ONE LAST TIME . . . heroes of olympus

75.5

KATERINA LET JASON lead her to wherever he wanted to bring her. She felt like she was in a blur, his blond hair and his hand in hers the only thing tying her to this moment. Piper had stayed behind to wash the plate, but Katerina figured she'd catch up soon enough.

Love, love, love. To be honest, Katerina doesn't know what that word means anymore. She knew it better when she was sixteen; receiving love from her uncle, giving love to her siblings and her friends, giving and receiving love from Jason and Piper. She'd had more love to give, too much if she was being honest, and more love to receive.

But then her world had crumbled around her, and now she's closed herself off to love. She'd broken up with Jason and Piper, which was already bad enough. But running away from her mama made her lose everything she'd ever loved. Camp, her siblings ( minus Julia, but they had found Katerina ), her friends. Because even if she technically hasn't lost Leo and Hazel and Frank, she feels like she did. And her uncle's dead, and—

"You're spiraling, Rina." She blinked and Jason was facing her, looking at her worriedly.

"Huh?" Nice going, Katerina. With her free hand, she rubbed at her eye and found it came back damp. Shit. She wiped the other one, put her hand down, and noticed that she could see a balcony behind Jason with some fairy lights and comfy chairs. She let go of his hand, brushed past him, and walked toward it, but of course he went after her.

"Kat," he sighed, his voice low. "I know you."

"Do you?"

"You know the answer to that."

They reached the door. Katerina glanced at the lock, flicking it open with her mind. The slidey doors always had the easiest locks to open. So much fun. Complicated locks were fun too, but they actually required that she used her two braincells to open them. Unbelievable.

"Do I?" She pushed open the door and walked outside.

Behind her, he sighed and followed her, muttering, "I knew you'd say that." Thanks, enhanced hearing. ( Thanks, papa, she meant, but he's never given her any love. Not that she knows of, anyway. )

Katerina went to the railing and stared out at the view of New York City. It wasn't the best view she'd ever seen — not by miles, she's been to way too many places with amazing views — but it was better than the view at her apartment. It made her feel a little homesick, which was completely stupid.

( Or maybe it isn't stupid, since she doesn't have a home anymore. Something else she doesn't have, just like love. )

"Pretty," she commented, her voice quiet as her gaze darted around to the buildings towering above them with lights on, to the people walking below to wherever they were going for New Year's.

"You've always loved a pretty view," Jason was standing next to her, their arms brushing. "Something else I know about you."

She grimaced. "Can't you let that go?"

"You know that's not how good communication works."

Yes, Jason, thanks so much for that. Katerina knows what good communication is; you kinda needed it if you wanted to be in a successful polyamorous relationship.

"Guess I've fallen off," Katerina shrugged.

"Kat."

"What do you want me to say, Jason? What do you want me to do?"

"Tell me that I still know you as well as I do," he told her. "Tell me that you know you're here because you're loved."

"Jason—"