A/N: This chapter was mostly written because I was supposed to go to the beach before my shift but my boyfriend told me not to go, that my skin was slightly pink (it was mostly tanned, or as tanned as I can be, which isn't much) and I should give it time to recover (honestly, I lather myself up with cream every night after shower, my skin is as hydrated as it's possible). Since he's a doctor, it was literally... dun-dun-dun... DOCTOR'S ORDERS. Did I read papers on toddlers' development for this chapter? Yes, you'll understand why (likely not for the reasons you think).

Jason's Flashback

FRIDAY, 3th February

I'm still wondering why did we get called.

I don't think it's that odd.

You clearly never went to school, it's never a good thing when you get called.

We didn't do anything wrong.

Jason knocked on the door, waiting for permission before entering. From her table, Mrs. Jones raised her head to give him a welcoming smile.

"John, thanks for coming."

When she gestured to the chair in front of her, he took it.

"It's not a problem."

She put away the book she had been reading and turned to him with a warm and neutral expression.

"First of all, I want to thank you. Mackenzie told me how offered help to a stranger without any selfish reasons, and I think that is admirable."

Okay...?

"Thank you."

"Since it wasn't for selfish reasons, as Mackenzie believes, do you know why you did it?"

What now?

Just relax.

Knowing from his interactions with well-meaning but overly-opiniated Lares, Jason kept his face clear of any emotions except mild curiosity and his voice neutrally respectful.

"No, why?"

Her mouth quirked in amusement before the schooled her expression to match his. Someone else might have lost that sign, but he grew up with wolves, where the tiniest flick of an ear could sign the mood change.

"John, I wasn't the one who did it. You're the only one who can know why you did it. Do you?"

"She needed help."

She smiled and he couldn't help but think it was a predatory smile and he'd been walking right into her trap.

"Everyone needs help in one way or another. We see several each day; some show signs, others don't. and yet, most people rarely stop to help, be it buying a meal or lending an ear or giving a ride. And yet, you did. Why?"

I told you, it's never a good sign.

"Maybe... because I saw her more than once? And both times she was crying and looked so..."

"Alone?"

Against his better judgement and John's rising suspicion, he kept talking.

"More than this, she was... crying like she had no other hope; no one else."

"Like she was lost in the woods?"

Those words worked like a punch to his stomach. It was true that John had agreed with him about approaching Mackenzie, but it had been his initiative.

Jason, breath.

Do you think I helped her because I thought she was lost like I once was?

Jason, I got lost in a mall as a child and I didn't see myself on her, maybe it doesn't have anything to do with it.

Do you think she knows?

You mean, like that you're a demigod? I find that highly unlikely, lost in the woods is just a generic expression.

"John? Are you still here?"

Gathering himself, he adjusted his posture and nodded.

"Yes, I'm sorry."

Mrs. Jones' smile was knowing, without being patronizing.

"Don't apologize. We're only having a conversation, of course you can think your answers through."

"I was just..."

When he didn't offer anything else, she gently asked.

"Is there something you want to ask me?"

"You can ask me anything, I promise I will answer the best I can."

"There was... there was a time I got... lost. Your comparison was..."

She looked out of the window and it felt like she was giving him some privacy to express himself.

"It hit a little too close of home?"

"Something like that."

"And you want to know if that has any connection to your approach to Mackenzie?"

It took him by surprise that she understood his intentions so quickly.

You can, you know.

What?

You can ask. It's not something that will change my life all that much, but it sounds like you need the answer.

"... Yes."

She kept looking out of the window and he was oddly comforted about not having to keep her eye contact; it already felt like being in a wolf's den as it was.

"It could and it couldn't. Depends on how old you were, where did you get lost, how it affected your life. However, based on how quick this memory came to light and how disturbed you looked just now, I think it's possible. Were you young?"

He nodded, even if she wasn't looking at him.

"About three."

"Were you lost for long?"

"Almost a full day."

"The ones to find you where the same ones you had gotten lost from?"

He could feel the bitter taste in his mouth even before answering.

"... No."

"Do you think it changed you?"

"In what way?"

She turned her head to look back at him, her expression carefully neutral, like they were talking about the weather.

"In your idea of loneliness. Fear. Trust. Abandonment. Missing to someone. When small children – truth be told, even older children – get lost, they tend to keep on calling their parents. Their biggest hope is that their parents miss them and are doing the most they can to find their lost child. When it's someone else or worse, a stranger, to find the child, there's a possibility that they'll start to doubt their parents' affection."

