The center thing is jacking up, so . . . let's just pretend here.

In Between Our Lies

53. (Leo) Out of Sight

He will always be the third wheel.

He loves her.

Doesn't she know?

. . .

Piper has always been blind to his . . . attraction for her. She's always been concerned with Jason. It was bad enough that the first time was proved false, but Piper found herself falling for Jason again! It was a living nightmare for Leo. It was a wonderful heaven for Jason – this, Leo is sure of. (After all, who would not want her company?)

. . .

He's at the archery place – he doesn't really remember what they call it – practicing, even though he knows he sucks. And Piper is there, looking so wonderful, and she's way better than him by far. (Not that he's going to compliment her or anything, 'cause that'd be weird.)

"You know you suck at this," she says. She's joking, but Leo can't help but wonder if Jason was any better. There's that bitter feeling of resentment rising up in him again. (Wonderful – he shouldn't be jealous of his best friend, but he is.)

"Yeah, don't get used to being better than me at something, Princess."

She giggles – or maybe it's a laugh, because he's never been able to tell them apart, anyways. "Princess – that's a new one. I'm starting to think I liked 'Beauty Queen' better."

"Princess Piper, or Beauty Queen Piper? See how weird that sounds? The princess thing was totally ingenious," he says, because he can't think of anything else. (Where did 'ingenious' pop up from? Guess he's just caving under pressure – or whatever the stupid saying was.)

"Wow, 'ingenious' – that's a big vocabulary word. Have you been hanging around with the Athena cabin?" she asks jokingly.

"That's the best you can come up with?" Leo pauses. "Actually, an evil bunny who wants to take over the world forced me to read a dictionary to him so he could learn 'human'."

"Really?" asks Piper, "What was his—"

"Piper!" Jason calls her.

"Well, um, bye," says Piper, and Leo is just thinking how frickin' wonderful her voice sounds and . . . "Leo?"

"What? Oh, yeah, bye, Pipes. See you during Capture the Flag." He cannot hold back the longing in his voice.

"Bye." And as she saunters away, Leo is certain of this one evident fact: He loves Piper McLean – Jason or no.

. . .

Jealousy. That's the emotion that usually flares the brightest in Leo whenever Jason comes around (whether he's with Piper or not). Then comes the resentment, the hatred, the hopelessness. How could he ever compete with that?

Jason is, after all, the perfect image of perfection – and Leo is probably a pretty crappy excuse for a blacksmith. Jason Grace – the mighty son of Jupiter! The girls fawn over him like a movie star – and he practically is one, too. Jason is so blind – so helplessly, helplessly blind. The opportunity has to slap him in the face before he gets it. (Not that he's stupid – just sort of five seconds late.)

Jason does not know his best friend wants his girl. Jason does not know that underneath the lame jokes, there is a side of him that wants to burn Jason and watch him scream. Jason does not know that Piper loves him. Jason does not know that when Medea wanted them to fight, some deep, dark part of him was loving the sensation of blood splattering – his enemies' blood.

Jason does not know the future – he is not perfect.

. . .

How does Piper not know? She is the daughter of love – she should know of all attraction. Yet she is so helplessly blind to the fact that Leo loves her so much. Others do not know, and he does not want sympathy – unrequited love is unknown to them.

Leo should be selfish – he should beg and plead and swear on his life Piper will be his. But Leo's mother taught him that selfishness is a trait one would rather not have – and he couldn't do that to Piper, leave her with no choice.

He knows that every girl he gets a crush on – he never stays in one place too long to actually love them – is way, way out of his league. Except, he never cares. So why does he care now – now, when he is in love and possessing her is something he cannot hope for?

Leo knows why – it's because Aphrodite likes taunting him, or he's the bigger person here. (The latter is highly unlikely.)

. . .

"I love you." His heart is racing – beating so fast that nothing in the world could tame it but the sound of her voice.

"I love you too . . . but . . . not like that, Leo. Not the way you love me." His mind is now racing, along with his heart. What are these words she says? What do they mean?

"I know. I know that you could never love me like that. Jason . . . he's always been the one for you – not me." He's older now, wiser – but now he feels so young, so helplessly young. "Do you know how hard it is – watching you be with him? Having him shatter your heart like it's glass? The idea that one day I might have to go to your stupid wedding and pretend to be happy for you both – when in reality I hate his guts and the fact that you're smiling so happily?"

He smiles. "So clueless – so very clueless."

She looks at him as if she could punch his face (or maybe his shoulder), her eyes watering – it's funny, but he's never seen Piper cry. Ever. "You think I don't know the feeling? When I see Jason and Reyna every day here . . . I feel jealous, and they look so happy and it's wrong. I love him too much to have Reyna take him. And if she does . . .

"I don't know. I can't think." She sighs and rubs her temples with her fingers. "But I know how you feel, so don't you give me all that crap about you loving me and hating Jason – because I know. I know that there's slim hope for us – that we could get the one we love – but there's a high chance we won't, not both of us."

"But maybe you," Leo says.

"Yes," she agrees, "maybe me, but I cannot break years of friendship and trust. Just look at Percy and Annabeth – they're still together. I'm not giving up yet, but I will when it's futile."

"You're a fighter." The whisper lingers in the air longer than it should.

"Then what are you, Leo?"

The answer does not satisfy either of them. "I don't know."


A/N:

Note: the ending, where it was italicized, well, that's the future. Not really a dream, but . . . yeah, the future. Make sense? Not really? I know.

I am particularly proud of the ending. I don't know, but I really liked the whole "unrequited love" and "star-crossed lovers" thing.

Who else do I have left to do now? Who else voted on the other ones?