A/N
This special edition Christmas oneshot is for Ena Daughter of Nyx, and her sister, who again own Ena Collins, and Lee Majoko!
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Ena and Leo were rattling around in the backseat of an old Ford pickup truck, with Percy at the wheel. They had driven all night long on their way back from a quest, and now they were nearly at their destination.
"How're you guys holding up?" Percy asked, glancing at them in the rearview mirror.
"I'll probably need some major surgery when we get back, because I think my brain's been shaken loose," Leo answered, which made Percy roll his eyes. "But other than that, we're good!"
"Maybe you can fix the rattling," Percy told him, glancing at the dashboard. "We're gonna need to stop for gas in a few minutes anyway."
"Do we have enough money left?" Ena asked worriedly.
"I'll pay what we have, but we'll probably have to use the ring," Percy said, almost apologetically. When Ena started to protest, he said, "I don't like stealing any more than you do, but we need to get back to camp."
Ena sighed. "Fine, but I don't want to be the one to steal it!"
Percy nodded. "I'll do it, I don't want you guys to get in trouble. You two just go into the gas station and distract the cashier so they don't notice the floating gas cans," he said, pulling into a parking space in front of the station.
"Here," Ena leaned over and handed Percy a small cardboard box, which contained the ring.
They all hopped out of the truck. Percy got two red five gallon containers out of the trunk, then slipped on the ring and disappeared. Leo and Ena pushed the door of the gas station open and shuffled towards the counter, trying not to look suspicious. Of course, that made them look very suspicious.
"Can I help you?" the young cashier said, annoyed.
Ena had never been a good liar, and Leo was even worse. They weren't going to be able to distract him with words, so instead, Ena leaned across the counter and stared directly into the cashier's eyes.
He became hypnotized instantly.
Leo grinned and squeezed Ena's hand quickly. Her being a daughter of Nyx, she had the power to hypnotize people with her eyes. To help, Leo kept watch to make sure no customers came in, but it didn't look like there was much chance of that. The only activity by the gas stations were the two floating gas cans emptying themselves into the tank of their car. The group had acquired the truck after they scoured several junk yards until they found a car that still had an engine in it, and Leo had fixed it up. In it, they drove all the way to Louisiana to complete Ena's quest.
Seven days ago, Ena had been issued her first official quest- to find the long-lost Ring of Gyges, which turns the wearer invisible. She had been nervous at first when she heard the prophecy, and was afraid of what it might mean:
Journey south and help the weak
In a muddy swamp with no sun.
Darkness envelopes those who cannot see- the ring appears only to one.
To rescue from darkness, when the curse is undone,
And once you've succeeded
You'll find your journey has only begun.
The prophecy had turned out to be bad news for Leo and Percy, but that was another story. Ena had initially chosen Mitchell and Lacy to go with her, but they backed out when they heard the line about the muddy swamp. So, Ena had instead chosen Leo, because he was another one of her best friends, not to mention her boyfriend, and she had chosen Percy because of his experience, and he readily agreed to accompany them.
It took several days of traipsing through a boggy marsh, but they had succeeded. Ena was very proud of herself, and was glad to have had such great demigods by her side the whole time.
"Leo, I've got this," Ena said, not breaking eye contact with the cashier. "Why don't you try and work on the truck some more? Maybe you can stop it from rattling."
"I'm on it," Leo said, heading for the door.
A few minutes later, they were back on the road to Camp Half-Blood.
"Did you leave the money in there?" Percy asked them as he shifted the car into gear.
"Yes, I put in on the counter," Ena said. "Even though it didn't even cover half of it."
Percy shrugged. "What can we do? Maybe we'll drive out here after Christmas and pay them back," he suggested thoughtfully.
Ena grinned. "Oh, can we? I hate to think that we stole their gas, even though this is an emergency."
"Why not?" Leo said. "It's Christmas."
"T'is the season," Percy added.
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Percy drove up the road into Camp Half-Blood that the strawberry van used, and parked next to the big house.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Ena remarked optimistically as she hopped out of the truck.
The boys both groaned. "Seriously, Ena?" Leo asked rubbing his previously injured knee, while Percy rolled his injured shoulder slightly resentfully. "Well, that's what I love about you. Daughter of darkness- always lookin' on the bright side."
Ena giggled as the trio walked up the porch steps and into the big house. Immediately, Percy was knocked down with a hug from a familiar curly blonde-haired girl.
"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth said happily, placing her hands on both sides of his face and giving him a kiss, which he easily returned.
"I missed you, Percy," she said when they broke apart, as she reached up to trace the scratches on his face lightly with her finger.
