Hi everyone! Sorry, my Christmas break was longer then intended, but I am now back on a regular posting schedule!

To answer Loki-Godess-Of-Mischief's question: this is after Blood of Olympus, but before Trials of Apollo. Leo is back, but other than that none of the events of Trials of Apollo have happened.

Anywho, welcome to chapter three! Today, things go wrong, but the awesome party will (hopefully) make up for it. Much bonding happens, Cat and Alex have their first conversation, Leo makes an even bigger entrance, Nico comes out of his shell (some,) Percabeth gets some sweet moments (and so does another couple!) Andddd I don't even remember what I've written anymore, so I will be surprised along with you, XD

I will warn you...there is an evil cliffhanger ahead. But I promise I will post the next chapter on time! Alright I shall keep you no longer. Enjoy the ride :D

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Percy Jackson universe, sadly. I'm merely borrowing them to play in my sandbox for a bit! Cat is my very special OC, however, as is Quentin, Episis, and any other odd names you don't remember. Alex and Jane are OC's created by some talented friends of mine.

Cat Jackson

Cat fired another arrow into the center of the target, then sat down, exhausted. She'd been at the archery range nearly all day, trying to distract herself from the ominous feeling and the strange name she'd remembered last night. Despite spending her precious sleeping hours trying to remember more, the only thing she'd managed to produce was a nightmare that she couldn't even remember. Sighing, she grabbed her water bottle and drank half of it in one gulp, then leaned back with a groan, rubbing her sore muscles. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned slightly, watching Nico jog towards her. He stopped in front of her, panting.

"You need to get in better shape if that exhausted you. And you need much better running form." she took another sip of her water, smiling over the top of the bottle at his offended expression.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Well good day to you too. And I've been running for ages, so shush."

Cat shrugged and dropped her water bottle, flopping backwards to lie in the grass. "Whatever you say. What do you need?"

Nico jerked his head towards the water. "Percy wanted me to come get you. Apparently there's a commotion going on at the beach and he wants you to come help. And since he's lazy, of course he couldn't come get you himself."

Groaning, she flung her hand across her face. "Gah, people are so needy. Yeah, I'll be right down, I'm just going to go change first. Unless it's urgent." she slid her arm down, peeking at his face.

Nico shrugged. "It'll teach Jackson some patience." Cat stood up, laughing, and grabbed her bag, stuffing her water bottle into it. She reached down to grab her bow and quiver from where they lay on the ground, but tripped and fell, breaking an arrow as she landed on it.

"Styx!"

Nico laughed. "Clumsy as ever, huh?"

"Shut up, Nico." she snapped, climbing to her feet.

Nico raised an eyebrow at her tone. "Sorry. Did you sleep at all last night?" he asked, peering closely at her face as she stood.

Cat sighed, stuffing the broken arrow pieces into her bag. "No, I didn't. I'm sorry, I'm just tired, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Nico brushed it off, picking up her bow and quiver and handing it to her. "See you at the beach in a few minutes."

She gave him a tired grin and jogged towards the Hermes cabin. Pushing open the door and entering the refreshingly cool cabin, she waved at her few bunkmates who were there, and tossed her bag on her bed. After carefully hanging her bow and quiver on a hook near her bed, she grabbed clothes and went into the bathroom, locking the door. She changed into a comfortable lavender blouse over black jeans, and her usual worn brown boots. Checking her appearance in the mirror, she blinked, startled by what she saw. She hadn't paid much attention to how much she'd grown the past few years. As she examined herself now, she realized she wasn't a kid anymore. She had always felt more like an adult, but it was strange nonetheless. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she saw a fighter, a strong and mature leader. But as she examined herself, she knew, without a doubt, that something was going to happen today, whether she liked it or not. With a sigh, she tore her eyes away and left her cabin, jogging down towards the beach.

Percy Jackson

"She's coming! Everybody hide!" Annabeth whisper-hissed to everyone. All the campers dashed to their hiding spots, and Percy's girlfriend grabbed his arm, tugging him under one of the tables. He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes, but smiled back. Her blond hair hung gently around her stormy gray eyes, and Percy leaned in to give her a quick kiss. She blushed and whispered in his ear. "We're supposed to be surprising your sister, not having a date, seaweed brain!"

He grinned and whispered back. "Doesn't mean I can't get a quick kiss or two in, right?" She shook her head but she was still smiling. He peeked out and saw his sister jogging into the pavilion, looking confused.

