#do NOT take this as an opportunity to slander my girl Piper btw I WILL bite

[demigod-shenanigans]

May I offer the campfire scene as another underrated Valgrace moment?

The thing is. Jason doesn’t want to be the leader he’s always made to be. He’s currently standing there probably having an internal stress breakdown because he doesn’t even have his memories and something is clearly wrong and strange about him and everyone else is picking up on it, too.

He knows he’s supposed to pick a Hephaestus kid for this mission and Nyssa all but acts like going with him is a death sentence.

But then Leo stands up, and suddenly Jason isn’t alone. People actively try to stop Leo from volunteering for this mission but he wants to go so much that he’s getting up anyway.

And suddenly Jason doesn’t have to carry it all alone.

No one expects Leo to go on this quest. No one would criticize him if he wasn’t the one to go. Unlike Piper, who knows she has to go due to what’s going on with her dad, Leo volunteers purely because he wants to.

Piper expects Jason to reject Leo’s offer. Hell, very likely Leo was expecting him to reject it, too. All Leo’s so far managed to do in Jason’s presence was construct that little helicopter that ended up dropping into the Grand Canyon, getting tossed off the skywalk and getting knocked halfway unconscious.

But Jason just looks at him and smiles and goes “we started this together, of course I want you with me :)”

Something something Leo feeling wanted and valued in a way he never did with any of the foster families.

Then Leo learns this whole thing is terrifying and still doesn’t back down. He plasters on a smile and jokes and stands by his decision to go with Jason, even if it’s dangerous. That must have meant the world to Jason.