure out how he did it. Annabeth had laughed when he told her and had sprayed milk from her nose in a very un-Annabeth like manner. Nico had grinned and fallen to the floor laughing and Thalia just advised him to stop trying. Percy wouldn't ever be without Riptide for more than a few minutes, she told him. Jason didn't like being unarmed either but that was a bit dramatic. Couldn't Percy take a joke?