Jason x Percy x Malcolm

As usual, Percy couldn't help but feel stupid. It definitely didn't help that one of his boyfriends was a son of Athena.

He'd been doing research for some school assignment - Percy didn't remember what it was on; he felt as if he didn't need to - when he'd received an Iris Message from Jason.

Of course, as soon as he realised Percy was 'studying' (he wasn't actually), he attempted to break the connection.

He almost didn't, his hand pausing in mid-air as he noticed how stressed Percy really looked, his camp necklace back to front and a pencil caught in his hair.

"Perce?"

Unconsciously, Percy went back to fiddling with his necklace, accidentally righting it.

"I just- I don't get it." Even to Jason, who wasn't all too good at picking up Percy's emotions - others, he could understand, but Percy was just too confusing - he sounded frustrated.

"What don't you get, Perce?"

Jason's eyes flickered to the pencil in Percy's hair. Could he not get it out?

"I just- everything."

It took Jason about ten seconds - tops - to decide his course of action.

"Come to Camp then, yeah? If you can of course. Whatever you don't get, me and Malcolm will help you with."

Percy was out of his seat, his jacket on inside out and one shoe on when Jason finally ended the call.

When Percy arrived at Camp Half-blood - finally - both Jason and Malcolm were already there to greet him.

And somehow, Percy looked even more a mess than he had when Jason ended the Iris Message earlier. He still only had one shoe on, appearing not to mind as he stumbled across the warm grass; his jacket was now not only inside out, but back to front and around his waist too; somehow, there was a second pencil stuck in his hair, as well as a sticky label stuck to his forehead. He- how?

Behind him, Blackjack looked murderous - like as in, full, actual human emotion murderous - staring at Jason as if it was his fault Percy had been stuck doing algebra for so long.

Percy bounded over, his arms coming up to wrap around them both immediately, pulling them in close.

As he spoke, his voice came out in a mesh of thanks and apologies, with a couple hysterical laughs thrown in too.

"Percy," Malcolm raised his voice for a third time, just a little louder, trying to get Percy's attention. "Percy, come on. Let's go to your cabin. We can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong."

Percy stopped talking, looking dead serious as he nodded, letting go of his boyfriends and turning to head over to Blackjack, most likely retrieve the supplies that lay on the ground at the Pegasus' feet.

Percy bobbed his head each time he picked up an item, his lips moving minutely as he mumbled to himself.

As Percy reached down to pick up the last item, his hand came across nothing but grass, causing him to pause and look down, his eyes searching everywhere on the ground beneath him.

"Uh oh."

Jason's eyebrows furrowed, walking over to Percy to help him with his search of the ground. Even though he didn't have a clue what Percy was looking for.

"I think I dropped my notes." Percy looked absolutely miserable as he held his collection of objects closer to his body, as if he expected to lose them too.

Percy looked from Jason stood next to him, over to Blackjack, his shoulders slumped as he realised he was likely to never see those notes again. He had dropped them somewhere over Manhattan, from on the back of a flying horse, from a height of Percy-could-not-remember-as-his-notes-were-more-important.

So, pretty high.

The worst part, they were Percy's favourite notes. And yes, Percy had a favourite set of notes. He'd spent two weeks on that particular copy, having tried to perfect the, in his opinion, still poor attempt at research, several times already. The many balls of scrunched-up paper littered around his room - under his bed, in his closet, under his pillow even - proved that.

But he really had tried with this set.

And now it was gone, all because he was too stupid to remember to bring a bag with him, instead of clutching so much to his chest and hoping if he leaned forward just right, and held tight enough, that he would be fine.

Obviously, he was not fine.

Blackjack snorted. 'Of course you did.'  Teasingly, he added, 'Boss.'

Percy had had it with Blackjack. Just because Percy had dragged him away from his oh-so-important 'stallion-stalking-time' (as Percy called it), he felt it was fair to make fun of Percy the entire flight there, jabbing and poking at him repeatedly with sad excuses of taunts.

That didn't mean none of them got to Percy, however.

Percy rolled his eyes, definitely not blinking back tears as he muttered a "yeah, yeah."

Malcolm spoke, popping up next to Percy and almost making him drop his stuff.

"What did he say?"

Blackjack grinned, that special grin that never failed to make Percy chuckle as if one of his best friends was the funniest horse on the planet.

(He wasn't, the terrible knock knock jokes Percy endured whenever they met up existing as proof of that.

Terrible, awful knock knock jokes. As if Percy cared that there was a snowman dressed in tires at his door.)

'Tell him, I think those glasses he wears, you know the ones with the black frame, you know the large square ones that look like something ole Father Pegasus (What the-? Father Pegasus-?!) would wear. It's a shame a flipping horse actually looks better in them than him. Oh, and tell Grace I hate her glasses too."

Percy sighed, before turning brighter eyes on Malcolm, looking hopeful.

"He said my love for you two is admirable and that he's a lame single who just wants attention. Oh, and that it if you really loved me you'd help me with this assignment." Percy paused, briefly looking down at the stuff in his hands. "Whatever it's about."

Malcolm nodded, as if that wasn't all something Percy had just made up on the spot - especially considering Blackjack's snort of protest.

"Did he? Oh, well, goodbye then."

And then he turned and walked away, leaving Percy gaping after him.

"He- he just- did you see. Like I didn't - the little- I matter!- like he didn't." Percy stopped to take a breath, sounding noticeably sadder when he next spoke. "You said you'd help."

Jason smiled softly, stepping up to Percy to place his hands in his hair, getting to work on untangling the hair wrapped tightly around the two pencils.

"I did. And we will, he's only teasing. You know that. Now, before we go after him, let Blackjack know that Grace don't care if he doesn't like her glasses and that he's just jealous that I caught myself two stallions whilst he can't even get one." At this point, Jason knew Blackjack far too well.

Percy cringed, his head ducked slightly as he tried to resist pulling away from Jason, knowing that would only knot the pencils further.

"Did you just refer to us as stallions? What is, how do you deal with what goes on inside your head?"

Jason smiled, gently tugging the first pencil (finally freed!) away from Percy's head and into the back pocket of his jeans.

"I don't. I let you guys deal with it, obviously." Jason laughed, leaning in to peck Percy's forehead as an apology after having pulled too hard, making Percy wince. Having found himself kissing a sticky label, Jason gently peeled that off, folding and placing it in his pocket too before kissing Percy's head once more, this time at the edge of his hair.

"Yeah, well, I'd appreciate it if you didn't. Your head freaks me out, honestly."

Jason didn't get a chance to add his very funny 'good', Percy having snatched the second pencil from him as soon as it was out of his hair and trudging along down the hill after Malcolm.

Before he left, Jason threw a dirty look at Blackjack, one he'd never let Percy witness as Percy was convinced Jason was the better man- well, horse? But Jason was a man. Either way, he couldn't let Percy know he stooped so low.

As he walked away, he missed the roll of Blackjack's eyes, unable to understand what he said as he shouted after him.

"Oh, I'm so scared Grace. Please don't hurt me."