Synopsis: You are considering joining the Hunters of Artemis, but Jason can't let you do that without at least telling you how he feels.
Warnings: use of the words "pretty" and "beautiful", and the plot is kinda female implicating, but I made it as gn as possible for all of you lovely Jason simps. Enjoy!
Jason's hands trembled as he held the pamphlet. He knew he shouldn't have looked, it was invasive, and he already got what he came to get, but this made him glad he peeked. Or not. He couldn't decide.
You had asked him to grab your notebook from your backpack, you had plans for the upcoming quest in there and needed to show him. Jason, of course, agreed. It was a simple favor, but he felt honored that you asked him, of all people, to go through your things. you trusted him.
But what he found inside your backpack made his stomach do a somersault, and then a cartwheel on top of that. It was a piece of paper covered in words, words that made him want to scream and cry and throw up, all at the same time.
You were thinking about joining the Hunters of Artemis.
Under normal circumstances, he would be happy for you, and support you with whatever decision you made for your future. Hades, he'd even hype you up.
But this was a commitment, a commitment to leave camp and normal demigod life behind. A commitment to an immortal life, and most of all, a commitment to never love again. Problem was, Jason liked you. Like, really liked you.
Was it selfish? Absolutely. But Jason didn't care, he wanted you around. He wanted to take you on a date and maybe have the chance to have a real relationship with you. He didn't want to see you run off into the woods, living an immortal life while he gets old and dies.
The whole walk back to Bunker Nine he debated if he should bring it up or not. If he did, you might be upset with him for looking through your things, but you also might reciprocate his feelings. If he didn't bring it up, you might join the Hunters and he would never get the chance to be with you.
He decided he had to bring it up.
When Jason got back to Bunker Nine, Leo was gone, and you were left standing over his work bench, staring at plans for the Argo II. He handed you the notebook, and you immediately knew something was bothering him.
He meant to be more smooth with how he brought it up, but between your sweet voice asking if he was alright, and the concerned look you were giving him, it all just kind of fell out of him.
"Are you going to join the Hunters of Artemis?"
You blinked at him a couple of times before realization set in. "Oh, you found the brochure, right?"
Jason couldn't read your mood. You didn't seem angry, but you weren't enthusiastic either. He did the safe thing and nodded silently.
You sighed. "Yeah, I was thinking about it. I'm still not sure on my decision. Lady Artemis asked me herself last summer after the war, and I told her I would think about it, but it's a big decision. Lots of benefits... but it's also a lot to give up."
Jason was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Please don't join."
You looked at him, a bit shocked. "I'm sorry?"
He took a deep breath. "I know it's selfish, and I really shouldn't be influencing your decision, but I can't help it. I really like you, Y/n. If you don't like me back, that's okay. If you've already made up your mind, that's okay. I just couldn't let you join the Hunters without at least telling you how I feel."
You were stunned. Wide eyes, mouth agape, stunned. You looked him in the eyes for a second, then your gaze dropped to the floor. "Jason, I... this is a lot to take in. I haven't made my decision, and I'm not rejecting you, it's just... I need time. It's a lot."
You backed toward the door of Bunker Nine, notebook in hand.
Jason looked at you, his heart somewhere between fluttering and breaking. It wasn't a 'get lost!', but it also wasn't a 'yes, I want you too!'.
"Okay," he said. "That's fine, take your time, I'm not... I'm not going anywhere." He chuckled, a heartbroken mockery of a laugh, and scratched the back of his neck.
You left, and Jason let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. What just happened?
Meanwhile, your mind was racing. He liked you. He liked you. After pining after the seemingly clueless Jason, you finally decide to move on and leave the idea of him behind, only for him to come out of nowhere and have feelings for you? Did he expect to drop this bombshell on you and you'd just... drop the idea of joining altogether? Who was he to ask you not to do this?
You didn't know where you were going, you just knew you needed to get away and think.