"I missed you more, Wise Girl," he said, his eyes sparkling, taking in every inch of her face.
"Ahem," Dionysus cleared his throat in front of them, and the couple pulled away from each other, though Percy secretly slipped his hand down and laced his fingers through Annabeth's.
"Well, well, it looks like the zeroes have returned. This way, Miss Emma," Dionysus said lazily to Ena, whose smile faltered for a moment but she managed not to roll her eyes as the group followed him to his office.
"It's Ena," Leo spoke up, because he couldn't stand rude people, even if they were a god. "Long 'E,' then 'Nuh.' Not so hard."
Dionysus stopped in his tracks, causing Percy, who wasn't watching where he was going because he was talking quietly to Annabeth, to bump into his back.
"Excuse me?" The god said, turning to face Leo. "Leroy is it? That's a good name for a dog." then he turned back around as if Leo had never said anything.
Leo opened his mouth to answer back, but Ena put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a pointed look. He sighed, and followed the group down the hall.
Chiron was waiting for them, sitting behind a large desk. Behind him was a large bulletin board filled with photographs of demigods at camp. Ena quickly spotted her favorite one; a picture of her standing outside the Nyx cabin with Nico, Percy, Leo, Annabeth, Mitchell, and Lacy, which had been taken right after they finished building the said cabin.
"The children are back," Dionysus pointed out to Chiron, jerking his head in their general direction. Chiron raised his eyebrows at him, then gestured for the demigods to sit on the bench in front of his desk.
"Ah, we've been expecting you," Chiron said. "Annabeth thought you might be back soon, she's been waiting here for a few minutes," he said, folding his hands on his desk. "So I take it that the quest was successful?"
Ena grinned and pushed the small cardboard box across the desk, which Chiron opened then smiled.
"Congratulations, Ena!" he said sincerely. "And excellent work, Leo and Percy. Now, why don't you tell me how it went?"
Ena spent the next half hour recounting their quest, and when she had finished Chiron looked very impressed.
"Wonderful. That must have been quite an adventure," he remarked, to which Leo and Percy gave over-exaggerated nods.
"Oh, before I forget, Ena," he added, as if he had just remembered something. "A new demigod arrived the day after you left for your quest."
Ena raised her eyebrows as Annabeth sniffed disdainfully. "Uh, and?"
Chiron smiled. "I'm sure you'll want to meet him. He's probably still sleeping in the Nyx cabin. Nobody's up yet, so you should all go back to your cabins for an hour or two of sleep anyway."
Ena sat up straighter. "What's a boy doing in my cabin?"
"Yeah," Leo said protectively. "Isn't that against the rules?"
Annabeth giggled, and the other three demigods looked at her quizzically.
"Not in this case," she said, grinning.
"I'm going over there right away!" Ena said, jumping up. After saying goodbye to the group, and giving Leo a quick peck on the cheek, she raced off towards her cabin.
She reached the door and opened it slowly to peek inside. She saw a boy about her age fast asleep on the bunk next to hers.
Ena crept over to the still form and reached out to shake him awake.
"Boo!"
"Ahh!" Ena screamed, stumbling backwards, as the boy sat up quickly in bed.
"Oh, uh, sorry," Ena said, her heart beating quickly, while the boy snickered. "I didn't know you were awake. Wait, why am I apologizing to you? What are you doing in here?"
The boy yawned and swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching. "Ugh, it's the morning," he remarked, frowning up at the skylight in the room.
Ena picked up the remote control on her nightstand and pressed a button. Immediately, a curtain drew across the ceiling, blocking the sunbeams.
"Much better," the boy grinned. "I'm Lee. You must be Ena, my sister."
Ena's jaw dropped. "You mean, your mom is Nyx too?"
Lee nodded. "Apparently."
Ena squealed and ran forward to throw her arms around Lee. "Oh my gosh, yay!" she exclaimed, squeezing him tightly. "I get a brother! We can share the cabin! We can do stuff together! Yay!"
Lee grinned. "I've never had a little sister before."
Ena frowned at him. "Who says you're older?"
"Well, aren't I?" Lee said quizzically. "I just turned 16. And you?"
"Same here," Ena said, examining him closely. "When's your birthday?"
"December 3rd."
Ena's jaw dropped again. "Mine too!"
Lee's brow furrowed. "Say what now?"
"Where are you from?" Ena asked, now completely intrigued. After studying him further, she noticed some striking similarities between the two of them. Demigod siblings didn't usually bear resemblance to each other, but Ena thought she and Lee looked extraordinarily alike. He had the same dark brown hair, the same icy blue eyes, and he was only about 5"3, an inch taller than she.
