sky blue ● jason grace

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Daria grimaced. She really wasn't in the mood for pity. "For what?"

"I know we have a good relationship or like, an existent one, frankly. But I mean, I don't hate you, I don't think you're a traitor."

Daria thought about her words; they didn't really make her feel better, but unlike Piper's usual presence, they didn't make her feel any worse. "Thanks."

"I know, for some reason, Jason's the reason we don't get along, even though he desperately wants us to," Piper continued, hell-bent on getting her point across. "But I'm not a bitch, you know."

Daria sighed, she never thought that about Piper, not once. "This is going to sound childish," she began as a disclaimer. "But Jason was my best friend first, and now he's yours, and that's fine because we're dating and you clearly have no romantic interest in him. But you know 'I imagine somewhere in the future there is a better version of me' and all that."

"Jason told us you liked poetry." Piper hummed, her hands remained by her side, stiff as if she was still uncomfortable with being there, even with Daria's current emotional state. "He was also very clear that he thinks the universe of you."

Daria hopped off the table, tired of feeling like an invalid, her fingers tapping restlessly. "Was he?"

"I don't understand how you can be so nonchalant about that, but whatever." And indeed, Piper looked like she was one bad move away from screaming. Daria leaped to match pace with her as they left the sick bay.

"I heard about your powers," Piper switched the topic lowly, though she didn't elaborate from who. "Is it true that you can see when people are going to die?"

Daria finally figured out that they were headed to the Mess Hall when she asked the question. He exhaled, not in the mood for wherever the conversation was headed. "Please don't," she begged.

"When are you going to die, Daria?"

"Oh, just what we're all thinking," Leo appeared seemingly out of nowhere to scowl at her. Maybe Piper had been setting up this trap the whole while, but at least the son of Hephestus wasn't on fire this time.

"Are you really going to behave like this for the rest of the quest?" Daria asked.

"Are you really going to behave like this for the rest of the quest?" He mocked and she didn't know what she had done to deserve whatever this was but she was by no means above decking Leo.

"She doesn't get to choose who her mother is," Piper said sharply, and everyone in the room simultaneously remembered Tristan Mclean.

"Fuck off, Pipes," Leo snapped. "I don't trust her, stop pretending like you do."

She wondered if he was just saying what Piper was afraid to. Whether Jason and Hazel were also hiding their mistrust, maybe talking about keeping an eye on Daria behind her back. Her heart clenched, this was her fault, she had to bear the brunt of it.

Daria looked past him at the map of Camp Half-Blood, a place she didn't know. She, Frank, and Hazel had spent eight months in Camp Jupiter without Jason and without Percy. They saw things differently, and try as they might to fit in, they were different.

Maybe it was a good thing that she'd cried out everything she had earlier, because she loved Frank and Percy like brothers. After Alaska, she really thought they trusted each other completely. Guess she was wrong.

"Whatever," she said softly. "Look, Leo, I'm sorry I lied, okay?" She took in a deep breath, out of energy for today, "I'm going to my cabin if anyone asks."

***

Hazel arrived on deck at the same time as Leo and Piper. A few seconds after, Frank appeared. Jason, Annabeth, and Percy were already there, standing apart from each other in the dusk. They were all aware of each other's presence, Hazel was sure of it, but no one was talking.