"So Dad."
"Oh no," he says, eyes filled with humor. "Are you pregnant or something?"
My jaw drops, and I blush as red as a tomato, "No! Why would you think that?"
"The 'so Dad' always means you're going to say something I won't particularly like. And you left Jason in the other room...that means you don't want me to kill him. Although, just so you know, I wouldn't be ticked if you got pregnant. I mean, don't rush to have a kid or anything, I would be a little disgruntled, but I'm aware that fifty percent of people are not virgins by the time they're seventeen, I sure wasn't, so if you were one of the few who have consequences in the form of a child, I can't judge."
"Um, thanks? I appreciate that you're accepting of my less-than-impending pregnancy, but that is nowhere close to what I was going to ask." I shake my head, of course he would jump to the most extreme conclusion possible. "I-you know the camp program I go to?"
He nods wearily, "Uh huh."
"Well, there's another branch, more Roman-centric than Greek, here in California. Jason goes back and forth between the two by weekly or so, and as you can see he's here this week. So I was wondering if I could go stay there with him and some of the friends I met this past summer for a few days?" I cross my fingers, anticipating a no but hoping for the best. Come on, Tyche, I could use some fortune.
"Hm. I suppose...I will be very busy with my movie, and I don't want you to be bored sitting around here all the time. Will Hazel be there?" I swear, he loves Hazel; she came to visit one time, and he was enamored. I could ask to go to a drug house, and he would be okay with it if she came along.
"Yes, Dad, both her and Frank stay at the California camp almost year round, they only come to New York for a few weeks. And Reyna will be there too-the one I told you about?"
His brow puckered, "Reyna, Jason's almost-ex Reyna?"
"The very same."
"And you're...happy that she'll be there?" he asked, befuddled.
"Dad, like you said before, we've been together for almost a year. Reyna is my friend, I can't hold a grudge over something that happened before I even met Jason."
"You confuse me even more than your mother did," he says with a shake of his head.
"Girls aren't that complicated, Dad. You just have to give them food and pay attention when they talk about things you don't care about. Which reminds me, are you ever going to date again? I know you're lonely." I swallow thickly, filled with sorrow at the thought of him, alone in this big, drafty house all year while I'm away at camp.
"Pipes, don't rehash that old argument. Besides, shouldn't you be trying to get on my good side? I haven't said yes yet; after all, what father in their right mind would let his sixteen year old daughter go away with her boyfriend without adult supervision?"
I snort, "Good thing you're not in your right mind. And there will be plenty of supervision, there are tons of adults at camp, lots of parents-even grandparents." Not that I'll be in that part of New Rome much, but he doesn't need to know that. I'm a teenager, I'm supposed to have secrets and white lies.
"Well, I suppose, since I'm not in my right mind, that would be all right. Do you need any money or anything?" Not unless you have a stash of denarii you've been hiding from me.
"Nope, I have the 'troubled kid' scholarship, remember? Covers everything. Thanks Dad, you're the best!" I stand on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek, then rush to my room to pack a bag, securing Katoptris on my belt.
/
"You ready, Sparky?" I call with a smile, backpack on one arm and my key lanyard hanging from the other.
"As I'll ever be, where you're concerned," he responds with a smirk, treading across the tile behind me as we head to the door.
/
"So where will I be staying? Is there a guest place, or will Reyna and Frank just stick me in a temporary cohort?"
"Um, the only visitor I've ever seen is Nico, so I don't actually know. But um..." he trails off nervously, and I bite my lip to keep from grinning. The only times he ever gets overwhelmed by nerves are when his friends are in danger, and whenever we're alone.
"What, Jase?"
"Praetors have their own houses, separate from the rest of the legion. After Frank became Praetor, it was decided that a new one would be built for him, and the one I had would be used for the Pontifex Maximus as long as there was one. So you could..I mean, if you wanted..." he stops again, and I reach my hand over to squeeze his.
"There's no place I'd rather stay." He lets out a breath, and I can feel him regain confidence. "Awesome. There's only one bed, it's queen size, but I can take the couch. And I keep some snack food in the kitchenette, but we'll go to the forum for all our meals."
