Before We Say Goodbye || HoO x Reader Oneshots

Leo x Reader: I Promise

Long time no see. *ducks various knives* Ooh, that's a nice knife, where'd you get it?

Okay, sorry. But maybe this will make up for it? I've noticed lately that I seem to only be writing sad stories. Well, we ran out of maple syrup, so I'm justified. Anyway, this one is a bit happier - but there still are *SPOILER ALERT* actually you know what? not gonna tell you. Read on!

"Cali!" Leo ducked away as she playfully threatened to dump a pail of water on him.

"Get back here, Valdez!" Calypso ran after him, caramel hair flowing back in the wind.

"Love you too, Sunshine!" Leo turned back over his shoulder to flash her an impish grin. 

Neither of the two saw you, leaning against a tree like a shadow.

You'd been taking lessons from Nico.

Sighing, you leaned your head against the tree, the murmuring rush of the leaves momentarily calming you. You'd loved Leo. The mischievous boy had been your friend for a while, and you understood what it was like to be a third wheel. B/F had started dating Nico at around the same time that Piper and Jason had, so the two of you fell together, chatting, joking, laughing. 

And you'd started developing feelings towards the (oblivious as ever) repair boy, much to your disappointment. Leo would never like you back. Once he left on the quest with the rest of the Argo ||, and then 'died,' you'd crumpled, broken, shattered and then trodden upon, left lying in the dust.

But Leo came back. Leo Valdez returned from the dead. Yes, he was back, but to you, he was still good as dead from the amount of times he'd been talking to her. Zero. Zip. Nada. 

And his perfect girlfriend, who was once a goddess, and from what anyone else could see - she was perfect, making it impossible to hate her. 

Some part of you screamed of you to just let go. How could you compete with this perfect girl?

But you couldn't give up hope, no matter how many times you tried to quench the little flame that wavered on steadily throughout the ever-steadying wind and the encroaching darkness. 

No matter how many times you told yourself I have no chance. No matter how many times, that funny little ache in your heart persisted.

You turned back, still unnoticed, and softly stepped away, telling yourself to not look back.

Perhaps if you'd looked back, though, you would've seen that your camouflage wasn't as good as you hoped or thought, for a certain former titaness was looking at your retreating form with knowing eyes.

•∞•∞•∞•∞•

Weapons practice found you in the hands of adorable, squirmy nine-and-ten-year-olds. These were the ones who had had clear-sighted parents or their godly parent had told their mortal parent who they were. They weren't as serious as most of the older campers (knowing that your life was in constant danger usually made it hard to loosen up).

Shelby, an adorable pudgy little girl, was charging Marcus, a dark-haired, more serious boy. You noted their weaknesses. Shelby was a little too eager and her guard was sloppy, making it easy for opponents to use a simple side slash and slice open her unprotected ribcage. (tbh, I'm basing Shelby off how I was when I was little (took fencing classes) and I was pretty bad, so sorry Shelby).

Marcus, on the other hand, was way too  hesitant to attack, simply defending Shelby's headlong charges. Since he was right-handed, his blocks were weaker on the left side, making it easy for an enemy to rain blows on his left side and overpower him.