Leo and Piper's Gift of the Magi
Guess who is incapable of finishing a Christmas themed story in time for Christmas? That would be me! 5 days late! *Hello my name is... FAILURE* Ughhh. Anyway, here it is, my LIPER themed CHRISTMAS themed story, based of Mickey and Minnie's Gift of the Magi, which in turn was based off of The Gift of the Magi.
Please excuse any typos and errors, I really tried to edit but I feel like their are still several mistakes. And I simply could not hold off on posting this any longer. I literally just finished it. And I hope you all don't mind reading a Christmas-y story even though... yeah...
So without further ado, I present... this fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, this location, or really even this storyline.
"Thanks Leo!" Percy called as he left Bunker 9. "Don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'd probably get your butt kicked by Annabeth," Leo suggested.
"Yeah probably," Percy agreed, turning back at the doorway. "Seriously though dude, you're like a wizard. I thought this bracelet was done for. Whatever you do with those tools, its pure magic."
"Nah, I don't deal in magic. If I did, I would have enchanted my hammer to change into whatever tool I need with only a thought from me. It would make working so much faster."
"I'm sure the Hecate cabin could do that."
Leo shook his head. "No man, they run a business. They'll only use magic for you if you pay them somehow. It wasn't like that when Lou Ellen was in charge, before…"
Leo didn't finish the sentence. Lou's death had been tragic. Her death had been used as a warning to the camp, a sort of threat. Gaea had lured her to the edge of a cliff, and then she had been pushed off. The news had come as a shock to Camp Half-Blood, but it only made them stronger.
A sleazy kid named Francis was the cabin counselor now, and the guy was a total conceited jerk. When Lou had been in charge, the Hecate kids had gladly helped out where possible with their magic. Under Francis, people had to pay ridiculously high prices for the slightest bit of magic. And 25% of all profits went to Francis.
"Right… I was gonna ask them to fix the bracelet, but then I remembered I would be wasting a thousand dollars when I have a Valdez who'll fix it for free! And probably better."
"Aw, stop, you're making me blush," Leo joked. Percy laughed.
"Very funny Valdez. I gotta go, see you later." He left the bunker holding the package in which the bracelet was wrapped. It was a simple bracelet with a detailed owl on it. Percy had managed to break it, and Leo had welded the owl back on. It was Percy's gift to Annabeth.
Holiday season was upon them, and Leo had built and wrapped the gifts for all of his friends. Well… except for one. He still had no idea what to give his girlfriend.
His girlfriend. Just saying it filled him with a giddy feeling. Piper Mclean was his girlfriend. But now he was going to blow it because he didn't have a good gift. She was so important to him, she meant so much to him, Leo had no idea how he could express all of that through a present. He was worried that he would give her the wrong thing and then she would leave him. Now it was the day before Christmas Eve and Leo still had no idea what to get her.
"Hey Repair Boy! You here?" Piper's voice broke the still silence.
"Right here!" Leo yelled. There was the sound of footsteps and then Piper appeared at the doorway. "Sup Pipes?"
"Camp's crazy," Piper complained, dropping onto a chair and spinning around. "Too much holiday spirit."
"Someone's acting like a Grinch," Leo said, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh shut up," Piper rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Lacy is all upset with me because I accidentally almost stabbed her with my sword."
"You mean Zethes' sword?"
"My sword," Piper repeated pointedly.
"How did you accidentally almost stab a girl?"
"Well I was walking around the cabin with the sword because I was planning to practice at the Arena and I don't have a sheath for it because it has that wacky shape and it either doesn't fit or slips out of any of the sheaths at camp and somehow I nearly impaled Lacy," Piper explained while propping her feet up on an empty work bench.
But while she had been talking, Leo had been forming an idea. Now, the idea was fully formed and he knew exactly what to get Piper for Christmas. And if he was going to finish, he had to get started immediately.
"Gotta go Piper, I'll see you later," Leo said jumping up and running out the door.
"Wait what? Leo!" he heard Piper call after him. But he was already too far and there was no way he was stopping.
Piper was alone in the Bunker. She wondered what Leo had run off for, but that thought was quickly replaced by a more pressing thought. She still had no idea what to give Leo for Christmas.
That had been her reason for coming to the Bunker in the first place. She had been hoping that she'd be able to find some kind of inspiration there, or maybe Leo would tell her what he wanted, but no such luck.
