Cold Fire

Chapter 3

Piper

She knew Leo hadn't been in the mood for her antics, and to be completely honest, she wasn't entirely sure why the matchmaker in her slipped out, but it had. As much as she hated it, she did have that side to her, and on occasion, bad occasions, it seemed, it would pop out completely unwarranted - like that one friend who no one invited, but they always showed up anyway. Normally, Leo didn't mind, but this time, he did - and that bothered her. She'd spent years watching Leo flirt and try to seduce women, and even if it always fall through in the end, he still shrugged it off and walked away. He didn't let it irritate him, and if he did, he hid it well.

But with her, there was no hiding it.

If the two of them weren't ignoring each other, they were glaring and tossing insults back and fourth. It was a stalemate in tug of war; both sides were pulling, but the flag wasn't moving an inch.

And for a stupid reason no less.

Of course, she didn't have the entire story, only the little bits Frank had divulged and what Leo had said on the matter, but from what she did know, it sounded stupid and petty. Then again, in reality, most fights were petty, even if they seemed like a big deal to those involved. Leo, however, wasn't the type to get into petty fights, at least he tried to avoid them - he was too easy going for that. Which could only mean that something else had happened that he wasn't telling her.

She'd probably never get the answer.

Most people didn't suspect it, but she knew that Leo was more closed off than he let on. She'd known him for nine years and he never once hinted at how he landed in a foster home to begin with. The one time she asked him about his parents, he'd completely ignored her, though the look in his eyes told her it was better not to ask again.

She wasn't a fool. While most of the group was fooled by his happy-go-lucky attitude, she knew him well enough to know that he was hiding something beneath the jubilance he wore as a mask. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what broke him so badly that he would smile so brightly. Maybe it was just the psychologist in her speaking - she was always good at reading people, even more so now since she knew what she was supposed to be looking for.

And she knew his reaction to Calypso hadn't been normal.

Leo was witty and flirty when it came to women. Piper and the girls were an exception, given that not only were all of them taken, they were like sisters to him; he wouldn't treat them the same way he treated anyone else. But he didn't treat Calypso like either - Piper suspected he might really not like her. And they'd known each other for less than twenty-four hours.

Still, she had a feeling, a feeling she couldn't explain. Given the proximity of their living spaces, she highly doubted they'd never see each other again - she lived across the hall from him for God's sake. But, if their relationship stayed as it was, she suspected it was going to cause problems, not only for them, but everyone else.

Piper liked Calypso, even if she had just met her. She felt a connection, something of a mutual understanding, especially when she mentioned her father. Though Tristan McLean genuinely cared for his daughter, he was never around, and when he was, it only lasted for a fleeting moment before his phone rang or his assistant, Jane, was calling him into her office to discuss something. He always tried to make it up to her with expensive gifts or by giving her everything she asked for, but the one thing she really wanted, he never could seem to give her. She wanted her father to be her father, not Tristan McLean, the famous actor - she wanted Tristan McLean, the dad who used to tell her Cherokee stories when she was younger. The dad who used to take her surfing, or have picnics with her. Not the man that she had to steal and break laws just to get his attention.

Granted, she was fortunate enough that she had a father, some of the other's weren't so lucky. Annabeth had issues with hers, though for the most part they'd been resolved. Percy didn't know who his father was, and probably never would, Frank was in the same boat. Then there was Leo, who was missing both of his parents, and she didn't doubt that had been difficult. Everyone else had someone in their family to rely on. Frank had his grandmother, Hazel had her father, Nico had his older sister, Piper had her dad, Jason had his older sister. Leo had no one. Not an aunt, uncle, cousin or grandparent to rely on.

He knew he had been put into foster care at eight, and aside from the fact that he ran away several times, she didn't know anything else. It actually bothered her - she considered herself to be his sister and yet she didn't know anything about his life before his father adopted him. She just knew that he was Leo Valdez from Houston, Texas. He was hispanic, humorous, good at working with machines, and a bit more shattered than he let on, but that was it. She knew more about Jason, who didn't remember most of his childhood due to an accident, than she did him.

With a huff, she shook the thoughts from her head. The longer she dwelled on it, the more it would dampen her mood. He'd gotten along fine over the past fourteen years. He was capable of handling himself, but that didn't stop her from worrying about him from time to time.

The inside of the apartment was identical to the boys'. The master bedroom, which had been given to Annabeth so she'd have more room for her bookshelves, was located just left of the front door. The living room was small yet spacious, and the only thing that divided the it from the kitchen was a small breakfast bar and an arch way. Leading off the living room was a short hallway which lead to the other two rooms - Hazel's on the right and Piper's on the left. But unlike the boy's, it wasn't as clean.