Go on...

"... What else?"

"You mean, how it can change a child? It depends on what happens next. Are the parents worried and smothering? The child might get the reassurance they wanted, about being desired. Or it might also open the child's eyes to their parents' small actions that can work as signs about their lack of care for the child's wellbeing."

When she looked out of the window again, he had a feeling he wasn't about to like her next words.

"There are even those cases when the parents don't come back or come just to outright state about their undesired for the child's presence. Those are, of course, the cases where getting lost can work to radically change a child's life."

Leaning back against the chair, he felt like laughing.

Isn't that the truth?

Wasn't she forced by Hera?

It still felt like it was way too easy. She didn't explain anything, just left me there and never came back. I was born because she was desperately trying to trap my father; my existence was as accidental as it could be.

I wasn't that wanted as well.

You still had your sister.

She couldn't stand my mother, so she left pretty early.

But at least she came back.

Sporadically, even after mother was dead. She became busy with her own life and there was no space for me there.

"John, do you want to tell me when did your mother stopped being a part of your life?"

He was surprised to find Mrs. Jones carefully watching him and wondered how much of their debate came clear on his expression.

"How did you know she was not around?"

Like you hadn't pretty much offered this information on a silver plate.

"I saw your file. Your father isn't listed in your birth certificate, and all your paperwork go to a lawyer. Still, it's up to you to share or not."

She's talking about you.

Yeah, I realize that now.

Do you... want to talk about it?

What difference would that make?

I have no way of knowing.

Just give her a generic answer. She already knows my mother is not around, anyway.

"My mother... reduced her presence in my life not long after that."

When she didn't comment or react in any way, he started to fidget.

I think she wants more.

I can see that. It was roughly six months. She left to go chase my father and got killed by her own irresponsibility. Do not tell her that last part!

Whatever you want.

"She... left completely in about six months after that."

"You're not forced to anything here. Not to share, not to listen, not to answer, not even to stay. But I can tell you I won't judge you. You're free to be yourself."

You know, this feels odd.

In what way?

I'm not directly speaking to her. I tell you and you ask her.

Isn't that pretty much what we've been doing for months?

I know, it's just that... it doesn't feel like I'm doing therapy. I'm just... talking to a guy. According to your friends' theory, I might even say I'm talking to myself.

So...?

I wonder... I might never get an opportunity this good to test therapy without actually going to therapy.

You mean you want me to relay your questions because it's easier for you to open up with me that it would be to do it directly with her?

You caught on quickly.

Like you said, I am you.

But not really.

No, but the feeling was similar. I'm not in my body or in my world. I wouldn't have said anything in my world, but here... I'm freer.

Then let's get started.

Jason took a deep breath and prepared to relay John's words as faithfully as he could.

"Sometimes I wonder who am I."

Mrs. Jones nodded.

"Don't we all?"

... Not exactly where I was going.

How do you want me to reword it?

Before they could, the counselor caught up on their intentions and made a question that followed the thread.

"Who do you think you are? What makes you think that who you are now it's not really you?"

"When my mother... left, she also left some specific instructions to the lawyers. It was unlike her to plan so far ahead, so I wonder who was actually behind it. Since it was signed as her last wishes, it was executed."

"What were those instructions?"

"I wasn't to go to pre-school."

Her lack of reaction reminded them she had read John's file.

"You knew it, of course."

"I know your file, not the young man it's about. So, you didn't go to pre-school?"

"Or elementary and even half of middle school. Actually, I wasn't even supposed to be here now."

"Why not?"

"Her wishes specified that I was to work under private tutors until university. Preferably, I was to enter university as soon as I could."

"Was that why when you did your test to enter school, the recommendation was that you skipped grades?"

There is a part of me that wonders what exactly is written on my file.

"That and also my grade on the test."

Mrs. Jones nodded in recognition.

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I chose not."

She gave him an approving smile.

She's starting to grow on me.

How so?

She doesn't patronize me like most adults do with teenagers but she doesn't expect me to behave like a perfect adult like some in my life. She clearly knows more than me, but she doesn't think I'm an idiot who knows nothing because of this.

"My mother's plan had a flaw. It didn't consider I might want something different for my life, and that I would find a way to have it."

