Nathan was already taken with Piper, and it hadn't even been a full school day.

All his life he'd been the tagalong in the group. Marcus was the funny one that everyone wanted to be around, Jason was the hot one that everyone wished they were dating, and Nathan was just Nathan. It was a miracle that he was still relevant.

But then, Piper showed up, and he'd been blown away. She was absolutely beautiful from the soft white eagle feathers braided into her chocolate brown hair to the splattered white vans on her feet. And she actually seemed to take an interest in him. Girls usually only took an interest in him after they'd looked at Jason and Marcus and even then there was a slim chance they'd glance in his direction. Not Piper. In fact, she seemed to be avoiding the gaze of Marcus and Jason. Especially Jason. It was a dream come true. It was almost too good to be true.

It was lunch and Nathan was headed to E Hall like always when someone slammed into him. He tried to keep his balance by holding onto the person's arm, but they were shorter than him and it just resulted in both of them toppling over.

After readjusting his glasses, Nathan glanced down to see who had fallen on him. He recognized the feathers and the shoes at once. It was Piper.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, jumping off of him and helping him off of the floor. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you okay?"

She nodded, picking up a crumpled piece of paper. It was a school map. "Do you know where the scheduling office is? I got a note last period saying that I had to go and talk to someone there, but I can't find it."

"You're on the wrong floor," Nathan said simply. "The only office on the first floor is attendance. All other offices are on the fifth floor. I can take you if you want."

Her multicolored eyes lit up with excitement. "Sure. That would be great."


Thirty minutes later, Piper still hadn't shown up.

Jason figured she wouldn't. After all, Marcus practically told her into coming, and most people didn't like being forced to do things. Maybe she had gotten lost. Maybe she found someone else to sit with. Maybe she actually wanted to go to the library.

The odd thing was that Nathan hadn't shown up either. Lately, he'd been distant, especially after football camp started earlier in the summer. Nathan hadn't ever been very vocal with his feelings (or about anything else for that matter), but this just wasn't like him. One glance at Marcus and Jason knew that he was worried too.

Then, Nathan rounded the corner with Piper right beside him.

Since he and Reyna had been together for almost two years now (and he'd liked her long before then), Jason forgot what feeling jealous felt like. It was an awful sensation; the burn of anger and desire and the ache for someone that had never been yours in the first place. It was all he could do not to pick up Nathan and haul him out the window.

"Everyone, this is Piper," Nathan said, looking like he'd just won the lottery. "Piper, this is everyone." Automatically, Reyna slid into Jason's lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. She had always been the jealous type, though Jason couldn't say she had anyone to be jealous of. Until now, anyway.

The odd thing was, everyone seemed excited to meet her. The group was extremely tight-knit, and they hadn't had a newcomer in at least four years. But they all treated her like an old friend. Even Nico, Jason's paternal cousin, seemed to light up when Piper shook his hand. The only person who didn't regard her as a member of the family was Reyna, who was notably cold toward her. Piper seemed to take notice because she kept her distance after that.

The other odd thing was that Piper and Annabeth seemed to know each other. Jason knew that Annabeth went to summer camp in New York every year, so maybe it had been some crazy coincidence.

"Nathan seems to be hovering her," Reyna noted. "My guess is that he'll be proposing tomorrow."

Jason shook his head. "No, I doubt it. He's not the type of person to jump into things. He'll want to get to know her a little more."

A smile crossed Reyna's lips. "You'd be surprised."

Jason hoped she was wrong.


"Hey."

A girl with dark hair long enough to tuck into her waistband slid into the seat next to Piper.

"Hi." Piper narrowed her eyes. "Natalya, right? You're Annabeth's friend?" Natalya nodded. "I take it you're the girl who's dad shipped her away."

Piper blushed. "So you know?"

"Yep." Natalya began to put her hair up, using two hair ties to secure it. "Annabeth told me about it. She thinks it's kind of shady."

"It is kind of shady. I honestly don't know why this was the best option. Apparently, Annabeth's boyfriend's mom is our new crisis counselor."

Natalya smiled sadly. "Percy. He's a great kid. He's the best thing that ever happened to her. Really, he's the best thing that happened to any of us."

Piper was confused. "What do you mean?"

Natalya opened her mouth to speak, but she quickly closed it and got a far away look on her face. Piper could see the gears turning in her brain.

"What do you mean?" Piper asked again.

"This is all so coincidental," Natalya said quietly. "I think I'll save my story for a while."


