Cabin 13

27| The Test of Friendship

"Drop your swords!"

Jason tore his eyes away from the violent glare he was giving Jackson and stared at Piper for a moment. 

Piper nodded and Jason's grip on his gladius loosened as he dropped it. But Percy only ignored her, tightening his fist around Riptide he swung his sword. But Piper quickly realized Jackson wasn't using his sword's blade like usual, he was using it to control the water. 

Maybe her charmspeak wasn't working because he wasn't using Riptide like a sword? Though Piper really doubted it.

"Jackson drop your weapon!" Piper said, straining her voice to put more power in her words.

Jackson snapped his head in her direction sending her a deathly glare, he screamed, "That's. Not. My. Name! " as he swung, viciously sending a sharp whip of water towards Jason. 

The water sliced Jason's arm on impact, "Who do you think I am?! "

This time Jackson was yelling at Jason, "Just some weapon you can stuff in your backpack when you want to go on a quest?! Don't try and control me!"

Piper stepped back and Jason's eyes widened gasping at his wound. He hadn't realized water could be so... sharp!  

Piper had no idea what to do now, her charmspeak wasn't working on Percy, but it didn't matter she was drained anyway and Jason couldn't will himself to pick up his sword with her words still echoing in his head. 

Everyone froze in silence, waiting to see what Percy would do.

Jason held up his hands, "Jackson, I-"

"Don't call me that!" he yelled, pointing his sword at Jason's neck, "I told  you not to raise your sword against me!"

"You attacked me!" Jason reasoned.

"You started this fight, you're the only reason I'm here right now," Percy glared.

"Okay, Jack— Percy, you're right, I'm sorry. But you can't abandon the quest!" Jason pleaded.

But Percy took his words as an order, he smirked dangerously, "Oh, really? I can't?!  Because I'm pretty sure you can no longer stop me, you have no sword, your girlfriend's out of juice, and you fried your car. But don't think I've forgotten about the other demigods hiding behind the wall. Now your only way to force me is to fight me and I don't think they're up for that."

Percy turned to the cement wall, as Hazel, Nico, Leo, and Will stood, Percy smiled.

Hazel spoke first, "I won't fight you, Percy. I think we've forgotten you're still our friend, even if you're different now. What we did was wrong. It should be, and is  your choice to go on this quest."

Percy raised his brow, then doubled over laughing, "I couldn't come even if I wanted to now," Percy gestured to the mess the fight had caused. 

He shook his head, "I see the fear in your eyes, you don't trust me. And I don't know what exactly has changed,  but if you can just forget  that I'm your friend so quickly, then I don't think we were really ever really friends, to begin with," Percy sounded solemn as he capped Riptide, he walked away, quickly hailing a cab and driving off.

They all stood there for a moment before Leo broke the silence, "That didn't go well. Should we really just let him just leave?"

"Well, we can't go after him till we get a few things straight," Hazel glared, "It's really bothering me how he's being treated, I mean it's not his fault he's changed! We have to treat him just like we did when he was the old Percy!"

The feeling of a mixture of shame and guilt was passed around as they looked at each other.

"This is my fault, I let my emotions get the best of me," Jason said with a lowered head.

"It's no one's fault. But he was right, we weren't treating him like a friend and I can only imagine how he's feeling, now let's go find him before he causes a flood."

They walked to the street to get a taxi when Leo grinned, "So, I guess we're just gonna leave it like this?" he gestured to the demolished car wash and parking lot. 

They shrugged, and Leo laughed, "Awesome!"