InHuman~Jercy ff

Jason Grace and the Consequences of Drinking Alcohol

Our quest: find the "sealing vessel"

I trudged distractedly behind the rest of the group as we walked through the forest. Rather than paying attention to where I was going, I decided to assess the strange methods people chose to carry their stuff.

Percy had a cheesy pastel blue backpack with some 80s brand on it, someone killed a tapestry to make Annabeth's backpack, Thalia's backpack was designed after some weird band called Three Days Grace, Hazel had strapped all her belongings onto a belt on her waist, and Piper looked like she was in a wildlife survival show. On the other hand, Frank could fit all of his things in his enormous jacket pockets and Leo had to use a little Thomas the train backpack because he was too small.

In short, only Nico and I looked like we belonged in this century.

I had a nagging suspicion that if I asked about any of them I'd get a weird speech about my 'barbaric taste in music' and 'elf rights' or something.

"Where to Annie?" Piper asked loudly up front. "There should be a road up ahead" Annabeth said and pointed into the thicket. The nine of us pushed through the greenery to reveal a long stretching road that went farther than we could see in either direction.

We ended up standing at the side of the road until a  car driving by asked if we were lost.

"Where's the closest town?" Hazel asked the man "that'd be where I'm goin" the man answered. "Erm, about how far away is it" She asked. The man stared at us blankly for about a minute before deciding that we probably weren't delinquents. "I can take y'all there if ye need" he offered and we gladly accepted.

When we drove into town we thanked the man and he dropped us off at a park.

The sun was high in the sky and we had to basically catch a ride from long island, New York to Athens, Ohio and steal the sealing vessel from an old museum. "What is the sealing vessel anyway?" I asked as we wove through busy streets and people. "It's kind of like a Pandora's box" Percy answered, making a box shape with his hands.

I honestly didn't know what should have surprised me more, the fact that we were basically looking for Pandora's box or the fact that Percy had actually talked to me.

I had figured he was going to avoid Thalia and I at all costs. I couldn't help but smile.

Throughout the day we hitchhiked and walked to an airport and seeing as we hadn't eaten yet, we decided to stop at a restaurant inside the airport.

After we ordered we sat down until the annoyed kiosk worker dropped our tray of food on the counter, almost sending it all flying. We all took our drinks and meals of the tray before the worker could throw any of it at us.

"What's that?" I asked Thalia, pointing to her drink with my plastic fork. She took a long chug, "it's tea, but it tastes weird" she told me.

"Really?" I said and took a small sip before spitting it out onto the floor, which earned me a very dirty look from the restaurant worker. "Thalia! That's alcohol!" I whisper-yelled. "Hah?" She answered, already gone.

Curse my luck. In the worst case scenario, drunk Thalia would turn into a colorful bird and they wouldn't let us on the plane. Actually scratch that, worst case scenario is Thalia thinks she transformed and starts acting like a bird and gets security involved.

I managed to quietly pull Thalia about two thirds of the way to the gate when she started pulling back and babbling nonsense.

I had forgotten about her deathly fear of heights, and the alcohol was making it worse.

"I want'd tu dye muh hair pink! But noooo, Jason said ih was too outlaneesh!" Thalia babbled on, leaning all the way back so that I was holding her up completely. "Thalia, please stand up" I tried pathetically, "You sayin em fat?!" She gurgled. Everyone else, except Percy and Nico, tried feebly to quiet her down.

Percy tapped his foot impatiently. The flight crew began calling groups to board and we were still struggling to make Thalia get up. Frank tried to pick her up but she started screaming, almost causing him to drop her.

I could see the heat rising in Percy's face as Nico patiently stood by him. If his temper was anything like Thalia's he would explode any second.

He clicked through his teeth and strode forward, plucking something from underneath the edge of his shirt.

He was holding a small peice of fabric and which he waved under her nose for a few seconds as Thalia slumped down silently. "You can pick her up now" he told us and Frank hefted her on to his back.

I looked at Percy, "what was that?" I asked him, slightly concerned. I soaked a price of fabric in a type of scentless herbal oil that makes you sleepy" he breifly explained and walked into the plane, any sign of anger had melted away with Thalia's alcohol​ induced ramblings.