"Good morning, bitches." Thalia grinned and sat herself down on an empty seat a few rows away from three girls. The girls glared at her. "Hey! I know I'm not exactly invited but I'm a frequent customer here. You? Well, I doubt you are, judging by how slutty you are. You probably seduced teachers when you get into trouble with them."
"Fuck off, Grace." One of the girls rolled their eyes. "Aren't you deep enough inside of Loser-ville to be making these comments?"
Thalia shrugged. "Suit yourself, Brit."
"Last time I checked, we aren't on nickname-bases." Brittany flicked her platinum blonde hair away from her face. "Can you just get out of my sight?"
"Nope sorry." Thalia gave a smile, barbie-level in fakeness. "I'm afraid I have to sit here. My brain orders me to do so and I must obey it."
Brittany gave her friends an exasperated sigh. "I would love to ditch this but it'll land me in another detention with that skank over there." Her friends nodded in agreement.
"If you think I'm such a skank, why are you even talking to me." Thalia continued bugging them. "Ooh! Have you heard of Carpe Diem by Green Day? That song freaking good." Without looking at their horrified faces, she took out her IPhone and played the song loudly. (AN: Love that song! 3)
"Oh my God! That. Is. Disgusting. Have you ever heard of Flo Rida? Or One Direction?" Chelsea, a girl with auburn hair next to Brittany cried.
"It's not my fault if we have different taste in music." Thalia shrugged. "We don't all have the same personalities. In fact if I'm similar to you in any way, I'd kill myself. I don't want to be a whore."
"You did not say that." The third girl - Hong Kong born black haired London Chang gasped.
Brittany's green dangerous eyes flashed but she remained a cold, calm expression. "At least I have information you don't know about." She announced icily as Chelsea nudged her and whispered something into her ears.
"What is it?" Thalia laughed uneasily. What does she mean by that? Taking a quick glance at Brittany's near-perfect face, she lied. "You finally realized that your overdose of make-up make you look like a clown?"
"That I know who assaulted your brother." Brittany smiled smugly leaving Thalia's jaws drop open like a goldfish. No, she couldn't have. What? Why didn't she -, Thalia has tons of questions for her.
"Quit the chit-chat girls!" Ms. Preston clapped her hands crisply as she walked inside the room. "This is detention, not one of your place to socialize and catch up with the latest gossip."
You're loosing him, a little voice behind her mind reminded Reyna. Yes, she is aware that Jason is slowly slipping out of her grasp to Piper's. It's painful isn't it? Watching your first and current love falling for another girl. Someone prettier, someone more deserving, someone better than her.
"Jas-" Reyna called weakly as her voice didn't reach Jason's ears. She didn't want to appear like this to him. She is suppose to be powerful, beautiful, headstrong. This is not the side of her she wants to show Jason.
Piper said something as Jason laughed. It must have been something funny. He doesn't usually laugh so freely. Reyna's heart filled up quickly with envy.
"Hey! Reyna!" A cheerful voice bursted next to her. Reyna turned around and faced a curly brown haired boy.
"Hey, Leo." Reyna sighed rather tiredly. She's just not in the mood for any jokes or whatever Valdez has up his sleeves.
"Sick of seeing them, eh?" Leo traced her glance to the non-official couple yet. "Jason still won't admit that he likes her."
Reyna forced a laugh upon her throat. "He should. They are obviously into each other."
"To think I thought you and Jason are like a thing before." Leo slapped his forehead. "I should have known about Piper."
Should have known about Piper. Yes, Reyna's mind revolved around what Leo just said. She should have known about Piper.
"Who is this?" Hylla demanded from the other end.
"This is Jason," Jason tried to sound as cheerful as possible. "You..remember me?"
"Right, Jason Grace. My little sister's - never mind." Hylla muttered. "What do you want?"
"Are you currently studying in Harvard University?" Jason continued with his scripted lines.
"Yeah. Why?"
"I'm just wondering if you're able to gain access to the Harvard Medical School yearbooks?" Jason took a deep breath and asked.
"Can't you like access it online?" Hylla questioned. "They always like to brag about their successful alumnus and shit like that."
"Maybe. I didn't check." Jason confessed. "But I'm wondering if you have ever heard of Brad Marshall?"
"Brad Marshall?" She hesitated. "Hey, isn't he the hypnotizing guy?"
"Yeah."
"I bet there's tons of information on him on Google. He probably have a Wikipedia page after himself." Hylla sounded impatient. "Look, you know I'm in Harvard and how tough it is. I have to get a good grade in order to get a decent job. In order to get the grade I want, I have to start studying."
"Um..there isn't a Wikipedia page on him." He winced. "Can you just spare a bit - tiny bit - of your study time, find some information on him from the yearbooks and send it to me?"
Jason could hear a grunt from the other side. "Why do you even want to stalk him?"
