This story is about Percy and the gang when they go on a trip for Christmas! Lots of Percabeth, Thalico, Tratie, and some Beckalina! 3 3 3 3 Thalia is not a huntress and Nico is the same age as everyone else… Hmmm, I wonder where that will lead! Ha, no I don't, I already know. But you wonder. XD *sigh* Oh how I love being in control. XD … In case you haven't noticed, I'm crazy. ha Ha HA! Of course you have, who hasn't! Okay, also I would like to say I did get some of my ideas from other fanfictions but not so much as to where I need to give them credit. I do not own any of the characters (obviously) but I do own Beatrice Logan. Enjoy the story, and please, please, please review! Also, please check out my YouTube channel at BeautifulMinds398 I have lots of Hunger Games videos and I am in the middle of making more. Thank you!
~SilverStoryOwl
PERCY'S POV
Okay, so here's how it started… I was sitting in my cabin around ten in the morning on December 22nd. Yeah, I know, I should be home for the holidays. But my mom and her boyfriend, Paul, were going on some trip to Niagara Falls. So, I was stuck at camp for the holidays.
I was sitting in my cabin, just about to go down for breakfast. I opened the door and found Annabeth, just about to knock.
"Oh," she jumped back. "Hey, Seaweed Brain."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Do you have to call me that?" I asked.
"Absolutely." she answered. "Now come on, Chiron has some big announcement to make."
I followed her down to dining pavilion for breakfast. Everyone was already there, and I slowly crept to my seat.
"Ah, Percy, there you are." said Chiron, the head activities director and trainer at Camp Half-Blood.
Nymphs served us breakfast while Chiron scribbled on some papers and chatted with Dionysus.
There were omelets, biscuits, fresh fruit, and hot chocolate was already in our magic goblets. Of course, you could change it to whatever you wanted. But, come on, who would?
Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof on the table to get our attention. Chiron's shaggy brown beard and hair had grown longer for the winter, and he was wearing a green wool sweater with a hoof-print on it.
"Heroes, listen up, I have some important news." He said. Everyone stopped eating and looked up. "Now, I know you all have been working very hard over the summer. I have had a talk with the gods, and we all agree that you all should get a well-deserved break."
A break? What did he mean? What kind of break? Gee, I don't know. Whatever could it be? Oh, wait… I do know. He, he, he.
"So, I have split you all up into several groups, and each group will be traveling to a different vacation spot to spend the holidays!"
TRAVIS' POV
A trip! No way, this would be sweet! Before I could even think of who might be in my group, Chiron pounded his hoof again, silencing the cheering campers.
"It will be four days long, starting tomorrow! Everyone please form one line and I will give you your papers. Your papers will tell you where you are going and who is in your group, along with some other things you may want to know. So, finish breakfast and come on over!" said Chiron.
I finished my breakfast as fast as humanly possible and raced over to Chiron. Chiron put down his buttered biscuit and handed me a green stack of papers. I quickly thanked him and ran off to read them.
I sat down back at the Hermes table and flipped through the pages…
Congratulations! Your destination is Stratford Vermont!
Your group consists of…
Perseus Jackson. Annabeth Chase. Charles Beckendorf. Grover Underwood. Thalia Grace. Travis Stoll. Connor Stoll. Silena Beauregard. Nico Di Angelo. Katie Gardner. Beatrice Logan.
You will be staying in a cabin in the snowy mountains of Vermont for four days! That's four days and three nights! Happy Holidays!
*** Everything is paid for including anything extra i.e.: Food, souvenirs, attractions, et cetera…
Your plane leaves tomorrow at 10:00 AM. Better get packing!
~Chiron, activities director at Camp Half-Blood.
No. Flippin. Way. Two weeks of pranking his closest friends with no adult supervision! On Christmas! Not to mention, Katie Gardner would be there! Oh yes. This would be fun.
I looked at Connor who was grinning once he read the pamphlet.
"Let's get packing, then, shall we?" he asked.
We ran from the table and headed back to our cabin to pack.
SILENA'S POV
Ohmygods! This was going to be sooooooo much fun! Sitting around the fire at Christmas is soooo cozy!
I sat on the floor in my room, packing every single thing possible that I might ever possible need on this trip.
Super stylin' winter gear, check. Glittertastic red dress for Christmas, check. And lots and lots of MAKEUP! Check, check, check and…. Check!
I dropped another "Peppermint Christmas" lip gloss into my adorable Gucci suitcase and headed over to see what Annabeth was up to.
"Hey An-" I started, knocking on the door. Annabeth quickly opened it before I could finish, and pulled me inside.
"Silena!" she exclaimed. "Thank the gods!"
Annabeth pulled me over to a dark brown suitcase on the floor and plopped down next to it, motioning for me to sit next to her.
"Do you think I have everything I'll need?" she asked me. "You are the packing expert, after all." she said smiling.
I looked at her suitcase. Snow clothes, three turtle necks, two sweaters, toiletries, pajamas, three pairs of sweat pants, one pair of jeans, two architecture books, and Daedalus' laptop.
"Well, Annie…" I started. "You have the necessary things for camp in the winter... but-"
"I knew I forgot something!" Annabeth shouted. She pulled a blueprint of some sort out from underneath her pillow and went to put it in her suitcase.
"No," I said, stopping her hand. "That's not what I meant. It's Christmas, Annabeth! You need something, oh, I don't know, fancy!"
"Fancy?" she repeated. Annabeth motioned to her closet. "I don't own anything fancy, in your terms, Silena."
I made my way over to her closet and looked through the clothes. Tee shirts, jeans, sweaters, jackets….
"Do you even own a dress?" I asked her. She shook her head. "Well, then, we'll just have to buy you one in Vermont!"
ANNABETH'S POV
"Silena," I said. "Why do I even need a dress?"
Silena looked at me like I dropped from the moon. "Are you crazy?" she asked in disbelief. "It's Christmas, Annabeth! Who knows what we'll do! Go out to dinner, go to a party… the possibilities are endless!"
I looked at her skeptically.
Silena sighed. "Annabeth, I wasn't going to bring this up, but you've forced me…"
I stared at her. "What?"
"You want to look good for Percy?" she asked me. Silena knew all about my little crush on Percy. She is the daughter of the love goddess, after all.
I blushed. "Whatever, Silena. I'll buy a dress." I mumbled.
Silena squealed. "Oooh! I can't wait to help you pick it out!"
I shook my head and sighed.
Silena looked at her watch. "Oh, sorry Annie got to go!" She ran out of my cabin and left me sitting on the ground by my suitcase.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, making me jump. I quickly put the barrette back in the box and shoved the box back into my dresser.
"Uh, come in." I said.
The door opened and my second-in-command, Malcolm, walked through the door. "Hey, Annabeth, who's in your group?" he asked.
I showed him my paper. "Oooh," he cooed. "Percy's coming!" He made sarcastic kissy lips and I punched him in the gut.
"Shut up, Malcolm!" I shouted at him.
Malcolm just chuckled.
"Let me see your paper, then." I replied.
He handed me his paper.
"Oh, you guys get to go to Vail, awesome!" I said when I saw where he was going.
"Yeah, I love to ski!" he said.
I laughed.
"What?" he demanded.
"Oh nothing," I said smiling.
Malcolm playfully punched me in the shoulder and told me he'd catch me later. So I went back to packing.
NICO'S POV
I couldn't believe we were going to Vermont! This was going to be so cool! I made my way back to my cabin after breakfast and started to pack my things.
When I got to my cabin I started to pack my things. Snow clothes, camera, pajamas, toothbrush…
Just then, Percy came through the door.
"Hey, Perc. There's this thing, it's called knocking." I said sarcastically.
"Ha, ha, very funny," he said, and flopped down on my bed next to me. He told me that Chiron said dinner would be early tonight, since we had such an early morning the next day.
"Excited for the trip tomorrow?" I he asked.
