Jason's POV
Piper came out to me today.
We were sitting next to each other at breakfast. I had a spinach and feta omelet and Piper was pouring syrup all over her stack of waffles.
She looked nice as always. Her short dark hair was pinned up today, so you could see the many piercings that adorned both her ears. She wore a pink Camp Counselor tank top and beige cargo pants with hiking boots. Around her waist was a belt that held her dagger Katoptris.
"So I realized I was a lesbian" she said, her mouth half stuffed with waffle. I choked on my apple juice.
"What?" I sputtered, beginning to have a coughing fit.
She laughed while she patted my back, watching me suffer.
"Les bee annnn" she said again.
It did surprise me at first.
When I first met Piper, I was sure that we would've ended up together. It felt right to hold her hand and to kiss her. But something changed after we saved Hera. I felt a sudden disinterest washing over me. And I knew that she felt it as well.
It was a hard breakup. I felt so guilty for falling out of love with a child of Aphrodite. I woke up in the middle of nights, fearful of being struck down by the love goddess. But Piper was more confident than I was, and she supported me through our own breakup. It felt silly in the beginning but I think it strengthened our friendship.
Thinking about our relationship in my head, it became less surprising.
I was still hacking on apple juice, so I tried to smile and gave her a thumbs up, which made her laugh even harder.
"Well of course you're a lesbian" Leo sat down next to me with a big plate of eggs, bacon and sausage.
"I couldn't be the only gay one in the group". Piper reached over me and flicked Leo on the arm.
"Ow!"
"That's right Valdez, you're not special anymore" Piper teased.
Leo stuck his tongue out at her playfully. And then he caught me looking at him.
"Mornin, sparky," he said with a grin. I instantly felt my ears get warmer.
Leo was always able to do that, and I found it so annoying. Today, his hair was pulled out of his eyes with a headband. His dark curly locks fanned around his face like a lion's mane. His brown eyes sparkled with the same mischief that they always do, and his smile was wide and toothy. He had a new band aid placed over his small pointy nose, and I could see redness pooling from it.
"What happened there?" I said, lightly touching the tip of his nose. Leo went cross eyed, and made a goofy face.
"Oh this? Just a little cut from a fight I got into earlier" his voice was dripping with sarcasm, but I decided to humor him.
"Oh really? how big were they?" I said, unable to hide my laughter. I could practically hear Piper rolling her eyes beside me.
"Oh they were biiiiiiigggggg" Leo stood and lifted his arm up above his head to demonstrate.
"Is that so?" Will Solace appeared behind Leo, making him jump.
"Nyssa told me," Will continued. "that you fell off your bunk again and broke your nose"
Leo slumped back down next to me, his previous confidence wavering.
"Nyssa doesn't know what she's talking about" Leo claimed while shoving bacon in his mouth.
"Broken again, Leo?" Piper said, with a disapproving glare.
"I'm ok pipes." Leo looked up at Will and smirked. "Sunny fixed me up well and good".
I didn't want to, but I noticed that Will's face flushed in that moment. Piper had suspected that something was going on between them, and Will just confirmed it.
"Yea well..." Will cleared his throat.
"Whatever Valdez. come see me after breakfast for a check up" and with that Will walked away to his cabin's table, brimming with all the sunshiny Apollo kids.
Leo was smiling when he turned back to me and piper. Simultaneously, we gave him a look.
"What?" he asked
"You guys aren't nearly as subtle as you think you are," Piper laughed.
Leo's smile grew wider
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Leo turned his attention back to his food, scarfing it down as quickly as he could.
"Is that so?" Piper went on, "because it really seems like you're excited to see him." she gestured to Leo's now almost empty plate.
"Shut up, I'm hungry". When Leo had finished he had crumbs and sauce all around his mouth. He looked kind of adorable. I laughed as I handed him a napkin.
"Thanks bro" he said, taking the napkin. There was something about the way he called me bro that didn't sit right with me. I started to feel sick to my stomach. Maybe it was the feta.
Leo rose from his place next to me and handed his plate to an air nymph servant that had just whizzed by us.
"Alright losers!" Leo exclaimed, stretching his arms upwards. "I wish I could stay, but I have a doctors appointment"
Then he was gone, practically running towards the infirmary. Where his secret boyfriend will be waiting for him.
Piper leaned closer to me.
"They'd make a cute pair right?" I felt sick again, like I was about to throw up.
"Yea, for sure!" I lied.
I didn't really think anyone at camp knew how to handle Leo and his quirks except me and Piper. What did they even find in common? Will is cool under pressure and so sincere it's nearly unbearable. Leo is explosive and sarcastic and barely coherent at times. As much as Leo can be, I love spending time in his world with him. Knowing Will was allowed there too left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I pushed my half eaten omelet away from me, suddenly losing my appetite. Piper saw.
"Not hungry?"
I shrugged and finished off my apple juice.
"I'm going to do some training prep," I said dismissively, as I stood. Piper still gazed at me, but she nodded and went back to her food
It was a lie of course. I didn't want anyone to be able to find me so easily. Instead I went on a walk through the woods, to try to clear my mind.
I couldn't really pinpoint when I developed this crush. It might've been there the whole time. Everything about him charmed me. His corny sense of humor, the way he fidgets uncontrollably, his random info dumps. I always wanted to spend time with him. So much so that I would hang out with him when I needed to escape the awkwardness with Piper when we were trying to make it work. It wasn't until after we broke up that I realized how much I actually liked Leo. Everytime that dangly clumsy loud teen comes near me I feel like I can barely breathe. I would catch myself staring at him when he wasn't looking at me. And he always looked so beautiful.
I sighed deeply as I fell against a large tree. I sank to the ground and felt the grass blades in between my fingers. I tried my best to ground myself, but I already felt tears sting my eyes. It's not fair. I've pined over him for so long without even knowing. And now that I do, he's been taken from me. A wave of anger washed over me and I ripped up the grass from the ground, punching at the mounds of dirt until I calmed down.
I was lying in a clearing, panting heavily with dirt under my nails when Piper appeared over me and nudged me with her foot.
"Mind if I join?"
Of course she knew. I shook my head slowly and she plopped down next to me and stared up at the sky. We sat in silence for a while, and it was nice and comfortable. Piper always knows when someone needs support. Before I could sink in the quiet I heard Piper take a breath.
"What's going on, Jace?"
I exhaled deeply before I answered.
"I've fallen for Leo"
Once I said the words, it made it real. And I couldn't keep the tears from streaming down my face when Piper hugged me tight.
Author Note: Sad comphet Jason! Been working on this story for a bit and I decided i was going to post most of the chapters at once and then take a break to write the rest, since the chapters are pretty short. Valgrace lovers, this one is for you