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Piper hates summer.
More specifically, she hates hot weather. Summer and hot weather are different and have different meanings—summer means hanging out on the porch of the Big House and greeting the returning demigods as they arrive via strawberry delivery van. It means Camp Half-Blood at its best, its fullest, its busiest—it means home.
Hot weather is a different story. Hot weather is sticky, restless nights as she tosses and turns in her bedsheets, legs tangling in the blankets in a half-hearted attempt to kick them off. It's mosquito bites peppered up and down her legs that bleed and leave scars and the smell of bug spray still clinging to her skin long after a shower.
But of course they were still working on the Argo II in the middle of a summer of hot weather, barely two weeks before they were due for Camp Jupiter, because of a single measurement error on one of the ship masts—Leo insisted they had to dismantle the entire section and start from scratch—and everyone was working twice as long and hard despite the sweltering heat.
Piper leaned back on her elbows with a sigh, letting her sweat-sticky bangs fall back as she attempted to catch the breeze lingering on the grassy hill. “It's so hot I might die,” she groaned to herself.
Leo appeared over the crest of the hill, the sleeves of his orange camp t-shirt rolled over his shoulders. “I second that.” He fanned himself with his shirt and plopped down next to her. Piper wrinkled her nose when she realized his clothes were dark with sweat.
“Gross, Leo,” Annabeth said as she walked up from behind them. Piper tilted her head back to catch her figure silhouetted against the glaring sun. “I bet you're not even wearing deodorant.” She eased herself onto the grass next to Piper, wiping at her forehead with her arm.
“Yeah, are you even—nope, you're not, nevermind,” Piper declared, shortly after leaning over to take a whiff of the demigod. She rolled away from him on the grass, gagging.
Leo laughed and flexed his arms jokingly. His dark skin shone with grease and sweat.
Piper let her head fall back against the ground. “Ugh. Why can't the magical force field keep out the heat? I could really use some rain right now.”
“It doesn't really work like that. Think of it as more like... a greenhouse. It keeps out the rain and other outside elements.” Annabeth uncapped a plastic bottle and tilted it above her head, letting the water cascade down on her as she spoke. “But it doesn’t maintain or regulate the internal temperature. It only works one way.”
Beside her, Leo hummed in thoughtful agreement, but Piper was barely listening, and instead gaping at the most outrageous sight she's ever had the (mis)fortune to set eyes on, because oh my gods, only Annabeth could pull off being sweaty and gross and still manage to look hot while dumping water on herself. What the hell.
Piper tore her eyes away from the demigod, but her mind is haunted by the image of water trailing down tanned skin in rivulets and pooling in collarbones, dripping from fluttering eyelashes and over cheekbones and glittering in sun-bleached blonde hair—
“Piper?” Annabeth asked as she squeezed the dampness out of her ponytail. “Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.”
“We've seen far worse things than ghosts,” Leo commented offhandedly. Piper blinked and turned back to face Annabeth.
“Uh, yeah. I'm just... really tired.” What is wrong with me?! she wanted to scream.
“Hmm. Make sure you keep hydrated,” Annabeth replied, and her eyebrows were furrowed as she stood. "I'm going back. I'd better see you two over there soon," she added, walking back over the hill.
Piper let her head fall against the ground, exhaling sharply as she willed her rapid pulse to slow down and let her breathe. She wasn't sure if she felt relief at watching Annabeth leave or disappointment that she had. After a minute or so, she realized Leo was being suspiciously quiet and glanced over at him in confusion.
He grinned cockily. “Yeah Piper, listen to Annabeth. You don't want to get any thirstier.” He cackled manically and yelped when she lunged to jab him in the side.
“Shut up, Valdez.” Piper rolled back onto the sun-warmed grass and squinted up at the bright blue sky, trying to ignore the rapid increase in her pulse at the sound of Annabeth’s name. Was it that obvious? “It’s just the hot weather messing me up.”
Leo looked her over scrutinously, still rubbing at his tender side. “Really? The hot weather?” He pursed his lips. “It seems to me like you’re kinda gay for Annabeth. Just sayin’,” he added at Piper’s disbelieving snort.
“Annabeth’s my friend who just happens to be attractive, so what?” Piper said, and Leo looked like he wanted to interrupt, so she pressed on. “I’m comfortable enough in my sexuality to acknowledge that, at least. Plus, I’m not gay,” she declared firmly, closing her eyes against the harsh sunlight to finalize the statement.
Leo took a swig from his own water bottle, raising his eyebrows. “Okay, Pipes. Whatever you say.”
Okay, so maybe Piper was a little gay.
It was a breath before sunset, and the campers were gathered in the dining pavilion for a barbecue hosted by the Apollo cabin. It’s one of the few meals where Chiron and Mr. D allowed free seating, and Piper was ecstatic that she wouldn’t have to listen to Drew’s nagging throughout another meal, even though barbecue meant Piper was subject to eating corn on the cob for dinner. She promptly left the Aphrodite table in search of her friends shortly after Mr. D’s reluctant announcement.
Leo quickly picked her out in the crowd of campers swarming around the pavilion as they situated themselves at other tables. “Piper! Over here!” he called, waving her over with a rib in hand.
“Hey!” she called back, and squeezed into the seat next to him. It’s then that she noticed they were apparently at the Athena table, because aside from her and Leo, the majority of the campers surrounding her were Athena kids.