Sighing, Piper got up and left the Bunker. The air outside was cold, and she pulled at her thin jacket as if it would help make her warmer. It did no such thing. She walked back to camp, crunching over the dead leaves that had dropped from the trees, trying to find an idea for Leo's gift.
She had asked all of her friends for ideas, and while their suggestions had been good and Leo would certainly like them, all of them were just too generic. Her gift to Leo had to be something thoughtful and special, something to communicate just how grateful she was to have him. They had only been dating for a month, but they had been friends for far longer. Even if they hadn't been a couple, Piper would have had to get him something remarkable and spectacular. The only problem was her lack of creativity.
She was thinking of going to Cabin 9 again and asking if any of Leo's siblings had an idea, even though the last time she had asked – about an hour ago – the answer had been the same generic ideas she got from the others, but she suddenly became aware of her name being called.
Turning, she saw Percy running towards her and yelling her name. Seeing that she had stopped, he slowed down to a walk. Piper saw a childish gleam in his eyes that could only mean that he had some good news to share.
"Percy, what's up?" she asked when he had gotten close.
"Forget that! Why weren't you stopping?"
"Lost in thoughts," Piper admitted.
"Not an excuse," Percy said, shooting a glare at her that she knew he didn't mean.
"Is there a reason you were trying to stop me?" Piper prompted.
"No, of course not, I just wanted to chat," Percy said sarcastically. Piper punched him in the arm. "Ouch. Violence isn't the answer Piper," he complained, rubbing his arm.
"I don't have time to stand around talking, Jackson, I still need to find my gift for Leo."
"Yeah, this is about that. I found a good present idea when talking to Valdez earlier."
"Really?" Piper said, her eyes lighting up. "Don't just stand there, tell me what it is!"
"He said he wished his hammer could turn into whatever tool he needed with only a thought from him, to increase efficiency or whatever."
Piper felt the earlier hope fall away. "How exactly am I supposed to get him that?"
"I believe what you're looking for is the Hecate cabin," Percy said pointedly. Piper's eyes widened.
"You're right! All I need to do is get Leo's hammer and have the Hecate cabin enchant it!"
"Two things. One, Leo will never let you take his hammer, and two, the Hecate cabin charges a lot for their services."
"Do you have an idea?" Piper asked, knowing already that he did.
"Of course. Percy always has a plan. I did a little research," Piper coughed at this, but he continued, "and there is a way for the Hecate kids to bottle magic, so it can be used later. You present Valdez the bottle of magic as his gift, he goes all Harry Potter on his hammer and BAM! Magic hammer."
"Percy, that's brilliant!"
"But there's still the payment, which will be even more if the magic is takeout." Piper waved him aside.
"I'll manage that, I just needed an idea," Piper said, hugging Percy. "I knew you'd deliver Jackson."
"Actually you doubted me like Hephaestus doubts your mom," Percy said, though he had a goofy grin on his face. "And I'd hurry if I were you, Francis is in a good mood and it won't last for long."
"Right," Piper said, backing up. "Right… thanks." She turned and ran to the Hecate cabin, feeling light and fluffy and back in the Christmas spirit.
Once the idea hit him Leo had the urge to hit himself. It was so obvious, yet it had taken him so long to figure it out. He mentally kicked himself repeatedly as he ran back to Cabin 9. He would have done it physically but then he would have tripped and if he tripped he would have to get up again and that whole ordeal would waste far too much time.
The first place he went was the Aphrodite Cabin, where he was greeted with the smell of lavender and the urge to sit down for a nice relaxing spa day. He just managed to shake the urge away and continue with his new mission.
"Leo, what are you doing here?" Mitchell asked upon seeing him.
"Piper – Christmas – gift – no time to talk," Leo said quickly, hurrying to her bed and dropping to the ground to look under it. He saw the glint of bronze in the darkness under her bed and reached for it, grasping for the handle and pulling it out when he had a firm hold on it. The sword slid into view, with its jagged shape that seemed to be cut to resemble ice. The result was an extremely sharp and deadly sword, but also one that didn't fit into any sheath.
That was where Leo's gift would come in. Smiling to himself, he got to his feet with the sword in hand.
"I wouldn't take that if I were you." Leo turned to see Drew watching him with her arms crossed. Her long black hair was smooth and straight, cascading over her shoulders and spilling onto a simple yet elegant purple sweater dress, paired with black leggings and dark blue boots.
Leo wondered where that description had come from, but he decided to blame it on the Aphrodite atmosphere.
"Why not?" he asked once he had pulled himself together.