I nodded. "You?"
"Yeah… I'm glad Annabeth's in our group." He answered.
I grinned.
"Whaaaat?" he said cautiously.
"You like her." I told him.
"I do not!" Percy protested.
"Mm hmm," I said, still grinning.
Percy tried to look mad but he ended up grinning too. "I don't like her. I got to go now Nic, good luck with packing."
"Whatever you say, Percy. Yeah, thanks, good luck."
Percy shook his head at my first statement, but then said, "See ya," and headed out the door.
I finished packing and looked out the window. I couldn't believe how late it already was. Percy was right about one thing, we did have a good group. But I knew he was lying about liking Annabeth. Everyone knows that they like each other… well, everyone but them, that is.
Lunch had already been a few hours ago and as crazy as this might sound, it was already nearing dinner. What can I say, I'm a procrastinator.
KATIE'S POV
As much as I was excited for the trip, I couldn't believe that Travis and Connor were going.
"Why them? Lousy, stinkin', pranking Stoll brothers…" I murmured to myself as I gardened. I had already packed my things earlier and now I had planned to garden until dinner.
I heard someone come up behind me. I groaned because I had a pretty good idea of who it was.
"What do you want, Stoll?" I growled.
"Hey, Katie-Kat, no need to be so rude." Travis grinned and sat down next to me.
"For the last time, Stoll, don't call me that. And go away, I'm busy." I told him.
"Katie, Katie, Katie." Travis said disapprovingly. "
"Stoll, why do you always insist on bothering me?" I asked him.
"Why do you always insist on calling me Stoll?" was his smart reply.
I rolled my eyes. "Because, so there." I told him.
Travis smirked.
"And why do you always make that face at me?" I continued.
"What?" Travis smirked again.
"That! There it is again! You're always smirking at me as if I'm the most entertaining person to watch in the world!" I practically shouted.
"But, my dear Katie, you are the most entertaining." He replied.
"Travis!" I shouted, throwing a weed at him.
"Hey, at least I got you to call me by my first name!" he laughed.
"Get out of here, Stoll!" I shouted.
Travis smirked. "And she's back," he said, walking away.
TRAVIS' POV
Now you see why it's so much fun to annoy Katie. She has the best reactions. I mean, Connor would prank me back, Percy wouldn't care, Annabeth would kill me! Katie acts mad, but I know she's not really. Katie only acts like she hates me to hide the fact that she's in love with me.
PERCY'S POV
The next morning at 9:00 AM, everyone stood at the top of the hill next to Thalia's pine tree.
"All right, does everybody have everything they need? Once you're driving, you will not be able to come back to get anything you forgot." said Chiron.
There was a chorus of 'yes Chiron's,' and nods.
Once we were all ready, Chiron sent us off, group by group, into the separate vehicles that would take us to the airport.
"Have fun, Percy." said Chiron, motioning for me to get in a big black shuttle van.
I thanked him again and said goodbye and we all climbed into the van.
"And Percy," Chiron called as Argus, our security guard, was shutting the door.
I looked up. "Yeah?"
"Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, Chiron!" We shouted, and the van sped off.
GROVER'S POV
I was so excited when we got to the airport. At first, I was a little nervous for Percy, considering we were going into the sky lord's domain for hours. But I figured Chiron had already talked to Zeus about it…
You know, being a satyr is really fun. You get to read other people's emotions. Which is fun, but the satyr code is never to tell someone's secret if you've read their mind. So I pretty much knew who everyone liked, but I couldn't really say anything about it. Don't get me wrong, I've said my fair share already and have probably been cursed by Pan, but there's still quite a bit I've kept to myself.
For instance, Percy and Annabeth like each other. And seriously, you don't have to read minds to see that. Pretty much everyone knows but them two, which I find quite ironic.
Second, I know Nico likes someone, but I haven't figured out who it is. His powers of shadow and darkness have probably clouded my thoughts to where I can't read him clearly. But I know it's someone we'd all want to know about, which is why I keep grilling him for information on it. Sadly, he won't tell me a thing, probably for fear I'll tell Percy or maybe even the girl he likes… Smart kid.
I also know who Travis likes. I'm not going to say anything, but I'm pretty sure she has no idea. One thing's for sure, this is going to be one interesting trip.
THALIA'S POV
Oh my gods, a plane. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this.
My face turned pale and I turned around quickly to find Percy standing right behind me.
"Percy." I said urgently.
"Hey, Thals, it's okay. You're not driving this time, we'll live." He smirked but he still made me feel better. Percy was the only one who knew my fear of heights, and even though he could be pretty annoying, he still helped a lot.
I knew Percy was right, but I still stood frozen as a tree (ha, ha.) when the flight attendant asked for our tickets.
"Ticket's please." She said again. Her voice and face was completely emotionless.
"I, uh, um-" I stuttered.
Percy nudged my shoulder. "Thalia, give her your ticket." He said quietly.
"Uh, right." I replied, handing the woman my ticket.
I made my way to my seat, and thankfully saw that Percy was sitting next to me.
"Oh, gods." I muttered as the plane took off.
"Calm down, Thalia. Breath. We're only on here for thirty minutes."
And a long thirty minutes it was.
When we finally touched down in Vermont, the weather was a shock. Inside the camp's magical borders, Mr. D. always keeps it fairly warm and sunny, even if there's light snow. But when we got to Vermont, it was freezing. The snow was at least a foot high wherever you looked, and I instantly felt like I was going to freeze over. We quickly hopped into the van that would take us to our cabin.
"Holy Hades." said Nico, coming up beside me. "Is it cold, or what?"
"Tell me about it." I replied. The driver turned up the heat and we drove away from the airport.
Ten minutes later, we pulled up at our cabin.
BEATRICE' POV
The cabin was this huge log-mansion all covered with glistening snow. It was surrounded by pine trees and looked big enough for all of Long Island to stay in.
We got our bags and paid the shuttle driver. When we opened the door, the inside of the cabin was amazing.
There was a fireplace and a huge Christmas tree already in the middle of the living room. Two big couches facing each other and two love seats surrounded a dark brown coffee table.
There was a humungous flat-screen TV, perfect for watching movies. The kitchen was awesome, which is good because I love to cook, and the pantry and refrigerator were filled with all sorts of delicacies. The downstairs was perfect.
Then we went up the huge, grand staircase to the upstairs. There were four bedrooms; two for the guys, two for the girls. Each of the bedrooms had a giant bathroom with a big nice shower and two sinks and the fluffiest towels you've ever seen.
They also had six beds, twin sized of course. Now, this may sound not-so-great, but they were the most comfortable beds I've ever felt. All-in-all, this was the most beautiful, perfect cabin I've ever been in. It was the perfect place to spend Christmas.
Finally, Percy spoke. "Whoa," was all he said.
"This place is… AMAZING!" Silena exclaimed.
Everyone started talking in agreement and we put away our clothes before going downstairs to examine the house more closely.
ANNABETH'S POV
The place was amazing. I couldn't believe we got to stay here for two weeks! I looked out the window and realized it was already about five 'o clock.
"We should go get some lunch, you guys." I said.
Everyone seemed to realize how hungry they were at that exact moment.
"Well… where should we go?" asked Beckendorf.
"Enchiladas!" Grover shouted. We all stared at him. "What?" he said
"You know, that's not a bad idea. How's everyone for Mexican food?" said Percy.
We all decided this was a fine idea, so we headed downtown to find a decent Mexican place.
"How about here?" asked Connor, pointing at a place called 'Mucho Gusto'. (We have a place in my hometown called that, it's really good!)
Percy shrugged. "Why not?" So we went in and got a table in the corner.
Thalia and I ordered a burrito plate with rice and beans, Percy and Travis got the taco plate, Grover chose cheese enchiladas, Beckendorf got nachos, Katie got a taco salad, Connor decided on a chicken quesadilla, Nico got taquitos, and Silena got soft tacos.
