stress-baking | theyna

x.

Thalia flew into her shared living room, scaring the living hell out of Jason. "I should not be allowed to be around attractive girls." She sighed and sat down on the couch next to her brother.

"Aww, Thalia's in loooooooove."

"Shut up," She shoved her brother and turned her head to hide the brilliant blush on her cheeks. "I am not. Love is a very strong emotion and I shouldn't classify the kind of emotion I feel towards Reyna just yet."

Jason looked at her with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Whatever you wanna tell yourself." Thalia tried to stop the goofy, lovestruck grin from overtaking her face, but ultimately failed. Jason rolled his eyes good-naturedly at his sister.

"Why don't you just ask her out already? You don't wanna wait too long before she's swept up by another girl."

"What if she's straight with lesbian tendencies?"

Jason gave her a quelling look. "I'm not gay and I can tell. Don't you have - like, the "gaydar" or something?"

Thalia snorted. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. But girls are hard. Either they compliment you because they're into you, or they're just nice." She sighed and leaned her head on Jason's shoulder. "Promise me you'll never be a lesbian, Jason."

Jason laughed so hard at that, he had to walk out of the room, ultimately, resigning from his position as Thalia's headrest. He walked back in. "I won't be a lesbian, I promise." He said, crying tears of mirth.

"But really, why don't you just ask her out?"

"That means I have to be brave enough to be rejected, and then if I'm rejected, we live on the same floor so I'd have to see her a lot and it would be really awkward and next year I might even have classes with her, and-"

"Let's make a bet." Jason was used to Thalia's rambling, and her competitive nature.

Thalia stopped talking. "What kind of bet?"

"One where the loser has to perform a task that the other chooses."

"I see where you're going with this. What's the challenge?"

"It'll be Dare-or-Dare based. Whoever succumbs first, loses."

The siblings shared a smirk. Thalia said, "I like the sound of that. Who's first?"

"I'll let you give me a dare first."

The Grace siblings sat across from one another on the floor, a notepad with the letters 'T' and 'J' on it between them.

"Alright, Jason," Thalia grinned at her older brother, "I dare you to lick the floor of the bathroom."

Jason paled. Thalia knew how much he hated eating food off the floor. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath, and walked over to the bathroom. Angling himself so Thalia could see, Jason Grace stuck out his tongue and licked the floor of the grossest place in the Grace residence.

Almost immediately after, he ran his mouth under the water for at least three minutes. Thalia approvingly put a checkmark under the 'J'.

Once Jason had returned, he gave her a devious look. "I dare you to go to the roof of this building, and lean over the edge."

It was Thalia's turn to pale. "Dude... That's so... Not cool... Already getting into the good stuff, aren't we?" The pair stood up and walked out of the room to the elevator. Every floor seemed daunting to Thalia, but regardless, she made it to the roof. The wind was blowing, the night was dark. You couldn't see the stars, though. Too much light pollution.

Thalia turned to Jason. "Sometimes, I hate you." He cackled. She walked towards the ledge. Thalia gulped. Just as she was about to lean over to complete the dare, she chickened out. "Fuck no, not doing it. Not happening! Not dying today." She looked towards her brother. "Forget it. You fucking suck."

Jason cheered. "Already out? But it's only your first dare!" He teased. Thalia flipped him off and trudged back to the elevator. She debated leaving him there, but the goodness in her heart let Jason on.

"Now, what would you like me to do, Oh Brave Champion?" Thalia mocked.

Jason only wiggled his eyebrows. "You know exactly what."

"Nope," Thalia stuck her nose in the air, "I need to hear it loud and clear."

"Ask Reyna out."

"What was that?" Thalia stuck her hand to her ear and leaned in towards Jason. "I'm afraid I can't hear you."

Her brother rolled his eyes. "Ask! Reyna! Out!" He shouted, hands cupped around his mouth.

"Jesus, no need to yell." They arrived back on their floor. Jason ran down the hallway to the room. When Thalia arrived at the dorm, she realised the door was locked, and Jason was the one with the key. She knocked.

Jason opened the door with the chain up. "Yes?"

"Let me in."

"No, sister dear. Not until you score a hot date with the pretty girl that lives on this floor."

Thalia sighed. "Really? Can't I do it tomorrow or something?"

"Tomorrow she might just be snatched up! No time to waste." Jason closed the door. Thalia sighed once more.

"Fuck."