"If she found it gone she would be worried. She'd go on a search rampage unless we told her you had taken it," Drew explained, examining her nails, "and if we did that… well then your little surprise gift won't be such a surprise."
"I'm sure you don't even know what I'm giving her," Leo challenged.
Drew's eyes flashed up for a moment to meet his, but then quickly flickered away as though his eyes weren't worthy of hers. "You're going to make her a cover for that sword."
Leo had the courtesy to look embarrassed. "Alright, so you do know what I'm giving her. But if I don't take the sword, how will I do measurements and shaping and stuff?"
"You can take measurements now," she said flatly, as though this was completely obvious… which it was. "And then, there's this thing called a camera. You use it to take pictures that can be used for later reference."
"I know what a camera is," Leo said sourly, removing a tape measure from his toolbelt, along with a small notebook, "I just don't have one with me."
"Why don't you just pull one out of that hideous magic belt?"
"It doesn't work that way, the belt-" Drew held up a hand to stop him.
"I don't care. Just take your measurements." Leo did so, measuring and writing the numbers on his notebook. When he was done, he shut the notebook and slid it back into his toolbelt along with the tape measure. He was about to slide the sword back under the bed when Drew spoke again. "Don't put it away yet."
Turning again, Leo saw that she was holding out a small, pink disposable camera. He looked at it and then back at her uncertainly.
"Take it, take your pictures and get out," she said, holding it out farther. Leo took it and stood up.
"Thanks."
Drew just rolled her eyes and walked away. Leo took the pictures from different angles, then dropped the camera into his toolbelt and slid the sword under the bed before leaving the cabin.
"Hey, is Francis around?" Piper asked the boy leaving the Hecate cabin. He nodded.
"But you'll have to see Luther before meeting him," the kid said, walking away. Piper watched him for a little while before stepping into the cabin.
The place was dimly lit with blue lights that bathed the room in purple. Herbal scents like jasmine wafted around through crystal balls and cauldrons. Magical writing floated through the air, making it difficult to see. Every once in a while, a word would disappear with a pop or would explode into bubbles. Looking around, Piper saw a podium that was somewhat obscured by a mist and walked towards it. Leaning against it was a tall boy, with shoulder length blond hair and a scowl that seemed permanent.
"Um, are you Luther?" Piper asked hesitantly. The boy grunted, and Piper took that to mean yes. "I need to see Francis."
"Why?" His voice was deep and gruff.
"I need to ask for magical services…"
"Oh really? I thought you wanted to ask him to a picnic," Luther said sarcastically. "He's through the black door on my right."
Piper nodded and walked to the door, knocking on it. "Come in," a voice called. Piper turned the knob and pushed on the door. She had only taken a step inside when she started coughing uncontrollably.
The air in the room smelt sour and stale and overall unpleasant. Piper couldn't see anything through the tears that had formed as a result of the violent coughing.
"Sorry," a voice said. The voice was the kind of overly smooth voice that warned of a jerk. "Allow me to clear this up."
After about thirty seconds the sour smell vanished and was replaced with the herbal scent that the rest of the cabin hosted. Piper stopped coughing and straightened up, wiping away the tears that had formed. She saw Francis sitting at a desk with his feet propped up. His black hair was slicked back with a lot of gel and his eyes were a strange shade of blue, almost purple. He was wearing a sweater vest over a white shirt and blue tie.
"Sorry," he said again, though there was no tone of apology when he spoke. "I was experimenting with a coughing spell."
"I think it works well," Piper commented, trying not to sound annoyed. She had to be nice, or Francis would never help her.
"So, what do you desire?" he asked bluntly.
"Magic."
Francis laughed humorlessly. "You'll have to be a bit more specific than that, darling." The way he called her "darling" repulsed Piper, but she forced herself to stay calm.
"It's for a gift. I wanted some of your bottled magic to enchant my boyfriend's hammer so it can turn into any tool with just a thought," Piper elaborated.
"Is your boyfriend a Hephaestus kid?"
"Yes."
"Of course. The magic you request is complicated. It's easy for me, but it's still a trickier spell. The price will reflect that. On top of that, you want the magic bottled? Even higher price. And don't even try using your charmspeak to get out of paying, it won't work on me, thanks to a protective spell I thought to cast," Francis explained. "Are you able to pay the price?"
"Actually, I don't have money, but-"
"Then you've wasted my time," he interrupted. "No payment, no service. We don't run a charity here."
"Wait," Piper said quickly, before he could dismiss her. "Does the payment have to be in money? Couldn't we set up a trade or something?"