As we were eating, I looked out the window and saw how dark the clouds were getting. "Guys, look at that." I said, pointing outside.
"-Huge storm coming, John.-" We heard a man on a cell phone saying. "-Got to bolt up my windows again. Can't have the snow ruining everything like last year, eh John?" the man laughed.
"Uh, oh." Said Nico. "Looks like the gods are angry."
"Or bored." Offered Travis. Katie glared at him and he smirked.
"Yeah," continued Connor. "We should get back before the roads are blocked." So we finished eating and caught a bus back to the cabin.
"Holy Poseidon!" shouted Percy above the wind.
The wind was blowing like crazy and snow was coming down by the buckets.
"Jeez, let's hurry and get inside, it's freezing!" said Beatrice, so we quickly got inside and sealed the door shut behind us.
"Now what should we do?" asked Travis when we had played every board game on the shelf.
"TRUTH OR DARE!" Silena squealed.
Oh no.
TRAVIS' POV
Oh yes!
Once we were all seated in a circle, Silena started the game.
"Travis, truth or dare?" she asked.
"Pssh, dare obviously." I told her. I glanced at Katie who just rolled her eyes.
Silena thought for a moment. "Travis, I dare you to… stand outside in the storm for two minutes." Okay, whatever. I could do that easily.
"With no shirt on!" Silena squealed as I stood up.
I groaned and pulled off my shirt. I could've sworn I saw Katie blush, but it must've just been my imagination.
I opened the door and stepped outside. It was freezing. Saying that it was blizzarding was an understatement. I almost got blown over, and by the time the two minutes was up, I most definitely had icicles hanging off of me.
I stepped back inside and instantly felt overwhelmed by the heat. I collapsed down into my spot and pulled my tee shirt back on.
"Thalia, truth or dare." I said.
THALIA'S POV
"Dare." I answered quickly.
"I dare you to zap Nico with lightning." He said evilly.
"Travis!" protested Katie.
I looked at Nico, sitting right next to me, who had turned a little pale.
"Sorry, Nico." I brought a small spark to my finger. Nico braced himself to be zapped, and I sent a tiny bolt right past him, searing the edge of his shirt, making it look like he got zapped in the side.
Nico jumped back in surprise and I realized that it did hit him just a little bit. I small line started to bleed on Nico's side and Beatrice went to get him a bandage.
"Oh my gods, I'm sorry Nico!" I said.
"It's-OW-fine, Thalia." He said. I felt bad because I hadn't actually meant to hit him.
"Dude, I just zapped you with lightning. It's not fine!" I protested.
"Nico, you have to take off your shirt so I can put the bandage on it." Said Beatrice.
"Here, I'll do it." I said, taking the bandage. "I'm the one who hurt him, anyway."
Nico took off his shirt slowly, and he blushed when I started to bandage his side.
"You okay?" I whispered to him.
He nodded, still blushing.
"Nico, I really am sorry. Don't worry, I'll get Travis back." I told him, and he nodded again. I still didn't get why he was blushing so much, though.
BECKENDORF POV
Ouch, that's got to hurt. Nico looked fine at least, though he did look a little flustered with Thalia tending to his wound.
"I'll kill you later, Travis." Thalia growled. "Beckendorf, truth or dare?"
"Dare,"
"Go smash your face into one of those pies in the fridge."
"Will there still be some left to eat?"
"Yeah, there's like three in there."
"Gladly."
I walked into the kitchen and pulled out one of the pies. I brought it back to the living room where everyone was waiting expectantly.
Reluctantly, I thrust my head forward and landed in the pie. Everyone laughed when I pulled my face up, covered with pie.
"Here Charlie," said Silena, giggling. She leaned over and wiped the pie off my face with a washcloth, making my face feel a little warm.
"Uh, thanks, Silena." I said.
"Don't mention it," she said smoothly, and flashed a brilliant smile at me.
"Um, okay… Nico."
"Uuummmm…..Truth." He said.
"Who do you like?" I had a feeling it was Thalia.
"Uuummm…" he blushed so red he looked like a tomato.
"I, uh… I'm not telling." He answered finally.
"Oh, come on, Nico. You have to play by the rules!" complained Annabeth.
"But… I… Well…." He stammered. Poor kid, maybe I should've asked a different question.
"Okay, Nico. I dare you to tell one person in this room who you like." I said, changing my mind.
Nico looked relieved. "Um, I guess Percy."
PERCY'S POV
Nico stood up and dragged me into the next room.
"Come one, man. How bad could it be? Why didn't you just say it?"
"Because," he said quietly. "She's here."
"What? Who is it? Is it Silena? Katie? Is it Annabeth?" I said, a little too loudly, so Nico had to cover my mouth.
"Sssshhhh!" he exclaimed. "No, it's none of them!" he was whispering again.
"Well then, who is it?" I asked.
Nico looked down and blushed. Then he spoke so quietly I could barely hear him. "It's…. Thalia." He whispered.
I couldn't believe my ears. "Thalia?"
"Yeah…" he said, still looking down. "Don't tell her."
"Nico, I would never tell her." I said. "Besides, I think she likes you, too."
At this statement, Nico blushed even redder.
"What's taking so long? Hurry up!" called Connor from the other room.
"C'mon Nic, let's go. And… you may want to stop blushing." This didn't help Nico to stop blushing.
"So, Nico. You sure you don't want to tell us?" asked Silena, when we had taken our seat.
Nico shook his head vigorously.
"Whatever, your turn to choose." Said Silena, a little irritated that he wouldn't tell her.
"Annabeth." He said.
Annabeth thought for a while. Then, she finally chose dare.
"Go sit on Percy's lap." Nico decided.
I shot him and evil look and he just grinned. Annabeth blushed and slowly stood up. She made her way over to where I was sitting and slowly sat down on my lap. I was sure I was blushing too now.
TRAVIS' POV
"Um, Travis. Truth or dare?" said Annabeth.
I couldn't get over how funny both of their faces looked. When Annabeth sat on Percy's lap, he looked like he would pass out.
Katie got up to go to the bathroom. I thought, what the heck? So I chose truth.
"Do you have a crush on Katie?"
My face burned and I shook my head. They can't possibly figure that out. I mean, not that it's true… which it is.
Grover bleated. "Travis, I can read your emotions! I know you're lying!"
Curse him and his ability to read emotions.
"Travis, I'm going to say it again, slowly." Said Annabeth, starting to enjoy herself. "Do. You. Like. Katie. Gardner?"
At least Katie wasn't in the room to hear the answer. "Okay. Well… um… kind of." I said. I can't believe I just said that.
Silena squealed. "Aawww, that's soooooo cute!"
I felt myself blushing. "No it's not, she hates me! You Aphrodite girls can be so stupid!" I shouted. Silena just shook her head.
Just then, Katie walked into the room. I was sure my face was still red.
Beckendorf chuckled.
"What'd I miss?" asked Katie.
"Nothing! Nothing at all, you didn't miss a thing!" I said quickly. That just made Beckendorf and Percy laugh more.
"Umm…. Ooookaaaaay?" said Katie.
Thankfully, she sat back down without a word and we continued to play the game.
BEATRICE' POV
So, Travis likes Katie, huh? Well, you learn something new every day. I wonder who Nico told Percy he liked. Hmm… maybe I can get him to tell me.
"Psst! Nico!" I whispered next to me.
"Hmm?"
"Will you pleeeeease tell me who you like?"
"No!"
"I'll tell you who I like…" I said.
Nico seems to consider this. "Swear on the Styx you won't tell."
"I swear on the river Styx I will not tell anybody who you like."
Thunder boomed outside but no one else seemed to notice. I guess it's because there was already lightning and thunder in this freak snow storm.
"Fine…" Nico whispered. He silently pointed next to him at Thalia.
"Aww, that's cute." I whispered.
Nico blushed. "Shut up… Okay, now you tell me who you like."
