𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄° ! jason grace

𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒

Cress had trouble falling sleep.

Coach Hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing his nightly duty, walking up and down the passageway yelling, "Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out, and I'll smack you back to Long Island!"

Lucky for Cress, she wanted to go home, so she did what she always did, and broke the rules.

She slipped out of her bed, praying to the gods that her walking wouldn't make a creeping sound on the floorboards as she made her way to the kitchen.

All she wanted was a nice, cool glass of water. She couldn't get in too much trouble for that, right?

"Hey, you." Cress recognized Jason's voice, which was husky and low from sleep. Her body shivered involuntarily.

"I feel like you're stalking me." Cress replied with a nod of her chin, her own type of greeting.

She reached for a golden goblet, wishing for water. Instead, it filled itself with a Shirley temple, which Cress was not opposed to.

Jason leaned against the kitchen island with an amused expression as she downed the beverage. "Couldn't sleep?"

Cress shrugged. "Never could. I drove my dad insane when I was little."

It wasn't against Leo's cabin or anything. Annabeth must've known that Cress would be part of the eight, and she must've told Leo what kind of person she was, because not only was her cabin cozy, it was pink too. The mattress and pillows were stuffed with Pegasus down, and pink bows festooned the bronze lantern that hung from the ceiling.

"Can I tell you the truth?" Jason asked quietly, his rough voice dropping into a throaty murmur. "Or, a truth."

She placed her goblet down on the island, sliding next to Jason and mimicking his position so that they were side by side.

"If you want to." She answered, subconscious sweetness seeping into her words. It wasn't charmspeak, though. It was simply just charm.

Jason couldn't meet her eyes. "I have to admit, seeing you kiss Leo made me... I don't know." He looked away bashfully. He cleared his throat, his pale face flushed pink with embarrassment. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this."

"What, you're jealous?" She smirked. Something warm and fuzzy filled her insides, and again, there it was: the stupid ping in her stomach.

It was as if a delicate symphony was playing within her, orchestrated by the fluttering of a thousand butterflies in her stomach. Her heart beat at an annoyingly fervent rhythm, somehow feeling full and light at the same time.

All of this, Cress pushed to the side and decided to ignore.

"No—" Jason tried for the denial approach, but Cress knew better.

"I kiss everyone on the cheek. It's meaningless, trust me." She continued, but Jason still didn't look convinced.

"You want a kiss too?" Cress wielded her charm like a weapon, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief in the bronze glow of the lanterns above them. A coy smile played onto her lips.

He stared at her, mouth open, gaping cluelessly like a fish out of water.

And then, she kissed Jason on his cheek.

Her soft lips brushed against his untainted skin, gentle and calm. There was a sensation of electricity, a spark between the two (this time figurative) that sent shivers down Jason's spine.

Time slowed just for a second so the two could savor the quick expression of affection. Jason didn't care for the reasoning behind the kiss, he just cared that it happened.

"I... I'm in love with you." His brain felt like melted goo, a muddled mess of what once coherent thoughts.

"You're not." With a sigh, Cress groaned, placing her forehead into her hands. "It'll pass."

"Wh-what?"

Sheepishly, Cress shook her head. "I have a little something called amokinesis. Kissing me made you fall in love with me. Don't worry, it'll go away."

"But—" Jason started to argue, his blue eyes wide and helpless. "N-no, it's not that, I really am—"

"Trust me, it doesn't last more than a day." Cress refused to meet his eyes, trying desperately to extinguish the flames that she felt in her blood. "You'll get over it."

And just like that, in a turn of a heel, Cress left as fast as she came. 

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆ notes ...

word count: 763

date published: february 18, 2024

thoughts: short little chapter for you guys! also, don't worry, they're not moving too quickly. cress is just an aphrodite kid, it's in her nature, and it's not jason's fault he's like in love with her already. but we are taking it slow. it may seem fast, but it's really not going to be :)