And No One Gets Hurt (A Percy Jackson AU)

Chapter 25- Jason

LOOK, A DISTRACTION!!!

Jason hated the school shirts even before they had anything to do with Leo Valdez's blood. But now that he was dripping in Leo's blood, Jason didn't know what emotion was hitting him the strongest: Hatred for that stupid, dumb shirt that no one even liked, hopelessness for the antagonizing truth that was their lives, or the regret he was feeling swell in his chest like a giant water balloon, just waiting to pop and drown him in misery.

Jason should've at least gone with them.

The classroom was completely silent. Even Piper's sobs had been quieted. Annabeth held her in a tight hug like they would both fall apart if either let go.

Jason wished he could hug Piper. It seemed so stupid, didn't it? She was Piper McLean. And Hell, if Jason was not an emotional mess over her right now. Jason was an emotional mess over everything right now.

Yesterday, or that morning even, his biggest problems were just that he was a living puppet of the school. Jason, make the basketball team no sweat. Jason, give these flowers to your perfect puppet girlfriend. Jason, be everyone's perfect role model. Jason, don 't freak out, there's a gun pointed at you.

He had wanted his life to change, yeah. But he never wanted this. He didn't want this terror, this horror, this fear that was emitting from everywhere. He didn't want to think that these might be his final thoughts and no body would ever know them. He didn't want to know that there were 285 different shades of red to the naked eye or that all of them were on his shirt.

"They'll be okay." Frank said rubbing his hand over his face. Even in the dim light, Jason could see the cooks seat that had broken out on him. "Oh good god and mother Mary, they've got to be okay."

His arm was around little Hazel. Her eyes were red, her cheeks paraded with the remains of dried tears, but it seemed as if she'd cried everything she had. Her head was tucked into the taller boy and they just sat there together.

Percy Olympian wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. His black bangs shivered as he stared at the white tile floor, refusing to look up even the slightest.

Annabeth glanced at him worriedly from over Piper's shoulders but did nothing to soothe his obvious guilt. Thalia watched the door, playing with her metal bracelets. Her fists opened and closed like her knuckles were hurting her.

Jason looked out the window. He couldn't really see the police line, but he wasn't sure he wanted too. The blurred figures were enough for him to know there was no way.

Jason Grace, 17. Died in a school shootout.

He wondered if his name would even make the newspaper. Surely, this event couldn't be ignored. There would be papers on this incident, the country would mourn them. Maybe some clever techno-genius would make a depressing article about how the how people should be more aware of others feels.

A couple years from now who anyone even remember his name?

Everyone always talked about their plans for the future. Jason remembered a project they had to do in history (the teacher was shit; Spent all their time talking about future and current events than the French Revolution, which was on the SOLs) where they each had to write a report on what they were planning to do as adults. He remembered some girl named Gwen had wanted to travel to Africa. Beckendorf wanted to look into making neuro technology that could be used to help people with mental illnesses. Clovis wanted to marry rich and have nothing to do but sleep all day.

It took a moment for Jason to remember what he had done. It clicked after a moment, he hadn't turned one in. With all his extra credit it hadn't even budged his grade.