"What did you do?"

"I studied law. I was barely ten and I was reading law books so I could argue with the lawyers and get control of my own life."

She gave him a grin, the first since he entered his office. She looked proud.

"I see it worked."

It gave him a boost, and John started to talk fast, Jason doing his best to follow him.

"Just barely. Their arrogance was their ruin; they thought I was just playing around, a child just out of the diapers, in their own words. They laughed and decided to amuse me, so sure they were experience enough to not be over smarted. We made a wager and I won it. Obviously, I made them put it on paper first."

"And they were legally bound to fulfill their end of it. And after this?"

"I entered school in my age-appropriate grade."

"Was it everything you thought it would be?"

Well, she had to go to the big questions so soon?

"Yes and no. I was bullied at first, of course. I didn't know how to interact with people my age. They weren't like the adults in my life or like the teenagers in the movies. I spent the first month making mistake after mistake."

Were you able to identify the mistakes?

After a while, some. There are others that I still have no idea why they were mistakes.

Perhaps it wasn't a mistake in itself, just in that situation.

"What changed?"

"Football. It wasn't my favorite sport, but my private tutors included physical education, so my eye-hand coordination and reflexes properly developed, like they said. I was roped into participating in a mock play and ended up being more than a little decent. Short story, I got in and now I had my teammates constantly interacting with me and my popularity with the other students quickly rising."

I know the feeling.

What was your football?

Leadership. My father is the king of the gods, he keeps the others in line – even though he gets out of line – and judges their disputes. As his son, people started to come to me looking for someone to command and either because I'm genetically programmed for it or because Lupa started to shape me to lead the Twelfth from when I was a toddler, I was pretty good at it. It didn't take me long to be considered their pride. The Son of Jupiter, Twelfth Legion's praetor, the hero who defeated a long list of monsters, some single-handily.

"Then can you tell what is missing?"

I sometimes wonder the same thing.

Maybe she has the answer.

"What?"

"That is my question to you. You're popular, a football star, you'll graduate with flying colors, enter any University of your choice. You have a paid-off house, an army of lawyers, enough money to be unconcerned about it. What is missing?"

I was hoping she would tell me...

"I'm... not sure I understand."

"What do you call the guys who play with you?"

"My teammates."

"And that's all they are? Not even one of them is something more?"

"You mean like... a boyfriend? I have a girlfriend, is-"

"Trish, I know. And no, John. A friend. You talked about lawyers, teammates, other students and now Trish. Excluding her, who do you consider a friend?"

Hm... any of your teammates?

... Maybe Kyle?

Do you consider him a friend?

As much as I can. I don't know if he considers me a friend, though.

I think he does.

Still, he's just a friend, not a best friend. I... don't have those.

I wasn't good with that either.

And now you are?

Let's say I met people who decided it by themselves and declared they were my friends.

"I think this is what you're still missing, that kind of deep connection you saw in movies and you haven't been able to create. Why do you think that happens? Is there a reason you suspect?"

"Maybe I... maybe I just can't."

She sighed and he felt troubled by the feeling of having deluded her.

"John, autistic children have trouble creating connections even with their parents, at least as we understand connection. But they still create them. You're capable of doing it, you just have something hindering you, something you didn't realize until now. Something that ISN'T your fault."

"What?"

Please tell me she's going to give me a straight answer.

"I'm guessing you played video games at some point?"

"Yes."

"Ever skipped an intro before a new quest?"

An undecipherable prophecy counts as not having an intro?

Considering that if you die in your quests you really die and not simply respawn, you should get clearer instructions.

We get respawned.

Reincarnating doesn't count.

"Who didn't?"

"Ever had trouble figuring out what you were supposed to do precisely because you skipped the intro that was supposed to show you the ropes?"

They finally saw where she was going with it.

"Yes."

"In your case, someone skipped the intro for you. Pre-school doesn't exist only so parents can get a rest. Pre-schoolers have the right age to get the introduction to society, to detach themselves from their parents and start to explore the world. It offers the children opportunities to develop social skills, to work out interactions with peers their age, learn to identify cues to certain behaviors. And in the meantime, to discover themselves. Maybe they are the ones that like to make others laugh, or to help stop a fight, or to offer a band-aid to a friend who got hurt. A jokester, a mediator, a care taker. Does your mother's wish specify the kind of university course you should enter?"

