Uncomfortable Truths - Jercy, Jasiper, Percabeth

Uncomfortable Truths - Coming Clean - Annabeth - Chapter Three

"So how'd it go?" Piper asks from a shimmering Iris message above my desk. I've barely had time to set down my backpack.

I drop into my chair and kick off my shoes. "I think he's going to give it a shot. It got pretty emotional for a while. How about you? You guys are planning to come back when again?"

Piper twiddles her hair, a sure sign she's freaking out on the inside. It's strange, but ever since I've started to really understand myself, I seem to be able to read my friends more readily than I used to.

"Jason's going back to New Rome tomorrow. I'm coming with him to see you guys and ..." she shrugs, her cheeks darkening. "Well, we'll see if Jason and Percy rekindle, or whatever. Then I'm traveling up to Seattle on my own for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah?" I ask. "What are you gonna do up there?"

I watch her worry her bottom lip with her teeth. Then she leans forward on her elbows. "I ... uh ... Well, you know what I told you before, about me needing something I just can't get from Jason." She exhales long and slow. "Part of it is that he's ... We're too similar in some ways. That class you're taking, does it go into dom/sub culture at all?"

I blink a few times. The truth is that I am learning quite a bit about different sexualities, but hearing my friends talk about these subjects as they're actively seeking them out in their lives and I'm not, I can't help but feel a little like I'm speaking a different language. "Yes?" I say, hesitation drawing it out.

"I don't want to go into details, Annabeth. Not if it makes you uncomfortable, but Jason and I are both more drawn to the dom side of things and, I dunno ... He has trouble seeing me from that perspective when it comes to us, but like, he gets it when I interact with other people. It's one of the things that I think really attracted us initially. I have trouble really feeling free, I guess, feeling like I can reach my potential in the bedroom because he's - well, so big, really. He's got that Roman wolf pack thing happening too, and I don't like feeling intimidated, you know? Like shown up? He doesn't do it on purpose or anything like that; it's just who he is. But with daily life and relationship things, we're really good together. Does that make sense at all?"

"I think so," I tell her. But in my head I'm wondering if that's part of why Jason and Percy work together. In the vision Katoptris had shown, Jason certainly did seem to have been more dominant. I feel my face heat up, mind racing to try to think of anything else to get off the subject. "Umm, why Seattle?" I hardly know why I'm asking. I'm just spouting words to get Piper to talk some more so I don't have to.

Her lips turn up in a smirk and she sits back in her chair on the other side of the Iris message. "Hylla said she'd show me the ropes, sort of a behind the scenes tour of the amazons. Should be fun and educational."

I glance at my laptop and then back at Piper, relieved to have found a reason to back out of this conversation before I ask anymore questions with answers I really don't want to hear. "Percy should be here any minute. I still need to make sure he's okay with, you know, everything. I'll talk to you later."

Piper chuckles and says goodbye before swiping her hand through the message and ending the call.

I take a couple of deep breaths, reminding myself that what I want more than anything is for Percy to be able to have his needs met by somebody who loves him, and that he and I will be able to work on our relationship and grow it into something that will last. What Piper and Jason do as far as domination goes is none of my business and I don't need to think about it.

A key turns in the lock on my door and I swivel my chair as Percy lets himself in. "Hey you. How's it going?" I sound far too cheerful even to my own ears.