"Please!" He pleaded. "It'll mean a lot to me!"
"The grades mean a lot to me too." Hylla retorted. "Fine, but will you stop bothering me?"
"Thank you!" Jason found himself grinning widely. "I'll stop bothering you, in fact bye! But thanks!"
If you accuse Nico for being way too paranoid after his father's death, he won't deny it. He has been seeing murderers, signs of killers and killings, clues, and his dead father everywhere. If the curtains waver slightly from the wind, he's probably half way to the phone ready to call the police. If a dark shadow loomed over his bed as his mom came to check on him during the night, he'll scream. Things are getting out of control but whenever somebody convinces him to go to some councilors, he'll refuse.
Nico didn't like the idea of being some freak who needed aid from other people. He believes that he's independent and doesn't need the help from anyone - let alone some dodgy strangers who's in it for the money. Nico assured himself that he'll get better once he got over the death of Hades. At the moment, it's still fresh in his mind so he couldn't stop thinking about it. He is sure that everything would be okay a few weeks later.
Backing up his side of not needing any help in his mind, Nico did not notice footsteps coming softly towards him. As it grew louder, his heart skipped a beat. Nico stared at the shadow and froze. It does look like his dead father. The shadow grew bigger and soon, he knew it was behind him. His brain panicked, he wasn't expecting his dead father to just pop in like that. He didn't know what to do, he wasn't prepared. How do you survive zombie attacks, he asked himself.
"Are you okay?" A female voice asked gently. Nico held his breath. His father does not have a mild voice, let alone a female's one. Who can it be? The Killer? So the murderer is actually a girl?
"Nico?" A hand touched his shoulders as he juImped.
"Who the fuck are you? Dad? I thought you're dead? Oh my gosh! What the fuck? Dad you're a girl? A teenaged girl?" Nico found himself rambling before his sister, Bianca. His fingers twisted into a gun symbols facing her.
"Woah. Calm down." Bianca put her hands in front of her defensively. "How do I even look like dad?"
"Whatever." Nico muttered.
"I don't like the way you're so jumpy on everything." Bianca stated worried for her brother.
"You don't like many things about me." Nico pointed out. "The way I swear, the way I'm rude to people, the way I-"
Bianca's lips turned into a small smile. "But we're still siblings. I have to bear your silly habits."
"And I have to keep back the urge of punching you every time you speak." Nico shrugged. "It's a hard job, I understand."
Bianca smile turned to a frown almost instantly. "Look Nico, you can stop being negative about things and as siblings, we don't just discriminate each other because of our accents. I'd like to see you try staying in England for years without developing a British Accent. Also, a lot of people including me love it!"
"Okay, I get it, what are you? Teacher? Mom? Mrs. Di Angelo?" Nico rolled his eyes. "I'm planning on going through father's stuff." Nico admitted softly.
Bianca almost lost her balance. Look through their dad's stuff? That is a huge no-no everybody in the family knows not to do. Who knows what you may find in those documents? It's not a secret to the Di Angelo family members that Hades keep dark, dangerous secrets only very few or even nobody knows. Once you possessed those information, it's like a one way ticket to hell. The things people can manipulate you for all the info. "What?" She splutters.
"You heard me."
"I know!" Bianca exclaimed. "But looking through dad's stuff? That's-"
"Absurd? Ridiculous? Stupid?" Nico offered.
"All of them above" Bianca nodded.
Nico shook his head. "Then you're wrong. The information dad got is crucial - important to everything. I'll know who assaulted Jason and Piper, I'll know who the Shooter is and I'll know who killed dad."
"The price you pay for it will be too high!" Bianca cried. "Imagine, how many people would die for what you'll know."
"Information is power." Nico's obsidian eyes gleamed. "Right now, everyone is weak. They need somebody like dad to drive them somewhere. That somebody has to be powerful, strong and knowledgable. These information is a straight path to the top. I can not let this chance slip past. It's too good to watch it go."
"Don't do it." His sister urged. "My instincts tell me it's a bad idea. I have a feeling it's going to lead to something terrible."
"Instict? Feel? Psh.. It couldn't be that bad." He laughed as he realized his vocals are growing weaker as if he is doubting himself as well.
"Never doubt yourself." Nico rubbed his eyes as Hades' whisper flooded his mind. The whisper was so ghosty, it couldn't have been real but the voice, everything reminded Nico of his father.
Thalia Grace tapped aggressively on her keyboard. Who the fuck is Brittany Parson and how does she know who assaulted her brother?
'Tell me.' She typed furiously on Facebook chat. She had just unblocked Brittany to ask her for details.
Seen. 17:34. Thalia could see that Brittany had seen what she typed to her right away. While other people are complaining about the new Facebook addition of the 'seen' function, Thalia is enjoying it. Now, people couldn't use the 'oh, sorry. I was busy and I didn't see it' excuse when they don't answer people. She hated when people blow her off like that. This 'seen' thing is really working for her.