Even though John felt it was more of a rhetorical question, he still answered.

"Yes."

"Do you think your private lessons were designed to make you follow that road?"

"Definitely."

"Seems to me you were forced into your role. Someone chose a road and tried to mold you to fit in perfectly. You weren't given a choice or liberty to figure it out your road. But no one said you can't do it now. We spend our whole lives trying to find out who we are and why we are here. It's never too late. You still have a year and half in school and you're a smart guy. Of course, it doesn't mean you have to do it all alone. You can always ask for help, read about it, make questions. And you also don't have to reinvent yourself completely. Who you are now it's still you. Take it, accept it, modify it, customize it. Someone chose your road long time ago. But it's your road now and you can do whatever you want with it."

***

Were you afraid?

When?

When the wolves came to get you.

I was three, of course I was afraid.

I never even had a dog, but the ones my teammates had never gave me any trouble. How was living with wolves?

Using the only Greek reference Lupa might accept, it was... Spartan.

Just the bare necessities?

Obviously, it's not like they care about human comfort, but it was more... raw.

Explain.

You know how the Spartans would send their teenagers to the woods with only a knife?

And they had to somehow make their way back to the city using only their wits.

Not exactly the city, but the school where he'd been training for the last ten years. Not only that, but he had to make this route undetected, while killing slaves.

Wait! That part about slaves I never heard about.

Helots were a subjugated population and they outnumbered the Spartans by seven to one at one point. Spartans had several... programs to control the Helots' population, this one is just a part. Anyway, we can get back to it at another time.

Please do, because our modern vision of Spartans is that they were warriors and heroes.

What I was trying to explain is that they had to be efficient and invisible killers. To move and kill without being detected, they needed to know the terrain, use it to choose the best position to set a trap, to hide, how to conceal their tracks. They had to kill as quick as possible to not draw too much attention, or to do it slowly in a location they made sure it was safe beforehand. Wolves are not that much different. They hunt in pack because it's more efficient, but no sane prey or human would like to face a single wolf, they are still dangerous.

I won't argue with that.

Learning how to move like them, how to hunt, hide, eat, drink, run, fight... how to understand their languages, watching your own body behavior to not convey the wrong message, or to purposively send a false one... you forget a little about society. I was luck to later enter a society where everyone had learned from the wolves, so I could interact with them but the things the demigods brought from the mortal world were a challenge to me. New Rome was an excellent place to learn but there were times while in a quest that the mortal world confused me. Signs I missed, or misinterpreted, or the lack of actual purpose for so many things.

Like what?

Like... haunted rides? Or neon colors. Fake nails. I'm not saying those things didn't have a reason to be invented or a reason to still exist but their functional purpose... doesn't exist. Most things in modern society don't have functionality. Modern medicine is important, but aesthetic surgeries... not always. I can understand rebuilding someone's face so they can properly eat but... silicon breasts? It's... futile.

Some women get them after they have breast's cancer.

Replacing breasts lost to cancer with silicon is... not useful. For self-esteem, maybe, but nothing beyond that. I'm not saying they can't get it. Self-esteem is important and all that, I'm just saying that if something happened to society and made us prioritize what is really necessary, those things would not have a place in the list.

Ok, I can understand that. So neon-painted fake nails confused the hell out of you.

In few words, yes.

So you think the wolves' way is better.

I'm not saying they're right. They are wolves, their ways are not made for humans; but they're really useful to remember what your own body is capable of, how even if modern society has dulled our instincts, they are very much present and ready to be awoken. Put that with our ability to run long distances, to swim efficiently, to climb trees, to craft weapons and our big creative brain and we understand how we conquered Earth.

You almost make me want to run with a pack in the wilderness.

Trust me, you won't. Lupa wanted to train us so we could pass her test and join the legion, and she would still eat those who were not cut off for it. Normal wolves don't even have any other intention other than eating, and humans are easy prey, especially in the middle of the woods surrounded by a pack.

Have you met wild wolves?

Yes, and werewolves. Not a-

Piper's voice interrupted them.

"So, what do you think?"

Jason raised his eyes in surprise. The cafe they'd started to frequent, the same one he had taken Mackenzie the first time was busy as always and his girlfriend had a fork of velvet cake poised to enter her mouth while looking at him expectantly.

"Huh!? Hm... yes."