"Maui, in Hawaii," he answered, frowning. "I took a plane here about a week ago, when my family and I were attacked by a hydra- is that what it's called?" Ena nodded. "Anyway, they sent me here to train, which is kind of a bummer, because I would've liked to spend Christmas with them."
"What did you say your last name was?" Ena questioned.
"I didn't, but it's Majoko. Lee Majoko."
Ena's brow furrowed. "I swear I've heard that name before. Or seen it somewhere. On a letter, maybe."
"Who sends letters anymore?" Lee snorted. "Oh wait, actually, my dad is kind of old fashioned. Once a month, he sends a hand-written letter to someone in the states."
"I'm calling my dad right now, this is crazy" Ena said, opening her dresser drawer. Demigods were usually strictly forbidden from using cell phones, but since Ena had to stay in contact with her father, and their calls were usually short, Chiron had given her permission to have one. Ena would have called her father sometime that day anyway, since it was Tuesday, and she always called him on Tuesdays.
"Dad?" she said, putting him on speaker phone when he picked up after three rings.
"Ena!" he exclaimed, and she could hear his smile through the phone. "How are you?"
"Good, but I need to ask you something," she said hurriedly. "Do you know anyone named Majoko?"
Dead silence.
"Dad?"
"Yeah, I'm here," he said slowly. "And yes, the Majokos are old friends of mine. Why?"
"Because their son showed up at camp, and he's a child of Nyx too!" she exclaimed.
"Really?" her father asked, and she could tell she had his full attention.
"Yes!" she said, glancing at Lee. "And get this: he has the same birthday as I do, and he looks just like me!"
Her father sighed. "Well, he is your brother," he pointed out.
"Technically, half-brother," Ena corrected him, and she heard her father clear his throat.
"No, Ena, sweetheart," he said slowly. "Lee is your real brother. You two are twins."
Ena almost dropped the phone, and Lee gasped.
"Mr. Ena's Dad, you mean I'm adopted?" Lee blurted into the phone.
"Um, no," Mr. Collins said confusedly. "Well, kind of. You see, when you two were born, your mother strongly advised me to split you up, since two demigods would attract more monsters than one, and twins are even more powerful. So I sent Lee to live with my old college friend, and it seems like he's taken very good care of you. I'm sorry, Lee, for not being able to raise you myself, but believe me when I say I did it to protect you both."
Lee was silent for a moment, and he looked at Ena.
"Well, I do have one question for you," Lee said to their dad.
"Ask me anything," Mr. Collins responded quickly.
Lee grinned mischievously at his twin.
"Who's older?"
Again, Ena could practically see her Dad's smile.
"Ena is, by seven minutes," he answered, which caused Ena to smirk and Lee to groan.
"Well, I love you dad, we'll see you soon!" Ena said, checking the time and seeing that they had already been on the phone for too long
"I love you both," their father responded. "But about coming home, I have some bad news about that."
Ena's heart beat faster. "W-what do you mean? Lee and I will be home for Christmas, right?"
Their father sighed heavily. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart, but I was called to a week long conference in San Antonio. I have to go, and I won't be back until after Christmas."
Ena felt a lump in her throat. She and her father had always been close, and this would be her first Christmas without him.
"Ena? Sweetie, I'm so sorry," he father continued when she didn't respond.
"I-It's okay," she said finally, feeling tears prick at her eyes. "I understand."
"I wish I didn't have to go, but my boss says I'm the best man for the job," he father said apologetically.
Ena didn't feel like she could speak without crying, so she just nodded, without realizing he couldn't see her.
Lee took over. "I'm sure your boss is right. Don't worry about us, I'll make sure Ena has a great Christmas, she has good friends here and she won't be alone."
Lee could hear the relief in his father's voice. "Thank you son, I trust you."
Ena had regained her composure, and spoke up. "Well, dad, I think we really do have to go, we've been on the phone too long already. I love you!"
"I love you too, I miss you!"
"I miss you too, Daddy, bye!"
"Bye!"
The line went dead. Ena and Lee stared at each other silently.
Suddenly, Ena rushed forward and hugged her brother again.
Lee could tell that hugging was her thing, so he held her for a moment. When she pulled away, she still looked a little sad, but she looked happy too.
"I'm so glad you're here," she remarked, mustering up a smile. "It's so exciting! We'll have our own little Christmas. I've never had a brother to do Christmas stuff with, much less a twin!"
Lee grinned. "I'm excited too. I've never had any kind of sibling before. I can't believe I never realized I was adopted. I guess I should have, since both my 'parents' have red hair and are extreme morning people," he laughed.
