Accepting.
Or,
Because Immortals and Mortals Don't Ever Ever Work Out, Here's a Story of Leo With An OC

Ok.

I love Leo/Calypso. Really. But, c'mon, she's immortal. There's no way Rick's letting that happen. Maybe for a bit, but I doubt it'll actually work out.

So, here's Leo with my OC. I guess it's his moment of realization "I may never stop loving Calypso, but that doesn't keep me from be able to maybe start fresh with someone else, right?" Or somethin' like that.

No one remembered.

But really, that's okay. But really, it's not. Leo's pretty sure he's never even mentioned it, but come on, he's got to of mentioned his birthday at least once!

Maybe he did. Maybe not. Either way, no one mentioned it when the day came.

He didn't even really realize it, either. He realizes two weeks before that it was almost his birthday, but then… The war just took up all his time.

But that's over. Just over, so it still feels like everyones still waiting for something, but over.

So. Anyways. No one remembered.

Leo spent the first part of the morning waiting to see if anyone would wish him a Birthday congratulations, and the other half letting himself wallow in self pity.

He saw his friends in the morning, but they all seemed to be busy. Most of the couples have been spending a lot of time alone together, since the war.

So basically, Leo's been hanging out with his metal talking dragon.

On times when he's not talking to Happy the Dragon, he's annoying the new girl.

Ah. New Girl. Shorter than him, from the Hermes cabin, long brown curly hair, bright blue eyes, a sassy attitude, and a pouty mouth. And she ain't afraid to hurt Leo when he's annoying her too much.

Once apon a time, she'd be the perfect girl for him. But nowa days, he isn't looking. He still sees Calypso everywhere he looks.

On her birthday, a few months ago, he had given the new girl, Bethy, a stuffed bird. But she wasn't the kind to really celebrate birthdays. So he didn't expect much about it.

He greeted her in the morning. She greeted him back. They talked a bit before the class that their cabins had together, and she laughed at the lame joke he told. She told him a new pun she heard.

It wasn't 'till after classes, but before dinner, that she brought the bag.

It was just some old brown bag-a sack really. It wasn't particuly big, but apparently it was the only thing she could find.

She made him follow her to the forest, to this log that they've spent countless times hanging out together on, during capture the flag(Which they're both not the best at.).

When he questioned her what this was about, she looked at him annoyed.

"You really thought I'd forget your birthday?"

She threw him the sack.

"Wait, you know it's my birthday?" He caught it before it could hit him in the face.

"Yeah, duh, I just didn't know if you wanted to make it a big deal or not. So I didn't mention it. But you got me something on mine, so I got you… Well, I got you crap, but at least it's something."

Leo frowned at her. Then he grinned at her.

"Hm. Seems Ms. Bethy actually does have feelings."

"Shut up! No I don't. I just don't like having to owe someone something."

Leo opened the bag.

"Okay, wait," Bethy moved closer to him to peer into the bag to.

"I honestly had no idea what to get you. I just got random keychains, and crap, of things that-I dunno-That reminded me of you. Or something. So before you opened it,-" Leo sat on the log behind them and dumped everything on his lap, "Remember that!"

The young man pushed through the few things. They really were just as Bethy said-Keychains, and stuff. Stuff you'd find at a gas station, little cheap things you'd buy as a suvenior.

The girl sat next to Leo on the log, sighing and sagging down in defeat.

"See. Not too special. But that's the best you're gonna get."

Leo gaped at her. He picked up a keychain by it's chain.

"Does this say Hot Stuff, Made In Texas?"

"...It only relates to you 'cause you're from Texas, right? But not in any other way-At all." She finished quickly when Leo began to get a smirk on his face.

"Hahah, yeah, I'm sure. Just that. Sure. It's not in any way about my extreme, mega, foxy level of hot-Oh my gods! Is this a mini hammer that sparkles?!"