Piper seemed to find humor in the situation, although he could see in her eyes, she was a little bit frustrated, which meant she'd been talking for a while and he didn't absorb any of it.

"Jason, did you hear anything of what I just said?"

Before he could check with John in case he hadn't been as distracted, she waved her hand, dismissing it.

"Never mind, I will repeat it. Like I was saying, we might add a temporary column to the newspaper for next week."

"What? Why?"

"So people can confess and compliment each other."

"Why?"

"Because Valentine's is right around the corner, genius!"

I always forget that's a thing until the school is exploding with pink hearts. Wait, is it already February?

Yes.

Huh. They're late this year.

Jason was just nodding in agreement and it took him a while to register what he was missing.

"Right, Valentine's. Wait, Valentine's!?"

Piper laughed, squeezing his hand affectionately.

"Relax, big guy, I already planned our date and we can agree in not exchanging gifts; we won't take any of it with us when we leave."

It's not like I have a ton of experience as you very well know, but you REALLY lucked out with your girlfriend.

I know.

When John shared some of his concerns about Piper's idea, Jason thought it was valid to share them.

"About the confessions, is it safe? Don't you think some will use it to play pranks?"

"We're sure of it. And we also know some pranks won't be harmless, so we've been discussing some rules to try and prevent that."

"Like?"

"No message can ask for a date; this decision remains with the confessed. This way we hope to avoid someone setting a public date to humiliate someone. Those confessing can stay anonymous on the newspaper, but if the confessed wants to know in privately, I WILL tell them. If they wish to remain anonymous even then, they can use the secrets, not the confessions. Or they could use the good old 'secret admirer' thing."

"Ok, makes sense. What else?"

"They will be warned beforehand, of course, but if someone lies about their confession, they enter Trish's blacklist and this is NOT a good thing."

"So now she has a blacklist?"

"She always had, we're just working on being a little more selective on who enters it and what gets done to them."

I wonder what this selection includes now.

You know what included before?

We weren't close before you came. But I do know that she'd screw up with pretty much anyone just for the kicks.

So everyone was in her blacklist?

I don't think so. There was a girl a couple years ago. Maura, I think? Or Mary? Anyway, something with starting with M. I don't know the details, but I know she tried to buy a fight with Trish and ended up having to change schools. I think she was an example of someone on the blacklist. I'm only guessing based on what I've been seeing these last few months, but I think the Mary-Maura girl may have target Claire, because Trish went ballistic on her out of nowhere. Why do you think Vanessa backed out as soon as Piper came along? Even she knows not to mess with Trish.

Focusing back on the present, he noticed Piper was silent, likely waiting for him to finish his conversation with John. Nodding his thanks, he concentrated back on her.

"Each confession WILL have to pass our evaluation. If we think there's something fishy about it, we will contact the one confessing and either let them know we won't publish their confession for X reason or give them a chance to convince us they're being honest. And if I'm going to be honest, Bea's lie detector is even better than ours. Not counting that being friends with cheerleaders and overall popular crowd gives her a frightening reach when it comes to gossip."

SATURDAY, 4th February

Like he'd promised, Kyle was waiting for him, distracted with his phone. Hearing Jason's steps, he looked up, giving a nod in recognition while pocketing his phone.

"So, do you have any idea where to go or..."

Jason shook his head.

"Not really; I didn't plan ahead, to be honest. Do you have a place in mind?"

"If you don't mind, I need to go to the comic store, I got an email that my new Batman arrived."

"Sure, we can go."

"So... are you going to tell me why?"

"Why what?"

"You called me to meet today out of nowhere. You rarely go out with us, only when it's after a game and we don't really give you a chance to escape!"

Jason tried to join Kyle's laugh, but it sounded fake even to his ears.

I hadn't noticed it before but... it's true.

What is?

I don't go out with them. I got some invitations, mostly from Kyle but... I don't remember accepting it. The team outings after a game but a big party is something, but just hanging out in small groups... not really.

Why not?

I don't really know. I never saw a reason to accept. Maybe the lack of deeper connection Mrs. Jones mentioned?

"Then, why are we here?"

"Can I... I mean, I spoke with Mrs. Jones the other da-"

"Say no more!"

"What?"

"She messed with your head, didn't she? She always does that. You know David?"

Jason nodded, remembering their linerback.

"Remember last year when his temper costed us a game?"

A game? He costed us the title. Oh yes, I wanted to kill him and I rarely lose my patience.