"So, you're from Hawaii?" Ena asked, going over and plopping down on his bed. The Nyx cabin was more comfortable than most other cabins, namely the Athena and Hermes cabins. Since there were hardly any children of Nyx, there were no bunk beds in the cabin, only half a dozen queen sized beds along one wall. There was a lot of space in the cabin, other than a few desks and bookshelves, since Ena loved to read.
"Yeah," Lee said, plopping down next to her on the soft starry comforter. "And before you ask, no, unfortunately, I can't surf."
Ena giggled. "Actually, I wasn't going to ask that."
"That's all the Aphrodite girls wanted to know," Lee remarked, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back onto the mattress. "They don't seem to be the sharpest arrows at camp."
Ena copied her brother's pose and leaned back beside him. "Well, not all of them, but for the most part, yes. What I was going to ask you was how were the Christmases in Hawaii?"
Lee thought for a moment, then answered. "Well, it's not like we decorate palm trees or anything. We have a fake Christmas tree inside, and we watch old Christmas movies, like Holiday Inn, or White Christmas." he smiled. "That one's my favorite, which is kind of ironic, since I've never had a white Christmas. I've never even seen snow."
Ena propped herself up on her side, supporting herself with her elbow so she could face Lee. "Really? Not even once? I thought it snowed on some of the mountains in Hawaii."
Lee shook his head. "Nope, I lived on Maui, no mountains there. I can't wait to finally see snow though!"
Ena frowned. "Hate to break it to you, bro, but the camp is climate-controlled. We don't get snow."
"What?" Lee sat upright, shaking the bed. "Why not?"
"The pegasi don't like snow," she explained. "And it would ruin our strawberry fields. I don't like the cold all that much, but I was disappointed with no snow, too."
Lee thought for a moment. "You know what, Ena?" he said at last. "We're going to have a white Christmas this year."
"No, I just said the camp is climate-controlled-" Ena started to explain again, but Lee cut her off.
"As your brother, I am personally going to guarantee us a white Christmas, one way or another!" he exclaimed, hopping off the bed and slipping his rainbow converse on. He headed for the door, either not remembering or not caring that he was wearing Buzz Lightyear pajamas.
"Where are you going?" Ena asked, confused.
"I met someone last week, I need to go talk to them right away! It's a secret," Lee answered, throwing the door open and bounding out of it.
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Lee knocked on the door of the snow-white cabin and nervously smoothed his hair down.
"It's open!" A boy's voice called.
He swung the door open and stepped inside, shivering at the slight chill.
There were four boys and a girl in the cabin, all getting ready for the day. Two of the boys were shoving each other in front of the bathroom sink, and the other two boys were arguing over a shirt that was being pulled between the two of them. The girl, who had jet black hair and extremely fair skin, was sitting quietly on a bed, her hands folded, and looking very peaceful.
Lee felt his heart flutter. "Noel!" he exclaimed, going over to her.
Her pale face lit up, and her Icy blue eyes sparkled. "Lee! Nice pajamas," she smirked, checking out his Toy Story inspired PJs.
Lee stuck his tongue out at her, and she laughed. "What's up?"
"Why didn't you tell me it doesn't snow at Camp Half-Blood?" he questioned, receiving a sad look from Noel in response.
"I forgot to tell you," she said apologetically. "You just seemed so thrilled that I was a daughter of Khione that I guess it slipped my mind."
"How can there be no snow for Christmas? I love snow!" Lee protested, getting a giggle out of Noel.
"You've never even seen it!" she pointed out.
Lee grinned. "I just know I'll love it. Come on, we've got about four days to convince Chiron to let it snow, just for one day, one Christmas. Might as well start now," he said, offering her his hand.
She took it gracefully, rising to walk with Lee to the Big House. But at Noel's insistence, they stopped at the Nyx cabin first so Lee could change.
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"Absolutely not," Chiron said firmly, glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. When their faces fell, he continued with a sigh, "I'm sorry, kids, but it's not a good idea, even for Christmas. You have to be considerate of others," he stated, but Lee cut him off.
"Aw, come on!" he said, trying not to whine but failing miserably. "One little frost won't hurt the strawberries too bad, and we'll get the pegasi a few extra blankets!"
"And the children of Anthiale?" Chiron pointed out. "The demigods of heat would be very uncomfortable. So would the Apollo and Demeter demigods too. I'm sorry, but having snow in the camp would be chaotic and impractical, and that's final."
"What if we got a majority of the camp to sign a petition?" Noel spoke up. "If three-fourths of the camp is okay with it, can my brothers and I make it snow?"
