Hello. I'm sorry.

[TRIGGER WARNING: this chapter contains many mentions and implications of homophobia. If you think you will be uncomfortable reading this, feel free to reach out and ask for a summary. Thank you, and stay safe.]

Both boys slept peacefully that night.
*****

Jason knew the peace would only last so long. He wasn't expecting it to end so soon, though. He thought he'd at least get a couple more dates with Percy and days to hang out with his friends. That Monday at school, he didn't think that he'd find himself chatting with Chris Rodriguez in the locker room during their gym class, once again. Jason had come from the other side of the building and was one of the last couple guys to change into his P.E. clothes. It was obvious enough that Chris was waiting for him, but Jason desperately tried to ignore him.

As soon as the last person besides the two of them left, though, Jason was left in an uncomfortable silence with the boy who'd hurt Percy and even Leo so many times. He went to leave, but Chris placed a hand on Jason's chest to hold him back.

"A moment of your time, blondie," Chris smirked victoriously as Jason took a step back.

His gaze was hard and cold, his arms crossing over his chest as he asked, "What do you want?"

"I had a chat with your little buddy earlier," Chris said, obviously referring to Leo's smaller stature, "and I just thought I'd check in with you. Is Jackson actually fucking gay? I mean, I thought it was obvious, but is it true?"

Jason frowned. "Leo told you that?"

"Had to beat it out of him a little, but yeah," Chris shrugged.

"Stay away from my friends," Jason warned, deciding he was finished with the conversation.

Chris called out after him, "I can tell everybody about him, if you want."

The blonde glanced dangerously over his shoulder. "Don't. I'm so sick of your shit, alright? Leave Percy alone, and leave Leo alone, too, while you're at it. You don't scare me, Rodriguez, because you're a coward. You think you're all that because your only hobby is making other people feel terrible just to help you feel less insecure. You're pathetic, and I'm tired of you hurting my friends because you have personal issues. Back off, or I won't hesitate to get us both suspended."

It was clear that Chris wasn't expecting Jason to tell him off. He stood there struggling to come up with a response as Jason turned towards the exit and left. Whatever he had to say to Jason, the blonde didn't want to hear it.

*****

He supposed that, after being so harsh with Chris, the boy's anger was inevitable. Percy had come by his locker at the end of the school day, and Jason told him a lighthearted story about some kid who'd tripped and fallen during his gym class. The kid was fine and even made jokes about it for the remainder of the class, so Jason didn't particularly feel bad for telling Percy.

Jason was mid-laugh when Percy got shoved into the adjacent locker unexpectedly, groaning slightly when he hit his head. The blonde's expression morphed into one of anger as he practically slammed his own locker and spun around to face Chris. He guiltily tried to ignore Percy's flinch at the action.

"I thought I told you to screw off," Jason grinded his teeth in annoyance. Percy had seemingly chose not to remove himself from where he was pressed against the metal.

"No thanks," Chris said nonchalantly, looking to Percy, "get the hell out of here, Jackass."

Jason nodded as Percy met his gaze. "Piper's at her locker. I'll come get you two when I'm done."

With a unspoken warning telling Jason not to do anything stupid, Percy left the scene and turned down the hall to go find Piper at her locker. Almost immediately, Jason missed the boy's presence and vaguely considered leaving Chris in his dust and following him.

He didn't, however. Percy's secret was in jeopardy. He'd only trusted a few people with it, and Jason intended to help keep it that way.

"I don't want to fight you, Rodriguez," Jason told him quietly, surprised when Chris nodded in agreement.

"You aren't the one that deserves it," Chris shrugged, "even if I do think you're a bit of a fruitcake. Anyways, I'll keep my mouth shut if you do something for me."

Jason frowned at multiple parts of what Chris had just said, but waited silently for him to continue. An evil smile crossed the boy's features. "Hit him."

"No," Jason stated firmly, refusing to give the idea the time of day.

"You're fucking lame, man," Chris said, chuckling at Jason's scowl. "Your other option is sit by while I tell everybody he likes dick."

"What do you gain from this?" Jason asked, upset. "Why does hurting someone who has never done anything to you seem like an okay thing to do?"

"Don't guilt-trip me, Grace," Chris waved him off. "I always went after him because nobody cared about him, but apparently you ruined that. Now, pick an option."

