Shattered

Jason

For the third consecutive day, Jason woke up feeling happy. A tightness in his chest that he hadn't noticed before had considerably lessened. His dreams weren't entirely nightmares of his past (though he did have a nightmare about being de-pantsed by Reyna in front of the senate). His body felt lighter, odd considering he had actually gained a few pounds since living on the farm. And he felt more energetic than he had been in quite some time.

And he knew why.

With him making peace with the past and realizing that Piper was really Piper, he could truly begin to move on. The survivors group that he went to with Chelsea felt like they were finally beginning to help, his relationship with Percy and Nico was a lot less strained, he was noticeably warmer to Persephone and Hades, and he didn't seek out isolation as much. There were still issues, and he knew there would be for possibly the rest of his life.

One such issue was his relationship with Piper.

At the moment, they were just friends. They had talked at length about what he had experienced and Piper had understood and accepted where he was coming from. Piper then had written out for him her confusing confession about loving Leo as well as him. It was a bit much for both parties to handle, so they agreed to remain friends until they could sort themselves out.

And yet, the son of Jupiter's heart ached every time he thought of their agreement.

Jason sat up in his bed and stretched his arms out over his head with a loud yawn. His shoulder popped and he let out a content sigh at the soothing feeling. And with that, he swung his legs off the side of the bed and thought of what was on the day's agenda.

First things first, feed the animals. If Piper's up I'll introduce her to the Leo and the others, she should enjoy that. After that, Demeter wanted to show me how to balance the farm's budget and how to account for bad weather. I might want to take an aspirin before that, sounds like a headache in the making. After lunch, I got to head to Amboy for football practice. I have to remember to take a few bottles of water just in case. Feed the animals again. And if I'm not dead by then, I'll work on my sociology paper with Percy.

"When the hell did summer get so busy?" the blond groaned, itching the back of his head before standing up. He picked up a pair of jeans that weren't completely disgusting and slid them on; almost tripping himself when his left foot got caught in a hole. Hopping from foot to foot, he pulled on a pair of socks that were clean. And finally, he grabbed his wallet and keys from his nightstand before exiting his room.

And that's when he noticed that something was off.

"That's... weird..."

The door to Demeter's room was wide open, as was Hades and Persephone's; all three rooms vacant of their occupants. He wouldn't have thought nothing of it if it had only been Demeter's, as he was an early riser like himself, but Persephone was a notoriously heavy sleeper, only getting up when she wanted to or a forty-megaton nuclear explosion. Hades was a bit better, often getting up in the middle of the night to check on him, Percy, and Nico, but his uncle wasn't one to get up at four thirty in the morning.

Maybe they have to make a delivery this morning? It was a likely theory, so he just quietly walked into the bathroom where he proceeded to perform his morning rituals. The son of Jupiter brushed his teeth vigorously with the electric toothbrush he had recently purchased for himself, squeezed his eyes shut as he gargled with Listerine, and quickly flossed between the teeth he could reach; he still couldn't figure out how to reach his molars without gagging himself. He grabbed his stick of Old Spice, lifted his shirt, and applied a thick coating under each arm, as he found out that after football or chores, one layer certainly wasn't enough. Feeling slightly refreshed, he left the bathroom, and floated down the staircase.