Annabeth held up three fingers, slowly ticking them down. When she got to zero, everyone jumped out at once and screamed "SURPRISE!"

Cat shrieked, jumping backwards as everyone started laughing. Percy noticed her hand release the hilt of her dagger, and he wondered why she was still on edge. Annabeth noticed too, and gave him a quizzical look.

He shrugged and went over to his sister, hugging her. "Happy birthday, sis!" he said, ruffling her hair affectionately.

She shoved him off but returned his hug. "So," he murmured quietly. "Anything happen with that feeling of yours?"

She hesitated, looking uncomfortable. "Um, nothing much. Something weird happened last night, but not a big deal. And I think I had a nightmare, but I don't really remember the details." Their eyes met, and Percy was startled by how old and strong she seemed. He hadn't noticed how much she'd grown up, only seeing her as his baby sister.

"I'm sorry." Percy was unsure of what else to say. Nightmares had never been his area of expertise.

She shrugged. "It's life. Well, half-blood life," she laughed slightly, then smiled at him. "I suppose I should party, huh?"

Percy nodded, a bit confused by the change of subject. "Definitely. Just put the crazy life of a demigod aside, and enjoy your party."

Annabeth walked up behind him, slipping her hand into his. Cat cast a wistful glance at their entwined hands and sighed. "Sometimes I wish someone cared about me. The way you and Annabeth do, I mean."

Immediately a protective feeling washed over Percy, but he smiled. "Someday."

She rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what he meant, and walked over to greet her other friends. Percy turned to Annabeth, grinning.

"I think maybe one already does." she smirked, watching Cat as she chatted with her cabinmates.

Percy looked at Annabeth, completely confused. "Huh? One already does what?" she gave him that look, the one telling him that he's an idiot, and jerked her head at Leo. Percy turned to look at Leo, who was staring at Cat, nervously fiddling with a small box in his hands. Confused, Percy turned back to his girlfriend.

"What does Leo have to do with any of this? What?" Annabeth stared at him for a second, then muttered something about clueless boys and walked away, shaking her head in apparent disbelief.

Percy stood there for a few more minutes, looking back and forth between Cat, Leo, and his girlfriend, until he gave up and walked after Annabeth, muttering to himself about girls.

Cat Jackson

Cat turned her attention from her brother and his girlfriend to her friends and cabin-mates. After numerous hugs and conversations, she slipped out of the group and glanced around the pavilion. She caught sight of Jane, Percy's new half-sister, standing off to the side with an unfamiliar girl,

"Hi, Jane! Thanks for coming." Cat smiled as she walked up to the two girls.

Jane smiled back, but the other girl completely ignored her. "Happy birthday! Here, I got you a little something." Jane handed Cat a small gift bag, her blue and green dress swishing around her legs as she did so.

"Aw, thanks!" Cat opened the gift and grinned when she saw the contents. "Ooh, these are my-"

"Favorites, I know. Percy told me." Jane said, smiling. "Oh, and this is Alex, I'm not sure if you two have met." She gestured to the girl standing next to her, nudging her when she didn't respond.

"We haven't." Alex growled, fixing Cat with a glare so fierce she almost backed up a step.

"Okay then." Cat muttered, vaguely remembering seeing her lurking around the Hades cabin. "Uh, hi Alex, thanks for coming." She said, trying to sound upbeat and polite, which proved to be the wrong approach.

"Don't thank me. I was forced." Alex growled, her glare increasing.

"Oh. Did Nico make you come? You're in the Hades cabin, right?" she asked, trying not to grit her teeth.

Alex somehow managed to make her glare even fiercer. "Yes." Alex spat out the word, then stalked off to another shady corner.

Jane forced a smile as Cat stared after her, slightly surprised by the girl's anger. "She's like that sometimes."

"Aren't all Hades kids?" Cat sighed, then gave Jane a quizzical look. "How long have you known her? I thought you were both pretty new."

"Yeah, that's why we started being friends, well, sort of friends. We got to camp only a few days apart, so we were both new to all of this."

Cat nodded slowly. "That's, uh, great, but why her? I mean she seemed to hate people."

Jane shrugged. "Just happened, I guess. And honestly, I've never seen her that angry. Maybe she's just having a bad day."

Cat nodded slowly, then excused herself, not wanting to get into the whole sibling conversation. She wandered around the party, chatting with various friends and actually enjoying herself. Annabeth slid up behind her as she was getting a drink, tapping her and causing her to almost spill her soda.

