Hello everyone! Sorry for the drought. I just finished up my last final today. YAZZZ. Anyways, hope you like the chapter and enjoy :)

Chapter 3:

It was almost an hour early before class started and Jason was waiting for Piper outside of the school library. Piper and him had agreed to meet Monday morning to discuss more about their "relationship." It was easy finding the perfect place to talk about their plan. 7:15 in the morning where only teachers arrive on campus for coffee meetings and staff gossip? Check. Meeting at the "nonexistent" library where it was practically deserted no matter what time of day it was? Check. Bring donuts? Well, Piper did say she loved donuts…

Jason kept glancing at his watch, finding himself eagerly waiting to see Piper again. Over the weekend, Jason had constantly thought about her. After finally receiving some last minute encouragement from Leo and Thalia, Jason decided to call Friday night and agreed to be her fake boyfriend. During their phone call, he had learned a little bit more about this strange girl. She was best friends with two fellow seniors named Annabeth—who sounded really familiar—and Hazel. She was a vegetarian and had an extreme sweet tooth for donuts. On Saturday and Sunday, his thoughts strayed to her over and over again. He thought about what she was doing, who she was with, and even what she was wearing that day. Jason felt pretty stupid for feeling this strongly for a girl that he only saw once and spoke to twice, but Jason couldn't put a finger on all of his conflicting emotions.

Jason attributed some of his over-excitement to his recent split with Reyna; he needed something like this to help him through his break-up. Jason had told his mom that him and Reyna were over and she predictably took it harder than him, saying how "the most perfect relationship" just ended. He also told his dad about Reyna and unexpectedly, his dad actually asked if he was okay and even gave him some advice about relationships. Sure the call only lasted five minutes and his dad recommended him to date plenty of girls (to which Jason silently disagreed), but the sentiment was really appreciated. Jason also called Thalia and told him everything, which being the supportive sister that she was, immediately understood his feelings and comforted him despite the fact that she was friends with Reyna too since they used to be on the same sports team back when Thalia was in high school. He also confided in Thalia about Piper. Like Leo, she encouraged him to be Piper's pretend boyfriend. Thalia—one of the biggest feminists that he knew—tried denying it, but Jason figured that she wanted him to date Piper to put boys like Dylan in their place. Thalia merely insisted however, that Piper seemed like a nice person to be around and could be good for Jason as a simple friend. He agreed that Piper was interesting, and she was just the sort of person to help him through his heartbreak.

Speaking of heartbreak, Jason had actually called Reyna and told her what had happened after their meeting. Not wanting to disrespect her, he was surprised to hear that she supported his decision to enter this fake relationship, thinking that seeing other people might be what they need in order for them to really know how they truly felt about each other. Having the green light, he thanked her for being a good friend and in return, she promised to keep her lips sealed.

And those were the excuses he kept trying to tell himself over the weekend as to why he could ever agree to do something like this with a total stranger. Another reason, the one that he tried not to think about since it made him feel very superficial, was that he wanted to see Piper again since she was pretty much… something else. He couldn't deny that Piper was downright beautiful. He had dated a few girls before Reyna and although they were pretty, Piper was in a league of her own—sweeping away future competition and the ones that came before her. For the last week, he even started daydreaming about Piper. Most of all, he really just had to peek at those kaleidoscopic eyes one more time at least. Aside from her obvious looks, Jason was also very curious about her. First of all, he still had no idea why she would even pick him to be her boyfriend. Why not pick someone she knew or anyone else on the football team like Leo? Even if she didn't know anyone, why him out of all the other thousand boys in Goode High School? Secondly, he had also been attracted to her personality. Despite her recent break-up from Dylan, Piper still seemed grounded and confident, but also very real and kind at the same time. Sure Reyna and any other girl he knew were cool people, but Piper was just different… It's probably the weirdness factor, he chuckled to himself.

Most of all, he just HAD to know where "Sparky" came from. Since Jason had told Leo about Piper last Tuesday, he had not stopped calling him "Sparky," getting odd looks from some of their teammates during practice. Because of the reaction Leo was getting, all of his teammates decided to call him that too, relishing in the mysterious embarrassment the great Jason Grace was experiencing.

