Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.

A/N: So I don't know this fic was supposed to be a one-shot but then I couldn't sleep and I just had an idea and I wrote it down and here it goes. It's just my love for Liper comes on randomly and when they do they don't stop easily.

It was almost three in the morning when Leo finally decided to get some shut-eye. Sometimes, he ends up sitting on one of the chairs in the controls room until one of the people staying in Argo II would wake him from his slumber. This time though, he was thinking of a lot of things. And he doesn't want that. He wants to stop those thoughts from clouding up his mind.

He shouldn't have called her that. Does he always call her that? Well, he might have. Back in the days. He wasn't sure, but something tells him he used to nickname her "beautiful", along with "beauty queen", and "Pipes". He puts an arm over his face as he headed towards his room. It was ridiculous getting embarrassed, even though none of the others were up to see him in that state.

He thought that as soon as his back feels the soft surface of his bed, his eyes would be closing until morning. But it didn't work that way. Why did Frank have to ask him something like that, anyway? If he could've foreseen the future, he would've pretended he was sick or anything, sleep, set himself on fire, or anything to undo the very embarrassing act of joining truth and dare.

It's not like he feels the same way anymore. He's not even 100% sure he liked her. Well, perhaps he was 95% sure… Okay that's still a lot… But still!

Piper is his best friend. She always has and she always will. But after she found out about that, Leo wasn't sure he'd be treating her the same way as before without getting red and basically self-conscious and wishing Piper would suddenly forget about it as he tries to make the same old joke and watches her laugh and… Yeah. He's not even sure how he'll face her tomorrow.

And there's Jason. Gods. He had to be very lucky he wasn't there to hear that. There's Jason and he even said that about Piper. Well, curse Hazel's overly tight grip. Why does he have to be such a dork?

He didn't know how much time he'd spent searching for the comfiest position on his not so big but very comfortable bunk, trying to get some sleep. He thought of other things instead. Of the journey they've had so far and the monsters they've faced and how thankful he is they got through with it, anyway. He was wishing they would remain that fortunate and victorious, because wishing they'd never face another monster while being a demigod in a giant ship hovering in the air and a not-so-merciful Titan is reawakening is nonsense. He was thinking about Calypso, and a speech he would give to the gods to free her. And if that doesn't work, then building a boat that would somehow navigate to Ogygia. And on top of anything else completing their quest so he can do any of those things. He was also thinking about his mother, the thought which calmed him the most.

Even if that's the thought that brought him so much pain. The image of his mother in his mind, though far away, is what he holds onto. He felt his hands twitching, moving against his will. He felt as his fingertips hit the surface of the wall, and he slept…

So there was Piper Mclean, a beautiful girl who was very scared and nervous at the same time. It was her first day at Wilderness camp and she barely knew anyone at all. A couple of girls, friendly looking but she isn't really good at making friends… There was that guy who kept on staring at her but he was mischievous and had picked on a fight even though it was his first day as well. There was also that elfish guy with curly hair, who at that time, seemed to be the only one who was alone too, even though the place was bustling with faces everywhere.

And now, it has come into that duration where they have to sleep, and surely she's not into it. She wasn't afraid of the dark, not really, but she didn't like the atmosphere. She didn't like it why the other kids like her had gotten to sleep pretty easily. She was almost crying, crouching and facing the blankness of the wall when she heard a clicking sound from it. It was an awful tune, it doesn't maybe even have a tune at all, just random clicks with differing speeds and length.

It's probably one of the guys on the other room. They have divided the rooms for boys and girls and she had been quick enough to get the bed closest on the wall first. If that's the case then that boy can't sleep as well. Piper tried to return the weird clicks, tapping on the wall randomly so that whoever on the other side might notice that someone was interrupting their work.

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?" A voice came from the other side, faintly.

"No." Piper replied, not too loud but enough that the boy on the other side can hear. "I couldn't sleep, that's all… That's…"

"Oh." The boy answered. "Well, we're the same then… Sorry, if I disturbed you with the sounds though…"

"You startled me, but I wasn't disturbed at all…" Piper replied. "What was that anyway? Are you a drummer or something?"

"No! No..." The boy replied. "That's a… a… no I can't tell you 'cause it's embarrassing."

