ᴡᴏʟғɪsʜ.

[lustrums-deactivated20160713]

Still a bit on edge, Kate nodded, “Yeah – sure, sure.”

Kate followed his gaze, too, looking at the statue. To say that someone was the son of a mythological god; well, it sounded a bit… Crazy, to her. But, this whole thing was crazy, so maybe she could believe it. He sounded pretty convinced, anyway.

She gave him a soft smile, “Right… Maybe… Maybe they just ran out of clay, or, or, marble.” 

– A bad joke, but, an attempt was better than none. Though, she kept quiet as he continued to describe him. He really did sound certain of himself, of his father. She could admire that, in a sense. But, she did raise an eyebrow at “the lightning thing”; yeah, from what she remembered of Greek myths, that all sounded pretty accurate, if not completely spot on.

She believed him even more, now.

Her smile faltered when he asked about her. She was never really good at talking about herself. But, since he’d been so forthcoming, she could make a decent enough attempt.

“Well… Unless you count someone who likes to look at statues and doodle, I guess I’m pretty normal – as far as normal things go in this city, I suppose.”

She shrugged.

[vulpicino]

It startles Jason some to hear her say she’s normal.

     No--it doesn’t startle him. It scares him.

      ❝I see...,❞ says Jason, falteringly. A million questions spring to his lips. How do you protect yourself from harm? How do you defend yourself? How do you feel safe, wandering the streets that could shift under your feet to send you spiraling at any second? Naturally, he doesn’t ask. No sense in scaring someone the first time he meets her.

Still, thinking back on what she said about the statue makes him grin sheepishly and glance at his feet.  ❝People always like to make Zeus look like something other than what he is,❞ he says, with surprising ease. ❝It’s funny, really, because the Ancient Greeks pretty much took him at face value, but I think modern artists want him to look...nicer, somehow. Like they’ve had enough of an angry, wrathful god and they want something softer. It’s not so different from the New Testament in that way, I guess.❞

      ❝Hey, feel free to say no, but...if you drew my dad, would you mind showing me? I mean, I know it’s art, and it’s this deeply personal thing, but...I bet you’re good. It’d be kind of nice to see how someone new interprets him, I guess.❞

[clumsypsychxc-deactivated201703]

“Yeah. It’d make sense, wouldn’t it?” They’d said it was a social experiment and what better social experiment than throwing people from completely different worlds into the same city? She’d been largely confused and scared when she’d first arrived, and still was to an extent, and she could grasp the idea of them wanting to observe that. Not that it was right or had any value. And sometimes she had to doubt the social experiment aspect of it, feeling more like it was merely watching them freak out or fight each other than anything else. “I’ve met some people who don’t have any abilities, but with them maybe it’s just to see how they react.”

If she’d felt up to it, she’d have probably laughed at that, because one would think she’d be able to thrive here with her experience in living alone. But throw in things that she’d only ever seen in movies and read of in books and everything fell apart. At least she was able to earn a salary and cook for herself. 

“Some people think of this place as home now and are perfectly fine here, but I don’t know how they do that. Nothing here really makes sense and it’s nothing like my home.” Where the only weird thing had been psychic abilities few believed in anyway.

She mirrored his smile while taking another bite of her ice cream. “That sounds like fun! What’s San Francisco like? I’m from Japan.” She was just going to leave out the town name of where she was born because she did not want to explain why the town name was the same as her last name. “But I’ve lived in a few different cities there. Hmm, I also just turned sixteen.”

[vulpicino]

She’s easy to talk to. Normal, despite her claims of ESP. Jason finds it weirdly refreshing, to be honest; Jason’s not used to talking to girls like this. It makes him wonder if this is the kind of thing he missed out on, never going to school or meeting kids outside either camp. He leans back against the bench as far as possible and crosses his legs easily at the ankle.

