Stone Walls (Jercy AU)

JASON

After school, Jason waited impatiently in Thalia's room. He was itching to ask her about who Percy lives with and if she thinks that might be the person, or people, who are hurting Percy. Truthfully, Jason wanted to just blurt out that someone at Percy's home is responsible, but he didn't feel it was right to just accuse someone, especially if he didn't even know who they are.

Jason sat at Thalia's desk, spinning her chair around and around with his head back. He watched the ceiling spiral and slowly stop. He glanced around his sister's room observing her lavender walls, band posters and law books. Thalia wanted to be a lawyer like her mother. She always had this need to do what is right in the name of good. 

But Jason? Well, he didn't really know what he wanted to be yet. He thought of doing music for a while, even a lawyer. However, he couldn't seem to find his clique.

Jason was snapped out of thoughts by Thalia's voice in the kitchen, greeting their mom. She walked into her room and immediately said, "You never come in my room unless you need something."

"I wanted to ask you about something."

"About?"

"Percy," he said firmly.

Thalia sat down on the edge of her bed with a perplexed look, like she couldn't figure Jason out. "You never noticed Percy even though I've been his friend since middle school, but now you're just so concerned? Why?"

Jason hesitated. What was his reason? It's not like he knew Percy the way Thalia did. It's not like he even noticed Percy until recently. After some thinking, Jason finally said, "He looks sad all the time and he doesn't look physically well. He's scrawny and looks exhausted all the time. What about that bruise he was hospitalized for? That wasn't normal."

Thalia sighed, "I haven't even gotten the chance to speak to him about how he's doing recently. You know, ever since his mom died, he's changed into this person I don't even recognize, you know?"

"How do you think he's changed Thals?"

"Percy was always the most optimistic one between Grover and I," Thalia said with a little smile. "He always wanted to come over or wanted us to go see him. But then when we were 13, Grover and I stopped going to his house and we never knew why. But he still came over here or by Grover's. But it just seemed like he was, I dunno, losing his glow? His happy glow?"

Jason got up and went to sit next to Thalia on the bed. "I talked to him today. He was at the pool and he seemed to be opening up to me. He told me his mom died."

"Yeah, she died of leukemia. It got so bad so fast. We would go to the hospital together with Grover's mom, but then after she died, I don't know what happened. Percy, like, morphed into this whole new person. So dark and gloomy, barely smiling. Whenever I would try to ask, he would brush it off or say he has to go home."

"Who does he live with now?" Jason asked slowly, as if he was scared he'd get yelled at for being nosy about Percy.

Thalia shrugged and said, "His stepdad, but I never met him. Don't even know his name."

"Do you think he would give Percy those bruises?"

Thalia quickly turned to Jason, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration, confusion? Jason didn't know. He felt like he might have gone too far with his questions. It wasn't like he asked subtly. He just came out and said what he was dying to ask, because what if this was he answer all along? What if it's his stepdad? What if it's been right under everyone's noses?

Thalia's piercing blue eyes kept staring into Jason's eyes, searching for something that could either challenge or convince her of what Jason was getting. But Jason couldn't help but wonder if Thalia has thought about it too but was too scared to bring it up to anyone. He couldn't help but wonder if she wanted to tell someone, anyone, that could help Percy get out of the situation.