A/N: The idea for gender-swapping Jason and Piper (along with basically everybody else) goes out to ObeliskX. Thanks for the great idea!

Just so you guys don't get confused, here are the characters names with who they really are: Peter (Piper), Jessica (Jason), Lea (Leo), Rico (Reyna), Paris (Percy), Andrew (Annabeth), Henry (Hazel), Faith (Frank), Clayton (Calypso), Drake (Drew), and Demi (Dylan).

Hope this doesn't confuse you too much ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson characters at all. Or their genders. Gah, just read it.

To get things straight, Peter never wanted to talk to Demi in the first place. He just didn't like girls who threw themselves at him. It wasn't his way of rolling like that. He preferred girls that were more reserved, more secretly interested. It made it a lot more amusing to him, and honestly, a lot more challenging. Girls like Demi just sickened the shit out of him.

That's why he did his best to swerve his intentions away from them, knowing that if he dared led them on just by a little, he'd be screwed for sure. The last thing he wanted on his mind was for another annoying girl to cling to him.

Peter rehearsed these thoughts as soon as the idiotic blonde was in sight. His eyes widened horrifically and immediately stepped back around the corner before she could see him like that. When Peter peered his eyes at her again, just to see if it was clear for him to go through, he saw the girl pushing her way desperately against his older brother, Drake, and he snorted. Little slut.

This was probably exactly another reason why he didn't like girls like Demi. Once they got clingy, they let go just for a moment before rubbing against the next dude behind the other's back. Not that Peter cared, of course. He hated that girl.

And it wasn't like Peter didn't understand. Drake was hot, in an objective way. Almost what any girl would want, if they were terminally ill. Which, by the way, Demi was. Reaching school at last, he walked immediately to his locker, feeling prying feminine eyes gaping at his body like they normally did, and Peter even winked at a few to get them off his back. He knew for sure that he didn't like the surplus attention being thrown at him, but he knew since he couldn't do anything about it, that he would have to live with it.

Once he reached his locker, he found his best friend Andrew there too, and when he saw him, he laughed out loud, making his blonde curls bounce a little on the top of his head. "What?" Peter said distressingly. All he wanted to do was get his books and head to class, and not be in the pissy mood he almost always was.

"Nothing. It's just that those girls over there," Andrew pointed to a section of gossiping girls in a corner, poking their heads out over their shoulders occasionally to search for other victims before returning to their clique, "They've been talking about you nonstop since the beginning of the school year, and all you've been doing was ignoring them."

"So?" Peter snapped, slamming his locker shut. He turned to look at Andrew straight in his eyes, trying to figure out what the big deal was.

"When they saw you winking at them on the way here, I saw one of them almost collapse. It was hilarious. And now all you look like you want to do is puke," he explained to Peter before taking out his phone and scrolling vigorously through something.

"Glad to see you're enjoying my misery," Peter rolled his eyes, eyeing Andrew practically ripping his cell in half before speaking again. "And what about you? Paris still not calling you back?"

Andrew's gray eyes shot up from his phone and glared sharply at Peter, only highlighting the storm in his orbs even more than what Peter would have liked. Paris was Andrew's girlfriend, and for the time being, they were sorta calling the outs right now. But that's how their relationship had always really been: an on-and-off thing. That was basically why Peter didn't really care that much about it, because for all he knew, the next week, they'd be fucking in the bathroom all over again.

It was Andrew's turn to roll his eyes, dismissing the conversation immediately, and Peter felt a wide smirk appear on his face, only slightly making his day better like that. The only reason why his lips shifted downward all over again was when she walked in the hallway, along with her other friends. Next to him, he saw Andrew stiffen a little, catching Paris in sight right next to the blonde girl, and he only glanced sideways to see Andrew cup his hands on his mouth to smell his breath before relaxing again when he was satisfied with it.

For Andrew, the sight was satisfying, for the person who he was trying to get back together with was walking so near to him in another group. For Peter, it was a whole different experience. He felt his heart race faster again, his breath become shallower, and suddenly, he didn't know why the hallway became so hot. And, no, Peter was not checking out Andrew's girl. He didn't roll that way.

To be honest, Peter really didn't like blondes. He found them all repulsive. They all brought him to the idea of Demi all over again. But for that one, actually talking to her and knowing her for all of his life, he knew she was different in a whole other way. Anyone could tell it just by looking at her. With her tight jeans and T-shirt and flats covering her body humbly like that, her straight shoulder-length hair stuck in a tight ponytail, and golden glasses perched on her nose, it was obvious she wasn't like the rest.

And Peter didn't know if he was disgusted by the change or admired by it (though a gutting feeling felt the pleasure of the latter).

