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“Wooo!”
Percy flinched as Annabeth’s cry of excitement hit his ears. He took another sip of his Sprite and tried not to spill his drink all over his best friend as she grabbed him by the shoulders.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna drink?” she slurred, a sheepish grin covering her face. Percy smiled patiently and put his glass down on the bar.
“Nah. You know I don’t drink, ‘Beth.”
The blonde seemed to think about that fact for a moment. “Oh.”
Percy resisted the urge to snort. “Yeah. Where’s Piper gone off to?”
“Piper? Piperrr,” Annabeth laughed, in such a non-Annabeth way that Percy almost wanted to record it. “That’s my girlfriend.”
Percy got to his feet, the vibration from the deafening music going up into his shoes. He helped Annabeth stand up with an arm around her waist. “Come on. Let’s find her.”
Annabeth cheered. Percy was pretty sure she barely remembered who they were going to look for.
Walking around the crowded club with a drunken girl putting nearly all her weight on his side, Percy struggled for about ten minutes. He never complained, though. He wouldn’t complain about Annabeth. Her college classes had really taken a toll on her, now that she was in her third year and her internship kept her busy. She needed to let go for one night. If Percy had to deal with an intoxicated best friend for a while, so be it.
“There!”
Percy gave a sigh of relief as he caught a glimpse of Piper, her dark braid shimmering under the light. She was sitting cross-legged on a small ledge along the wall, talking to a boy Percy didn’t recognize. He had his back turned to Percy and Annabeth and was holding an empty glass. Just as Percy thought she would be jealous, Annabeth snorted.
“Whatever, she’s too gay.”
Percy couldn’t help but laugh at the blunt comment. Piper looked up and met his eyes, a grin blooming on her face.
“Percy! Percy! And my girlfriend!”
The boy sitting across from Piper turned around to look at them, and Percy took a sharp breath in recognition.
“You’re Thalia’s brother! Jason, right?”
Annabeth pushed Percy away gently, taking two steps forward and hugging Piper tightly as she sat down. The blond boy was still looking at him.
“Yeah. I’ve met you before.”
Percy smiled. “Your sister used to give me guitar lessons, two or three years ago.”
Jason’s eyes widened slightly and he grinned. “Right!”
Piper and Annabeth were most definitely making out at that point. Jason gave Percy a pointed look and turned to face him completely. Percy laughed and sat down.
“Are you here on your own?” Percy asked. Jason looked at the bottom of his empty glass.
“Well, I was here with two friends, but one bailed and went home with my car, and the other hooked up with some girl. I was about to call an Uber and leave too when I ran into Piper.”
Percy winced. “Yeah, that’s on me, my bad. Is she too trashed?”
Jason chuckled. “Quite a bit, yeah. But it’s fine, no need to apologize. She recognized me from Econ 305 and stopped me to rant about her beautiful girlfriend.”
He gestured quotation marks around Piper’s words. Percy shook his head in amusement.
“Yeah, that sounds like her.”
There was a brief silence as the music changed to a faster beat and the college students cheered. Jason made a face. When the noise died down, he turned to Percy and pointed to his Sprite.
“Designated driver?” he asked, a small smile on his lips.
“Oh, no, I just- I don’t drink. Had too many bad experiences.”
Jason seemed a bit uneasy. “Shit. Sorry to hear that.”
Percy shrugged, eager to change subjects. “It’s fine. It was a long time ago.”
Another short pause.
“I’m guessing you are?” Percy pointed to his empty glass.
Jason frowned. “What?”
“Designated driver.”
“Oh, yeah. I was supposed to be, anyway.”
Percy chuckled. “Don’t want to drink anymore?”
“Nah. The fun is gone.”
“Understandable.”
They looked at each other. Percy was surprised by how blue his eyes were, and couldn’t help but be reminded of Thalia. Jason’s eyes were different, though. They were a softer shade, while Thalia’s were intimidating and cold, almost electrifying.
“Look at them.”
Percy blinked, getting out of his daydream. Jason had pointed to Piper and Annabeth. His eyes followed the gesture. The dark-skinned girl had her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders, pulling her close in her sleep. Annabeth’s breathing was gentle and even too, her eyelashes fluttering slightly against her cheeks. Percy chuckled and raised his phone for a picture.
