I got a sudden kick for fanfics again and a new trailer for the PJO show just dropped, so here we are with another update :)
XVI: Coach Hedge Isn't What He Seems (But Is He Ever?)
Jason, Piper, and Leo walk down the halls during their free period. Usually, they would head outside but it was raining so everyone remained in the school. A lot of their cohort mates were in the common rooms or their bedrooms, but the trio opted to walk around and avoid being where they weren't wanted.
They pass the staff room and stop when they peek inside the door left open ajar. Coach sits alone at a table, feet up on the table as he leans back and munches on a can. He stares out the window, watching the rain pour hard against the open window.
"He should close that," Jason says. The wind was forcing more rain into the staff room but Coach didn't seem bothered. He seemed to enjoy feeling the rain. He's relaxed in his seat, eyes closed as if he was napping.
"What do you think was in that can?" Leo asks.
Piper eyes him. "That's what you're asking?"
Leo shrugs. "The can probably tastes better than the actual food in this place."
"Guys, look." Jason points.
Piper and Leo follow his gesture and the three of them watch Coach scribble something on the remains of the can's wrapper. He folds that sheet of paper into an airplane before shooting it out the open window. Moments later, a rainbow forms from the rainwater dropping into the staff room. Then, they hear two sets of voices coming from the rainbow before two faces appear.
One is a young blonde girl about their age with piercing grey eyes and big curly hair. The other is an older man wearing a blazer and glasses with the lower half of a horse as a body.
"You see that too, right?" Piper whispers, sighing out of relief when Jason and Leo nod. Although she's not the least bit calmer after seeing what just transpired in the past minute.
"Wow," Leo comments. "Phones really upgraded."
"I didn't even think Coach knew people outside the school. Is that guy half-horse?"
"Coach knows cool people. Maybe the call's connection is so bad because Wilderness Service so it looks like that guy is half-horse but he's really on a horse."
"Makes sense."
"Shh…" Jason insists. "I'm listening. Or trying to, at least."
Jason shushes them again and leans in closer to get a better view of the phone call. He's surprised Coach hasn't caught them yet since they're being pretty loud for eavesdropping. He was able to catch the man on the call saying the blonde girl's name is Annabeth.
"Any news, Chase?" Coach asks.
The blonde girl, Annabeth Chase's, expression drops and she shakes her head.
Annabeth: I had to promise the Iris cabin to go easy on them during inspections in return for a free call. Chiron allowed it.
"I ran out of drachmas and there are no rainbows here. I'm lucky I even got rain in this desert."
Chiron: Let's not waste time. Coach, you'd better not be thinking of bringing those kids early.
Coach rolls his eyes. "I know how to do my job. Look, everything's fine here. I got my eyes on those two but you should've told me about a third one."
The horse man lifts a brow, confused. Jason's stomach churns as Chiron looks at Annabeth to see if she knew what Coach was talking about. Her grey eyes start sparkling and she smiles excitedly.
Chiron: What third?
Annabeth: Is it-?
"It ain't Jackson, Chase, I would've started with that if it was and told you the minute that kid got here."
Coach smiles softly as Annabeth's happiness vanishes. Chiron rubs her shoulder.
"You think he's talking about us?" Leo asks Jason and Piper.
"Why would you say that?" Piper wonders.
"Coach is meant to babysit us."
"That's literally his job."
"But he was telling the horseman and the hot blonde that two kids weren't ready to go to … wherever."
"Doesn't mean it's us. Some kids here aren't ready for other institutions and all that."
Leo scoffs. "Oh come on, Piper. Why else does Coach pick on us two specifically so much? Why else are we his favourites?"
Piper pauses. "... you might have a point. But what is that place? They said Iris cabin so is that like some flower classist cult?"
"How do you know what an Iris is?"
"Wilderness Botany Class. And Coach mentioned not expecting a third kid." She points to Jason.
Leo nods. "Good point. And he didn't even know where he came from."
"Fob. Watch."
Piper points aggressively at Coach on the strange rainbow video call.
While listening to his friends talk this out, Jason was paying attention to Coach's phone call. A lot of people were worried for this Jackson character, especially Annabeth by the sounds of it. But the stories on the call and his life at the moment sound too similar to be coincidental, but he won't be let down if it was just the same things happening parallel to one another.
