Hello beautiful, as you can see it's new story time! My other PJO story is coming to an end so here is another one! I'm super excited about this one I hope you are too. I'm going to just give you a heads up by saying this will be a longer story and this is not going to be on a set schedule until my other PJO story is completed. I think that's it dearest, read away.

It's still dark when I wake up, it always is. I jump out of bed and throw on my running clothes. It takes me no time at all to get out the door and begin my morning run. I'll be able to squeeze in a second mile today if I hurry.

Running is a part of my daily routine. Actually I'm lying. Running is the part of my daily routine. It's just a tick of mine. If I don't run in the morning there is something seriously wrong with me.

I keep an eye on my watch. When five o'clock rolls around I turn to head home. I'm back just barely before six. My time has been better.

I walk past my sister's room on the way to my own. She's left her door open for once, showing my father that she doesn't have sex every night with her boyfriend. This is our standard routine. Showing our father that we aren't corrupt child stars.

Knowing she's asleep I rush to shower first, giving her an excuse to still be in bed. It's Wednesday, the day she takes me into school on her way to classes of her own.

Even over the sound of the pounding water, I can hear our father wake Thalia up in his usual abrasive fashion. He quickly realizes that I'm in the shower and shouts through the door, "Hurry up so your sister can get in there."

"Kay!" I call back jumping out of the shower and throwing my clothes on, even as my still wet skin makes tugging on my clothes a rough and difficult process. My jeans stick to my legs as I wrap up my bathroom routine.

When I open the door I see Thalia standing there.

She nudges my shoulder as she walks into the bathroom. It's a thanking nudge. She's having a tough first week back to school and our father's constant overbearing attitude hasn't been helping much.

Thalia is four years older than me. I've just started my junior year of high school, two weeks ago, and she's started her sophomore year of college just this week.

I grab my book bag and head down for breakfast.

My father is sitting at the head of the table, laptop open, coffee mug in hand, and a plate of breakfast meats sitting in front of him.

"Morning, Jace."

"Morning." I reply taking a plate of eggs and bacon from our cook. I mutter a quick thank you, before taking the seat opposite my father.

"And what's on the agenda today?" He asks looking up from his laptop a slight bit.

I hold back a sigh. He's planned my day again, "School?"

"Yes. And your audition. After that who are you hanging out with?"

"Leo and Percy."

"And?"

"Reyna?"

"No, Annabeth. Remember?" He gives me a look for a quick moment before returning to his laptop. I shovel food into my mouth to suppress the groan threatening to escape my throat.

Normal. When your father's half of your publicity agent, this is normal. Schedules for everything, even when and how you take a shit.

"You ready to go Jason?" Thalia comes into the kitchen with her books and keys in hand.

"Yeah." I start standing up.

"Thalia aren't you going to eat?" Our father asks. I grab the remaining bacon off my plate and hand it to her.

"Let's go." I tell her.

"Have a good day." He calls as Thalia and I exit the kitchen and head to her car.

Once we sit down and have our things flung to the back seat, she stares at the bacon I handed to her. She looks at me and smiles before eating it, "You ready?"

"Course."

She nods backing out of the garage. As she drives me to school the radio plays some soft rock.

"What are you doing tonight?" She asks.

"Audition, hanging out with friends." I say.

"No, I mean like what are you doing. As in you, Jason Grace, seventeen year old boy who deserves the right to plan his own life."

"Counting down the days until I'm brave enough." I say.

"Make today that day Jace."

"I can't." She gives me a look, "I want to do this audition, Thalia."

"And you also want to be with Reyna for real."

"I also want to be a purple Brachiosaurus."

"Ha ha Jason. You're so clever." She reaches over and ruffles my hair briefly before turning her attention back to the road.

"I've been told." I smile while smoothing my hair back into place.

"But don't you want to come hang out with Luke and I? You can bring Reyna."

"Thanks Thalia, but it's a little early in the school year to try to get dad too angry. Even you know that."

She glances down at the radio, "Hey listen." She turns it up and I realize very quickly that it's my chart topping song.

"Please no." I say changing the station.

"You're no fun Jason." She says.

"I am too, just not right now."

"Why not?"

"It's the third week of school for me and I already have three tests on the same day."

"It's your junior year Jason enjoy it."

"I'm trying Thalia."

"Well, try harder. Make new friends. Join math club. Do something."

We pull into the school parking lot just then, "I'll keep joining math club in the back of my mind."

"Right here after school?" She asks laughing off my comment.

"Unless anything changes." I say reaching around to hug her.

"Ew boy cooties." She makes a fake grossed out face. I lick her cheek in response. She pushes me back but is laughing, "You're twelve."

"And your face tastes like makeup." I return climbing out of the car.

"Later loser."