He looked at the watch again. 7.18. Wow, had it really only been five minutes since I last looked at the time? Get a grip, Grace.

From behind him, someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Jason."

Jason turned around to see Piper—and gods of Olympus did his memory do him no justice. This time, Piper put her chocolate-brown hair down and had two braids on each side of her face, attached to simple white and burgundy feathers. She still wore the light blue snowboarding jacket that he saw last Tuesday, but this time she wore black leggings with black boots. Instead of smelling strawberries and raspberries, this time she smelled like peaches. She was smiling at Jason with a mischievous glint in her illustrious eyes.

"Hmm, you're staring again," Piper said, trying not to laugh.

Jason recovered and cleared his throat. "Ah, hi."

"Hey there Jase," Piper eyed the pink box that he was holding, her eyes widening in comprehension. "Is that…"

Opening the lid, he revealed six scrumptious-looking chocolate-glazed donuts with sprinkles. "So we don't suffer at this ungodly hour."

Piper flashed a brilliant smile. "Wow, thank you! You're sweet Jason Grace. I might almost ask you to be my boyfriend for real." Jason blushed at her words.

"Anyways," she said as they walked through the doors of the library. "Thanks for meeting me here, especially at this 'ungodly' hour hehe. I mean really, who gets up this early to go to the library at 7:00 in the morning? It's deserted and creepy!"

"I do."

While Jason just jumped a little from the sound, Piper shot up a mile and even elicited a small scream, which earned a "SHH!" from the librarian sitting at the front desk. That was probably the most action the librarian had all month. "Holy cheese, you SCARED me!" Piper whispered harshly, clutching her heart.

Jason saw two people sitting at a nearby table. One of them had black hair that was a little long and just about brushed along his eyebrows. He also had very vibrant sea-green eyes that obviously looked tired, but still carried a hint of light-hearted humor. He was wearing simple clothes: an orange T-shirt and jeans. Jason had seen him a few times. This was Percy Jackson, the star swimmer for the Goode High School swim team. On the opposite side of him sat a pretty-looking blonde with fierce gray eyes. She had on a Yankees baseball cap that seemed incredibly worn out. Unlike Percy who looked ready to pass out, she was alert and completely focused on the three textbooks displayed in front of her. He had seen her before too. She was in his AP calculus class and AP physics class, with her seat right next to Leo's.

"Hmm, I should have known that YOU would be here Annabeth," Piper said. "Catching up on next week's AP economics assignment?"

Annabeth completely ignored her, which Piper smirked at. Instead, Percy answered, "Yes."

Piper laughed. "So… is there anyone else here guys?"

Percy shrugged his shoulders and winked. "What do you think?"

"Haha, I see. Well, thanks. I'll see you later in class." With that, Piper motioned for Jason and led him away to the end of the room.

"This looks like a good spot," she whispered as she motioned to a table situated in the corner of the room, with bookshelves mostly blocking it from view.

Jason nodded his head and sat down. "So that was your friend Annabeth there?"

Piper grinned. "Yep, that's my brainiac best friend, Annabeth Chase. Top student in our class since freshman year. Calculus tutor on Tuesdays, physics tutor on Wednesdays, and English tutor on Thursdays. Won the children's spelling bee from age five to twelve. Received the principal's scholar award five times since she was ten years old. Was on Jeopardy and won—twice."

Jason was pretty sure his mouth was hanging open. Annabeth was on Jeopardy twice and won? "Are you serious?"

"Alright, you got me," Piper said, raising her hands up in mock surrender. "She didn't win the spelling bee at twelve. She said it was too easy at that point."

He started laughing, but immediately quieted down when he remembered where he was. Which meant that Piper and him should be getting down to business. "So."

"So."

"First things first… Why do you call me 'Sparky?'"

She looked baffled for a moment before she started chuckling. "Ah, I'm sorry," Jason noticed that her cheeks turned a little bit pink as she went on. "Well, the thing is, when I saw you on Tuesday, the first thing I noticed were your eyes."

He cocked his head to the side, obviously confused. "My eyes? Why?"

