Chapter Nine

Percy lay on his cot, staring at the ceiling. A gladiator fight was to take place tomorrow. Luke, Nico, and himself had had a red dot painted onto the front of their tunic. Apparently, red meant that you were you could fight, or at least defend yourself. What amazed him was when Thalia got her red mark. Not why, but how.

Flashback

Percy had just received his red mark and went over to Luke and Nico and leant against the wall. Right behind him in line was Thalia, her black hair as spiky as ever.

"What do you think she'll get?" Luke whispered.

Percy didn't answer, but based on the look on her face when the trainer waved her off, he was guessing she wasn't going to settle for anything but red.

The trainer was muscular, his arms ripped as he crossed them and stared down at the spiky haired girl. "Move on, give her yellow," he said to the judges.

Thalia didn't move. "Didn't you hear me girl? You got yellow."

Thalia began picking at her nails, holding her sword in between her armpit. "Based on what exactly?" she asked distractedly.

"Based on you being a girl, girls don't fight so I won't fight you," he growled.

Thalia looked up, a sadistic grin on her face. "You see, what I'm hearing is you're afraid to fight me. What, big old you afraid to fight little old me?"

"I'm warning you, move on," he said through gritted teeth.

"How about, I move on when you fight me?" Thalia said staring at him right in the eyes.

"Fine, you want to fight, come on!" he yelled, readying himself.

Thalia got into a ready position and stilled. For a moment, everything was frozen, it was silent, no signs of movement besides the breeze.

The trainer scoffed, "Afraid to make the first move? Very well then little girl." He charged at her, swinging his blade in a heavy arch.

Thalia ducked under his blow stood up behind him, a grin on her face. The trainer was thrown off balance stumbled forward. Percy and his friends laughed along with the other men.

The trainer growled in frustration and swung down at her and Thalia ducked under the blow again. "My, my sir, you're incredibly predictable," she taunted.

"I'll show you predictable!" he shouted as he swung out the sword for a head shot. She ducked under his swing and punched him square in the jaw. He stumbled backwards and clutched his jaw, staring at the grinning Thalia. He charged again but Thalia side stepped and stood behind him. She kicked him to the ground while he was off balance and for good measure, kicked him where the sun don't shine. Percy winced.

She placed a foot on his back and kneeled down so her face was near his ear. "Now you sexist pig, in answer to your taunts, only an idiot makes the first move in a fight against a larger opponent. So now you're not only a sexist pig, you're an idiot."

She stood up and turned toward the judges. "I believe that earns me a red, does it not?" The judges gave her a small nod and she smiled cockily as a mark of red was painted onto her tunic. She wore the same smile as she walked over to the trio of boys. "So, who's hungry?"

End of Flashback

Percy grinned at Thalia's trial and his last thoughts before drifted off to sleep were of how much that trainer was regretting messing with Thalia.

Piper sat at the garden fountain, the moon's reflection rippling in the water. A faint breeze drifted through the courtyard. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, letting the wind kiss her cheeks.

"I've never heard of someone tanning in the moon."

Piper opened her eyes and thought she saw a god. At least, he looked like one. His close-cropped blonde hair sat perfectly on his head, his electric blue eyes bright and mesmerizing. His face was chiseled, as if he could have been cut out of marble. His time in Greece had given him tan sun-kissed skin.

"Paint a portrait, it'll last longer," he smirked.

Piper blushed as she realized she had been staring at him.

"Mind if I sit down?" he asked. She shook her head and he smiled and sat down.

"You know, I missed you, it wasn't much fun in Greece without my Pipes," he said wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Piper refused to look up, afraid of showing how much she was blushing.

"Sure there was sun, and art, and girls, lots and lots of girls," he continued. Piper felt a pain in her chest, thinking of her crush for 2 years with other girls. "But none of those girls met my standards."

Piper looked up at him in confusion. "And what are your standards?"

"Well, for one thing, confident," he listed. I'm confident, Piper thought. Though not right now. "Two, unique." Was she unique? She didn't know any other girls who were good with knives besides Annabeth and Thalia. "Three, kind. Four, mesmerizing eyes, eyes I can get lost in," he said looking her in the eyes. "Finally, someone I can grow old with, someone who I can love all my life," he finished. By now they were very close to each other, Piper could feel his breath on her lips and he began leaning in.

They kissed. It was what Piper had always imagined it would be. It was gentle, but loving. She rested her hand on his cheek and she felt him pull her closer by the waist. The kiss deepened and she smiled into the kiss.

Finally they broke apart for air. Piper stared into his eyes and all she could see was happiness. They leaned in again and right before their lips locked she whispered, "Thank you Jason."

Author's Note: Yeah go Thalia! Who says girls can't fight? Anyways, I was going to make this another Triton scene but decided against it so to all Jasper fans out there, here it is. Thanks for reading! Please review, you have no idea how much it means. :)