"A trade," Francis repeated, his head cocked to the side thoughtfully. "The item you trade must be something valuable. Do you have any such thing?"
Piper ran through all of her belongings, trying to come up with something she could trade.
"You don't happen to be a Tristan Mclean fan, do you?" she asked doubtfully.
"Not at all." Piper kept trying to come up with something, anything valuable, and then finally she had an idea.
"Yo Shane, you wanna tell me how to make a sheath?" Leo called as he walked into the forge and saw Shane working at a table. He was the only other one there.
"The great and brilliant Leo Valdez can't even figure out how to make a pocket out of fabric?" Shane taunted, raising an eyebrow.
"Shut up, I don't have much time. I just need the basics so I can create the best pocket of fabric ever by tomorrow. So start teaching."
"Sorry, I can't. Not supposed to be talking, I was told to shut up."
"Really, Shane? You just talked." He just shrugged wordlessly. Leo sighed. "Okay, fine. Now I'm telling you to un-shut-up, okay?"
"I believe an apology is in order," Shane said, with a devious spark in his eyes.
"Dude?" Leo said, testing to see if Shane was serious. He shrugged again. "Fine, I'm sorry."
"For?" Shane prompted.
Leo glared at him. "For telling you to shut up. That wasn't very nice of me, and I'm sorry."
"Aw man, no worries. I forgive you," Shane said, a smile spreading across his face. "Now come over here so I can give you a crash course on making a sheath. Leo broke out in a grin as he joined Shane at the work table.
Piper was wandering around camp trying to find a solution to her current dilemma. She was so lost in thought, that she bumped into a poor unsuspecting camper, causing them both to fall to the ground.
Turns out the unsuspecting camper was none other than Annabeth Chase, who had been walking around with her nose in a book. Now she looked up and started apologizing profusely until she saw that it was only Piper. Then her look of worry morphed into a comfortable smile.
"Oh Piper, it's only you," she said, standing up and offering a hand.
"Yep, only me," Piper accepted the hand and stood up. "Hey, you think you could help me with something? Use some of that wisdom you're always bragging about?"
"Well I don't brag for nothing. What's up?"
"So, I wanted to gift Leo some bottled magic for his hammer – so it could change to different tools – for Christmas, so I talked to Francis and-"
"Hold up," Annabeth broke in. "Do you know how much the Hecate cabin charges?"
Piper waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, I got the payment covered. The only thing is, apparently for this type of trickier magic, it has to be very specific and coded to a particular object."
"In this case the hammer," Annabeth supplied.
"Exactly. In order to cast the spell that will later be bottled up, they need to have a visual of the object, so they can picture it while performing their bibbidi-bobbidi-boo." Annabeth nodded.
"So just take a picture of it. What's the problem?"
"How am I supposed to get the hammer from Leo to take the picture? He carries it in his toolbelt and he'd notice if it vanished. I'd have to ask for it, and then I'd raise suspicion because I don't normally ask him for tools, or take pictures of them," Piper explained.
"Easy solution. I'll take the pictures and then give them to you for you to give to Francis so he can cast the spell and give it to you so you can give it to Leo!"
"Right…" Piper said, nodding as if she had understood that whole thing. "Thanks Ann."
"Don't call me Ann! And all you need to worry about now is finding a pretty box to put your gift in."
Now that Leo had the basics of sheath-making down, his mind was already filled with ideas for making the best one ever. He was rattling of his visions to Shane, who kept shooting them down with things like logic.
"Okay, okay, so what if we-"
"Leo, you seem to be forgetting that you're on a tight schedule here," Shane pointed out.
"Gah, screw deadlines," Leo grumbled. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Magic."
"C'mon man, can we be serious here?"
"I am-" Shane stopped abruptly as they heard the sound of footsteps. Annabeth walked into the forge, looking the way she did when she was on a mission. And when Annabeth was on a mission, you did what she wanted and got out of the way, because otherwise she would roll over you like a bulldozer.
"Hey, Annabeth," Leo greeted nervously. Mission Annabeth scared him, when she arrived it meant he was in danger of being sliced into Valdez Cubes.
"Valdez, shut up and give me your hammer," Annabeth ordered, coming to a stop when she was in front of him. Leo didn't question her or argue, he simply reached into his toolbelt and handed her one of his small hammers, meant to be used for delicate nails. It really wasn't planned, it was just the first thing he grabbed.
Annabeth looked the hammer over and held it back out to him. "Stop being stupid. Give me your special hammer," she snapped.