     ❝The city is pretty cool,❞ he says. ❝Lots of fun stuff to do if you know it well enough. It’s nice to be able to walk pretty much everywhere. I mean, technically, I kind of live outside of the city...in a camp. But it’s close enough to the city that I can walk or fly in whenever I feel like it.❞

Just as long as he isn’t seen.

      ❝Japan seems cool, too,❞ he says. ❝I always wanted to go, but we never had a quest or anything there, so I didn’t get the chance. Hey,❞ he adds, ❝it’s cool, isn’t it, how they gave us the ability to understand each other. I mean...I’m guessing you speak Japanese, but I can understand you perfectly. That’s probably the only really good thing that’s come out of this place.❞

Well...that, and Percy.

     But he had Percy before, even if not like this.

Jason thinks about what she said, and his face darkens. ❝I’ve kind of figured it’s like that. Experiments, I mean. people poking us with sticks to see if it’ll make us jump. I just hate to think of the people who don’t have any kind of abilities at all. How d’you survive in a place like this? How do you defend yourself?❞        

[vulpicino]

A WAY TO CRASH THE CASTLE WE MADE OF SAND ▲

[thalassus]

The oh sounds in his head before he can say it out loud. But wrong or not, all he can think about now is what it’d be like to take Jason out on an actual date. And… well, where they stand. (Or lay around? They’ve been doing plenty of that.) Much as he’d rather not overthink or stress when it’s unnecessary, it’s weird! Feeling this encouraged, and supported, and happy in a place where they’ve been isolated… it seems like something that should upset him. But it’s already done plenty of that, and now?

Too bad. The smile is already spreading and yanks at the corners of his mouth until they’re tugged to full capacity. Yeah, he says. It’s blue.

“I’m working on it.”

He’s bouncing back and forth on his heels, drumming his hands against front his pockets and closing his eyes, then peeking through one. Eager, his hands run up to both eyes and he spreads his fingers to look through them not long after.

When they’re almost cooped up like this, it’s hard to figure out what to do with all his limbs. Sometimes they feel longer than they should— useless without the extension of his arm, Riptide, being put to good use. But right now, all of that energy is positive. Warm. It fills him and shines through his teeth when he smiles at the cake in all of its belated glory.

He could care less about messed up dates while they’re in the now. This is all that will ever matter to him. “Dude!” His arms spread out instinctively, but his gaze falls back to the box and how it might get crushed between their chests, flush against one another. In what can only be qualified as quest worthy speed, he dips a finger in the edge’s frosting and sticks it in his mouth. Taking the box and setting it back on the counter with one hand in the same second his eyes flash three shades brighter, Percy finally makes right on the urge that nearly took him over a second ago.

Throwing his arms around Jason feels good. So much has changed, and he along with it. Briefly tightening his grip, he pulls back and beams in a helpless sort of way. And doesn’t apologize when he turns to disrupt the corner frosting once more to smear a dime’s worth on Jason’s cheek, tonguing the corner of his mouth to get all he can out of the taste. “Thanks, Jason. This is really great. I mean… seriously. We’re not gonna miss out on anything anymore, so don’t worry.” 

But there are even fewer apologies when he blows a raspberry to the other’s cheek, getting blue all over his lips and laughing through it. ”Let’s cut this thing and I’ll give you the scoop on why blue food’s the best.”

[vulpicino]

Jason expected a reaction. It’s Percy, after all, and reactive is practically his middle name. Jason was pretty convinced he’d get a nice rise out of Percy for this one, but he couldn’t have guessed it’d be anything half as good as this.

Kinda funny, he thinks, that even after all this time, the son of Poseidon finds ways of surprising him.

It’s so sudden and tender an embrace that Jason loses himself for a moment to sheepishness, patting at Percy’s back with all the inept joy of a lovestruck teenager with a good thing in his hands. A thing just as likely to bust as it is to flourish. Jason’s set to dwell on it, as usual: The disruptive sweetness that blossoms at the pit of his gut, the bubble that’s due to burst at any moment. Then, true to form, Percy disrupts the peace himself, and tugs Jason back to solid ground in the same movement that smears blue sugar across his cheek.

