Christmas Prompt 09/25: Character A vows to do something nice for a stranger during the Christmas time. Character B is that stranger.

Percy happens to think that he's a nice human being. He tries to be, at least. He has his moments because no one is perfect, but he's always done his best to be considerate of those around him.

So when his friend tells him that he's really not a nice person, he just about loses it.

"I am not a bad person!"

Leo raises his hands defensively. "I'm not saying you're a bad person. All I'm saying is that you could be a little bit more... generous."

Piper rolls her eyes. "Leave the poor man alone, Leo."

"I'm generous," he says, miffed.

"But..." Leo waves his hands wildly, and Percy feels the instinct to punch him in the nose and make him Rudolph. "Do something nice for once."

"Percy," Piper says, "he's just mad that you didn't give him a piece of your gingerbread cookie. Don't listen to him."

Still, it stings just a little bit. Even if it's a joke, Percy doesn't think it's very funny. That's what prompts him to do something kind this Christmas. He honestly doesn't know what he plans on doing because what could he do? Buy all of someone's presents and also go broke in the process? Maybe he could buy someone's cheap coffee, but then is it really something nice if it's only two dollars?

Whatever it is, Percy knows that Leo has to be there to see it so he can make Leo choke on his words. The only problem then, though, is that Leo would no doubt say something along the lines of you're only doing it because you want to prove me wrong, not because you care, bla bla bla, and the Percy will actually shank Leo with a peppermint candy cane.

Percy tries so hard to find the chance to make someone's Christmas, but it's so much harder than he would've thought. People ignore him when he's speaking to them about buying their order, or they think it's some weird Christmas ploy.

He doesn't get to do something kind until Christmas day.

Percy's standing in the freezing air on top of a snow-tubing mountain. His friends had dragged him here against his will, because despite being a native New Yorker, he hated the cold. He wanted to be included though, so he came along anyways, stuffed into a black snow suit and a knitted hat. His nose burns from the icy atmosphere, and his fingers are numb. He considers checking for frostbite but then he decides he'd rather not know.

He's standing on a small wall of ice overlooking everyone else. Leo is somewhere to his right, threatening to push Piper off of the wall, and Percy purposely avoids making eye contact in fear that he'll be next.

The wall of ice can't be anything more than five or six feet. He doesn't know if they're actually allowed to be up there, but there's so many people doing the same thing that he's not too worried.

He watches as a few people jump off of the wall into the fluffy layer of snow, vaguely listening to the conversations around him. He hears a mother hassling her children, and his ears perk up as he notices her muttering something along the lines of her not being able to afford buying them each a hot chocolate from the cabin that lays near the bottom of the mountain.

Percy doesn't stop to think first, which is probably a mistake.

"I can buy it for you," he interjects kindly, thrilled that he's finally getting the chance to do something nice.

The mom looks at him, and it's almost as though she's appalled that he's spoken to her. Percy shrinks back.

"I'm good," she says.

"I don't mind," he continues, more nervous. "It's only a couple dollars each, and—"

She holds a hand up. "I don't want to have sex with you."

Percy's mind comes to a screeching halt. "What!? That's not what I—"

"You're going to tell me that you're offering to pay twenty dollars and it's not because you want to sleep with me?"

"No! I was just trying to do something nice for a stranger after my friend said—"

"I don't want to hear it!" she snaps, already beginning to walk away from Percy. "Follow me and I'll cut your dick off."

It's so shocking to him that he doesn't even have time to respond before she's already gone. He truly must have the worst luck because he's just trying to create Christmas magic, and everyone seems to be doing the exact opposite of that.

Percy's mouth gapes slightly, his brain still not comprehending what just happened. He's only pulled out of the haze when someone snorts next to him.

He turns his eyes and catches a girl looking like she was smothering laughter.

"I'm sorry," she says, laughter now bubbling out of her lips. "I don't think I've ever seen a conversation go so wrong so quickly."

"I don't even know what I did," he mutters, scratching the back of his neck.

"Something she didn't like, apparently." She's still giggling slightly, and Percy thinks it's kind of cute. She's shorter than him, and her nose has a red tint to it. He can see the puff of air each time she takes a breath, and she looks like she's ready to go inside and curl into a ball for a nap.

"God. That's embarrassing."

"I got a front row seat to that show," she says. "Why are you trying to do something nice, anyways?"

Percy is surprised that a stranger would want to talk to him after witnessing that, but he doesn't mind. "My friend called me a horrible person and said I was going to hell."

"Ouch."

"That's not exactly what he said," he admits, "but he might as well have. He's dead to me."

"And yet you're still trying to please a stranger," she says wryly.

"I don't want to go to hell," he whines, and she laughs softly.

"I'm sure you won't go to hell. You might lose your genitalia, but you're not going to hell."

"Yes, thank you for the reminder," he says. The faint music in the background changes songs, and she rolls her eyes.

"This music is getting out of hand," she says. "It's like they're trying to suffocate us in Christmas spirit."

"It could be worse, don't you think?"