"Your eyes are probably the brightest shade of blue I've ever seen… like electric blue. I couldn't help but stare at them the whole time on Tuesday so when I left, I kind of just blurted out 'Sparky.' I know it's pretty lame and I apologize for it, but it really just came to me. Plus. I think it suits you quite well."

"Huh, interesting," Jason mused. "Funny, because I can say the same thing about your eyes."

Now it was Piper's turn to look confused. "Oh, and what about my eyes?"

The corner of Jason's mouth turned up a little. "I noticed your eyes the first thing too last Tuesday. I just… I don't know what color they are. I've been thinking about it all weekend and even seeing you here now, it looks like your eyes are green. But just earlier when we were outside, your eyes looked more blue. Your eyes are kaleidoscopic."

"You're not the first person to be stumped over my eye color. Even my parents can't figure it out! So we just settled for hazel. But you're the first person to call my eyes kaleidoscopic."

"They are… you just have really beautiful eyes is all," he said honestly. He knew he should have felt bashful over admitting something like that to Piper, especially because he himself was never one to be so verbal in general. But he didn't really feel embarrassed at all. And he actually wanted to tell her that, just because it felt right to him.

Piper's eyes grew soft as he said those words. "Thanks Jason, you're really sweet… Like those donuts," she said as she picked up another donut and winked at him.

"Well, if I'm going to pretend to be your boyfriend, I have to make sure my girl is taken care of right? Which reminds me, I want to know more about you," Jason said.

"Fair enough. What do you want to know?"

"Anything really, like maybe hobbies, favorite movies or books or TV shows, anything that you want to tell me," he responded.

Piper finished eating her donut and pondered for a moment, collecting her thoughts. Jason took this opportunity to check her out again. Everything she did, seemed cute to him. "Let's see… okay, as you know my name is Piper McLean and I just turned seventeen years old last month. Hmm… as a hobby, I like to paint. Fun fact for you, you know the really big mural with that giant eagle in the Minerva plaza? I painted that with myself."

Wow. Jason knew what she was talking about. The mural in the school's plaza was about thirty feet wide and featured a huge eagle, which was Goode High's mascot, mixed with colors and designs based on a Native American theme with a hint of Greek or Italian artwork. The mural was so well-received and popular, it was actually featured in the city's paper, but it said that the artist of the mural had chosen to remain anonymous. Odd, he thought. From time to time, he would see people stop and examine the mural for a while, finding something new and hidden each time they looked at it. It was amazing to finally know the artist behind the masterpiece.

"What else…" Piper continued.

And it went on like that for the next half an hour, both of them giving and taking information about their respective lives. Now that he was getting to know her more, Jason found himself liking her with each passing minute. Not only was she a painter, but she was a writer and an avid reader, with her favorite books ranging from classic romance novels from Jane Austen or more modern novels like The Kite Runner. She was in love with The Lord of the Rings and was a huge Bruce Lee fan like himself. Her taste in music was pretty open as well, with disco/funk being the only thing she didn't like too much ("Earth, Wind, and Fire though will ALWAYS be the exception," she said in defense).

For him, he found it easy to talk about himself too. She always seemed so engrossed in everything he was saying, asking questions and follow-up questions when she didn't understand something or when she was excited. It was nice to feel this way, with someone having all ears for him. There were only a few people he could think of that had this much thoughtfulness for him, and she quickly became one of them. If he had to be honest, she listened more to him than his own mother and father did, though at least his dad had some form of an excuse.

"… And that's about all I can think of," she finished.

"Nice. And how about school. What are your classes this semester?"

"I'm taking AP English IV, Honors French, Multicultural Art, Honors Economics, Trigonometry, Anatomy, and Speech."

Jason whistled in appreciation, to which she smiled. "And how about you?" she asked.

"I'm taking English IV, AP Calculus, AP Physics, Psychology, Economics, photography, and I have a P.E. period which is used for football practice."

"Wow, and you thought I was amazing? That's quite a load there. And I must say I'm impressed. And I thought all football players were just Neanderthals," she joked. "What about your friends? I haven't heard about them yet."