A burst of delighted exasperation comes forth from Jason’s lungs, and he swings Percy slightly so he’s tucked under one of Jason’s arms instead of both. He gets Percy in a headlock and musses his hair with his free hand. As if they’re a couple of kids in the schoolyard.

          ( not that jason knows what that’s like )

      ❝Yeah, okay,❞ says Jason, kissing Percy once (because he can’t help it) before turning to cut the cake. ❝But I’ll do it, okay? I don’t trust you not to take half the cake and put it on a plate for yourself.❞

Jason slices the cake into even pieces and serves Percy first, because even if it weren’t his birthday Jason can’t wait another moment to see the look on his face when he takes the first bite. Jason steers the two of them to the table and sits next to Percy, and for a second or two, he just sort of watches him. Makes to memorize the features before him and then ducks his head sheepishly, because what’s he doing that for? Hasn’t he already memorized Percy’s features a hundred times over?

      ❝Okay,❞ says Jason, ❝spill. What’s the deal with the blue stuff? If you tell me, I’ll give you something interesting about when I was a kid.❞

[iceblocker-deactivated20240416]

she’s like the flippin’ lupa capitolina or somethin’

[iceblocker-deactivated20240416]

          “Whoa really? Cool– I was raised by a cat so, you know, I know the feeling kinda. Me an’ cats are way simpatico.”        Of course, Fionna herself leaves out the fact that her cat was a magical one that spoke and had considerable magic powers. From the look of him alone though, and from the way he talks to her, he seems like the kind of person she’d easily make friends with. Fionna decides she’s going to do just that.

          “Oh uh I actually didn’t come here with ‘em– my uh… my boyfriend kinda thought it’d be funny to set ‘em loose in Sector Four, so I had to handle it. And, well, you know how it is. You whoop a few big wolves in a fight and suddenly you’re in charge, hah…” 

[vulpicino]

     Jason raises his eyebrows. ❝Yeah, I guess I get that. I mean, I’ve never really been one for--❞ Establishing dominance? Making a bid for the top seat in any arena? ❝Um, never mind. Sounds like your boyfriend is kind of a handful, though. I can definitely relate.❞

He feels like he might be heating up, and elects to ignore it; he didn’t overtly reference that he has a boyfriend. He’s still not sure if that’s something he can do freely, or if Percy even considers them to be...well, to be there. In that place, where labels apply and things can be easy and fun and ordinary.

     ❝Hey, sorry if this is weird, but you seem to have kind of an, uh...interesting background. I’d love to pick your brain about what your homeworld is like. Feel like swapping stories?❞

[lustrums-deactivated20160713]

His rambling didn’t make her feel any more at ease, but, she did think she misspoke too quickly. That wasn’t like her, really, but she couldn’t be sure what she was like in this city anymore. Maybe it was making her becoming a rude person. Someone not nice. She didn’t like that – she didn’t want to become that sort of person. And yet here she was, hurting the feelings of someone else. Even if he was talking about a statue being his dad, she had been rude…

“I’m, I’m sorry,” she finally mumbles when he pauses long enough for her to speak.

She looked down, away from him, and definitely away from the statue. She almost felt ashamed for wanting to draw it earlier – it didn’t even look like him? That was…

“Then, uhm… What, what does he really look like? If, if that’s not accurate, I mean.”

“Oh, uhm, it’s okay,” she paused, surprised that he’d actually apologize himself, “It’s my fault…”

She didn’t really understand what he meant, but the feeling of not being believed, not being acknowledged; she could relate. She just nodded, slowly starting to come to look at him.

She keeps her hand to herself, unsure if she really wants to shake his or not, “I’m Kate.”