"My special hammer?" Leo repeated stupidly. And then, "Ohh, you mean Ron!" He reached into his toolbelt and pulled out his favorite hammer, then handed it to the waiting demigod.
"Ron?" Annabeth asked incredulously, taking the hammer. "You named your hammer Ron?"
"Duh." Annabeth only shook her head with a faint smile, then pulled out a camera and started talking pictures of Ron. "May I ask why you are subjecting Ron to an impromptu photo-shoot?" Leo asked hesitantly. He was still afraid of Annabeth, but he also wanted answers.
"I'm working on an article for The Demigod Times," Annabeth answered evenly. "It's on the heroes of the Giant War and the things they carry around. Your hammer – Ron, will be featured in this week's paper. Some other object next week. Obviously, I need pictures."
"We have a newspaper?" asked Shane, who had now decided to make his presence known.
"You didn't know? That's a shame. We're really trying to get word of the paper out; it seems that a lot of demigods are unaware. It covers both camps and provides information on ongoing events on Olympus, things going on in camp such as games, and information on demigod couples – courtesy of the Aphrodite cabin. It's really quite good; I'll try to remember to give you a copy when the next edition is out." Annabeth finished taking her pictures and handed Leo his hammer. "Well, I'll be going now."
"Wait, don't you want to take some pictures of Ron's owner?" Leo called after her as she started walking out of the forge.
"No need, we've got plenty in the archive," she called back before disappearing. There was a moment of silence between Leo and Shane.
"Should I be unnerved by that?" Leo finally said out loud.
"Probably," Shane shrugged. "Anyway, I was saying, the best way to make the perfect sheath in a short amount of time is magic."
"Magic," Leo repeated. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
"I don't know, you're normally way off," Shane said. "What do you think I'm suggesting."
"You're obviously suggesting that I convince someone from the Hecate cabin," – at this point Shane was nodding – "to take me to Hogwarts so I can ask one of the wizards to enchant me a sheath!" Now, Shane performed a facepalm.
"No, you idiot. I'm suggesting that you ask a Hecate kid to do the magic for you!"
The effect was immediate. "Shane you're a genius! I knew I kept you around for a reason!" Leo said excitedly, before grabbing the sheath Shane had demonstrated on and running towards the Hecate cabin.
It was settled. There was no wrapping paper in the Aphrodite cabin that wasn't some shade of pink or didn't have hearts on it.
"Sorry Piper," Lacy – who had been helping Piper search – said, sitting back on her heels. "Looks like you'll have to look in the Big House."
"I'm just glad you've forgiven me for accidentally almost stabbing you," Piper said honestly, standing up.
"Well… it happens," Lacy said, smiling.
Piper smiled back and then said a quick, "See you later," before leaving the cabin and walking in the direction of the Big House. On the way, she spotted Annabeth, who waved and started walking toward her.
"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" she said once she had gotten close.
"Did you get the pictures?" Piper asked.
"Yeah, here," Annabeth handed her a camera.
"Thank you so much, you're the best!" Piper clicked through the pictures. "How did you explain taking pictures of Ron?"
"You know his name is Ron?"
"Obviously," Piper answered, grinning.
"I just told Leo that the pictures were for an article for The Demigod Times," Annabeth explained, grinning proudly.
"We have a newspaper?"
"No… but we honestly should," Annabeth said thoughtfully. "I'm gonna talk to Chiron about that." Piper laughed.
"You do that. I have to go get some bottled magic. Oh! And I'll have to take the thing I'm trading too," she said, and then she turned and headed back to the cabin.
"Are you Luther?" Leo asked the guy at the podium.
"Well I'm certainly not Chiron," the guy answered.
"Oookay… so, can I talk to Francis?"
"What for?"
"Well certainly not to give him flowers," Leo said, imitating Luther's gruff way of speaking. He received a glare. "Sorry, sorry, that wasn't funny," he apologized quickly. This guy was a lot taller than him, and Leo knew it wouldn't be a good idea to get him angry – especially since he was a son of Hecate.
"Black door to my right," Luther snapped, nudging his head in the direction.
"Thank you, my good sir," Leo said, saluting the tall demigod and walking to the door. He knocked and heard someone say, "Come in."
Upon opening the door and entering the room, Leo was overcome with a fit of giggles. He was laughing so hard, his sides were soon aching and he was gasping for breath. After what seemed like about a decade, the laughter subsided and Leo took a deep breath.
"What in Hades was that?" he demanded.
