A\N: Sorry for the delay guys, school is a b*tch lately. Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Stay here

To say that it was awkward would be the understatement of the day. As soon as Thalia and Reyna left, the tension between Jason and Piper thickened to the point where you could cut it with a knife. The son of Jupiter finally huffed, trying to sit up propping himself on the wall behind.

''Gods, that's the worst luck I could have pulled out.'' He groaned as Piper helped him without causing more damage.

''It could have been worse.'' She said, not looking up at him. ''You could have been dead.''

''Haven't thought of that.'' He mumbled sincerely and felt her hands stiffen on the edge of his blanked as she was rearranging it around him.

His fingers curled around hers before she could pull away. He waited for her to talk this time. He knew that she was going to speak up sooner rather than later. Her face was scrunched up a bit and she was taking uneven breaths like she was thinking of saying something.

''I thought of it.'' She admitted finally before surprising the shit out of him when finally turning towards him with a determined glare settled on her features. ''Gods Grace, how could you be so reckless and not look after yourself?! Did you even thought what would happen if you actually…'' she shook her head, trying to calm down. ''Do you even care about what your death may cause to…others?''

''I'm here now right? It's okay, look I'm whole and breathing and pretty much…ouch, Pipes that hurt!'' he was cut off by Piper smacking his upper arm and since he was shirtless it sounded loud and clear.

''It's supposed to! I swear that if you get yourself killed I'm personally going to get down to the Underworld, bring you back up just to strangle you myself!''

And despite her harsh voice and the way she was almost screaming, Jason felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. She cared. After everything, she really did cared about him. Not about the almighty praetor with the many stupid titles but about him, Jason Grace, the boy who attended her school in San Francisco.

A memory entered his minds and he was reminded of a situation not much different than this. Just, you know, his life wasn't actually endangered. It was one day in P.E. after around a month after they met. Back then, they were just friends but he was stealing glances at her whenever he could and she was extremely shy around him when they would meet at their lockers.

It was a day of basketball, a sport Jason wasn't very bad at but he was tired. The previous night he had been up pretty late with Reyna, discussing some restorations about a few buildings in the camp that got destroyed during the last war games. Naturally, he could barely stand up in the morning but he had to go to school. P.E. was their last subject for the day and he wasn't really paying attention, which ended up with him lying flat on the ground and clutching his forehead not ten minutes after the start of the lesson.

He was feeling disoriented and his head was killing him when he felt the gentle touch of Piper's hands on his wrist as she reassured him that everything was okay and he should let her examine the damage. Back then he thought that she was talking if not like a doctor then at least like a person who knew how to threat injuries. He didn't give it a second thought though, deciding that maybe she had been a very active kid and got injured a lot.

However, her touch and voice had managed to calm him down and when he had finally looked at her scrunched in worry face he realized that she really cared. That was the first time that someone out of the camp (excluding his sister that he hadn't seen since he was a toddler) actually cared if he was well or not. Then and there he had decided that Piper was someone he wanted to stick around. And soon he made sure of that.

''Hey, are you okay? Jason? Should I call someone to check on you?'' Piper's concerned voice brought him back from his reverie and he focused on her face again.

''I'm okay, don't worry.'' He reassured her, ignoring the pain he was in as he shifted a little, squeezing her hand in his.

''Then why are you looking like that?''

''Like what?

''Like you just ate a bunch of magic mushrooms or something and are in wonderland (get it, Di Blythe, huh?). Seriously, what did Will give you?''

Jason laughed which didn't help Piper a lot. She still eyed him with suspicion and concern, trying to decide if he had a mental break-down or something about the things the son of Apollo gave him earlier had a side-effect.

''You care about me.'' He said with the same stupid smirk he had been having for the past few minutes.

''Yes, I know.'' She answered slowly like she was talking to a two-year-old before leaning a little to feel his forehead. ''Are you having fever?''

''Gods Pipes…'' he finally moaned and shook her arm a little, making her to look up at his eyes again. He waited until she was paying full attention (and his crazy smile had eased) until he leaned a bit more, pressing his forehead to hers. ''I love you, okay? For a while now I just didn't find the right time to tell you and then came the uniting of the camps and you turned out to be a daughter of Aphrodite of all gods and…''

''Wait, what is that supposed to mean?'' she backed away suddenly distant and Jason's smile immediately vanished. ''What's so bad with being a child of Aphrodite?''

''I haven't said there's something bad with it I just…I didn't expect you to be a demigod in the first place, much less a daughter of love.'' He tried to explain, propping himself a little more as she started to pull away a little.

''I get it. Greek stupidity and Aphrodite's incompetence.'' She mocked, standing up and Jason could see the tears welling up in her eyes before she angrily brushed them away. The thing that struck him most was the words she said.

''You heard us?!'' he exclaimed suddenly unable to look at her properly.

''Yeah as a matter of fact. And it's not the words that hurt the most you know because I've been stereotyped before, way before I've entered camp actually. What hurt was that you two sounded just like everyone else! The almighty leaders! Is that how you lead?''

Jason was frozen. He definitely hadn't seen this one coming. He had to react immediately but he couldn't. He was tongue-tied watching the girl he loved staring at him with not only anger but hurt in her eyes.

''Piper…''

''Love isn't a weakness Jason. If it's true love, it's power. But I don't expect a Roman to understand this.''

