Another one of my famous random ideas. I have no idea where this came from.
…
Percy Jackson always wanted to go to sleepovers, but he couldn't. It wasn't as if he hadn't been invited to any. He had, plenty of times. But he always made some excuse to get out of it, because he didn't want anyone to find out his secret. But he wanted to go to a sleepover so bad. So much so, that the next time one of the most popular boys in school, Jason Grace, asked him if he'd come, he'd stupidly said yes.
"Are you sure you want to do this Percy?" Sally asked, hovering over him as he packed. Percy glanced up at her. "Don't forget these," she added, slipping something in his backpack. He pulled it out and tossed it onto the bed. "Percy…" she began.
"Mom, I'll be fine," Percy said, trying to sound reassuring. But if he couldn't even convince himself, there was no way he was going to convince his mother. "Jason will be here to pick me up any minute. Please, can we just…put them away?" His mother gave him a pained look and slipped his things back in his closet. As the door slid shut, Percy shuddered. "Nothing's happened in over a week," he added with the most confident smile he could manage. A horn outside, however, caused him to jump. "That'd be Jason," he said, snapping out of his momentary confusion. "I'll see you tomorrow mom."
"Percy," she said before he could leave. He turned to her. "If anything happens, call me, okay? I'll come get you." He blushed and disappeared. He had a good feeling about tonight. He'd been fine for the last week. He even slept like a normal person last night. Tonight wouldn't be much different. Percy went outside and slid into Jason's car. He didn't know much about cars, but he knew he liked the color green it was.
"Hey," he said, turning to the blonde. Jason smiled and the car pitched forward as he pulled away. Percy took the time to study the blonde. Everyone always said Jason was so handsome, and Percy could see why. He looked like he was pulled straight from a 1950s surfer flick. He had his blonde hair slicked back, and he even dressed like a surfer. Since it was early August, that wasn't so far-fetched. He was in white shorts and a light blue tank top. Percy glanced down at his jeans and t-shirt. So plain compared to Jason. Strangely, that brought him back to his problem. He gulped. He hoped everything would be okay tonight.
"Are you okay Percy?" Jason asked, once again startling him. "If you're nervous, it's okay. I only invited over a few more people. Considerably less than normal. Let me think…" Jason paused, thinking hard. Percy swallowed again. A few people? Oh god. "Octavian, Nico, Will, and Leo." Percy turned pink. So if anything happened, all those people would know his secret? He hoped he didn't get stuck on the floor beside one of them. "Still feeling nervous?" Jason asked. "I hear this is your first sleep over."
"It is," the brunette replied. "And yeah, I guess I am a little nervous. I don't quite know what to expect." He didn't add that he was scared to death because of his problem. He'd explain himself if that's what it came to.
"Well, don't be," Jason said with a laugh. "I have two beds in my room. Nico, who is my cousin, and his boyfriend, Will, always take the second one. Usually, Leo lays with me in my bed, but tonight, that'll be you. So poor Leo will be stuck on the floor with Octavian." Percy's eyes stretched a little wider. Shit. He'd be in Jason's bed with Jason. He was so toast. He was busted and then some.
Percy's secret was so embarrassing, he wasn't even comfortable talking about it with his family. The only one who really knew was his mom, obviously. And maybe one of his cousins if they spied on him as he was getting ready for bed. That was it. He didn't want anyone to find out. It was made worse by the fact he was sixteen. Jason reached over and placed a hand on his knee. Percy looked up at him. Jason was a reassuring presence if anything. But the brunette didn't want reassurance. He just wanted to go home. He was starting to think coming over was a really bad idea.
"Percy, don't be nervous, it's okay," Jason said softly. The brunette glanced sideways at him. He didn't get it. He almost ordered the blonde to turn around and take him back to his house. Almost. But common sense won over. He steeled his nerves. He could do this. It was one night. Just one itsy, bitsy night over with a few other people. No big deal. The norm for your typical high school student. "We're here," Jason added. Percy looked up at the large white-washed house he'd driven by so many times. "Come on you, let's get going," Jason said, getting out.
"Coming," Percy said weakly. So far so good, he guessed. He grabbed his backpack and held it to his chest as he followed behind Jason into the house. They immediately hung a left, where there was a short hallway. Percy glanced at the artwork that lined the halls. Obviously, the Graces' were a well off family. Percy could hear voices. And suddenly, they were just…there. In a room bigger than Percy's kitchen and living room and bathroom put together. Four boys sat around the floor, laughing and playing a game with a large tablet. They were all laughing.
"Hey, you so did not start spin the bottle without me," Jason said, plopping down beside Nico. Nico jostled him and said something in an undertone, which the blonde laughed at. Percy hovered near the door, unsure of what to do. "Come on Perce," Jason said, waving him over. "Spin the bottle." Percy inched closer to the group. He sat down beside Jason, glancing at the other blonde beside him. Will Solace. The shorter blonde boy gave him a little nod. It was Nico's turn to spin the bottle, which he did. It landed on Percy. The brunette's eyes widened. Nico looked at him and smiled.
