So this is my newest oneshot.

Each little dabbleish thing takes place during different time periods. So here's a ledgend:

Travis and Katie- Present.
Chris and Clarisse- Doesn't really have a set time. Let your imaginations run wild.
Percy and Annabeth- Future, after series.
Jason and Reyna- After SoN and or MoA (it really depends on when the books are set...)
Frank and Hazel- Probably After Son
Jason and Piper- Same time period as Jason and Reyna
Thalia and Luke- Before the series and before they found Annabeth.

WARNING: Jason is OOC with Piper, you have been warned.

Empty Thoughts doesn't own PJO. Never has and most likely never will. Special thanks to my beta, rainydaydreams, she saved my butt when it comes to grammar. Check out her stories!

Christmas

Travis and Katie

"Merry Christmas, Travis!" Katie exclaimed, holding up a small green box wrapped in a red ribbon.

"Oh, you shouldn't have - who am I kidding? Hand it over!" Travis said with a grin.

Katie handed it over.

"Um, Katie... Are you sure this is a good idea?" Travis asked, raising a can in the air.

"Yup, it sure is!"

"You really meant to give me a can of silly string?"

Katie nodded, "Yeah. So where's my present?"

Travis asked her to wait for a minute. He left and came back with a giant bow on his head...?

"I don't get it." she said, staring.

"I'm your present! Cute, right?"

Katie stared for a minute longer, "No, not really."

His face showed mock hurt. "I was just kidding. Here's your real present."

He pulled out an envelope from somewhere. Katie ripped the card open and inside was a poorly made homemade gift certificate, like the kind you would make for your mom on her birthday when you were broke.

"Two months of no pranking for the Demeter cabin." she read, "Oh Travis, I think this is the sweetest gift I've ever gotten. Thank you so much!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"So you really liked it?" He asked.

"I do, but you probably threw it together a few minutes ago, didn't you?

He grinned, "You know me so well."

"By the way, you're using that can in the two months you can't prank my cabin."

"Aww…"

Chris and Clarisse

"Clarisse?" he said, walking towards her. She was slicing through dummies in the training area like it was nobody's business.

"Would you stop for a minute and open your damn present?"

Clarisse turned around angrily, her eyes rimmed with red. "I don't want your dumb present."

"I said open it. Just do it." he ordered.

She ripped the small rectangular box wrapped in gold out of his hands roughly. She striped of the paper and opened the box; she pulled out a picture frame.

"Where… Where did you get this?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I'm a son of Hermes, I have my ways."

"Gods, Chris. I miss her already." She said, losing her composure.

Tears were leaking from her eyes. Chris wrapped her in a hug.

"I know you do. You guys were close."

Chris spent his Christmas Eve with his arms around the girl he loved.

Percy and Annabeth

"I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-foot pole either." Annabeth joked.

"Aw c'mon, I don't smell that bad, do I?" Percy laughed. In response Annabeth plugged her nose.

Percy plopped down on the couch in their apartment; they were watching The Grinch for the… well, they lost count.

"I feel sorry for the dog, you know, having to pull that sleigh for so long." Percy said.

Annabeth turned her head and raised an eyebrow, "You do realize this is an animated film, right?"

"I'm not that stupid."

"Sure you aren't," she giggled.

After another twenty minutes, Annabeth stood up. "Well, I'm going to bed."

"Wait - Annabeth, don't!" he said and grabbed her hand. "Stay, just until midnight, then you can go to bed."

She looked down at him, sighed and then sat back down. "You're just afraid to stay up by yourself."

"Yeah, sure."

…

"It's midnight."

"It's Christmas."

"Your point, Percy? We can celebrate Christmas tomorrow -er, later."

"Wait, I just wanted to give you a present now." he said. He walked to the kitchen and came back with his hands behind his back. She raised her eyebrow.

"I thought, you know, maybe you would rather open this now than open it later in the morning. Plus I couldn't wait any longer." He handed her a big box. Inside, there was another box, and in that, a smaller box that fit in the palm of her hand.

She opened it with care, and inside was a ring, a thin silver band with a single diamond in the center.

She looked up from the box and saw Percy on his knees.

"Merry Christmas, Annabeth. Will you marry me?"