When their group reached the two of them, Peter did his best to hold in his breath and turned around to his locker again, fumbling with the lock a bit. In that selection of time, him and Andrew were only on mutual terms with two of the people in that group: Lea and Faith. Faith was another reserved girl, someone who Peter even flirted with for a while in the beginning of high school but was soon stopped by her boyfriend, some muscular African American guy named Henry, and he eventually gave up.

Lea was more of a troublemaker. Someone who was so out of control, that Peter could read her perfectly. She was so relatable to him, that he really only thought of her as a sister. Plus, his partner in crime at times.

"Hey, guys," Lea said perkily, her toasted brown curls jumping a bit at her shoulders.

"Hey," Andrew answered monotonously, really only having eyes for Paris at that moment. Peter pursed his lips but didn't say anything back.

"There's a new movie comin' out tonight. I heard it's gonna be disgusting as hell. There's shit coming back from the dead all over the place. Vomit guaranteed," Lea explained, earning a slap and a glare from Jessica, that blonde chick he'd been talking about, and a couple of hisses of why did you invite them and you're so stupid.

Peter, on the other hand, did nothing but stare before finally forming his lips into a smirk. Out of all the people there (besides Jessica, of course, there was always something exceptional about her), he was pretty sure he liked Lea the best. She was just so crazy and tom-boyish that it made him smile. He couldn't think of one reason why Lea didn't like these things. It was pretty much utterly hilarious.

Next to her, Paris shrugged a little, forcing a smile on to her face despite Andrew's wistful one. "Yeah, I'm gonna go, too," she said, her green eyes sparkling brightly in a menacing way toward Andrew. To him, their entire relationship seemed pretty much immature in his eyes, and he really didn't get them at all. All they threw at each other were scornful looks and insults, but behind it all, Peter knew they shared something different. Besides the whole sex bit, that thing they shared was the main reason why they always ended up together in the end.

Behind Paris, Faith nodded quietly, not really caring that much. "Me too, I guess," Peter spoke up finally, mostly just to cut the tension between Paris and Andrew. Then, smirking once again, he turned to Jessica and spoke straight to her, knowing it would bug the hell out of her. "Are you going to come, too? Finals aren't until the end of the month, you know. Your sweet little brain can take a night off, can't it?"

Jessica shot him a glare so sharp, Peter internally winced, but kept his grin on. If anything, Jessica's replies always made everything more challenging, and honestly, left him slightly turned on. "What? So eager to see me again?"

"Feeling's mutual, hon, don't flatter yourself," Peter said, pretending he had other better things to do than talk to her. He visibly saw her breath a little out, that huffy thing she always did when she was annoyed, and straightened her glasses out a little more, just enough for him to see.

"Can't you go one minute without bothering the crap out of me?" she snapped out, glancing at the clock, probably begging for it to tell her when to go to her next class.

"Wait 'till tonight and we'll see how it goes," he even winked at her for more measure, and got even more satisfied when she pursed her pink lips in irritation. Despite how much she irritated the crap out of him, there was no denying that she made one hell of a fine girl, insults or not. It was hard to get mad at her, her with her straight back and confident strides and her basic innocence. He supposed that's what made him so attracted to her.

Though that was something he would never tell Andrew or his other friend Clayton or even Henry, who despite everything, had still become one of his closest friends ever. Heck, he even got somewhat along with Rico sometimes, although he had an undying crush on the same person Peter really, really felt attracted to.

And yeah, blondes were most definitely not his cup of tea or whatever. But thinking about what could possibly happen that night, how Peter could actually get closer to Jessica, he caught himself smiling at the now empty hallway.

At times, Jessica really hated it when that girlish part came out of her, like a swirling tidal wave just waiting for destruction to happen. She was a girl, after all, and they really do get like this, the more she thought of it. But to defend herself even more, she decided that it would most appropriately be blamed on that idiotic boy who stole her heart a long fucking time ago.

Truth was, her and Peter had actually used to get along buddy-buddy like that before they reached high school. Now that they were actually living through it, it was like hell erupted. New stress, new studies to worry about, new friends, and...new options of girls. New life. Admittedly, Peter had turned into somewhat of a player, no doubt. Girls chased after him; and who wouldn't?

He had pretty good muscular arms, he was dark in a tanned sort of way, his chiseled jaw only made it more annoying for her if anything, and his brown hair had grown out a little, making a rebellious strand stick out, covering his strangely multicolored eyes. And if that didn't catch her eye enough, he had an outrageously charming personality. One that made her want to barf out her lunch so much, but at the same time made her feel really bad about herself and her own personality.

And then there was her. With the plain look every plain day. Freaking staring at her closet forever now, deciding what on earth she wanted to wear. She wouldn't have cared before if he wasn't going to show up. And now that she knew he would, she hated him even more for making her feel like this.

