The Events of Olympus Resort | A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Chapter 27

Percy POV

The best part of having a super rich uncle is getting to hear your super rich cousins complain about their richness.

"Frankly, I don't even know why we have to go," Thalia complains, her mouth full of eggroll. "It's not like they need us there."

Right now, Thalia, Jason, and I are sitting at the poolside thai restaurant finishing up an early dinner before they have to go to some fancy dinner thing with their dad. Ever since Annabeth and I started dating, Thalia, Jason and I haven't been spending as much time together as we used to, so I'm happy that today we found some time to hang out.

"I bet you we could pay someone else to stand in for us, and no one would even know the difference," Jason jokes, pulling a piece of broccoli out of his fried rice. At least I think he's joking.

Thalia takes a swing of her water and shakes her head. "Nah, there's no way it would work. Even if we managed to avoid seeing dad and Hera the whole night, you know she'd want us to pose for a photo at the end and we'd be caught."

Jason groans, and I just laugh. One of the only things Jason and Thalia can 100%, without a doubt agree on is their mutual hatred for their stepmom.

"How is Hera anyway?" I ask. "I feel like I haven't seen her in forever."

Thalia groans. "Same as usual. She's enjoying making us miserable with all the press stuff regarding the resort expansion."

"Yeah it's kind of scary how seriously she's taking it," Jason remarks. "Photo op this, fundraiser that. You'd think she was the resort's owner."

"And that's the most annoying part!" Thalia says, throwing her hands up. "She could be!" A little piece of padthai dangles from the edge of her fork, and I would point it out to her, but drawing the attention of an angry, fork-wielding Thalia probably isn't a smart move.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Jason leans forward, only having a slight bit more composure than Thalia. "Apparently Hera's like this genius Harvard-grad with a degree in business and economics."

"We found out like two weeks ago at an event when we ran into someone from her graduating class," Thalia adds.

"No way," I say. "Haven't we always made fun of Hera for being this super worthless gold digger? And now you're telling me she could totally be rich on her own if she wanted to?"

Jason nods his head. "It's super weird."

"More like super annoying," Thalia groans. "Gods she sucks."

I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. I'd always just assumed Hera was this good for nothing stepmother stereotype, so learning that there's actually a brain beneath all the makeup and designer jewelry is a little weird.

"Speaking of terrible stepmothers," Jason starts. "How's Annabeth? That whole thing at the beach the other day was pretty intense."

Thalia leans forward, concern taking over her face––a rare sight, so you know it's genuine. "Yeah, how's she holding up? I haven't gotten a chance to speak with her since that night."

At the sound of Annabeth's name, some sort of otherworldly fire ignites in me, making me feel equal parts giddy and itchy. It's pretty annoying.

"She's up," I stammer. "I mean, she's holding up. Well. She's holding up well."

Thalia arches an eyebrow. "What the fuck is up with you Percy?"

I scratch the back of my neck. The truth? I'm still feeling a little unbalanced after last night. I mean, I can honestly say that I've never experienced anything like it. I've never been close to someone that intensely.