Piper
Since Piper got nothing to do at home, she decided to tag along with everyone as they made their way home.
Just like her, Leo also decided to tag along. Besides, his house is right beside hers. She sighed as she remembered the day she first met Leo Valdez three years ago.
Flashback
Piper silently followed Malcolm and Frederick Chase as they led her to her 'new home'.
"You know, it's been a while since I last saw Tristan. I can't believe he managed to get buff. He used to be skinny, just like Malcolm over here" Frederick clapped Malcolm's shoulder as he chuckled.
"I'm not that skinny, dad" Malcolm frowned. Piper can't also help but let out a little laugh.
"Finally! The lady smiled" Frederick cheered. "Smiles suit you better than frowns and pouts"
"Thank you" Piper sheepishly smiled.
"Though your pout looks kind of cute" Malcolm chimed.
"Hitting on the lady already, Malcolm? You act just like Leo" Frederick commented.
"Who is Leo?" Piper asked.
"Ah, Leo. Actually, I'll just introduce you two later since he lives right next to your home" Malcolm grinned.
"Good, I got a flirt for a neighbor" Piper grimaced.
"Leo's actually a good kid. It's just that he likes to hang out a lot with the Stolls" Frederick sighed. "Anyways, we're here! Your new home!"
Piper stared in awe at her 'new home' which was surprisingly simple - a single storey house with simple white walls and black tile roof. A porch also wraps around the entire house.
"I'll be staying here?" Piper asked no one in particular, awe evident in her voice.
"I know this house is smaller compared to what you used to stay in but I hope it would do" Frederick smiled as he handed Piper the keys to her new home.
"You'll have to see the inside though. You'll be amazed how simple designs can make a house so warm and comfortable" Malcolm gently pushed Piper to the door, silently asking her to open it and see it for herself.
When Piper opened the door, her keys almost fell out of her hands. Contrary from her previous home, this house does feel more warm and comfortable, like what Malcolm just said. Also, it also makes her 'at home', and complete.But it could be better if her dad was with her.
"Go check your new room. Try to decide if the interior designs suits your taste. If not, we can do some adjustments" Frederick suggested, carrying Piper's bags once again.Piper immediately followed after Frederick's suggestion for two reasons. First, she doesn't want Frederick to carry her quite heavy bags longer. Second, she wants to see her new room. If the living area's interior is cozy and warm, then she is quite excited to see her hew room.
Upon entering her new room, she heard someone singing, though she can't say the voice she heard was very alluring. The voice was okay, but the singer could get some help with his vocal control. As if on cue, the singer turned, his curly hair whipped around his head, his face masked with extreme terror as if someone barged into his room armed with a knife.
"Who the hell are you?! Why are you in my room?!" The singer exclaimed.
"Excuse me! First of all, I'm your new neighbor. Second, I'm in my room! Can't you see the window sills around you?" Piper crossed her arms across her chest.
"What's wrong? I heard shouting - Oh, hi Leo!" Malcolm barged into her room, waving his hand at Leo while he grinned.
"Yo, Mal! Tell this lady to mind other people's privacy!" Leo pointed an accusing finger at Piper.
"This is my room! Besides, if you want other people to mind your privacy, why don't you try to, maybe, shut your curtain so other people can't see whatever you're doing" Piper scoffed.
"Huh. You're right! Thanks for the suggestion! I always let my curtains open since I knew that no one lives on that house for quite some time" Leo laughed.
"But you're on the ARGO, right? So you should know that your group volunteered to renovate the interior of this house. You should also be well-informed that someone would be settling in soon" Malcolm raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What's the ARGO?" Piper inquired, obviously curious about whatever that is.
"They're the town helpers meaning they do volunteer work for those who are in need. ARGO means Assistance, Restoration, Growth, and Order. The members call themselves Argonauts, just like in Greek Myths" Malcolm answered her as if he was reading from a teleprompter - his lines appeared to be memorized just to answer what the ARGO is.
"Yeah, and our group is awesome! You wouldn't believe how the four of us could do so much work!" Leo beamed, proud of what the argonauts have been doing.
"So you did the interior?" Piper asked which earned her a nod from Leo.
Piper examined the interior of her room. The walls were painted with light beige color which made her room appear more cleaner yet less bland. The ceiling was simple yet pleasing to the eyes. Few decorations were nailed on the walls but few small paintings caught her eyes with a note attached to one of them. She grabbed the note which says:
I hope you like my paintings. Consider these as my welcome gifts.
Love, Hazel
Piper smiled at the mere thought that someone who is a stranger gave her a gift.
"It's nice, surprisingly. I love how you made it all simple yet warm and comfortable. Thank you!" Piper smiled at her neighbor - from which she deduced to be Leo.
"What a relief. I thought you would go all bitchy since you are a daughter of a famous actor" Leo sighed. Piper promptly ignored his comment about her being a daughter of a famous actor.
"But I want to add a few more thing. Where can I get them?" Piper asked.