Jason and Reyna

Camp Jupiter was lit up. In Christmas lights, that is. People of all ages were dancing, eating turkey or fooling around. Everybody but Reyna and Jason, who were just sitting there and watching the party.

"I'm glad you're back, Jason." Reyna said, but her eyes didn't leave the crowd.

"I am too, I missed this place." he said. He was watching Reyna when he thought she didn't notice. She noticed.

"Well, more of the people then the place itself." he amended.

"Which people?" Reyna asked slowly.

Jason thought about it for a moment. "You know, Bobby, Gwen, Hazel, Dakota. The usual."

"You missed the guy who gets drunk off of Kool-Aid?"

"Hey, don't knock on Dakota. I grew up with him, remember?"

"Are you sure you didn't miss anybody on that list?"

Jason grinned to himself, "Yeah, I'm positive, praetor."

Reyna stood up, "I think I'm going to join a friend. I'll see you later, Jason."

Jason really wanted to slap himself. It was supposed to be a joke. He sighed and went to go stop Dakota from having too much Kool-Aid.

…

"Reyna!"

She turned, and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Most people wouldn't notice but Jason knew her better than anyone. Possibly better than her own sister.

"Reyna, please, just hear me out."

"You have two minutes before I leave, Grace."

He cringed, "Okay, so you're mad at me. I get that. I just left, for like, what -"

"Eight months, Jason. Eight months." she said.

He cringed again, "It wasn't my fault though! It's not like I asked to be kidnapped! I get that you thought I left you on purpose. I get that you're mad I showed up with another girl! But I don't get what you want me to do about it."

"You never apologized - "

"What is there to apologize about, Reyna?" he exploded. "I've tried everything I know to make it up to you. You're giving me the cold shoulder! It's like you want me to leave again."

"Jason - "

"If that's what you really want, fine! I'll go! If you really want me to go that bad, I'll go and never come back."

"I never said that!" Reyna said, desperately trying to fix what she started. She had tears in her eyes, but she desperately tried not to show it.

"Well, you sure haven't said anything else." he clenched his fists.

"Jason, I'm sorry. I don't want you to leave." she tried.

"You know what?" he said suddenly, "I need a break. If I'm not back in a month, don't expect me back."

"Jason - "

"Reyna, I've had enough. I need a break."

He walked off to his room. A few minutes later, she saw him walk out with a duffle bag over his shoulder.

Reyna spent her Christmas Eve alone, in tears.

Frank and Hazel

"I love this song, Hazel, come dance!" Frank said, pulling Hazel to her feet.

"You call this music?" She crinkled her nose. "This sounds like a drowning cat."

Frank laughed. "I'm not too sure, but I think that's the point."

The song eventually ended.

"Thank the gods. I think my ears were bleeding."

"So, what do you want for Christmas?" Frank asked.

She considered it for a moment. "I don't really want anything."

"Are you sure?" Frank asked, "You don't want anything? Not even a cracker? Or a piece of cheese? Or a - "

"If I tell you what I want, will you stop?" Hazel said.

"Yes."

"All I want is…" she said, drawing it out.

He copied her, "Yes…?"

"…is a kiss. On the lips."

Frank blinked. "All you want for Christmas is a kiss."

"Yes. I don't need anything else." she said.

"Well, okay then."

…

"Are you going to kiss me yet?" Hazel asked with a tiny smile on her face.

"Um, yeah."

Frank awkwardly leaned in and kissed her on the lips, ever so lightly.

"I actually have decided for an additional Christmas present, Frank."

"And what would that be?"

"Kiss me again."

Jason and Piper

It was pretty late. Christmas was considered over to Piper. For once, she was actually staying at her father's mansion. Just when she was about to go to bed, the doorbell rang.

It turned out to be Jason, which was a huge surprise.

"How did you even know where I lived?" she asked. He flat out ignored her.

"Is your dad here?" he asked

"He's sleeping, why?"

"Good." he said, he grabbed her shoulders and smashed his lips onto hers. All questions were forgotten. She faintly heard Jason shut the door with his foot, and then he pushed her up against the wall. Her hands found the way to his neck and lay there comfortably.

His hands moved down her back and settled on her hips.