“I need to drive them home,” Percy declared, standing up. Jason seemed surprised.
“Do you want help? I’m not staying here by myself, anyway.”
Percy smiled. “Sure. Thanks.”
After Percy managed to wake up the girls, Jason helped him walk them out of the club. The cold night air hit them as soon as they stepped out of the door, and Percy took off his jacket to cover Piper’s bare shoulders. Jason smiled appreciatively.
“That’s really nice of you.”
Percy shrugged and grinned through his gritted teeth, trying his best to pretend that he wasn’t all that cold. “What can I say, I’m a true gentleman.”
They walked to Percy’s Prius in comfortable silence, appreciating the darkness. The music from the nightclub still pounded faintly somewhere behind them.
“Okay,” Percy helped Piper up into the backseat, and opened the door for Jason to carry Annabeth. By the time the two boys got settled in the front, the two girlfriends were already fast asleep again.
Jason looked back at them and snickered. “Not exactly the way I thought I would end my night.”
Percy glanced at him from the side as he turned the ignition. “Have plans, did you?”
Jason’s cheeks turned pink, and Percy laughed.
“Kidding.”
“Right.”
Percy drove through the familiar way to Annabeth’s apartment. When he stopped at a red light, he turned to face Jason.
“Tired?”
Jason shook his head. “Not even slightly.”
Percy turned his eyes back to the road as the light turned green. “Really?”
Jason hummed in agreement. “Being sober sucks.”
Percy chuckled. “What time is it?”
“02:18,” Jason read from the car’s digital clock. Percy shrugged.
“We can go and get some McDonald’s, if you want.”
Jason couldn’t help but snort, doing his best to keep quiet as Percy shushed him softly, pointing towards the back seat.
“McDonald’s?” He asked Percy, an eyebrow raised as he leaned against the car door. Percy shrugged again, taking the next turn left.
“I’m hungry as hell, man. Sue me.”
Jason’s amused smile remained on his face as Percy parked the car expertly, cutting off the engine and turning to face the girls. He smiled at Annabeth, who was slowly blinking the sleep out of her eyes.
“You’re home, babe. Up up up.”
Annabeth groaned in complaint but sat up nonetheless, quickly stretching and waking up Piper. They hugged Percy goodbye once they reached the doorstep of Annabeth’s apartment, pulling Jason into their group embrace when he tried to back away shyly. Percy teased him for his red cheeks, which didn’t really help. It was only once they stepped out of the building and Percy was hit by the cold that he realized Piper had kept his jacket. He cursed under his breath.
“Here.”
He blinked in surprise as Jason held up his own aviator jacket, now standing only with the black hoodie he had underneath. “But then you’re going to be cold.”
Jason shook his head. “I’m good, I promise. This thing is warm enough.”
Percy smiled- he would be lying if he said it wasn’t kind of dopey. “Thank you.”
Jason helped him put on the jacket, and Percy just about died when he briefly felt his warm breathing on the back of his neck. He turned to face Jason and held up his arms, flopping them around and laughing at the long length of the sleeves. Jason chuckled.
“You look adorable.”
He seemed to have surprised himself with his comment. Percy smiled at his expression and turned back to the car, opening the passenger door for the blond once again.
“So,” Percy sighed, closing his own door and rubbing his palms together for warmth. “Food?”
Jason nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, McDonald’s sounds great.”
Percy snorted. “I’m not taking you to McDonald’s, Jason.”
The boy frowned. “No?”
Percy pulled out of the driveway. “You almost seem disappointed. No, I’m not taking you to McDonald’s. What kind of lousy date do you think I am?”
Percy glanced at Jason, only to see him blushing again. He remained silent, so Percy continued, an amused smile distinguishable in his voice.
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather cook something myself.”
Jason raised his eyebrows. “You cook?”
“Don’t sound so surprised, I could be offended. But yes, I do. And I’m pretty fucking great at it,” he grinned at Jason as traffic stopped in front of him. “What do you say?”
Jason grinned back. “Lead the way, then.”