[vulpicino]

     ❝Kate,❞ Jason echoes, letting his hand fall to his side once more. ❝Cool. Uh, hey, it’s not your fault or anything. Like I said, I get why you’d think -- Okay, I’m kind of kicking a dead horse, here. Anyway, it’s fine. I don’t want you to worry about, uh...faults, or whatever.❞

He feels like maybe he’s blushing, so it’s a welcome distraction to glance at the statue of Zeus and shield his face (from the “sun”). He considers it. The statue seems...different, in a way he can’t quite place. He wouldn’t necessarily categorize it as warm. Certainly, the statue has the same quality of cold indifference that Jason’s father possesses.

     ❝He’s--❞ Jason begins, then pauses, glancing at Kate as if to assess whether or not she’s messing with him. He licks his lips and looks back at the marble Zeus. ❝He’s, uh, taller in real life. Well--not literally, since this thing is probably, what? Eight, nine feet tall? But proportionately. He looks taller.❞ 

He elects to leave out the part where the real Zeus tends to tower stories high.

     ❝He looks a lot older, and he’s got a crease in the middle of his eyebrows, like he’s always frowning even when he isn’t. He can fly, like me, and he can obviously do the whole...lightning thing. Technically I can too, but I haven’t gotten that privilege back. I don’t really miss it. He’s...Man, I dunno. I’ve only met him once, so it’s kind of hazy.❞ He laughs helplessly and rubs at the back of his neck.

     ❝He’s not such a nice guy,❞ he admits. ❝I mean, I dunno if you’ve read up on your Greek and Roman myth, but he’s kind of...aggressive. He takes what he wants from people without asking whether or not they really want to give it to him. My mom--❞

Jason stops short and falls silent, as if the very mention of his mother gave him a sudden headache. He clears his throat.

     ❝So...what about you? Are you, uh, normal, or do you have any freak qualities like me?❞ He means it as a self-deprecating joke, but there’s a bit too much of an edge to his voice to make it effective in the way he means it to be.

[clumsypsychxc-deactivated201703]

Kotoura followed him with no argument, the stand and its odd flavors drawing a smile from her. Sitting next to him, she slowly began to eat her ice ream, savoring the flavor and making a mental note to come back here.

“I understand. It’s hard for me to talk with others too.” Which probably made her a hypocrite with how sure she was that talking about things made you feel better. She looked down at her ice cream, scuffing her shoes against the ground. “None of us really deserve to be here. I mean, we all had lives before this.”

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. If they were going to keep talking, he deserved to know what he was getting into, and this topic allowed for telling him. “But, I guess with me it kind of makes sense. There’s a lot of movies about scientists studying psychic abilities, after all.” She tried to add in a joking tone, but it sounded fake.

[vulpicino]

At the mention of psychic abilities, Jason tilts his head slightly to either side, considering what the girl could possibly mean. He figures there are stranger things than psychic powers; his electrokinesis might be one of them, even if he hasn’t gotten it back yet. 

     ❝So...is that why you think you’re here? Because you have psychic powers?❞ He pauses, mulling it over. He hasn’t considered it before, and he has to admit, it makes a lot of sense. Maybe the scientists did bring people in based on their abilities, and what they can be tested for. He hasn’t met anyone yet who hasn’t been able to do something extraordinary.

     ❝I know none of us deserve to be here, but...I can’t help feeling like some of us are better equipped to handle it than others. There are people here who are really thriving. Makes you wonder what --❞ 

He stops short. Makes you wonder what it is about yourself that’s so defective, he almost said, but that’s unfair. He shouldn’t lump himself in with Kotoura. Not when she seems perfectly nice, and...well, normal, despite what she seems to think.