Suffice to say, in the end, she decided just to wear some shorts and another tee. Playing hard to get was just her game, almost as much as it was his, and she would show him that. She hated him, after all.

The drive to Lea's was short, and she already saw a couple of people already there. Paris was there, awkwardly standing a little away from Andrew, Faith was there, and of course, Lea. As Jessica did one more look over at the room, she sighed a little in relief that Peter had not shown up yet, and she went to go take her place at the couch, next to Paris.

"So, what now?" she asked out loud, once she greeted everyone. "Have you guys made the popcorn yet, or do you need help? I brought snacks, too," she said while gesturing to the bag of chips in her left hand.

"Nah. It's already popped. We're just waiting for Peter - " Jessica's heart jumped at the name " - oh, and I'll take that..." Andrew finished, grabbing the chips from her arms and already opening the bag, popping a chip into his mouth.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Paris roll her eyes, muttering softly but annoyed, "Such a Seaweed Brain," then she stopped and made a weird-ed out expression, as if what she said wasn't completely right. At the statement, Jessica thought it too sounded a little off, so unfamiliar, like something mentioned in another land probably, and she felt like laughing. Andrew noticed and shot Paris another longing look before turning away.

Right when Jessica almost forgot about the Cherokee boy at all what with the whole tension and all, the doorbell rang right there, the sound echoing loud in her ears. "I'll get it," Lea said, already on her way to the door. As soon as the kid walked in, she did her best not to look straight at him, knowing that if she did, something embarrassing might accidentally come out.

A round of heys chorused around the room, followed by a couple of slaps on the back by Andrew when he went to greet him. "'Bout time. Almost thought you'd ditched me and left me here with all these girls," he said, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

Peter huffed out a bit, grinning at his friend. "Like you were really complaining."

Noticing all the other seats were taken, he walked straight over to her and plopped on the seat next to her. Jessica made sure it was obvious when she scooted away from him, but it only made Peter's smile tilt up even more, to the point where Jessica could see his white teeth shine through his lips. "Missed me?" he asked her cockily, spreading his arms around the couch into her area. "You know, I heard from Lea that this would be a pretty scary movie - "

"Yeah, I know," she intervened, cutting him off. "I was right beside her when you talked."

" - So if you get scared or something," Peter continued, like she hadn't even spoken at all. "You could always cuddle with me. My arms are wide open."

From the other side of the room, she heard Andrew say to Paris, "You could do that too, you know," followed by a groan from her.

Jessica glared at him for the infinite time before saying, "I'd rather marry Drake," referring to his mess of a brother, more of a jerk than she believed Peter was, and though that wasn't true at all (his arms did seem quite comfortable), she was more than happy to see the slight shift in expression from him. The way his lips down-turned, his eyebrows furrowing, made her almost regret what she had said, but it quickly went back to the way it was: him with his stupidly cocky smile.

"What, Rico isn't satisfying to you enough?" he spoke bitterly, which confused her a little, the way he put that in a sentence like that, and she didn't fully know how to reply.

"Do you always play that card, or are you just running out of comebacks to say?" she stared forcefully at him, begging with her eyes to dare to reply back.

Instead, he shrugged before reaching over for the bag of chips and eating one, ignoring her completely once again. She smirked, satisfied with herself, before actually thinking what he was implying. Why was Peter picking on Rico again? Sure, she knew that he always had a thing for her, that much was obvious. But...Rico was way too much like herself. The same thoughts, the same convenient actions. So convenient, it was inconvenient.

She desired someone different. One whom she couldn't predict. And, no, this wasn't like some cheesy Hollywood movie where they always state that they want something different with all that extra gooey shit and the whole Romeo and Juliet thing, no. She knew exactly who she wanted, who she was internally seeking. She'd always known, she just didn't know what he'd think about it.

She wanted Peter, if all her stupid revelations weren't obvious enough.

About thirty minutes into the movie, she glanced at her right, to the other side of the room, just to see that Andrew and Paris were already making out heavily with each other, almost to the edge of slipping off into second-base. No surprise there. Guess they were on again.

The movie itself was pretty stupid, a Lea worthy pick of a movie, but there were times where she felt herself jump a little in shock. Next to her, Peter chuckled a little, his arm still strewn out over the couch, inviting her in, but she'd be stupid if she did that.

Eventually, she left the living room, going to the kitchen to go get something to drink. She was already in the middle of pouring some juice into her cup when Peter appeared, seeming to be walking out of the dark shadows, making her jump once again. "The movie still on your nerves?" he asked, laughing a little. "You know, I didn't picture you to be the scaredy-cat type, Miss Grace."

"I'm not," she stated firmly, "you just appeared out of nowhere." He shrugged before taking the carton of juice when she was done using it, and pouring some into his own cup before chuckling again, softly this time. "What?"

