Title: Stick Around
Word Count: 1,546

(A/N at bottom)

Leo feels almost childish with the way he watched Thalia. He can't help it; every time he sees those big blue eyes, his heart feels like it is going to explode. They make him mesmerized, and he could stare for hours on end and never get tired of it. He assumed this is how people felt when they were in love, but he was Leo Valdez; he didn't fall in love, and especially not with the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. When you fall in love, it should be with someone who is willing to catch you. Thalia, however, was not and could not. It was literally forbidden for them to be together… so he would just forget about her as best he could.

So why did his heart flutter when she suddenly showed up at CHB and he got to be around her again?

Thalia sat in her cabin and stared at the moon. She knew she couldn't get kicked out of the Hunters for Leo liking her; it would only have an effect if she liked him back. That's what scared her, though. Jason told her that he would get Leo to stop. Of course, the daughter of Zeus didn't object, but she was scared. If he stopped, then she would be alone again. You have the Hunters, she would tell herself. That's all you need. Don't get hung up over some guy again, it will only cause trouble. Just think about Luke.

Luke was a touchy subject. Thalia tried not to think about it too much, but he crept into her mind… a lot. Suddenly, a thought invaded her mind. Don't hurt yourself over Luke. Leo is nothing like him. When she thought about it, she decided that Leo was much better. He would never leave her, and let her heart shatter into a million pieces. She felt as if she could trust him, but she didn't have the chance to, now. Her heart would be forever hers, and the only person to control it was Lady Artemis. If she dared to fall in love, then she would make sure the person was absolutely right for her and not take risks. After all, she could get her whole life turned upside down (again) over a guy (again) and she would regret the decision for the rest of her life. Once you quit/get kicked out of the Hunters, there's no turning back.

So why did she like it when he smiled at her like she was all that mattered?

If Leo were someone else, then maybe he would have tried to do something to get Thalia. Like maybe kiss her or something so that she got kicked out of the Hunters and had no choice but to stay with him or live alone with no family. He could fall at her feet and beg her to be with him. That would be a crazy plan, but he wasn't planning on doing it anyway. He would do that if he were like the other guys. Although he was crazy, just like his thoughts, he wasn't like the other guys at all. They would create some evil scheme (most likely enlisting the help of the Stoll brothers and involve something probably illegal or bad) and make her fall for them. But Leo cared too much about her for that. He would never do something that would, in the long run, make her unhappy.

So he just sat and observed. At a safe distance, he watched her. He didn't think of it as stalking, but he wanted to get to know her. If she didn't want to be around him, then he could find different methods. Besides, he was a son of Hephaestus, which means that he figured things out. He would find out exactly how they worked, than learn more about them by going off of that. Usually, it worked, but it was much easier to figure out the mechanics of an object than find out the history of a person's life. Thalia confused and fascinated him. She was so strong, but she seemed as though a wrong situation would break her down. He had heard about a guy named Luke, and he thought that he may have something to do with why Thalia is so reserved. She was a wonderful leader now, and he wanted to know what made her like that. Whenever she had a chance, she would try to be alone and avoid people. Leo was curious as to why she was so held back and didn't like being around everyone. Everything she did in front of everyone, she did the opposite when she was alone. If he looked closely, truth is that she is an emotional wreck and would never open up to anybody, so he should just give up because it wouldn't happen.

So why did he want so badly to be the person that she would tell everything to?

Thalia's mind was made up; she could give Leo a chance if she really wanted to. He could never do to her what Luke did, and there was no reason to say that everybody in the world would give up on her just because Luke did. Maybe Leo would be good for her, and show her that you can be loved without heartbreak following it. She just didn't want to rush into anything that could possibly have anything wrong.

It's not that Thalia was completely reserved and broken; she could still have fun. She loved to party and hang out without having to worry about things, but she wasn't dumb. She knew that demigods were always in trouble somehow, so you have to be prepared for any situation that you may come across. As much as she wished she could be totally carefree and spend all her time with Jason and Piper and Annabeth (along with her other friends), as the Lieutenant of the Hunters, she had to make sure her sisters were safe and that nobody would be in trouble.

So why did Leo make her forget all her worries when she sees him at camp just doing his own things and drawing out new blueprints?

"Leo!" Thalia yelled, running across the field where she thought he was practicing archery. But once she got there, she realized that it was the Apollo campers, so she went over to Travis. She figured he would tell her the truth, since Katie softened him up a bit. "Hey, Travis."

"Hey! What're you doing here?" he asked. She wasn't supposed to be at camp for another month.

"That's not important. Do you know where Leo is right now? I really need to talk to him. It's important," I quickly explained. He gave a small smirk, after all, he's still a Stoll so the news would be spread out by the next day that Thalia and Leo were 'secret lovers' and she comes back 'just to see him.'

"Did you think to check Bunker 9 yet? He's usually down there when he has free time, and I believe he went down there earlier."

"No, I can't say that I did. Thanks, I appreciate it." She ran off, and heard him mutter something under his breath. Knowing him, she probably didn't even want to hear what it was.

A few minutes later, a surprised Leo was standing face to face with the daughter of Zeus.

"Um… hi?" It sounded almost like a question, the way he said it. Of course, he still gave her a small smile, because this was Thalia, so he had to make sure she knew that he was happy to see her.

She got right to the point. "Okay, listen. I've been doing some thinking. You like me, right?"

"Thalia, I don't know what to sa-"

"Answer the question."

A moment passed by silently. "Yes."

"Good. I think I like you too. I don't want to be out of the Hunters just yet, though. So it'll take some time, but I want to give you a chance. I don't know exactly when, and it might be awhile, but if you're willing to wait then I'm ready to see if we work out," she rushed. It probably came out so fast that he didn't hear it, but he must have caught some of it.

"Well," he replied with a mischievous grin. "What makes you think that I'll wait for you? I've already waited a long time, you know."

So you're gonna be like this, Thalia thought, mentally rolling her eyes. "I have trust issues. I'm not proud of it, but I'm trying, alright? I want to trust and believe in you, and I don't yet. But if you stay around, then I'll know that you're real about this and not just trying to trick me. I've had enough of that already. You basically have two options: say no and watch me leave and never come back, or say yes and stick around until I'm ready to give up everything I have. So what's your choice?"

Leo gave a big dramatic sigh, then said, "I guess I could stick around." Then he smiled to show he was only joking.

This time, she rolled her eyes for real. "Well alright then."

Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in this story anywhere.

Okay, I know I've been gone for awhile… and I have no good excuse. But I'm back now! This is dedicated to MindBender10 for helping me out with some ideas and stuff and for being an awesome FF friend XD

So, I have given up my dreams of one-shots and one-chapter song-fics. That's right… THIS IS A FULL STORY! Get excited. Although it's still based off of a song. (Stick Around- Ariana Grande and Graham Phillips) PM or review if you have any ideas. Honestly, that would probably speed up my updating, because I always run out of ideas.

Quote of the Day: Sometimes you can't wait for inspiration to hit you. You have to chase after it with a baseball bat.

This chapter is brought to you by: Goya Coconut Soda! It's my new favorite drink and it's amazing. Try it now!

Thanks for reading! If you flame, can you at least post a good rant? It's pretty funny actually.

Love you all!

–Valerie ;D