I'm really sorry about yesterday's chapter, I tried my best. I wrote a longer and hopefully better quality chapter today :)
merry Christmas eve eve eve!
oh and a shout out to Percy'sSisterSPQR! happy birthday! thank you for all your support with this story x
A Very Percy Jackson Advent
December 22nd
"Okay girls," Piper said as she strode around the room purposefully. "We have three days until Christmas. The boys have been planning something and to be quite honest with you, I'm scared of what's going to happen." Hazel and Reyna, knowing what the boy's surprise was, nodded their heads confirming Piper's fears. "But we're going to have to save Christmas from whatever monstrosity they're planning on bringing upon us. So are we all on bard with our costume arrangements?"
Everyone nodded and held up their costumes for Piper to inspect.
"This is so awesome!" Piper squealed. "Christmas is going to be so much fun!"
"This is going to be our first Christmas all together!" Annabeth exclaimed.
"What's that noise?" Hazel asked when she heard the distant sound of music.
Reyna looked at her and pulled a face. Then Hazel nodded in understanding leaving the others puzzled.
"What's going on?" Calypso asked.
Hazel just shook her head. "I expect you'll find out on Christmas day."
-0-
Everyone was gathered in the Rec room, just taking it easy, when Leo burst out, "Guys, you know we haven't done anything particularly Christmassy and exciting in a while. I was thinking we should have a Christmas thing sculpting contest or something."
Nico groaned. "Haven't we celebrated enough, you've already got me doing the thing and wearing the stupid Christmas jumper."
"Aw come on Nico," Frank said, punching him in the arm. "It'll be fun; you can be on my team."
"You're ditching me for my brother again?" Hazel complained teasingly with a smile.
"Yup," Frank replied, winking to show he was joking, "I think I like him better than you."
Hazel gasped in mock offence. "Frank, how can you say that to me? And so close to Christmas!"
Nico grinned and grabbed a piece of mistletoe that he'd taken down earlier for fear of ending up in an awkward situation of, gods forbid, Percy and him walking under it, and waved it over Hazel and Frank's head.
They both grinned and happily kissed.
"So you're the mistletoe thief!" Percy exclaimed.
Nico looked down in embarrassment.
"Do you have any idea how strategically I placed those all around the ship with just the tiniest hope that I'd get Leo and Calypso caught together under one? They haven't kissed since our game of truth and dare!"
"That's because there's nothing going on between us," Leo said though he clearly wished there was. "We're just friends."
Calypso nodded.
"Stop trying to make them a thing," Annabeth sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Sometimes true love takes time. It took us a few years."
Percy settled his head on top of Annabeth's and sighed. "I guess you're right; I can be patient."
"Don't hold your breath dude," Leo said.
"We're just friends," Calypso added.
"Like I said, I can wait," Percy replied.
"We were talking about a sculpting contest," Jason said in an attempt to steer the conversation away from relationships – he heard enough relationship talk from Piper.
"Yeah!" Leo said animatedly, glad for the change of subject.
"Maybe we can mix it up a little and draw names out of a hat to determine our groups," Reyna suggested.
"Cool idea," Jason said.
Leo immediately started writing everyone's name on a piece of paper. After a while of people picking up their own name and getting someone already in a group, they finally had their pairs. Nico was with Piper. Jason was with Annabeth. Percy was with Frank. Hazel was with Calypso. Leo was with Reyna.
"Well this should be interesting," Percy said, quite happy that he'd been paired up with Frank. During his time at New Rome, he'd become good friends with Frank but now Frank seemed to be spending all of his time with either Nico or Hazel and the rest of the ship seemed to be lost on him.
Everyone nodded their agreement and then set to gather the necessary things.
-0-
"So," Piper said awkwardly after she and Nico had stood there looking at the things they'd gathered in silence for a while. "What do you wanna make?"
Nico shrugged.
"How about a reindeer?"
Nico shrugged.
"Or a Christmas tree?"
Nico shrugged.
"Aw come on," Piper sighed. "Say something!"
Nico shrugged again. He stood as closed in on himself as he could possibly be with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his eyes glued to the floor – he didn't know Piper very well and he wasn't a very outgoing person to say the least. "Dunno," he mumbled. "A tree," he said to keep the peace.
"Cool," Piper grinned. "Christmas tree it is. Are you any good at sawing?"
Nico shook his head. "I do know someone who can though."
"I don't think we can ask for help from other teams," Piper said.
Nico shook his head. "Leo said nothing about not using your powers," he mumbled. After raising entire armies of ghosts, he'd found it so much easier to raise just one ghost and so, with a quick wave of his hand, a ghost climbed its way through the ground and stood to attention.
"Um... I don't think-" Piper was about to voice her aversion to this plan but Nico interrupted.