Jason was about to mention Reyna, but talking about her made him a little sad. Plus, he wasn't entirely sure what their status was at that point. Friends? Best friends? Possible future soul mates? Either way, he figured she was right; maybe they'd just have to trust time.

"My best friend is definitely Leo. He's on the football team with me too. I've known him for as long as I can remember," Jason said instead. He started telling Piper stories of some of the things that Leo and him have gotten into for the fifteen years that they've known each other, like camping, family dinners, vacations, and of course the huge number of pranks that Leo had pulled through their years in high school. "As for my family… Well, I have an older sister named Thalia, but she's in college now. It's cool though, because she usually calls me every other day to check up on me. And my parents, my mom lives with me while my dad lives in Seattle."

"Washington huh? That's cool. What's he there for?"

Instant relief swept over him as he realized she was one of the people in town who never got wind of his dad's career. Even if it had been quite a few years since "the incident," and how Thalia and him managed to convince his mom to be more covert about their wealth for the sake of their livelihoods, sometimes he got the feeling that people stared at him as if he was some sort of god. Like because his dad was rich, they couldn't mess with him or they had to be nice. He hated feeling that way; he just wanted people to see him for his own personality, achievements, and accolades. Fortunately, his sister and him were able to keep his mom in check, and for the most part, most of the town either forgot about his family or they stopped caring. It annoyed his mom to not have the attention, but for Jason, it was exactly what he wanted. "Just work," he said automatically, using the usual response reserved for questions like these.

Those two words most often did the trick, with people just nodding their head and accepting the answer. But Piper wasn't fooled and he knew it. She looked at him curiously, noticing how closed off he sounded. She debated whether or not to go more on the subject, but thought against it. "Okay. That sounds cool."

He felt himself relax a little bit, which was surprising because he didn't know he tensed up to begin with. "What about you? Parents or siblings?"

"My parents work, ah… overseas, so I stay with Mellie. She's pretty much my guardian, so I like to think of her as an aunt. I have no siblings, but it's okay because I have Annabeth and Hazel. They're like sisters to me. In fact, they were the first person to know about this little plan."

Jason nodded, also picking up on Piper's detached tone when talking about her parents. But since she gave him the courtesy about his father, Jason didn't bother asking more information about her mom and dad. Instead he said, "Annabeth seems like a nice person."

Piper laughed, "Oh she is. But she can also be the most stubborn person in the world. Crazy how Percy is head over heels for her, but thank the gods because I'm quite fond of those two together… Also Hazel's a total sweetheart. Their boyfriends are also like my brothers, so we're all really close with each other."

Trying to peek again again at Percy and Annabeth from where he was sitting, Jason saw Percy attempting to kiss Annabeth on the nose. She pushed him away, but after whispering something in her ear, she cracked a smile and kissed him back. "Leo's like my brother too," Jason said. "I've known him since I was really little."

As he said this, the ten-minute bell rang, signaling the beginning of school. Huh, time went by really fast with Piper. "Speaking of Leo, how about you meet him now? He's in AP physics with Annabeth and me."

"Sounds great. I'd love to meet the guy that painted the teacher's parking lot lines white on top of the yellow. Haha, the teachers had to park all the way at the back of the parking lot. I have respect for that prank."

The two of them stood up, cleaning up their mess. From behind, Annabeth and Percy appeared from around the bookshelf, already packed and ready to leave.

"Hey you two. We're going to class," Annabeth said, with Percy's arm draped around her. Annabeth zeroed her eyes on Jason, and he got the feeling that she was analyzing every detail about him, determining if he was good enough to be with Piper. He hoped she had a good impression. "So Piper. This must be your new boyfriend."

Piper blushed under Annabeth's calculating gaze. "Er yeah, my um, boyfriend. His name is Jason, but you've seen him before since he's in your AP physics class."

"Which I'm going to right now," Jason said hurriedly. He had no idea why, but being around Annabeth made him feel like he had to straighten up and get his shit together.

