Friends With Mental Issues (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Do Your Job

   Percy awoke the next day to Grover slapping him in the face with reed pipes. "Dude, what the heck?" Percy asked tiredly, rubbing his face and sitting up. Grover whimpered, biting his lip.

   "I'm sorry, Percy, but Mr. D... He's here." Percy shrugged. Sure, he'd heard stories from the seven and Reyna, but he wasn't all that afraid of whoever Mr. D was. He felt like, if someone's scary, they should have some bone-chilling name. Like Steve.

   He got up from his bed and pulled out a blue shirt from the suitcase he had yet to unpack. He was just lazy that way. Once he was changed and had managed to convince Grover to come out of his room, he headed to the seven's hang out room. Of course, he got lost maybe five times on the way there, but that's not the point.

   When he entered the room, everything was the same as usual. Piper was quizing Jason with some flashcards. Annabeth was sketching a building design while chatting leisurely with Frank. Nico had an arm protectively around Hazel's shoulder while Leo somehow managed to flirt with both of them at the same time. Home sweet home.

   "U-uh, P-percy..?" Grover stuttered behind him. Percy turned back, raising his eyebrows. Grover stood behind a pudgy-looking man with a red face holding a Diet Coke. "This is Mr. D," Grover said, backing up a little.

   To say the least, Percy was less than afraid of the man in front of him.

   "Move aside, Perry, I have to check on the brats," Mr. D said boredly. Percy instantly knew that him and Mr. D were going to be great friends. "Well?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at Percy, who still hadn't moved. Instead of focusing on Mr. D's words, he was too busy wondering how a face could be that red. Seriously, that cannot be natural.

   When Percy finally moved out of the way, the seven had taken notice to the situation happening at the door. Leo was the first to speak up when Mr. D entered the room. He shot up from his place in front of Hazel and Nico with a wild grin on his face. "Mr. D! It's great to see you here again! By the way, can I interest you in this Diet Coke? I'm sure that you've already drank half of that one," Leo said, holding up a Diet Coke he had pulled out of his tool belt. He had just sarted wearing the tool belt a couple days ago, but Percy wondered if it was magic, since Leo would never stop pulling out the most random things from there.

   Mr. D narrowed his eyes. Across the room, Piper perked up, setting down the flash cards. If Piper was somehow involved with something Leo was doing, it was probably nothing good, Percy decided. "You open it first, Gio," Mr. D said suspiciously.

   "It's Leo, sir, and I totally don't mind. In fact, I'll even let Piper do it." Piper smiled sweetly, her ever-changing eyes flashing dangerously. She took the Diet Coke in her hands and opened it with a very pronounced pop. While this was happeneing, it seemed like everyone had held their breath. Even Percy. But nothing had happened.

   Mr. D took the can, still looking at it with suspicious eyes, and handed the nearly empty can to Grover, who looked as if he might pee himself any second now. Just when Mr. D raised the can to his pudgy and red face, there were two loud clicks and a couple of whirls that came from the can. Before Mr. D could even think about screaming one of those clichè lines like 'CURSE YOU, TINY MEXICAN BOY,' the can exploded in his fingertips, the coke managing to only get on Mr. D and no one else.

   Percy was the third to laugh. Right after Piper and Leo, who were practically peeing themselves laughing. In retrospect, Percy probably should've been a bit ashamed of himself because he just laughed at a pudgy old man getting doused with Diet Coke, but he was pretty sure anyone would at least crack a smile on the inside after seeing something like that.