Almost Christmas! Yay! Sorry I haven't posted recently, I've been busy (and a little lazy), but anyway, here's the newest update, I hope you like it!

Leo watched as Drew walked off. It was mostly done, because, well, he could feel the shocked looks from his friends that he cared not to face.

He turned around slowly, laughing nervously. "So guys…haha…umm yeah great news, right? Leo's got himself a girl!" He opened his arms wide for a congratulatory hug, but they all hung back their brows creased.

Jason was the first to speak. His normally calm facial expression looked almost wild. "How could you date her?! Leo, you know after everything, I thought you wouldn't ever stoop that low. That's what I thought anyway."

Piper placed a placating hand on Jason's shoulder. He heard her voice seep out, the charmspeak seeping into his brain that was so subtle, yet so powerful, that if he didn't know she had it, he wouldn't have known it was being used. "Leo, it's just, Jason's right. I mean, you don't know Drew like I do. She's sneaky, manipulative, and…well…" Even with her carefully crafted words, she sputtered uncertainly as she tried to find the right words.

Jason spat out the words with as much power as Piper's charmspeak would've done, possibly even more. "You know she's obsessed with me, Leo! She tried before, she's trying again! She's using you, man! She's using me to get you!" He sat back in his chair, clearly tired from his outburst. Piper put a consoling hand on Jason's back. Suddenly Leo felt his pulse race. He couldn't deal with this anymore. So what if she maybe was using him? He really couldn't care less. At least she cared enough to even fake it. His friends didn't even try to not make him feel like was an outcast. No, it was worse than that. They didn't even notice, they were too wrapped in each other. And Leo was finished with it.

"You know what, Jason?" he said, his face so close to Jason that the blonde boy backed up in shock. "I don't even care. She pays a whole lot more of attention to me than you do. And just so you know, Jason, not everyone at this stupid camp is obsessed with you! Someone doesn't have to like me, and it automatically means they're using me to get to you! And I'm old enough to take care of myself, Jason! I don't have to have your "protection" or your permission to date someone! I'm actually three whole months older than you!"

He turned to everyone else. Even Annabeth, who always kept her composure, was cowering behind Percy. "Same goes for the rest of you! Some friends you are!"

Leo started to storm off, but then he remembered one more thing he had to do. He marched right back their table, and looked straight on at the table. "As for you, ha! You go ahead and date that chair, because I've got a girlfriend!" He then pushed open the doors, and stormed off to the woods.

As he walked further, each step gave him another pang of misgiving.

Dude, you just made a son of Zeus angry! They can shock you in places you don't want to be!

His worry led him to the place he always went when he was stressed. Just looking at it made him relax.

Bunker 9. Leo honestly thought he spent more time in here than his own cabin.

The cabin had changed a lot since he had first uncovered it. What had ocne been a run-down junk yard now had a plethora of inventions, from a paintbrush that when dipped in a coat of paint, was coated in a super-resistant, Celestial-bronze. It also came with a cooler that when opened came equipped with all of the user's favorite food and drinks. Leo had managed to make the food laced with ambrosia and nectar, but really he had only made it for when he got hungry. If he had to describe one inventing powerfood it would definitely be Cool Ranch Dorritos.

Right now, the only thing his mind could invent was different ways to have that conversation with his friends. He wished he could've told Jason before so he wouldn't have been so shocked and surprised. If Leo had been in Jason's position, he would've done the same thing. But that was it. Jason only knew his own emotions, as a super-popular son of Zeus. Leo knew that if Jason was in Leo's position that he would do what Leo was doing. The two friends weren't that different on the inside.

Leo also felt bad for Piper. The poor girl had barely had a rest from Drew's sabotage. Drew had "accidentally" given Piper the wrong package, replacing her moisturizing cream with an exfoliating gel. Piper's face shed dry skin for a week, and Drew had claimed sweetly it was all a mistake. As there was no evidence against her, she had gotten off home free. She had also made moves on Jason, making sure she and Jason were in the same activities while Piper was mysteriously in no activities with Jason.

He honestly had no idea why he even accepted her request to be her boyfriend, at least until the fireworks. It was just…something about her made his knees go wobbly like jelly, and his heart beat fast whenever they shared a glance. It was almost like he could hear her voice right now in his head. Leooo….Leooooooo

Leo felt a tap on his shoulder. "Gah!" he yelled. He spun around, expecting that maybe that Jason was behind him. The hockey guy one, not his best friend, although both probably wanted to kill him right about now.

Instead, he found another killer, this one in a much different way, with pretty blue eyes hidden underneath long lashes that made Leo blush as they looked at him. "What's up, Valdez?" She gave him a smile as she put her hands on her hips.

Leo gave himself a mental note before he spoke, If an Aphrodite girl whose almost entire brain is concentrated on make-up and celebrity magazines can break into your super top-secret cabin filled with enough gadgets to supply the U.S. with a win in a war against China, you really need to update your security. "How did you even get in here?"

She absentmindedly got out a nail file. "It was pretty simple. I dated a boy from your cabin a while back, I did a little…questioning, and I found my way to this place.

Leo studied her. "How'd you get in though?"

She looked at him and gave a shrug. "I just used a nail file to break your lock."

Leo looked at her in utter disbelief. "But that a special lock I invented. You have to solve all these puzzles, I mean, to even get the inner lock to work you have to have all the outer puzzles done first. It won't budge otherwise."

She gave a shrug. "Well, all I did was pick the lock with the nail file and, voila. It worked. Looks like you need to update your security." She then got a mischievous look on her face. "Also, it looks like you need to work on your kissing skills. That thing this morning? Nothing! Let me show you how it's done, Valdez."

Then she leaned in and kissed him.

Leo had never really been kissed before. There had been a few affectionate, "friendzone" ones from Piper, a few spin the bottle games when he was younger, but nothing like…this.

It was so many things at the same time. It was soft, but he could feel her lips pressing against his own, making him want more. It was sweet, but he could feel something inside of him spark, making his heartbeat rush. Suddenly, as fast as it had come, it was over, and he was standing there, looking at Drew, and she was too far away, and stronger than the very kiss was the desire in him that wanted her to lean in again, and to feel her lips on his again.

She leaned in again, and he went in to kiss her, but she went to his ear, where he could feel her lips move as they said, "That's all you're getting, Valdez. You'll have to wait until next time. I think, though, this was a very successful first date. See you later."

With that, she walked off, leaving Leo out of breath.

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