Chiron thought for a moment. "Well, I highly doubt you'll get everyone to agree..." he trailed off, then nodded. "But alright. If you can get three-fourths of the campers to sign a petition, then I'll allow snow. But only one day, for Christmas. From 6 PM on the 24th, to 6 PM on the 25th."
Noel and Lee cheered and hugged each other excitedly. "We'll get right on it, Mr. Chiron sir," Lee said enthusiastically. "You'll get your names, and we'll get our white Christmas!"
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"No way, Maui" Katie Gardner, head counselor of the Demeter cabin said later, shaking her head. "If it snows, our garden will be ruined!"
From day one, Lee hadn't gotten along with Katie. Every time they talked, it usually ended in a fight. She seemed a little jealous that he was from Hawaii, probably because there were so many beautiful flowers there, and had taken to calling him "Maui."
"Let's be reasonable," Lee argued. "You've had your garden all year long, for as long as you've been here! And there's enough time for you to plant some flowers or whatever that do well in cold conditions, like Holly and Mistletoe and stuff."
"Sorry," Katie said, pushing the clipboard of paper back at him and not looking very sorry. "But it's still a no. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Lee asked eagerly.
"Unless you bring us the seeds for the flowers, so we'll be prepared for the snow," she said. "You get us enough Luculia, Lavender, Primrose, and Daphne seeds to fill our entire garden, and I'll guarantee you a signature from everyone in the cabin."
"Deal!" Lee said quickly, and they shook hands.
"We'll need them before the 24th," she informed him. "You've got three days. The sooner you get them, the better, since we'll have to work overtime to get them to grow. I hear there's supposed to be a major snowstorm hitting New York, and it'll probably be hard to get out after that."
"You'll get your seeds, don't worry about a thing," Lee assured her. "But can I get those signatures in advance?"
Katie snorted. "No way, Maui. We get the seeds, you get the names."
"Fine," Lee grumbled. "I've gotta go get some more signatures. See you later."
Katie closed the door.
Lee spotted Noel heading towards him from the Ares cabin.
"How'd it go with the Athena campers?" He asked her when they reached each other. Noel had volunteered to speak with Annabeth, the head counselor, because she knew that Annabeth and Lee disliked each other, and they figured they would have a better chance of getting a 'yes' from her if Noel went.
"Annabeth was totally against it," she related, frowning. "She said that snow is a hassle, and it's inconvenient. I can see why you don't like her. But anyway, she and the entire Athena cabin said they'd sign it after we made a deal!" She exclaimed.
"What was the deal?" Lee asked warily.
"Uh, I told her that we would shovel all the paths and walkways around camp," she said apologetically.
"What?!" Lee exclaimed, his jaw dropping. "There's gotta be at least 10 miles of paths in camp! We can't do all of that ourselves!"
"I know that," Noel said patiently. "That's why I went to the Ares cabin. They said they would sign the petition and shovel all the roads if my brothers and I would build them an awesome snow fort so that they could have a 'superly awesome epic snowball fight' in." she said.
"So, your brothers agreed and signed the petition?" Lee asked.
"Um, not exactly," She said, rolling her eyes. "They only agreed to help me with the snow fort if I would get the Hephastus cabin to make them each a pair of nunchucks."
"And would they sign it?" Lee question, feeling a little discouraged.
"Uh, no," Noel said, sighing. "They said they would make the nunchucks if we would get them a new chainsaw. Leo accidentally blew up the best one they had. And, if we can get Percy to help them with some hydraulic work after Christmas, they'll all sign the petition."
Lee sighed. "And what does Percy want us to do?"
Noel grinned, and held up a blue piece of paper with a single name: Percy Jackson. "Nothing!"
Lee also smiled. "All right! So since the Apollo, Dionysus, Hades, and Aphrodite cabins already signed, all we have to do now is go out and buy a chainsaw so the Hephaestus cabin will make a bunch of nunchucks for your brothers so they can build the Ares cabin a snow fort so the Ares cabin will shovel the walkways so all those cabins plus the Athena cabin will sign our petition! Oh, and we have to go out and buy some seeds for the Demeter cabin, and make sixteen dozen cookies for the Hermes cabin so they'll sign."
Noel smiled. "No problem."
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"You know what we should do today?" Lee asked the next morning, when Ena woke up.
"What?" She mumbled sleepily, swinging her legs off the bed.
"Get a Christmas tree!" He exclaimed, hopping off his bed and grabbing Ena's hands to pull her up.
"Wha-? Why?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. "Get a Christmas tree for who?"
"For us!" Lee said, walking over to a large open space in the middle of the cabin. "It's three days until Christmas. We'll put it right here!"
