Ship in a Bottle

Practically April Fools Day

Quick question, how old do you guys think I am? 🤔

The policemen dispatched to Percy's house, all arriving as the teenagers pulled into the garage. Gabe was outraged, throwing a child-like tantrum as the officers interrogated him. 

A female officer walked to Percy's side, clamping her hand on his shoulder. "You must be Percy Jackson, the boy we talked to on the phone. My name is Officer Perkins. Can we ask you some questions, if that's comfortable for you?"

Percy briefly nodded, gesturing to his friends beside him. "These are my friends. They convinced me to call the authorities about my step-father."

"Gabriel Ugliano, right?" Officer Perkins questioned, scribbling his rancid name onto a pocket-sized notepad. "That's the name of your step-father?"

"Yes," Percy agreed. "I take my name from my real dad, who's been gone for a few years."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's going to be alright." Officer Perkins squeezed his shoulder. "Is your mother home? Can we talk to her?"

Percy cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Her name is Sally Jackson, but she's in a coma right now. She and my younger sister were just shot the other day, so she was put into a medically induced coma."

"While I can't understand what you and your family are going through, I want to help you," Officer Perkins announced grimly. "The police force wants to give you a good home. Do you have any family members you could stay with for the time being, or until your mother wakes up from her coma?"

"Well, I have a cousin who lives here," Percy said, gesturing to Nico beside him. "This is my cousin, Nico Di Angelo. His dad is my mom's brother."

Nico raised his hand slightly, waving to the policewoman. "We live just a few miles away from here, actually."

"That's good," Officer Perkins agreed. "Thank you for volunteering to house your cousin, but we need to do some paperwork before deciding where Percy lives officially. Tell me, Percy, is your house registered under your mother or father?"

Percy paused, pursing his lips with deep thought. "I think it's my mother, but I'm not exactly sure."

"That's okay," Officer Perkins assured him. "We can do some digging. I'll contact the Real Estate office. Don't worry, we'll make sure you get a good home until your mother wakes up."

Percy forgot to thank the woman before she walked away, his mouth frozen.

"So what should we do now?" Will asked, checking his watch quickly. "Group sleepover, maybe?"

Jason grinned maliciously, clamping his hand on Percy's shoulder as the officer had earlier. "If you're up for it, Percy. I know you're probably feeling very useless right now."

"It's perfectly normal," Nico added.

Percy smiled weakly. "You sound like my mom when she gave me the sex talk. And yes, I'll do anything to get away from my family right now. This is all so fucking crazy."

"Let's have some fun," Will nodded. "You deserve it, Percy."

And just like that, the entire group was huddled in Piper's mansion, all laughing together at random comments from Leo or jokes going around. Percy didn't feel out of place somehow, even if he didn't quite understand the rest of his new friends. Each one was different, yet they all united as one. It was refreshing to have friends like that, since his old 'friends' weren't exactly fond of affection or true friendship.

Percy sat beside Annabeth, who was having a heated argument with Nico over whether babies were machine-washable. He couldn't help but laugh over the conversation, especially since Annabeth's face was turning redder the more angry she became.

"Have you ever put a baby in a washing machine?" Nico asked her, smugly smirking.

"No, but-"

"Then how would you know if it would die in a washing machine?" Nico leaned back, proud of his answer.

"It would drown!" Annabeth snarled. "God, Nico, you're such an idiot! Water will kill the baby in the washing machine!"

Percy relaxed a bit at the bickering of his friends, and the jokes created by the others a few feet away from him. There wasn't much action yet, but he felt almost a part of the group.

"Ahem." Jason cleared his throat amongst the chatter, silencing the room. "As a new member of our friend group, Percy hasn't been initiated yet. You know what that means."

Percy froze, narrowing his eyes on his best friend. "What kind of initiation are we talking about? Nothing illegal, right?"

They all shook their heads, a menacing grin washing over Leo's face. "Nothing illegal, but it probably should be."

That sent a shiver down Percy's spine, but he suppressed it for the time-being. All he wanted to feel was normal, so he'd do anything to fit in with the group and show his loyalty.

Obviously, he had never been a part of true friendships, and that was what he was about to learn during his initiation.

Piper wheeled in a bulletin board, somehow already filled with the initiation process. "We've had this board since the beginning of our friendship. Who wants to explain it?"

"I will," Will offered, pulling himself to his feet. He gestured towards the board, pointing at step one. "Alright, Percy. Buckle your seat belt because you're in for a wild ride. You see this school right here?"

There was a map below the first step, a school district located in the middle of the paper.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"This is our enemy school," Will explained. "We hate them with a burning passion, so much that we fool around with their mascot whenever we have a new recruit. There is a statue outside of the main entrance of a chicken. Your job is to grab a bra of choice from the store and pin it against the statue."

Percy stared at them in shock, his decisions almost getting the better of him.

"You don't have to do it if you're chicken!" Leo squawked like a bird, folding his arms underneath his armpits.

"I'm not the chicken, the statue is!" Percy scowled. "Alright, whatever. I'll regret this in the morning, but I'm in."