Uniting As The Ten- Part Two Of The Conclusion To The United Series

Chapter Twenty Seven

Jason's POV:

I don't stand corrected.

Everyone's either completely silent or screaming at the top of their lungs at her. It's so painful to watch; every time I look back at Max, she seems to be even more ashamed and afraid. Afraid of her own family and friends because they can't cut her some slack for once. The only ones whom I notice aren't yelling at her are Leo, John, Ivan, Reyna, Nico, Nine, Hazel, Frank, Marina and Ella. But Percy- I hear his voice the clearest.

"EVERYBODY STOP!" I finally shout after about two minutes of this mental torture. Everyone immediately goes silent and stares at me wide-eyed. I never raise my voice at anyone, so I guess it's pretty surprising for them now.

I don't say another word. Instead I rush up to Max, grab her wrist and pull her towards the same room as before, subconsciously glaring at everyone who yelled at her as I push her in and close the door behind us. I don't bother to lock the white wood door as I softly push Max towards the bed near the back corner. She sits down and I sit down next to her, giving her at least four feet of space.

"Max." I call out to her as softly as I possibly can. I've never spoken this tenderly before, but it feels right to do it right now. She looks up at me and one thing is perfectly clear- she's on the verge of tears. Tears. Because of her closest family and friends.

I look down at Max's hands and they're shaking. She looks down at her hands as well and clenches them into fists to try to stop them from shaking.

I forget all about space and pull Max into a tight, protective embrace. She immediately hugs me back, wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her head in my shoulder. It takes seconds for me to realize that she's actually crying now.

I hold her tighter as she starts to shake. She lets out a quiet, pained sob, and hearing that come from her breaks my heart. She lets her tears flow and I don't even mind her getting my shirt wet. I place one of my hands on her back and run my fingers through her hair. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just following what I've seen other people like Ivan do. It seems to work on Max a lot, so I guess I'll give it a shot. I've actually made a mental list of what Max likes while she's being comforted. Apparently, just holding or hugging her will help a lot. She also likes when people play with her hair, or pet or stroke it, and she likes brotherly or sisterly kisses on her head. I don't think we're that close, though.

Sure enough, after a few seconds, Max is still crying, but she's stopped shaking for now.

"I-I'm sorry." She sobs. Oh gods.

"No, Max. Don't be sorry." I tell her, breaking our hug and placing both my hands on her cheeks, wiping away her tears with my thumbs. "None of this is your fault, okay? It's Setràkus Ra's fault he wants you as his daughter. It's their fault they decided to yell at you instead of thanking you for saving them."

"But-But they hate me now, don't they?" She asks, more tears streaming down her face. I can feel tears stinging at the back of my eyes.

"No, no, Max. They don't hate you. Don't ever think that, okay?" I tell her.

Max slowly nods her head and the door is suddenly bursted open. I'm ready to start growling at someone, but I see Ivan with a wild look in his eyes. He immediately softens after he sees Max, though.

"Hey, Max." Ivan calls to her, closing the door behind him. I can distinctly hear angry shouting coming from the living room from three different people; two boys and one girl. I bet Max can hear it perfectly.

"Nico, Nine and Reyna are scaring me." He adds in, glancing behind him at the door. Nico, Nine and Reyna? Yelling at everyone at the same time? Gods, that does sound scary.

"Are you okay Max?" He asks her, walking up to her and sitting down next to her. She smiles slightly and nods her head. I realize I must be staring at him because he looks up at me and he looks confused.

"What?" He asks me.

"What?"

Ivan's silent for a few moments before shaking his head and focusing back on Max. She gives me a knowing glance and a small smile before turning to Ivan again.

"Uh, can you...try to stop Nine, Nico and Reyna from yelling at them?" She asks Ivan sheepishly. He smiles warmly at her and leans in closer to her. At first I think she's going to slap him, but she allows him to give her a kiss on her head. It's cute, seeing them close after everything they've been through with each other, but I'll admit, it hurts. Seeing him kiss a girl, knowing that he loves her so much he'd betray his own kind- the people he grew up with- just for her.

Also, I have got to stop thinking that Max is going to slap every boy who comes near her.

Ivan stands up and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Max turns back to me and glances at my left cheek. She chuckles nervously, then gently places her fingertips on my cheek. At first I don't know what she's doing, but I quickly feel a cold sensation on my cheek. The moment she lets go, I feel that my cheek she slapped is healed.

"Sorry." She apologizes again.

"It's okay." I chuckle, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. There are still dry tear stains on her cheeks.

"You want me to give them a lecture?" I ask her. She chuckles and shrugs her shoulders.

"As long as it doesn't involve screaming." She replies. I chuckle and softly rub her shoulder, thinking about the Mogadorian tattoos that'll be on it, probably very soon. I purse my lips and look down at the tattoo on her chest.

"So, this Finn boy...you think if you ask politely he won't give you the tattoos?" I ask her. She chuckles and her eyes get that wistful look in them again. I need to meet this Mog boy and have a little one-on-one interview with him if he's getting this reaction out of Max with just his name being said.

Max looks up at me again and I must look peeved. "What?" She questions, looking at me with her brows knit together in confusion.

"What?" I ask.

"What is it about Finn? You seem wary of him." She points out. I shrug my shoulders.

"I haven't met him yet, I don't exactly trust him." I reply. She smiles warmly at me.

"You're so protective." She complains, placing her hands in her lap and fidgeting.

"When do you have to go back? To the Mogs?" I ask her. She immediately stops fidgeting and her face drops.

"In a week." She answers, her voice small. I know I said we aren't close enough for it, but screw it. I give her a brotherly kiss on her head and a small smile appears on her lips.

"We'll figure something out." I tell her. She nods her head but I'm not sure if she really agrees with me or not.

Hopefully we will.