Alpha Phi Chi (Jercy)
Jason stayed steps away from the Alpha Phi Chi Fraternity’s doors, as though the doors were going to float forward and grab him.
Shifting his bag on his arm, Jason took one last look around campus.
“Fraternity life, here I come.”
That had been several months ago now, as Jason reminded himself constantly. He had known what he was getting into. He had known that he wouldn’t really be able to be completely himself here.
Yet the whole reason he had joined the fraternity was partly because of the need to be himself, at least in the case of dating one Percy Jackson.
Percy was the campus’ unattainable guy. He’d never dated a single girl, (or boy, for that matter,) and was, as they say, hella hot. (Did they still say that? God, Jason was old.)
Either way, Percy was incredibly cute and handsome and about a million other words that said the same thing.
And instead of pining from afar, Jason had gone and joined a fraternity just to meet the guy who’d kept the door open for him on the first day of class.
Pathetic, really.
And Percy Jackson was the reason Jason sat on a musty old couch, trying to help his very new best friend in the world, Percy freaking Jackson.
Who now was very drunk and very on Jason’s nerves.
“Hey, bro...I just wanted to say, dude…” Percy looked up from his place in Jason’s lap. “I love you man.”
“Love you too, uh. Bro.” Percy just laughed maniacally and Frank Zhang stared at them.
“I think it’s time that Percy went to bed,” he said eventually to Jason. “Bring him up there, will you?”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure.” Jason pulled Percy’s arm over his shoulder. “Come on, Percy. Time for bed.”
“Bed’s good,” Percy mumbled. “Bed is...very...very good.”
“Yeah, it is,” Jason said, wondering to himself about how the frat got the most sober boy in the school drunk.
But Jason doesn’t say anything as he drags Percy into his bed, and leaves to get Percy some water and maybe a little bit of food.
To his surprise, Percy is still there when Jason returns. “Hey. What you doing still awake?”
“Wanted to see you,” Percy mumbled. “Cause I really, really, really, really, really wanted to say somethin’.”
“Well, uh. Go ahead?” Jason didn’t know what was going on.
“I really...really…” and thus, Percy was out like a light, flopping over.
“Well, goodnight Percy.” Jason sighed before rearranging Percy to a more comfortable position to sleep. “See you in the morning.”
In the morning, Leo was already hounding Jason. “Well? Did Percy say anything last night?”
Jason only gave him a weird look for asking him so early in the morning, when he just wanted to get some water to Percy. “What?”
“C’mon, Jay. We didn’t let him get all drunk for him to say nothing,” Leo pressed on. “Well? Did he?”
“No, he didn’t, Leo. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go take water to sleeping beauty.”
“We all know he’d be Ariel,” Leo said, but didn’t say anything more.
Jason climbed the stairs, arms loaded with food and water to Percy’s dorm.
As soon as he opened the door, Percy groaned. “It’s too bright…”
“That’s what happens when you drink,” Jason said cheerfully. “Now here’s some food, water, and an aspirin. I’ll leave you to it.”
“Hey...thanks, Jay.” Percy said, and the look in his eyes made Jason’s knees go weak.
“No problem, Perce.”
And yet all day, that was what the rest of the guys asked about. “Did he say anything? At all? No? Well, shit.”
Jason figured that maybe it had been a family thing. Was Percy’s mom sick? Was something wrong with Estelle?
Yet no one would tell him until Octavian asked.
“Did Percy declare his undying love for you last night or did he seriously lose the courage?” Wass all the stringy guy said. Jason simply gawked at him as Octavian walked off.
Well, stupid was not something that Jason was. So he ran upstairs to Percy.
The door flew open with a bang, startling Percy who just wanted to watch TV. Jason Grace stood in the doorway, breathing hard.
“Is it true?” Jason asked, his eyes wide like he’d seen a ghost. “Because I didn’t want to believe Octavian, but…”
“Is what true?” Percy knew full well what. Leo had whispered screamed at him for two minutes this afternoon about it. Frank had just sighed.
“Well, according to Octavian, you’re in love with me.”
No time like the present, Percy figured. “Yeah, why?” (Was that too casual? He wondered. No, he was fine.)
“Uh. Were you gonna tell me?”
“Yeah, last night. But I guess I forgot. Sorry about that.”
“It’s. Um.” Jason’s mouth was dry. “It’s okay.” He sat down next to Percy on his bed and took a deep breath.
“Well, uh. I...I like you too.” Jason tried not to focus on how his cheeks were probably turning red.
“Well, no way!” Percy laughed. “We should date or something. Wanna go out?”
Jason finally found it in him to look up to Percy’s sea-green eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, that’d be great.”