My Boyfriend is a Dead Roman Hero | Jason Grace

I Have a Slumber Party

"Just knock."

"What if she's not home?"

"I have a key, you know. I do live here."

"..."

"Percy, just knock."

"Fine!" He exclaims, face still screwed up in anxiety. Julie leans against Jason as she watches her brother raise up a fist to their apartment door. His aura is burgundy, flaring out around him in a cloud of nervousness. He freezes for a second, staring at the apartment number like he's making sure he's even in the right place.

Then, he chickens out and drops his hand back to his side.

"Oh my gods, you have literally fought in two wars," Juliette groans impatiently.

Annabeth steps up and slides her hand into Percy's, a much more compassionate expression in place. "If you're not ready, we can go back to camp. You don't have to do this."

"Speak for yourself," Julie grumbles. Jason shoots her a chastising look, and she huffs and looks down with a flush. "Fine, fine. Sorry. Take your time, Perce."

Being bossed around by Jason without Leo making whip sound effects feels strange.

"Okay. Okay, I've got this," Percy mutters, sounding like he's hyping himself up. He smiles tensely at Annabeth, squeezing her hand, and finally raps his knuckles against the door.

Julie shuffles uncomfortably. Her leg is getting tired. Her armpits hurt. Ten flights of stairs on crutches was too much for her. Jason ended up just picking her up and carrying her after she burst into frustrated tears halfway up. At this point, Julie just wants to go inside and drown her sorrows in blue chocolate chip cookies.

Said wonderful, helpful boyfriend wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her to lean more of her weight on him. Shout out to Roman combat training for giving her a man who can carry his six-foot tall girlfriend up an NYC high rise without even getting winded.

The rattle of the chain lock being undone makes all four of them gasp in a breath. The handle lock clicks, and the door swings open.

Watching Sally Jackson see her son again is magical.

It's been eight months. That fact is so clear by the way the woman's face flits from bored annoyance, surprise, confusion, to awe.

Juliette can't blame her for hesitating. Percy looks different now. He's sadder, paler, taller, and sporting a new pale scar from his nose to his ear. The way his face crumbles when he sees his mother, though...That's trademark Percy Jackson.

"Mom," He chokes.

The sound of his voice must be too much. Sally lets out a cry like a wounded animal and lurches forward to wrap her child into her arms. Tears are already pouring down her cheeks to soak into his dark hair. Percy is tall, but not right now. He seems to shrink back down into a child, hiding away his face in Sally's shoulder and exploding into uncontrolled emotion.

"Percy," Sally sobs, hugging him so tight that Julie can see her hands shaking. "My baby. My baby boy."

Julie hasn't heard Percy cry like this since that night on the Argo II. He sounds so small, choking on sounds that were probably meant to be words but got lost along the way in a current of relief and exhaustion.

Jason is tense beside her. She looks up at him and realizes he's holding his breath, watching the reunion of mother and son with a robotic, blank expression.

She can't imagine what watching this must be doing to him. Not after Beryl Grace.

Juliette presses her forehead into Jason's shoulder, planting a gentle kiss on his arm. Slowly, she feels him relax and let out the breath. She clings to him tighter, and he leans his head onto hers.