What did he do?

What he didn't do is more accurately. After trying to start a fight with the other team a total of six time, succeeding in two of those, he punched the referee in the face, precisely in the game against our worst adversary. If we had passed them, the state title would've been ours. Coach absolutely lost it that day.

Jason nodded to encourage Kyle to keep going.

"Coach forced him to visit Mrs. Jones, and she screwed with his head. Got really deep and found a number of issues. His uncle, his dad... even a cousin who died in Afghanistan. Worked with him through all that and now he's the guy putting a stop to fights, but damn if it didn't take time and countless temper issues until he got where he is now."

I didn't know that. I mean, I know he changed, otherwise he wouldn't be in the team, but I didn't know it had been Mrs. Jones' work.

Kyle kept going and Jason had to remind himself that Kyle didn't know he had full conversations inside his head, so he wouldn't patiently wait like Piper did the day before.

"If you spoke with Mrs. Jones, I already know she messed with your head and found a list of issues."

"That's mostly it, yes."

"What issue is ruining your beauty sleep?"

After John agreeing there was no use beating around the bush, he was direct.

"Kyle, are we friends?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why are we friends?"

"Do we have a reason not to be?"

"No, but we don't have a reason to be either."

"Of course we do. You're an okay guy; I'm a fantastic guy. Problem solved."

"I'm serious."

"I know you are, but I also know you're not making any sense with these random questions out of nowhere. Try to at least give an introduction to the subject before wanting answers. Don't you know how to write an essay? How did you get a 98 in your last one?"

Ignoring the friendly jab, Jason and John tried to explain Mrs. Jones theories. He tried to be somewhat vague about John's upbringing, just giving the general idea of homeschooling by selected tutors. If Kyle was weirded out, he didn't show, just nodding in understanding and making a question once in a while, not getting upset if Jason didn't give him a direct answer. They kept silent for a few minutes while Kyle tried to absorb all the new information.

"Ok, then... what exactly do you want from me?"

"I want to know if you agree with her."

"On which part?"

"... All of it?"

Kyle made a face, taking some seconds to think it over before answering.

"I somewhat agree with her. I don't know about the whole toddler development part, but it's true you've kept your distance. Sure, you are polite and laugh along, but if there aren't any eyes on you, you tend to shut in."

Maybe I was more obvious than I thought.

Or maybe he was paying more attention than you thought.

"I think that since you spent all your life being evaluated by lawyers and tutors, you just try to have a pleasant personality, the kind no one can complain about, and when no one is watching, you just relax and stop trying so hard. It's not a bad thing, you're actually quite ahead of most college kids when it comes to a professional persona. You just forget that when you're relaxing, you can be yourself."

"I think that's part of the problem, I'm not sure I know who is myself."

Kyle grinned and threw an arm around Jason's shoulders.

"Well, if you aren't sure, you might as well be a nerd. Let's see how the comic store works for you."

Flashback over, back to present

SUNDAY, 5th February

Piper turned from her seat as shotgun to look at the backseat.

"Are you sure, Kenzie? You're under no pressure, we can turn around and leave it to another day."

Mackenzie tore her eyes from the church and gave Piper a wobbly smile.

"I have the feeling you're more nervous about this than I am."

Piper snorted.

"I just haven't come up with a good enough excuse if the police get called because I attacked a priest."

The other girl shrieked in outrage.

"You can't attack my priest!"

"If he tries to pull any of the act your relatives threw on you, just watch me."

"He's a priest!"

"First of all, he's a man, which means he has balls. A good kick and he's down."

Jason unconsciously started to close his legs before realizing it and stopping. He could hear Mackenzie's shocked intake of breath and put his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder to stop her.

"Maybe we should see how he reacts before you plan how to take him down?"

"Plan after? That's not a plan, it's improvisation. Annabeth would be ashamed of you."

"So maybe keep your plans to yourself so you don't stress Mackenzie and the baby?"

"Fine!"

Quickly checking Mackenzie's expression to be sure she was okay with the mention to the baby, he followed Piper's cue and opened the door to exit the car, following the two girls to the church's door.

***

"Don't you think she's been there for too long?"

"Pipes, it has only been six minutes."

"You're counting?"

"Since you asked me two minutes ago, yes."

"How long should it take?"

"How should I know?"

"If he tries anything..."