"Connor." I told him. I didn't mind telling Nico, because I trusted him that he wouldn't tell.
Nico grinned. "That's cool." He whispered.
"Why?"
"No reason…" replied Nico.
I would've said more, but the others might get suspicious if we didn't start paying attention to the game. So I just rolled my eyes at him and we turned our attention back to Truth or Dare.
GROVER'S POV
"Truth or dare, Grover?" asked Percy.
"Blehehehe, dare." I bleated.
"I dare you to… prank call Chiron!" said Percy.
"Well… all right. Anybody have a cell phone?"
"Here you go!" Silena tossed me a pink bedazzled cell phone.
"Okay..." I dialed Chiron's number and put it on speaker.
Riiiiiiiiing…. Riiiiiiing. "Hello?"
"Mathew! Oh, how are you darling?" I said in a high voice. The others held back their laughter.
"Excuse me? There is no Ma-" Chiron tried to say, but I cut him off.
"Mathew, it's been forever! Tell me, are you still marrying Helen?"
"Um… ma'am, I think you have the wrong nu-"
"Oh! She dumped you, didn't she? That witch! Don't worry Mathew, I'm here for you!" I squeaked.
Percy and the others were rolling on the floor laughing, literally.
"Well, I… I don't know what to say. Wait… who is this again?" Chiron asked.
"OH! Um, this is… Matilda! The, uh… friendly, uh, witch. Yes, this is Matilda the friendly witch!"
"Wait… my phone says this is… Silena?"
"NO! I, uh, have to go now darling!"
"Wait, who is this? Is this a pra-"
"TA TA DARLING, KEEP IN TOUCH!" I squealed, and hung up the phone.
CONNOR'S POV
Okay, that was funny. I didn't know Grover had it in him to do pranks… well, you learn something new every day.
I glanced over at Beatrice who was recovering from a major laugh attack.
I had almost forgotten it was Grover's turn until he said,
"Okay, Silena, truth or dare?"
"Well… I guess… dare." said Silena.
"I dare you to… Um… sit on Beckendorf's lap?" Grover decided, but it sounded more like a question.
"Okay," Silena hopped up and climbed onto Beck's lap who looked pretty happy with that.
"Bea, truth or dare?" said Silena.
"Oh, well… truth." answered Beatrice.
"Who do you like?"
Beatrice blushed and looked shyly over at me. Beatrice coughed. "Erm, Connor." She announced.
"Well then…" I said stupidly.
"Really? Of all people… Connor!" exclaimed my not-as-good-looking twin.
"Trav, are you gonna shut up, or should we remind everyone of your little confession early?" I said evilly. Travis blushed and kept quiet.
"Hmm? What confession? I knew I missed something!" complained Katie.
"Nothing, Katie! You missed nothing!" shouted Travis.
Smooth. I thought. Real smooth.
BECKENDORF'S POV
"Okay, Percy, your turn. Truth or dare?" I said.
"Jeez, um… truth."
"Did you like it when Annabeth sat on your lap?" I asked.
"Uh…" Percy blushed, bright red. "…sort of, yeah."
Annabeth blushed too, and she looked quite surprised at his answer.
"Okay. That's all I needed to know… You're turn Percy." I said.
Percy scowled at me. "Okay… um... Katie."
"Truth. No, dare. No… um, truth… I guess." she stammered.
"Let me see… do you hate Travis Stoll?" he said, putting emphasis on the 'hate'.
Katie blushed, though I didn't see why. It's not like he asked her if she liked him… which, she obviously did, by the way.
"Well, no, I guess not… I mean, I don't actually hate him. Hate is a pretty strong word, after all…I mean… um…" Katie tried to find a decent way to say it.
I looked over to see Travis was grinning hugely. Oooooof course he was.
"Katie. Do you or do you not hate him? Simple question!" Percy snapped.
"No."
"Very well then… your turn."
"Beckendorf."
"Hmm?" I looked up at the sound of my name. "Hmmph. Truth, I guess."
"Do you think Silena is pretty?"
I looked over at Silena. Wasn't it a little obvious?
"Yes, of course." I answered. Silena smiled.
NICO'S POV
"Okay, Thalia. Truth… or… dare?" Beckendorf asked dramatically.
"Oh, well, I'm not one for truths so I guess I'll do another dare. But, please… don't make me hurt Nico again." said Thalia, and I blushed.
Beckendorf smirked. "Okay then. I dare you to tell one person who you like."
Thalia paled. "Hey, I could've dared you to tell everybody. Just choose one person." said Beckendorf.
"Ugh, fine… Annabeth, come on." Thalia dragged Annabeth into the other room and I could see them talking.
"I wish I could hear them," I whispered to Percy.
"Yeah… I'm kind of curious now too. I bet it's you," Percy nudged me in the shoulder and I blushed, again. I've really got to stop doing that.
"Yeah, um… I doubt that… highly." I told him.
"Why not? You're both go-… er, punk, so to speak. And she did tell Beck not to have her hurt you anymore… You know, I don't read girls very well, but I'm pretty sure she has a crush on you."
No duh, he couldn't read girls. Even I knew that Annabeth liked him. And you didn't need to be a genius to see that.
"Whatever, Perce…" I said and Percy grinned.
Just then, Thalia and Annabeth came back into the room. Thalia quickly glanced at me and I raised my eyebrow, asking her if she would tell me. She mouthed the words "No way in Hades." I shrugged and let it go.
"Oh. My. Gods. SO cute!" said Annabeth. "It's just… Wow, Thalia, can I please, please tell him!"
Thalia blushed. "Annabeth. SHUT. UP. You're turning into an Aphrodite girl… no offense, Silena."
SILENA'S POV
"None, taken Thals. Noooone taken." I said.
"Okay. Thalia you choose now. We've got to get everybody to do one truth and one dare before we end the game so SPEED IT UP!" exclaimed Connor.
"Fine. But you'll regret saying that… Connor. Truth. Or dare?"
Connor paled. Even he should've known better not to mess with Thalia, even if he wasn't that bright all the time.
"Truth… dare…truth…dare…truth….dare… GAH, TRUTH!" Connor finally decided.
"Who's the prettiest girl in here."
"Oh, uh… Beatrice." He said shyly.
"Excuse me, Connor?" I said angrily.
"What?"
"Calm down, Silena. He just likes her, that's all." Charlie whispered to me. "It's definitely you." he smiled.
"Aww, thanks Charlie!" I whispered back.
Beatrice was blushing.
"Yeah, well… yeah." was all Connor could say.
"All right, Bea. Your turn." Annabeth said.
"Silena."
"Truth."
"Do you think Beckedorf is handsome?"
"Duh!" I exclaimed, and Charlie laughed. "Okay… who hasn't gone yet… Annabeth."
"Um… well… I guess truth this time." She said.
"Why do you call Percy, Seaweed Brain?"
Annabeth's cheeks flushed. "Well… I don't know. I guess because it annoys him."
"Why do you like to annoy him? I thought you were best friends!"
"Yeah, exactly! And… that wasn't part of my truth, Silena."
Darn, I had hoped she would say more. I mean, I know why she annoys Percy, but it would've been great if she would just admit it right here in front of him.
KATIE'S POV
"Whatever," said Silena. "You're turn, Annie."
"Okay… how about, Katie." answered Annabeth.
"Oh! Um… well, I've already done truth-"
In the corner, I heard Travis chuckle. But I chose to ignore it.
"Okay, dare." I decided. Oh no, what have I gotten myself into? I never do dares, and I have a good reason!
"I dare you to… kiss Travis."
"NO!" I shouted. "I refuse! Gimme another dare Annabeth pleeeeeease!"
"Okay, okay." Annabeth laughed. "I just wanted to see your reaction, I won't make you do it I swear!"
The others were laughing too, now. So was Travis, but he was blushing.
"Gods, Annabeth. Must you scare me like that?" I said.
"Yes."
