Take Off Those Glasses! (Jason x Percy = Jercy)

Must Have Been The Wind

Of course, Percy knew he was being paranoid. He knew that some random (handsome) stranger who knew his name, remembered his eye color and talked in a sus way would never ever give another stranger some shit clues to some mystery. BUT we're talking about Perseus Jackson. Anything can happen (to him), right?

Percy indeed remembered he was grounded for two weeks, and it didn't help that he still had the burden of giving his girlfriend a surprise. Although, he didn't have the least idea why he was even eager to know what the note meant. He took a deep breath, trying to analyse his thoughts. However, the breath meant more of a surrender to Nico, that he had got Percy, leaving him in a complete shamble of confusion and doubt.

There weren't many students at the library. Some freshman, some sophomores, a couple of professors – but that's it. Percy recognised no one. Everyone's heads were buried in textbooks or notes they took during classes. A couple of them even had laptops where they were typing something furiously.

Percy didn't know why, but libraries creeped the crap out of him. He thought they were gloomy and dark, and kind of medieval – where you had to go to the archives. To him, libraries gave off the kind of vibe a funeral would give. Like they were some kinds of jinx. But he couldn't exactly say that. Percy and Annabeth had fallen for each other in a library, after all. Like, literally fallen. Percy had had an exam the next day, so his mother had sent him to the library. He had been having a huge pile of books in his hands and then had tumbled over on a blonde girl who didn't see him coming. Percy saw that girl and immediately realised that she was the one.

Ignoring the burning stare on his back from the old librarian, Percy went to the section called "Literary Classics".

It was a shelf almost at the ending of the library. He went there and was met with at least a hundred books. The labels read "Pride and Prejudice", "Little Women", "Jane Eyre", "The Tale of Two Cities" and many more Percy didn't know. He ran his eyes through the titles, stopping and briefly staring at everything that was blue. Percy scanned all the books' spines until he found one that read "Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell". He took the book from the shelf.

Taking a deep breath, he sat on the floor, leaning on the shelf (and low-key hoping it to not fall over). Percy removed the piece of paper from the pocket of his jeans. Unfolding it, he read the contents and his mind got wrapped around the handwriting by which the content was written. Nico's handwriting was cursive – small and neat. It was clear that he had scribbled it in haste.

Percy whispered the words from the paper.

Gone with the wind, green-eyed monster.

Gone with the wind, green-eyed monster.

Gone with the wind, green-eyed monster.

Gone with the wind, green-eyed monster.

Gone with the wind, green-eyed monster.

* * *

Jason ran around the gymnasium, with his other team-mates either behind or ahead of him. His hair was wet and sweat rolled down his temples. His jersey was soaked too, and so were his shorts. The Coach blew a whistle every now and then, telling the players to either slow down, or pick up speed.

"Well, shit" Leo panted beside him, jogging on Jason's right.

Leo Valdez was the best goalkeeper Jason's team had. He was fast, agile and active. It was like he always wanted to keep his hands full, and Jason had now idea why he came into football if he wanted to keep his fingers busy. But well, stuff happens.

"This is the worst practice we've ever had. Coach is making us run like we're dogs" Leo snorted.

"I think I need it right now" Jason said with a smile.

"Yeah?"

"A lot of things are going on right now"

"Oh" Leo said, feigning a wave of realization. "Look who's here" he said, pointing his chin to the door of the gymnasium.

Jason followed Leo's line of sight to find someone he least expected.

* * *

Percy opened Gone With The Wind. He jumped to pages which were had a gap between them.

To find what? Nothing. Not a single piece of information.

Percy sighed and closed his eyes. All this for nothing, he whispered. He plopped the book on the floor and it opened. On page 8. His eyes, opened and for the last time, searched for something on the printed paper.

That's when he saw it.

The footer – number '8' – was highlighted. Highlighted with... whiskey?

The highlighter was so light, only someone really trying to find something would see it. For others, it was just as equal to invisible. And so, there was no scope any other person would ever find about about this. About this weird page numbers highlighted.

Percy flipped the other pages to find many page numbers highlighted.

8 on page 8.

0 on page 10.

1 on page 12.

3 on page 23.

6 on page 36.

2 on page 42.

And the series went on till it had 10 digits.

A... A... A phone number!*

He wasn't even sure if it was a phone number. The only resemblance that the digits have to one was that they were ten, and the first three digits were the same as the are code of Salt Lake City, where they lived. But still, a small flame of hope burned inside him – that it was indeed Nico's number and he could contact that Goth-Boy someway.

And all this time, Percy still didn't know what in him was making him so impatient to know a complete stranger.

Curiosity? Oh, definitely no.

Interest? ...Maybe

Liking? ...Has many chances.

Desire? Gods, no! What am I thinking? Or... am I right...?

Quietly, Percy took out his phone from his front pocket and texted the number.

Hi

It's Percy here :)

Percy wasn't sure if the smiley was too much, but he sent it anyway.

Even after all this, he wasn't sure what the 'green-eyed monster' meant. Doubts crept over him, and anxiety came without an invitation.

Slowly and slowly, he got up from the ground, looked at the cover of the book for the last time. Thoughts he didn't like crawled from the ground and into his brain.

What if all this had gone with the wind right when he realised, he had done wrong things?!

What if the people most precious to him gone with the wind when it was too late?

What if everything that he had gone in the wind when he felt guilty?

He couldn't just let things... go with the wind, right?

He had to figure himself out, figure out who he liked. If he was even the right one of Annabeth.

Percy and Annabeth – their wedding had been planned. His mother was so excited about it!

What if all this just went with the wind and he couldn't match their expectations?

Because, if someday, he woke up and figured out that everything had gone down in flames, it... must have been the wind, right?

(*Note: The phone number used here is made up. If it resembles an actual number, it is completely coincidental)