Quiet Whispers- a Valgrace story

Jason - 2 -

Jason was exhausted. In fact, he could barely stand.
But for some strange reason, he couldn't sleep. He felt strangely buzzed, like he had chugged down a gallon of coffee, and weirdly restless.
So, like any normal person, Jason went to seek comfort in food.

The dining hall was serene, with the screens depicting Camp Half-Blood on the wall showing the dining pavilion. On the screens, campers were talking and eating, occasionally throwing food at one another.
Chiron trotted about, occasionally stopping to speak to a camper, before continuing his pacing up and down the rows of tables.
Jason sat down at a table, taking in the scenery. It made him a little sad to think of the place that had begun to feel like home for him. He would do nearly anything to teleport there right now, and join his fellow demigods in a game of food-fighting.
But he couldn't, could he? He sighed. First, he had to save the world ( maybe dying in the process ), and pray to the gods that he could get some sleep in the meantime.
Not that they seemed to be listening to that last request.
Jason supposed that it could be worse. He could be like Leo, who was constantly running around with machinery and equipment in hand, desperately trying to fix things with limited supplies and time. Or, he could be like Hazel- who had just recently returned to this century, and was trying to learn everything that had happened in the past couple of decades. Or...
Leo. Jason's mind couldn't seem to move from that topic. And maybe it was because he was sleepy, but it seemed like Leo had been on his brain more than usual lately.
His caramel-brown eyes, his stupid smile... And even that little birthmark he had on his neck. Jason kind of wanted to kiss it-
Stop it, me Jason chided himself, that's gross. Okay, it was pretty freaking disgusting, how much Jason thought of sucking on Leo's neck. And how much it turned him on.
Jason put his head in his hands in frustration. How could he have managed to fall for a short mechanic with curly hair? A son of Zeus, in love with a scrawny son of Hephaestus.
He's not that scrawny though, he thought, his arms are kind of toned, and he has really nice legs, the kind a woman has, all lean and pretty-
" oh my gods, stop." Jason groaned aloud, pulling at his hair. He had a problem. A serious problem. A 'I'm falling in love with a deranged mechanic' problem.
It wouldn't have been so bad, if he had fallen for a daughter of Hephaestus. But nooo, he just had to get the hots for a guy. Of course he couldn't have just fallen for a girl, like any normal person.

Maybe if he ate, and got some sleep, these crazy, sleep deprived thoughts would go away.

A little basket of fruit sat in the middle of the table ( courtesy of Annabeth, who had insisted that they always have healthy foods available ). Jason started to reach for an apple, when he heard a commotion down the hall.
He froze, straining to hear what the noise was.
It sounded like talking, yelling maybe- and it was coming from Leo's room. Jason didn't even hesitate. He sprinted towards the noise, sneakers thudding against the floor.
~~~
Jason stopped when he reached Leo's room, suddenly feeling a little bit like a creeper. What kind of person just waltzed right into another persons room, noises or not?
Inside the room, Jason heard the sound of sheets rustling, and more mumbling.
He's probably just having a Demigod nightmare. You should just leave him alone.
But for some reason, Jason didn't want to. If it had been any of the others, he would have just walked away. But since it was Leo... Since it was Leo, the boy he had a bit of a crush on...
Jason swallowed the lump in his throat and knocked on the door.
The sound carried loudly, and Jason winced. He had probably just woken up everyone.
Jason listened for a reply. He expected to hear Leo give his usual cheerful reply of  ' come on in!', but he heard no such words. Instead, there was more shuffling about and mumbling from Leo's side of the door.
Steeling himself ( and feeling a little guilty), Jason opened the door.
~~~
At first, he couldn't really see anything. His eyes hadn't adjusted- so all he could see was a vague outline of a desk and a bed.
But then his vision started to focus, and then he was able to see Leo.
The boy was writhing about in his bed, tangling himself up in the sheets. He was wearing a red t-shirt, but the rest of him was covered in blankets. He seemed agitated. Jason thought he could see a little bit of smoke rising from his body.
But what worried him more was what he was saying.
" L-Lo Siento... Lo siento..." The boy whimpered. He curled into a ball in his bed, his knees up against his chest. " Por favor, Teresa-"
Oh gods, now Jason felt properly terrified. Wasn't Teresa a foster parent Leo had mentioned? Yes, he remembered now. When he'd asked Leo what she was like, Leo had scrunched up his nose and shook his head.
And the Spanish part... Jason barely knew any Spanish, but he could tell that the boy was saying ' I'm sorry, I'm sorry' . That made his blood run cold. Leo wasn't the type to apologize in such a panicked, terrified-sounding way.
Jason stepped forward, towards the bed. Leo was hyperventilating, his chest rising and falling in a way that made Jason nervous.
" Uh.. Leo?" Jason said, reaching out to touch the boy. He tapped his shoulder lightly, for some reason feeling like he had to treat the boy gently, like he was made of glass.
As soon as he did, Leo yelped and scooted away from him, his eyes moving underneath his eyelids.
Jason pulled his hand away in shock. What could the boy be dreaming about that would make him so jumpy?
I need to wake him up, Jason realized. Whatever he's dreaming about is serious. He's freaking out...
Jason took Leo's small shoulders in his hands and shook him slightly.
" Leo? Wake up, buddy..." He shook him some more. Leo shivered in his grip. He murmured something incoherently.
" Leo. Wake up. " Jason hasn't even realized he was channeling electricity into his palms until he saw it sparking and when it began to electrify Leo.
Jason jumped back. Oh gods, I hurt him-
Leo shot up in his bed with a scream, tears in his eyes.
They stared at each other in silent shock for a moment.
Then Jason began to speak.
~~~