"… It doesn't feel right," Jason mutters.
"Coach is on the phone with a horseman," Piper argues, snorting a laugh. "Nothing about this is right."
Annabeth: No, Chiron, we have to find him. He just - he disappeared.
Jason's heart drops when he notices Annabeth start to tear up on the call.
Annabeth: He was just right here and now he's gone.
Chiron: Annabeth, all of Camp is looking for him.
Annabeth: They haven't found him! It's been months! I can't even contact—
Annabeth storms off. The call skitters for a moment before it's just Chiron. He sighs, taking off his glasses and rubbing his temples.
Chiron: We'll keep you updated.
The rainbow vanishes but the rain outside continues pouring. Coach puts his can down on the table and looks up at the ceiling, muttering something about someone finding that Jackson kid. Jason can't help but wonder if this Jackson kid was supposed to be at this school instead of him. Maybe there was a mix in student transport, but Headmaster Juno didn't seem fazed that he was here. Unless ...
"That sounds like it was about you," Leo mutters.
Piper looks at Jason. "I didn't picture you from a classist floral cult."
"It's not me," Jason states.
"Are you sure your name is Jason?" Leo asks. "Maybe it's Jackson. J names. And I might be bad with letters, but all the letters in Jason are in Jackson. Maybe you forgot that -CK in the middle of your name."
"Do you know that girl and horseman on the phone?" Piper asks.
Jason shakes his head. "No and no."
Coach stands and the trio knows he'll be heading out. They know Coach will see them standing there, having eavesdropped on his phone call.
"We need to run," Leo says.
"He'll see us," Jason responds. "We're already wasting time."
"Wait," Piper grabs their arms. She looks at Jason. "Kiss me."
Leo pulls his arm back. "What?"
Piper laughs a little. "Not you."
Piper grabs Jason by the collar and kisses him. Leo leans against the wall and slinks to the ground, taking a screwdriver out of his pocket and playing with it.
Before Jason could react, Piper already parts from him and fakes a nervous smile and laugh when Coach walks out of the staff room. He looks at them and especially eyes Jason.
"Rain will stop soon," Coach tells them, not even commenting on the kissing. "We'll be running drills outside."
Jason nods. "Yes, Coach."
"On it," Piper adds as Coach walks off to announce it to the other students.
Leo looks up at Piper and Jason, circling the screwdriver at them. "When did that happen?"
"It hasn't," Piper responds. "Look, maybe instead of looking into Jason, we need to look into Coach. What kind of person takes a job here? Maybe he's desperate for work. What made Coach take this job supervising dangerous kids? Maybe he applied to work in juvenile detention or likes the desert. Maybe he got transferred from that botanist cult. He is a man of nature, after all."
"Lots of questions…" Jason mutters. "We'll come up with something."
-o-
An hour later, their cohort runs laps, some slip on the track but they continue running. Coach never told them how long they should run for so the instructions were to keep going until they face-plant or Coach yells that it's dinner. Not even another storm could get them out of this one. It's been a rainy season here lately.
Coach runs at Jason's pace, keeping at his side which prompts Piper to speed ahead and Leo to his run. Neither of them wants to be involved in that situation. He can't blame them whatsoever.
"Alright, Grace, what are you up to?" Coach asks with some sneer in his tone.
"Running the laps you wanted," Jason responds casually.
"No, I mean here. At the school."
"You saw my blank file. I know as much as you do."
Coach narrows his eyes at Jason. "You'd better not be lying to me."
"I'm not."
"If you dare hurt Piper or Leo - I mean anyone at this school."
"I wouldn't dare anything, Coach, you have my word."
Jason nods, smiling at Coach. He thinks it was sincere enough since Coach, oddly, galloped away. At least Jason got the confirmation he needed in realizing that Coach was sent to work here under the guise of a program leader but had to keep an eye on Leo and Piper. Now he can't help but wonder why. Maybe he should be thinking more about them than himself. It had to do with Annabeth and Chiron, with whatever they're up to with that Jackson kid.
Again, so many more questions keep coming to fruition but not enough answers.
I'll post the next chapter when the show is released!