Okay, I had a hard time writing this. Jason just kept getting out of character all the time, because I forget he's supposed to hide his emotions and be all I'm-the-great-son-of-Jupiter-leader-of-this-shit-a nd-I-can-handle-it. I had to delete a part of it and almost start over, but, alas, here it is.

Also, I checked the Demigod Diaries for information about when Jason and Piper got together, and they kissed in the middle of the story, so I can only assume they were dating already. Meaning, they became all girlfriend-and-boyfriend some time between their quest in the beginning of winter break and Christmas. Which I still believe makes Jason a hell of a jerk. Maybe I pity Reyna, maybe I didn't like Jason from the start, maybe I think Piper isn't that great, but I still think he's a big jerk for doing that.

And, on that happy note, I'll let you go on to the story (that is, if you haven't already).

Jason didn't know exactly where he was going. I mean, he knew, of course he did, or at least he hoped he hadn't gotten lost in the woods. He had walked to Bunker 9 lots of times. Surely he wouldn't get lost now. Because nothing out of ordinary had just happened. Nothing that he maybe shouldn't have done. Nothing that might get him killed later on. Nothing that he couldn't help but doing.

He wasn't even sure why he was going to Leo about this. The guy had the emotional knowledge of a teaspoon, and there was no way to know how he would react. Jason doubted he would get some good advice, but for some reason Leo seemed to be the right person to talk to. Or at least try to talk to, if the son of Hephaestus ever stopped working for long enough to have a conversation.

But there he was, facing the huge rock that was the entrance to the bunker. This was gonna be weird. Maybe he shouldn't have come. Maybe he was better off in his cabin, thinking alone.

Jason slowly pushed the door open and entranced, closing it behind him. He could hear Leo doing something with wood, probably cutting, and decided to walk to him as if he was just passing by to say hello and check on the warship. No, he wasn't nervous. At all.

"Okay, I know I missed dinner," Leo started saying, his eyes still on his work. "And I know it's not the first time, but I'm doing great. Honestly. And yes, I did sleep last night, for more than six hours, just not in my cabin. The bunker has these real nice beds upstairs. And I promise I'll come to breakfast tomorrow, but since I had to sleep, now I'm a bit behind schedule, so you go and tell Beauty Queen that I'm not dead on my feet and not high on caffeine, so she has nothing to worry about. Goooood night."

Jason didn't move, which Leo noticed. He stopped for a moment to look up and say, "No, seriously, man, I have to finish this and it's gonna take t–"

"I kissed Piper."

There was silence for a while, and those seconds longed as Leo stared, a bit shocked by the sudden information he hadn't asked about. Jason thought he shouldn't have blurted it out like that, but he had kind of panicked for a tiny little moment. And then the ice broke when Leo nodded sarcastically before returning to the piece of wood, "Good for you."

Frankly, Jason didn't know what he had expected. A bit more of a reaction, perhaps? Something not so… so Oh-that's-great-but-I-really-just-don't-care? It was likely Leo didn't understand the gravity of the situation. How could he, anyway, without the slowly returning memories from Camp Jupiter? This could mean serious trouble.

Jason took a deep breath and walked forward, stopping in front of Leo's desk, making it a bit more explicit that he wanted a real conversation. Leo seemed to sigh as he looked up again with a very forced expression on his face of who's trying hard to be polite. "Yes?"

"I might have made a huge mistake. I shouldn't have kissed her."

Leo slowly nodded, trying hard not to hit Jason for complaining about having it all while he was working for their very important quest. He officially was a third-wheel now; oh, what a joy. They should all skip toward the rainbow.

"And you're telling me this because…"

"Because you're the only one who I can talk to. I think I just got myself killed."

Leo dropped his tools, realizing this would take a while. "Why? Because you think Drew is gonna murder you next time she sees you, as if she could, or because Piper didn't like you kissed her and is gonna kick your butt to the next century, in which case I would have to pretend you never came here, or because you just remembered you have a super-hot, very deadly Roman girlfriend?"

Jason was dizzy for a moment; Leo did speak fast. It took him a couple of seconds to absolve it all that had been said. He blinked and shook his head. "M-more like the latter."

He couldn't quite understand the grin Leo sent him. It was a bit sarcastic, but there was something more to it, something he couldn't put his finger on; maybe it was due to his being a complete mess right now. He couldn't think very straight.

"And the plot thickens," Leo said dramatically.

Jason sighed. "She's not really a girlfriend… I think?" He shook his head. "I don't even remember that. It's so pathetic."

"But you were close to her, right?"

Oh, Leo had reached the touchy part. Yes, Jason remembered being close to Reyna, just how close, he wasn't sure yet. He knew bits and pieces of their relationship; her rare smile, her serious yet graceful ways of doing everything, her commitment to Rome, her hair, always tied up except for that time he asked her to let it down and she did so after hitting him… If he dared to think of it, he could tell they'd kissed at least once.

"I shouldn't have led her on," Jason started pacing. "I shouldn't have raised any hopes in her. This is as complicated as it is already, and I think I've just screwed things up a bit more." He paused. "I really shouldn't have done that while I'm not sure if I have a girlfriend."

Leo shrugged. "Guess you couldn't resist it?"

Jason glared at him, and he raised his hands in self-defense. "Hey, I'm just trying to follow your logic here. You're doing all the talking, anyway. Just trying to help, but, you know, not good with organic life forms and all."

Sighing deeply, Jason ran a hand through his growing golden hair. What kind of Roman was he? What kind of loyalty was this? Why did Piper have so much power over him? It was as though he was hypnotized by her gorgeous eyes, lost in them. Every time he saw her, his heart would beat faster and he would stop breathing for a moment before regaining control of his own body. And she was amazing. And he couldn't do this to her. And he wanted to kiss her again. And he wanted to be faithful until he fully remembered Reyna. And he was a mess.

Jason took a deep breath. "Should I apologize?" Leo snorted and rolled his eyes. "You're asking me this? I still don't know why you came here in the first place." The son of Jupiter sent him a meaningful glance, and he exhaled defeated. "Fine. You want advice from me. My advice would be not to listen to my advice, but that's just contradictory. So, I'm gonna tell you that you don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything that wrong."

That didn't make Jason feel any better. He felt awful and great at the same time, and he didn't know what to do. He looked hopelessly at Leo, letting himself not be perfectly prepared for everything for a moment. "But what if I did?" he asked in a small voice.

Leo leaned forward over his desk. "Stop that bullshit. You're probably gonna remember if you have a girlfriend or not soon. Meanwhile… live a little."

Jason did want to enjoy the months of partial peace he had at Camp Half-Blood before the quest, and he figured, what better way to do so than having a beautiful girlfriend at his side? He had always had the feeling that Reyna had been just a close friend, but he wasn't yet sure. If Leo was right, he'd remember soon enough.

He looked at his friend and asked, "Are you gonna be okay?"

Leo chuckled, his eyes downing back to his work, but Jason could tell it was half-heartedly. "I'll be fine. Gotta build this huge warship anyway."

Jason wasn't convinced. He knew Leo felt left out – although right now the son of Hephaestus wasn't doing anything to help his condition – and his starting to date Piper would mean he would officially be left out. But he didn't argue. Some things are just way too complicated to speak out.