Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus series, RR does.

In the Rhythm of Calypso

CHAPTER 1

It wasn't a good day. Who would call the day they almost lost their life good?

She wasn't too enthusiastic about working with him from the beginning. Let's face it - they barely knew each other and she certainly didn't like the crazy glints in his eyes. The fact that she sometimes cracked a smile at his stupid jokes didn't change anything... No, anything. And that day, Leo Valdez' clumsiness had almost killed her.

No, she didn't like him at all.

Why him? There were so many other people in the Laboratory Science class..! Ok, not that many were free, as the great majority was swapping spit on every occasion, but still. And Mrs. Lupa had absolutely had to pair her up with him for the experiments! Damn that woman...

X

"Leo Valdez, at your service!" he said with a grin, reaching out with a hand for her to shake. She eyed him up and down, like she was considering what the best way to knock him out quietly would be.

"I know. Reyna" she answered with reserve, completing the gesture.

"What's your last name, Reyna?" he asked, throwing himself on a chair next to her. Her eyes narrowed.

"I don't think that's necessary for you to know" she looked at him with her best fuck-the-hell-off expression.

"Woah, ok, ok! No surnames, got it!" he put his hands in front of himself in a defensive pose. "So" he nervously tried to change the topic "What are we supposed to do?"

Their job wasn't something her and him couldn't do. How could it be if they were the two best students in the class? But, of course, something had absolutely had to go wrong.

He was pouring the content of a big beaker to their test-tube. "Ok, just don't over- YOU OVERDID IT!" she shouted, sensing the worst.

"Wha- Mierda [shit]!" he took his eyes from her hurriedly (was he staring at her the whole time?) and they both jumped back just in a moment for the explosion.

X

She was sitting on the top of the stairs of the Science building, holding her aching head in her hands, still in her apron. They had both fallen on the ground and she'd hit her head. "Um..." She rolled her eyes, hearing the voice she most wanted to avoid from now on.

"What do you want?" she groaned as Leo sat a few meters from her. Just in case.

"I... I wanted to apologize" he muttered, playing with his watch's knobs. Too scared to even look her in the eye, pathetic. She kept silent. "I just..! Got a bit distracted..." he said, casting a glance in her direction and lowering his sight again, his cheeks flushing.

She frowned. Leo Valdez embarrassed and diffident? That was a new sight for her.

"It's ok" she hurried to answer, wanting just to get rid of him once and for all.

His expression brightened. "Really..?" he asked, looking at her with a silly smile spread across his face.

"Yeah, don't bother with apologizing" she mumbled, closing her eyes. He kept sitting there, she could feel that. She opened her eyes and sent him a murderous glance. "What now?!" she groaned.

"I just..." he run a hand through his black curls "Would you like to have lunch with me..? As amends..?" he looked at her shyly.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. First he causes a giant bruise to appear on her scalp and then he still has the guts to ask her out? She opened her mouth to say "Not in a million years, Valdez!" but something about his eyes, locked on hers with so much willingness, made a crack in the ice covering her heart. "Ok..." she heard her hesitating, disbelieving voice accompanied with his triumphant howl.

She was sure as hell she was going to regret it.

ZJeM, 02.01.14

From author:

A new adventure with a I-don't-know-how-long-probably-a-few-chapters-only-SHOT, yay! :D I hope the next chapters will be longer, this is just kinda a prelude or something. :)

I'll try to keep it natural and all (research, I'm coming!) but I don't know a thing about American collage system, so there may be a few mistakes in that topic.

Anyway, if you want a really good high school/collage Leyna AU, go read Ours by Ary Hyuga or Obviously by ThePraetorLady (formerly FieldOfPaperFlowers). If they aren't the masters of the topic then I don't know who is.

THANKS FOR READING!

(The title is the cheesiest name ever, I know. XD I promise it'll make more sense with a few next chapters. :))