Authors Note:

Okay, I know I said I'd have this chapter up by Sunday but I didn't have access to a computer. Sorries! Anyway there's somethings I wanted to say before you read this chapter. First I'm gonna start saying the dates and times so you don't get confused between what's going on at Camp-Half Blood and Camp Jupiter. I'll be introducing 1 more main character and I just thought you'd have a lil taste of Camp Half-Blood right now. That's pretty much it. Please R&R. enjoy :)

Camp Jupiter

June 17th 10:00 PM

Mackenzie's POV

War games went as usual. The first and second cohort won and we were dismissed either to get first aid or go to bed. Lexi wasn't talking to me but I was able to catch Ody and Percy before they went to their barrack.

"What happened after she hung up? I'm sorry if I started something," I say softly.

"She pretty much ended the picnic. She avoided all of my questions which made me mad and now she's not talking to me. I'm just going to give her some space, she needs some time alone I guess,"

I purse my lips before I answer. " She'll probably be fine by tomorrow, you know Lexi, she never stays too mad for long," he gives me a half-hearted smile and nods.

"I hope so," he starts kicking rocks and I didn't need empathy to know he was extremely worried and upset about Lexi.

"Hey umm Ody?" Nate says squeezing in between Ody and I.

"Yea?"

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

I got a good look at Ody and I could tell he was tired and worn. I mean the day had been extremely long and busy. "Yea, sure," he says flatly.

We all notice Lexi as she stormed past us angrily without saying a word. I had been too busy paying attention to my sister that I missed the short conversation between Nate and Ody.

"Well I'll see you two late," Ody says gently. He waves before walking away to join Frank and Hazel.

Nate smiles and takes my hand. "What are you doing?"

"I want to show you something," he says mischievously. Something told me that he had some rule-breaking planned...

45 Minutes Later...

I was definitely right about the whole rule-breaking thing. We had snuck out of the camp from the borders and he guided me to a "surprise". Little did I know that the surprise was at the Alameda docks. The moonlight reflected off the top of the water. I smiled as I breathed in the salty sea air and looked out at the romantic San Francisco Bay.

"What are we doing here?" I ask. He puts a finger over his mouth and pulls me down the dock. I wish I had brought a jacket, because it was FREEZING. We passed yachts and fishing boats until finally we arrived at a nice luxury motor boat that looked like it cost half a million dollars.

"Ody and Harry (son of Vulcan) has been working on it for two months. It's nice huh?"

"It's beautiful. I wonder why Lexi hasn't told me about it,"

"Because Lexi doesn't know. Ody wanted a boat, and he planned to bring Lexi on their anniversary,"

"That would be nice, she would love that,"

He walks up the railing and I follow him onto the deck. He gives me a short tour and I was pretty impressed. Ody had really outdone himself.

"Well if you're done showing me this luxurious boat, I think we could get going,"

"I didn't bring you just to see it." He turns on the engine and the boat starts to separate from the dock. It was magical.

We laughed, talked, sang, played around. I can't even remember how long it had been since I had this kind of fun. Suddenly the air became serious.

"Kenz...there's something I want to tell you," I look into his warm brown eyes, and wait for an answer. He clears his throat and scoots closer to me on the couch.

"What is it?"

"I...I love you," he manages to say. I freeze for three reasons. For one, Nate was never as nervous and tongue tied as he was now. Secondly, my best friend was telling me he loved me, and not the way best friends love each other. Third of all, well I felt the same way but there was that whole Jeremy issue.

Without even thinking I made my next move. Our lips pressed together and he put his hands on my hips so he could pull me closer. His breath was like mint chocolate, just delicious. He was a great kisser too.

We pulled away breathing hard and his eyes looked glossy, as if he were high or something. I smiled and decided to say exactly what I felt, "I love you too Nathan,".

He smiled sheepishly, then his face got serious. "I want to be with you Mackenzie..."

"But...Jeremy," I look down at my hands and I start playing with the edge of my shirt.

"Why are you even with him Kenz?"

"It's complicated Nate," I look out towards the water and let out a deep breath.

"No it's not. Its not rocket science, you either want to be with him or you don't," he says in a frustrated tone.

"It's more than that,"

"Why? Please explain to me why it's so complicated."

My eyes start to burn, which was a sign that I was about to cry. I kept telling myself to hold it together but I just couldn't. "I don't love Jeremy. I don't want to be with him, but everytime I try to break up with him..." I stopped and bit my lip.

"Does he hit you?" He puts his hand under my chin and turns my face towards him. His brown eyes were fierce and he wanted answers. I had to choose my next words carefully.

