I Make a Decision

**I Make a Decision** is the seventy-first chapter of The Gift of a Best Friend. It was first published on August 24th, 2018.

## Chapter

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**Jasmine's POV**
Yep. I have a crush on Percy.
After our quest, the few personal moments with him, the one on the Arch, and seeing how much he cared for his friends and his mother, it was all amazing. Even the moments with some of the monsters, like the Furies on that bus, how he wouldn’t leave us at their fiery, or leave us behind. It was all sweet.
And how he stood up to Ares and Hades. No demigod I’ve met before him has ever been that brave to stand up to a god, not even Annabeth (no offense).
He led us through the quest better than I think anybody else would have, and I would definitely go on another quest with him at any time. He’s a really great person, and rarely do you ever meet someone who is.
And speaking of him, I could see him at the volley ball court right now.
“Hey, Percy!” I called.
I ran to him, with Toothless following, and he noticed me coming.
“Hey,” he said once I reached him. “Do you need something?”
“Hi, and no,” I said. “I just wanted to say hi. And you never really told me what happened when you brought the bolt back to Zeus.”
“Oh. Well, it was just my dad and Zeus in the throne room of the gods. I gave Zeus the bolt back and told him everything that happened. Then I was able to talk to my dad alone and he told me—”
“Wait,” I interrupted. “How about you show me instead of telling me?”
“Show you?” Percy asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I touch your forehead and activate my powers, then you think back to that conversation with our eyes closed but we won’t see it from your point-of-view. It’ll be like you’re watching TV. Ok?”
“Uh, ok.”
“Come on.”
We sat down together on a nearby bench.
“Close your eyes and think back to your conversation with your dad,” I said.
Percy nodded. Then closed his eyes and concentrated.
I touched his forehead, closed my eyes, and concentrated with my powers.
A moment later, I was seeing Percy with Zeus and Poseidon in the throne room on Olympus.
I watched the whole conversation with both Zeus and Poseidon. From it, Percy figured out what evil voice was speaking to him from the pit of Tartarus, like Annabeth and I had figured ourselves for a while now. Then I heard Poseidon tell Percy that his mother had returned, which surprised me and Percy, too. And then something about a package. Poseidon apologized to Percy for being born, but that he was proud of him. Then Percy left for home.
That ended the flashback.
“Whoa,” Percy said.
“I know,” I agreed. “But . . . your mother returned home?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I went to see her after that.”
“Can you show me that?”
“Uh, sure.”
He did, and I didn’t like it at first.
I liked the hug that Percy and his mom shared the moment they first saw each other and the few tears that were shed, but I didn’t like everything after that.
How Percy’s ugly stepfather treated him like shit and threatened to call the police on him, and Percy’s mom, Sally, not allowing him too. Then he raised his hand and Sally flinched.
I realized that he had hit her before, and Percy seemed to realize the same thing at the same moment, too. And he was mad.
He went toward his stepfather and took his pen out of his pocket.
I knew that his sword would just go through his stepfather as if he were a ghost, but I really want to see Percy kill him. Unfortunately, his mom stopped him and pulled him to his room.
That’s where he found the package that Poseidon mentioned, and it was the exact same package that Percy sent to the gods with Medusa’s head in it.
Suddenly, I realized what choice Percy had to make, and he did too.
After one last beautiful moment between Percy and his mom, he decided to let her make the decision to get rid of Gabe Ugliano, and I really hope she does.
The flashback ended.
“Wow,” I said. “Did your mom do it?”
“I got a letter from her yesterday,” Percy said. “Do you want to read it?”
“Sure.”
We went to his cabin. He showed me the letter and let me read it.
His mom had a chance at a new life.
She told Percy Gabe had left mysteriously—disappeared off the face of the planet, in fact. She’d reported him missing to the police, but she had a funny feeling they would never find him.
On a completely unrelated subject (though not really), she’d sold her first life-size concrete sculpture, entitled *The Poker Player*, to a collector, through an art gallery in Soho. She’d gotten so much money for it, she’d put a deposit down on a new apartment and made a payment on her first semester’s tuition at NYU. The Soho gallery was clamoring for more of her work, which they called “a huge step forward in super-ugly neorealism.”
*But don’t worry*, Percy’s mom wrote to him. *I’m done with sculpture. I’ve disposed of that box of tools you left me. It’s time for me to turn to writing*.
At the bottom, she wrote a P.S.: *Percy, I’ve found a good private school here in the city. I’ve put a deposit down to hold you a spot, in case you want to enroll for seventh grade. You could live at home. But if you want to go year-round at Half-Blood Hill, I’ll understand.*
I handed Percy back the letter and gave him a hug.
“I’m really glad you got your mom back,” I said. “And that you two will be happier now that that ex-stepfather is gone. And I promise I won’t tell anybody what really happened to him.”
Percy hugged me back. “Thanks.”
I pulled away. “So what are you going to do? Are you going to go home and attend a private school, or stay here?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.
“Well, you have a little less than two months to make a decision.”
“Yeah.”
“I think your mom’s right what she told you,” I said. “In fact, I know she is.”
“Right about what?” Percy asked.
“That you’ll be a hero. The greatest hero of all.”
“You really think so?”
I nodded. “I know so. Even better than Hercules.”
“I doubt that.”
“I don’t,” I said. “Percy, as long as you don’t let the gods or anybody get to you, I know you’ll be the greatest hero there’s ever been.”
“Umm, wow,” he said. “Thanks, Jasmine.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome, Percy. I’ll see you later.”
“Uh, yeah. You too.”
I told him goodbye and left the cabin.
I hope I didn’t go overboard with that, but I meant every word, and not because I have a crush on him. At least, I hope not.
Augh.
*What’s wrong, Jasmine?* Toothless asked me, noticing my frustration.
I didn’t answer.
I need to go talk to someone about this, and I think I know who.

