Leader of Camp Half-Blood

False Glory

Piper POV

I saw that Jason was storming towards his cabin. He was storming quite literally since sparks were flying off his hair. I decided to speak to him. It seemed as if he was free for the rest of the day. I walked towards his cabin and knocked on his door. I was received by a disgruntled Jason. He was scowling, and though his scowl lessened at seeing Piper, she was still a bit scared of him. She swallowed her fears and started. "Hi"

He exited the cabin. He didn't like anybody breaking the old rule by which no campers from different cabins should be in the same cabin. They walked around for a while before she grasped his shoulder to stop him and turn him towards her. 

"Jason, what is it?", she asked. 

He sighed. "It's Percy. I am a bit worried about his effect on the camp"

I blinked. I had not been expecting this. 

He read my expression. "Well, what were you expecting then?"

"I don't know, maybe something Leo said or perhaps some prank."

Jason sighed again. His shoulders were drooping. He only kept up his perfect front around others. He let himself loose around Leo and Piper, but his definition of 'loose' was my definition of 'proper'. But today, he looked burned out. He was massaging the bridge of his nose, which he does when he's been thinking about something for a long time. He had lost his spectacles when his eyesight had been improved by Apollo as a part of his boon granted to the 7 after the war.

I pulled him into a hug, and massaged his back. He grunted, and voiced his worries. 

"It's just... now that the war is over with, I finally got time to observe Percy. He leads dozens of demigods here, and yet he isn't quite a... leader. I know a leader should not be stiff-backed and all, but at least he should set an example. He breaks as many rules as the children of Hermes, and he is the son of one of the Big Three! What if he may drive the camp to ruin? And, well-"

He stopped suddenly. I wanted him to go on, so that I could figure out the root of this issue. Plus, I found myself slightly agreeing to his point of view. What if the camp could not respond quickly enough to an attack because they had not trained well as a unit? Sure, Percy was skilled. But what if Percy wasn't enough?

"You can tell me whatever you are thinking", I told him, lacing my words ever so slightly with charmspeak to ease him. 

He relaxed, which for him meant that he stood taller, and continued, "It's just that, what if Percy's success is untrue? I mean, I could be wrong, but think about this. During all the quests, he had his friends to help him. What if he had a god on his side, or worse, fabricated those threats to earn glory? Swordfighting can be learned from the protection of camp. During the Battle of Manhattan, so many valuable demigods were lost under his protection, and his fight with Kronos doesn't have reliable witnesses! Even in Tartarus he had the help of a Titan. So, um, yeah, that's it"

I could understand why he hadn't wanted to tell me. It was because he thought Annabeth was my best friend. Yes, that's true, but over the months I had again started to see Percy as unimpressive. She agreed with Jason. 

"Yes, and perhaps Percy is not what he seems to be. What if Annabeth is in the illusion that she's happy with him? I couldn't stand to let her stay in such a relationship, even if she feels that it is meant to be."

Jason smiled and clutched my hands. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

I blushed and pecked him on the lips. "So, Sparky, what do you wanna do?"

He smiled. The scar on his lip curved in a crescent. "I don't know Pipes. I'll try to think up a way today."

"Sure, just tell me once you've decided."

His smile melted. "I want to banish him in the most embarrassing way possible. Now that you have cleared my mind, I should be able to formulate a plan"

"Be wary of Annabeth, though, Jason", I warned him. "Percy may not be much to deal with, but you don't want Annabeth to figure out your plan."

He nodded grimly and set off towards his cabin.