Annabeth's books were scattered everywhere, stacked on the coffee table, on the end table, or in piles beside the couch. One of the living chairs was occupied by a pile of unfolded laundry. In the other, Hazel was slumped to the side, completely unconscious. She'd kicked her shoes off the second she'd gotten in the door - one was by the couch and the other was in the hallway behind her. Piper stared at her for a long moment, trying to decide whether to try and carry her to her room or just leave her there. After a few minutes she decided to leave her there for now. She'd get Annabeth, who was laying on the couch with her tablet in her hands, to help her later.

Sighing, she dropped her purse onto the the counter and strode into the kitchen. The fridge was more or less empty, as were the cabinets. Someone would have to do the shopping tomorrow. She glanced at the calendar on the wall beside the fridge. In order to help things flow smoothly, Annabeth had devised a chart that indicated who did what chores on what day - the only down side was when it came to daily chores, like dishes and laundry; someone one ended up doing it three times a week as opposed to two. Thankfully, it wasn't her turn to go shopping, or to do the dishes. But it was her turn to do the laundry.

She glanced back at the chair and shook her head. It was well after midnight and she was tired; the clothes could wait until morning. She opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "Annabeth, it's your turn to do the shopping tomorrow."

Annabeth didn't answer.

She was too engrossed in whatever it was she was looking at on the tablet. It was a common occurrence with her. Whenever she was focused on something, everything else around her seemed to be nonexistent. Piper had a better chance of getting the wall to talk back.

With a shrug, she shuffled off to her room.

It was neat and clean, a bit small, but it didn't matter. She had room for her bed and her dresser, and that's all she cared about. Christmas lights were strung along the tops of the wall. Normally, she'd have to plug them in, but thanks to Leo, who had rewired one of the outlets, they turned on and off with the flip of a switch. In the corner above her bed, which was situated against the wall, right in front of the window, was a dream catcher. Technically it wasn't an actual dream catcher, but she didn't know what it's proper name was. It was a small wooden globe that had been tied together with twine mesh. A large handful of cotton had been stuffed inside. Placed on top of the cotton was a small wolf figure. Hawk feathers hung from the bottom.

On the wall beside her window, close to the head of the bed, were actual dream catchers. The rest of the walls were covered in posters, mostly of movies or books she'd read. She wasn't the kind of girl who hung posters of actors or attractive men all over her room; her father was an actor and after having seen one of his co-star's children's room, she deemed that it was just weird.

Above her dresser, she had a bulletin board full of pictures and drawings, most of which were done by Hazel. She had it organized by the events. All of the very memorable and life changing ones were on the right side where their graduation picture was. The rest, like the one of her, Jason, and Leo at Disneyland, were on the left. She couldn't help but smile.

It had been taken just a few months after Leo had been adopted. He was smiling, though he looked at bit uncertain. Piper and Jason had their arms draped over his shoulders, beaming at the camera. Her father had taken the picture when they went to Florida for summer vacation of their seventh grade year. As happy as it made her, it also brought about a pang of sadness; it was the last time she did anything like that with her father.

She shoved the thought aside.

She changed into her pajamas and returned to the living room. Annabeth was still preoccupied with the tablet. Hazel had shifted in the chair, so much that she was nearly falling out of it.

"Annabeth."

The blonde gave an absent minded hum.

"Help me move Hazel."

At first she wondered if she heard her, but before she could ask again, Annabeth set the tablet down. Together the two girls lifted her off the couch and shuffled to her room. After they were sure she was fine, they returned to the living room.

"So, that new girl," Annabeth started casually, "I take it she and Leo had an issue?"

Annabeth had woken up shortly after Piper had invited Calypso to their table and being as smart as she was, she'd picked up on the conflict instantly, though it wasn't very hard to, considering that the two of them weren't exactly being subtle about it.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Apparently he accidently walked into her and she snapped at him. I knew Leo had a knack for annoying people, but I think he broke his previous record. From what Frank said, they hadn't even been talking for a full minute."

Annabeth raised her brows. "He really doesn't like her, does he?"

"Probably not." Piper confirmed.

They sat in silence for a few moments longer. Then Annabeth sighed. "Percy's been wanting to go to the beach for a while now. I was thinking maybe we could invite her, since you and Hazel really seem to like her, but if Leo's going..."

Piper gave it some thought. "You know, there's a saying that goes 'the songs you grow to like never stick at first'."

