This is Love!

One-Shot by Lauren

I was on the back of my Pegasus, Riot. He is a beautiful black Pegasus, with shinning fur. He had dark, black eyes. My father Hades gave him to me.

Lessons were almost over. I wanted to keep riding. Riot was my only way to get away from the hectic Camp Half-Blood activates and campers.

Travis just pulled a huge prank on my yesterday. So I was pissed off at him right now. Lexi from the Aphrodite Cabin said he has a crush on me.

I kind of believed her. She was never wrong when it came to relationships.

"Now all you need is a makeover!" She keeps bugging me, with all this makeover stuff.

"I don't need a makeover! I don't even like Travis Stoll! You know I like Percy!" I said quietly.

"Yes, yes! Everyone knows!"

"Except Percy right!" I cut her off.

"Yes he doesn't know!" She replied. I sighed in relief. Good.

So anyway I was riding Riot. I was far behind in the group. They were doing all these obstacles of types and sorts.

I wish Percy was here to tell me what Riot was thinking. He was always good around Riot and the others.

"Good boy!" I said to Riot. He started drifting downward.

"What is it?"

Riot moaned. Then we started falling.

Out of nowhere appeared Percy on Blackjack.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled over the roaring winds.

"No time for questions! Grab my arm! Get on the back of Blackjack when I say now!"

I listened to Percy. I grabbed his arm.

"Now!" He yelled.

I hopped on Blackjack's back just as Riot went plummeting towards The Strawberry Fields.

"What's wrong with Riot?" I asked Percy.

"He was getting tired. And hungry." Percy said. I giggled a little.

Percy always made me laugh. Even the littlest things were funny. He made a joke about an Aphrodite guy once. It was so funny! I almost threw up.

So here it is:

Percy saw Ian Hump looking in a mirror saying, "Don't you look handsome Ian? Yes you do! Yes you do!"

So Percy just had to tell me.

Percy said, "I can just tell he's gay! He flirts with me all the time!"

I couldn't stop laughing.

"You okay?" Percy interrupted my thoughts. "I'm fine…" I lied. I felt horribly air sick.

"You're turning green, Lauren! How's not fine. You're lying." Percy.

Then my eyes shut. I started falling. I heard Percy, "Lauren!" Next thing I knew something sharp jabbed into my head. I'd fallen off of Blackjack.

I must have been sleeping. I had a dream. Just little here and there glimpses. It was frustrating. I didn't like it because I saw Krissie, Luke and Percy.

Something was making Krissie cry. Percy tried – I think – comforting her. Luke he was on the ground. Cross eyed. No, eyes closed.

I woke up with a jolt when I felt a cold wash across my head. At that moment I panicked and took my sword out. It was Stygian Iron. Just like Nicos' but longer and much more sharper.

I took it out in a fast kind of way because I thought I needed to defend myself from a monster or something. But it turned out I hit something. I heard someone go "Ow!"

My eyes flickered open. I saw Krissie sanding over me. I grazed her arm a bit. "Jesus, freaking T-shirt! Lauren!" She started cursing in Greek. "What I do?" I asked.

My head hurt. I was tired. "You freaking grazed me! I came to check on you and to feed you more ambrosia and you freaking grazed me!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Krissie! Where's Percy? Is he okay? Oh gods he's probably freaking out! Gods I'm an idiot for not telling him I wasn't fine!" I said hectically worried. Krissie wrapped her arm up. "I'm fine! Thanks for asking." Krissie said. "Are you okay?" I asked

"Yeah! Peachey! Percy's fine. He's a bit upset because of what happened." Krissie replied. Just then Percy walked in. He saw me and ran to me.

"Lauren? How's your head? Still bleeding? I'm so sorry I wasn't careful!" Percy started tearing up. "I'll leave you two alone." Krissie said grinning. She gave Percy the ambrosia she was going to give me.

Percy put it in my mouth.

"I'm so glad you're okay Lauren! You could have died!" He said rubbing my head where I hit it.

Chiron came galloping in.

I think he saw me and Percy staring at each other in a way and asked, "Is Lauren okay?"

Percy broke our gaze. "Yes Chiron! Lauren's fine… She just has a little headache though." Percy explained. Chiron nodded.

"Oh Percy, that reminds me. Riot…" His voice trailed off.

"Yes, Chiron. I'll tend to Riot and I'll have Krissie watch over Lauren." Chiron nodded once and galloped away.

Before Percy walked away he gave a look. I can't describe it. It just looked special.

Then Krissie came in with her jaw dropped. She turned to me in a shocked way.

"What?" I asked empty minded as usual.

"Did you see the way he looked at you!"

"Yeah… I kind of have two eyes…"

"But Luke looks at me that way! Lauren! He likes you!"

I rolled my eyes. Yeah right. Percy Jackson will never love Lauren Elizabeth Tennant! I'm just a plain person.

"So what's up with Riot?" I asked trying to get off the subject of Percy.

"Are you up for walking?" I nodded. "Okay! Get dressed and meet me in the tent in the Strawberry Fields." And Krissie left.