"I was experimenting with a giggling charm," the kid at the desk – that was Francis – said evenly. "Please, take a seat." Leo reluctantly sat down on the cushioned chair Francis gestured to.
"The charm works well."
"Oh, I know," Francis said, a slightly – okay, very – evil glint in his eyes. "Now tell me, Leo Valdez. How may I assist you?"
"I need you to enchant or charm or whatever this sheath."
"A sheath?"
"A sheath," Leo repeated. "I want it so that when a sword is placed in it, it… contracts, or whatever, and fits to the shape of the sword so it doesn't fall out. Then, when the owner wants to remove the sword, it loosens again so the sword easily slips out."
"That's very advanced magic," Francis said after a long pause. "But, I can do it. Mind you, it will be expensive. Also, such complicated magic needs to be very specific. The sheath will have to be… coded, if you will, to a specific sword. Do you have a sword in mind?"
"Yes!" Leo said, pulling out the disposable camera given to him by Drew. "I even have pictures."
Francis took the camera and clicked through the pictures, nodding. "Perfect. Now, payment?"
"Well… I don't really have money," Leo admitted.
"Anything to trade?" Leo tried to think of something. He must have something worth trading… but something told him Francis wasn't interested in old screwdrivers and wrenches. He tried to think of the most valuable thing he possessed that he wouldn't totally regret. Definitely not the Argo II or Festus or the Archimedes Sphere… and he would never subject Buford to a life with Francis…
And finally he had an idea. It tore at his heart a little, but it was still all he could think of.
And besides, it was for Piper.
Leo shared his idea with Francis, and by some miracle he agreed.
"Come back tomorrow morning and pick it up," Francis instructed, keeping the items in a drawer in his desk. Leo nodded, and started exiting the Hecate cabin. He was anxious to get out of the earthy-smelling, dimly-lit excuse for a living quarters.
As he was stepping out, he bumped in to none other than Piper Mclean. Immediately, he got nervous. What if she wondered why he was here? What if she got suspicious? What if she figured everything out? Oh great, everything was ruined.
"Sorry Beauty Queen," was all he said.
Oh no. Leo was right there. He had caught her entering the Hecate cabin. Now he would get suspicious and figure out the whole thing. Everything was ruined.
"Yeah, you better be Repair Boy," Piper tried to joke, though it came out sounding shaky and nervous. Leo looked at her for a few seconds, then abruptly left. Feeling slightly unnerved, Piper entered the Hecate cabin and walked to the Podium where Luther stood.
"Uh, I need to speak to Francis," she said.
"Office is closed, come again tomorrow," Luther announced in a bored tone.
"What? No! I have to… I just need to drop something off!" Piper argued, but Luther ignored her.
By this point, she was very frustrated. She was just about to give up and leave, when the black door opened and Francis shuffled out.
"Francis, wait!" Piper rushed towards him with the camera and her item for trading. "I have the pictures for the bottled magic! I have the payment too!"
"We're closed," Francis replied. "I won't be doing the magic today. I can take those things and keep them in my office. Then you can pick your magic up tomorrow morning."
"Okay," Piper agreed, handing him the things. She felt a little uneasy about offering the payment before he completed the task, but she decided that he would get into plenty of trouble if he tried to get out of doing it. "I'll be here in the morning."
Leo woke up with a sense of purpose. Today was Christmas Eve, and today his gift to Piper would be ready. Then, tonight, he could give it to her.
The first place he went – after breakfast – was the Hecate cabin, because he had a sheath to pick up. He was surprised to see Piper exiting the cabin, holding something. They exchanged quick greetings before Piper excused herself and left. Leo, once again, panicked.
Inside, he walked to the podium where Luther stood in his usual spot. He didn't even have to say anything, Luther just pointed him towards the door. Leo knocked, and when Francis told him to come in he did so.
"Here's your sheath," Francis said, holding it out. "And you've already covered payment, so that should be it. Oh, and your camera." He rummaged through the drawer and pulled it out, handing it to Leo.
"Thanks," Leo said, accepting the items and tucking them in his toolbelt. He left the Hecate cabin still feeling cheerful.
The bottle was only 3 inches tall with a plain brown cork keeping it closed. Inside, a deep white mist was swirling in a mesmerizing fashion. It took Piper a while to tear her eyes away from it.
She was sitting on her bed, admiring the gift and feeling proud of herself. She still needed a box to put it in though. And for this kind of small gift, a small box would be needed. And what better place to find that then the Aphrodite cabin? They had accumulated quite a lot of boxes from jewelry and shoes and perfumes and other superfluous items.