"Well, he can be a little rough sometimes but I don't think he means to hurt me," I lie. Jeremy was an abusive jerk who loved to see me in pain after I've done something to piss him off. I mean it could be triggered by anything.

"Tell me the truth Mackenzie, stop sugar coating things,"

"Well he does things to hurt me when I make him mad if I'm lucky he just calls me names and curses me out other times he-he-" I wipe a tear from my eye and sniffle a bit.

"Mackenzie I want you to break up with him. Not just for me but do it for yourself. It kind of hurts that you never told me that he hurt you. I would have done something a long time ago." He looks down to the floor of the deck. I really hoped he wasn't feeling guilty.

"Nate I want to but I'm...I'm scared," I cry. Oh gods...here comes the waterworks.

He looks up and cups my face in his hands. "There's no need to be scared. I'll be right there beside you if you want. He won't lay a hand on you,"

"But he'll just blackmail me or do something to Lex..."

"I'll let Ody know so he can look out for Lexi. Plus she can handle herself,"

"He'll just wait until I'm alone,"

"Then you'll never be alone," he says smoothly. He wipes a tear that had been sliding down my cheek and kisses me again.

This time I didn't hold back, I wanted Nate so badly. I wanted his love and support, his attention, his affection, everything. Now was my chance and I wasn't going to lose it.

My hands traveled to the bottom of his shirt and I slid it up a little so he knew I wanted him to take it off. He kissed me along my neck as he gently caressed my thighs. He grips the bottom of my shirt and slowly lifts it over my head. He smiled once he saw what I was wearing underneath it. I reached for his pants, unzipped them and he pulled them off.

We continued to undress each other until we were both pretty much naked. He hovered over me with a sexy look in his eyes and I start to get nervous. Was I really about to do this? And with him? He stopped kissing my chest when he saw the look on my face.

"Are you sure you want to do this...it's not too late to-" I cut him off with another kiss, which was enough to convince him to continue. He slipped off my panties and I used my legs to slide his down.

The rest was a blur of ecstasy. I mean I had heard he was good but it was different to experience it. I smiled lazily as I laid my head on his bare chest. His steady heartbeat had a soothing effect on me. Between that and the fact that we just made love to each other, I was pretty tired.

"I love you..." I whisper

He smiles as he runs his fingers through my hair. " I love you too Kenz,"

"How do you think Ody is gonna react when he finds out we had sex on his boat?" We exchanged slightly panicked looks before burst out laughing. I could just imagine the horrified and disgusted look on his face.

"Who said he has to know? What he doesn't know won't hurt him," he says with a mischievous smile.

"Well he's bound to find out. You can't hide these kind of things from Lexi,"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he kissed my forehead and I let out a soft sigh. For the first time in months I could say I was truly happy right now. Now all I have to worry about is how I was gonna break up with Jeremy. Then I'd be free...

Camp Half-Blood

May 7th 6 AM

Maya :)

Maya stopped by the Hephaestus cabin and as always Leo was already at Bunker 9. She sighed as she trudged through the woods. She was still excited to see her boyfriend even though she knew he forgot about his promise to be with her today. Lately he's spent every moment in Bunker nine sketching plans, working on engines and navigational equipment and all kinds of other small projects dealing heavy engineering for the Argo 2, a massive trireme that he hoped to finish in 5 weeks.

He was so dedicated to the project that he would go days without sleeping and sometimes eating. He didn't participate in camp activities, and he'd neglected his girlfriend. He practically lived in Bunker 9. Maya knew that Leo's project was important but she wanted to be with him so badly, so she offered to be his assistant. It didn't matter what he had her do or the fact they didn't even talk much. As long as she was by his side in his time of need she would be fine.

The door was open and there were a few of Leo's brothers and sisters already working at the work tables. I walked towards Leo's office and knocked on the door. Since the door was glass, I could see Leo standing over his table drawing and sketching something on oversized piece of paper. He looked up for a moment, gestured for me to come in, and went back to work. He didn't smile, he didn't wave happily, just gave her permission to enter the room. Maya didn't how to really feel about that.

She stayed quiet as she cleaned up a bit so she could make him some coffee. Then she picked up all the balled up paper thrown on the floor and put it into a box, she never threw them away since he would occasionally want a certain piece that he'd thrown away. That's where she would come in, she had to go through looking for that one wad, slip, or scrap of paper he needed.

She massaged his back when he groaned in pain, she made him coffee and made sure he ate, she delivered messages, sometimes he'd let her work on something with him, and she'd feel useful.

"Leo? Have you umm, eaten?" She asks softly.

"No, I took a shower and came straight down," he says monotonely.

"Is there anything you want me to do? I guess I'm free since my boyfriend forgot about our plans for today," she says as she walks to the door.

