=Chapter Twenty-Eight=
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Guinea pig
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Wednesday, 25th of September

"Fis if weally good." Jason said after stuffing his mouth full with bread.

I grinned, "I agree."

"Mm. Seriously good."

"Thanks." I put the plate back on the counter.

"Oh, Jason, see how the shelves look? I picked them out myself. Aren't they nice?"

Bella decided to take her chance and grab Jason's attention while I was putting the bread back. I turned and leaned against the counter, watching Jason's reaction.

"Yes they're nice. I suppose you set them up yourself too?" He raised his eyebrow sarcastically.

Bella blushed. "Uh.. yes! I sure did!"

I raised my eyebrows incredulously.

"Hm. If so.. you did a good job." He turned to me for the last part, winking at me. Oh he knows. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Thanks! Say you busy later..?" Bella fluttered her eyelashes, poking Jason on the arm to get his attention.

"Oh.. I am. I've been busy lately, if you haven't been able to tell.. fun.. family events, including a ball."
He was partly speaking to me and also turning Bella down at the same time.

I nodded "That-"

"A ball?! That sounds awesome! Say do you need a date?" Bella cut in.

Jason sighed heavily. "No. I'll tell you why so you don't ask again." He stared Bella down. "Balls might sound fun, but they're boring, full of rich cunning people, they'll treat you nice until they get what they want, then bleed you dry."

He leaned closer, Bella's face getting slightly pinker and yet more terrified. "And there will be old perverts, and.."

"Okay, okay I get it!" Bella took a step back from the intimidation.

"Good. And I didn't even mention the worst part."

"What's the worst part?" I asked, still leaning on the counter.

"There's almost always an attack. Either from the joker, or someone else hoping to grab a quick fortune. It's dangerous, especially if you come as a date for me.. or my brothers." Jason said seriously, moving to lean on the counter beside me.

"You have brothers?" Bella said with a curious gaze.

"A couple, yeah."

"Hmm.. any older?" She asks, leaning closer to Jason and trailing two fingers up his shoulder.

I glared. She didn't notice.

Jason moved a step away leaving her hand in the air. "Yeah. He's twenty-eight."

"What's his name?" Bella asked, retrieving her hand, placing it under her chin.

"Dick." He grinned.

Bella grimaced in disgust. "That's his name?"

"I can't believe your parents named him that." She continued.

Jason's face faded from amused to a slight glare. "My parents didn't name him. And don't criticize my brother, his parents were wonderful people. It's short for Richard.."

"Oh. How does that work.. you have different.." she cut herself off with an oooh. "You're adopted? Or he's adopted?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Both of us are." He said stiffly, not excited to continue this topic.

"Huh." She hummed uninterested.

"Anyways. Any other brothers?" She leaned in again.

"Yes but they're young." He eyed her suspiciously.

She grimaced. "Hmph. Well. Are you busy later?" She put back on a pretty face, and I couldn't help but snort.

"I just said-"

"I meant like.. tomorrow.."

"I'm not interested." He glared.

"Ugh. Whatever." She stormed off to the back to go sulk or something.

"Sorry about her." I smiled apologetically.

"She's.. really annoying." He pinched bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Yeah... she's.. a personality, for sure." I shrug.

"She's a nightmare." He corrected, sliding in to lean on the counter beside me.

I snorted.

He smirked. "What a pleasant noise. I seem to draw it out of you whenever I'm around." He said sarcastically.

"You're just so funny." I roll my eyes.

"Any more and you'll sound like a guinea pig."

I froze and turned my head towards him slowly, a mortified, traumatic expression on my face.

"What?" He said with a straight face before cracking into a burst of laughter, doubling down and slowly lowering to the floor in tears.

"Guinea pigs don't sound like that anyways." I mumble will an eye roll.

"Get off the floor." I kick him as he continued to laugh himself to hysterics.

"I- HAHA- your face!-"

"Shut up!" I kicked him again.

He coughed/choked. "I-I can't..ha.."

"It's not that funny!" I defended myself.

"It 100 percent was." He grinned while taking deep breaths, schooling his face from the laughter. He got up from the floor using a hand on the counter. He purposely didn't look at me, and I knew the second he did he'd be on the floor again.

"Guinea pigs squeak." I clarified. "Not.. snort."

He raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't about to call you a pig, that wouldn't be very nice, would it? Besides, you're too cute for a pig and you kinda look like my little brothers guinea pig-"

"Please- stop talking about guinea pigs.." I pleaded.

"Why, did your pet die in a gruesome way and you've been traumatized ever since?"

"..I'm not answering that."

He sighed and seemed to have cleared out his system of laughter.

"I haven't laughed that much in a long time." He poked my shoulder.

"Glad to be the subject of your fun." I replied grimly.

"Cheer up, Percy. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Maybe I'll buy you a guinea pig," he teased.

"Please don't. I'd accidentally kill it." I cringed inwardly.

"You monster." He laughed, taking a step forward and turning around to face me.

"So you said you were busy?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah. My dad is throwing a ball in a couple hours. I really would invite you but.. I don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to you. There'd be gossip and stalkers.."

I held a hand up. "I get it, you don't have to explain. I'm just a friend, right? That would be a lot of work to explain to press." I nodded.

"..yeah. Exactly. I definitely wouldn't want any misunderstandings." He nodded quickly.

"Anyways." He added, "I'm gonna be late to lunch. My dad is.. making us attend it so we can discuss the game plan for the ball."

"Sounds fun." I shrug.

"We try. Somehow people still come to it despite being robbed every time."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your events seriously get robbed every time?"

"Wasn't kidding. Everything I said earlier was a legit warning."

"Wow. That's no joke. Why don't you guys stop hosting balls if they get so dangerous?"

He shrugged. "Social reasons. I think." He sighed. "We really should though." He took a look at his watch.

"I should go." He said regretfully.

"Okay. Also, thanks for Ollie." I mentioned.

"Ollie?" He questioned with a quirked lip.

"The orca whale plush.." I explained. "I named him Ollie. I love him."

He grinned. "Good. I'm happy to hear that."

"I gotta go." He repeated.

"Okay." I responded, waving slightly as he headed out the door, he turned and waved back through the window.

I smile and he grins back, tapping his watch and starts to run off. I stand by the window to watch him find his bike parked across the street, mount it and drive away in a hurry.

I kinda just stood there zoned out, minding my own business.

"Percy!" I jumped. "What?!"

May walked quickly through the room, her purse on her shoulder, Bella trailing behind her. "What? What's going on Mrs. Monroe?"

"I'm off to the airport! Jessica is in labor! She's having her baby early!"

•*•
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Hi all!
(Speech warning)

I hope you're having a wonderful *phonetastic* day! I am, because we're celebrating 100K reads!!!!
That's a huge milestone :)

After 7 years of reading Percy Jackson fanfiction I finally decided to spit back out all my ideas in a book and you guys were silly enough to read it, and for that, I am grateful.
You can bet I'm doing my best to make an accurateish fanfiction. it's having me pull out books to go reference specific scenes 😂

Also chatGPT is amazing, I ask it all sort of questions like wounds, healing processes, Percy Jackson monsters and DC villains... and it's way too helpful, so shout out to ai lol.
(Rip future writers, soon you all will see ai fanfiction out there I bet 🥲)
Here enjoy one of my questions I found funny,

Anyways,
Love you all to bits!
AND THANK YOU FOR READING!
Toodles!
💙🍪