It took quite a bit of searching, but finally Piper found the perfect box in one that had once held perfume. It even still had padding in it, so the bottle would be safe.
The only problem was that Gucci was scrawled across the plain black box in golden font. However, this problem was easily solved. Piper just dug around in the nail polish storage area until she found the right shade of black. With a few strokes, the golden writing was concealed. In a burst of creativity, Piper found a golden nail art pen and wrote Leo Valdez in swirly handwriting on the box. Then she placed the bottle of magic in the box, making sure it was carefully padded before closing it.
Now all she needed to do was find wrapping paper.
It was a stroke of luck that Leo happened to bump into Hazel, who had just arrived to camp for the holidays.
"Hey, Hazel! You're here!" Leo greeted cheerfully. "Did you come on Arion?"
"Of course! Frank's flying over in eagle form, he should be reaching soon… and Jason is riding Tempest. He's bringing Reyna, I believe she's riding Ghirardelli."
"Ghirardelli?" Leo questioned.
"Yeah, her new pegasus, she named her Ghirardelli because she's a really dark shade of brown," Hazel told him.
"What, she couldn't find a longer name?" Hazel laughed.
"Guess not. So, do you have your gift for Piper?"
"Yeah, let me show you," Leo said, taking her arm and leading her to the empty forge. He showed her the sheath and explained what it had been charmed to do.
"That's great Leo, Piper will love it! But… don't you think it would be nice to personalize it a little bit?"
"I'm open to suggestions," Leo shrugged.
"Good, be right back," Hazel said, leaving the forge and returning a minute later with a small block of gold. "Do you have a palette and paint brush?" Leo looked around the workshop and found the items. Hazel handed him the gold. "Melt this down over the palette," she instructed. Leo did as she said.
"I think I understand what you're doing," he mused as he finished melting the gold and wiped his hands on a rag he found lying around.
"Good," Hazel dipped the brush in the gold. "What do you want me to write?"
"Piper?" Leo said uncertainly.
"Oh come on! Something more personal!" Hazel pushed.
"Oh… okay fine… um… Beauty Queen?"
"Perfect!" Hazel squealed. She carefully wrote the words on the sheath, forming the letters with long, curly strokes. When she was done, she stepped back and cocked her head to the side. "How is it?"
Leo was looking at the sheath in shock. "Is that caliographia?"
"Calligraphy," Hazel said the word slowly. "I learned when I was little. Is it alright?"
"It's beautiful."
"You'll have to let it dry for a while, then it will harden," Hazel told him. Leo nodded. "I should go now and meet the others," she said leaving. "I'll see you later."
"Yeah," Leo said, still entranced by the beautifully shaped words that now graced his gift for Piper.
"Chiron, where could I find wrapping paper?" Piper asked the centaur as he was leaving the Big House.
"I'd check the basement," he said kindly. Piper nodded and went downstairs, the stairs creaking slightly beneath her. Looking around she saw piles of ambrosia, nectar, and jars of strawberry preserves. There was a box in one corner with several rolls of wrapping paper sticking out. Piper headed over there and sorted through them, looking for a good one. She found a red one covered with penguins and took it, using the nearby supplies to carefully cut it and wrap the small box that had dried.
Whiles she was leaving, she saw Leo walking towards her. Immediately she got nervous again. Seeing that he still hadn't noticed her, she ran around the Big House to the back and waited for a few minutes before heading back to her cabin to add any finishing touches to her gifts.
Leo had decided that it would be too much of a nuisance to try wrapping the sheath, and he really couldn't be bothered with finding a box, so he decided a pretty bag would suffice just fine.
He had inquired with Nyssa, who had told him the Big House basement would probably have something suitable.
And so that's where he was headed.
In the basement, he found the area where gifting items seemed to be kept. There was a box filled with wrapping paper rolls. One was slightly sticking out. It was red and had lots of tiny penguins on it. Leo liked it.
BUT he was here for a bag not for wrapping paper, he told himself, and he looked away from the colorful papers. Next to it were many gift bags, folded and stacked neatly, and next to that was a stack of colorful tissue paper. Leo looked through the gift bags until he found one he liked. It was light blue and has Santa on it, along with reindeer, a snowman, and penguins.
Leo stuck his hand in the bag to open it and then tucked the sheath in. Then he found some different shades of blue tissue paper and stuffed them in until it was well covered. There was a small paper card attached to one of the thin rope handles that Leo wrote on with a nearby Sharpie.
