[A/N: omfg it feels like I'm writing Leo x everyonebutPeri right now.. well anyway, have some filler chapters while I type furiously back onto the main story plot ]
*absconds*
*apologizes*
LEO'S POV

I'm about 87% done with girls.

Jason's elbow bumped my side once again, splattering my forkful of spaghetti onto my once clean white shirt.

Scratch that. I'm about 87% done with all humans in fucking general.

Scowling, I wiped at the bright orange stain on my shirt which only served to smear the sauce into an even larger, probably permanent glob. Frank snickered at my misfortune and whispered something to Peri. I grit my teeth.

Frank and Peri. Just the thought of them together- ugh. UGH. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Anyway.

Peri had sat between Frank and Annabeth for dinner, and it made me painfully aware of the fact that up until now she'd always been by my side. I bit my lip and stared at the dark cola in my cup.

What did I do wrong?

I glanced up for a moment before quickly averting my eyes. She was looking this way. Her chocolate colored eyes had locked onto mine for a split second before she turned away. To speak to Frank.

I pushed my plate away. All of a sudden I wasn't feeling so hungry.

My eyes slowly rose back up. And I don't know if it was creepy of me, and I don't know if I really cared, but I watched her.

Discreetly, of course, but I watched her. I watched her and all the beautiful features on her face. How to some people, her nose might be too long or her eyes might be too big, but I, Leo Valdez, thought she was beautiful. I watched her eat her cute little foreign food with that cute little pout on her face and her cute little hair would fall in her face and she would brush it back in the cutest way and everything she did was cute without even trying.

And I realized something about myself, too. Every time Frank would talk to or touch or even look at Peri, I'd feel my blood boil like I was about to burst into angry flames. That Asian kid pissed me off, and I did not know why. I could make a paper airplane built with an automatic espresso machine, but I couldn't understand why anything and everything involving this girl could set me off.

And it bothered me.

Hazel, who was sitting on my left, nudged me. "Leo? Why aren't you eating? We're all going to need our strength for tomorrow."

I shrugged and muttered a solemn, "Not hungry."

She pursed her lips. "Leo. You need to eat." Her tone was motherly, as if she were scolding me. Hazel picked up my fork and spun some of the pasta on my plate onto it.

"Hazel, you really don't have to- ofghl!"

I was cut off by the curly haired girl shoving the fork into my mouth and almost gagging the fuck out of me. It took every ounce of my willpower not to cough it all up in her face. With no other choice, I swallowed painfully.

"Hazel!" I wheezed.

"There!" She beamed, golden eyes twinkling. "Now open up for another train! Choo choo!"

The dinner table erupted in muffled giggles, and my face burned with embarrassment as I sputtered for something to say. The screeching of a chair being pushed back brought my attention to the very end of the table.

"Excuse me."

Peri turned and walked out of the dining room just as Hazel stuffed another forkful of food into my gaping mouth