I slam the door and walk directly to the courtyard. The place my friends and I are always meeting up.

Percy and Frank are there already.

"Hey Jason." Frank notices me first.

"Hey guys."

"You ready for that Pre-Cal test?" He asks.

"Is that a real question?" I return with a question.

"Yeah Frank, math genius right here." Percy points to me, "By the way can we trade brains for a period? I really need to pass my bio test."

"What period do you have it?"

"Sixth."

"Sure, I'm normally brain dead in Health anyway."

"Sweet."

"Hey, you both going to that audition after school?" Frank asks curiously.

"Yeah." Percy and I respond.

"I heard the book was great." I say.

"Books are for people who don't know how to read sparknotes." Percy claims.

"Excuse you, books are beautiful." Annabeth says walking up and kicking Percy's leg from behind.

"Hello there, crazy." Frank greets her.

"Hello, baby man." She returns with a wink. Frank looks legitimately defeated by her comment but we get him laughing not a moment later.

Percy wraps his arms around Annabeth's waist and kisses her temple, "Love you."

"You better." She says jokingly before kissing him.

"Gross." I chuckle. Annabeth smacks my chest causing Frank to snort at my pain.

"Are we hanging out after the audition today?" Frank changes the subject.

"I'm for it." Annabeth says.

"Cool." Percy says.

"We can invite Reyna." Annabeth nudges me.

"Nah... I mean... We don't have to."

"We should though."

"But let's not." I argue.

Annabeth gives me her mom eyes, "Jason man up."

"I have by moving on." This argument happens way too often.

"It wasn't fair the way your-"

"I know that." I cut her off, "It's just. It's... Don't worry about it okay?"

"Jason, it wasn't fair and you know it."

"Yeah, I do. That's why I don't want to open up that can of worms." I look around a bit.

"Jas-"

"Where're Leo and Hazel?"

"Leo's probably late again. Hazel is doing her audition in the morning. She said she'd be late to lunch." Frank answers.

The first bell rings causing us to disperse as we head our separate ways. Leo barely makes it to our shared first period AP Pre Cal class. Frank has this class after lunch and expects us to give him a full blow-by-blow account of the test. Math comes easily to me, so my answer probably won't make him feel any better.

It's during my fourth period Physics that I get a surprise.

I'm called to the office ready to leave. When I get down to the main office I see my father with my agent, Lupa.

"Um, hey." I say as I reach them.

"There's been a problem." My father says and we leave the building, only to be surrounded by camera flashes.

I swear, we barely make it out alive. Bright lights and questions I can neither hear nor answer are screamed from the photographers. My father tries to play the defensive dad card by attempting and failing to hide me away from the cameras, it's really weird actually.

When all three of us have piled into my father's car the driver takes off immediately. My father starts our conversation over.

"Nothing like a good showering of attention before a big meeting huh Jace?"

"Sure, dad." The word dad almost stings coming out of my mouth. I pull out my phone to text Thalia.

"Jason," Lupa says as I send the text.

"Yeah?" I ask, shoving my phone down into my backpack.

"Part of your album was leaked early this morning." She makes this sound like it's a huge deal, but I can only ask myself who cares?

I didn't really love any of the songs on this album anyway, it's not like I'm completely shattered by the news. It's not devastating. It's not even remotely heart breaking.

"The worst part is your fans aren't happy." She says pulling out her iPad. She's pulled up some comments on the leaked album.

"Not his best work."

"He's done better."

"Maybe this is a filler for the real thing?"

"Are you sure this is him? It kind of sucks."

I hand Lupa her iPad back, "So?"

"So? Jason, we have to record new songs! You need songs that touch your fans. You need to make them love you. Show them you're the same lovable boy every girl in America wants to date."

I nod quickly, only I'm thinking that no one should want to date me. My life is a fucking train wreck.

"But first, your audition was pushed up to an hour from now. They're considering you for the lead." My father tells me, "Now you know how I feel about pulling strings, so do well enough that I don't have to do that." I nod, but not as quickly, "Come on Jace, put a smile on." I'm an actor, so it looks real enough, "That's the heart winning smile I love."

The audition is quick. I say that only because I sincerely love acting and it makes the time pass quickly. I leave feeling confident but try not to get my hopes up. My other friends are auditioning and I've been in movies with them before, always as a side character. I've never as good as they are. I can't compete with them and that's fine with me. Just as long as I can act, I'm happy.

My mood is generally good though, my spirits are high. At least if I get a part I can hang out with some of my friends who will surely be cast. But when I get back in the car my feelings change dramatically.

"So we need six new songs." Lupa says, "Maybe a bonus for the CD version."

My father is still texting but finds time to say, "Oh and you're staying home tonight, you've got to write a song for tomorrow."