"Annabeth! On with the dare, please!"
"Okay fine… I dare you to pour lemonade on your head."
"What? Why!" I cried.
"I don't know… gimme a break, it was Travis' idea. I had nothing!"
I glared at Travis who waved and gave me an innocent smile.
"Ugh! Fine." I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I pulled out a jug of lemonade and went over to the sink. When I looked back over at the living room, Annabeth gave me a thumbs up and Travis smirked. That's really all he does to me. Prank, smirk, (fake) apologize, smirk, prank again, smirk again. Ugh.
I leaned my head over the sink and poured the lemonade over my head.
"Ah!" I squealed, as the cool, sticky liquid ran down my shirt and face.
Beatrice jumped up and got me a towel. "Thanks, Bea." I muttered, wrapping it around my head.
When I got back to my seat, I could've sworn Travis looked a little guilty. Well, first time for everything, huh?
"Okay, let's finish the game so Katie can shower." laughed Nico.
"Okay, Nico. Truth or dare?" I asked.
"Oh, um… dare. I guess." He said.
"I dare you to…" I had to think of a good one. "…Take off your shirt for the rest of the game."
NICO'S POV
Oh gods. "Why does everyone pick on me? Even when you dared Thalia, it still came around to me!" I complained.
"Just do it, Nico."
"Fine." I grumbled. I quickly pulled my shirt off and set it behind me.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Thalia was sitting right next to me. "Oh gods," I said to myself.
"Nico, are you all right?" Thalia asked. "You're bright red!"
"Yup. Tooootally fine." I lied.
I glanced at Percy, who smirked. I made a face at him and said, "Connor."
"Eh? Hmm? Somebody say my name?"
"Yes, Connor. Go let Silena give you a makeover."
"Wait… how do you know I wasn't going to pick truth?" he asked.
"Fine…" I sighed. "Truth or Dare?"
Connor got up and went to the bathroom with Silena.
Five minutes later, he came out with gelled hair, cologne, a button up shirt only buttoned halfway…
"Wow." said Percy.
"Double wow." said Beatrice.
"What, did you expect me to dress him up like a girl?" exclaimed Silena. "When I get the chance to makeover a boy, I take that seriously!" she sounded a little hurt.
"Well… that wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be." I said.
"Okay, one more you guys, then I'm going to take a shower." Complained Katie.
"Okay, Beatrice." said Connor.
"Dare." she answered.
"I dare you to stand outside with no shirt on for ten minutes." said Connor evilly. "Oh, and your bra too."
"Whatever." Said Beatrice. "But if you look, you're dead."
Connor blushed and Beatrice went out into the blizzard.
BEATRICE' POV
Gods, Connor was such a weirdo. Too bad he was cute.
I went around the back of the house, far from the living room windows, and slowly unbuttoned my sweater. Just for good measures, I pulled out my braid and my long brown hair came tumbling down.
Then, I slowly pulled off my shirt and bra. Oh my gods it was freezing! What was he thinking? Oh right… he wasn't.
I turned around to face the window. Connor's head quickly vanished. Whatever, at least he only saw my back.
When it had been about ten minutes, I pulled back on my shirt and headed inside. I slumped down next to the fire. "Creep." I said.
"What?" asked Connor.
"I saw you, you know." I told him.
Connor blushed. "I, uh.. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Suuuuure." I said, and shook my head.
Everyone seemed to be done with the game after that. Annabeth and Silena went in the kitchen to cook dinner. Katie left to take a shower, and so did Nico. Percy and Thalia fought over the remote and eventually the rest of us were sitting on the couch watching Santa Baby.
CONNOR'S POV
Dinner smelled really good, and I hadn't realized until then how hungry I was. The movie was okay… fine… all right, it was awful and boring.
"So, what does everyone want for Christmas?" asked Percy.
"Hmm… I don't know. What about you?" I said.
"I want jewelry, of course. Or a new bag. Oooh, shoes would be nice too…" answered Silena from the kitchen.
"I want a new sketch pad and pencils. Lilli took my other ones." said Beatrice.
"Ice skates." said Katie, who had just come out of the bathroom. Everyone looked at her.
"What? I love to skate. I used to skate all the time back home, before camp and all."
"Architecture books…" said Annabeth.
"Seriously? That's all?" asked Thalia.
"Well… maybe… no, it's stupid. Yeah, just books."
"Oh, come on Annabeth. There must be something else, what is it?"
"Well… I've always wanted a charm bracelet." Annabeth said regretfully.
"That's really nice Annabeth. I think I would want some cool boots." Said Thalia. "What about you, Nico?" she asked Nico, who's hair was still dripping.
"Oh, um, well… I kind of want a CD player." He said.
"I would definitely want a cool pocket knife with all sorts of tools and stuff…" fantasized Beckendorf.
"A basketball!" said Travis.
"A new pair of pipes would be nice…" said Grover.
"Hmm, okay I guess I would want a camera… what do you want Percy?" I asked.
Percy blushed. "Um… nothing. Well… no, not telling."
"Aw, come on! Why not?"
"Just… 'cause." He answered stubbornly.
"Dinner!" shouted Silena.
GROVER'S POV
Dinner was great. We had spaghetti and pizza and salad and rocky road ice cream for dessert.
After dinner we all went to bed since it was already eleven 'o clock and we were all pretty tired.
Once we were all in bed, even though we were all exhausted, we found it pretty hard to fall asleep.
"So," said Beckendorf, after a long silence. "Who do you like, Nico?"
"Not telling."
"C'mon Nico! Just tell us!" said Connor.
"Guys, leave him alone. He'll tell you if he wants to," defended Percy.
"Which I don't." Nico reminded.
"Hey Travis, why are you being so quiet? It's not like you." noticed Beck.
"Oh, he's probably just thinking about Katie!" Connor teased.
"Shut up." was Travis' muffled response from under his pillow.
Connor and the others laughed.
"What about you, Percy?" I said slyly.
"What… do you mean?" Percy answered slowly, giving me an evil look.
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of you… and Annabeth." I grinned.
"GROVER!" Percy slammed me in the head with a pillow and I fell off my bed, laughing.
"So, Travis…" Percy said.
"Yeah," the pillow responded.
"Katie Gardner, huh?" Percy grinned.
Travis groaned. "I… uh… oh, forget it."
"Travis and Katie, sitting in a tree," Connor began to chant.
"I knew I shouldn't have told you guys!" Travis seemed hurt.
"No, it's okay Travis." I attempted to make him feel better, because I had read his emotions. "You should hear how much Percy talks about Annabeth."
"Grover!"
Suddenly, someone in the other room shouted, "SILENA!"
"Who was that?" asked Percy.
"That was Katie," answered Travis.
Connor burst out laughing. "Travis even recognizes her scream!"
Travis turned pink and put his pillow on his head again.
"Okay," said Beckendorf, when we'd stopped laughing. "So let me get this straight… Percy likes Annabeth,"
"Okay, guys! Leavemealone!" Percy fell backwards onto his bed.
"Travis likes Katie," Beckendorf continued.
"Mmphbaaa" Travis groaned from under his pillow.
"Connor likes Beatrice,"
"Continuing, please…" Connor grinned shyly.
"Grover likes…"
"No one, I promise." I confirmed. It was true, and they believed me, so Beck continued.
"You like Silena!" Percy pointed out.
Beckendorf put his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I'm not denying it!"
Everyone laughed. "And Nico likes…"
"Aargh! Stop, stop, stop!" Nico cried.
"Seriously, Nico. What's the big deal? Just tell us! We won't tell anyone, right guys?" Everyone murmured in agreement.
Nico sighed and collapsed onto his pillow. "I… I can't."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because…"
"Nico, for the love of Zeus, just tell us!" Travis cried.
"Okay, OKAY! I'll tell you… I have a crush on Thalia, okay? Happy?" Nico shouted.