"Don't worry, we don't actually kiss anybody unless it lands on our partners," Nico said. "Normally we just say something nice or do some sort of dare. But since it's your first time here, no dares. Let me just say something nice; it's really great to have you here." Percy blushed and looked down at his hands. So far, they'd been nothing but polite to him. "Your turn Percy," Nico said, nudging the tablet towards the brunette. "Spin the bottle." Percy did, and it landed on Jason. The blonde smiled.
"Um," Percy began. "I appreciate the fact you invited me over." Repeatedly, he added in his head. "And, thank you for…accepting me into the group." He ducked his head. He didn't really belong with this particular group. He was the shy wallflower that had no business being with the popular kids. He could be popular if he chose to be, but what if he fell asleep on the bus on the way home from a game, or accidently fell asleep at someone's house and they didn't bother to wake him up? It was a risk he wasn't willing to make.
"No problem," Jason said, slipping an arm around the brunette's shoulders. "Who's ready for pizza?" Nico, Will, Octavian, and Leo cheered and raced ahead. Jason turned to Percy and rolled his eyes. Percy put a hand over his mouth and giggled. So far, this was actually pretty fun.
…
Percy stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, taking deep breaths. He'd excused himself to change into pajamas, since everyone was getting ready to settle down for the night. Maybe he should've listened to his mom. Maybe he should've brought his stuff with him. It would be far less embarrassing than what could happen. But he hadn't. He just had to trust his body wouldn't screw him over when it was time to sleep. Percy splashed water on his face, took a couple more breaths, and went back to Jason's room. Leo and Octavian were already stretched out on the floor in their sleeping bags, playing Fruit Ninja with the tablet. Nico and Will were in the spare bed, reading from the same book. And Jason, well, he was getting his bed ready for Percy.
"Ah, there's the guest of honor," Nico said, looking up from the book. Jason whirled around and smiled wide. Percy gulped and picked at the hem of his shirt. God, tonight was going to be tough. He'd washed his face and brushed his teeth and used the restroom. There wasn't much more to do.
"Hey Perce, got your spot ready," Jason said, patting the king bed. Percy got the spot beside the wall. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Percy crawled onto the bed and sat against the wall, observing everyone. Leo had already fallen asleep, leaving Octavian to play games by himself. Nico was slowly drifting off as Will read softly to him. Good God, everyone was already falling asleep! Percy felt a little panicked. He wanted to try and delay whatever was to come, if anything at all. Percy looked at Jason, who was using a little remote to dim the lights.
"Um, I'll be right back," Percy mumbled, practically tumbling out of bed and going into the hall. He held his cell phone in his hand. He debated calling his mother. Either to come pick him up or to bring him his stuff. But then pride took over. No. He wouldn't be dependent on them tonight. He went back into the room, being careful not to tread on Octavian or Leo. Jason was now laying down, staring up at the ceiling. Percy carefully climbed around him and settled down on his side of the bed.
"Having fun so far?" Jason asked him, looking over. His blue eyes looked impossibly bright in the half-light of the room. Percy thought about it for a little bit. After they had pizza (pepperoni and olives, Percy's favorite), they'd played board games and eaten ice cream and told jokes for hours. Now, everyone was dropping like flies.
"Yeah, it's been fun," Percy said. "Thanks for inviting me. I've…I've enjoyed it very much." Jason flashed him a smile, bright white in the otherwise gray room. Percy blinked. Jason slipped an arm around his waist. Not necessarily holding him. Just…letting him know he was there. Percy's eyelids began to drop. "Goodnight Jason," he whispered. He didn't hear what the blonde said to him. He was already out.
…
Something told Percy to wake up right that second, and he did. But what he woke up to was less than desirable. In fact, he wanted to sob. The sheets around him were soaked, as were his pajama pants. So he hadn't gotten lucky tonight. The one thing he feared would happen, had happened after all.
He'd wet the bed.
Percy had wet the bed from a very early age. He'd been potty trained by two and half, but for some reason, he never had any nighttime bladder control. They'd tried everything they could think of as he got older, but nothing worked. Finally, Percy just accepted the inevitable. He'd have to wear pull-ups at night if he didn't want anyone to find out. But he'd had high hopes for tonight. Percy emitted a sound somewhere between a sob and a whimper. Why, of all nights to wet the bed, did it have to be tonight?
"Percy?" The brunette froze when Jason began to move. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What's wrong Percy?" the blonde asked. "How come you're up? And why is the bed wet?" Percy gave another little sob. Finally, Jason leaned in close. "Percy?" he asked.