When Jason shook his head, Chris sighed dramatically and waved over a random girl walking by. "Hey, sweetheart," he said with a grossly charming smile, "you know the Percy Jackson kid?"

"Chris," Jason warned him, "don't do this to him."

The girl, with dangerously curious eyes, shook her head unsurely. Chris proceeded to describe him, "Mute freak. Dark hair."

"Rodriguez," Jason placed a hand on his shoulder, but the boy brushed it off as the girl nodded to show she knew who they were talking about.

"Apparently he's gay. Likes it up the ass," Chris said smugly, watching the girl gasp slightly and depart with her phone opening up to her texts.

Jason grabbed Chris while he tried to call someone else over and pushed him into the lockers like he'd done to Percy just minutes ago. "You're an asshole. If you lay another finger on Percy or Leo, I'll—"

"What?" Chris interrupted with a humorless laugh, "What are you gonna do? You gonna kill me and end up locked away like daddy dearest? Go ahead, I'd love to watch that shit."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Jason stepped back. He wasn't doing this again. Chris wouldn't be able to get to him this time. He'd be the bigger person. With a final glare, Jason began his walk to Piper's locker. When he arrived, though, the scene wasn't much prettier than the one he'd just left.

"Leo, how could you be so fucking stupid?" Piper shouted at him accusingly. Jason saw Percy gently place a hand on one of her arms as a way of holding her back. He was mildly afraid to come any closer.

For once, Leo actually looked hurt by her words. "I didn't mean to! I was scared, okay?"

"That's not an excuse," Piper told him, shaking her head. The only other two people in the hallway brushed by Jason, glancing oddly at his group of friends. He couldn't blame them, really, they were fighting in a random school hallway. He was surprised none of the teachers had interrupted them yet. Most of them had probably left by then.

Jason finally approached the group. "What is going on here?"

Piper didn't shift her glare away from Leo. "He's a bad friend, that's what's going on."

"Piper, please," Leo pleaded, turning to Percy, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Percy nodded, not seeming very angry. Piper, on the other hand, was still fuming. Jason assumed this had something to do with Chris finding out about Percy. The blonde took a step in the only other calm person's direction, looking into his green eyes that were a little duller that day. Percy offered a sad smile, a way of a reassuring Jason that he was okay, before giving his attention to the argument in front of him.

Jason figured it might be best to deescalate the situation. He calmly went to put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, Pipes, it's okay."

Before he could even reach her, Piper spun around and slapped his hand away. "You don't get to decide if this is okay or not. This is not something that affects you, something you've gone through. When you came out to Thalia, she didn't bat an eye. She kept loving you, because that is what family is supposed to do. When my parents found out I wasn't straight, they told me to leave. I couldn't pack up my stuff, I couldn't try to help them understand. I had to leave and accept that I was no longer their daughter."

Jason opened his mouth to respond, but she kept talking, "And I love you and Thalia, I do. I can never repay you guys for what you've done for me, but I'll never have what you two have with each other. I lost my family and my home because I came out, and you two," she pointed to Jason and Leo, "thinking that you have any right to say this is 'okay' is disgusting. Leo, your fear should not come before one of your friend's entire lives. You could've put Percy in danger, and saying you're sorry over and over wouldn't have helped him then."

Leo, who nearly almost had something to say, was speechless. Piper laughed bitterly, tears welling in her eyes. "My mom texted me a couple weeks ago. Told me they were blocking my number, that I shouldn't try to reach out anymore. I've still called them every day since, hoping that they might magically pick up the phone. I'll never get to see my parents again, and if you would've been responsible for that by doing something like this, Leo, I would've never forgiven you."

Before anybody could say anything else, she turned to Percy as a stray teardrop fell onto her face. "I'm so sorry this happened. I'll be by your side whenever you need me, alright?"

When Percy nodded, she slung her bag off her shoulder and pushed it into Jason's arms. "Tell your sister I'm walking home. I'll get there eventually."

At that, she silently walked around the corner and away from the three boys.

Oops, my finger slipped and I made everybody angry.

Very cliché in terms of content, but I suppose it's alright. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! See you soon! You'll have a grand ole time coming up soon.