He spoke confidently and directly to the ghost leaving Piper in shock at how he could be so timid and shy one second and then the next being actually quite scary. "Can you sculpt wood?"
The ghost nodded.
"Please this into a Christmas tree," Nico said.
"Yes Sir," the ghost said and then went straight to work.
-0-
"I was thinking Santa," Jason said.
"Okay," Annabeth shrugged and then immediately left to get the supplies.
"Are you any good at sculpting?" Jason asked.
Annabeth scoffed. "I helped redesign camp half blood, I can do this." She then took out a chisel and set to work telling Jason that he could paint it when she was done.
-0-
"Any ideas?" Frank asked.
Percy shrugged. "A few but they're not very good."
"It's all we've got at the minute," Frank laughed.
"I was thinking you turn into a reindeer and then I'll get the water to mould itself to look like you as a reindeer and then we put the water in the freezer."
"That's not a bad idea but why do I have to turn into a reindeer?"
"Then it'll be easier to get the water to go into the right shape," Percy explained. "I missed hanging out with you, buddy."
"Yeah me too," Frank said, "I have so much fun hanging out with Nico nowadays that I sometimes forget there are other people on the ship."
"Aw does someone have a little man crush?"
Frank rolled his eyes. "Nah, I love Hazel dude. You know cupid's gonna come after you if you keep trying to play match maker."
-0-
"You're good at weaving and stuff, aren't you?" Hazel asked.
Calypso nodded, "I am, yes."
"You could weave a star and then I'll decorate it with sequins or something if you like?"
"Okay, yeah," Calypso agreed and then set to work.
Hazel watched in amazement as she weaved. "You're so talented," she said.
"Years alone make you good at your hobbies," Calypso explained solemnly.
Hazel looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry you had to be alone all that time, you're a really nice person. I think it was unfair of the gods to imprison you based on the actions of those close to you."
"I've been told that my countless people, but it doesn't matter to me now. I'm free."
-0-
"How about a snowman?" Reyna suggested.
"Yeah I like it, "Leo said. "How about we make the snowman our own and make it out of fire?"
Reyna stared at him for a good five minutes before asking, "Are you serious?"
"Yes! I have some fireproof fabric we can put it on and boom! Fire-snow man."
Leo was jumping everywhere and showed no sign of willingness to change his mind and so Reyna just accepted her fate and agreed to go along with it.
-0-
When all of the sculpture had been made, everyone decided to have them judged the next day to make everything more interesting.
yes I ran out of creativity and left it on the crappiest cliffhanger ever. sorry.
chapter 20 reviews:
Percy'sSisterSPQR: thank you :)
moonshroom420: haha, glad you liked it x
vale1996: thank you. Yes I live in england so the holidays are different here because the weather is different
sonofthetrigod: I don't think I did get the song, please do send it to me :)
Bob frank: Patience is a virtue dear bob frank
LeeOfHermes0330: Sometimes they can be okay I guess, I prefer comedy or horror...
Lily: When was Percy addicted to lettuce?
A son of Apollo: I forgot you? When? I'm soorry!
annoyinreindeer: I live in England so I don't have grades... I'm in year 11 but I don't know what grade that is.
Anistasia Windloch: Thank you x
Ana-DaughterofHades: I felt I did have to do the morning after the sleepover, I love writing them all cute and sleepy.
thefangirlthatwon'tshutup: Only 3 days to christmas now!
The Eighth Demigod: I have major ship moments planned for every one that's canon (+caleo), so don't you worry x
butterflygirly99: hahaa! you and me both!
HardcorePercabeth: wow caps lock! you must have liked it c:
chapter 21 reviews:
Remnant of Life: Yes, I'm home now which means a nice stable internet connection :D I don't celebrate any sort of solstice... what do you do for that?
Crunchie: a jumper is a knitted sweater? I thought that was what the whole world called it? you know... Christmas jumpers! you wear them!
Percy'sSisterSPQR: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! x
annoyinreindeer: thank you x
butterflygirly99: I was using metaphors? cool!
Alexja2013: thanks :)
LouisZaynNiallHarryLiam: Nico was being a mr grouchy pants in his own room.
Guest: I already have an idea for the boys' surprise and i haven't seen mean girls sorry :/
Aly kitten: thank you x
thefangirlthatwon'tshutup: Aside from the whole 'THE FATE OF THE WORLD RESTS ON YOUR SHOULDERS!' thing that they have, they are all normal teenagers... sort of
Stads02: aw thanks :)
Ana-DaughterofHades: thanks x
sonofthetrigod: I read the chapter back! there were so many mistakes! I wrote heir instead of their... I hate typing on my ipad... thanks for the review xx
ArianandXaia: I'm not used to typing on my ipad, I guess it just takes practice but I don't want practice. The laptop is for writing and my ipad is there to blog into the night with.
see you all tomorrow, sorry for the extra long review reply section xx