'Answer. Answer me now.' She typed. Seen. 17:35.
"Argh!" She screamed frustrated as it became obvious Brittany didn't want to tell her and is teasing her right now. She is probably enjoying this, watching Thalia getting angry. Calm down, she told herself. She is not giving Brittany any pleasure.
'Thalia, it's not that important knowing who assaulted your brother is it?' Brittany finally replied.
'It is.' Thalia quickly answered. 'Tell me. I'll do anything.'
Seen. 17:40. No answers. Thalia grunted loudly and shut her Macbook rapidly. Fuck this, she should have known Brittany is never going to tell her anything. She probably doesn't even know. She is only saying this to mock her.
"Annabeth!" A childish voice hissed behind the lockers. Annabeth turned and saw Leo hiding behind the locker peeping about the corridor.
"What?" She asked rather irritably.
"You know about-" Leo shook his head. "Come with me." Without another word, he dragged her into the janitor's office.
"The janitor's office." Annabeth widened her eyes. "How..overused and this place stinks."
"That's why nobody goes here!" Leo told her. "At least not in the movies but if everybody got the same idea that nobody ever goes here..well, this place would be the next hot spot in the school."
"Let's hope not." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So why'd you drag me in this small, crowded, smelly place?"
"You know about Luke." Leo said seriously. Annabeth haven't seen him so grave before. "And you didn't tell the police. You lied."
Annabeth gave her friend a weak smile. "I did. Thanks for backing me up."
"But why did you do so? Thought you were a all goody good, tell the police everything type of person."
"Pfft..really?" Annabeth giggled.
"Everybody thinks you're that kind of girl." Leo announced to her. "You don't know that?"
"Apparently nobody knows me well enough." Annabeth smiled.
"But why didn't you tell the police about Luke?" Leo pressed on. "It's like Emily not telling Hanna, Aria or Spencer if she figured who A is."
"Pretty Little Liars?" Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "You watch that show?"
"Whatever!" Leo muttered quickly as a small blush crept on his cheeks. "Just answer me. Why didn't you tell the police? You knew Luke was alive. You probably knew where he was all these years. Don't lie to me."
Annabeth found it hard to meet her friend's eye which is odd. It's usually Leo who doesn't want to meet hers, now it's like the world's turned upside down. "Okay. I knew - we both knew Luke was alive but I swear, I swear I didn't know where he was all these years."
"Why did you lie to be that day and said Luke was your cousin?" Leo's eyes bounced wildly as if he's trying to grasp a concept he didn't quite understand. "I should have guessed. Seriously? Your cousin?"
Annabeth laughed again. "That was funny. I guess me and Luke do have a sibling look kind of thing. The blonde hair."
"Okay..this is awkward." Leo backed away. "I'm the one usually laughing and you're the one trying to get stuff out of me. This is hard."
"Welcome to my world!" Annabeth heaved a sigh. "Anyway, I met Luke in the cemetery when I was visiting the graves of the Shooting. You know, I always go early so it's not crowded. He looked really sick and I offered him to stay at my house for old times sake but we never really talked properly. He said he had business to do around town and was suppose to leave in a few days but he was still around like a week-"
"So the part where he is staying longer than he actually is, is true." Leo nodded. "Even if he looked really sick, why would you offer him a place to stay? And what old times sake?"
"Some math competition is held around this time so all the hotels are booked. He does need a place to stay!" Annabeth explained a bit defensively. "We used to be..best friends, I guess. I always considered him as an older brother and I was the sister he never had. I couldn't just leave somebody who I was so close with to shrivel and die. You should have seen the state we met each other. Plus, it's November! God, New York Novembers aren't exactly hot and sunny!"
"That's it?" Leo held out his hands as Annabeth nodded sincerely. "Well, if you won't tell the police anything, can you at least tell me if you got some follow up to Luke or anything? Come on, I'm like already in this thing."
"Fine." Annabeth looked at her watch rather anxiously. "Now can I go? English class!"
"Go ahead." Leo eyed his friend closely and opened the janitor door letting himself get out of the dark and musty room before Annabeth.
"Some kind of gentleman you are." Annabeth muttered under her breath.
AN: Who woke up and ran straight to your advent calendar to open the first little box up? Me! Okay, the chocolate tasted average but it's December 1st! alkhfoiwedlifh I'm just so excited for the christmas season! I started a little mini-series of stories called '12 Days of Christmas' to honor this year's christmas! It's a 12 chaptered Jasper (Jason/Piper) story to keep up the holiday spirit. If you're interested, please go check it out :)
Back on the story, I was actually going to post this chapter tomorrow but December the 1st just seemed like a better and more special day to post this so here it is! I hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun writing this
~Kisses, Emily