"I won't judge. I don't know who you are. I think it's rude to laugh at other people when you don't know them at all." Piper replied.

The answer came on a little while. "Have you heard of Morse Code? It's a kind of-"

"Yeah. My dad told me about that once." Piper replied. "You know how to do that? That's awesome. How could you even memorize that stuff? It's just dashes and dots."

"My mom taught me about it." The boy replied.

"Was that a message you were doing?" Piper asked.

"Well, yeah."

"What does that mean?" Piper was curious.

"Here comes the embarrassing part…" The boy said.

"I won't laugh. Promise." Piper replied. She can feel a smile curving on her mouth.

"'I love you.'" The boy replied.

What? Did a boy she doesn't know just tell her he loved her?

"But don't get the wrong idea." He quickly added. "I used to do that with my mom. That was for her. See I shouldn't have told you. I'm cringing here of embarrassment right now and you're not even here to see it."

Piper was laughing. She was holding it in, more accurately.

"Hey?" The boy spoke again. "Were you creeped out? Sor-"

"No no." Piper replied. "It's… sorry it's just. I'm laughing, you know but not because it was weird of anything it's just… I really thought you addressed that-"

"Oh. Agh. No. Agh this is horrible. You're terrible. You said you won't laugh. Agh. This is so embarrassing." The boy was saying on the other side. Then Piper heard another sound, much louder with a bit of angriness, and familiar. It was Coach Hedge's.

"Valdez! I can't tell for sure but I'm betting it's you talking right now. Get back to bed!"

Piper had to cover her mouth as well, even if she wasn't making any sound.

"I'm sorry!" Piper said, as soon as Coach Hedge's voice piped down. "I got you in trouble."

"Nah." Leo said. "I always get in trouble."

Piper had to smile. "I don't know who you are though."

"Leo." Leo said. "You've heard my last name."

"Piper. Piper Mclean." Piper replied.

"Mclean, like that handsome actor-"

"Valdez!" Coach Hedge sprang up again.

Piper had to thank Coach Hedge for that one because she doesn't want anyone to crowd over her for the thought that his father was a well-known actor in their area. No, she can't let that happen.

"Hey… Leo!" She said as soon as Coach Hedge's footsteps receded. He must've come over into Leo's bed. Piper heard a grunt. Leo must've acted he was already asleep, she heard fake snoring noises as well. Then there were footsteps again as Coach went to his bed. "Teach me some Morse tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure." Leo replied, his voice lower this time. "Though I don't think I'd approach you first. I doubt I would since I just accidentally told you I love you. I wouldn't get over that embarrassment easily. You have to find me, that would be easy because I always walk alone."

Piper giggled. "Okay. Though I think I might've found you already. Good night!"

"Good night!" Leo replied. Very very silently.

Then Piper woke up. Now grown up Piper, lying on her bed in her room in Argo II, in the middle of the night. A dream huh…

A dream.

It seemed more of a memory than a dream, however.

She heard the occasional taps from the other side of the wall. The clicks still sounded the same the first time she heard it.

At morning, all seven of them were having their usual round of breakfast, except Leo… Because he wasn't feeling hungry. He was feeling a little dizzy for staying up very late at night. He was slamming his head on his bed again when someone knocked on the door.

It was Piper who came in. She was holding a cup of who knows what in her hands. It must've been chocolate. Piper preferred chocolate to coffee back at camp. "I thought I told you not to stay very late up last night."

"Sorry, Pipes." Leo grunted. "I couldn't sleep."

"Does that explain the tapping on the wall at three in the morning?" Piper said, raising one of her eyebrows.

Leo's mouth was left hanging open. He wanted to say something, but it came out a series of "Wha-"s.

"Breakfast is on." She added. Then she left.

Leo put both of his hands on his head and slammed it on his pillow for quite a few times. Why'd he forgotten Piper was sleeping on the room next to him? Oh gods why.

Why did she even wake up in the middle of the night, anyway?

Well, there's nothing to worry about. She didn't understand it, right?

Oh wait, did he teach her about Morse back then? He didn't right? Oh gods, he hoped he didn't.

But no… He did. He did!

This is just too much to handle. He had to avoid looking directly into Piper's eyes for the whole day. Even though she doesn't feel affected towards it as much as he is. It annoyed him that it affected him, honestly.

