Tis the season to be a demigod, am I right? Happy Holidays to you all! Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël! Mele Kalikimaka! Καλά Χριστούγεννα! (That's Greek, according to Google Translate.) In the spirit of the holidays, and as the hastily crafted summary said, I will be doing the Twelve Days of Christmas Tag: twelve one-shots starting today and ending on December 25th. Each story will be centered around a different holiday theme or event at our very own CAMP HALF-BLOOD! Join me as we discover what these crazy campers are up to during the holidays!
Disclaimer: I do not, under any circumstances, own PJO or HoO. And there aren't even any OCs for me to own in this story. Credit goes to Rick Riordan.
R&R!
Twelve Festive Demigods
Percy Jackson emerged from his cabin, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He shivered in the cold morning air, breathing in the chill of winter. To his surprise, and utter delight, he witnessed the first snowflakes of the season, coming down softly. Percy smiled to himself.
In no time at all, the cabins were covered in a thin blanket of snow, each looking peaceful in the faint morning light. Percy stood at the edge of his cabin watching the flakes fall from the heavens, drifting lazily in the gentle breeze.
An angry voice soon shattered through the peaceful silence.
"That damn goddess Khione." A cranky boy emerged from the Hephaestus cabin, his red winter jacket highlighting his already present elf-like appearance.
"Looks like one of Santa's elves escaped the workshop again," Percy called, a smile playing across his lips. The boy turned at the sound of his words and scowled.
"Very funny, Jackson," he muttered, trudging over to the Poseidon cabin. His nose was bright red. "I wasn't born for this weather. I'm from Texas, where it's hot! Like me," he added, daring Percy to contradict.
"Do your flame powers even work in the snow?" Percy asked, sincerely curious. The boy gasped dramatically.
"Do my… of course they do! That stupid goddess will never take away my power." To prove his point, the tip of his index finger caught fire, frying a falling snowflake.
"Fine. Point taken. Oh, and it's not Khione, anyhow. We control the weather, remember?" Percy stepped around the boy, heading for the dining pavilion. His nose had caught a whiff of breakfast, and, being the hungry teenager that he was, his stomach immediately craved food. He turned to check if the boy was following him, finding an amusing sight instead.
"Look out, snow! Leo Valdez gives no mercy!" His hands had erupted into flame and he was waving them wildly, burning through the flakes. Percy stifled a laugh, shaking his head.
Once he'd reached the dining pavilion, his cheeks had turned pink. But it wasn't from the cold. A certain girl with blonde hair twinkled her fingers at him from across the tables, sending the blood rushing to his cheeks. He winked back, taking his lonely seat at the Poseidon table.
The pavilion was in the decoration process; the Demeter cabin was fashioning garland, holly, and mistletoe; the stuff was strewn everywhere. Percy counted six campers wearing Ugly Christmas Sweaters, and two more wearing Santa hats.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Percy thought to himself, smiling at his little joke. You couldn't avoid the holiday at this point. Everywhere you went, either an Apollo camper would sing you a Christmas carol, mistletoe would appear above your head (courtesy of the Stoll brothers) or a satyr would be hanging a freshly crafted wreath, sometimes around your neck. Percy scratched his neck in remembrance.
After breakfast, Percy made his way over to Annabeth, who was conversing with her half-brother, Malcolm. Once she became aware of Percy, she ended her conversation.
"Merry Christmas, Wise Girl," Percy said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"It's not Christmas yet," she corrected happily. She smirked, then kissed him on the cheek. Percy chuckled and kissed her back, this time on her lips.
"Awh, guys, come on. I mean, I know it's the holiday season; so romantic, but… ick." Percy and Annabeth broke apart, rotating to the source of the voice.
"Yeah, whatever Jason," Percy replied. "You're one to talk." Jason grinned sheepishly. He wasn't in a place to deny anything; his arm was snaked around Piper's waist.
"It's okay, man. I was kidding anyway." Percy hid a smile when he took in Jason's outfit. Piper had tricked him into losing a bet with her, probably thanks to her charmspeak, so he was donning a cherry red Santa hat. He looked just like a young Kris Kringle.
"Very festive, Jason," Annabeth commented, not ever trying to conceal her laughter.
"Shut up," he muttered. Even Piper produced a small giggle. "I'm not the only one wearing this, you know." He pointed across the pavilion to the Hermes table. Travis and Conner were both wearing full Santa suits, claiming to be the anti-Santas.
"We don't give gifts, we take them!" Connor had explained devilishly. Percy kept a close eye on his belongings after that exchange.
"Well, I like it." Hazel and Frank had entered the group, both of their faces pink from the chill.
"It definitely makes a statement," Frank agreed, his eyes shining.
As his friends laughed merrily, Percy closed his eyes. All I want for Christmas this year, he thought, is for things to stay exactly the way they are.
And voila! The first installment of the Twelve Days of Christmas: Camp Half-Blood Edition. I hope it spreads Christmas cheer to all of you; let's make the holidays special for us all, okay? Everyone needs a little cheer.
–TheLegendaryPotterhead **Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and All That Jazz** (My new, much more festive, slogan)