"Tell me what you need and I'll tell you where to find them" Leo grinned. "Knock on our door - or if you prefer my window - whenever you're ready!" Leo shut his curtain close, probably to dress up for their 'shopping' later.
"Well, I guess you'll have to get ready for whatever your errand is. So we'll be going! Have a nice day, Piper!" Malcolm waved her goodbye, followed by Frederick.
Now that everyone's out of her new home, she finally realized how lonely it was being alone.
-X-
When Piper knocked on Leo's door, someone who she can't recognize opened it for her.
"Good morning! Leo informed me that you two would be doing some errands so I decided to tag along. My name's Annabeth, by the way" Annabeth grinned as Piper settled on the couch.
"Leo! Piper's here! Bring your lazy ass back here!" Annabeth called for Leo but instead of Leo, another woman popped up, from what she thought, from the kitchen.
"Ah, good morning Piper! My name's Esperanza but you can call me Espie. Leo's tinkering something at the garage. Just wait here while I call him, ok?" Espie smiled before she went to the direction of the garage.
Few minutes later, Leo finally emerged.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies! I actually forgot that I'll show you around. Now, let's go! What do we need to find first?" Leo asked excitedly.
"You sound too excited Leo. For what reason, I can't comprehend" Annabeth raised her eyebrow.
" I also don't know but I feel jittery. Probably due to drinking too much coffee, whatever! Anyways, let's go! Autobots! Roll out!" Leo ran out of the house, with Annabeth and Piper in tow.
"Calm down, Leo! I'm sorry about Leo's antics. He usually tries to contain himself. Have you said something to him?" Annabeth asked. Leo paused, rocking on the balls of his feet while waiting for them.
"Not really. I just thanked him for doing the interior of my new home" Piper shrugged.
"Well, you're welcome" Annabeth grinned. Piper must have a confused expression on her face since Annabeth chuckled.
"Well, you probably heard about the ARGO. As the leader, I want to say you're welcome" Annabeth smiled.
"Wow! I really appreciate what you did! I wish I could do some volunteer work too" Piper beamed.
"Well, you could join us and be an argonaut. Besides, we could use some extra manpower" Annabeth suggested.
"Really? But I don't think I could do any real help; I'm not used to these kind of tasks" Piper hesitated.
"But you said you wish you could do some volunteer work!" Leo exclaimed.
"Yes, but - " Piper was cut off by Annabeth.
"We do lots of volunteer around here, other than renovating. We also help people with various tasks like beach clean up, babysitting, we even had a request about catering" Annabeth smiled.
"I'll think about it. Hey Leo, I need to buy some clothes. I think I packed the wrong clothes - they're too warm for this island" Piper asked.
"Sure! Follow me, young lady!" Leo laughed as he strolled down the road and towards their destination.
-X-
About an hour later, Piper, together with Annabeth and Leo, went out of the shop, a bag of clothes at each hand.
"Do you really have to buy a lot, Piper?" Leo asked.
"A lot? I only bought enough clothes that could last for a week!" Piper scoffed.
"You don't really have to buy a lot Piper" Annabeth chuckled. "One we get back to your home, grab whatever item you see warm for this kind of weather and we'll do something about it"
"You mean a make-over, for clothes?" Piper wondered.
"Yes. You'll spend less that way. Besides, you can still wear your favorites without risking sweating too much" Annabeth grinned.
"You're a genius! Can we be best friends?" Piper was joking at the question. She's quite sure no one would be best friends with a person they met that day.
However, Annabeth simply grinned. "Sure. You're cool and I can't see anything bad about it"
"Hey! We can be best friends too! I carried your bags, for Zeus' sake!" Leo cried.
"Sure, Leo. Whatever you say" Piper smiled but on the inside, she was crying.
She didn't only get one, but two best friends who didn't mind that she was the daughter of the actor, Tristan McLean.
End of Flashback
When everyone else were back on their homes, Piper found herself, once again, following Leo. Her feet, albeit aching, were in silent synchronization with Leo's footsteps. Out of nowhere, Leo turned and grinned at Piper.
"You know you're always welcome at our home, Piper. Mom loves having you around"
"What are you talking about, Leo?" Piper raised her eyebrow.
She knew what he as talking about and she knew that he cared but Piper's being Piper. She doesn't want Leo to feel obligated to cheer her up whenever she feels lonely. Sure, Jason can keep her company but love can't simply remedy the desire of the heart that can only be satisfied up by the warmth of a family's embrace.
Leo smiled as he looked at the stars. "I know that look. You're sad and lonely" Leo turned and faced her again. "I know how that feels - not exactly, but I know how it hurts"
"You're being ridiculous, Leo" Piper rolled her eyes but inside she was crying.
"I know, but you can't spell Leo without ridiculous" Leo grabbed her hands as he lead her to his home.
"I know I've said a thousand times already, but you're family, Piper"
-X-
After a silent dinner with the Valdez', Piper sat beside Leo as he watched an anime called "Katekyō Hitman Reborn!".
"What exactly is that anime about? All I can get is that they play with fire. And it's in Japanese. Isn't it hard to watch while reading the subtitles? Can you even read the subtitles properly?" Piper wondered.