Beside Annabeth, Percy chuckled. "Cool it babe," Percy said casually to his girlfriend. Percy extended his hand out to Jason, which he took and shook. "Hey, I'm Percy. Annabeth can be rigid sometimes, but trust me, she's actually not as prickly as a thorn bush."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Thanks Seaweed Brain. Ahh, I'm sorry, I'm just protective of my friends. You seem like a good person Jason, so fair enough. Although I do have to tell you, if you ever hurt Piper like Dylan did to her, I'll sock you in the throat. You got that?"

"Yes ma'am," Jason replied politely, not bothered by her threat since he recognized the good intentions behind it. Plus, he'd never hurt Piper.

Piper tugged on Jason's arm, ready to leave the library. "So how about we meet Leo?"

"Leo Valdez?" Annabeth asked, "Why don't we all walk together since we're walking the same way," she suggested. "We can get to know each other some more."

Piper shook her head in defeat and smiled apologetically at Jason. If Piper thought Annabeth was like a sister to her, then Jason was going to make sure that he had Annabeth's approval. "That's fine with me. Come on Pipes." Jason took her hand and held it, making Piper blush a bright red. Right then, he realized that Piper and him never really discussed the "dos and don'ts" of their relationship. Surely hand-holding was okay though? Being truthful, he admitted to himself that he didn't mind holding Piper's hand, so he squeezed it for reassurance.

"Ready to pretend?" Piper asked. Jason just nodded his head and gave her an encouraging smile.

Annabeth noticed Jason and Piper's display of affection, but Percy just laughed and pulled her away from them so that they could give the two some privacy.

However, as soon as the four of them left the library, Annabeth and Piper naturally gravitated together, with the two of them walking in the front and giggling. Jason and Percy walked side by side a little ways behind the girls. Jason studied Percy; he thought that the varsity swimmer seemed like a really cool guy to hang out with. With the easy way he walked and how he carried himself like he didn't have a care in the world. He had heard of Percy Jackson and all the medals he won in swimming. Like Jason with his football team, Percy had helped make Goode High School swim team a championship team. Both of them seemed like they had so much in common, but Percy gave off this relaxed aura that Jason felt he lacked but therefore appreciated. "So—"

"—About Annabeth," Percy started.

Both boys shut up immediately. "Sorry, you go first," Jason offered.

"Oh. Well about Annabeth. Sorry that she may seem cold and a little hard to get to know, but like I said earlier, she's actually a really nice girl. Trust me, she hated my guts when we first met each other. What with our parents… But anyways, in the end, I just fell in love with her and we've been together for over a year now. Give Annabeth a chance."

Jason just laughed. "It's cool, man. I really don't think Annabeth is mean at all. I understand how protective she is of her friends and that's something I admire."

Percy smiled warmly at that. "Yeah. She's a really awesome girl. But anyways, I was going to give you a heads up. I'm betting Annabeth is going to want to double date, triple date, or whatever those girls wanna call it, to get to know you. So do me a favor and go along with what she says? She always wins in the end anyways."

"Yeah no problem. Look, I'm dating Piper now so it's only right that I get to know her friends and family too."

"That's good to hear." Percy said, but chuckled knowingly. "Don't kid around though. I know you and Piper are faking this whole dating thing. But thanks for doing this for her. I already like you a hundred times better than Dylan and you aren't even her real boyfriend. He never wanted to hang out with us and I felt that he even tried to have her pick him over us sometimes… and in the end, he practically did give her that ultimatum. It really hurt her, and as much as Annabeth doesn't wanna admit it, it hurt her too. Wanted to smash his head in for making Annabeth feel that way. And as Piper's brother pretty much, I was about one step away from beating the crap out of him. But Piper, well, she likes to fight her own battles."

Jason looked at his "girlfriend" and her best friend. Both of them were still talking amongst themselves, sneaking quick glances back to him and Percy, before whispering to each other again. "I get that feeling from Piper."

"What do you get from me?" Piper asked, looking back at him.

Jason and Percy just smirked. "Nothing. Guy talk," Percy assured her. The two girls looked at each other and just shrugged.