And then all that was left was to wait.
Her finishing touches done, Piper was immediately ambushed by her siblings who had decided amongst themselves that they were going to get her ready for tonight. She and Leo had previously decided that they would meet on the beach and exchange their presents privately. Then on Christmas morning they would meet up with all of their friends and they would give and open the rest of their presents together.
But right now all she felt was dread. If her siblings were going to dress her up, she was done for.
Leo was waiting anxiously. He had set out a picnic blanket, and their food – provided by the harpies – was waiting in the traditional style basket. The moon was shining above and casting a faint light, and Leo had lit candles all around the blanket so there was plenty of light. The water was gently hitting the stand.
Everything seemed perfect. Leo had even dressed up in black pants and a dark blue button down shirt.
Things got even more perfect when Piper showed up. She was wearing a simple red dress with a black belt around the waist along with black strappy sandals. Her hair was down and straight. She had a slightly harassed expression on her face.
"Well, someone is certainly looking the part of a Beauty Queen," Leo said, unable to keep the grin off his face.
"Oh shut up," Piper said, though she smiled a little. She sat down on the blanket. "You don't look so bad yourself."
"Was that a compliment?"
"Just accept it Valdez."
They enjoyed their picnic – the food was delicious – and talked for a long time. When they were done, they put all of their trash in the basket and sat close to each other, looking up at the stars for a long time.
"Time to open presents," Leo finally declared, eyeing the small present Piper had brought with her. It was wrapped in the same penguin paper he had earlier admired. Piper laughed seeing the excitement in his eyes. He reached over and brought over his own gift for her.
Piper was excited to have Leo finally see her gift. And, yes, she was also excited to see her own gift. But first Leo would open his. She handed him the small box. He took it and joyously ripped off the paper, making Piper laugh again. Once the paper was off, he opened the box and looked inside, taking out the bottle and looking at it. His eyes glazed over a little as he stared at it.
"What is it?" he asked.
"A bottle of magic!" Piper said excitedly. "For Ron! Just pour it on Ron and he'll turn into any tool you need with only a thought from you!" She noticed with disappointment that his face fell slightly before he fixed on a wide grin.
"Thanks Pipes! This is awesome!" he said, replacing it in the box. "But… magic… that must have cost you a lot?"
Piper waved him off and reached for her own gift.
Leo was watching anxiously as she took out the tissue paper, and then pulled out the sheath. She looked at it a little confused, but admired the writing aloud.
"It's been charmed," Leo explained proudly. "For your sword. When you put your sword in, it'll tighten around it and fit to the shape so it won't fall out. And when you want to take it out, it'll loosen."
Piper's smile disappeared for a moment, but then returned. Not fast enough to go unnoticed, though. Leo noticed, and immediately panicked.
"You didn't like it?" he asked gently. Piper looked up at him, and for a moment it seemed like she was going to smile and tell him that of course she loved it, but then she seemed to decide against it.
"No, I love it Leo, I really do. It's just…"
Piper didn't know how to tell him. How to tell him that his gift was essentially useless. Finally, she just said it. "I traded my sword… to get you that magic."
Leo felt an uncomfortable feeling at the pit of his stomach. He had to tell her now, especially since she had just told him.
"Actually, Pipes… I traded Ron to get the sheath charmed for you." Piper looked up quickly, her eyes wide.
"What? You traded Ron? But Leo, you loved Ron," she said, her words practically spilling out of her.
Leo nodded. "I did. But I love you more." Piper leaned in and kissed him.
"I love you too," she said quietly. "But I still wish our gifts hadn't been rendered useless."
They had sat together for a long while longer, Piper with her head rested on Leo's shoulder. She was still a little annoyed that neither of their gifts had worked out, but she was still touched by Leo's gift. If only she hadn't traded her sword.
"You know this is all Francis's fault," she said after a while.
"Yeah, the Hecate cabin and their crazy prices," Leo grumbled.
"Next year I'm just getting you a gift card."
"That's the spirit, Beauty Queen."
A gift from the heart is cherished and true
A present is best when loves given too
So in the end it's love that's the reason
That Christmas is more than a gift-giving season
It's a time with our loved ones to show that we care
When families and neighbors come together to share
So this Christmas season let us all do our parts
To keep Christmas spirit alive in our hearts
Yeah, so that last part? Shamelessly taken from the Disney version of this.
SO in honor of the Christmas spirit... leave a review?