You Say by Lauren Daigle

It was a week later and Jason was in his cabin. He'd just finished with his watch and he was exhausted. Over the past week, they had been keeping an eye on Leo. They'd gone through the whole ship, hiding all the sharp objects they could find(which proved difficult considering this was a demigod warship), and locked up all the medicine cabinets.

Whenever Leo was on watch, or just alone in general, someone was always there to keep him company. There were times when Leo snapped at them, but they were patient. The last thing Leo wanted to do was push them away. Deep down he appreciated all the love. And he believed that things could get better.

But that night was a tough night. Jason was just entering the world of sleep when his door flew open. "What—" Jason mumbled, but stopped when he say it was Leo. And he was crying.

"Leo, what is it?" He asked gently. "I...I was just thinking-and uh...I really wanted to cut, but I haven't done that in years. I was looking everywhere but then I remembered what you said and I didn't want to wake you up, but then..."

Jason was out of bed in seconds. "You made the right choice Leo. Thank you so much for coming to me. Now what's bothering you?"

As Leo talked, Jason took one of Leo's hands and examined the scars there. Leo was right, he thankfully hadn't cut in years. The scars were all faded, probably from a time before he knew he was a demigod. That fact saddened him.

"I don't even really know. I was on the deck talking with Hazel and then she left for bed. She made sure I was in my cabin too, and it just made me feel so weak and stupid, I don't know. Maybe I am. But I snuck back on deck by Festus and just got really sad. I needed something to do with my hands.

"I wanted to cut. I really did. But I couldn't find anything so I went to find you and I just need something to distract me—"

Jason cut him off. "Draw on my hands," he said. "Huh?" Leo asked, tears in his eyes. Jason got up from the bed and grabbed a sharpie off his desk. He handed it to Leo who twirled it in his fingers a few times before clicking it.

He grabbed Jason's hand, thought for a moment, and then started to draw. They were meaningless drawings to some people, but they meant a lot to Leo. His heart warmed towards Jason's willingness to be there for him.

Leo sat for hours, just doodling up and down Jason's arms. Jason, though tired, sat patiently, watching. Soon Leo stopped crying and instead focused on simply drawing.

Jason had long since fallen asleep when Leo pocketed the sharpie and left for his room, feeling much better than when he'd arrived.

^*^*^*^

It was pretty common to see someone with sharpie on their hands around the Argo II. Everyone was more than willing to let Leo draw on them if it meant he would feel a little better. It was a way for him to cope. And it was better than cutting. A lot better.

By the time the Giant War came around, Leo was prepared. He was ready to fight again. He had truly recovered. He felt better than ever, having received the love and support he so desperately needed.

And he was okay.