"Is rather drown in eggnog than listen to another Christmas song." She thinks for a moment, looking out into the distance off of the cliff of ice. "Can you promise to push me off this cliff if all I want for Christmas is you plays again?"

Percy chokes. "Push you off the cliff?"

"Yes, please."

"I wouldn't want to hurt you," he says.

"Nothing could hurt more than having my ears bleed to that song. I think it would be easier to simply die and get reborn as Santa's slaves in the north pole."

"Oh, wow."

"Besides, this could be your chance to do something nice."

"Does murder count as something nice?"

"In certain situations, maybe."

Percy smiles, though he instantly regrets it when his teeth start to ache. "What's your name?"

"I'm Annabeth," she says.

"Percy," he returns. "So before I get arrested for shoving you off a cliff, let me just make sure I'm hearing this right. You want me to push you off that ledge if Mariah Carey starts playing?"

"Exactly. You have my full permission."

"Great," he chokes out. They lock eyes and chuckle slightly at their own antics. Percy thinks someone calls his name from somewhere behind him, but he's much preoccupied to turn around. Percy doesn't think Annabeth would be someone to bully him, unlike some friends.

Percy thinks he should write a letter to Leo about his recent harassment. He thinks little rascals is a good baseline. It would start with, Dear Darla, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're scum between my toes. That'll show him.

"Are you alone?" Annabeth asks kindly.

"I'm here with my friends, but I might as well be alone. They're mean. I don't like them."

"You sure they're your friends?"

"Eh. Not really," he says, but he's only kidding. He loves them dearly, even if they're the worst people he has ever met. Leo in particular.

"Lovely," she says. Her gloved hands reach up to move a strand of hair away from her mouth. The wind has started blowing harder, and it's beginning to tangle her hair. "I'll be your friend, then. I won't bully you."

"I hardly know you. How can I be sure you won't bully me?"

"I guess you'll just have to stick around and find out."

He wouldn't mind sticking around, he thinks. Especially not with the way she's looking at him, making him feel the urge to pull her in close and protect her from the biting winds.

As they continue talking, Percy can't help but think that he likes her. He really like her, actually. She's sweet and funny, always having something to quip back to him. He finds out soon that she lives quite close to him, and something in him screams to ask her if she wants to do something soon. He holds off on that, but he still can feel the way his heart threatens to pound out of his chest.

A sly grin forms on his face as he hears the change in music. It's not a song that's easy to miss, so it catches his ear immediately, and he is prepared.

"Hey, Annabeth."

"What?"

"Guess what's playing."

She tilts her head as she listens to the music, and then she groans in annoyance. "Of course it is."

"I promised to do something nice this Christmas."

She blinks. "You did."

"I gotta do it to you."

"Percy—"

"I made a promise," he says, shrugging. He steps forwards, and she takes a step back, but there's a wide grin on her face.

"Don't you dare," she threatens with zero malice in her voice.

"It's my duty to you," he says. "I don't break my promises." With that, he fulfils the gap between them, grabbing her in his arms by the waist and lifting her up. She wiggles in his grasp, letting her legs go limp, and she's laughing until she can't breathe.

Percy brings her to the ledge, his smile matching hers, and as he tries to drop her as gently as possible, she grabs on tighter and pulls, and he goes tumbling face-first into the snow with her.

He lands somewhat on top of her, and his face is buried surprisingly deep. He pulls his face out of the hole he's dug, and when he looks at her, her head is thrown back as she lets out uncontrollable giggles. When she looks at him, it only gets worse.

"Your eyelashes are covered in snow," she gasps, wiping carelessly at his face for him. She kicks him off of her lazily and leans back, looking up at the sky. "You ass."

"I just did what you asked me to!"

"I didn't think you'd actually do it."

"But you're alive, and I've done my good deed! We both win."

She shakes her head at him, eyeing him is mock disappointment. "I change my mind. I am going to bully you."

"You'd have to stick around long enough for that," he reminds her.

"After you just tried to kill me? You bet I'm sticking around, if only for revenge."

Percy pouts. "I'm so scared."

"You better be because when I push you off a cliff, it isn't going to be seven feet into snow."

"At least I can die happy knowing that I did my good deed for the year."

Percy turns onto his size and gazes deeply into her eyes. Her eyes fit in perfectly to the scene around them, layers of white snow, barren trees in the distance, matching the grey sky above. He really does want to see her again, to find out if she's as soft as she looks, if she's as perfect for hugging as she seems, if she wants to kiss him as bad as he wants to kiss her.

He gets his answer when she says, "You haven't finished your good deed quite yet."

Percy pretends to be oblivious. "Oh? What else do I need to do?"

She smiles in the perfect way he just knows he's going to fall in love with. "Kiss me."

He pulls her in close, both of them still laying in the snow, ice beginning to seep into their backs, and when he puts his lips to hers, she's warm and sweet and perfect.

And when she pulls away to lock eyes with him before slamming his face back into the snow, he can't even be mad. She's cute, looking at him proudly, and he's falling in love with this stranger on Christmas night.

sorry for making rachel a harpy in the last chapter but it was necessary lol