     ❝Anyway,❞ he says, plastering on a smile, ❝enough doom and gloom, okay? How ‘bout we play a game: I’ll tell you something about myself in exchange for something about you. Nothing...too personal, of course. I just mean, like, basic background info. For instance, I’m from San Francisco.❞ 

          ( not originally, of course, but she doesn’t need to know that. )

[shadowests]

· · · · · · · · · ·「 ☠ 」—» ❝·I… ❞ His voice felt thick, and it was hard to force out the words. ❝ I missed you too. ❞ A sense of shame gnawed at the inside of Nico’s chest, and with every second that passed it only seemed to increase. As for why Nico had put off meeting Jason for so long, he couldn’t say, but now that the other boy was standing before him, the decision felt like a knife in his stomach, festering. He’d been alone here for so long, he guessed that… seeing so many familiar faces had just put him in a state of confusion. And Jason was the most familiar of all, even more so than Percy in some ways. ❝ I’m… I’m okay. Better than I used to be, I guess. But… I… I didn’t mean to stay away, if that’s… what you thought. ❞

[vulpicino]

    Jason tries not to think too long or too hard about what better than I used to be is supposed to mean; he wonders distantly if Nico means “used to” as in his life before Citta, or “used to” as in…things were bad for him, too, when he first got to Hive City. Jason can’t imagine things going well for anyone here at first, and it worries him to think of Nico here, adrift and afraid and riddled with anxiety. ❝If you didn’t mean to stay away, then why did you?❞ he asks, careful to keep his voice as gentle and even as possible. ❝I – I guess, truthfully, I didn’t know what I thought. Everyone was either leaving or ignoring me, and all I had was Percy, and – Well, never mind. That’s not a story for today, I guess. I just, uh.❞

He ducks his head and shuffles his feet. ❝I guess I’m just wondering…why you didn’t come over, even when you knew I was going to die.❞  

[shadowests]

                   「 ☠ 」—» ❝ Yeah, sorry, I was, umm… ❞ Anything he might have said turned flimsy and shallow in his mind, each plausible excuse he might have given turning to ash even as he reached for it. A sharp regret twisted in his chest, and a distinct coldness ran rampant through his limbs. The indifference on Jason’s face made him flinch, and for a moment Nico almost lost his nerve. He still had two shadow travels left for the day, but he knew he couldn’t. So instead he stood there silently for a moment, with no words to say besides the obvious. ❝ I’m sorry. ❞

[vulpicino]

     ❝It’s fine,❞ Jason says, hoarsely. He can’t quite look at Nico, but he does his best to open his stance, relax his face. With all that’s been pent up for so long, Jason sort of figured it’d burst out of his chest like a geyser, but it isn’t like that at all. All his anger and resentment trickles out of him and leaves him feeling lame and empty and overheated. He swallows.  ❝I just, uh, I dunno. I missed you. I felt like you...Well, never mind. It doesn’t really matter. Are you doing okay?❞

[shadowests]

vulpicino

                   「 ☠ 」—» ❝ Jason. ❞ A single word, spoken softly. There was a deep sense of guilt to Nico’s tone of voice, but a warm fondness as well. This was a meeting long overdue, and he didn’t want to blow it.

[vulpicino]

     ❝Nico...!❞ Jason starts slightly, surprised to see the son of Hades face-to-face. He makes a jerky half-movement, as if to step forward and give Nico a hug, but something strikes him, an angry combination of the pain in his gut and all the guilt that washes over him. All the shame and anguish. He rests on his heel and arranges his face into an expression of carefully-constructed indifference, just genial enough to dispel discomfort.  ❝I, uh...wasn’t sure if you were still here.❞

[clumsypsychxc-deactivated201703]

Kotoura’s cheeks turned the same color as Jason’s ears at his answer. While she had been trying to be helpful, it must have been weird for a stranger to be offering that. It was certainly out of place. She really needed to think things through a little bit more because when she didn’t it just ended in everyone being embarrassed. Like now, if the blushes said anything.

“S-Sorry. That was awkward. But, um, the offer still stands.” She trailed off near the end, staring down at her feet in an effort to hide how red her cheeks were turning.

It was only at the mention of ice cream that she lifted her head back up. “I’d like that. Thank you!” Sugar and sweets, the perfect way into Kotoura’s heart. There were few better ways to win her over.

[vulpicino]

Jason knows a place that sells unusual ice cream flavors from a stand on the side of the street. It’s easy enough to find, even without a map, and they’re there in no time; he relaxes gradually as he walks next to the girl, and by the time they’re eating on a bench together, his mind is pretty much at ease.