"Jason?" she gasped.

"Yeah?" he murmured.

"What… What is going on?"

Jason kissed her neck right under her chin. Piper shivered.

"I like you Piper, I like you a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah." he replied.

He kissed her again. This time his hands didn't stay put, they moved up her shirt. They didn't stop there. They crept all the way up to her bra and when he started the clasps, she had enough.

"Jason, stop."

He looked up, "Why? Don't you like it?"

"I guess but -" she broke off. She was going to say, "…but it's wrong." but before she could, his lips were pressed to hers. When he stopped to breathe, she pushed him off of her.

"Okay, Jason. Enough." She commanded, this time completely serious. "You said you would be at Camp Jupiter all holiday. Then you just show up here. What's going on?"

He sighed, and told her. It felt like a ton of bricks fell on her at once. "I got into a fight. With Reyna. She was still mad about me disappearing and one thing lead to the next and I told her if she wanted me to, I would leave. So I did and now I'm here."

Piper stared at him for a minute. Was this all she was to him, the rebound? Would he come around every time he fought with Reyna?

"Let's go get some eggnog." she said, and walked off to the kitchen.

…

"Look, Jason, if there's one thing I know, it's love." Piper started. "Reyna's hurt. She thinks you abandoned her. So instead of showing it, she put up a wall. She thinks it's easier to be angry with you than to be upset and hurt. So what you said to her made her upset, and she became angry, right?" She paused.

Jason nodded and stared at his eggnog.

"When you were gone, she missed you. She really missed you, and I'm sure if she could have left camp, she would have been searching for you. She would have searched until the world ended or she found you. Do you know why, Jason?"

He didn't reply.

"Because she loves you. And I'm pretty sure you feel the same."

"Then what am I supposed to do about it? If she did love me, I'm pretty sure she hates me know." he said rather gloomily.

"I sound like my mom here but, love conquers all. Go back and apologize for being a jerk, Jason. She'll just be happy that you came back."

Piper stood up and escorted him to the door.

"Piper?" Jason asked.

"Yes?"

"First, thank you. You probably just saved my life and my love life. Second, I'm sorry for coming onto you like that. It was wrong."

"Yeah, it was."

"I can't do anything right, can I?"

"Just leave before you make things worse." she said, but with a small smile to hide the regret in her voice.

"Bye, Piper."

"Bye, Jason."

Thalia and Luke

Luke and Thalia walked out of the drugstore with their pockets full of unpaid items.

"Thalia, wait, I'll be back. Wait for me here, okay?" Luke told her and jogged off inside the mall.

Thalia sighed and found a bench to sit on. She wondered how different her life could have been right now, if her mom wasn't a drunk, her dad wasn't a mythical being and her baby brother hadn't disappeared.

She would probably be living in a nice home in front of a fireplace helping Jason decorate a Christmas tree.

She wasn't though, she was out here in the freezing cold of Chicago, forced to steal from hard working people just to survive. On Christmas Eve, of all days.

Life pretty much sucked for Thalia. It wasn't like she was going to be able to wake up, greet her perfectly happy and normal family and open some perfectly normal presents. Normal seemed so obscure now.

She was never normal.

…

Luke came out five minutes later, with a shopping bag. He walked straight towards her and handed her the bag. Inside was a small box wrapped in Christmas tree patterned wrapping paper.

She couldn't help it. She laughed.

"Well, open it." Luke prompted.

She did, and laughed again. Inside was mascara and black eyeliner.

"Luke, how did - you know what, never mind. Thank you. I wish I stole you something now."

"C'mon, let's go before they call the cops."

So they started walking off in the opposite direction.

Okay, so maybe she didn't have a mom who would be there for her, or a real dad or even a little brother to decorate the Christmas tree with, but she did have a small family with Luke. And Christmas was about spending time with your family, so maybe, just maybe, Thalia could pretend to be normal. For a little while, anyways.

[EDITED] 27/07/12

Sigh... I considered taking out the whole Jason/Piper thing, but it shows kind of how much I've improved/ (what's the word?) gotten worse. I still love the drabble though.

Thanks for putting up with it! Review if you like.

Empty Thought- if your chocolate goes missing you can blame it on me.