Third Person's POV.
Percy stormed out of his mother's office, adrenaline and fury surging through him. He didn't talk to the people trying to get his attention; he knew exactly what he needed to do. He needed to find Gemini and make sure he's okay.
He raced through the hallways, tearing off his mask and scanning the crowd. He finally spotted Gemini near the back entrance, walking fast, almost running, already halfway out the door.
"Gemini! Stop!" Percy yelled, pushing past a bewildered couple.
Gemini froze, turning slightly. His face was streaked with tears, his eyes red and wide with panic. Seeing that raw, visible pain gutted Percy.
Percy rushed over, grabbing Gemini's arm gently. "Please, don't leave. Just talk to me."
"Let me go, Percy," Gemini choked out, pulling his arm away. "I can't be here. I just wanna go home."
"No, you are not leaving like this," Percy pleaded, trying to keep his voice steady. "I am so sorry, Bunny. I swear, I will make sure something like that never happens again. Let me fix this, please. Let me take you home right now, we can leave the party, we can go anywhere—"
Gemini shook his head, the tears flowing faster. "It doesn't matter, Percy! Your mother was right. She's right about everything." He wiped his eyes fiercely. "We shouldn't be seen together."
Percy felt a cold, sharp shock of anger that momentarily overwhelmed the guilt. He hadn't meant to get upset, but the thought of Gemini giving power to his mother's cruel words—after everything they'd been through—felt like a betrayal.
"You're actually listening to her?" Percy's voice was sharp, laced with hurt. "After everything I told you? After everything we've been through? After I just went in there and told her I wanted you, despite everything she said? You still don't believe me?"
"It's not about believing you, Percy! It's about reality!" Gemini cried out, stepping back again. "She said I'd lose my scholarship! She said I'm just a temporary distraction, a risk you're taking to spite her! Look at this place! Look at your life! I don't belong here, and you know it! Why won't you just accept the truth?"
The words felt a punch to Percy's gut. "Because I don't see you as a distraction! You're someone very important to me, and that's the only thing that matters! Why are you so determined to throw this away just because my mother is a snob? I stood up to her for you, Gemini! I told her I want you! Doesn't that mean anything to you? Don't you trust me?"
"And what happens when you decide you don't want me anymore, Percy? When someone better comes along?" Gemini's voice was rising, trembling with fear and anger "I can't risk my future for this, Percy! I can't be your experiment. I am an orphan, I have nothing else except my Nana. You can walk away from this party, this mansion and buy a new one tomorrow! I can't buy a new education, or change my whole life anytime I want to!"
The painful words cut deep into Percy. "You're not an experiment, Gemini! I like you. I brought you home! I fought my mother—something I've never done! If you honestly think I would treat you like some cheap fling, then you never knew me at all!"
"I know enough! I also know what happens when the real world—your world—catches up with people like me!" Gemini shouted, his voice cracking. "You can't protect me from your life! And I won't let you ruin mine!"
He turned, the finality of his decision heavy in the air.
"Fine," Percy whispered, the fight draining out of him, replaced by a painful ache. He realized he couldn't force Gemini to believe in him. "If that's what you truly think... then maybe you're right. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake."
Gemini didn't look back. He just stumbled out the door and disappeared into the night. The silence Percy left behind was deafening. It was over.
Things between them ended even before it started.
Meanwhile, Penelope was dancing with Cole, laughing at one of his dreadful jokes, when a sharp, icy feeling hit her stomach. It was an unmistakable physical jolt—the twin sense that always alerted her when Percy was genuinely distressed. It was a feeling far deeper than simple annoyance; it felt like a cold snap in the middle of a warm room.
She immediately stopped mid-step. "Excuse me, Cole, I just need a minute."
Ignoring Cole's confused look, Penelope scanned the ballroom, her mask practically useless as she searched for her twin. She finally spotted him near the side entrance, his usually ramrod-straight posture defeated. He was gripping the marble archway, his head bowed.
When she reached him, the sight stunned her into silence. Percy was actually crying. Not the controlled, silent kind of stress cry she'd seen most guys do, but genuine, messy, heartbroken sobs.
"Percy? What happened? Where's Gemini?" she asked, her voice tight with panic.
Percy couldn't even say the words. He just shook his head, tears dripping onto his suit.
Penelope didn't press. She wrapped an arm around his waist, using her smaller frame to steady his large one. "Okay. Deep breaths. We're getting you out of here." She guided him out of the main area, up the back stairs, and into the quiet sanctuary of the west wing of the mansion, pulling him into his unused, dark bedroom.
It took ten minutes and three glasses of water before Percy could speak. He eventually collapsed onto a leather sofa, his voice raw and broken, and told Penelope everything: his mother's interrogation, the threats against Gemini's scholarship, and the devastating fight they had.
"She told him he was just a temporary beautiful distraction," Percy whispered, his voice cracking. "And he actually believed her, Pen. He said he couldn't risk his future for my... my experiment. It's over. He's gone."
Penelope stared at her twin, completely dumbfounded. Her perfect brother, who is always in control of things, was absolutely shattered.
"You two broke up? Just like that? You two just accepted your feelings after a lifetime of denial, and you have already broken up?" Penelope's voice rose in disbelief. "Percy! I left you two alone for a few hours, and you went from making out to breaking up?"
Her immediate concern shifted to Gemini. "I need to go after him. He's probably walking somewhere dangerous, panicking. He can't handle this alone."
Percy grabbed her arm, his grip surprisingly weak. "No. Don't go. Mother threatened his scholarship. If he sees anyone from the family, he'll run faster."
Penelope took a deep, steadying breath. She looked at her broken twin, then at the clock. The ballroom was still full; they had a birthday party to survive.
"Okay. New plan. We are in triage mode," Penelope said, her voice turning sharp and practical—the professional mode Percy usually employed.
"You are going to take three minutes to fix your face. We are going downstairs, and we are going to smile until midnight. We need to create an illusion of control so Mother doesn't use this against us in the future."
She pulled out her phone and immediately called the one person she knew was already at the party and would prioritize Gemini's safety: Ohio.
"Ohio, listen to me," Penelope instructed quietly. "Gemini left the party alone. He's very upset, and he might be walking. I need you to leave right now, take the first car you can, and go find him. Go to the train station, go to his dorm, I don't care. You need to make sure he's safe and okay. I'll handle things here. Call me the second you find him."
Penelope hung up, tossed the phone onto the sofa, and turned back to Percy. "We have a job to do, big brother. Now, let's go prove Mother wrong."