The four of them reached Jason and Annabeth physics class. From there, Leo was leaning against the hideous, olive-green lockers next to the door. When he saw Jason, he waved him over. However, when he saw Jason grab a hold of Piper's hand, Leo grinned so hard like a madman that it looked like his face was going to split in two. Leo jogged over to them, already excited to meet Jason's new girlfriend. "Hey Jason. And who might this be?" Leo said, as he waggled his eyebrows at Jason.

Piper smiled at Leo's compliment. "I'm Piper McLean," sticking out her hand to which Leo eagerly took.

"And I'm Leo Valdez. The Batman of our duo," he said, kissing Piper's hand like a gentleman.

Piper giggled while Jason punched his best friend in the arm. "Shut up, Valdez. And watch it, this is my girlfriend now."

All Leo did was laugh and smirk at Jason. "Oh I see. Okay, I don't know what you see in Jason, Piper, since he's always Mr. Frigid, but if you're crazy enough to be together with this whole deal thing, then maybe you belong together."

"That's what I said," Annabeth said from the side.

Leo turned his attention to Annabeth and smiled seductively at her too. "And who is this lovely lady?"

"I only sit right next to you Mr. Suave. The name's Annabeth Chase and I'm a friend of Piper's. Nice to officially meet you."

"Oh so you think I'm suave?" Leo said cheekily.

Beside her, Percy spoke up and held up his left hand, which was fastened in Annabeth's right hand. "And I'm Percy. The boyfriend," he said smoothly but clearly.

"Damn it! All the babes are taken!" Leo exclaimed. He grabbed Piper by the shoulders. "If you have any more hot friends, let a guy know okay?"

"I'll see what I can do. Scouts honor."

Leo smiled some more and nudged Jason. "Well, I approve of your girlfriend."

The three-minute bell warning bell rang, making Piper and Percy groan in departure. Annabeth said goodbye to Percy after sharing a quick kiss. "I'll see you at lunch? I sit in the Nike plaza underneath the big oak tree. Do you know which one I'm talking about?" Piper told Jason. Ho nodded; that had been Thalia's favorite hangout spot when she was still in high school.

"Sure, we'll see you there," Leo intervened, putting a chummy arm around Jason.

"Great!" She smiled at Jason and Leo. She was about to walk away when Leo said, "You guys aren't gonna kiss?"

Jason felt his face flame immediately. Piper's face also turned the same color as Jason's. "Well… I suppose…" Piper said.

"How sweet," Leo egged on, waiting for the entertainment.

Just then, Annabeth grabbed Leo by the arm and gave a thoughtful look at Piper and Jason. "Come on Loverboy," Annabeth told Leo. "You can help me with problem #2 of next week's homework." The mischievous Latino protested—(he had no idea he even had homework due next week)—but was shuffled inside the classroom.

Jason was busy laughing when quickly, Piper kissed him on the lips. His eyes widened for a second, before closing his own eyes and pressing his own lips on hers, which were soft and moist. He felt his heart go into overdrive mode and his knees feel a little bit like jelly. He found himself grabbing a hold of her arms and squeezing it lightly. He had never felt this way when he kissed Reyna or any girl for that matter. It felt perfect to him—right. Just as fast as when Piper sneak attacked a kiss, Piper fell back from him and opened her eyes. She took a breath and stared at Jason, looking just as surprised as he was.

"Umm… I better get to class now," Piper said, her cheeks pink and her heart racing.

"Y-Yeah, sure," Jason stuttered like an idiot.

Piper smirked. "You're cute when you stutter." She lightly pecked him on the cheek before running down the hallway hoping get to her own classroom on time.

Jason stood there like a moron until fifteen seconds later, he heard the class bell rang. He quickly walked inside and sat down in his seat before the teacher could scold him for tardiness. Next to him, Leo and Annabeth were looking at him expectantly. Jason tried to look straight ahead and give nothing away, but Annabeth was too smart.

"You felt sparks didn't you," Annabeth simply stated.

Jason remained silent and couldn't help but smile, wanting to keep his own magical experience with Piper McLean to himself.

A/N: I actually had someone in my senior year paint over the white lines in the parking lot, so a lot of the teachers had to park far away. One of the most simple, conniving plans ever.