Percy couldn't do it. He just couldn't. He rushed to find his brush, but as usual, couldn't find it. Or anything for that matter. He kept changing his clothes from something fancier to something more casual, and a vicious cycle it was. It was times like these when he needed Piper to help him... He still couldn't figure out how he felt about the whole situation. She had been out for almost a week, and it was really taking its toll on Jason. He refused to leave her side, which Percy could understand. But a week of no showers, sleep, not even a few minutes outside? Percy guessed that he just really had it for Piper.

But Percy was quite worried as well. Piper and Percy had become like family over time, sharing countless inside jokes and fun stuff like that. He just needed to know that she was okay. You know, still alive, still remembers him. He could only dwell on this for so long until he got headaches from worrying too much.

Percy took a deep breath, trying to leave the concern down in the depths of his mind. He needed to focus on the present, and right now, he was getting ready to go out with Shelli; their first time hanging out together. Not a date, though. No, he loved Annabeth and only her. Percy finally decided to go casual since they were just hanging out, having a good time. Hopefully.

He had finally finished getting ready when a knock on his door came. He opened the door, revealing a sleep deprived, overly stressed out Jason. His hair was a mess, his clothes didn't match, and he didn't smell too great either. Percy ignored it, knowing Jason had come for something very important to have left Piper's side. Percy gestured for him to come in, closing the door behind him. Jason went and sat on the bed, running his fingers through his greasy hair. Before Percy could ask, Jason spilled.

"You've got to make me a promise." This momentarily stunned Percy, taking him a few seconds to respond.

"W-What promise?" Jason looked him dead in the eye, staring into his soul.

"Don't let this Shelli girl come in between you and Annabeth. Please. I don't want you to have to go through what I..." He trailed off, but the message was clear. He didn't want Percy to repeat his situation. It took guts to come up here and admit to what he did, but that's always what Jason was willing to do. He never let anyone else take the blame for a fault of his. It was an honorable trait, coming from a child of Jupiter. Jason never broke a promise, never went back on his word. But most importantly, when everyone including Piper thought he would never stick with just one girl, he did the exact opposite of what they assumed of him. And that was the most admirable thing Percy had ever seen in his demigod days.

Percy returned his gaze and said blankly: "I promise, man. I promise." He offered Jason a hand, he took it. Percy pulled him into a man hug, patting Jason's back. Jason returned.

"Thanks for caring Jason. It means a lot, really." Jason pulled back.

"You can thank me by making sure Annabeth knows you love her, every day." Jason walked out, leaving a warm feeling inside Percy. It felt good to have a friend care so much for you.

A buzz coming from Percy's pants pocket stopped his train of thought. He took his phone out; it was Shelli:

"Hey! I'm here, hope you don't have a curfew (;"

He smiled and rushed out the door. Shelli had wanted to pick him up since a) she claimed to have a sweet ride and b) it wasn't a date so why not? That made Percy feel better about this whole thing.

He got outside and saw the most beautiful thing right in front of him. Two words: blue Maserati. It looked brand new, clean and sleek. He could see his reflection on the car door. The window was rolled down, Shelli grinning as she watched his reaction.

"You getting in or what?" Percy smirked and got in, taking in every detail of the car. The leather seats were polished to perfection, the car itself cleaner than any vehicle he had ever seen before. On the rearview window there hung a little... Percy didn't know what. He thought it was a little bottle type thing filled with sand... She had told him that she had gone on a vacation to the Bahamas, she must've wanted a souvenir.

Shelli gave him that hold on for dear life look and sped off, way above the speed limit.

"Uhh, shouldn't you slow down?" Percy really didn't want to spend the night waiting for some grumpy police officer to write them up a ticket.

"Nah. The place we're going is right... Here." Shelli pulled into the parking lot of a... Bowling alley? Percy did not bowl. Shelli must've seen that on his face and giggled.

"We're not here for the bowling, silly! Follow me." They got out of the car and walked to the back of the alley, and a quite camouflaged door awaited them, swung wide open.

"Come on. We need to use our time wisely." Percy felt something was.. Off. What's up with all of the secrecy? He took a deep breath and entered the mysterious back part of the alley.

Darkness consumed him as soon as he set foot inside. Shelli lightly grabbed his arm and guided him through, never missing a turn. Shelli came here often? To... Bowl? What could you even do here? And why was she taking Percy there? Questions filled his mind, forming a cloud of doubt in his brain.

Finally, he entered a room full of light making him squeeze his eyes shut. Once he adjusted to the change in lighting, he examined where he was. It was a small little room, almost empty. There was a dirty old couch in the upper left corner, a cabinet opposite of it. What could be in there...?

Shelli took Percy to the couch and sat him down. She sat down as well and started to rummage through her purse for something seemingly important. She brought out a necklace, a necklace meant for a guy. Percy could tell by the length and designs on it. It had a charm on it... A half moon. It was 3-D so Percy assumed it was similar to a locket, but why did she bring it out now?

"Do me a favor and wear this? I know I know, just friends. But it was my father's, and you remind me so much of him. Will you?" Percy had done so many odd things. Slain so many monsters. Took down Kronos and Gaea. Even been asked to say hello to a poodle. But this was by far the most unexpected thing he had ever been asked to do. He stared at Shelli for a moment, trying to decipher whether or not she was joking. But she looked serious. Dead serious.

He took the necklace, holding it as if it could explode at any moment. He unhooked it and put it around his neck, a perfect fit. Shelli smiled so wide, all because of a necklace? Her father must've been a pretty great guy.

They started talking for a while, laughing and making stupid jokes about their lives. Shelli started to go through her purse again but brought out something different. Something Percy didn't why she would keep on her. It was a white powdery substance, like the one she had on her hand at the store. It was in a bag sealed tight. She brought out a... Percy didn't know what it was. It looked like a piece of paper, but thicker and denser. It was black and looked extremely sturdy. She reached into the bag, grabbed a pinch full of the white stuff, put it on the black paper-like thing. She brought it up to her nose and inhaled it, giggling a little bit afterward.

"Want some? It makes you feel really good." Percy wasn't sure what it was, and every instinct inside of him told him this was bad news.

"Uh, I'd loved some." Stupid decision, but hey, what's life without a little risk?

Shelli gave him some and handed him the plate. He raised it to his nose and snorted it, choking and coughing afterward. Shelli laughed after he regained his bearings.

"The first time is always the hardest. But you'll get the hang of it! I brought you another bag if you wanted some on the go." Shelli smiled and threw the bag at him, which he barely caught. It was sandwich sized but full to almost the very top. A little heavier than he expected, but it was such a pure white Percy couldn't help but stare. Why would they be snorting sugar? Maybe powdered sugar? Either way, it was quite bizarre. 

They continued to talk, occasionally inhaling some more of the stuff. By the end of the day, Percy felt better than he ever had. He felt like he didn't have responsibilities, that he could just hang out with Shelli and not give a care about what goes on in the world. A burden felt like it had been lifted from his shoulders, which he should know quite well.

As he walked from the car to his home, he felt like going back to Shelli would be the easiest thing to do. He didn't want to go back inside and deal with all of the drama there was. Something told him that, in his heart, he needed to go in. That he cared for these people, and they needed each other. Percy stumbled through the door, realizing that it was well after 2 a.m. He tried to be quiet, but mainly tried to enjoy the feeling of not being Percy Jackson, but being an average human being who hadn't saved the world countless times.

Sorry this took so long! Wattpad was glitching out on me ): but what could the white stuff be? Comment what you think! Thanks for reading and voting, it means a lot! Love y'all lots and have a good day!