I don't own PJO. Welcome back, everybody!

CHAPTER 1

I am running at a million miles an hour, refusing to stop and gauge my surroundings. I am surrounded by green and darkness, that's all I need to know. In the dark, I will be safe. The trees that encircle me cast dark green shadows on my skin, like thick black arms reaching out for me, digging canyons into my skin. My hair is full of twigs and leaves, hot and sweaty against my scalp. My lungs heave with every breath, pain sparkling through my nerves, my muscles aching for sweet oxygen. My arms shoot up and down, up and down, trying to get momentum and I don't think I can.

I finally skid to a halt and crouch behind a low tree, furiously searching for a better hiding place. I spot a thick bush and throw myself at it's feet, crawling under it's thick branches. Dirt clogs my nose, my mouth, my eyes, branches smack against my face. After a moment, I pause, my breathing stopped and the bush settled. There is quiet.

A hand suddenly erupts through the leaves and grabs the back of my shirt. I gasp and try to fight back, but my captor is too strong and manages to pull me out.

"Yes!" Aaron shouts. "I win! I finally win!" Aaron holds me up by the collar of my tank top, somehow able to hold me up without tearing the fabric. I blow a stubborn hair out of my line-of-vision.

"You forget," I say sweetly as I smile at him, almost pitying him. "That's only fifty percent of the game."

His face goes worried. "Wait, so I-"

He doesn't get to finish, because my foot jams into his knee. He drops me and I land gracefully on my feet. Aaron doesn't even get the chance to fall down, poor thing, before I grab his arm, twist it back, and force him to his knees, then to his chest. He blindly kicks my leg, but the hit is badly aimed and I barely feel it.

"No fair!" He shouts into the dirt.

"Completely fair." I state. While he tries to wrestle from my grip, I simply hold him in place, happy that his greater strength is, for once, at a disadvantage. I laugh a little, watching him only dig himself deeper and deeper into the dirt. I take the time to notice how his hair has an almost blue tint in the sun, how his tan goes past normal tan lines, and the small patch of sweat staining his tank at the small of his back.

I am Aspasia and he is Aaron. It is August in Camp Half-Blood and the world is glorious.

After a while, Aaron's body relaxes and I let go of my grip. I slide down to my knees, then to a sitting position next to him. He is gasping for breath, dirt stained on the fabric of his shirt and the creases on his face. He looks at me and bumps me with my elbow.

"Cheater."

"Yeah." I run a hand through my hair, painfully detangling it. "Keep telling yourself that." I become aware of a thick layer of sweat on my skin and feel dirty for a moment. Then, I look into Aaron's eyes and the thought vanishes.

"When can we be done with training?" He lays back, sitting up on his elbows.

"A true warrior is never done with training." I lay on my side next to him. He takes my hand in his. "You must keep learning, fighting, growing stronger and stronger, and you must know that you'll never be strong enough." My heart is pounding fast, and it's not because of the training.

"Wow, how Yoda of you."

"What's a Yoda?" I raise an eyebrow at him. He lets go of my hand in fake disgust.

"I'm breaking up with you." He rolls his eyes and lays flat on his back. "Seriously, how can you not know about Star Wars?"

"Whatever." Of all my flaws, Aaron worries about my exposure to pop culture. I lay back next to him and Aaron wraps an arm around my shoulder. I know I shouldn't stiffen at his touch, not after how long we've been together, but I do. He understands and pulls his arm back, clasping his hands behind his head. I feel bad for it and curl close to his chest. He smells like Old Spice and sweat.

So this is contentment.

It has been three months since my run in with Chaos. Since then, nothing extraordinarily unusual has happened. Older, more powerful monsters have been found in the Wild places, but Chiron is hesitant to blame Chaos for that. He has also forbidden me to leave the camp, since I got lost in the ends of the earth and was almost killed last time I did. Yeah, I don't blame him.

But in that time, me and Aaron, I don't know, became official. He holds my hands sometimes (though we always seems to get in that awkward moment when we try to hold hands one way then try another and it ends up we're just slapping each other's hands). I was at his father's birthday celebration, smiling as Annabeth shoved a piece of bright blue cake in his face. Our training sessions stay the same, ending a lot like this one did. Sometimes I read classics to him as we sit by the lake or under a tree. He calls me babe sometimes(I don't know how I feel about that yet). But despite all this, a nagging fear eats away inside of me that I'm not normal enough for him.

Granted, Aaron is far from normal. He cried when we watched Bridge to Terabithia, he's scared of spiders, and he can't stand it when his foods touch. But at least he knows how to be a boyfriend. He knows when to hold hands and when to touch me and where and how and what to say. And he knows how it's suppose to feel.

I know nothing.

Still, these three months have been the happiest three months of my life. Like I was living behind a veil for sixteen years and now, someone came and tore it away and I finally see.

Of course, that someone also likes to make out a lot, but that's another issue in it's entirety.

"How much longer can we stay like this?" Aaron whispers. He lets his arm drop to drape over me and this time I let him, savoring the feel of his skin against mine.. I know he's talking about this instant, right now, but I begin to wonder how long this happiness, this joy, this contentment can last.

"A little while longer." I decide.

Ahem, a stern voice says in my head.

I sigh and sit up. "Hello, Argent. Did we lose you there for a second?" Argent, my guardian angel, or guardian stag, stands noble and imposing a few feet away. His silver fur is immaculate and clean, his golden horns: shining. His face? Filled with disapproval.

Lady Princess, he says. I heartily suggest that this... training session come to an end.

Aaron sits up. "What's ole Rudolf saying now?" I suppress a giggle as Argent glares at him. If you've never seen a magical stag glare, it's pretty fascinating, actually.

"I think we're done for the day." I stand up and brush off my legs. Argent nods and begins walking back to the Camp. Aaron sighs and stands up. "Wanna grab some lunch?" I ask.

"Can't." He frowns. "After I shower, my mom wants to get me all packed up." His words make my heart ache. Aaron returns to school in two weeks. After that, I'll be back being alone. Not truly alone, I'll have Jean and Charlie. But without Aaron, I fear that I'll disappear again.

"Alright." I say, hiding my discontent with a smile. "I'll see you later then." I turn to follow Argent. Aaron grabs my hand as I turn. I look back and he smiles his beautiful mischievous happy Aaron smile.

"Later, babe." He pulls me close and I think he's going to kiss me, which is weird because we don't normally kiss randomly, and I start having a mini-panic attack when all he does is brush my hair from my face and kisses my forehead. He smiles again, then begins walking to his Cabin. I find myself smiling.

Yeah, I think I like being called babe.