Leo froze for a moment. Then he sets his pencil down and slowly turns towards Maya with a guilty look on hos face. "I'm so sorry sweetheart I completely forgot, it's just I have so much work-" Maya really didn't feel like hearing another excuse, she'd heard it all and given him passes but now she was just tired of it.

"It's fine Leo. I get it. The Argo is more important than me, I won't ask you for anything." She says gently. She tried to hide the hurt in her eyes by turning her back to him.

"Maya please, don't act like this. Not right now,"

"Sorry I forgot, you have so many other things to worry about. Wouldn't want to add something else on Leo's list of problems," she says sarcastically as she stepped out the office. She turned back for a moment as a tear ran down her cheek. Leo actually looked conflicted, but Maya knew what he'd choose.

She walked down the steps and towards the small shed that the Hephaestus cabin had built for a small kitchen. Maya was the only one to really use it since most of their cabin couldn't cook. Often times she'd make pots full of anything that could be made in mass quantities; oatmeal, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, hamburger helper, soup, hot dogs, chili and all that. Then she'd have Diana and Veronica, her best friends, help her serve the food.

Maya set to work in the kitchen. The magic fridge had conjured everything she needed. She made about 15 dozen eggs, tons of bacon and sausage, and she had lost count of how many pancakes. All of it was set in trays that were constantly warmed so it the food wouldn't be cold. Breakfast hadn't even be served in the dining pavilion yet so she knew all the kids that now filled the bunker hadn't eaten anything.

Table by table she gave them plates of food and finally Leo's sister,Nyssa, had offered to help. Together they were able to give everyone food within 30 minutes. She thanked Nyssa and gave her some fresh blueberries for helping her out. Then she worked on Leo's breakfast.

Usually he was served first but since she had been put on the back burner she didn't feel he deserved to be her priority. She fixed him one of his favorite breakfast meals and walked back up to his office.

She didn't say anything as she re-entered the office. She simply put the plate on his desk and poured him a cup of coffee.

"Maya..." he says gently. When she turns around Leo's warm brown eyes were fixed on her.

"Yea?" She hands him the cup and began cleaning the office again.

"I really am sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you," he says. He was building something small, something he always did when he was upset or nervous.

Maya snorts as if to say: yea right! But she wasn't mean, she wouldn't say anything like that to him. "That's what you always say Leo. I'm tired of hearing your excuses, I'm done begging you for time and attention. When you feel I'm worth it, feel free to let me know so we can go be an actual couple," she says bitterly.

"Maya that's not fair..." he says gently.

"Gods Leo! What do want me to say!? All I try to do is be supportive of you. I take care of you and I can't even get you take an hour out of your day to spend with me. Well damn, if I'm asking for too much then fine, I'm done asking. Focus your fucking ship,"

Leo was shocked by what she had said, usually Maya would just shrug it off and forgive him. Maya usually kept to herself, she was passive because she was too afraid to speak her mind and bad things happened when she didn't shrug things off and control her emotions...

"Do you realize you're asking me to choose between finishing a ship needed for several important quests and being with you? Maya you're important to me and I love you but I just wish you'd stop being this way, you know why I'm doing what I'm doing. I mean you don't see Jason, Piper, or Annabeth coming at me everyday so I can go hang out with them. They know how important this is," he says. He sets down a small helicopter he made out of some sort of metals.

Maya couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Of course they don't ask you for anything Leo! You hardly even see them! Annabeth shows up everyday just to see how things are going with the ship, why? Because she wants to see her boyfriend! Jason and Piper pop up every couple of days to check on you. Do they ever offer to help you!?" She yells.

"Well not exactly and I don't expect that," he says nervously. He probably realized he was losing this argument.

"Why not!? They're supposed to be your best friends!" He stayed quiet, probably trying to think of a comeback.

There was no going back now, Maya had been pushed over the edge. "You know why they don't offer to help!? You know why they only come to see you 2 days out of the fuckin week!? Well it's because they're busy making out and fucking each other. It's because they have a life and want to spent their last moments together before this quest. They spend every moment glued to each other! So who does that leave you with Leo?" Still quiet. Did he really not have anything to say? "I'm the only one besides your siblings by your side morning, day, and night! So don't talk to me about Jason, Piper, and Annabeth, and what they ask of you," She finally noticed the horrified look on Leo's face.

She looked around and saw that everything in Leo's office was levitating and shaking. Maya knew what would happen if she didn't calm down soon. She waited about a minute for a response and when she didn't get one she quickly walked out of his office.

Lol, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) The next one will be up for sure on Wednesday. Feedback will be greatly appreciated! :P