Just Let Me Leave (Jercy AU)

Chapter 33: Sally Jackson Has a Lot of Appreciation

Hey y'all. In case you forgot, I use italics for emphasis, thoughts, and texts. You should be able to tell which is which based on the context bc I tried to avoid confusion, but feel free to ask if you don't know. Y'all probably remembered that, but just a reminder so you all aren't wondering when they pop up later.

"It was Chris Rodriguez?"
*****

"Percy, I swear, if he did this–," Jason cut himself off with a sigh.

Percy closed his eyes in an attempt to dull the headache that Jason's increasing volume had only worsened. Jason just looked at him worriedly, frankly a bit upset that he wasn't there to help. Now Percy was in a hospital.

Jason shook his head. "I'm sorry...about everything today."

The green-eyed boy just shook his head and held out his hand weakly. Jason gently took it and intertwined their fingers, leaning forward in his seat to reach comfortably. He looked at Percy, waiting for a message of some sort, but the boy simply closed his eyes again. Jason smiled as he felt Percy's thumb rubbing soft circles into the back of his hand. The two just sat in calming silence for a couple of minutes, and Jason nearly thought Percy had fallen asleep. When the door opened and a vaguely familiar woman walked in, however, Percy's eyes quickly flicked open. Jason retracted his hand.

"Percy, honey, are you okay?" The woman Jason had mentally identified as Sally Jackson asked worriedly as she knelt down next to his bed.

Percy nodded and gave her a concerned look that asked the same question. Jason internally winced at the few scratches and bruises that were visible on her hands and face. He could only assume there were more she had hidden.

"I'll be okay," she assured her son, "Where have you been?"

The boy looked over at Jason, his mother's gaze following him.

Jason's eyes widened slightly. "Miss Jackson, I'm so sorry if I interfered—"

He was cut off by a smile as the woman walked over to him. "Are you okay if I hug you?"

Jason shrugged, not entirely sure how to respond, and Sally gently and quickly embraced him before pulling away, leaving her hands on his shoulders as she said, "Thank you, Jason, thank you so much."

The blonde tipped his head with a quick nod. He gave his chair to Sally and, after making eye contact with Percy, pointed at the door. Percy shook his head with a small smile, and Jason returned to the bedside. Although he was told to stay still and rest, he moved his legs a little bit so Jason could sit on the corner of the bed. He watched as his mother and the blonde conversed lightheartedly. Percy was almost certain his mother was aware that Jason knew about everything. At least, the general outline of it. He was thankful neither were addressing it. The last thing Percy needed was his mother and best friend talking about how badly he'd be beaten once he returned home. Percy knew he would have to eventually.

Reyna came back in from her mini field trip to the vending machines with a few various snacks that she left for Percy on the table and a goodbye to all the other three people in the room. After she left and his mother and Jason initiated a conversation, Percy watched Jason smile at what was probably–he wasn't particularly listening–his mother telling an embarrassing story about him. She had plenty of those up her sleeve just waiting to be pulled out whenever the occasion arose. He was rather glad that his mother and Jason seemed to get along so well. It was the two halves of his life briefly coming together. Percy wished he could say the same for him and Thalia, but he was fairly certain Thalia hated his guts. He shook the thoughts out of his head. It wasn't the time to focus on the people who disliked him, but rather the two people right in front of him that cared.

It was an odd feeling.

*****

Jason left around five thirty, saying that his sister and Piper were probably going to just eat dinner without him soon. Sally bid him goodbye for both of the Jacksons, and immediately after the door closed behind the blonde, Percy's mother turned towards him so fast he was concerned that she might've gotten whiplash.

"So you've been staying at Jason's?" She asked, to which Percy nodded. "Are his parents okay with it? Do they know what's going on?"

Percy would've responded, but a look of confusion overcame his features as he thought of how to explain that Jason's parents didn't even know what was going on with Jason himself, much less Percy.

His mother, with her magical maternal communication instincts, seemed to pick up on the message, "Grandparents?"

Percy shook his head, and she looked deep in thought for a few moments before her eyes lit up in realization, "Oh! He mentioned having a sister the first time I talked with him, does he live with her?"

When Percy confirmed her suspicions, Sally smiled in pride because she had actually managed to remember the panicked phone call with the blonde back when the two boys had just started becoming close. "Anyways, she knows you're there?"

Percy exhaled, raising his eyebrows at his mother. He couldn't sneak around enough to avoid members in his own home, much less someone else's. Sally simply rolled her eyes at her son but smiled nonetheless as she made eye contact with him.

"Is it just the two of them?" Sally asked, walking to Percy's backpack that Reyna had brought and locating his phone before bringing it back to the boy so they could talk more, "Who's Piper?"

He found his mother in his recent messages and typed out a reply: piper's his ex. It's usually him and Thalia but she's been with them for a while. Not sure why.

Of course, a couple of letters were switched around–curse his dyslexia–but the general message had gotten across. Sally continued asking questions, "Is everything alright with her family?"

Percy shrugged. Don't know. Her dad's that guy in the movie that was on a couple weeks ago you were watching. McLean?

"Oh, yes, of course," she said, as if she'd known this information before. She probably had heard somewhere, whether from the media or her own son, that Piper had quite a well-known father. "Considering her and Jason broke up, I wouldn't think they'd get along this well.

Percy made a face that made it seem like he couldn't agree with the statement. After seeing the friendship that Jason and Piper had, Percy could only assume that they were this close before they started dating. Neither of them seemed like the type to let a failed relationship ruin years of platonic memories together.

"Percy, sweetheart, you've always been pretty good at picking friends for yourself, haven't you?" His mother asked with a genuine smile, something that Percy had missed seeing on her face every day. With a content sigh and a small smile, Percy shrugged.

Jason was, indeed, quite the friend.

Ew the ending to this chapter is gross but I didn't know what to do help me.

Hope y'all are doing great.

That's all I got, goodbye everyone!