I nod, only because if I open my mouth I'm going to say something stupid. I always say something stupid.

I can't tell you how disappointed I am. I can't even begin to describe how frustrated he's making me. My stupid father running my stupid life. I can't say that though. Not to anyone. Not ever.

We drive back home and I'm locked up in my bedroom. He thinks leaving me in here will inspire me. But it really doesn't. I don't know what in god's name he thinks is inspiring about sky blue walls decorated with awards and memorabilia from tours and trips I've taken. Those, my books, a bed hardly big enough to fit my entire body on, a desk with a closed laptop, and a window opening up to the backyard are the only things in my room.

If he wants me inspired he shouldn't just leave me in this childish little room. But it's not my choice. Nothing is.

I stare at my ceiling trying to brainstorm. I could write about how much I hate my father, but even if the fans like it people talk about how ungrateful I am for all that I have.

In my loss for inspiration, I pickup my phone and see a text from Percy.

Where are you, bro?

In Alaska learning to hula with the polar bears.

Dude that trip was set for the summer I can't believe you left without me.

Sorry bro. When the polar bears call you've gotta go.

Reyna's here.

Then maybe it's for the best I'm not.

Jason you need to man up.

Yeah, yeah. I don't have to do anything but eat.

We have my mom making blue cookies if you come over.

Tempting, but no I Mid text I hear Thalia storm into the house, gotta go.

I've learned how to pick my lock from the inside... Don't ask. So escaping the confines of my room isn't hard.

"I am twenty years old. You can't tell me where to live." She says sharply when I get within hearing range.

"I am your father, young lady."

"And some father you've been."

"I've kept you fed, employed, dressed, given you a roof over your head, given you an education. I've given you everything anyone could want."

"I want my little brother and my mom back." She must be pissed if she's bringing up mom, "At least with her we were allowed to do what we wanted! You can't keep me locked up forever!"

"You're not some abused damsel in distress!" But she is, both of us are I guess. I see him grab her, shaking her shoulders viciously. A cycle I've seen far too many times.

"You don't get to tell me who I am and who I am not. I am old enough to decide who I am and what I want for my life." She's fighting back like I've seen too often. I have hope that maybe tonight's the night she wins.

He presses her up to the wall and grips her jaw forcing her to look at him, "Listen to your father young lady! What you want is to be out on the streets, with that good for nothing boyfriend of yours! What do you want? To end up pregnant and alone? Because let me tell you that little jerk won't stick around once your money is gone and he's gotten enough sex out of you. I have not raised a whore."

He hasn't raised us at all.

"I am a responsible person. I'm not just-"

"You're a child who doesn't know any better." He snaps, "You're just a stupid girl who thinks life is so easy because I've made it easy for you."

"I'm not-"

"No. Thalia. You will not be getting your own apartment and you will not be leaving again tonight." He loosens his hold on her to my immediate relief, "You're just not ready to go out into the world on your own. You're too young and reckless."

"I'm not so young anymore. What makes you think that I'm so stupid when I've proved to you time and time again I can take good care of myself?"

"Go upstairs princess." She hates it when he pulls that card. I wonder if tonight will be the night she's brave enough to stand her ground. She tells me to be brave but I never am. And sadly neither is she.

"Father-"

"Upstairs. Now." She's lost her fight, just as we always have. Nothing is new tonight and my hope depletes instantly. Most nights are like this. This is normal. Normal is good... right?

I sprint back to my own room and lock it before Thalia or our father make their way up the stairs.

I get a text from Thalia the moment I've settled back into my pretend working position. I'm really doing homework. Not music stuff. My father would be furious Irritatingly enough.

Jason, can you come to my room? I quietly make my way to her. When I get into her bedroom I see her crying even in the dark room. All her lights are off, the only light comes from the street lamps. The sickly yellow light streams in through childish curtains that still hang in her room.

"I don't want to do it again." She says it so quietly I only know what to do because it's what we always do.

I take her in a firm assuring hug and whisper like she always does to me, "It was a beautiful day. Don't let it get away. Beautiful day. Touch me, take me to that other place. Reach me, I know I'm not a hopeless case.

"What you don't have you don't need it now. What you don't know you can feel it somehow. What you don't have you don't need it now. Don't need it now. Was a beautiful day."

"Gotta love U2" She chuckles hugging me back.

We sing U2 for each other. Specifically Beautiful Day. It's almost our song in a way. It reminds us that there once was a beautiful place we knew together. When we were young and everything was right in the world.

Now, at time like these, it's almost like we're back at the beginning of the song. You know, the part where it talks about not moving anywhere, and you're stuck where you are. But we don't like that part, we like the part that tells us we'll find a way out someday.

We like that part that gives us hope.