The Library Book

2. The Fear

[ 3 years after chapter 50 ]

"Leo!" Annabeth almost shrieked, jumping up to hug him as they clashed in the middle of the field on the campus of MIT.

She knew they were probably getting weird looks, but she didn't care. "I haven't seen you in nine months," Annabeth said accusatorially. "What?" Video chats could only go so far.

"I know!" Leo wailed, sitting down on the grass and yanking her down beside him. "I've been so busy."

Jason walked up behind them and sat down, giving Leo a side-hug. "Hello."

"The levels of enthusiasm here are sending me mixed messages," Leo said, raising his eyebrows.

"Sorry," Jason mumbled. "We just came from Illinois." Annabeth, Percy and Jason had taken a roadtrip during their Thanksgiving break to tour the states. They'd spent a few days in Illinois with Frank, Hazel and Piper, and then left to find Leo, leaving Percy in Illinois with them.

"Ah," Leo nodded. "Piper."

"It's fine now," Jason said reassuringly, but he looked like he was trying to convince herself. "Well, I thought I was. I mean, it's almost been three years since we broke up. When we were staying in Illinois, it was fun too. It felt like we could be friends again."

Leo frowned. "Then what's the problem?"

Annabeth winced. "Piper's boyfriend came over on the last day."

"Oh no." Leo scrunched up his face. "Is it Brett? It's Brett, isn't it? God, I hate that guy. He was horrible to me."

"Not Brett," Annabeth corrected. "Vincent."

"Vincent," Jason tried out the name. "Even his name is annoying."

Annabeth stifled a laugh.

"Oh, shut up." Jason picked at the grass by his feet. "He's actually a great guy. The nicest person ever — damn it. And he's smart too. And sporty."

Annabeth arched an eyebrow. "Is Piper dating him or are you?"

"There's an obvious solution to this," Leo insisted. "Jason, you haven't dated anyone since Piper."

"I did!" he protested. "I've been on so many dates!"

"Leo has a point," Annabeth agreed, rounding on Jason suspiciously. "Dates don't count — the only actual relationship you had that lasted more than a month was Emily. And you broke up with her last year."

"Leo has no ground to stand on in this situation!" Jason said indignantly. "Calypso's studying at Berklee and he hasn't made a move!"

"What?" Annabeth demanded, turning on Leo. "Is that true?"

Leo had gone red to the roots of his hair. "I told you that in confidence, Jason."

"If I'm going down I'm taking you with me," Jason told him.

"Berklee's nearby!" Annabeth frowned. "Why haven't you done something about it?"

Leo flopped onto his stomach, resting his chin on the heels of his palms. "I don't know," he stammered. "It's been four years! I haven't...We lost touch a month after she left New York. Isn't it weird to just go up to her one day?"

Annabeth shrugged. "No. You guys dated for a bit. College is a good time to try new things anyway. I don't think she'd care."

"Yeah, well," Leo stared at his hands. "I don't know if I want to risk it. The few weeks we had in high school were nice. I don't want to ruin the memories."