Percy Jackson x reader one shots

The night was heavy with silence, the kind of silence that crept up on you, thick and suffocating. It was supposed to be a peaceful evening, the stars twinkling above you like little lights in the dark. But tonight, nothing felt peaceful.

You stood at the edge of the campfire, your fingers clutching at the cool, damp fabric of your jacket, eyes staring at the flames that flickered and danced. The warmth should have been comforting, but it only reminded you of the cold that had settled deep inside your chest.

He wasn't coming back.

It had been days since the battle. Days since you had lost him. Leo Valdez. The boy with a grin that could light up the darkest places, the boy whose laugh was infectious, whose heart was bigger than the world. The boy who had saved you more times than you could count, and yet, in the end, it hadn't been enough.

You remembered the day as if it had just happened. The explosion. The chaos. The way his body had slumped into yours, the warmth of his touch fading as the life left his eyes. His final words echoing in your ears, *"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me. You're gonna be alright."*

You should have known. Leo never liked to let people in. He always smiled, always laughed, but deep down, you knew there were cracks in his armor, places where he had been hurt. And now, those cracks had taken him away from you.

"I love you," you whispered to the night, your voice barely audible over the crackling fire. It felt foolish to say it to the empty air, but it was the only thing left for you to do. The words that had been on your lips for so long, the words that would never reach him now.

The sound of footsteps approached behind you, slow and cautious. You didn't need to turn around to know who it was. You'd recognize that presence anywhere, even in the dark.

"You okay?" Piper's voice was soft, but it carried the weight of concern.

You nodded, though it wasn't true. You weren't okay. Not now, not ever again. But you couldn't bring yourself to say it out loud, not when you knew Piper was struggling too.

"I keep thinking he's gonna walk back in," you said, your voice trembling. "Like, he'll just... show up. With that stupid grin of his and his dumb jokes. But he's not."

Piper didn't say anything. She didn't need to. You knew she felt the same way. Leo had been her friend, too. He had been the glue that held the team together. Without him, everything felt... incomplete.

"Y/N..." Piper started, but stopped herself. She didn't have the words either. How could anyone? How could anyone explain something so unfair, so cruel?

You closed your eyes, feeling the sting of tears behind your eyelids. *Leo Valdez,* you thought. *You were everything to me.*

"I'll never forget him," you said finally, more to yourself than to Piper. "No matter what. I won't."

Piper put a hand on your shoulder, offering what little comfort she could, but you both knew there was no fixing this. There was no going back. Leo was gone.

And all you had now were the memories.

The nights spent talking under the stars. The way he would smile at you, even when things were falling apart. The way he always made you feel like you weren't alone in the world.

"I love you, Leo," you whispered again, your voice breaking as the tears began to fall.

The fire crackled and popped, the world continued spinning, but for you, everything stopped. You would never be the same. But you would carry him with you, in your heart, in your soul.

And maybe, just maybe, that would be enough.

The stars above seemed to flicker a little brighter, as if Leo himself was looking down on you, smiling, reminding you to keep going, to keep living. And so, with your heart heavy but full of love, you would do just that.

You would keep going. For Leo.