I'll Always Remember (Percy Jackson)

Chapter Three

Charles Beckendorf

I didn't realize how much Percy and I talked to each other on a daily basis until he had to go back to school on Monday and I was lonely.

Sitting in the big house and doing paperwork with a few others, including Leo, Jason, Luke, and myself, Luke really had to give me shit for checking my phone once.

Once.

"Aw, does Beckendorf miss his wittle boyfwiend?" Luke asked, and I had to roll my eyes in response. He's like a child.

Which, I'd like to point out that he doesn't even know who it is that I'm texting. Just somebody quite a bit. That's a guy.

"Oh, shut up, he's not my boyfriend." I insisted. "Just because you couldn't get your girlfriend back—"

"Thalia is none of your business," Luke insisted, which really got Jason's attention.

"Wait," Jason remarked, confused. "you and Thalia...?"

"A long time ago," Luke assured the son of Zeus. "Like, before she was turned into a tree long time ago. Plus, she's like, 14 still, that's kind of weird. That's almost a ten year difference. Well, 7. But still, I'm 21, that's... No. That's wrong. It'd be like if I dated Annabeth, but worse."

"Bold of you to assume that Annabeth could ever be interested in somebody that isn't Percy," Leo remarked sarcastically. "I almost feel bad for her sometimes."

"Are they not together?" Luke questioned, and both of them laughed.

"No," Leo promised. "as close as they are, Percy has made it about as clear as he can that he isn't interested in being her girlfriend."

"Is he interested in somebody else?" I asked because he's my friend, I feel like I have the right to know. The others just shrugged.

"Not that I know of," Jason remarked.

"If so, I don't think it's anyone we really know or that we've seen him with." Leo added on, which seemed interesting. What came next was even more interesting, though. "personally, I think that Percy's gay and just either hasn't come out or hasn't had a reason to mention it to us. No boyfriend, no crush, it's not something that you usually just bring up. But maybe I think that because quite a few people came out recently."

"Or because you're lonely," Jason reasoned.

"I have a girlfriend, Jason. Just because she's not here doesn't mean she doesn't exist." Leo reminded the councilor of cabin one. "she's at Waystation with the others. With Festus and the lesbians."

"Festus?" I questioned.

"Oh, yeah!" Leo perked up. "my uh, metal sentient dragon that I finished building a last year. I taught Calypso how to take care of him so he could rest for a while."

Why did it take me four days to figure out who this guy was?

"You're the guy who took over for me!?" I asked, excited out of nowhere. And he thought about it before just nodding his head in response. "Dude! I spent forever working on him. That was like, my last big project before I uh, died."

•••

How I survived the rest of that paperwork was a mystery, but I did!

It being the off season and also with Chiron and Mr. D at some meeting up on the Olympus, the table rule is lifted. Meaning everyone sat together.

And I don't know what happened between the girl who was sitting next to Nico (Silena's sister, I can't think of her name) and Percy, but she was upset.