"We don't read the subtitles, Piper. We also don't understand. We just know" Leo smiled. "Anyways, I can't explain in much detail but the anime's about a group of friends with strange abilities that worked together to stop a villain's tyranny. Plus, it's mafia! Mafias are cool."
"So it's like the book I read before, Heroes of Olympus. Seven demigods worked together to stop Gaea" Piper pondered.
"Yup. Now that you mention it, books usually have movie adaptations right?" Leo asked.
"Let's not talk about it. They ruined the whole book!" Piper cried.
"Accept my condolences, Annabeth" Leo faked a cry.
"I'm not Annabeth" Piper frowned.
"Really?" Leo scratched his eyes. "Oh, hey there, Piper! Where's Annabeth? We were talking about books a while ago"
"Make sure she doesn't hear you, Leo. You know how Annabeth can go from goddess to villain in a blink of an eye" Piper chuckled. "Speaking of Annabeth, you have any idea why Percy had to apologize to her?"
"Knowing Annabeth, there could be a lot of reasons why she'll get mad. I could give you a list but we'll spend all night about it" Leo grinned.
"You're right. But they sure do make a good couple" Piper grinned.
"Enough of you Percabeth, woman!" Leo cried while Piper went on fangirling about their imaginary, would-be date.
-X-
Piper actually spent the night at the Valdez'. She stayed at the spare room they had, which Leo dubbed as Piper's room whenever she's around.
She went to the bathroom, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and comber her hair before hurrying down the kitchen to help Esmeralda with breakfast.
"I can do this, Piper. No need to fret" Esmeralda smiled.
"Please? It's my way of thanking you for letting me stay the night" Piper pleaded.
"Fine then. But you know you can stay whenever you like, right?" Esmeralda said as she watched Piper beat some eggs. Piper blushed as she nods. "Good"
"Leo said that you liked it when I'm around. Can I ask why?" Piper wondered.
"It's simple. You're like the daughter never had and seeing both of you goofing around makes me happy" Esmeralda smiled as she cooked the eggs. "These would be ready in a few seconds. Kindly wake Leo"
Piper scurried back to Leo's room and noticed the young Latino's awful state - dark bags under his eyes, disheveled hair, line of drool on his mouth, grease splattered on his face and fingers. She knew Leo sleep walked back to his room after spending hours at their garage last evening. And, she exactly knew what to do.
"Wake up, you fucking idiot!" Piper screamed from the top of her lungs. She knew everyone within a few yards would hear her, but she doesn't care about what others think; she stopped caring ever since she met her bullies back in grade school.
"Oh gods, woman! That fucking hurt!" Leo tried to sit upright, which he failed in doing dur to his tangled blanket.
"You know it's my way of saying 'Good Morning!' to you, right? Anyways, breakfast would be ready in a few moments, so I suggest you wash your face and hands; you still got grease on them" Piper smirked.
"Yeah, I get it. Just leave my room for a few and I'll tidy up" Leo gently shoved her put of his room.
"Hey! You got grease on my shirt!" Piper cried.
"And that's my way of saying 'Good Morning', Sunshine" Leo smirked playfully.
Piper froze. She's quite used to Leo's nicknames - he often calls her Beauty Queen - and she knew he never gives nicknames more than once.
"That's odd. You never called me names other than 'Beauty Queen'. What gives?" Piper wondered.
"Oh, uh, nothing! I just want to try new names and stuff" Leo laughed nervously. Piper knew she had to do pry him open for answers and the only way to do that was by putting him under fire.
"Once you settled on a nickname, you never 'try new names and stuff'. For instance, you've been calling Jason 'Blonde Superman' for three years - maybe more" Piper paced back and forth like what prosecutors do during prosecution.
"That doesn't mean that I can't change my ways. You once told me you've been hooked on those romance novels for years. Look at you now. You even look at those novels with disgust" Leo rolled his eyes.
"Point taken" Piper looked around the room to look for more clues but she couldn't find any, so she decided to leave the room.
That was until Leo's phone vibrated on his desk. She hurriedly jumped for the phone, the same time Leo did, but she managed to grab the phone a millisecond ahead of Leo. She immediately scanned the screen even before Leo could wrestle the phone from her hands.
But Leo didn't have to wrestle the phone from her; Leo's phone slowly slid from her hands as she stood there frozen from what she readShe knew there's only one way to interpret what she read.
Leo has a girlfriend.
-X-
Author's note: Long delay, I know. So apologies. Sorry. Expect new chapter at most a week from today. :)
Also, we'll be having a change in POVs. We've been doing it three chapters per character but after next chapter, we'll do it one chapter per character so we'll be seeing Percy's next, followed by Annabeth's and so on.
Another point to consider for the upcoming chapters: there would be a few timeskips - from a day to a week. I felt that the plot's been going slow so we'll ramp it up a bit. :)
And - it would be my first time doing this for this story - kindly review. I want to know some feedback from you guys. I know most of you are writers as well. And you know we live with reviews and such so help me survive. LMAO
Cheers!