"Gods, Nico. Quiet down, she might here you!" Connor informed him. If looks could kill, Connor would be dead thanks to Nico.
ANNABETH'S POV
As soon as we were in our bedroom with the door locked, leave it to Silena to start the gossip.
"Okay, so everyone totally needs to tell me, like, everything!" she squealed.
"Um, Beckendorf likes you, that's all I know." said Beatrice.
"Oh, that's nice." Silena smiled. It wasn't a big secret they liked each other.
"And, Percy totally likes Annabeth over here." Informed Katie. "And Annie obviously likes him, so…" she smiled
My cheeks burned. "Oh yeah? Well you have a crush on bad-boy Travis!" I shot back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down Annabeth!" Thalia put her hand on my arm. I hated it when people teased me about liking Percy.
"Uhum… bad boy?" said Beatrice. Katie's face was pink now, too.
"Look, Annabeth, I wasn't trying to tease you. It's okay if you don't like Percy." I could've sworn Katie winked at Silena and Thalia.
"Yeah, well… irfkerndalakem." I muttered.
"Come again?"
"I said, Ikerndalikeim."
"Annabeth."
"Okay, okay, I kind of like him." I grumbled.
"Okay, I need to figure something out." Silena looked at each one of us.
"Annabeth likes Percy," she started.
I sighed and fell back on my pillow.
"I like Beckendorf, obviously. Beatrice likes Connor, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Katie…" Silena grinned.
"Yep," Katie squeaked.
"You like Travis?"
"Nip! I mean nope!" she sounded like a mouse.
"Katie."
"Yip! I mean… yes. I kind of do. But if anyone tells him, his head will grow ten times bigger and I will kill each and every one of you. Understood?"
Everyone laughed. "Yeah, understood… Katie-Kat."
"SILENA!" Katie slammed her head on the bed.
"And last, but certainly not least… Thalia." said Silena.
Thalia turned pale. "What about me?"
"Who do you like? And don't say no-one, because you did tell Annabeth someone."
"Well, I, um , you see-" Thalia stuttered.
"Thals, come on. Hey, Annabeth… will you tell us? said Beatrice.
"Absolutely not!" I exclaimed. "If Thalia wants to tell you, she'll tell you."
"No, you guys. I'm sorry, I can't tell you."
"And why is that?"
"Because… because… I… Ah, I got nothing."
"Okay, can we at least guess?" offered Katie.
"Well… I guess so."
"Okay, is it Percy?" asked Beatrice.
Thalia almost laughed. "Ah, no,"
"Is it… Um, well it's not a Stoll, I'm guessing." Katie said. Thalia made a disgusted face.
"Thalia…" said Silena curiously.
Thalia looked cautiously at her. "Um, yeah?"
"It's Nico, isn't it?"
Thalia turned bright red, she looked at me and I raised my eyebrows.
"Eh, no."
"Thalia… you have a crush on Nico, don't you?" Katie said smiling.
"Um…" Thalia stalled.
"Um, so you guys, what are we doing tomorrow?" I tried to change the subject.
"Annabeth, if she doesn't tell us, we're just going to assume. And believe me… that's much worse." explained Silena.
Thalia groaned. "Okay, fine."
"So you do like him?"
"…yes."
Suddenly, we heard someone from the boys' room shout, "Okay! Happy?"
Everyone looked around and strained to hear more.
"Who was that?" asked Katie.
"More importantly… what was he saying?" I said.
"Hmm…" Silena sighed. "I'm a little tired you guys, but I promise I'll have more gossip tomorrow." Silena rolled over.
"Yeah, okay… night everyone." I replied.
"Night,"
CONNOR'S POV
"Good morning boys," said Silena cheerfully as we walked down the stairs. She and Katie had already started breakfast and Travis was already over there annoying Katie. So pathetic, he should just tell her.
"Morning Connor," somebody said. I turned to see Beatrice sitting next to me.
"Oh, uh… hey," I replied.
"What time did you guys get to sleep last night? We were up all night talking." she asked.
"Yeah, so were we. Learned some very interesting things," I smirked.
"Really, like what?"
"Oh… well, I can't exactly tell you that." I told her.
"Come on, Connor… pretty please?" Beatrice batted her eyelashes at me.
"Well, I guess… Bea I promised I wouldn't tell." I said.
"I'll tell you something I found out if you tell me something." she decided.
"Oh… all right. Um, well… Nico likes Thalia. I didn't swear on the Styx not to tell that." I answered.
"Aww! That's adorable! Unfortunately I can't say anything about that because I did swear on the Styx not to tell." Beatrice winked. "But Katie likes your brother."
"WHAT!" I shouted. Everyone looked over at me.
"Everything all right over there, Connor?" asked Percy.
"Oh, he, he. Yeah, just fine." I gave him two thumbs up. "Are you kidding me?" I whispered to Beatrice.
Beatrice laughed. "Yeah. But please, please don't tell anyone. I promised I wouldn't tell but… He likes her and I can't tell her that and I can't tell him about her, but I needed to tell someone, and… I trust you."
My face felt hot. Time to turn on the charm Connor. "Right, erm… I won't tell anyone. But don't… you know, tell about Nico." Wow. Smooth.
"Don't worry, I won't." Beatrice smiled and walked away.
I chuckled to myself and whispered quietly, "Katie and Travis, sitting in a tree…"
KATIE'S POV
"Katie and Travis…" I heard Connor mutter to himself .
"What?" I asked.
"Oh, he, nothing."
"Connor."
"Nothing!"
I walked up to him and looked him straight in the eyes. "Connor. I'm going to ask you one more time… What did you say?"
Connor sighed and looked around to see if anyone was listening. Then he pulled me into the other room. "Katie, do you like Travis?" he asked.
I blushed. "W-What? No, of- of course not that's ridiculous!"
Connor crossed his arms and stared at me, unconvinced. "Katie."
"No! Absolutely not!" I shout/whispered.
"Katie, seriously. If I wanted to tell anyone, I would've already done it, whether I knew it was true or not."
I sighed and looked down.
"Look, Katie…" Connor tried again. "You can trust me. I just want to know… do you, or do you not like my brother?"
I figured he was right about one thing; if he wanted to tell, he would have already. "…I do." I said quietly.
"Okay... then… Katie, I need to tell you something."
I looked up, interested. "Yes?"
"Travis likes you. That was his confession when you went to the bathroom."
I stared at him. "What? Since when?"
Connor rolled his eyes. "Since forever. I keep trying to get him to tell you, but… he's too nervous to even talk to you. Unless he's annoying you, of course. That seems to be the only way."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He could be making it up, I guess… but that didn't seem like something Connor would make up. "So… all those pranks-"
"They were just to get your attention. Of course, I think he's insane but…"
I hit him on the arm. "Hey!"
"Just kidding… Anyway, you can't tell him I told you! He would kill me! And now you owe me for telling you."
"All right…" a mischievous smile crept across my face. "So, um… do you like Beatrice?"
Connor laughed nervously. "Whaaaaat? Me? Psshhh naw…"
I crossed my arms and smirked.
Connor cleared his throat. "Kay, fine. What are you going to do?"
"Oh, you'll see… you'll see."
BECKENDORF'S POV
After a delicious breakfast of cereal and bananas, Silena gave us the idea to go shopping. "Omg, we like totally need to go Christmas shopping! I mean, like, today's Christmas Eve and tomorrow we've got that Christmas dance and… oooh! I love Christmas!"
So we split into groups; Percy, Grover and Nico in group one. Me, and the Stoll's in group two. Beatrice and Katie in group three. And Annabeth, Silena and Thalia in group four.
"We'll meet in the food court in the mall at five 'o clock." said Annabeth, so we went our separate ways.
When we got to the mall, we headed into a crowded store that was having 50% off of selected items.
