A/N: Thanks to CanadianMaple who added this story to his/her community!

And HashtagMC, where are you? I'll probably not bombard you with questions, though. Life is crazy.

*This chapter was written with the help of an apple, my brain, and re-reading this entire thing. And I WILL finish this story, do not fret. As some of you noticed, I edited the previous chapters.*


"Leo managed a little smile. 'Yeah, see. I do annoy you.'"

— The Lost Hero


Chapter Three: JASON

could you understand that i love you?

I tapped my fingers against my leg anxiously, as Will came out of the infirmary.

"Jason? Are you still here?" he asked, stopping at the doorway.

"Yeah, I was wondering, uh, if Leo is going to be okay."

"He is, but I'm afraid he's driving all of us crazy."

I laughed. "That sounds like him. Can I visit him?"

"Yeah, go for it." Will opened the door wider as I went inside. "You might be able to keep him quiet," he continued. "His room is the one with the singing or loud thoughts."

I nodded my head, successfully hearing a voice.

"Man, why do people assume I like you all of a sudden? I mean, I'm not against the idea, but I have Calypso."

I raised my eyebrows. Was Leo talking to someone? I never knew he had the tendency of talking out loud, so it must be a conversation.

"You're my best friend, so it's really awkward."

Piper. Leo must be talking to Piper, because that was the only other person that the son of Hephaestus was close with. Deciding it was awkward to intrude, but I had a reason to—since technically, people though Piper and I were dating—I stepped in.

Leo blanched when he saw me, hastily grabbing a pillow and hiding his face. "H-Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I'm just checking. So, it looks like you can speak," I said, scrutinizing the room. Nobody was in sight. I discreetly checked under the bed, just to see if she was hiding there. Nope, not there. "Who were you talking to?"

The pillow was still clutched in Leo's hands, and I pulled it away, the sight startling me. The Latino's face was totally red—I mean, I have seen him embarrassed before, but at this moment it was the reddest of all. Maybe he was sick. I didn't hear him crack any jokes . . . yet.

"To myself," Leo admitted. "It's becoming a habit, lately. I have nothing else to do, so I just think."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. How could he act so charming, being all flustered? It was impossible, but he pulled it off. Always.

"Is Calypso coming, too?"

"Um, no, she doesn't know that you're conscious."

"So we're alone."

"I guess so." I rubbed my neck, feeling a flush creep up my neck already.

"Do you know what two guys do together, all alone?" he asked in a teasing voice.

My face was probably burning by now. "Dude, let's talk about some stuff. So I'm guessing you used the Physician's Cure. . ." He nodded his head. "How did you go to Ogygia twice?'

"Don't you already know, Grace? I'm a special case. As to answer my question, two guys . . . all alone . . . discuss ways to prank all of their friends! What'd you think I meant?"

"Nothing!" I made a mental note to act unreadable. But I swore that Leo had that familiar glint in his eyes, as if he was playing with me. It was hard to tell, though, so I went on to the next topic that spelled my entire being: uninteresting. "Don't you love clouds? I mean, there's the cumulus, cirrocumulus, cirrocumulus, and fog. . ." Hoping not to sound like a geek, which failed, I added quickly, "Cloud-watching is kind of like a hobby for me."

For his part, Leo actually joined in. "When I was, like, six-years old, I saw one cloud shaped as a tampon!"

And how would you reply to that, exactly? I nodded my head absentmindedly, wishing that it could be back in the past, when I didn't have these feelings. "Cool. I, uh, saw one shaped like a bunny."

"Do you want to sit down or something? You're towering over me like a huge shadow," he said.

Great. I was huge. I sat down on the edge of his bed, and made the mistake of locking his brown eyes with mine. This signaled for my heart to drum faster. Gods. Why did his brown eyes have to be so brown and melting? I could just stare at them all day. . .

"Do I have something on my face?"

"Nah." I looked away.

When Will arrived, saving the both of us from awkward silence, he delivered great news: Leo could get back on his feet and go out of the infirmary.

"I'll never get three days of my life back," Leo told me, "because I was sleeping. Hey, do I talk in my sleep or something?"

"No. But you do snore loudly."

He pouted at me. "Everyone does that!"

"Aw, are you embarrassed, Flame-Thrower?"

He hissed like a cat, and I resisted the urge to kiss him right there. Cat-Leo was a drive to my hormones. That feeling went away, though, when I realised that Leo and Calypso will reunite. Half of me wanted him to stay longer in the infirmary, but that wouldn't be fair at all. As long as he was happy, sure, I could accept Calypso. It might be hard, but there was no other option.

Will gave me a nod, as if he knew what I was thinking. He probably did.

Love sucks.