     ❝It wasn’t awkward,❞ he offers. ❝What you said back there, I mean. It was really nice. I just -- I mean, like I said, it’s...hard for me to talk about stuff with other people, even people I’ve known forever. It’s nothing personal. You’re a really nice person for asking.❞

He grins sideways at her and then looks out, across the horizon.

     ❝I’m sorry you wound up here. I’m sure you had a life where you’re from, and stuff to do. You seem like a friendly person; not the type who deserves to be cooped up here, that’s for sure.❞

[vulpicino]

A WAY TO CRASH THE CASTLE WE MADE OF SAND ▲

[thalassus]

Though there are no direct comparisons in the world that could possibly make sense between Jason and Annabeth, Percy does have trouble remembering how silly he felt in the beginning of everything. He presses his nose against Jason’s cheek and closes his eyes, shoulders hiking up to follow a small laugh… truth be told, he can barely believe any of this.

And there are less proud, nervous pieces of him that resurface like a buoy that someone tried to sink. Pieces that couldn’t care less about how drawn he is to the son of Jupiter — how attracted he is to their lingering touches and the irreplaceable comfort of being held by him. Percy leans his head back and groans, exhaling through his nose.

“A date?” He misunderstands, mouth tugging up at the corners. “But I’ve never taken you out on an actual date.”

It takes a second before Percy drifts back to the second meaning of the word, and it clicks with a smile. “So it’s not a smoothie.” Testing the waters with a clumsier grin, Percy’s heart picks up when he gets to his feet, rolling away and making eyes at the mini fridge. “Is it…” He starts, brows arched in the pretense of serious thought.

“Blue?”

[vulpicino]

Jason lets a brilliant, exasperated laugh out and thunks his head back on the headboard when Percy stands. There are so many little, endearing pieces of Percy that continuously surface and surprise Jason, in infinite, immeasurable ways. He’s so taken with Percy’s moments of mischief that he finds himself wondering how he ever resisted them before, how he ever managed to roll his eyes and think of Percy in a way that was confined to the platonic. He watches Percy creep toward the fridge with a lazy smile spreading across his face.

     ❝Calendar date, Percy. Not...date date,❞ he amends. ❝Though, no. You’re right. You’ve never taken me on a real date.❞

Jason hops to his feet and slinks up to where Percy stands, cutting in to open the fridge before the son of Poseidon has the chance. He grabs the cake, unable to stop from ruining the surprise himself. He’s too excited, too nervous in anticipation of Percy’s reaction.

     ❝Yeah, it’s blue,❞ Jason says, opening the box to show Percy, grinning lopsidedly with hope.  ❝I never really got your thing with blue food, but I guess we have plenty of time to get to know each other now, so...you can tell me, right? Anyway, happy birthday. I’m sorry I missed it, and -- and I hope never to miss another one.❞

He’s pleased with himself for not blushing when that truth slips out, and for maintaining eye contact with Percy while he says it. He licks his lips, eyes dancing anxiously across Percy’s features, awaiting a response.

[lustrums-deactivated20160713]

The cultural sector, as everyone seemed to go about calling the place, was a bit surprising. Worship for every religion she could think of, and many others she’d never even heard of, was all over the place, crammed into ever nook and cranny. Basic churches were the most common, but statues and images of what she’d consider mythology were also just as frequent. It wasn’t like she had intended to come to this sector to pray, just investigate, but something about the art and beautiful architecture the sector held was surprisingly pleasing.

Statues of gods worshiped by long lost civilizations were interesting drawing material, and she found herself itching to doodle some of the things she saw. A shame she only had used crayons at her disposal; she’d have to find something more suitable in the near future. Thinking on art, Kate continued to wander, until the voice of another caught her attention.

