Hello beautiful readers. Sorry for constantly making y'all wait for ten years between updates, but thanks for sticking around.

Have fun with yet another mess of a chapter, and thANK YOU ALL FOR 19K READS I DONT KNOW HOW THAT HAPPENED!

"Okay, Thals."
*****

Percy came back to school the next day. Jason thanked every higher deity for the fact that he wasn't suspended because he definitely did not want to explain to Percy the events of the previous day. He'd texted him after his conversation with Thalia to tell him he couldn't visit. A terribly generic excuse was given in the process, but Percy had assured him it was fine. He'd mentioned that there were guests in his apartment, too, so Jason probably wouldn't have been able to stay long anyways.

However, Jason wasn't thankful for the fact that Percy looked more beat up than he had two days prior. He looked exhausted and, frankly, quite terrible as he seemed to painfully limp around the building. It didn't help that he flinched every time Ethan walked by either. Chris was gone until the next day, but his partner-in-crime was still disgustingly present and Jason couldn't help but return the glares thrown at him every time he passed by.

Jason had yet to explain to Percy what happened with Chris. He was afraid of how Percy would react. Jason hadn't known him for too long, but he did know that Percy felt unnecessary remorse whenever Jason attempted to "protect" him. He knew Percy would just have to grow used to it like all his other friends had, but the fight was such a taboo thing for Jason.

He wasn't an angry person. He never had been. Jason still had yet to figure out why he started it, especially considering he'd heard it all before. His family was a train wreck up until he started high school. But he thought he'd gotten past that. He had Thalia, and he had his friends.

He saw nothing truly important missing from his life.

For reasons unknown to Jason, lunch started out a bit dysfunctionally. Percy, regardless of the fact that he'd literally never said a word around Jason, seemed quiet somehow. With his ADHD probably acting up again, Leo sat around for a few minutes just twiddling his thumbs.

And Piper just looked rather confused.

Jason sat around, looking at his tense and quite awkward friends before sighing and taking it upon himself to initiate a conversation. "So!"

The other three at the table were a bit taken aback but gave Jason their attention. "Why is everybody pretending we lost every possible form of communication?"

"Have you, ah, told him yet?" Piper whispered, her gaze momentarily flicking towards Percy.

Jason assumed Percy had heard her because of the puzzled expression on his face. The latter pulled out his phone, and seconds later Jason heard his, along with Piper's and Leo's, vibrate on the table.

Percy:Where's Chris?

Jason sighed. "He got suspended for what happened with you, remember?"

Percy shook his head, continuing to type. 'For a day.'

"Why do you know how long he got suspended for?" Piper asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Jason had quickly noticed just how freakishly fast Percy's fingers tended to move, as well as how fast he could write. He was lead to assume that, since those and sign language (although Percy had informed Jason that nearly nobody around him knew ASL) were the only three ways Percy actually communicated with words, he'd tried to go as quickly as possible as to not stop the conversation.

However, Jason didn't really have time to ponder over it until later, and instead looked down to read his newest message.

Percy: Told me he'd be waiting for me when I came back

Piper exhaled, turning her phone off and placing it down on the table. "I hate him...like a lot."

Jason looked over at Leo, who hadn't really said anything the whole time. "You okay?"

"Hm?" Leo questioned. "Oh, yeah! I'm fine. Just...observing."

The blonde nodded, temporarily ignoring his instinct that Leo had something else on his mind in order to deal with what he now had to tell Percy.

"I, ah, may or may not have gotten his suspended," Jason informed Percy in an almost interrogative tone of voice. Percy gestured for him to continue.

"Well, you see, he kind of insulted Reyna, and my sister and parents, and you, and just my life in general, really-"

Piper took that time to, again, be confused. "You never told me that part!"

"Did I not?" He transferred his gaze over to the girl beside him.

She shook her head. "You just told me you kicked his ass in the locker room. Well, obviously, not exactly in those words, but that was basically what you said. I assumed you were just, I don't know, getting revenge for what happened with Percy," she said, nodding her heads towards the green-eyed boy as she mentioned him.

Vibration.

Percy: I think Jason knows that I've learned to deal with Chris at this point.

Jason's head shot up after reading the message. "Deal with him? You could barely walk when I came to see you the other day!"

Percy gave him a look that clearly said 'and?'.

Percy: but I'm back now, right?

"I guess so, but you just look like...like you're still in pain."

Percy: well no shit Sherlock, he beat the crap out of me

Percy: but I'm fine, don't worry about me

Jason looked over at Percy to see a small reassuring smile before the shrill of the bell finally signaled the end of their lunch period.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Piper gave a, "Percy and I have trig together, we'll see you two later," before the two left.

Once they were out of sight down the hallway, Jason turned back to Leo. They had a free period and, therefore, time to spare. "Okay, what's really going on with you?"

The shorter of the two shook his head, standing up and gathering his things. "We need to go to the library and work on our project."

As Leo began walking away, Jason repeated his actions and jogged to catch up with him. "I just--did something happen? Is that why you're so...un-Leo-like today?"

"Jason," Leo said, taking a left turn, "take a break from being my overprotective friend and just work on our project for a little while. Please?"

Jason looked at Leo's hopeful expression before sighing. "Okay."

"Thank you," Leo said with a smile.

Lmao I hate writer's block.

I don't really have anything to say, but I hope the chapter didn't suck too much.

Yeah, that's all I got for right now, my life is currently pretty boring.

Byeeeee kids!