So when night came he avoided going into his room to sleep as well. He might as well do it on one of the chairs in the control room, as he sometimes does. But then he heard footsteps behind him as he was trying to talk to Festus.

"Repair Boy." She said. Leo doesn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Look. Piper… Pipes, can we just forget it and act as if that didn't happen because I swear I was dying of embarrassment yesterday and now, today as well because heck, sorry I forgot that our rooms were next to each other and I didn't know you were a very light sleeper anyway, and that three word message is for my mom, because yes I still do it until now because it calms my nerves and-"

Leo had to stop talking because Piper was laughing. And he had said enough already anyway.

"Why are you laughing?" Leo resumed talking. "Oh gods, I'm so ridiculous Piper Mclean is laughing at me, I couldn't even crack a simple joke right now to make her go away."

"Sorry, Leo." Piper said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I had a dream, okay? And coincidentally, it was that time we first met in Wilderness Camp and that time when you tapped Morse Code on the thin wall separating our rooms as well, so sorry if I just had to laugh even though I shouldn't be."

"Oh." Leo replied. "Whaaaaat?" Leo was turning away from her now.

"Hey, Leo! You shouldn't be embarrassed like that, you know. I've never seen you flustered like that before. Well, I guess maybe that time when your pants got flown away when we were having our River-crossing lesson." Piper said.

"I forgot to put on a belt! Pipes, we don't have to go back to that unnecessary memory." Leo said.

"Okay. Okay sorry." Piper said. "All I'm saying is that I don't want to lose you. I mean, I don't want to lose the Leo I have known and I have very much liked because of that."

"I can go back to the old Leo, I promise." Leo said. "But you have to admit these series of events are ridiculously plotting against me, so… I guess you should give me a time-out for just today." He was trying to sound convinscing, but he was almost laughing.

"Sure, sure." Piper said.

"Good." Leo said, smiling and walking towards her, messing up her hair. Then he heard a familiar tune. It's not on wood this time, but it's still the same. Piper was tapping some sort of stone in the metal railings on the boat.

Clicks that have differing speed and length. Clicks that sounded similar to what Leo does with his fingers, only a difference at the end, where she had added up three extra letters.

"Guess who still remembers about the thing you taught me after I've known you had a very funny side?!" Piper said, opening her hands and excitedly opening up her mouth after she was finished talking.

"You go back to bed now, Beauty queen." Leo said. "Now!" He was saying, but he was quick to turn around.

"Seriously though that's the only pattern I remember doing even if you'd taught me how all the letters sounded." Piper said, looking at Leo's back, who was now talking to Festus and supposedly ignoring everything she's saying.

"Yeah you've played a good mom because you always did that everytime I found myself unconsciously doing that on the wall." Leo replied, who, despite trying to block Piper's voice with his own, was listening to it, anyway.

"Well, thank you very much. I hope I can be of assistance in calming your nerves down everytime you can't sleep in the near future." Piper said. Leo still wasn't looking at her. "Good night, Leo Valdez. You can talk all you want in your bed now because Coach Hedge isn't there to scold you anymore."

This time, he turned around. "Good night, too. Piper Mclean, who was so flustered as well when the whole camp mysteriously found out about her father being the most famous man in the field of acting, Mr. Tristan Mclean, that she tried to wave of every single girl trying to get her dad's signature for them."

"I'm going now so you should stop talking already." Piper said, walking away inside as she did so.

"Huh." Leo said. "It still works even after all these years. The Tristan Card is still good as ever."

A dream for Leo Valdez as he slept on that night.

A memory dream.

One time at camp when the girl on the other side of the wall can't seem to sleep.

And so it was the first time ever in the history of the two of them that it was Piper Mclean who started to tap on the wall. First time ever that it was Leo Valdez who tapped back for a reply.

And it was different, as you can see, because Leo tapped I love you's on the wall because of the memory of his mother.

But Piper tapped I love you's on the wall, even if her circumstances are quite different.

Done. Agh I hope it was alright it's almost three here in the morning on where I stay and I should sleep. I just loved the idea about the morse code and everything, if only i could do that to help me sleep as well but I don't know any of it. Maybe I should practice

Anyway. Reviews are appreciated :D