She wasn’t one to eavesdrop, but this time she really couldn’t help it. She just happened to be close by enough to hear what sounded like a personal heart to heart conversation… Except, there was only one person. After a few more seconds, Kate realized that the boy was talking to the statue that stood proudly in front of them. She’d talked to her bunny, but she’d never seen someone talk so fervently to a work of art.

She flinches slightly when he turns to her, wondering what her options are to escape in case the other teen turns out to be even more worrying than she initially thought… His… Father? Now, that’s just ridiculous! Really, what sort of strange lot inhabited this city?

“Uh… Okay… Well, that sounds fake, but, okay…”

[vulpicino]

“Sounds fake” is pretty much what Jason expected her to think, but hearing it out loud is a different story. He frowns and narrows his eyes slightly, unable to stop himself from responding to a slight in kind.

      ❝I mean...It’s not fake. I get why you’d think that, but I’m telling the truth. Not that it really matters,❞ he adds, shrugging tightly, ❝but it’s -- I mean, it’s kind of...rude to tell someone what they’re saying ‘sounds fake.’ I mean I’m guessing you already know that, and don’t care, which is why you said it, but, uh...Anyway, whatever. I’m just babbling at this point.❞

Jason rubs at the back of his neck, his gaze cast upward reflexively, toward the blank face of his marble-cast father. Something prickles in his gut, a kind of mingling sadness and bitterness that makes him grimace some, then shake his head.

     ❝Whatever. It’s not like it looks anything like him.❞

Jason shakes himself and makes a real effort at amending his attitude. He glances at the girl and stuffs his hands into his pockets, looking at his feet and shuffling.

     ❝Hey, uh -- sorry for...snapping, I guess.❞ He didn’t really snap, but even the choice to reprimand someone who’s clearly close to his own age seems out of place in retrospect.  ❝It’s just -- there’s not too many people like me here, and most people don’t really believe those of us who are here when we try to explain what’s up with us. It can be a little tiring. But, then again, you did just walk in on me talking to a statue, so I can see why you’d think I was nuts. Sorry if that scared you or anything,❞ he adds, ❝It wasn’t my intention, I promise.❞   

He can see the girl is a little cagey, so he doesn’t take a step toward her, but he does extend his hand in case she wants to shake it.  ❝I’m Jason, by the way. Are you new here?❞

[vulpicino]

moogledolls​

There’s a cat stuck in that tree.

Jason takes a second to appreciate the absurdity of this moment, the fact that “cat stuck in a tree” is such a tropey thing to happen that he almost doesn’t believe it’s real. He takes an extra second to berate himself for using up all his flight for the day, since it’d be easy to just zip skyward and rescue the little guy. He frowns. Rubs his chin. Seeks alternatives, and comes up empty handed. Eventually, he figures it’d be worth trying to climb the tree himself, but he can’t proceed without a spotter.

          As luck would have it, someone happens to be passing by.

     ❝Excuse me,❞ Jason calls out to the stranger, a woman he’s never seen. ❝I’m about to climb this tree and rescue a cat; would you mind watching me? In case I fall and break something, I’d kinda like to know someone will call the paramedics.❞   

[vulpicino]

lustrums​

Jason’s not sure what compelled him to travel to the cultural sector, much less to the statue of his father there, but here he is.

He stares at the blank-eyed Zeus, so unlike his father’s actual likeness that it makes Jason uncomfortable for a moment. As he relaxes, he reminds himself that the real Zeus (or Jupiter, or whatever he wants to call himself) has hardly had anything more than a symbolic influence on Jason’s life as it is. What does it matter if the faces are different? Stone or flesh, his inaction is the same.

Jason talks. He keeps at it for a long time, explaining how he’s been treated since he got here, how he’s got that wound in his gut that won’t heal. How he’s died since he first got here. How he’s still dying, even after resurrection. He talks until he gets angry, until his throat gets dry and his eyes wet. He turns in frustration, just in time to notice someone passing -- someone who just inconveniently noticed him speaking to a statue as if it were a real person.

          Whoops. Jason blushes up his neck.