“Luke!” I called.
He was in the arena, as usual, and Emily was with him.
“Hi, Jasmine,” she said.
“What’s up?” Luke asked.
“Hi,” I greeted. “Umm, I need your help. I think I’m in trouble.”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong? Are you ok?”
“I’m fine. Sorry. I didn’t mean that kind of trouble. I guess I’m just looking for advice.”
“Oh, ok.”
“Advice on what, Jasmine?” Emily asked.
I sat down on a bench.
“You two have to promise you won’t tell anybody,” I said. “Not even Annabeth.”
“Not even Annabeth?” Luke repeated. “It must be serious then.”
“It is. So can you promise not to?”
“We promise, Jasmine,” Emily said.
“Yeah,” Luke agreed. “I can swear on the River Styx, if you’d like.”
“No,” I said. “That, I think, would be too risky.”
“Alright. What’s on your mind?”
I took a deep breath. “I like Percy.”
I let them sink that in.
“As in, you like-like him?” Emily asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Does Annabeth like him that way too?” Luke asked.
“Is it that obvious?”
“I can’t think of any other reason why you wouldn’t want to tell her that.”
“Well, you’re right. She does. Please don’t tell her I told you that. She’ll kill me if you do.”
“You’re secret safe with me,” Luke said.
“Me too,” Emily said. “But I thought you liked Will Solace.”
“I do,” I said. “But I like Percy, too. He’s really caring, not that Will isn’t either, and he was a great leader on his quest. Umm, sorry. No offense.”
“It’s ok,” Luke assured me.
“You know, I actually thought that this quest was going to be less successful than yours was. Uh, sorry, again. I didn’t mean to remind you of it.”
“It’s all right, Jasmine,” he told me. “Besides, I’m reminded of it every time I look in a mirror.”
He touched the scar on his face. Emily gave him a side hug and kissed the scar. Toothless bumped his head against his side.
“That’s sad,” I said.
“But true,” Luke said. “Now, back on your situation. Why are you coming to me for advice? It’s not like I’ve been that successful with my relationships.”
“Not your first relationship, anyway,” I said. “But I feel comfortable to talk about this with you.”
“You do?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s kind of weird since he’s a boy and you’re a girl,” Emily said.
“Yes, but that’s just how I am.”
“Yes, it is,” Luke agreed. “We’re getting off subject again. So you like Will, but you like Percy too.”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Which one do you like more?”
“I have no idea. I guess I like them both equally.”
“Do you know which one you want to be with more than the other?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, I don’t think I want to be with Percy because Annabeth likes him and I don’t want to take him away from her. And they’re both cute and sweet.”
“Will’s been asking about you since you were gone,” Emily said.
“He has?” I asked. “What about?”
“Like, if you were looking for a relationship now,” Luke said with clear resentment in his voice. “And if you’d be willing to go on a date with him, and what you would like on a date.”
“Jealous much?” I asked.
“Jealous? No. I’m just looking out for my one of my little girls.”
“Well, I can look out for myself. But what did you say to him when he asked that?”
“We told him that you seemed interested in him, but that he’ll have to ask you himself.”
“Like what Uncle Zack told my dad about my mom.”
“Most of the other guys around here told him not to ask you out,” Luke said. “That you’re hard to please.”
“That’s not entirely true,” I said.
“And I think he agrees,” Emily said. “He told them, ‘Not to me, she is.’”
I smiled. “Really?”
She nodded. “But they also told him that you’re very defensive and protective of Annabeth, and that you might always put her before him.”
“Well, that’s probably true.” I sighed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“Well, you might need to make that decision now,” Luke said.
“Why?”
“Because he’s coming this way.”
I turned toward the entrance and saw that Luke is right. Will was coming my way, and I’m pretty sure I knew why.
I turned back to Luke and Emily.
“We’ll be here if you need us,” Luke said.
“Go away now before I make you,” I said.
Luke looked hurt by that, and it was kind of mean, but I wanted to handle this on my own. Emily got it, though, and grabbed Luke’s arm.
“Good luck,” she said.
“Thanks,” I said.
She pulled Luke away and out of the arena.
Will reached me a moment later.
“Hello, Jasmine,” he greeted with a friendly smile, even patted Toothless on his head.
I smiled back. “Hi, Will. What’s up?”
“I wanted to welcome you back and congratulate you on the success of your quest.”
“Thank you. It was surprisingly more successful than I thought it would be. But I have a feeling that that’s not what you came to tell me.”
“It’s not.”
“Ok. Then what do you want to tell me?”
“I was wondering if you would like to watch the fireworks with me?” Will asked.
“Like a date?” I asked.
“If you want to call it that.”
“I bet you do.”
“Maybe.”
We both laughed.
“I love hearing you laugh,” he said.
“You do?” I asked.
“Who wouldn’t I? Every time we laugh, I can see the sparks fly.”
“Really? Well, maybe you’ll see even more sparks fly at the fireworks.”
“So does that mean you’ll watch them with me?”
“Yes,” I said. “I will go on a date with you, Will Solace, to watch the fireworks.”
He smiled. “Great. How about I pick you up at your cabin at sunset?”
“Ok. I’ll wait for you then.”
“Hopefully you won’t have to wait too long.”
“I hope not.”
“I’ll see you then, Jasmine.”
“You too, Will.”
Once he left, I decided I will make my decision based on how our date goes.
And I can’t wait.

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## Character Appearances

### Main Characters

* Jasmine Saturday
* Percy Jackson

### Minor Characters

* Luke Castellan
* Emily Hollinger
* Will Solace