"Oops, sorry about that," Annabeth apologized, though she was smiling a little.

"Eh, I would have done it even if you hadn't surprised me. We all know I'm a clutz." she laughed, then gave Annabeth a quizzical look. "Did you tap me for the sake of it, or did you need something?" she asked, taking a sip of her soda.

Annabeth just smirked and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Somebody's got their eye on you."

Cat choked on her drink and whipped around to face the older girl. "What?" She spluttered, coughing as she looked around the pavilion.

Annabeth laughed, and pushed her towards a figure standing in the shadows. "One more surprise!" She whispered, deftly taking the drink out of her hand with a smile.

With one last confused glance, Cat followed Annabeth's pointing finger, wondering what she was getting herself into. When she was close enough to see who it was, she scrunched her face up in confusion. Nico grinned at her, and Cat rolled her eyes, berating herself for falling for the joke. She didn't even consider the possibility that Nico liked her, for obvious reasons. Before she could lecture him and Annabeth for messing with her, hands grabbed her from behind and spun her around.

She shrieked in surprise, ready to slap the offender, but stopped short when she saw the boy standing in front of her. To her annoyance, she felt her stomach lurch as butterflies began crashing around inside her heart.

"Hey, blondie! Did you miss me?" Leo grinned.

Cat rolled her eyes. Leo insisted on nicknaming everyone, and since he would be begging for his life if he called Annabeth blondie, she had been stuck with it.

"Eh, maybe a little." she shrugged, though she couldn't stop her smile.

"What, just a little? That's impossible. Everyone misses commander tool belt!" he smirked, fidgeting with something in his pocket.

"Sureeee they do." she responded sarcastically, then gave him a brief hug before she could talk herself out of it. Leo was startled at first, but awkwardly wrapped his arms around her with a grin. Cat stepped back before Nico could tease her about it, but she could feel his smirking gaze watching them.

"I need to lecture Nico before he thinks he can get away with pranking me." she turned and walked towards Nico, knowing it wasn't the best excuse but using it nonetheless.

Nico opened his mouth to speak, but Cat cut him off, crossing her arms. "One time, Angelo. I'm only letting it go one time."

He shrugged. "That's what you said last time. Truth is, you couldn't stop me if you wanted to."

Rolling her eyes, she flounced away, determined to keep her dignity.

A couple hours later, after dinner, presents and a few games, Cat was beaming with happiness. This was the most fun she'd had in ages, and at last, the weird feeling had vanished. She leaned back in her chair, sighing contentedly.

Annabeth came up to her, smiling. "Don't go to sleep yet, the party isn't done! I saved the best part for last." Cat sat up as music started, and multi-colored lights switched on, lighting up an empty section of the pavilion.

She gasped and hugged Annabeth. "Thanks, Annabeth. This is really awesome."

Annabeth patted her head with a smile, then left, probably to talk Percy into dancing with her. Cat stood up as Leo came up to her with his trademark grin, sticking out his hand.

"May I have this dance, Milady?" He asked, his tone only slightly mocking. She took his hand and followed him, blushing a little.

Leo led her to the sidelines of the dancing area, then hesitated. "I don't actually know how to dance." He admitted.

She laughed and met his dancing brown eyes. "Hm, so much for bad boy supreme. Lucky for your ego and dignity, I never bothered to learn either." He laughed, and she took the lead in the dance, managing to only trip a couple times.

Jane

Jane watched the curly haired boy finally lead Cat onto the dance floor with a wistful smile. Scanning the party, she saw a blond girl nudge Percy, and point out his sister and Leo. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but the girl tugged him onto the dance floor instead, laughing. Jane remembered her from the first day she'd arrived here, but she couldn't recall her name, only that she was a daughter of Athena and had been here for a long, long time.

Jane turned to Alex, who was standing next to her with her arms folded and her eyebrow raised. "So, do you want to find a dance partner?" Jane asked, enjoying the party.

Alex snorted. "Me? Dance? With a boy? Ha. You're funny." she stared at Jane until Alex realized she wasn't joking and gave her a horrified look. "Absolutely not."

Jane pouted, but Alex was unmoving. "You go dance if you desperately need to." Jane sighed, but surrendered to her grumpiness. She didn't know any of the boys yet, so she went to the very corner of the dance floor, and after checking that no one was looking, started to dance by herself. She had taken years of dance lessons before she'd come to camp. She danced with her eyes closed for the rest of the song, then opened her eyes to see a dark haired boy watching her. Jane recognized him as Nico, Alex's older half-brother. He pushed off the pillar he'd been leaning against and came up to her.