Ena shrugged. "Why not? I guess we can go get one," she said. "Leo and I were going to bring one to the Dionysus cabin for their party, anyway. Leo said he saw a few good ones by the border."
After the siblings got dressed and ready for the day, they met Leo after breakfast to go look for their Christmas trees. Noel decided she wanted one for her cabin, and came along with them.
When they reached the place in the forest that Leo had seen some nice trees, Lee stopped and stared at the border. It was like Camp Half-Blood was in an inside-out snowglobe, with all the snow on the outside and a perfect circle of green grass on the inside.
It was the first time Lee had ever seen snow in person, and he gasped and walked over to the short wall of snow. Then, he stepped out of the border, grinning. He leaned down and scooped up a handful of snow, then dropped it suddenly and jumped back.
"What's wrong?" Noel asked, looking confused.
"I-it's cold!" Lee exclaimed, pointing at the snow. "And it's wet!"
Noel gave him a strange look while Ena and Leo started laughing. "Yes, it's snow. Snow is frozen water. It's supposed to be cold and wet."
Lee was looking around at the soft blanket of white layered over the camp. His friends couldn't tell what his reaction was, until he bent down again and scooped up an armful of snow.
"I love it!" he exclaimed, tossing it into the air and making it fall again. "I knew I'd love it!"
Noel smiled, happy that he was happy.
He turned to her, suddenly serious looking. "Noel, we have to have snow at camp for Christmas. It's amazing! We just have to."
She nodded. "We'll do our best."
The group quickly found three perfect trees, and Lee and Leo carried one each, while Ena and Noel helped each other carry the third one back to the cabins.
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The next day was only two days before Christmas, so Lee and Noel decided it was time to run the errands that would get the cabins to sign the Let it Snow petition, which was it's official name.
"Be careful, you guys," Percy warned them as he handed Lee the keys to the pickup truck that he had driven into camp. "I heard there's a big snowstorm coming. Stay safe, and keep your eyes on the road."
"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine," Lee assured him. "Thanks for letting us borrow the truck!"
Percy laughed. "Well, technically the truck belongs to Leo, Ena, and I, but since I'm the only one who can drive it, I guess it is my truck. So yeah, no problem. Just keep your eyes open."
Lee and Noel climbed into the truck, and Lee shifted it into gear and drove down the road leading away from camp.
As soon as they reached the border, they were bombarded by a huge blast of snow.
"Wow, Percy wasn't kidding!" Noel exclaimed, looking through the windshield with amazement. "This is a blizzard! Do you think we should go back?"
"No way!" Lee answered, watching the road carefully. "We've gotta get the chainsaw, the seeds, and ingredients for cookies! And, I want to buy a headband for Ena. I saw one that she'd love, it matches her green Christmas dress!"
Noel smiled. "That's sweet. I'm not getting my brothers anything, they're a pain," she laughed.
As they drove further and further away from camp, the conditions got worse. Pretty soon, the road was hardly visible, and sheets of black ice were forming on the pavement.
Suddenly, the truck started to skid back and forth across the road. Two bright headlights shone through their windshield as they slid into the wrong lane, and Noel screamed. The truck was completely out of control, and Lee just made it across the road before they collided with the other vehicle. Unfortunately, they crashed into a tree.
The air bags popped out and stopped both of them from smashing their heads into the dashboard or steering wheel, but they both got whiplash from the force.
"Are you okay?" Lee asked immediately, turning to Noel.
"Y-yeah, I think so," she said shakily.
"I'm so sorry!" Lee apologized. "The truck hydroplaned on the ice, there was nothing I could do!"
"It's okay, it's not your fault," Noel assured him, taking deep breaths. "Will the car start again?"
Lee tried the ignition. The truck sputtered for a few moments, then died, and the lights flickered out.
"No good, I think I killed it," Lee said miserably. "I'm no good at fixing cars, I have no clue what's wrong with it! I wish we had brought Leo, but it looks like we're stuck."
Noel frowned nervously.
"I guess we're not going to be able to get to the store for anything," Lee stated quietly.
Noel sighed, the disappointment showing on her face. "I guess not. Which means no cookies for the Hermes kids, and no seeds for the Demeter cabin. And it means no chainsaw for the Hephaestus kids, which means no nunchucks for my brothers, which means no snow fort for the Ares campers, which means no shoveled pathways for the Athena cabin, which means-"
"No white Christmas for us," Lee said sadly.
"I guess not," Noel agreed.
"Well, I'd say it could be worse, but it looks like this is as bad as it gets," Lee shrugged, strumming his fingers on the dashboard.
"Do you think we should try to walk back?" Noel asked worriedly, peering through the frost-covered windows.
