OMG! I've uploaded something! This is a short holiday fic, set in the world of my PJO series. It will be three chapters long. If you wish to read more into Jade's story, start with When Opportunity Strikes. For those of you still waiting on the next book in my PJO series, know that I'm still working on it, and I haven't forgotten.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I do own Jade, Lucy, Kyle, and any other characters you don't recognize from the series.

This story is set within When Opportunity Strikes.

Christmas Spirits

A Jade Egilhard Story

Chapter One

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year – and that may not surprise you. But trust me, when life throws impending doom your way every other weekend, you tend to be glad when you can lay back, spend time with family, and give a little back to the ones who keep you from losing your mind (and head with it).

I definitely wasn't the only one excited about this time of year. Just about every day of the December month, I was awoken by Lucy jumping around (sometimes on) me, and counting down the seconds 'til the twenty-fifth. This was the only time I didn't mind when she did something like that and at points I would join her in celebration.

This year would mark my first Christmas at Camp. I still had those moments where I would find myself in a homesick state, and though it was becoming easier to deal with as the months passed, this was still my first Christmas away from home. It was funny, though, that most of the homesickness seemed to dissipate around the dining pavilion.

The pavilion was set up different than usual, mostly due to the holidays. The tables were pushed together and the seating rules that usually applied were non-existent. There was a lot of excited chatter due to Christmas being two days away. Even Mr. D seemed to be in a good mood! The kitchen-harpies seemed to spare no expense on the food, which made my day even better. Some campers were already trading presents. I had to drop my drumstick to catch one that was flying my way.

"That one's meant for Mike!" Someone yelled at me. I wasn't sure which Mike he meant (it was such a common name), but I assumed from the head that raised up over the crowd at the sound of the voice, it was him.

"Got it!" I yelled back and tossed the present over a crowd of people.

"Thanks!"

It was a beautiful chaos. The very air seemed to laugh with us. A small blanket of snow – just enough for a decent snowball fight, but thankfully not enough soak your socks – covered the area, but it was warm here in the pavilion. I didn't think too much on it. My mind was focused on other things. Like Kyle and Lucy to my right, the latter trying to snatch a piece of ham off of the former's plate, starting a fork war.

You've never seen a fork war until you've seen how it's done at Camp Half-Blood.

The good cheer lasted all throughout the day. Training went as normal, though the archery targets were decked out like ornaments and strung up on a huge evergreen. That was one brave dryad! A lot of the newer campers, like myself, seemed to be in a state where we weren't sure if we should be celebrating or being stuck in the past. I was mostly lost in the moment of celebration, but by the end of the day, when everyone settled into bed, I stayed awake and thought back to the Salvin's. It was only two days until Christmas proper. It was the holiday that most of us looked forward to, and I wasn't there to celebrate with them. Were they going to be sad I was gone or would it be a normal Christmas? Both ideas stung a bit.

"Since we're all still awake," said Kyle out-of-the-blue, making me jump. "Why don't we find something to do?"

Lucy huffed, as if wondering how he could tell. She shot up out of bed and crossed her arms with a silly expression on her face. Somewhere between curiosity and irritation. I guessed she was waiting for us to fall asleep so she could try and peek at the presents we hid beneath our bunks. It's not like we didn't notice the little holes poked in the corners of the wrapping paper, though I didn't know how she could tell anything when it was so dark.

Kyle stood and stretched, placing and lighting a candle on a small table he had made in woodshop. He had argued that it was a corner table, but I pulled the darned thing out and in the center of the room anyway. I didn't hear any complaints afterward, so I guess he didn't mind. It looked like a serpentine dragon and the tabletop rested above it. I remembered walking into the cabin, seeing it in the corner one day and nearly running off before I realized what it was. It was so life-like. I figure if Kyle didn't become a professional monster-hunter, he'd have a good job in carpentry.

I sat up, regarding Kyle. "What did you have in mind?"

He shrugged, "Best Christmas ever?" Lucy instantly brightened.

"Oooh! Remember last year, when I went home with you? That was an awesome year! I still can't believe that pop star came to the party."

"He only lives two streets away…"

"Sorry? Since when do you hang out with celebrities?" I asked.

"Since forever." He had that look in his eyes that meant he was enjoying the look of disbelief on my face. "I used to go to school with his son."

"So… why stick around this year instead of being with your family?"

It seemed a simple question to ask, but he just stared at me. "Jade. You are family. And I couldn't leave you with Lucy over the holidays. You'd go insane."

"Does that mean you're already insane? You two have been in the same cabin for… how long now?"

"Just two years. Seems to drag on forever."

Lucy knew we were joking, but she gave an indignant growl at the jabs. I smiled. I don't know about some campers, but sometimes it was easy to forget that these two were my brother and sister. The thought was so new to me, even though I had been here for two months now.

"So what about you? Have a favorite year?"

I thought for a long while. "Maybe a few years ago. The Salvin's took us to see a – "

I never got to finish. All too suddenly, the candle had blown out and the room started to freeze. The windows were curtained over, but I could hear the ice crystallizing over them. We had all become silent. The dim glow of celestial bronze appeared in place of the candle – Kyle's sword – and I reached for a bow and some arrows. Kyle held up a hand, telling us to stay where we were. He walked to the door and peeked outside of it.

He motioned with a hand outside the door and I heard the crunching of snow, the closing of a door. There must have been other campers outside. After a while of scouting, he closed the door again and turned to us. "Get some sleep. Whatever's going on isn't happening, yet."

I was glad he didn't say it was nothing. He was always honest like that. There was no way it could be nothing. The candle, the windows, the overwhelming sense of foreboding…

And the distant shriek from the forest, silencing all else.