He didn't say anything for a while, still smiling to himself, before finally taking a sip of his juice. "I can't believe I'm standing next to you, drinking juice like a little kid, when I could have been having a beer instead."

She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed with his behavior. "Well, no one asked you to come join me." Things went quiet again, and she wondered why she hadn't left to go sit where everyone else.

It wasn't until he cleared his throat awkwardly, making her face snap up to him, expecting him to say something cocky again. Instead of that, he surprised her once again. Though this time, it wasn't exactly in a bad way. "I'm...sorry," he said, the ending sounding almost like a question rather than a statement.

Jessica didn't know what was to be said after a statement like that. She didn't know if she needed clarification, maybe it could have been about the whole Rico statement, though it hadn't really affected her that much. What exactly could he have been implying? "What do you mean?" she asked eventually.

Peter's kaleidoscopic eyes darted a little up at her, before looking back down to the ground. "I...well...I haven't exactly been fair to you. Not really. I guess, there's been a whole bunch of distractions that's been coming up since high school started and...wow, this is a really crapped up apology," he said at the end, furrowing his eyebrows again after chuckling bitterly.

She pursed her lips at him, something he and her were so used to, and waited for him to continue. She was honestly curious herself at how this could turn out. "Yeah?" she offered lightly.

He cleared his throat again, swallowed, and she watched as his Adam's apple bobbed a little nervously, making her smile a little. She was glad she could pull that out of him. "Well...what I'm trying to say is... I have been acting really stupid around you. Like, really really stupid. And I haven't really been noticing that until I said that...that thing about Rico back in the other room. That was a low blow. I'm sorry."

She nodded, not fully understanding that quite herself, but she eventually decided that she would settle with that. "Okay. Anything else?" She knew she wasn't being fair, but wanted this over with. To be honest, this whole conversation kind of hurt. Okay, really hurt. It was all just about saying sorry and other crap, but she knew where this was heading. He was basically friend-zoning her, so that's why she wanted it over with.

"Ialsohappentoloveyoutoo," he zipped out, completely startling her. All her thoughts, every single perspective of her world changed from that moment on. Plus that, and she really didn't understand.

She blinked. "What?" she asked, though she heard pretty clearly even though it came out fast. Instead of replying like she hoped he would, he reached with his fingers under her chin and planted one soft, sweet kiss on her lips, making all of her thoughts dissipate in one giant heap of nothing important.

He smiled softly at her, and though her mind was screaming at her to go get a fucking grip, she knew she couldn't. Plus, she knew McLean way too well to know when he was lying or not. After all, they had been friends before their own personal war had started. And she also knew that if she dared start something more with him, it would definitely lead to a rocky road, she realized with a heavy heart. She knew the pain he put her through, watching all those other girls be near to him when she was more nearer to him than anybody, and it was like she didn't even exist.

...But he had apologized for that, hadn't he? Maybe things would be different now, she thought to herself. She really hoped her thoughts weren't naive. But then again, this was Peter she was talking about. She'd always known there was something different about him.

"Said I love you," Peter spoke again, his eyes getting lost behind that stupid dark strand once again. He reached hesitantly toward Jessica with his hand, waiting for her to pull away or make some sort of noise to indicate that she didn't want this, but she'd be a dope if she didn't. When he saw she didn't do any of those things, he reached behind her and pulled out the tight rubber band holding her hair together, making all of her light-colored wisps come out in a heap, falling around her.

He pushed back a whole bunch of bangs behind her ears and looked at her straight. She laughed a little, finally, the first sound of that she'd heard in a long, long time before saying, "I love you, too, Beauty Queen."

His loving expression morphed back into a sort of confusion before staring at her questioningly again. "Beauty Queen? Why that?"

Jessica shrugged, happiness overcoming her feelings more than what she could imagine, before smiling brightly again. "Guess it suits you."

He thought for a while, not really staring at anything before finally residing on, "Sparky."

It was her turn to be confused as hell. "What?"

"That's your new nickname."

"That's a lame-ass nickname," she said while laughing again, leaning in closer to him finally, like she'd always wanted to do.

"So is Beauty Queen," he answered back, leaning in even closer to the point where she couldn't even see the proximity between them. "Where did you even come up with that?"

She reached up on her toes to kiss him, and when she pulled back, she was happy to see the dazed look that appeared on his face, though there was an identical one on hers. "Don't know. But doesn't it sound familiar in a way?"

He muttered, "Almost too much," before kissing her again, blurring everything else around them two.

They would turn out well, she concluded. She would make sure of it.

A/N: This was the most weirdest thing I have ever wrote. But I can't say that I didn't enjoy it. I think I got a whole bunch of pronouns and names mixed up with the whole 'she' and 'he' thing but I hope that's it.

Till next time,

Penguin