Percy Jackson: Genderbent

Chapter 12

Jason's POV:

That morning, I packed up all the stuff I needed for the quest. For the past week, I'd gotten really close to Perci. In fact, all the guys had. She seemed to like hanging out with us more than the girls. I smiled. It had been great getting to know Perci even better, and the similarities between her and her brother were remarkable. Leo speculated that they were long lost twins, but Percy hadn't said anything about that. My smile faded as I thought about what else has happened these past few weeks. News of our breakup had spread around the camp like wildfire, and girls were practically throwing themselves at me. Seriously. One morning, I was just coming out of my cabin when a girl fell into my arms. I looked up, and saw there was a whole line of girls waiting. I smiled wistfully at the memory. I had dropped the girl and told everyone to go away. That had decreased my popularity a bit. 

But I'd tried to get back together with Piper. I'd gone to her, talked to her, pleaded with her. But she never yielded. The last time I'd asked had been yesterday. She'd asked me never to ask her again, as it was really painful for her. Annabeth (and occasionally Perci, though we'd all noticed she stunk at romance) tried to comfort her, but I wasn't sure if it worked that well. Even though Piper wasn't my girlfriend anymore, we were perfectly okay with hanging out like friends. So I went to say goodbye to her.

"Hey, Piper." I said as I walked up to her after breakfast. She turned towards me, and smiled. "Hey, Jason." I smiled back, but her expression turned serious. "You know, it's not an accident my mother put you on a quest with Perci. She knows these kinds of things. So... just be careful. Also, in the prophecy, the line boys must overcome a smitten hurdle. 'Smitten' means love. So, don't let love get in the way of your teamwork with Nico. Okay?" She asked, and I hugged her. "Thanks, Piper." I whispered into her ear. "Least I could do." She replied. 

After talking a little more with Piper, I went to go find Leo. "Hey." I greeted as I neared where he was standing. He turned around, and his face broke into a huge grin. "Hey, Sparky." Leo greeted. They kind of stood there awkwardly for a couple seconds, not really sure what to say. "So... the quest." Leo said. "Yeah." I said. We stood there again, then Chiron came up to me. "Yes, sir?" I asked him, and I heard Leo chuckling behind me. "No need for that, child." He said, a faint smile crossing his lips. "You are needed at Half-Blood Hill. Perci and Nico are waiting for you." He said, and I nodded. "Thanks, si- Chiron." I said, and he smiled. Leo started chortling when Chiron left. I smiled at him, and suddenly it was much easier to talk. We said our farewells, and said we would see each other again. "Sooner than you think." Leo had said mysteriously, a knowing gleam in his eyes. I was suspicious, then I figured he meant that we were going to finish the quest quickly. "Thanks, dude." I said, clapping him on the back, and got my stuff and went to Half-Blood Hill. 

"Hey!" Perci greeted when I reached the top of the hill. Her sea green eyes danced when they saw me, and I felt my heart melt a tiny bit under their excited gleam. I smiled back, and turned to look at Nico. I wasn't sure what to make of the son of Hades. It was true, since the experience with Cupid, I'd tried harder to become his friend. He let me in somewhat, then bounced back and pushed me away. I was still trying, but... so far I hadn't had much success. To be honest, I thing Perci's had more success than I have. But as long as he's happy, that's fine. I smiled at him, and he scowl lessened somewhat. It would be interesting to be on a quest with him.

"Ready to go?" I said, looking at my friends. "We've been waiting on you!" Perci said, punching my arm affectionately. Just that touch sent a thrill up my arm. "Yeah, whatever." Nico muttered, coming up to us. Just then, Argus drove up in his jeep. He honked, and we climbed inside. 

It took a while to reach the bus station, and it didn't help that we were ADHD. After about five minutes of sitting quietly, we all started fidgeting. "So... the quest." I prompted after a while without conversation. "The quest." Nico repeated. "Do we have a plan?" I said, looking at both of them. "Well, Annabeth said that the Graces were helpers of Aphrodite, and they represented grace, beauty and charm. That could be what the first line is about." Perci suggested helpfully, and I nodded. "So we need to find the Graces." Nico summed up. "Yeah... but where are they?" I asked the unspoken question hanging in the air.