"No, it's too far, and we wouldn't know where we're going," Lee said. "It's best if we stay here, and wait for them to find us."
"That could be a long time," Noel pointed out. "They won't come looking for us until we've been gone for hours, and we could freeze by then. Well, you more than me. But I could send a snow message to camp to tell them where we are?" she suggested.
"You can do that?" Lee asked in amazement.
"Yeah, it's a rare gift of Khione," she explained. "Kind of like charmspeak, or fire power with the Hephaestus cabin. Only daughters of Khione can do it, and even then only about one in a thousand can send them. It's like a whisper. You send someone a message in a chilly wind, and they hear a message that's as soft as snowfall."
"That's awesome!" Lee exclaimed. "I knew I liked you for a reason."
Noel blushed. "Well, I guess I'll be right back," she said, opening the car door and stepping outside. A strong gust blew a pile of snow onto her empty seat, and she slammed the door quickly.
Moments later, she hopped back inside the truck.
"It's sent!" she announced. "Someone should be here soon."
Her words came true, when less than half an hour later the strawberry van pulled up beside them, and Percy hopped out.
"Come on, guys, get in!" he said over the wind, ushering them into the van. "Did you guys get all the stuff you needed?"
Noel and Lee's faces answered his question.
"It's okay guys, we just need to get back to camp before the storm gets any worse!" Percy said, once they were all buckled in. He started up the van and made a U-turn.
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When they got back to camp, there was a large crowd waiting for them, and Nyssa ran up to Lee.
"Did you get our chainsaw?" she asked excitedly.
"Actually, the storm stopped us before we could get to the store," Lee explained apologetically, looking extremely disappointed.
"What about our seeds?" Katie Gardner demanded.
"We didn't get those either," Noel said, looking at the ground.
"I'm guessing we're not getting any cookies," Travis Stoll asked.
"What about the snow fort?" Clarisse spoke up.
"No," Lee and Noel said at the same time, getting more upset with each question.
"I'm sorry we let you all down," Noel said, tears welling up in her eyes as she pulled her clipboard with the Let if Snow petition out of her messenger bag. "We just really wanted it to snow, just once, just for Christmas. Sorry we were so stupid," she finished, letting the clipboard slip out of her hand, and it landed in the mud.
Everyone was silent for a moment.
Finally, Leo stepped forward from the crowd and leaned down to pick up the clipboard.
"Has anyone got a pen?" he asked loudly.
The crowd buzzed, and Noel and Lee looked up hopefully.
"I have one," a voice said from the crowd. Everyone turned to see Katie Gardner walking forward with the said item, and watched in surprise as she took the clipboard from Leo and signed her name.
"Demeter cabin, get over here and sign this thing!" she ordered, and the rest of her cabin came up to sign the petition.
"Wh-what?" Lee asked in amazement. "But we didn't get your seeds! We failed!"
Katie smiled ironically. "I know. But it's Christmas, and everyone should have a white Christmas at least once, Maui."
"Do you hear that, Hephaestus cabin?" Leo asked. "It's Christmas! So all of you, get up here- chainsaw or no chainsaw!"
One by one, the entire Hephaestus cabin walked to the front and put their names down. Next came the Ares cabin, then the Khione cabin, then the Hermes cabin, who said "We'll get cookies at the Christmas party."
Then, finally, the Athena cabin came up and wrote their names down. "It's Christmas," Annabeth repeated, the last one to sign her name. "Now's the time to dream. Don't ever give up, guys," she said, handing the finished petition to Lee, who took it happily.
"Thanks, Annabeth," he said gratefully.
"Thank you both, too," she said sincerely. "Sometimes we all need to be reminded about what we should be doing at Christmas. We don't need people to do us favors just so we can help them out; we should be a little more generous, and a little more considerate. So, let it snow!" she finished with a smile.
Lee turned to Noel. "What are we doing just standing here?" he asked. "Let's get to the Big House!"
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The next night, on Christmas Eve, since Lee never got to the store for Ena's head band, he stayed up almost all night painting her a work of art. Lee was a great artist, and he loved painting with oil paints the most. He filled a large canvas with a lighthouse and a starry night, and it was nearly 1 AM when he finished.
He looked at his finished product, quite satisfied, and put it aside with the rest of the Christmas gifts he had painted that week: A winter scene for Noel, an abstract design for the Stolls, a realistic bonfire for Leo, and an underwater palace for Percy.
Right before going to bed, Lee looked up at the skylight and grinned, because he couldn't see the sky. Just a blanket of white obscuring the heavens.
