Y'all this chapter isn't too great. I really only like one specific part of it (you'll know which one when you're done LOL), but the rest of it is kind of slow. Trying to switch into a different piece of the story, so bare with me. Thanks for sticking around ahaha

For now, all he could do was enjoy it.
*****

Percy was not excited for the following Saturday. He still had about nine days until he reached the date, but the anxiety had only just begun to form in his stomach. The lawyer that his mother was working with informed them early in the morning that Gabe's hearing had been set for that day. Of course, they both needed to be there if they wanted Gabe to face any kind of punishment.

Still, he wished there was a way to get out of it. He never wanted to look at Gabe again, much less hear his voice and be in the same room as him. Somehow, the thought of seeing him became more dreadful as he spent longer amounts of time away from the man.

Percy moved through the school day reluctantly, not paying much attention to his work or teachers. He had bigger things to worry about than his 30-point English quiz. In the few classes he had with Jason, the blonde seemed to notice but hid his concern. He didn't want to overwhelm Percy more than necessary.

However, that thought process went out the window when Jason approached the other boy after school.

"Percy," he called out, jogging slowly up to the boy's locker, "you alright?"

Percy nodded at him, knowing that the question was going to come sooner or later. He sent a fast text to the blonde's phone and waited as he went to read it.

Percy: gabe's hearing is next Saturday

Jason held back his scoff at the mention of Percy's stepfather. "Isn't that good? He'll finally be gone for good."

Only if he loses, Percy considered expressing the thought to Jason, but he decided to hold back. The last thing he needed was the blonde getting worked up for no reason. He sent a different set of texts instead.

Percy: hopefully, i just don't really wanna see him again

Percy: you know?

Jason nodded, even though he most definitely did not know. "I can come with you. I'd offer to bring Piper and Leo, too, but I have the feeling court isn't for them."

Percy, although he knew having Jason around would be nice, shook his head and waved off the idea. Jason didn't need to spend most of his Saturday in a courtroom with him.

"Really, Perce, I don't mind," Jason insisted, knowing generally what Percy was thinking.

Percy gave him a look that said 'are you sure?' and smiled when Jason nodded.

"Just let me know if I have to do anything beforehand," Jason told the other boy, "I'll testify if you guys need me to."

The green-eyed boy was fine with Jason accompanying him, but he certainly wasn't going to ask the boy to do anything else after being there for Percy all this time. He simply nodded a thanks at the offer, though, knowing Jason would have protested if he did anything else.

Jason sighed upon seeing Piper waving him down from the other end of the hallway. "I'm being called to chauffeur, I guess. See you later?"

Percy waved at the blonde, watching him disappear down the hallway.

*****

Percy spent most of his free time during the weekend with Jason. On Friday, his mother was on the phone with her lawyer throughout the entirety of dinner and the majority of the evening afterwards. Percy holed himself up in his room, drowning out the noise with loud music in his headphones while he did homework. Normally, he'd wait until Sunday night for his weekend homework, but he needed an excuse to hide in his bedroom for a while.

The following day, though, Percy couldn't bring himself to be around when the same lawyer was supposed to come over and discuss some things about the trial. He knew it'd be beneficial for everyone involved if Percy heard what the lawyer had to say, but he was stressed enough as it was.

He texted Jason and asked if he wanted to hang out somewhere, praying to every higher deity that the boy wasn't busy. The blonde texted back within a couple minutes, offering for Percy to just go over to his house. He was warned that Annabeth was there with Piper, but Percy didn't particularly care who was there as long as he got out of the apartment.

His mother's obvious disappointment when he informed her of his departure was almost enough to make him stay behind, but he mustered up the will to push the thought aside and head to Jason's house. When he reached the end of the driveway, he saw Thalia step through the front door. She waved up at boy, strolling over to meet him halfway. Percy assumed she was going to work, as she seemed more put together than average.

"Jason told me about next week," Thalia offered as she reached Percy, "I can help with whatever. Tell your mom she can call me."

Percy nodded, flinching a little when Thalia went to pat him on the shoulder. She apologized, her eyes glossed over with concern and a tinge of guilt, but Percy waved her off, assuring that she was okay. He'd accepted that he would flinch at people for the rest of his life.

With that, the two parted ways, and Percy walked into the Grace household without a knock. He grimaced a bit, reminding himself of Leo, but the thought disappeared when Jason greeted him at the bottom of the stairs.

His blonde hair was messy, a style that looked foreign on the blonde, and slightly damp. Percy could only guess he'd recently taken a shower. The green-eyed boy smiled a bit, rather liking the rugged look Jason had going on.

Soon after, when they ended up playing video games with Piper and Annabeth in the living room, Jason still hadn't taken to the time to tame his hair. Upon annihilating Jason in a Super Smash Bros match, Percy ruffled it affectionately, ignoring both Jason's slight blush and the snickering from the two girls across the room.

"Stop," Jason whined at him, trying to smooth his hair out, "it looks ridiculous right now."

Percy shrugged, typing out a message on his phone and flipping it towards Jason for him to read.

I think it's cute.

Jason grinned, the red tint not leaving his cheeks. "You do?"

When Percy nodded with a newfound confidence, Jason gently nudged the other boy. "Well, I think yours is, too."

As Percy laughed softly, Jason's smile only grew. The two continued with a new conversation, not noticing the two sets of eyes focused on them from the other side of the room.

"Dear gods," Piper rolled her eyes as she whispered to Annabeth, "they're taking forever to get together."

Annabeth smiled at her friend. "Sometimes it takes a while. Be patient, and stop staring at them. It's creepy."

"Fine," Piper frowned, tearing her eyes away from the two boys and back to the blonde girl at her side. "Rematch?"

"You're going down, McLean."

Just in case anybody is confused by the timeline:
The chapter begins on a Thursday. At the time skip, the story is talking about the next day (Friday) and the weekend immediately after it. From the Saturday where the chapter leaves off, there are seven days until the hearing.

I'm trying to do a little research on how these court hearings go, but I'm kind of slow and don't understand most of what I've been reading. Because of that, I probably won't include much of the actual legal aspects (like what questions witnesses are asked, cross-examination questions, etc.) bc I don't wanna look like a buffoon. I'll do my best, though. I'm putting my reading comprehension skills to the test just for y'all.

On that note, have a great week, everybody! Bye!