Keeping Quiet (Percy Jackson)

Chapter Three

Matteo Chavez

What Percy told me about him dying at 25 only sat in the back of my brain all the time.

What on earth would happen to kill both Grover and Percy at the same time?

We invited Percy over for Christmas seeing his family doesn't celebrate anything and we're not super into the religion part of Christmas, we just pretend to pray at dinner when my grandparents start prayer. I warned Percy about it before we went.

Told him he didn't have to bring anything because they always make way too much food anyways, but he still insisited on bringing dessert, which was more than my family did, so.

We don't bring food normally, we get put on last minute pickup duty so we get what others forgot.

And I wasn't worried about my family's reaction to Percy and I dating. I'm out, my family is chill thankfully. I have an aunt who's a lesbian I think. That or bi, I'm not sure. But either way, between her, one of my cousins, and also my grandma making a remark that was awfully suspicious last Easter that it's normal to think woman are beautiful non platonically, it's chill.

Grandpa agreed, so it was fine.

I was a little worried that they'd notice him being confused or lost during prayer.

So hopefully he's a good actor.

•••
Percy Jackson

Can't wait to talk to my dad during prayer. That'll be fun. I've been meaning to ask him to send over my insurance stuff so I can do that then.

Just demigod things, you know?

But I put the dessert I made down with the others desserts, and immediately that had Matteo's grandma's attention as she was getting something to drink, I think. She was younger than I expected, but that's because Matteo calls her old.

I think she's like 60 or so. Maybe 65.

Which isn't young, but she's not quite an old little lady. I've seen old little ladies.

They're called the Fates. Still have nightmares about them cutting the yarn when I was, you know, 12.

Think about that more than I probably should.

Keeps me on my toes.

"Why, hello!" She said, her accent catching me off guard because it's how my mom used to talk when her and Gabe were married. Well, probably until I was like 9 and it wasn't because of Gabe or his death, she just started going from the Brazilian accent to the neutral and closer to New York one and I kind of didn't realize how comforting it was to hear until it came from Beatriz, Matteo's grandma's. I guess I knew that he was Portuguese, but his parents don't have an accent because I think they were raised here so I didn't think much about it. "You must be Percy, Matteo's boyfriend, yeah?"

I nodded my head.

"That's me," I confirmed as I placed the dish down. "I uh, wasn't sure what you guys would have so I just brought some quindim. So yeah. Hi!"

"And you can make food, even better!" I think I was on her good side so that was reassuring. "i tried teaching Matteo how to bake or cook and he's hopeless in a kitchen. He can clean, but can't do much else in a kitchen to safe his life. Then again, neither could his mother. Don't worry about bringing food in the future, though, okay? It looks delicious, but don't worry. I'm sure you have your own family holidays to cook and bake for."

I just kind of shrugged though because I don't have a good answer.

"I... Not really," I insisited as I think one of his uncle's walked over. "We like, throw a little party for Carnival but... That's about it."

But she seemed confused.

"You don't celebrate Christmas or Easter?" She questioned and then I remembered that I think she's religious and this might be bad. "Is your family not Christian or...? They're divorced, right? Neither of them celebrate..."

Shit I'm in trouble.

"I... Not really, no." I would feel bad lying, though, so I was as honest as I could be. "I think my dad's agnostic but I don't know for sure because we're not close and then my step dad was raised christian but something happened before he started dating my mom and doesn't seem bothered by not doing Christmas or Easter. I think his parents celebrate but they're in like... Montana or something. And my grandparents were christian I think but my mom's uncle wasn't and my grandparents died when my mom was little so she just never really grew up with it and never... Yeah. We just don't really celebrate holidays or anything besides like New Years, Fourth of July, that sort of thing, but—"

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry," Beatriz insisited, which threw me off. "We celebrate out of vague faith, but mostly tradition. They don't know that I know, but I'm well aware that the three of them don't go to church or anything like that, and it's okay. Can I ask why'd you come, though, if you don't celebrate?"

But I didn't have a good answer, so I just said that he mentioned you guys asking about me at Thanksgiving so I figured I'd come and just like, do my own little thing in my head during prayer.

It's not like I don't believe in something. My dad is a god.

But I can't tell them that, so when people ask I tell them that I'm agnostic.

Something definitely exists. I've met multiple gods.

And usually I wouldn't do it at a meal but she did offer when she asked if there was something I do to like, pray or anything for holidays which was super considerate so I lit a tiny fire on the fire escape (ironic, I know) and put a little food into it, which got my boyfriend's attention.

"Hey what are you doing tossing food into a fire on a fire escape?" Matteo asked as he wrapped his arms around me. We were in what used to be his room because he lived here for like a year when his dad lost his job and his mom was sick I think. He was little so I'm not really sure. "I saw you talked to my grandma earlier, everything okay?"

"Yeah!" I insisted, putting my plate down, hoping that the food would get my dad's attention a little before prayer. It'll be quicker that way. I know he's not busy because we had the solstice meeting earlier this week. He isn't up to much. "She was actually super nice and asked about like, me being here when I'm not Christian and like... Yeah. I don't do it often but it's just like, an offering since it's a holiday. She's the one who gave the kindling, which was nice."

Rightfully so, though, it threw my boyfriend off that I'd have anything to sacrifice to.

"Babe, I thought you were athiest," Matteo insisited. "with no holiday's..."

"It's just like... It's not pagan but it's kind of like that?" I tried to explain to him, but I always struggle to. "maybe closer to agnostic, I don't know, but... It's better to be on whoever's good side than not, I guess. I don't really think that one religion is right but..."

I shrugged again.

"No, I get it," he assured me, resting his head on the back of my shoulder. "That's how I feel a lot of the time. I had this weird interaction when I was little once, this kid told me that he was like, related to A... Yeah, it was Apollo and he just sounded so convinced in... I don't know, I think about it sometimes. Like, that'd be interesting if the old gods were still around. Like if they were still here just because like, people believe. That's how that's supposed to be right?"

I nod my head, agreeing.

"It'd definitely be interesting" I said and to make sure that Zeus wasn't about to smite me I made a joke. "It'd be funny if like, they took shifts with what they control. So like Zeus and Jupiter and Ra and like... Somebody else all just worked a few days a week and made storm schedules and stuff."

It got him to chuckle. I purposefully gave Ra the wrong job, hopefully he knows that.

I can't wait to confirm his theories one day.

One day.