PJO/HoO Around the Campfire

Chapter 35: ...Well

January 14, 2022

Jason was still in his cabin. He didn't go for breakfast and now it was nearing lunch. And that's where Annabeth found him. After knocking on the door, getting no response, and then opening the door anyway, she went in to find him lying on his bed.

"Jason, do you want to talk about it?" Annabeth asked hesitantly. She walked over to him and sat beside him on his bed.

"Um..." a pause to breathe through the tightness of his throat. "Yes please."

It was barely a whisper but Annabeth heard it loud and clear, and she felt her heart break for Jason, just that little bit more.

"Okay, I'm here," she told him.

"Well... she broke up with me." He let out a pathetic half laugh, because how could that not be obvious.

"Oh, Jason." Annabeth slipped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer.

"I'm not mad or anything, and her reasons were totally understandable. I'm just... Well, I'm just sad about it."

"Of course you are, that's a totally normal feeling after a breakup."

"Yeah, I know. I mean, I knew it was coming, after that thing with Leo how could I not? But I can't help feeling like I'm losing something more than a girlfriend?"

Annabeth didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say.

After a moment Jason filled the silence, "I'll be fine, I mean it's just a stupid breakup."

"Hey, don't put your feelings down like that. It may seem like it should be a little thing but if your feelings are bigger than that don't belittle them."

Jason didn't say anything for a while but Annabeth saw that he had started crying.

"I just— I... I don't even know how to phrase this." Jason said once his throat loosened a bit.

"That's okay, if you want to just start talking randomly until you get somewhere that's fine."

"Yeah, okay. Well, I know I should be sad about the break up, and obviously I am, losing Piper is going to change my life up in ways that I don't want to even think about right now. But... I don't think the actual break up is the thing I'm most sad about."

After a moment Annabeth asked, "what do you mean by that? What are you most sad about?"

"I don't know... How's Leo going to react, I don't want him to feel like he has to choose between the two of us now. Piper said she wanted to still be friends, but how will our relationship change so that it feels that way for her? I don't know how I'm supposed to act around her now. I mean, she asked to stay the night last night, is that a friend thing or a dating thing?!"

"I guess it depends on the two people in the relationship, they determine what constitutes friendship or dating activities, but seeing as you and Piper just got out of a relationship things like spending the night with each other seems like a big step. Maybe she doesn't know how to act in this situation either."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jason fiddled with the blanket he was still under and then offered half to Annabeth, who accepted and snuggled closer to Jason in a comforting manner.

"My best advice in this situation is to just have an open conversation with Piper, and then talk to Leo about it as well."

Jason sighed. "Why are you so smart, Annabeth?"

She shrugged, "maybe it has something to do with my mom."

Jason leaned closer to her, she was one of the few people he felt comfortable letting his guard down around. "No, I think it has everything to do with what's inside your brain and how hard you work for knowledge."

Annabeth laughed, "yep, those audiobooks sure are useful, huh."

"Always with the audiobooks, give it a rest."

"I will when you talk to Piper and Leo." Annabeth was worried he would put his guard back up because of that comment but he just half laughed half sighed.

"I will, I promise," he said. "But not right now. Right now I'm so hungry I could eat a donkey."

"Well then, let's get you some food."

Don't forget to vote and comment if you liked it 👩‍👦‍👦