Peri's POV

Grinning widely, I sprinted towards the FIELDS OF MARS with Leo just behind me. We were chasing after the music, and it sounded like we were getting close. Ducking under a low branch, I stopped to hear which way it was coming from. Leo pushed away some large leaves, and I followed behind him. When we emerged, my eyes widened, and Leo whistled.

We had come to a large yellow tent, sort of like a circus big top. Behind it, I could see where the setting sun's last few rays said goodnight to the world.
(Holy shit did I just write that?! Mad deep...lol)

We stepped into the tent eagerly.

Gotta say, it was even more impressive on the inside.

We were greeted by bright, flashing neon lights. House music blared from speakers all around the tent, and joyous laughter filled the air. There were a bunch of Roman kids dancing wildly on the grassy makeshift dance floor. In the center of the tent on an enormous platform, a DJ was spinning turntables making the awesome beats we heard all around us. The DJ wore a thick purple hoodie and dark shades, even though it was nighttime.

I reached out to my left and tapped the shoulder of a Roman boy. His red cup sloshed dangerously as he turned to face me.

"What is this place?" I asked, awestruck.

He puffed out his chest a little. "This is the Sun Sired Party Tent. Every night before dinner, we Apollo kids throw an epic dance party!"

"But why before dinner?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah," Leo chimed in. "Wouldn't it be better to party after dinner so there's no interruptions?"

The Roman boy smirked. "We wouldn't want Reyna finding out, would we? Before dinner is when Reyna has the most amount of work to do, giving us maximum party time!"

"That's genius!" Leo enthused, and I laughed in agreement.

The beginnings of "Moves Like Jagger" sounded throughout the tent.

"This is my favorite song!" Leo exclaimed. He looked at me, a mischievous glint in his eye.

He grabbed my hand and yanked me onto the dance floor. He started dancing in a circle around me, that crazy grin plastered on his face.

"Come on, Peri." He said to me. "You're not gonna let me have all the fun now, are ya?"

I smirked and pushed him back lightly. Reaching over, I swiped a purple snapback from a Roman boy on my right. I placed it on my head and closed my eyes, letting the music fill me. I started bobbing my head and before I knew it, my hips were moving of their own accord. My eyes still shut, I danced freely to the fast beat.

I love dancing.

It was the one thing I didn't have to think about.

The one thing I didn't have to try so hard on.

The one thing I didn't screw up all the time.

The one thing that would always be there for me.

Leo's POV

My eyes widened.

Peri was an amazing dancer.

I guess I should have known with legs like those...

She moved like nothing I had ever seen. She never lost her footing or missed a beat. I probably could have watched her hypnotic movements forever. It was hard for me not to look up her skirt as she spun and twirled. Her hair whipped about her face, the purple snapback concealing her eyes.

The song shifted to "Die Young" by Ke$ha, and Peri's dancing changed to accommodate the music.

/I hear your heeeeaaaaartbeat to the beat of the drums/
/Oh what a shame that you came here with someoooooone/

Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to her.

Winking, she said,"You're not gonna let me have all the fun now, are ya?"

/So while you're here in my aaaaaaarms/
/Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young/

It was my turn to smirk. "Of course not,"

We danced for Hades knows how long.

And it was awesome.

Some Time Goes By Still Leo's POV

Laughing, we walked out of the yellow party tent.

"Wow, Peri," I said between laughs. "You're a really great dancer!"

She chuckled a little. "Thanks," She nudged me in the side. "You're not too bad yourself!"

I shook my head at her. "How did you learn to move like that?"

She smiled a little. "Nah, dancing is easy." She looked at me. "You just gotta listen to the back beat. The back beat stays the same; it's the part of the song that'll never change. You stick to the back beat and everything will be fine!"

I nodded, smiling.

I opened my mouth to say something, but a branch in the forest snapped loudly, cutting off my words. My head jerked towards the source of the sound, and I could see Peri scanning the trees with her eyes. I tensed, ready to fight whatever came at us.

A familiar curly haired Roman girl popped out from the shadowed underbrush.

"Peri! Leo!" Hazel exclaimed when she saw us.

I sighed in relief. It was only Hazel.

"Hi Hazel!" Peri waved hugely at her.

Hazel came closer to us. "There you guys are! You two must have gotten lost during the tour!" She touched her chin gingerly and nodded to herself, accepting that conclusion on her own. Peri and I contained our laughter.

"Well dinner is almost ready and..." She trailed off, looking Peri up and down. She was still in her holey, blood stained getup from last night.

"Peri when was the last time you took a bath?!" Hazel asked, her eyebrows raised dramatically.

Peri stammered with embarrassment. "W-what day is it?" She asked, scratching the back of her head.

Hazel and I only laughed. "Come on, Peri, let's get you into some clean clothes." She started walking westward, leading the way.

Peri and I followed behind, but Hazel quickly held her hand up to me. "Uh, Leo," She started. "We're heading to the girls' bathhouse now,"

I felt my face grow hot. "N-no! I wasn't trying to... I didn't mean to... not the girls'... I'm not a pervert!"

It was Peri's turn to laugh at my embarrassment. As Hazel dragged her off, she called over her shoulder, "Save us two seats at dinner, okay?!" She winked and gave a thumbs up. I laughed and returned the thumbs up as their silhouettes disappeared in the forest.