"WELL I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW GIRL THAT IF YOU DONT GIVE ME BACK THAT KLEENEX, I'LL PUNCH YOU IN THAT PRETTY LITTLE FACE OF YOURS!" Leo shouted playfully.

"That wouldn't do much, now would it?" I laughed,"Plus, remember the last time you cleaned poor Bufurd with Kleenex. That's right. We were almost devoured by crazy evil nature Dionysus lover thingys!"

"FINE! Just... use your water and make him clean and junk."

"Give me soap, then."

He threw it at me, and it missed by a mile.

"Gracias, Mister Dirtface," I said, scrubbing Bufords top with the soap, then using the airs moisture to clean it all of.

"No problem, Miss box head," Leo replied with a dramatic bow.

"Get to work, fire boy," I smirked.

"With pleasure, water woman," he chuckled. We both turned our heads in unison, and burst out laughing from the hilarious look on our grimy faces.

Dirt face is what I call Leo because when I first met him, he had fallen out of a chariot and had face planted into the dirt. His hair was close to the same shade as mine, so I seriously would have thought he was Percy if it weren't for his suspenders and the giant holographic looking hammer over his head that claimed he was a Hephaestas kid.

He called me box head 'cause when he first saw me, I had an echo waffle box on my head with two eye holes and a mouth hole. I was hanging out with Clarrise who had shoved it on my head. For that particular night, my name was boxy the snowman (later to be boxy, then box face, then box head), and Leo was dirt face.

So time went on with us becoming best friends who could go to each other for support of losing a loved one. He said mine was worse, though, 'cause I didn't even have a definite answer for if he were alive or...

Ya know. Deceased.

The Argo II was coming along really well (obviously because I was helping) and even though there's only suppose to be seven, Leo promised to sneak me on.

WE IS EVIL!

The only other person I told about this was Tyson... 'cause he's my brother, and we've already lost Percy. He wasn't going to lose me.

Five hours later, Piper walked into the bunker.

"Hey Leo, box brains," she smiled.

"That's not the nickname," I mumbled angrily, and kept organizing.

Piper was... not my type.

She claimed to be nothing like an Aphrodite girl, then cried every night about how she and Jason might break up and that she had slow-danced and was able to kiss him and now he didn't remember any of it and blah blah blah blah blah.

ALSO! As if that's not Aphrodite-ish enough, she is constantly giving me makeup tips and trying out the latest fashions. Her hair is ALWAYS in a braid (which I don't even know how to do) and she wears lip stick and eyeliner. But I try to be her friend. I stopped trying when I realized she didn't like me or my jokes.

I also have the teeniest crush on Jason. Her boyfriend.

Or so she remembers.

"Hey Pipes," Leo shouted as he cranked the wrench around the last part.

"And... Done!" He exclaimed, "now all it needs..."

"Is painting," I said, clapping my hands together, lemme go get Annabeth, she'll help."

"I'll go with," Piper exclaimed.

"And she'll go with me," I repeated, gritting my teeth.

We walked throughout the woods quickly and quietly, but it was not long before I broke the silence.

"Why don't you like me?"

She looked shocked.

"Well, I don't... dislike you, but, well, there's always been some tension between us," She explained,"I mean, with you liking Jason and all... I-I'm also kind of jealous."

I looked at her, shocked by the words that have just poorer out of her mouth.

"Wait, wait, wait. How did you know I liked him, and why are you jealous, of me of all people," I asked with a nudge of her skinny shoulder.

"I don't know," she sighed, "you're so pretty, and smart, and crafty, and nice, and brave, and confident, and, well, pretty much everything I want to be."

"Piper," I stopped her from moving on, and turned her to face me, holding her shoulders firmly, "you are beautiful, yet unlike any Aphrodite child I've ever met. You may sometimes tick me off with how beautiful and lucky you are to have Jason, but I have, deep down inside, always wanted to be your friend. YOU. Are smart. YOU. Are crafty, and nice, and brave, and confident. Even if you're not as hot as Leo, you're still the prettiest girl I've ever met."

She sniffles, then looked at me with a small smile, "Thanks, box head, that was some good charmspeak right there."

"No problem, beauty queen," I laughed, "but you could have done so much better than me