Jason Jackson

I missed Gabe a little, but Fredric seemed cool, so I was alright with this change. It has been like, 8 years.

Which is insane and I don't even want to think about it.

I've been home for a few days. 17 years old. I don't really know what they did, it didn't make sense. They apologized for it being so late. I don't know who they were. A man. I don't know.

Apparently Percy's on his way home from a summer camp, so I was hyped to see him! I really, really missed him. I hope he's doing alright. Mom hasn't said a ton, being she's worked and we've talked about other stuff outside of my brother. But she said he'd be really happy to see me again.

And I mean, I was just sitting at the high counter with the stools so I'm sure he didn't really notice because it wasn't within his eye sight.

But Percy didn't...

I mean, he looked like shit, I'll give that to him.

Which gave me a pretty good idea as to why Mom hasn't said a lot about it to me these last couple days: she didn't want me to worry if he wasn't even home yet.

"I'm home!" Percy announced as he took off his shoes and headed for what will soon be our room again. There's an extra bedroom. "I'll be in my room unpacking!"

But there's also like, an extra kid.

Estelle is a cutie, you can't convince me otherwise.

Mom have him a few minutes before going in to talk to him, check on him.

Ease him into the fact that I'm alive now.

Mom was in there for a bit before she came out and told me it was safe to go in.

So I did, and he was throwing some clothes into a hamper, seeming a little better than when he walked through the door. Just calmer.

"Hey, uh..." I said, making him jump being his back was to me. "Oh, sorry, I assumed you heard me walk over. Hey."

"Yeah, I just wasn't paying attention..." Percy said as he turned around because he knew that it couldn't be Fredric's voice, and I guess I don't know if Mom even said anything about me to him. "Oh. Uh..."

It took him a second, but he was less shocked than Mom was.

"Hey," he said in return, just recognizing who I was as not a clone of him, but his twin brother who was probably altered a bit to look like him because I was dead for almost ten years so they had to adjust me to look like I'm 17. "You're alive!"

And it sets in, and he smiled and just pulled me into a hug, and I kind of forgot how nice it was to have a twin.

It was lonely, being dead.

"You're back!" Percy exclaimed, with a burst of energy now rushing through him, and I had a feeling that he hasn't been this happy in quite a while. "Oh my gods, you're here and alive and real!"

"I am!" I agreed. "I got back a couple days ago, Mom said you were at a summer camp and wouldn't be there for long. Had you not come home this weekend, I think she said we'd try calling? I don't know. I don't really know how I'm back, but like... I'm here. I feel like I've missed a ton."

"You have," my twin confirmed as I helped him unpacked. "After you died, Gabe started drinking and the marriage started to fall about. Kind of became an asshole and he died, which a whole different story. Stuff um—"

He was hesitant.

"I met Dad," Percy told me, which was probably the most insane thing I could hear from him. "I don't see him that often, but here or there. Mainly because we just don't really connect. I don't know if him and Mom talk at all. If you want to meet him, I'm sure he'd come over. We have two half brothers that live with him, and then Estelle is his. Which uh... I didn't know about until after she was born because Mom was getting divorced to Paul, who you never met. Now she's dating Fredric, and he's nice, but I don't think it's going to last too long. Mom and Dad have been kind of hinting at like maybe getting back together for a while now and the only reason they haven't is because of me, so."

"Because of you?" I questioned. "Are you cockblocking mom?"

"Well, no, it's not..." He tried to explain to me, but I'm sure I needed context. "Dad and I don't always see eye to eye and some things happened over the year and my mental health went down the drain because of it and like while I was in this really shitty spot, as in like, borderline suicidal, I found out that Mom and Dad were getting back together and he was coming over for dinner and I found that Estelle was his kid and I just lost my mind that day and it wasn't because they were getting together, it was just the cherry on top and yeah."

"Oh." I really didn't know how else I could respond to that. 

"Yeah," Percy agreed. "it's been a bad year. But maybe it'll be a good summer now that you're back!"

"It better be," I insisted, and he laughed. "Oh! While we're talking about that sort of thing—"

I paused.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

He had to think about his response, which is how I knew.

"No."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

His face turned light shade of pink.

"If you're not mean about it."

I just rolled my eyes.

"Percy, you had a boyfriend when we were like, 7," I told him. "And again when we were 8. After that, I don't know, I died."