Her last words were said to her shoes as her gaze had dropped. She stood there for a few more seconds, waiting for a response and secretly hoping that he will prove her wrong. She hoped that he will say that she was wrong; that it wasn't as it sounded (though she knew it was exactly like that). But he didn't say anything and she sighed.

Maybe there wasn't anything else that could be done.

Still not looking at him, she headed towards the door thinking that this was it. That the world had finally won. Who was she to hope that they could beat millenia of hatred; to hope that it didn't matter that they were coming from two different worlds and were supposed to hate each other.

As she was about to close the door behind her she felt a strong grip on her wrist. She was suddenly yanked a little backwards, falling towards a hard chest. Piper's eyes managed to lock with Jason's bright blue ones just for a fraction of the second before he smashed his lips on hers, blurring the whole world around them for at least a few minutes.

''I know you Piper Mclean. And I trust you not only with my life but with my heart. The conversation you heard…was needed to stop the doubt in the legion. But the truth never changed. I love you! I've always loved you!'' he admitted after they separated and Piper could hear the desperation in his voice.

She finally looked up at his face to notice how utterly lost he looked. A face that she hadn't seen on him before, not even back in San Francisco. But at least it was real.

''I love you too.'' She muttered close to his face and engulfed him in a big hug. He immediately responded, his hands locking around her body like he never wanted to let go.

Their bubble was burst by a high-pitched scream.

They let go of each other reluctantly and Piper immediately found the source: her little sister Lacy with a hand on her mouth and a smile visible through her fingers. And just then they realized that they had gathered a crowd. Both Romans and Greeks were staring at them with equal puzzlement. No one broke the dead silence that had settled over them.

Finally one person walked forward, acting like nothing was happening.

''You should get back to bed, you still need to heal.'' Reyna said loud enough for all of them to hear without shouting.

Her voice, as usual, was practically screaming authority and no one dared to speak when she ushered the two back in the infirmary's building.

''Why didn't you climb on top of the Big house and scream it from up there?'' She turned to Jason with a sarcastic tone. Piper trailed a little behind, sensing that she shouldn't be there right now.

''I can't really climb you know. It's actually not that easy to walk either.'' Jason commented exasperatedly while carefully returning to his bed. ''But it had to be done.'' He sighed as he plopped on the mattress, his eyes meeting Piper's then and he smiled.

Reyna glanced at her too with the corner of her eye and the daughter of Aphrodite could swear that she saw hurt in there. But as the strong warrior Reyna was, she didn't let it take over her for too long. It was gone with the next blink of an eye.

''Look, I don't know what is happening and I don't think I want to know actually. The thing is, and I'm not saying this to offend you Piper,'' the daughter of Belona turned towards the said girl with a gloomy but sincere face. ''the thing is that you of all people starting a relationship with a Greek in times like these is not the wisest thing. All I'm saying is that you just had to wait a little more.''

Jason glanced at Piper for a brief second before looking up sheepishly at his co-praetor.

''Well, actually we haven't actually started anything. Simply because it started a while ago. Around ten months ago.'' He admitted and examined her face for her reaction.

At first she stood there motionless while comprehending the information she had been delivered. The recognition filled her eyes a few seconds later and for both of their surprise, a small smile crossed her eyes.

''So that's why you started acting strange. I thought you've gone nuts after the war you know. But how?''

''We study in the same school.'' Piper found herself answering but immediately regretted it when they both looked at her. Great.

Reyna just nodded. The silence fell upon them again.

''You know that Octavian is going to bring Hell on earth because of you two.'' She said to both of them and they lowered their heads, feeling like kindergartens that were being scolded by the teacher.

''I didn't thought of it like that.'' Jason admitted with a furrowed brow.

''No, you always act before you think.'' The daughter of Belona sighed, not really accusing him, just stating the facts.

''We can deal with Octavian Rey, we've done it before and we'll do it again.'' He then said, his voice sounding firm and confident like Jason the praetor. The difference now was that Piper know that side of him too if just a little. And she wasn't scared of it.

''Besides, you're not alone now. I know a lot of people from camp Half-blood that will help. Starting with Thalia and Percy who both hate Octavian already. And Annabeth admires you Reyna, she will help too. I don't know what help I can offer but…'' Piper was cut of by the female praetor actually laughing.

''Oh, you can offer a lot of help actually.'' She said to her before turning to the confused Jason. ''Did she tell you how she shut Octavian up while you were unconscious? And then your sister knocked him out. Gods, it was priceless.''

Jason shifted his eyes from one to the other girl before lifting his eyebrows in amusement.

''And you couldn't have waited for me?'' he accused, acting hurt, causing both the girls to laugh.

''Well, we can always repeat it, right Reyna?''

Piper looked at Reyna's eyes carefully while the other girl thought of it (or pretended to think judging by the glint in her dark orbs). The daughter of Belona looked back at her from head to toe like she was judging her. But was it going to be good or bad?

''Piper, I think we're going to become good friends…sometime in the future.''

А\N: Okay, JASPER WONDERLAND people! That's what I'm talking about! And I really think that Reyna and Piper could make an awesome friendship! Imagine them combining against Jason for something…that would be good!

Anyway, this is not the last chapter. The next one will be. Really. I'm so sorry to say goodbye to this story though I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with how it turned out.

Okay, stay tuned for the next, last chapter where we'll see not only romance but some serious work getting done by our favorite demigods. LOVE YOU ALL GUYS SO MUCH! Review please!