"Okay, listen up guys." I said. Connor and Travis turned to listen. "This is the most important time of the winter; we need to buy Christmas presents. Presents for whom, you may ask? Well, it's simple really. I will buy one for Silena, Connor will get one for Beatrice, and Travis will choose a present for Katie."
The boys stared at me. "Buy a present for Katie… yep, you're insane." said Travis.
Connor had a weird look on his face. "Yeah, bro. You totally should get one for Kit Kat."
Travis blushed. "She wanted ice skates…"
I smiled. "Let's go get some ice skates, then."
We walked over to the sports section where Travis chose a pair of white ice skates for Katie. Then Connor got a sketch pad and pencils for Beatrice. And finally we got to the jewelry where I chose a beautiful diamond necklace for Silena.
Then, we got to the suits.
"Silena says we need suits for the dance tomorrow," I said.
"Oh, Hades no." replied Connor, trying to make an escape.
Travis grabbed his shoulder. "You're not getting away that easily, man."
After we'd tried on about three suits each, we finally found some that we thought Silena would approve of.
SILENA'S POV
As soon as we got to the best stores, we started to look for presents.
"I made a list!" I told Thalia and Annabeth.
"What kind of list?" asked Thalia.
"Okay, so… Thalia, you will get a present for Nico, of course."
Thalia blushed. "What? I can't be the one to get his present! That would be so embarrassing!"
"Oh no, you're so doing it." said Annabeth. "And I'll get one for Percy."
I smiled. "Right, and I'll get Charlie that pocket knife he wanted!"
So I got Charlie the knife and Annabeth got Percy a really cool watch.
"Is that all you're going to give him?" I asked.
"Nope."
"Well then, do we need to go get something?"
"Nope." Annabeth smiled.
"Ooookaaay then." said Thalia, but I just grinned.
Finally Thalia got Nico his CD player and we went to look at the dresses for tomorrow's Christmas dance.
"Do I really have to wear a dress?" asked Thalia in disgust.
"Absolutely!" I told her.
Thalia groaned but she secretly looked kind of pleased.
I chose a dress and went into the changing room to try it on. It was a long, pink, silky dress with a low back.
"Silena, that's… you look beautiful!" exclaimed Annabeth when I came out.
"I'll take it!" I said to the associate at the checkout. "Now let's find one for you guys…" I sifted through the dresses 'till I found a perfect one for both Annabeth and Thalia. So they both went into to the dressing room to try it on.
Thalia came out wearing a spaghetti-strap little black dress that only came to her thighs. "Thalia you look fantastic! Nico's totally gonna flip!" I told her.
Thalia blushed and tried to look angry, but failed completely. "Thanks, Silena."
Then Annabeth came out. She was wearing a red strapless dress that fell down to her knees. She spun a circle and the dress sparkled in the light.
"Annabeth, you look… you look… beautiful." I breathed.
"Percy will be speechless," assured Thalia.
"You really think so?"
"Yes, Annabeth you look fantastic!"
Annabeth smiled and blushed. "Okay, now let's buy these and get back to shopping."
GROVER'S POV
"Okay seriously, we've been in here for fifteen minutes already and you guys haven't gotten anything!" I shouted at them.
"Okay, I'm just still deciding. I need to get Annabeth the perfect present." said Percy, staring into the jewelry case. I raised my eyebrow and Nico laughed.
"Okay, you decide on that and Nico and I will go get something for Thalia, okay Perce?"
"yeah, sure man. Whatever,"
I grabbed Nico's arm and dragged him over to the shoe section. "Choose. Now." I told him.
"All right, all right…" Nico examined the pairs of heels, sandals, sneakers and boots until he found the perfect pair. Nico held up the boots for me to see. "Like 'em?"
I stared at the leather boots. "No… but Thalia definitely will." I gave him two thumbs up.
Nico rolled his eyes. We went back to Percy who had already paid for his presents.
"To the suits!" I cried.
"To the suits!" Percy and Nico repeated.
KATIE'S POV
After we got a smoothie, we quickly looked for presents. We only had a little while 'till we had to meet up with the others for dinner.
"So, are you going to get Connor a camera? Hey look, this one's on sale!" I said, pointing to a black camera.
"Okay," said Beatrice, purchasing the electronic from the man behind the counter. "Now you need to get Travis a basketball."
I sighed. "All right," we walked to the sports section.
"I wonder if Travis will get you something." Beatrice smiled.
"Yeah, right. I have a better chance of getting a present from Hades."
"Oh, I don't know… he just might surprise you."
"Bea…" I shoved her arm. "Let's go get a dress."
We walked to the dresses and helped each other choose what we thought was the perfect dress. We went into the changing room to try them on.
Beatrice came out of the dressing room wearing a gold dress with a sash around the middle and short sleeves. "Wow, Bea. You look great!" I told her.
"Really? Thanks. You think-"
"Yes, I do think Connor will like it."
Beatrice smiled. "Okay, now your turn.
I went into the dressing room and came out wearing a simple green dress. It had long sleeves and a really low front so I had to pull it up a little to not show too much. It came down to my knees and it didn't seem like much, but Beatrice looked stunned.
"Katie…"
"Is it too much?"
"TOO MUCH? TRAVIS IS GOING TO FREAK OUT! FALL MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU! HE-"
"Beatrice SHUT UP!" I ran up to her and covered her mouth.
Once I recovered from that little scene, we finished shopping.
THALIA'S POV
When everyone was done shopping, we met at Kung Fu Chinese in the mall food court. Everyone was holding multiple shopping bags as we got a table.
"So, did everyone get what they need?" asked Silena.
"Yeah," I said.
"Yup," the rest of them agreed.
"Okay, let's eat!"
"So," Nico whispered to me, once our food came. "Did you find the perfect gift for your special someone?" he put air quotes around the last part, mimicking Silena.
I laughed. "Yeah, actually. I think I did,"
Nico looked surprised, but he just shrugged. "Me too,"
After dinner we finished our shopping and headed back to the cabin. We watched a movie and made cookies and surprisingly went to bed early. Tomorrow was Christmas and we were all super excited for the big dance.
The next morning we got all bundled up and went outside to play in the snow.
I trudged up the hill and plopped down in the snow, waving my arms and legs up and down to make a snow angle.
Suddenly, someone flopped down next to me. I turned to see Nico lying in the snow next to me. "Hello." he said.
I laughed. "Hi,"
"So…"
"So… what?"
"Looking forward to the dance tonight?" he asked, which surprised me. Nico never really talked about things like that.
"Sure… you?"
He nodded. "Hey Thalia?"
"What?"
Nico slowly stood up and reached down into the snow. Before I realized it, he chucked a snowball at me and it nailed me right in the face. Nico cracked up.
"NICO!" I shouted. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!" I chased after him down the hill only to get hit in the chest with a snowball by Percy. "Hey!"
I rolled a snowball in my hands and chucked it at Nico, but he ducked and it hit Katie. "Ah!"
"Sorry!" I shouted. Katie tried to throw one back at me but I dodged it and it hit Travis instead.
"I would say I'm sorry…" started Katie while Travis made a snowball. "But, I'm really not!" Travis threw one at her and it hit the target this time. Annabeth threw one at Percy, who threw one right back. And soon, everyone was engaged in a full-fledged snowball fight.
PERCY'S POV
Later that evening, it was time to get ready for the big Christmas dance. The girls went into their room to change and the boys went into theirs. And I have to say, we did okay with picking out the suits.
Nico was pacing around in circles while the rest of us were still getting ready. "Nico, you all right?" I asked.
"Yep… nope." he paced quicker.
"Man, calm down. It's just a dance." I reassured him, but he looked at me like I was crazy.
"Just a dance? Percy, this is the dance! The one where every girl expects something from a guy. Whether it be a gift, a dance, or… whatever!"
"And, you got her a gift." I said. But Nico just shook his head miserably and kept pacing.
"Okay, the girls won't let us see their dresses until the dance so we're gonna have to take a separate vehicle." said Travis, who had already finished dressing.