So then I entered the competition, and somehow I made state finals!" Leo explained. Not even his highly advanced webcam (which he designed himself), could capture all of his rapid movements without lag.

"Congratulations, Leo!" Piper replied with a mouth full of popcorn. "So when are you going to Austin?"

"Labor day weekend. I know I was supposed to come see you in L.A., but since you're not in L.A. anymore I guess it worked out. I'm going to miss seeing the beach, though. The ladies were pretty fine last year!"

"Perv!" Piper exclaimed, tossing popcorn at the screen.

"I'm kidding!" Leo laughed, putting his hands up. "Sort of. Anyway, I've gotta go. Can we talk tomorrow, same time?"

"Sure. Love you, Leo."

"Love you too, Beauty Queen." The video cut off, leaving Piper alone once again.

Or so she thought.

"Annabeth! How long have you been here?"

Annabeth laughed, sinking into the armchair next to the desk. "Long enough to hear you say 'I love you'. You didn't mention a boyfriend."

Piper blinked. "Who, Leo? He's my best friend, not my boyfriend." Annabeth shrugged. "No, I guess not. He seems too hyper for you. I liked his ideas, though. They were amazing. I hope he wins that fair." Piper nodded in agreement. "His mom is looking for a job and they could use the money. Plus, he deserves it. He's been working hard on inventions for years. I know he's going to win."

Annabeth smiled. "That's awesome. But let's get down to business. What's going on between you and Nathan?"

Piper blushed and tried to hide it. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Annabeth gave her a knowing look. "Come on. He was hovering over you at lunch, he walked you to almost every class and he offered to show you around town. Which you ought to accept."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Come on, Annabeth. I just met the guy. I mean, he is pretty cute and he seems really nice, but for all I know he might cut off the heads of cats in the middle of the night. I want to at least know his last name before I start making commitments."

Annabeth nodded. "That's respectable. But you guys are going to make an amazing couple whenever you decide you're ready." Then, she grabbed a huge fistful of popcorn and said "Lewis."

"What?"

"Nathan Lewis. That's his last name."

Piper decided that Nathan was going to have to be the one to change his last name.


"I just don't see what the big deal is," Reyna said, resting her feet on the bed. "She's pretty, sure, and she seems nice enough, but she's just...average. And nobody knows why she's here. That's kind of weird, right?"

Jason shrugged. "Not really. You came here under some pretty sketchy circumstances yourself, so you're one to talk."

Reyna rolled her eyes. "That was different. I voluntarily told you what happened and you just didn't believe me. Piper's not volunteering information at all. In fact, it's almost as if she's trying to find out as much as she can about us. Do you think she's a spy?"

Jason sighed. "I'm sure Piper is a perfectly normal person with perfectly good intentions. Besides, she seemed really nice. I had a couple classes with her." Reyna frowned. "I saw you staring at her. You love her."

Jason laughed. "Reyna, I don't know her. We all know that love at first sight doesn't exist. Besides, I have you. I don't need anyone else."

"I can tell when you're lying, Jason." Reyna glared at her boyfriend. "I'm going to say this once. Don't talk to Piper, don't look at Piper, don't have anything to do with her, if that's what it's going to take. You two are not going to be friends. She's too much of a liability."

"Who are you to tell me who I can and can't talk to?"

"Your girlfriend, that's who!"

"Reyna, I don't know why you get so jealous, but it's without merit. You can't control my life like this. And if that's the way it's going to be from now on, then I'm not sure I want to be in this relationship anymore." Jason took his jacket and his keys and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Reyna cried, jumping up and putting herself between him and the door. "Just wait for a second."

"Why should I? Do you have another set of rules you want me to follow? What, I can't talk to Natalya now or something?"

"No," she said bitterly. "It's not like that. I'm just trying to protect you. You don't hear what the other girls say about you to my face. They're trying to take you away from me."

"Okay," Jason said slowly. "So you're saying you don't trust me enough to say no to someone who wants me to cheat on you? That's reassuring."

Reyna sighed. "Jason!"

"Well, you're not exactly making this easy!"

"I just don't want to lose you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me and I don't want our relationship to slip away."

"And it won't," Jason protested. "But you're going to have to trust me, Rey. I promise I won't do anything to hurt you, but you can't tell me who I can and can't talk to. I'm not a piece of property. I'm my own person."

Reyna slid her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Okay. I'll trust you. Thank you for forgiving me. I love you."

"I love you too," Jason replied. But he almost didn't know if he believed the words he was saying anymore