Is it too late? (A Valgrace fic)

You're A Spark in the Dark

◇Jason POV◇

It had been several months now since the demigods had won the great battle with the goddess of the earth, Gaia. Though to Jason, it didn't really feel WORTH IT.

Everyday he had the same thought, 'it should have been me.'

Ever since the prophecy was announced it was ALWAYS supposed to be him. Not Leo. To storm or fire...

Jason missed Leo terribly. He found himself going into the forge to look at old blueprints that Leo had drawn up- just to see the boys familiar handwriting.

Sometimes... he even found himself in Leo's cabin at night. Leo hadn't got to stay in it much during the little time he was at camp but... something about laying in his bed calmed Jason.

He could shut his eyes and pretend that Leo was okay. That he'd wake up and... Leo would be there, flashing his signature grin.

Of course he never was.

It was one of these mornings. Jason was lying in Leos bunk while the rest of Hephaestus cabin got up to go about their day. They were used to it by now of course.

Jason's arms were wrapped tightly around the pillow, face buried against the fabric.

He sat up in the bed as he heard a commotion outside. He pulled on an orange camp t-shirt and went out to see what was going on. As he left the cabin he could hear cheers, yells, normal camp stuff.

As he rounded the corner he came to a stop, body freezing in place. His legs locked refusing to move. There was a dragon. A BRONZE dragon. Festus.

But how? Hadn't Festus blown up when Leo...

Leo.

Jason's breath caught in his throat as he watched the boy climb off of the dragon. He was dreaming, right? He HAD to be.

Leo was dead.

He saw the explosion.

Yet there he was, the boy that Jason had been mourning for months... with his arm slug around a girl's waist.

Jason didn't move. Was this how Reyna had felt when he had showed up with Piper?

This was different. This was Leo. The boy Jason had been crushing on nearly the entire quest but didn't realize it until soon before he lost him.

Now here he was, standing by the dining pavilion grinning like a maniac.

Dammit Jason, pull yourself together! He told himself, fists clenching at his side. Why were the fates always so cruel to him?

He should go see Leo, go throw his arms around him, maybe even cry, but he couldn't make himself move in the direction of the boy who's been the only constant thing in his mind for months.

Instead he just stood there until the crowd died down, until he saw Leo kiss HER. Then he found his feet moving mechanically in the other direction. He couldn't watch this.

Jason found himself back in his own cabin, somewhere he rarely stayed. The cabin had too much space for only one camper. It was overwhelming, made him feel lonely.

The tears fell before he even realized.

Pull yourself together, Grace.

But he couldn't. He couldn't make the tears stop falling.