Once and for All- Part Three Of The Conclusion To The United Series

Chapter Fourteen

Jason's POV:

Ivan and I stay in that position for what seems like hours; my arms wrapped around his neck, his arms around my waist, our foreheads touching, our lips inches away from each other. It feels weirdly warm and amazing.

Ivan opens his eyes to look at me again and a warm smile spreads on his lips. I smile back at him and he leans in closer to me to kiss me again. I'm about to lean in with him until a single word pops into my head.

Piper.

I immediately stop and slightly move away from him. He looks confused and a bit hurt.

"Jason? What's wrong?" He asks me. I look down at the floor, suddenly interested in the carpet.

"Piper..." I trail off and Ivan automatically understands. He nods his head and lets his arms fall from my waist.

"I-I'm sorry-" I stammer and Ivan shakes his head.

"It's okay, Jason. I understand. Go back to Piper, she's probably looking for you." Ivan tells me, smiling warmly down at me, but there's an edge in his black eyes. He already lost Max, and now he's going to lose me, too.

I'm silent for seconds before finally pulling away from Ivan. He smiles warmly down at me and he leans in towards my cheek, but stops halfway there. His soft smile flickers for a second before he slowly pulls away and sighs.

"Well, um...." he trails off and I have no idea what to say. What should I say? I have nothing.

But I don't have to say anything. The door is suddenly swung open and in front of us stands the one and only; Piper McLean. Her choppy and uneven chocolate brown hair is styled with white and gold feathers today with thin stands still braided down the sides, and her bright orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt is under a long-sleeved red and black flannel button-up shirt. Her blue jean shorts go just above her knees and her eyes always change like a kaleidoscope; brown, blue and green. She smiles at me, a smile so warm it could melt ice. Her copper skin is perfect and she's beautiful. I'll admit- even though it's not really a secret- that she's absolutely beautiful.

"Jason, I've been looking for you." She tells me, closing the door behind her. She glances at Ivan beside me and her eyes turn slightly darker. She seems to glare at him for a few seconds before turning back to me.

"We haven't really spoken in awhile since the war started. I want to see how you're doing." She says and I question it all just for a bit. Why would I ever leave her? Why would I ever even consider leaving Piper McLean for anyone else? She's beautiful, she's kind yet violent at the same time, she's cute, she's smart- she's perfect.

Exactly.

That's the only problem. She's perfect. I don't want perfect. I want someone with actual flaws, and someone who isn't afraid to address them. Piper...what flaws does she have? She's beautiful, she's smart, she has the most amazing singing voice in the planet, she's cute and an amazing fighter, she's dangerous and rebellious. She is truly perfect.

I don't want perfect.

But I just nod my head and force a smile back at her. "Yeah, of course."

She smiles at me again before glancing back at Ivan. She scowls at him for a bit and turns back to me.

I don't want perfect.

Max's POV:

"Let's go." I tell Finn, who looks shocked.