"You'll kick him in between the legs while I grab Mackenzie and we make a run for it. If you're not behind us by five seconds, I'm to leave you behind and come back with reinforcements and a decent plan made by Annabeth. I know, I know."

"Just checking."

Would you believe in God?

What?

I know you can't believe it because in your world the Roman gods are real, but if they weren't, would you believe in God?

If he's real, you mean? I don't see why not. Besides, one mythology doesn't cancel another. I've seen both Roman and Greek gods. They're still present because there are still followers. Why wouldn't God be real, as he has so many believers?

With your theory, Allah would also be real.

And why not?

Because people have been killing each other for centuries about who is the real one.

That's on the people. Both have believers, so both should exist and keep on existing through prayers and offerings or whatever.

Ok, so if both are real, and so are Greek and Roman gods-

And likely other pantheons, like Hindu and others.

Ok, then, what should one do? When you die, where do you end? What if someone believes in Allah their whole lives just to die and get face to face with Hades?

I don't think they would. I think that as long as you have a faith, and lives by that, you'll end on that religion's death domain.

There is more than one death domain? How can they coexist? Wait. The Egyptians had a sun god, right? Romans also have a sun god.

Most of the polytheist religions have a sun god or goddess, the sun was even more important back on the day than it is now, it was what brought life.

Yes, but we also have ONE sun, not a dozen zooming past. And science was also able to determine it's just a big ball of fire floating on space.

And you want to know how can they coexist? I don't know. They're gods, I think they can find a way.

Do you think they know about each other?

After a couple of millennia, it's unlikely that some cultures didn't meet and religions clashed, causing the gods to be aware of each other and figure it out a system. Just think of the Romans, who went everywhere. I'm sure at least a couple of them met some other gods.

Even God? Like, Christian God.

There were several Christians in Rome, so I'm sure of it.

So, Christian God also met Egyptians gods.

I think so.

I'm trying to imagine the awkwardness during the whole Exodus thing.

Awkwardness?

Oh, no. I just imagined God pointing finger to the Egyptian gods and be like 'YOUR children are hurting MY children and if you're too lazy to make them stop, I'll teach my kids how to punch the daylights out of your kids. Or how to open a whole sea in the middle. Just so you know that it's your fault'.

That's weird.

I know, I surprised myself. What you think happens if-

Piper's voice distracted them.

"Do you think he will help?"

"What?"

"The priest. Will he help?"

"I don't see why not, as long as he's not a hypocrite."

"I really hope you're right."

***

If he wasn't a demigod with quick reflexes, he never would've been able to stop Piper from attacking when Mackenzie left the room where she'd been talking with her priest for the last hour in tears. Seeing them, she ran to them, hugging them both and hiding her face in the middle. He and Piper exchanged an alarmed look, unsure of what was going on. Lightly patting the younger girl's head, Piper tried to break the silence.

"Hey, Kenzie? Everything alright?"

Another voice answered her.

"Everything will be alright."

Raising his eyes to see the priest walking towards them, Jason didn't see any ill emotions on the man's face. He looked to be around fifty, patient and accessible.

I'm not religious, but I think I can understand why Mackenzie would want to confide in him.

"Okay, Kenzie, simple question, simple answer. Should I kick him or not?"

Ignoring the fact that his girlfriend decided to say it while the priest was within earshot, he had to admire how Mackenzie's snort turned into a carefree laughter instead of scolding.

Looks like she's feeling lighter.

Maybe she was right to come.

And maybe he will be able to help.

A/N: Oh yes, I did go there. Jason didn't get the proper social development because when he was supposed to interact with children his age and find his own identity through this, he was under wolves' care, without any other peer to compare, having the identity of being son of Jupiter thrust upon him. I always found odd that he didn't have any really meaningful connections with Romans; Leo and Piper became his best friends because they act like children inviting the new boy to play with them, and he was able to discover himself (and also things he liked or not, approved or not) with them, either by external influences or his interaction with them. Did I wish I was still seeing my therapist so she could proof-read my theories? Yes. Unfortunately, I'm not, so you'll have to do with my google research, life experience (which for some of you might even be double of yours) and own imagination. And yeah, if Henry Cavill can look like that and be a geek, so can Kyle. I look like a classic white girl but if we're going to list my general knowledge of large fandoms, I know more about the overall geek universe than my nerd-looking boyfriend; appearances mean nothing.