"I'm so sorry Jason, I'm so sorry," he apologized. It was taking everything in him not to break down. "I…I wet the bed. I swear I didn't…" Jason clamped a hand over his mouth. Percy looked up at the blonde, expecting to see disgust or something along the sort. What he didn't expect was the sympathy.
"It's okay Percy, really," he said. "It happens. Do you have extra clothes?" The brunette nodded. "Go change okay. I'll change the sheets. No one has to know about any of this." Percy still wanted to cry, but for a different reason. Jason was taking this so much better than he'd expected. Percy snatched up his backpack and slipped across the hall. He tied his wet clothes in a bag and put them in his backpack.
"Damn you body," he cursed silently. "Last night I wear underwear to bed and I'm perfectly fine but tonight is not?" He sighed. He could stand in the bathroom all night contemplating why exactly his body worked the way it did. But a knock on the door didn't allow him to think.
"You all finished in there Percy?" Jason asked. Percy looked at the door. Once again, he felt tears in his eyes. "Percy, I'm coming in, okay?" Percy didn't say anything, and the blonde stumbled in, weighed down by the sheets. Percy saw the wet spot. He buried his face in his hands. "Percy, no, it's okay, really." Jason deposited the sheets in the hamper and wrapped his arms around the brunette. "Really. No harm done."
"It's not that," Percy mumbled. "It's just…sometimes I…go…more than once a night. I'm just worried it'll…happen again." Now that had definitely been hard to say. "God, I shouldn't have come. I should've stayed home. I knew this was a bad idea." Jason sat down on the edge of the tub and tugged on the brunette's hand until he sat with him.
"So tell me Percy, what brings you here tonight?" he asked. Percy stared at him blankly for a moment. "Why did you come if you knew it was a bad idea? Were you curious to see what would happen?"
"I…" the brunette began. Then stopped. Why had he agreed to come? "I just wanted to feel normal Jason," he said at last. "I've never been to sleepovers, I've never hosted any. Hell, I've never stayed the night at my grandparents' house because I'm so worried they'll find out." He paused, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm so sick of being afraid. I want to live a normal life, do things normal high school students do. But how normal can you be when you wet the bed?" Jason stared at the brunette. He had a feeling Percy didn't have this conversation with just anybody.
"Do you do anything at night that helps kind of maintain the problem?" he asked. Percy glanced at him.
"Basically, there's nothing we can do, it's nothing medical, and nothing we do fixes it. So, I pretty much just put on pull-ups at night and hope for the best. Though, I normally wet the bed every night…" He trailed off. "This last week I've woken up dry, so I thought that was a good sign."
"Maybe you're just nervous," Jason supplied. "I know you have been. This is your first time spending the night at someone's house. Maybe your body's just reacting to that." Percy wasn't fully sure, but that sounded logical. "Really Percy, it's fine. Lots of high schoolers still wet the bed. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Except those kids do it every so often and can get away with it," the brunette replied. "I can't. I wet the bed every. Single. Night. We've tried everything, but nothing works." Jason stroked his imaginary beard as he thought, and Percy couldn't help himself; he giggled. "Stop that," he scolded. Jason smiled.
"See, you're already feeling a little better," he said. "Now, let's go back to my room. I've already got new sheets down and no has woken up. As for your other problem, I've put an extra blanket down over the entire bed, so it doesn't look out of place on your side."
"You're kind of amazing, you know that right," Percy said with a little laugh. He followed Jason back into his room, but at his bed, he paused. What if he did go again? Twice in one night. Knowing his luck, that was exactly what would happen. Jason noticed his hesitation.
"Do you want to go home Percy?" he asked. "I can take you home if you want." But Percy could tell that wasn't what he wanted. That's not what he wanted either. Despite everything, he was having fun.
"No, I'm good," Percy said. He climbed into bed. Jason rolled to face him, smiling. Percy felt a little better now. His secret managed to say mostly secret. He didn't believe Jason would tell anyone. But, just in case. "Please don't tell anyone about this," Percy said. "It's embarrassing."
"I won't," Jason promised. "Just be a little more prepared the next time you come over, kay?" Percy should've felt insulted about that comment, but something about it threw him through a loop.
"Next time?" he asked. "You mean, you want me to come back over and spend the night? Even though I still…" He couldn't even finish the thought. Jason reached out and wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Of course," he said. "There's nothing wrong Percy. Of course I want you to come back. Why wouldn't I?" Percy opened his mouth to reply, but Jason cut him off. "I know what you're going to say. Percy, I don't think any less of you because of it." Percy grew quiet. He'd never had someone say that to him. "Get some rest and forget all about it, alright? See you in the morning."
"Goodnight Jason," Percy said. "See you in the morning." He closed his eyes and managed to fall asleep. And, for a short while, he did manage to forget all about it.
…
So, that's that. I have no idea where this came from. But why not?