"You did die," Percy agreed. "Yeah, didn't date much after that. I had this short period of time a little while ago where I thought I might be bi, so I dated a girl and I wasn't a fan of that, so. Also, we don't go to church anymore being Gabe is gone."

"Thank God," I responded, and Percy chuckled. "I hated church. I mean, who's even to say if there is a god? There's like, no proof."

Percy just shrugged.

"I mean, just one God..." He figured, and I didn't like the tone. "It's not plauasable. But um, I can see if Dad could come for dinner if you want! We can always meet him, too. He doesn't live too far away."

"Yeah!" I perked up at that idea. "that'd be cool. Does he know he had twins?"

"He will if he doesn't already."

•••

Percy Jackson

For one meal, I can suck it up and hopefully just like, talk to Tyson.

He better bring Tyson.

But I called Dad, and he answered. He's been trying to be there more, which is like, weird. It's getting better, easier.

"Hey, kiddo!" Dad said as I saw he was in the lounge room, alone, I believe. "I heard you left camp already, everything alright?"

I shrugged.

"It'll be alright, I just shouldn't have really gone in the first place," I assured him. "or just for longer than a few days. What are you doing for dinner?"

"Dinner? Nothing," he told me. "Why?"

"Well," I explained to my father as I saw Mom talking with Jason about meeting with dad, "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to meet up for dinner? Bring like, Tyson and Triton with. I'm sure if Tyson wanted to bring Ella, it's be fine. There's uh, somebody who wants to meet you."

And my father chuckled, I knew what he thought I meant.

"Is it the boyfriend your mom told me about?" Dad asked me, which confirmed that they do talk. I guess it doesn't make me angry anymore, though. As long as they're not having an affair, because Fredric doesn't deserve that. "Does he know about the gods, Percy?"

"Well, not... I mean, if you want to meet him, he could probably come with," I figured, shrugging. "he is Apollo's kid, so I hope he would know. He went to camp before I did, apparently. But no, you uh..."

I stopped for a second.

"You had twins," I told him. "I'm one of them, and the other one, Jason, died before we ever got to camp. He was brought back like everyone else was, just super late, as in within this last week that I was at camp and I mentioned that I had met you and that he could meet you, I just know how soon because of your schedule, but I'd ask for dinner and yeah. I think Mom is giving him the gods talk right now. But he wants to meet you and I mentioned two brothers, and I miss Tyson, so..."

"We can meet you guys for dinner," Dad assured me, which I was happy to hear. "but I want your boyfriend there, too, if he doesn't already have plans."

"Okay!" I responded, figuring that should work out. "Where should we meet?"

Dad gave me an address for a restaurant and I called Thomas really quick.

"Hey, babe," he said and I smiled. "What's up?"

"Well I'm almost done unpacking," I explained. "And you know how like, I was upset because everyone else came back and Jason never did?"

"Mhm!"

"I spoke too soon," I remark, and heard his snarky laugh. "oh, be quiet. I got home and he was home, apparently it's been a couple days. But he wants to meet Dad, and Dad wants to meet you, so do you want to come with to dinner? Meet the whole family?"

"I would be honored. Do I have to dress up?"

"If you don't look like trash, I think he'll be okay with it."

We talked for a few more minutes before ending the call and I changed quick into decent clothes, being I was wearing training clothes when I got home. Made my way back out to the living room, where Jason was just taking it all in.

"So Dad..." Jason said and looked back at me as I had entered the room. "did you know that Dad is a god?"

"Yes," I confirmed for my brother. "don't worry, he's not that intimidating unless he's like, upset. He said dinners good, by the way."

Did that make Jason anxious?

Very much so.

So come and hour later, when we met with Dad, and he was wearing his classic Hawaiian shirt and shorts, and when Jason realized that that was dad?

It was kind of funny to see.

Tyson was there, though, and I missed him so much. Him and Ella are still together, it's cute.

I think Jason just about lost his mind when he saw Thomas again.

Of course, it is date night, though, so we did run into other campers. And a lot of them got Jason and I mixed up. Including like, Piper, who was out with Jason, Frank, Hazel, Leo, and Nico. Her and Jason aren't dating anyone, but they didn't want to feel left out so they went with them.

It was after Dad left, and that whole thing went really good! But it was just Jason and I eating some dessert when Leo walked over to say hi.

"Percy!" Leo exclaimed, giving me a pat on the back. "I didn't think we'd see you so soon again. Who's—"

He saw Jason and had to think.

"Holy shit there's two of you?"