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For Christmas, everyone at Camp Half-Blood gathered at the Dionysis cabin for gift-giving and Christmas partying. Everyone had loved the paintings Lee had given, and people were requesting their own to decorate their cabin.
"I have something for you two!" Ena exclaimed, plopping down on the floor next to Lee and Leo. She tossed a neatly wrapped package onto each boy's lap. "Merry Christmas!"
Lee opened his to find a long, blue, oddly shaped woolen mass. He looked over at Leo to see him pulling a similar object, but red, from his box.
"Uh, sis..." Lee said, trying to be tactful. "What the heck is this?"
"They're scarves!" She exclaimed happily. "Annabeth taught me how to knit last weekend, and I made them myself!"
"Oh!" Leo exclaimed, wrapping his 'scarf' around his neck immediately. "I love it! Thanks so much!"
Ena leaned over and gave him a kiss. "Merry Christmas!"
Lee quietly set his 'scarf' to the side. "I think I'm gonna wear mine later," he said, which seemed to satisfy Ena.
"I've got something for you guys, too!" Leo announced, walking over to the enormous Christmas tree and pulling two badly wrapped presents from under it. "Open them!"
Lee opened his first. It was a paintbrush set, which looked handcrafted.
"I heard you like to paint, so I made those for you," Leo said, obviously proud. "See the tiny colored buttons on the side? You just press whatever color you want, dip the brush in water, and voila!" Instant paint."
"Awesome, man, thanks!" Lee said, giving Leo a bro hug.
Ena opened her gift next, which was slightly larger. She giggled when she pulled out a black leather jacket that had a fire and star pattern on the pocket.
"The fire and star is for us," Leo explained unneccessarily. "Check out the back," he grinned, as she turned it around.
Lee snorted when he saw the words "TEAM LEO" stitched across the back.
Ena laughed. "I love it! It's awesome!" She exclaimed, giving him another kiss.
Leo grinned. "I'm glad you like it."
Lee looked around the room to watch the exchange of other presents: Annabeth received a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright from Percy, who received a scarf that actually looked like a scarf from Annabeth, and he saw Katie open a box of the wintery seeds she had wanted from Jake.
The Hermes cabin was at the food table, stuffing their faces with cookies from the Aphrodite cabin, and Lee saw that the sons of Khione received the nunchucks they wanted, as a gift from the Hephaestus cabin. He saw Nyssa unwrap a mysterious package from underneath the tree, and inside was a brand-new chainsaw.
"It's from dad!" he heard her exclaim from across the room.
Lee smiled, then spotted Noel standing off to the side, sipping a mug of hot chocolate.
"Be right back," Lee said to Ena and Leo, who didn't look like they minded being left alone.
"Hey," Lee grinned when he reached Noel's side.
"Hey, do you want some hot chocolate?" Noel asked, reaching for another mug.
"Yeah, thanks," Lee said, accepting it gratefully and taking a sip.
"So, I was thinking," he said, as they walked towards the door of the Dionysis cabin. "You're pretty amazing. I can't believe we pulled off the white Christmas thing!"
Noel blushed and smiled at him. "You're pretty amazing, too," she said, leaning against the doorway, both of them watching the snow fall softly. "We're a pretty good team."
"I was thinking the same thing," Lee said, turning to face her. He set his mug of hot chocolate down on the table behind him, then took Noel's mug and did the same to hers. She gave him a confused look as he took both of her hands in his.
"I know that I painted you that picture for Christmas, but I don't think that's enough," he said, looking into her ice blue eyes.
"You know I loved it," she said, staring back into his.
"Yeah, but I think you should look up anyway," Lee grinned.
Noel glanced at the top of the door frame, and laughed at what she saw.
"You asked for it," she said, leaning up to give him a kiss.
Lee grinned, because he knew that the second best Christmas tradition, besides having a white Christmas, was kissing under the mistletoe.
"Merry Christmas," he whispered when they broke apart, still smiling.
"Merry Christmas."
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A/N
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! :) :) :) I hope you all have a great Christmas and New Years!
Ena Daughter of Nyx drew this amazing drawing, with characters from my oneshots!:) nights-daughter . deviantart art/MerryChristmas-EmMarie96-344028380?ga_submit=10%3A1356129615 (Remove the spaces!)
Follow her on deviantart, it's Nights-Daughter!
So, what did you think?:) Please review!
I may or may not update next week, I'm super busy, but I'm still accepting submissions! The demigod submission form can be found in chapter 1, but PLEASE read all the guidelines before submitting:)
Also, would anyone like to read about what happened on Ena, Leo, and Percy's quest?:) I could do a full story, if enough people would like to read it:D
Thanks for reading, and again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!:)
Xoxoxo,
EmMarie