"Right, and that should be here…" we heard a honk outside. "now."
We shouted to the girls that we were leaving and headed downstairs to the shuttle.
When we got to the dance, I realized why Nico was so nervous. Annabeth would be here any minute and I was still working out a plan in my mind.
Suddenly, the door opened. Out walked Katie, Thalia, Silena, Beatrice, and Annabeth walked into the room. My jaw dropped. Annabeth was wearing a slinky red strapless dress. Strapless! She was wearing black high heels and her hair tumbled loosely over her shoulders. She wore no makeup, nothing fancy done to her hair. Yet she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.
Beckendorf took no time to sweep Silena onto the dance floor, while the rest of us just stood around awkwardly.
Then Annabeth came up to me.
"Hey, Seaweed Brain. Close your mouth, you're gonna catch flies." She teased.
I laughed nervously. "Eh he, riiiiiight."
"So, um… do you want to dance?" she asked.
I tried to say 'yeah, sure.' But it came out as "Gahshhhhyeah"
Annabeth laughed and led me onto the dance floor. The DJ just had to put on slow music right then, of course. Annabeth put her hand on my shoulder and her other one took my hand. I put my hand awkwardly on her waist.
"So… um…" I was super nervous now. "Do you, uh… do you want your present now?"
Annabeth looked up at me. "You got me something?"
"Um, yeah, of course. Do you want it now?"
"Yeah, sure!" she smiled.
I grinned and pulled a Greek Architecture book. Annabeth was trying hard not to look disappointed. "Thank you," she said.
"Annabeth. Flip to the back." I told her.
Annabeth turned to the last page and something fell out of it. She bent down (which almost made me pass out) and picked it up. Her eyes filled with tears of joy (I hope). "You got me a charm bracelet." She sighed.
"Yeah… I uh, added a charm."
She turned the bracelet over in her hands to see a little lightning bolt charm on it.
"In honor of our first summer… as friends." I almost choked getting those last words out. That wasn't what I had meant to say, believe me. But I just couldn't do it. "I, uh… I want to tell you something."
"Wait, I have something for you first. Close your eyes." Annabeth instructed. I did as she said.
When I opened my eyes, Annabeth's lips were against mine. She kissed me for about ten seconds before she had to stop.
"Annabeth," I said, still dazed that she had kissed me.
"Yes?"
"You gave me exactly what I wanted for Christmas."
BECKENDORF'S POV
As soon as I saw Silena in her dress, I grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.
"Oh, Charlie." Silena smiled. "This is the best Christmas ever."
"And why is that?" I asked, dipping her.
"Because we're all here together…"
"Yeah, and especially because you're here."
Silena blushed.
"It's true. I don't know what I'd be doing right now if you weren't here."
"Dancing with Grover?" she offered.
I laughed. We looked over to Grover who had apparently found someone to dance with; a short, brown-haired girl who looked perfect for Grover.
"What was your favorite part of the trip so far?" Silena asked.
"Oh, definitely this." I told her.
"How come?"
"Because…"
"Yes…"
"Because if we weren't at a dance right now, I might now have the courage to do this." I leaned in and kissed her.
"You're right." she said quietly. "This is my favorite part too."
BEATRICE' POV
"Hey Connor, want to dance?" I asked.
"Yes!" he almost knocked his chair over standing up. "Uh, I mean… sure."
I laughed. "So… um… how are you?" I said stupidly.
"Good… um… Bea?"
"What?"
"Was it true… what you said during Truth or Dare?"
"Hmm, and what would that be?" I said, knowing exactly what he was talking about.
"You know, when you said… when you said who you liked, and…"
"Hmm… Who did I say again?" I teased.
Connor looked pained. "Me, Bea. You said me."
"Yes, now I remember."
"So…"
"So… what?"
"Beatrice you're driving me insane. Do you or do you not-"
I cut him off by kissing him. "Does that answer your question?"
"How do you know what the question was going to be?"
"Finish the question, then."
"Do you or do you not… um… want me to kiss you again?"
"Hmm, I'll have to think about that one." I kept teasing.
"Oh, for the love of Zeus, Bea!" Connor kissed me again.
"I think I decided." I answered.
NICO'S POV
Holy. Hades. Thalia. Dress. Short. Spaghetti Strap. Heels. Oh. My. Gods. My brain was turning to mush as Thalia walked up to me.
"Enjoying yourself?" she said sarcastically.
"Yeah… I mean no! I mean, um, are you?" I stammered.
"Um… I wasn't, no."
I nodded. "Well, um… since, you know, we're not doing anything and we both, um… do you… do you want to dance?"
Thalia smiled. "Sure, Nikki,"
The way she called me 'Nikki' made my stomach do flip-flops. She's the only one who ever called me that.
Once we were on the dance floor, I found it hard to control my nerves. I was sweating and basically panicking.
"So…" I cleared my throat. "Um… How's your Christmas been so far?" That was a stupid question.
Surprisingly, she laughed. "Okay, and you?"
"Getting better every minute," I muttered as she put her hand on my shoulder.
"What?"
"Oh! Uh, nothing," I lied.
"Nico… I, um… I… I can't say it." she stopped and dropped her hands.
I suddenly realized everything. I realized why she didn't want to hurt me, and I realized that Percy was right. And I knew what to do next.
"Thalia," I took her hand and took a deep breath. Then I kissed her.
Thalia smiled. "Hey, you took the words right out of my mouth."
TRAVIS' POV
Okay, here goes nothing. I walked up to Katie. "Katie, can I… talk to you for a minute?"
"Whatever, Stoll… Just no pranks this time." she looked angry, but then she smiled.
Katie followed me onto the dance floor, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Connor give me two thumbs up.
I cleared my throat. "Sooo… what's up Katie-Kat?"
"Stoll,"
I smirked. "Why, yes, Katie-Kat?"
"Don't call me that," she tried to sound annoyed but when I looked down, she was suppressing a smile.
"Why not?" I asked innocently.
"Because… it's annoying." she said. Duh.
"I like annoying you," I said as we walked towards the drinking fountain.
"Yes… why is that Travis? Why do you like annoying me? Why not… I don't know, someone else?"
"Umm…" I hadn't planned on this. What should I say? Should I lie? "Well, you see…" I took a deep breath. "Katie the reason is…"
"What, Travis?"
We were standing in the hallway now, away from the dance.
"So what were you gonna tell me?" she asked. "You said you wanted to talk to me.
"Oh… right, that." my cheeks felt hot again. "Yeah, what I was going to say was… um…"
Katie sighed and snapped her finger.
I looked up and my jaw dropped. Hanging in the hallway was a sprig of mistletoe. I looked down at a very pleased looking Katie with her arms crossed.
"Well," she said. "What were you going to say?"
I gulped and laughed nervously. "I was going to say… um…"
"TRAVIS YOU IDIOT! KISS HER ALREADY!" Katie and I whipped around to see Connor peeking his head through the doorway. "Uh oh!"
"Yeah, you better run!" I shouted as my brother ran off.
Katie laughed. "You know, your brother isn't wrong all the time."
"Oh… OH!" I closed my eyes and kissed her.
When I finally pulled away I said, "You put the mistletoe there,"
"Whaaaaat? Me? Naw…"
"Aha! That's what I said when I told you Travis liked you!" shouted Connor.
My face felt hot. "Connor… you WHAT!" Connor ran away quickly.
Katie kissed me again. "Well, you certainly don't hate me tonight." I said.
Katie laughed. "You're a jerk."
"Any time, Katie-Kat."
"That doesn't even make sense!" she exclaimed.
"Ah, but it does to me. C'mon Katie let's go back to the dance." I said.
I put my arm around her and she punched me in the arm, laughing. "I hate you."
"Right back at ya, Kit-Kat… Right back at ya." I smiled.
THALIA'S POV
That Christmas was the best one any of had ever experienced. Percy and Annabeth finally got together.