I thought I should put in a Jason chapter. I still have yet to do Frank and Hazel, but don't worry, you'll see them soon.

Hey, if Percy's supposed to be glue, what does that make Jason?

Post a review if you have any idea what I'm talking about.

Chapter XV

Jason

Jason stares up at the ceiling in his room. Leo sent him to bed an hour ago, saying that they all might as well get some sleep while they still could. But Jason hasn't been able to shut his brain off.

He sighs and stands up, pacing around his room. His mind buzzes with thoughts, mostly about how Percy somehow managed to defeat one of the oldest gods. Jason's never done anything like that. He spends most of every fight they have unconscious. Or asleep.

His expression sours. He still can't believe he was sleeping while Annabeth, Percy, and Leo were risking their lives to protect the ship. Annabeth told him that someone was probably keeping them that way on purpose, but it doesn't make him feel any better. He should have been helping them.

He goes to his window. The sky is already dark. The ocean is so still that it reflects the stars almost perfectly.

He's jealous. The realization shocks him. It isn't often that he finds himself desperately wanting what someone else has. But Percy has everything. The others follow his lead without question, even Piper and Leo. Although Leo has seemed a little hostile towards Percy lately.

Percy made it through Tartarus and back. Sure, he had Annabeth, but Jason knows that he probably wouldn't have been able to survive Tartarus, even if he had someone there with him.

Percy commands the room. He makes everyone smile, sometimes without meaning too. He doesn't seem all that self-conscious or at all insecure. He doesn't even seem to have to try all that hard. He's a natural leader.

Jason runs his fingers through his hair. He's always had to try as hard as he could to get where he wanted to go. Maybe it's just because he went to Camp Jupiter instead of Camp Half-Blood, and things were always difficult there. Or maybe he isn't as good of a leader as he thought.

A knock on the door causes him to turn.

"Jason? Are you awake?" Piper's voice calls softly.

"Yeah. Come in." Jason answers. He watches her as she comes in. She's wearing her eagle pajamas, and her chocolate brown hair is messy. She's not wearing makeup, she's barefoot, and there are shadows under her eyes from more than a few sleepless nights.

She couldn't be more beautiful. Her kaleidoscope eyes keep changing color-from blue, to green, to hazel. Jason loves her eyes. They're one of his favorite things about her.

"Can't sleep?" She asks. Jason nods. She sits on his bed with a sigh, and he walks over and sits next to her.

"Me either." She admits. She rests her head on Jason's shoulder, and he wraps an arm around her, holding her to him. They sit like that for some time, Jason once more lost in his thoughts, until he lets out a long, frustrated sigh.

"What's wrong, Jason?" Piper asks, tilting her head to look at him. Jason shrugs and shakes his head. Piper takes his hand and holds it tightly in hers.

"Come on, Jason, you can tell me. I want to know. Maybe I can help." Her eyes are so wide and honest, Jason can't help but talk to her.

"It's just...I can't..." He fumbles for words, unsure of what to say. He's silent for a few seconds, searching for words, and then, suddenly, he just bursts out with it. "Do you think I'm a bad leader?"

"What?" Piper asks. "No, of course not. You're the best leader. Why do you ask?"

"I've spent a lot of fights unconscious. And the last one, with the sea serpent, I was asleep. It makes me feel so...useless." He says. He keeps his eyes down, not looking at Piper. She touches his face with her hand and forces him to look at her.

"Jason, you are not a bad leader." She tells him softly. "You are smart, and brave, and an incredible fighter. And the whole sleeping thing wasn't your fault. It was a spell."

Jason looks away. He wants to believe her so badly, to believe what she's saying is true. She starts talking again, drawing his attention back to her.

"You killed Enceladus. You distracted Porphyrion so that Leo and I could break Hera's cage. You helped Hazel defeat Sciron. And even before all that, you were praetor of New Rome. You killed Krios with your bare hands. You've killed countless monsters. You are definitely a leader, Jason."

"I had help with all that, though. I've never defeated any major enemies by myself."

Piper leans back a little more, staring intently into his eyes. "This is about Percy, isn't it." She doesn't phrase it as a question.

Jason doesn't answer. He doesn't need to.

"Jason, Percy is a good fighter. He's a good leader, too. But so are you. That was what Hera's plan was all about. To exchange two of the most powerful demigods of all time-and the most important leaders-and unite the two camps. It didn't exactly work out the way she planned it, but that doesn't make you any less powerful. Or any less of a leader. Percy is goofy, always ready to smile. He's always good for a laugh. But you, Jason, are always serious, always worrying. And most of the worrying you do is about everyone and everything else."

"Not entirely sure how all this is supposed to make me feel any better." Jason says.

"Worry isn't a bad thing, Jason. It's kept you alive. It's kept all of us alive, at one point or another. And while Percy may be a good leader, he's not very good at being serious about things. He never stops joking. That's why we need you. You balance that out, keep everyone on track. You make sure we know that we're not on a cruise, and Percy keeps everyone from getting super depressed. We need both of you."

Jason thinks about that. There are still traces of doubt in his mind; a little voice in the back of his head that tells him he's useless. But he hears a ring of truth in Piper's words.

"I guess maybe you're right." He says.

Piper smiles at him. She moves closer to him, until their lips are only inches away. "We do need you. And we need Percy. But just between you and me, I definitely think you're the best."

And then she kisses him. Jason holds her as tightly as he can, and kisses her back. When she pulls away, Piper smiles at him warmly, radiating love.

"Let's go up on deck. We can watch the stars." She suggests. Jason agrees, and follows her up the stairs.

They stand at the railing, looking out over the calm, dark sea, their arms wrapped around each other as they watch the stars shine brightly overhead. Piper rests her head on Jason's shoulder, and he rests his head on hers. They're both completely silent. But it's a good kind of silence, filled with warmth and kindness and love.

FLUFF. I love fluff. I thought you guys deserved some Jasper. Now I need some Frazel.