A/N: I really hate author's notes, so don't fear, this is super short. I'm warning this might be slightly AU because I don't own the The Lost Hero, and I haven't read it in a while. On with the story!

Jason used to hate the color orange.

He had hated it most of his life, without real reason. It was just one of those colors that were bright, loud, and screamed 'look at me!' Jason had had enough trouble without trying to make people purposefully look at him, thank you very much.

Ironically, it happened to be Camp Half Blood's main color theme, and Jason flatly refused to give up his own purple shirt for a camp shirt. Besides, all the campers roaming around in their shirts gave him a headache, not to mention that it wasn't very practical or useful. Can you imagine trying to hide from a monster in a forest in those shirts? Thought so.

Jason managed to keep his purple shirt throughout the quest with Piper and Leo, surprisingly. However, once he arrived back at Camp Half Blood, it was soon painfully obvious that he had to have a new shirt, and as soon as possible. His own, although it was much loved by Jason, had lots of holes and was slightly burnt from all of the electricity.

He hadn't thought about getting a Camp Half Blood shirt. In fact, he hadn't even thought about getting a shirt much at all, but even if he had, that would have been the last thing he would have thought of. He had been thinking more on the lines of riding a cab into the city and buying some shirts there, or something like that.

However, when Annabeth presented him with a orange Camp Half Blood shirt of his very own, Jason felt just a little bit honored.

There was no ceremony, which Jason was a little bit thankful for. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal, but he liked it that way. No crowds of people staring at him at all. Actually, there was nobody even around when she gave it to him, which suited him just fine.

Annabeth hadn't been creepy or anything. Actually, he was surprised she had noticed he needed a new shirt, with her boyfriend being away at the roman camp and all. But the again, maybe that was why she had noticed.

But the very day after he had returned from their quest, she had appeared at the doorway of his cabin, holding a folded Camp Half Blood shirt uncomfortably in her hands. She had been uneasy, and it showed through her nervous habits. For example, she liked to tuck her hair behind her ear, or shifted her weight back and forth between her feet.

"It's no problem, no problem at all," she had said when Jason had awkwardly tried to express his graditude for her observant eye, and appropriate actions that followed it. "The shirts are free, and it's no bother getting one from the Big House. Why do you think we have so many of the same pattern? Next time I'll show you where we keep them and you can get your own shirt. Hope it fits; I had to guess your size because I don't know it."

He let her come and wait inside his cabin while he slipped into the bathroom and tried on the shirt. Shyly, he had poked his head outside the door, then stood up straight and showed Annabeth, who promptly smiled at him.

He beamed back.

Still, Jason had been touched by her thoughtful action, and had clumsily tried to express his thoughts, and thanks. He was not used to the idea of someone watching his back, and willing to offer help when needed. Besides, it was Annabeth. He had hardly even talked to Annabeth, hardly even thought of her other than her being Percy's girlfriend, but still she had thought of him.

How different it was from the Roman camp, where everyone only looked out for themselves, and only thought about themselves. He didn't mind it so much now as he did when he ws younger, though. After all, it was the only home he had ever known; the only place where he really felt accepted, and at the same time, part of something important. He loved it too, in his own way.

Unlike most of the other campers, Jason had always stayed year round in his camp, which suited him fine. Most of the times, he didn't really care that he was one of the handful of people who didn't have a home to go back to, after all most of his good friends stayed all year around too, but sometimes…

Sometimes he wished for a family. For a father, who could give him advice about everything, and give him an example to follow in manner and behavior (Jupiter didn't count. Jason had only seen him once, and had never even talked to him alone). Sometimes when Jason was feeling really down and depressed, he wished for a mother, who would hug him even when he squirmed away. She would tell him that he was perfect, and he would blush and pretend to be embarrassed by her.

For some reason he had always wanted a sibling, someone to hang out with and look up to, or even a younger sibling to watch out for. Unfortunately for him, Jason was the only son of Jupiter in the whole camp, and he was forced to be satisfied with that.

Romans weren't really big on the whole pity thing.

Jason came close to having a big brother, once, although not by blood. A boy a few years older than him sought him out and watched over him as he grew from being a toddler to about twelve. The boy's name was Nick, and he had been a son of Vulcan.

Nick had been around to help Jason for about ten years, but he was killed by a titan sea monster the day before Jason's thirteenth birthday. Enraged, Jason swore revenge at the beast, and using his years of training and hard working, he was able slay the creature.

That was the last bit of having a sibling Jason even allowed himself to dream of, until he met Thalia. With Thalia, the connection was real. It was almost alive, and it thrived, even when he wasn't around her. He wondered briefly if others were as attracted to Thalia as closely as he was, but dismissed the idea. If that were so, he would have had a harder time getting to know her because she would have been surrounded by friends and hunters. He just felt this protectiveness and love towards her that he had never felt around anyone else.

And now that he had an orange Camp Half Blood shirt, he felt like it was official. He was a part of a camp, part of something bigger for the second time in his life, and this time he had an older sister that he would be able to see occasionally. He wasn't even mentioning the part where he would be able to bring two parts of his life back together, and see his long-lost friends again, and regain the rest of his lost memories.

Orange was turning out to be a pretty great color.

Constructive criticism welcome. Reviews adored.
~sififantasygirl