To Jane's complete surprise, he offered her his hand. "Want a partner?" he asked, a little gruffly.

"Uh, sure. Thanks." She considered him for a second as a new song started. She knew both he and Alex were mostly loners, and was surprised by his friendliness. Maybe he was lonely. Regardless of why, she appreciated his kindness to the shy new girl.

Cat Jackson

Leo led Cat across the sand and down to the very end of the dock, and the pair sat down with their legs dangling over the water.

Cat laughed, a little breathless from the dancing and running. "This has probably been one of the best nights of my life." She whispered with a happy sigh, then gently leaned into him. He stiffened for a second, surprised, but then relaxed and rested his arm around her shoulders.

"So, uh, what do you want for your birthday?" He asked.

"Um. There's nothing I want, really. Besides having fun. Or maybe a new bow." She mused, staring contently across the water.

"Well…this is awkward, since I didn't get you that."

"Oh, you really didn't have to get me anything, Leo." Cat turned her head and met his earnest gaze.

He cleared his throat and looked away. "Well… I…uh… care about you."

"I care about you too." she murmured, then turned again to watch the gorgeous sunset.

Leo shifted and Cat pulled away as he handed her a small box from his pocket. "Well, I kinda got you this."

She smiled and opened it, her eyes widening. The last rays of sunlight reflected off the shining necklace. The pendant was a multi-colored heart, with a silver bow and arrow engraved on the face.

"I forged it myself." He said proudly, then added hastily. "Piper helped me with the design though."

Cat's heart was pounding, and she was sure her cheeks were bright red. She managed a disgruntled laugh, and thought maybe she didn't look like a complete idiot. "Leo! It's wonderful!" she smiled, as Leo pulled it out of the box and fastened it around her neck.

He blushed, looking down to hide it. "Really?"

"Really." she answered, giving him another quick hug. He grinned, and she leaned back into him, watching the sun slowly lower into Long Island Sound, happier than she had been in ages. That is, until that blasted dreading feeling returned, stronger than ever.

Annabeth Chase

Annabeth followed Percy away from the main party area and down the beach. She glanced back and noticed Nico dancing with the new girl, Jane. She'd seen her dancing alone earlier and thought it was sweet Nico had noticed. Annabeth pointed this out to Percy and he raised his eyebrows, surprised.

"I'm glad he's being friendly," She said quietly. "He's been in a bad place for too long, it's about time he had some friends." Percy nodded, but she could tell her boyfriend was distracted. "Something wrong, seaweed brain?"

He shook his head. "Nah, just worried about Cat. She had a nightmare last night, and I guess I'm just worried."

Annabeth nodded, then squeezed his hand. "It'll be alright. And if something happens, we'll figure it out."

Percy smiled at her, then glanced over her shoulder at the dock. His eyes widened and he tripped, falling flat on his face. Annabeth stared at him, startled, then started laughing as he sat up and spit sand out of his mouth. He pouted, which only made me laugh harder.

"Not funny, wise girl, not funny." He muttered, but he was holding back a smile. Annabeth looked over at the docks, and realized Cat was sitting there, with Leo's arm wrapped around her.

"Wait, that's why you tripped?" She asked through her giggles. He rolled his eyes and stood up, shaking sand off. She was still trying to contain her laughter as they reached the seaside, so he shut her up with a kiss. Annabeth kissed him back, blissfully happy, grateful for this monster and trouble free day.

Naturally, it couldn't last.

A scream split through the air and the two of them jumped apart, reaching for their weapons. Percy's face was ghostly white, and he dashed toward the docks without a word. Annabeth stared after him, muttering to herself about the Fates and how she could never have just one normal day. A second scream interrupted her grumblings, and her face grew white as she realized who was screaming.

"Oh gods…" She gasped, sprinting after him. Evidently Cat's nightmare had been something to worry about after all.

Credit: A massive thank you to my wonderful beta, StarOfOlympus for the help and encouragement on this entire story. I couldn't have done this without you!

Eeeek! Don't kill me, I did warn you about the cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed, please drop a review to let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is welcomed, along with any and all questions, suggestions, or requests! Reviews literally make my day, even just one word ones! It encourages me to keep writing :)