:D So many ideas from those of you who reviewed! Why not make more from this?
Disclaimer: I'm trying, okay? But no. No I don't own anything.
"Piper!"
The door to the Aphrodite cabin burst open, revealing a very angry Clarisse. Piper looked up from her book, confused. She hadn't done anything to the Ares cabin, if anything, the Stoll brothers should be the angry ones. She'd helped Percy and Leo prank them last week.
"Clarisse? What are you doing here? I swear, whatever it is, Percy framed me!"
Clarisse grabbed Piper's arm and dragged her out of her cabin. "Whoa! Hey, not that I don't love being man-handled, but I have-"
"It's about something else." Piper could tell it was serious by the way Clarisse's voice dropped down to a whisper.
"Is something wrong?" Piper asked, worry in her eyes.
"No-yes-not anymore, really, but yes." They began walking in the direction of Thalia's tree as they talked.
Piper waited for her to continue.
Clarisse sighed. "It's about that Johnothon kid. Why didn't you tell me he asked Sarah for pictures? I had to find out from Drew for crying out loud. Normally I just zone out when she's talking to me, but when she mentioned John, my interest spiked. Now, I don't have the whole story, because I'd rather hear it from you than from a drag queen. So, what happened?"
Piper looked at the ground and stopped walking. "Sarah didn't want too many people to know. But, now that it's hit every cabin in the camp... John came up to her after dinner one night, cornered her against the wall. You know how quiet she is, none of us noticed until we found her crying on a bench."
Clarisse clenched her fist.
Piper continued. "She told us he'd said that a little bird told him she was the one to go to if he wanted 'a little extra on the side.' Then he demanded she Iris-message him that night when she was in the shower. Sarah said no, of course, but he didn't like that. He called her names and shoved her into the wall, then left. That's all we know."
"I swear," Clarisse started, "I'm going to kill that kid. If Nico hadn't already dealt with him, I'd be running him through with a sword."
Piper nodded. "He's hurt too many people to get away with what he has. First the two boys from Apollo, then the Hermes kid and Sarah, and now Leo? He needs to pay. But maybe not in the way you're thinking of." Piper's face lit up. "I have a plan. But we need a few people to help."
Clarisse smiled mischievously. "I like the way you think, Beauty Queen. I'm in."
Percy was just finishing up on his castle of cards when his door flew open. "No no no no no!"
His castle went tumbling down, all cards now on the floor. He made an anguished cry and looked at his intruders with disbelief and shock.
"Clarisse!" He whined, "That took me two hours! I'll never win that bet now!"
Piper stepped out from behind the smirking girl. "Sorry, Percy, but we need your help."
He banged his face on the desk. "Sure, sure, not like I had anything I was doing." Came a muffled reply. Looking back up, he said, "Okay. I don't know what it is, and I don't care. Anything that makes you two work together and have Clarisse actually seek out my company has to be good."
Clarisse sneered. Percy smiled wide.
Leo was banging away on a sheet of metal. Festus wasn't going to upgrade himself, and after being forbidden by practically everyone from even lifting a glass of water until he was healed, it was good to be back.
Festus had gone for a walk earlier through one of the tunnels that led outside, and could be back any minute. Buford was steaming along, bringing tools closer to Leo's hands when he needed them.
"Screwdriver." Leo requested. Buford didn't move. "Screwdriver." He repeated. Buford started running as fast as his table legs would carry him.
"Nooo!" Leo chased after him down the tunnel Festus had left from. The last time Buford ran away, Leo almost blew up half the woods. On accident, but still.
"Buford!" The tunnel was starting to get dark. Only Festus could find his way around in this place, and even though Leo had mapped a great deal of the tunnels, there were still many to be explored.
Leo lit his hands on fire as he ran. "Buford! Come on, buddy! I threw out the Windex! Only Lemon Pledge! I swear!"
The clanking got louder. Leo was finally catching up. At least, he thought he was, until Buford came running at him full steam ahead. Leo barely had time to move as the table barreled past him.
"What the- Oh no."
A distant rumbling could be heard. Leo recognized that sound. It was the sound of a giant mechanical dragon running at full speed.
Which is what Leo ran in the opposite direction of.
He could hear the individual galloping steps behind him now. The light was just up ahead, if he could make it...
He burst into the workshop and dove to the side, just barely missing being trampled.
Festus ran a couple victory laps before coming to a stop in front of Leo, who was laying down, hands over his eyes.
"Seriously, buddy. You gotta stop doing that. Scared the shi-" Someone tapped his shoulder. He lifted his arms just enough to see.
Piper's face came into view. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know he would do that."
Leo blinked and put his arms back down. "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no- Ack!"
He was pulled up by his suspenders. "I surrender!"
Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Listen, sorry your dragon almost killed you. Now will you help us or not?"
Leo pushed her hands away slowly. "Depends... Who's 'we'?"
Piper stepped forward. "We want to get John back for what he did. Clarisse, Percy, and I-"
"Whoa whoa whoa." Leo cut her off. "Back for... Me? 'Cuz I don't really do that whole 'revenge' thing, my mom always said-"
"Not for you, Valdez. For Sarah." Clarisse clarified.
"Ohhh. Why? What's he done?"
Piper realized he'd been in the bunker that entire week. "He asked her for pictures. He beat up a Hermes kid. And he got two boys from Apollo lost in the woods."
"Say no more. I'm in."
Percy came around from the other side of Festus.
Leo gave him a look. "Dude, where have you been? You don't look so good."
Percy held his stomach. "I can battle Titans and Gods, ride Hippocampi like it's nothing, but you," He pointed at Festus. "Are Hades himself. That is the worst ride I have ever been on."
Leo blinked. "You rode him? Through a tunnel?"
"Yeah," Piper piped up. "We had to get in somehow. I told him you were in trouble and we had to see you immediately. We climbed on and he took off like a shot."
Leo nodded. "Next time, use the doorbell." He walked away to open the bunker's door.
"The doorbell!?" Percy yelled.
Nico sat next to Will in the infirmary. Target practice gone wrong, Nico guessed. A pretty good guess, judging by the arrow in the poor guy's leg.
"Psst."
Nico looked around. No one. Must have been his imagination.
"Psst."
Again? Imagination was out of the question, then. Someone close by...
"Psst!"
"Oh for crying out loud. Nico, I love you. I do. Very much. But please, for the love of gods, tell them to be quiet." Will pleaded.
"I don't even know who it is!" Nico defended.
Piper peeked her head through the bottom of the tent. "Heh heh, sorry about that. Uh, Nico? We need you."
Nico glanced at Will questionably.
"I AM IN PAIN." Yelled the guy on the table.
Will tried to calm him down. "It's okay, Nico, I'll be fine. But no using your powers. I mean it."
"I'm fine, it's been months since-"
"Dububup. I don't want to hear it. Doctor's orders."
Nico groaned. "Fine."
Piper, Clarisse, Percy, and Leo were waiting for him when he left the tent.
"Oh look at that. One more member and we would have just enough for a game of pin the bee on the badger."
"AND BE NICE!" Will yelled from inside the tent.
"I AM BEING NICE. THIS IS HOW I NICE." Nico yelled back.
"Maybe we should take this back to my cabin," Percy suggested.
"Whatever. I'm just here for the food." Said Leo.
Nico rolled his eyes. What had he gotten himself into.
I would like to thank Melancholy's Sunshine for giving me the idea and inspiration to write more on this. I updated as soon as I could, and next chapter is being worked on.