𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

52

Hadrian and Jason took charge of cleaning the lower deck, which had been thrown into chaos during the monster attack. Reorganizing sickbay and battening down the storage area took them most of the day, but Hadrian didn't mind. For one thing, doing something repetitive felt good. For another, last night's explosions had given Hadrian a healthy respect for Greek fire. He didn't want any loose vials of that stuff rolling through the corridors in the middle of the night.

As they were fixing up the stables, Hadrian thought about the night Annabeth and Percy had spent down here accidentally. Something made him freeze. No, they were his friends. They deserved to be happy. He clenched his jaw. And besides, nothing good ever came out of a crush.

"You good?"

"I'm starting to think the peach preserves and brownie thing was not a good idea" Hadrian joked as he clutched his stomach.

What the fuck was wrong with him? He came on board here to do one task and one task only. He had to do it for Kira. He tried to get his mind off Percy and Annabeth by glancing at Jason.

As he watched Jason work, he admired how easily he did each task, whether it was fixing a door or oiling saddles. It wasn't just his strong arms and his skillful hands, though Hadrian liked those just fine, but the way he acted so upbeat and confident. He did what needed to be done without complaint. Hadrian couldn't help but draw comparisons with Percy and his natural ease.

"What are you thinking?" Jason asked.

Hadrian realized he'd been making a sour face. In the reflection of the glass bay doors, he looked like he'd swallowed a teaspoon of salt.

"Nothing," he said. "I mean...a lot of things. Kind of all at once. Annabeth, the statue, Rome.."

Kira.

Jason laughed. The scar on his lip almost disappeared when he smiled.

"It's going to work out," he promised. "You said so yourself."

"Yeah," Hadrian agreed. "Except I was just saying that to make Annabeth feel better."

Jason shrugged. "Still, it's true. We're almost to the ancient lands. We've left the Romans behind."

"And now they're on their way to Camp Half-Blood"

Jason hesitated, as if it was hard for him to put a positive spin on that. "Chiron will find a way to stall them. The Romans might take weeks to actually find the camp and plan their attack. Besides, Reyna will do what she can to slow things down. She's still on our side. I know she is."

"She likes you" Hadrian said simply. "I could feel it when she looked at you. And then again, she liked Percy too. Girl has taste, I have to hand it to her"

Jason laughed like he missed having Hadrian flirt with everyone. "Reyna didn't like me"

"Jason, no offense, but you're blind." He said simply, "I have eyes and I have powers. I'm telling you she likes you"

"I don't..." Jason began, "I don't need stuff like that right now"

Hadrian understood, things were already complicated enough without romance. "Where's the thrill in that though?"

"Thrill?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "You do it for the the thrill? The dating? The kissing?"

"Dating people ends up just breaking your heart" Hadrian shrugged, "It never lasts. Now kissing and uh- something more can always leave you happy"

Jason's ears turned red at which Hadrian laughed.

"How many people have you dated?" He asked.

Jason seemed embarrassed to say, "No one, I've never dated anyone"

"Oh come on" Hadrian rolled his eyes, "There is no way you've never kissed someone. You're so... you"

"I said I've never dated, I didn't say I've never kissed anyone" Jason had a playful smile that was so different from Percy's troublemaker grin. "And what do you mean I'm so.... Me?"

"You've got some spark in you still, Grace" Hadrian nodded appreciatively. "You're hot, I meant. So you wanna tell me who it was? The kiss? What was she like?"

"You're just going to assume it was a she?"

"Was it not a girl?" Hadrian hesitated.

"It was a girl, but I just meant... never mind" Jason said, simply as that, "Same cohort, we trained together, sometimes got a little too heated in training. You know, stuff happens"

Hadrian laughed until he had to lean against a wall. "So Rome's golden boy kissed while training?"

Jason blushed pink, the top of his ears turning red. "Something like that. What about you?"

"My first girlfriend called me a freak because of the hair. She dumped me and proceeded to ask someone else out in front of me" Hadrian shared, "First boyfriend cheated on me and uh.. I kind of gave up after that"

"A child of Eros that gave up dating?"

"It didn't..." Hadrian didn't know how to explain it, "None of it felt real, or permanent. I've always wanted something Shakespearean, something dramatic. Maybe a screaming love confession, something out of a fanfiction."

Jason, to his credit looked like he was listening. Though the more Hadrian talked, the stupider he felt.

"When I first kissed all of my partners, I had this like... sixth sense maybe? That it wasn't going to last. And I tried anyways because I thought I could make it work. But I couldn't and everytime I ended up breaking my heart. That's why I stick to platonic love"

Although that wasn't going very well these days either.

"You'll find someone" Jason smiled, "I know you will"

"Fuck off" Hadrian said fondly, "You don't have to say nice lies to make me feel better"

"No, I'm being serious. Hads, you're... anyone would be a fool to give you up. I don't know your exes, but I can confidently say they were stupid"

Hadrian had to bite his tongue to not voice his argument. He'd thought about his past relationships a lot. And everytime, he couldn't help but feel a lonely sort of sadness. What if he'd gaslit himself so bad that he shifted the blame onto them, but in reality, he was the problem? What if he tried so hard not to be a terrible person like his mom, but in the end he turned out to be exactly like her?

Jason took a step forward. So did Hadrian. 

A/N: I AM SORRY FOR THESE CHAPTERS BUT YES