[2] 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐘 , p. jackson , j. grace

viii. days of our mortal lives

CHAPTER EIGHT ───────────
✧₊˚｡({ DAYS OF OUR MORTAL LIVES })

"  clocks     COLDPLAY  "

{ JASON }
JULY 10TH,  2010
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NO ONE KNOWS MUCH ABOUT Beryl Grace. Not even her own son. He supposes Thalia and Jupiter/Zeus know her. He only ever knew of her. She'd abandoned him at two years old to fend for himself. Two. What kind of mother does that? He remembers her lies. Her terrible lies of coming back to get him. I will be back for you, dearest.

          The thing is she didn't come back. And he never found out what had happened to her until Thalia told him last year. She'd gotten into a car accident while drunk driving. But Jason hadn't even known her name or that he had a sister until Thalia recognized him back in December. And he was happy with it. He didn't care. Clearly, Beryl Grace hadn't wanted him enough to care to come back for him. And Thalia had thought he was dead.

          He found substitutes for parents in others. In the residents of New Rome. In his friends' moms and dads. Roma's mother Carmen had been there for him since the start. Even before he knew Roma even existed. Samara's mom Flo is of course a big part of his life too. Roma's whole family is special to him. Rome, Luis, and Sam were like the siblings he never had. Grace's parents also had a vital part in his upbringing. She too had been abandoned by her father before he could even decide a name for her. She had an aunt who lived in India but she couldn't physically look after her since she was in hospital permanently after being diagnosed with some heart disease or other. Eventually, she'd been adopted by Tommy and Harriet Rae who'd given her━and he quotes━'the whitest name ever'. Granted her middle name is literally Rajithi but whatever.

          Both Grace's parents are mechanics who live in Toronto. It's rare she gets to see them nowadays but they're the type of parents to call every two seconds to check if their baby is okay. She has two siblings who are adopted as well. Nashca and Dean. They, at least, already had names.

          Jason likes the Raes. And the Roneros. They're his family. Not Beryl. Not Jupiter. Of course, Thalia is his sister and he loves her. But he doesn't know her as much as he wants to. As much as he knows Roma and Grace.

          Or Elora for that matter. But she's different, he thinks. He's not very sure why. She just is. She's sweet. Kind and friendly, things Roma and Grace struggle with. He thinks that's why they get along so well even without talking that much.

          Jason had gotten a few hours sleep earlier but it did nothing because he still woke up tired. He dreamt of his mother. And of Carmen's funeral around four years ago. And the strangest thing? He'd dreamt of Percy and Roma. But not present them. It was some other version of themselves. He's sure it was just a made-up scenario because there's no way he can predict the future or something like that. He has absolutely no relation to Apollo or Janus or any of the Camenae. But still, the dream felt weirder than usual. Like it was someone's memory. Or a prediction. Obviously not his, unless his subconscious liked seeing his best friend and Percy argue about super heavy topics. Because yeah, that's basically what it was.