While I was getting dressed I thought about Percy… What if he did like me?

Nah… He wouldn't. I'm just a daughter of Hades! No one likes me! And you do not! Do not want to be around me when I'm mad! Or you might accidently get banished to the deepest pits of Tartarus!

So I got dressed, took aspirin and ran to the tent.

I heard Apollo campers clanking around in there. And out of all the noise I hear Percy saying, "It's okay Riot! You'll be fine!"

I ran in. Percy waved me toward him. There, on the ground, laid Riot. I started tearing.

"How? What!" I started crying out fully now.

Percy took me and sat on the bench. He sat me on his lap and I rested my crying head in his neck. He started rubbing my back to comfort me.

When I got a chance between all my crying, I squeezed in, "What happened!"

Percy replied, "Riot fell…"

"I know that Sherlock!"

We giggled.

He started again. "He broke a leg and hurt a wing… Not that serious… Nothing Apollo can't heal… Krissie?"

"I'm calling! He's on my speed-dial!" She said.

Krissie hung up.

POOF!

Apollo appeared, hot as usual.

He went straight toward Riot.

He was done in a millisecond. "Give Riot a day to recover and he'll be fine!" Apollo said quickly.

"I got to run! Cows that are sacred need to be attended to! Bye kids!" All the Apollo kids didn't look up from what they were doing, except Krissie.

She put on a huge smile and waved bye.

Towards the end of the day everything was cleaned up. Riot went back to the stables. Everyone went to dinner. I skipped out to watch the sunset.

"It's beautiful…" A familiar voice said. I jumped a little. I turned around

And there was Percy standing with a plate of food. He was smiling.

Gods I love his smile! I fell in love with him once I saw that smile on my first day at camp.

I sighed. "It is…"

"Hungry?"

"A bit…" I always ate! So it was no surprise I took the plate of food from him.

I started eating.

"Thanks…"

"No problem! May I join you?"

"Sure…" I said patting the ground next to me. He sat down.

I was staring out at the sunset. Percy was staring at me. Like he was trying to build up courage to ask me something.

"Um Lauren…?"

"Yes Percy?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah! Anything!"

"Do you… No never mind…"

"What Percy? Do I what?"

"I'm going to sound really, really, really stupid, but do you like me?"

"Yeah, I like you! You're a great friend!"

"No… I mean… Do you… Love me? Because I love you. I love you so very, very much Lauren and you probably don't love me and I'm just a—"

I cut him off with a kiss to the lips.

"Percy I love you so much! I thought you'll never love me. On the first day I was here you, Krissie and Luke were the only, only campers to help me get settled into my cabin and to show me around. You smiled twenty-four seven when I was around. Once I saw your smile, I feel in love with you. Percy I love you!"

He looked really in shock. "Lauren… I don't know what to say! I love you!"

Then we kissed as the sun was setting on the horizon.

Next morning we woke up on the beach. Well actually Percy woke me up.

We went back to our cabin to get changed in clean clothes.

We walked toward the dining pavilion to get breakfast. The whole way down we held hands.

We're not allowed t sit at other cabin's tables, so that meant me and Percy couldn't sit with each other.

He gave me a kiss before he went to sit down.

But thank gods the Hades and Apollo tables are next to each other. I don't know why, so don't ask me! But hey! I'm next to Krissie!

Throughout breakfast all we talked about was Percy and Luke and how great boyfriends they are.

"I'm just so happy Percy finally realized how much you love him!" She kept saying.

"And he finally got the courage to ask you out!"

"Wait! What do you mean?"

"I knew he liked you. He kept asking me for advice…" She said stuffing a piece of toast into her mouth.

I almost killed her. "You knew he liked me! And you didn't tell me! KRISSIE! I'm so going to kill you!" I said with my hands on her shoulders, shaking her back and forth.

Luke saw what was happening and got up from his conversation with Percy and came over towards us. Thanks gods no one was looking at us.

"Lauren calm down. He told us not to tell anyone. Now let go of Krissie…" Luke said calmly.

I let go of Krissie. "Sorry Kris!"

She hugged me. "It's kay sissie!"

We laughed.

After lunch, Luke, Krissie, Percy and I headed down to the Pegasus Stables to visit Riot. It was Percy's idea.

"Riot say something!" Percy said once we arrived.

Uh… I like flying! No! That sounded stupid! I want sugar cubes! Yes sugar cubes!

"Did you guys here that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" Luke asked.

"It was Riot saying that Lauren." Percy said smiling.

What! "Only Poseidon kids can do that! Hear horses that is! I'm not a child of Poseidon!"

"I know that. I asked my dad to bless you with the blessing any child of Poseidon has." Percy explained.

"So you can breathe underwater," Krissie added. "You don't have to get wet underwater," Luke said. "And I can talk to horse, or horse related?"

"Yep!" They all said together.

"But the best part is that you're all mine…" Percy said giving me a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you Lauren…"

"I love you too…"

Then we went into a deep kiss.