"... I was gonna apologize about that, but it was the only one that was-uh-a hammer or something. There wasn't any other toals. I didn't expect you to like it."

Leo was waving said sparkly hammar around and grinning wildly.

"And this! A flame? Oh! Oh! I love these moving bookmarks!"

After Leo went through each of his cheap, gas station gifts, he sat back down on the log. Bethy was holding her stomach, still laughing.

"It took me forever to get these, and if I had more time, I probabley could have gotten more."

She picked up one, a little mug, and said, "I won this in a poker game with my cabin, when we don't have enough money we throw in random crap, and someone's mortal brother had just gone on a trip to Texas."

She picked up the little hammar.

"This is something you can buy at the shop my dad works at, when you're-ya know-waiting for your car to be done or something."

"And the flame, I got at a dollar store." She smiled over at Leo in a funny way, she knew how crappy the gift were, but knew she couldn't do much better.

Leo felt like his face was splitting in two. It took him forever just to get this girl to stand him, he was still working on her liking him.

But hey, it looks like she already does.

Leo frowned. Bethy was looking somewhere else, telling how she had convinced a friend to give her the bookmark, so she didn't notice.

Like him… In a friendly way. Of course. Just like he likes her in a friendly way. Even if he finds her really pretty-That's just the part of being friends, thinking of them in an amazing way, a supportive way, right? And it doesn't matter if she can make him smile, at any time, even when she's glaring at him. That she's the only one who will laugh at all his pickup lines, even his dirty ones, and then tell him one she's heard, leading to a long discussion of pick up lines that work and don't work and other funny puns and-

No. In a friendly way. He's the same way with all his friends!

Hm. Actually, he takes that back. He's pretty sure he doesn't find Jason or Percy or Frank pretty, nor tries pick up lines on them.

Bethy nudged him. He looked up, realized that she had asked him a question.

"Well? Dude, what have you done all day? I was expecting you to make a huge deal out of your birthday-Hell, after the deal you made on mine, I figured everyone in America would know it's your birthday."

"Oh, I-well-we've been busy and I-Kind of forgot about it-Nah, I didn't really-The big deal'll coming on later." Leo had pasted a huge grin on his face, but he sensed it looked fake. He still felt confused and shaken up from the thoughts that filled his head moments before.

Bethy was giving him a look-Almost of pitty, though it looked more like she didn't understand.

"Oh." Or maybe she did-How, she understood all that, Leo doesn't know. He didn't even understand himself-She nodded.

"Well, then I guess we have to do something, don't we?" She sighed and looked towards the sun, Leo looked over also, but didn't see anything.

Bethy grabbed his arm and looked at his watch.

"We have… An hour 'till dinner. Kay. Any insane, crazy, Leo-thingy you've always wanted to do, but no one would 'cause they didn't feel like dyeing, that could take an hour?"

Leo stared at her. There were hundreds of things he's always wanted to do. His friends never wanted to. Bethy included. But if he used the It's-my-birthday card…

"Wow. You're like-Some goddess or something. Actually, I take that back, I've decided I don't like goddeses."

Bethy laughed. Of course, after his quest, he-along with the rest of the seven-probably wouldn't join a goddess or god fan club.

And no. She's not a goddess. Because goddesses have special rules. They can't be with mortals forever. A goddess wouldn't be here with Leo, on his birthday, giving him random crap because that's the best they could do. Random stuff that each had a little thing that was about him. Where he was from. His fire power, a tool, and little things that only a friend would know he'd like.

No. She's not a goddess. Because Leo, and a goddess, doesn't work. Didn't work.

Bethy stood up, took a step forward and noticed Leo still sitting down. She offered her hand.

"C'mon, Fire boy. This is a one time thing."

Leo grinned and took her hand.

"I'm sure, one day, I'll convince you too make it a life-long-thing."

I'm a girl sitting in big sweat pants, wearing a swim cap that does not do me any favors, in a cold room in the middle of a swim meet. So not Rick Riordan.