"Jason, I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch of your own house. We can just share the bed." I hold my breath as I wait for his response-did my Aphrodite nature take it too far? "If that's okay with you."
"Y-yeah, that would...be good." I swear, his awkwardness is so adorable. If I wasn't driving I would kiss the Hades out of him-eyes on the road, Piper I chide myself.
"So, how is Camp Jupiter? Have there been a lot of changes since the war?"
"Kind of. We've had a lot more recruits descended from minor deities, and there's been a lot of temple construction-I commissioned a project to revamp Minerva's shrine, and Reyna and Frank have been ordering legion instructors to incorporate principles of respect for her and all the 'lesser' gods. I know it doesn't really make up for thousands of years of mistreatment, but...I think it's important to try, you know?"
"Of course. And you're not just trying, you're succeeding; even Chiron has said he's noticed a change in the gods' attitudes since you started all this. You're doing something amazing." We sit in comfortable silence, but between the discussion topic and the heavy rain that began moments after we started driving, that atmosphere has grown a bit too serious for my liking.
"Oooh, turn it up, this is my jam," he comments lightly, and I raise my eyebrows. "You like All American Rejects?"
He nods sheepishly, "Yeah, I always listen to their music when I get really frustrated. Singing along helps me let off some steam so I can stay levelheaded."
"Interesting. Now I know who to get you tickets to-other than Lana Del Rey, of course."
"Lana Del Rey is definitely my favorite," he admitted. "And let's see, I would have to get you...Maroon 5 or Imagine Dragons."
"Perfect. At least now we don't have to stress over Christmas presents," I say with a laugh.
"Yep. Our only winter worry will be whether or not someone smites Percy for being less than devout."
"Winter worry? Let's be honest, we'll be worrying about that one for the rest of our lives."
Jason grins, "Truer words have never been spoken. Poor Annabeth."
"She can handle it; gods know she's used to it by now. Hold on-did you see that?" I pull through the slosh to the side of the road abruptly, turning around in my seat.
"See what?" he squints through the back window.
"I thought I saw someone, it looked like they collapsed or something. I'm going back." After a quick U turn, I slowly cruise past the stretch where I thought I saw the figure, and we scrutinize the grassy roadside through the droplets smacking down onto the car.
"There, right by that boulder!" Jason points, and I stop next to a human form enveloped in a dirty knitted blanket.
"Hello? Are you okay?" I call as I step out of the car, running to crouch down by the head of what I could now see is a girl, who looks maybe twelve. Her hair is a pale blonde, but the shape of her eyes reminds me of Grandpa Tom's. "She's got a pulse, but here skin feels cold, and she's not responding," I shout to Jason with a hand on her forehead. Carefully positioning my arms, I lift her and trek back to my car, laying her across the backseat.
"Camp," she mumbles, "Have to..camp. Monster..." I look up, and Jason and I's eyes lock. "She's a half-blood. We need to get her to camp, the children of Apollo can help her. Can you sit in the backseat to make sure she stays stable?" He nods and climbs in, while I jump in the front and put the car in drive.
I raise Katoptris in greeting as I speed onto the road to New Rome, passing two bored looking guards. "Remind me, which way do I go?"
"Left here, and right after we pass that monument to Janus. Don't worry, she's doing okay. Hold up, someone's leaving the forum-I think it's Frank."
A glance in that direction tells me he's right, and he hollers to be heard in the downpour. "Frank! Thank the gods. Where is Quentin? Or Cam? We found a girl on the side of the road, she needs medical attention as quickly as possible."
The son of Mars pulls at his Praetor's cape uncomfortably, looking pensive. "I think they're with Reyna, one of Octavian's old followers went rabid and came at her with a pugio; she's okay, but she needed some healing. Do you want me to come with?"
I nod gratefully, "That would be helpful, thanks Frank. Just hop in the passenger seat." He does so compliantly, and within minutes we're carrying the small, limp form inside.
A/N: So, what do you think? Follow, favorite, review! Your opinions mean the world to me.