❝Um, hey. It’s not...what it looks like, I promise. This guy’s actually my father.❞ He winces. ❝I mean, not the statue! Just...the person the statue is modeled on. Actually, the god.❞

A voice in the back of Jason’s head tells him it probably would’ve been safer to not say anything.

[vulpicino]

clumsypsychxc:

“Well, it’s still alright. You’re sorry for it and apologized, so it’s okay.” That was how her mind worked with things like this. If you were sorry, you got forgiven. She didn’t hold grudges. Not when she had ten years of wishing for forgiveness.

“Um, do you want to talk about it?” She promptly began to wave her hands around, realizing that asking a stranger that was probably pretty weird. “You don’t have to! I just…” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “It’s sometimes helpful to talk to strangers about stuff.” 

She and Manabe had practically been strangers when she told him about her parents walking out on her and it had been helpful in some ways. Talking to him about her fears had been even more helpful.

Talk? Jason’s ears flush red and he licks his lips. ❝I don’t think so, sorry. It’s nothing personal. I’m just...kind of a private guy.❞

There are parts of him that want to spit everything out, to explain what’s happening to him, to describe the lingering ache of his mother’s abandonment, his sister’s absence, his father’s indifference. He just can’t do it. Unfortunately for Percy Jackson, there are certain things Jason’s pretty sure will never leave the whispers shared between them after dark, even if it would benefit him to speak on these issues to another person.

Still, he feels kind of like talking to the girl in general, so he clears his throat and offers, ❝Hey, can I buy you an ice cream or something? I’d like to make up for...what happened back there.❞

[vulpicino]

clumsypsychxc:

It had been unnecessary, but maybe it had been an impulse, something not completely thought through. Or maybe something was wrong. A lot of people did unnecessary things, things they soon regretted, because they were hurting or scared. She’d even ran away before because she was scared, not telling anyone where she was going or if she was okay.

She gave him a small smile. “It’s alright. You don’t have to apologize. You didn’t mean to do that.” At least, she hoped he hadn’t. She was really hoping for the impulse action. But even if he had, she wasn’t going to hold it against him.

It’s a relief to hear that this isn’t a big deal, but Jason can’t help feeling sheepish about it all the same. He shifts his weight from foot to foot and offers the girl -- much smaller than himself, though it’s not hard to be -- a tentative smile.

     A voice in the back of his head reminds him just how similar he’s become to all the things he hates. His mother, his father, the thing brewing at the pit of his stomach that makes him dangerous. He pushes it all aside to reply,

      ❝I...did mean to do it, actually, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I thought he’d hit you.❞ He glances at the girl and then away, swiftly.  ❝I’m not usually so volatile, I promise. I’ve just -- It’s been a long few weeks.❞ To put it lightly.

[vulpicino]

psychop0mp:

      “It’s not that presumptuous,” comes the amused reply. “Our species is rather particular, even in this place.”        Inclining her head, she smiles, broad and bright.        “Nice to meet you, Jason Grace– I’m Aradia Megido. Do you need something? If you are worried about Terezi, I wouldn’t be. She can usually take care of herself.”

Jason examines the girl, wondering whether or not all of her kind are based off zodiac symbols. Terezi wore a shirt with a Libra symbol on it, didn’t she? Aradia looks like a ram. Aries? It’s something worth keeping in mind, even if Jason has no idea what he’ll so with the information once he confirms it.

    ❝Particular. Uh…right. Anyway, it’s not like I’m worried about her so much. It’s just that we were kind of talking about something time-sensitive before I lost track of her. I’m not really sure where to proceed from here.❞

Jason rubs absently at his stomach and the wound that throbs under his shirt. It’s getting worse again. That much is clear. Still, knowing he won’t die for good alleviates some of the stress of his situation, and knowing Percy still wants something to do with him is letting him think clearly.

     ❝Aradia, the reason I looked for Terezi is because I knew she knew some stuff about the scientists. Is there anything you can tell me about them? If not, that’s okay. I know most people don’t know.❞