Annabeth blinked. "Piper, that is a line from a song. But, you have a point. Maybe whatever the issue is will blow over eventually. It's not like they're never going to see each other; she does live right across the hall."

"Exactly, and if we sort it out now, it won't become an even bigger problem in the future."

"If it can be sorted out," Annabeth said. "They may not be able to get along at all. I mean some people just don't click."

Piper nodded. "But, its better to try and fail instead of not try at all."

"Don't try too hard, Piper, or they might think you're up to something else."

"They would be kind of cute together, but that's not what I'm pushing for," Piper sighed. She ran her fingers through her choppy hair. "I'm just trying to avoid and all out issue. If earlier was any indication of it, I can tell that if something isn't done, it's just going to escalate. You saw how they were going back and fourth."

Annabeth had seen. In fact, it was what woke her up - and she wasn't exactly happy about it.

"True," she said after a few minutes. "But still, don't discard the possibility that your plan to try and get them to work their problems out might backfire. Leo isn't exactly predictable. There's no telling what's going on in his head."

Piper snorted. "I don't think even he knows what goes on in his head."

Annabeth smiled at that. "Well, I'm going to sleep. If he doesn't have a killer hangover, Percy will probably be over at the crack of dawn demanding that trip to the beach."

Piper was not a morning person. She wasn't a waking up person - especially when she woke up to the sound of Percy and Annabeth arguing.

With a loud groan, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The clock on the stand beside her bed read eleven thirty. She was up before noon on one of the very few off days she'd gotten in a while. Piper McLean was not a happy camper. She considered going back to sleep, but if there was one thing she'd learned over the years, it was that when Percy and Annabeth got into an argument, it tended to get loud - depending on how bad the argument was. Judging that their voices weren't loud enough to be heard down the hallway, she suspected it wasn't too serious, but it didn't sound close to being over.

She didn't bother getting dressed. It wasn't like they'd never seen her in her pajamas before.

As soon as she stumbled into the living room, the argument stopped. Annabeth gave her a sheepish smile and Percy muttered an apology. She just waved them off. She'd grown accustom to it. But whether she was accustom or not didn't make it any more enjoyable. It was still highly annoying.

"Are we going to the beach today?" Piper asked as she pulled a carton of orange juice from the fridge.

"Please?" Percy gave Annabeth his best pouty face.

The blonde sighed. "I don't see why not. Percy did you check the weather?"

"As soon as I woke up," he replied. He smiled widely. "Weather's all clear."

"Then go tell the boys," she waved him off and turned to her room mate. "Are you still considering inviting Calypso?"

Piper nodded.

"What about a Calypso?" Percy asked at the door.

"Yes, what about me?'

She'd stopped in front of the girls' room. She glanced at Percy and then at Piper and Annabeth expectantly. Piper noted she had a purse with her.

"You weren't about to go anywhere, were you?"

"Just to the store," she replied. "Why?"

"Well," Annabeth said. She motioned for her to come in. "We were planning on going to the beach and we were wondering if you wanted to come."

Calypso seemed to consider this. Then she scowled. "Is that hellion coming?"

"Hellion?" Percy asked. He gave Piper and Annabeth a curious glance.

"She means Leo," Annabeth explained. She turned to Calypso with a sympathetic look. "He can be a bit of a handful, but I promise you he's not a bad person. He might be coming, but I'm not sure. I don't think Piper's asked them yet?"

Piper shook her head. "I'm going to now."

She gave Calypso a sunny smile and shuffled out the door. Calypso vaguely noted that she hadn't bothered to get dressed, muchless knock on the door down the hall. She just threw it open and waltzed in like she owned the place.

Annabeth looked at the young woman. "Where are my manors. I'm Annabeth Chase, and this," she motioned to Percy, "is my boyfriend, Percy Jackson."

Percy gave her a lame wave.

Calypso nodded at each of them respectively. "I'm Calypso Pallas."

Annabeth opened her mouth to say something else, but Piper poked her head through the door frame. "They're coming. Want me to check up with Will and Nico?"

"I'll do it," Hazel muttered as she shuffled into the living room. "Nico will most likely go if I ask."

The darker girl didn't give Calypso a second glance as she stumbled out of the apartment.

"So," Piper said, putting on her best pleading face, "are you coming?"

Calypso was silent for a moment. She had been wanting to go to the beach since she arrived in the country, and the weather was absolutely perfect, but she was reluctant. She knew she'd find no peace if he was there. Then again, the beach was a huge place; she may very well find peace. With a small sigh, she nodded. "Let me go get ready."

Piper beamed at her and darted back into the apartment, letting out an excited shout when she reached the hallway.