The canoe lake at camp was beautiful, especially when it was empty. The greenish color of the sea combined with the sun glimmering off the surface, the deep green trees dusting the edges of the shore. Sometimes you could see the naiads waving up at you from the depths.
It was your favorite place at Camp Half-Blood.
You were there about ten minutes before a naiad named Cordelia swam up to the surface. She poked her head out of the water and grinned at you. "Whatcha thinkin' about, Y/n?"
"I'm, uh... I'm having guy troubles..." you admitted, somewhat sheepishly.
Cordelia lit up. "Oooh! Can I help?"
Cordelia was one of your closest friends at camp. You would come to the lake and talk to her or swim together, and she would offer you advice when you needed it. She was always so carefree, and you envied that about her.
You explained the situation to her, and how it made you feel, and she listened intently before humming.
"Sounds to me like this guy really likes you. I mean, you wouldn't ask someone you don't seriously care about to give up immortality for you, right?"
You hadn't thought of it like that. "Well, no... but what gives him the right?"
"Dunno," she said. "I think he just doesn't want to lose his opportunity. Oh, to have a hero falling at my feet like that..." Cordelia swooned.
You sat in silence for a moment, thinking about what she said.
"Cordie!" You blushed and found a sudden interest in your feet. "Yeah, he is."
"Then what's stopping you? If things go south, you can always join the Hunters later! If I were you, I'd see where it goes with this Jason guy."
"You're right, Cordie," you sighed. "As always. Thank you."
She beamed at you, and you took your leave.
Heading back to your cabin, you were somehow thinking harder after your conversation with Cordelia the naiad. You knew she was probably right, but that didn't mean you were completely ready for what it meant.
It was still a lot, and you needed time.
Three days. That's how long it had been, and Jason was losing his mind.
Sure, he told you to take your time, but it was killing him inside. He knew it was a big decision. Live an immortal life as a Hunter, running through the woods and killing monsters with your eternal family, or stay here at camp and go out with the former-amnesiac son of Jupiter until he has to leave on a potentially deadly quest, and go back to his own camp.
Honestly, he knew what he would choose, and it was breaking his own heart.
By the end of day three, he was ready to accept that you didn't like him back, and you were just too nice to shut him down immediately. That's when you sat by him at the campfire, and asked him if you could talk afterwards.
He may have said yes a little too quickly to be casual.
After the campfire, the two of you walked to the beach side by side. You didn't have long before the harpies would be out, but you had long enough.
You stopped before you reached the water, turning to face each other in the sand. Even though you had that serious look in your eyes, and Jason had the feeling that you were about to break his heart, he couldn't help but notice how pretty you looked. Your hair tousled gently by the breeze, your camp necklace resting gently against your collarbone, gods, you were beautiful.
He shook himself out of it before you could get uncomfortable with his staring.
"So..." Jason started awkwardly. "About eternal life and—"
"I like you too, Jason," you interrupted him. "I'm not going to join the Hunters."
It was Jason's turn to be stunned, staring at you incredulously while the waves crashed to your left. "You're... not?"
"No, I'm not. I just needed time to process things. It was a lot, you know? Suddenly finding out that someone you've liked for a long time has feelings for you, but ultimately having to decide if you're going to accept that and be with him, or move on and join a group of immortal monster hunters? It's a lot."
Jason chuckled and took a step towards you. You reached for his hand, holding it in your own.
"But I think... deep down, I always knew I would pick you."
He couldn't believe his luck. You picked him. Over immortality, you picked him. And he'd be damned if he wasted this chance.
Between Piper, who he had supposedly been dating and who he should love, and Reyna, who he had real history with and who loved him, he was being torn in two directions, neither of which he was sure he actually wanted.
To him, you were clarity. You were the one he wanted. You were the one he thought about constantly, the one who made his heart beat faster.
"So... does this mean I can ask you out?" he asked shyly.
You smiled at him. "I would love that."