“Hey guys,” she said, waving to the other campers. They wave back cheerfully, and Malcolm grins at her. Piper swallows down a prickle of apprehension when she realizes Annabeth is directly across from her; even though Piper isn’t looking her way, she almost swears she can feel the weight of her stare.
She feels a tug of relief in her gut when they’re joined by Jason and Rachel shortly after. Rachel stares at Jason and Leo’s plates, piled high with barbecued ribs. “Gods. I don’t understand how you can eat meat,” she said, shuddering.
“Me neither,” Piper mumbled. They nod at each other understandingly.
Leo barked out a laugh, spraying half-eaten bits of rib onto the plate in front of him. “I don’t understand how you can live without it,” he replied through a mouthful of food. “I haven’t had good barbecue in ages.” He nudged Jason beside him. “Remember Coach Hedge’s wacky hamburgers?”
Jason smiled uncertainly as he moved his plate out of range of Leo’s spitting distance. “I had amnesia, Leo.”
Leo let out a low whistle and shook his head, ignoring Jason’s reminder. “I could never hold them down for more than ten minutes.”
“I do have to admit, the Apollo cabin knows how to make a good barbecue,” Annabeth commented, setting down a clean rib. “And the sauce is just—” she stuck a finger in her mouth and licked it clean— “heavenly.”
The others nodded vigorously as they continued devouring their ribs with the same gusto. Piper, on the other hand, found herself frozen in place as she watched Annabeth bring her thumb up to her mouth again and suck the tip clean of sauce. Not again, Piper thought weakly, and it was all she could do to hold back a whimper as Annabeth flicked her tongue out to lick at her pinky finger. Piper may have been a vegetarian, but damn if that sauce didn’t look good right now.
“Yo. Earth to Piper,” came Leo’s voice, stirring her out of her trance-like state. She was suddenly aware that everyone was staring, and quickly snapped her gaze away from Annabeth lest anyone noticed.
“Hmm?” Piper plastered an eager expression on her face, at which Leo scrunched his eyebrows together.
“What do you say to Annabeth’s suggestion of another test run of the Argo tomorrow morning?” he asked casually, but Piper spotted the tiny, knowing smirk tugging at his lips. She wanted to slap it off his face.
“Sure!” she answered, grinning brightly. She’d have to settle for slapping him later.
“That settles it, then,” Annabeth said and stood up, taking her plate with her. “I’m going to get some more food.” She headed towards the grill, currently being manned by a frantic Will Solace swarmed by hungry demigods, and Piper tried desperately not to stare at the way her orange tanktop showed off her defined shoulders.
One look across the table at Rachel’s expression, however, proved that she had failed in that attempt. “What,” Piper said irritably, even though she knew exactly what the Oracle was stifling her laughter about.
“Oh man, you really do have it bad,” Rachel whispered, and Piper thanked her lucky stars that they were sitting the edge of the table. Gods forbid Annabeth’s siblings overheard them. How did Rachel find out, though?
Piper shot Leo a look of open-mouthed betrayal, and he quickly flung his hands up again, speckling Jason with barbecue sauce. “I didn’t say anything!” he exclaimed.
Jason dabbed at his face with a napkin. “What did Leo say?” he asked, looking over curiously.
“Nothing,” Piper and Leo answered together. Jason looked only slightly taken aback, and continued to wipe away the sauce on his face.
“Don’t worry about it,” Rachel told Piper. “I’m just very observant.” She winked. Piper glanced nervously over to Jason to see if had heard, but he was either not interested or just oblivious as he dove back into his plate of ribs. Knowing him, it was probably the latter.
Piper smiled back at Rachel, but felt herself slowly unraveling inside as she pondered this new turn of events. Leo patted her on the back comfortingly. It didn’t help.
Jason found her in line for breakfast a few days later. “Hey, you ready?” he asked.
Piper just stared at him with the most deadpan expression she could muster and pulled a half-eaten bagel out of her mouth. “It’s barely dawn,” she said, gesturing at the pinkening sky behind her, “and I just woke up. What could I possibly have to be ready for?”
He grinned, wolfish. “Combat training.”
Piper’s eyes widened, but her indignant reply was cut off when someone plucked the bagel straight out of her hand.
“Morning, guys!” Annabeth greeted, biting teasingly into the bagel as Piper spun around in surprise. “That’s for stealing my toast last week!” She smiled and walked away with a bounce in her step, holding the bagel between her teeth as she reached up to tie back her blonde curls. Of course Annabeth would be a morning person.
Piper gaped after her in disbelief, then turned back to Jason. “What—”
“Annabeth’s teaching the class today,” he continued, as if nothing had happened. “So you definitely don’t want to miss it.”
Piper pouted. “Please don’t make me do this,” she wheezed.
“Relax, once you get your muscles warmed up, you’ll feel more awake!” Jason reassured her, stretching his arms in front of him and cracking his knuckles. “And there are plenty of other beginners in the class today, don’t worry.” He patted her on the shoulder and walked away.
“That’s not the problem,” Piper muttered, trudging through the grass after him.
Jason was right, though; there were plenty of other amateurs in the class besides her, and once they’d gone through the warm-up stretches Piper felt a little more awake than she had been fifteen minutes ago.
“Come and get some, McLean,” Leo taunted, hopping back and forth on the balls of his feet. Piper rolled her eyes.
“No thanks,” she said, and cut through his block, landing a swift jab on his shoulder.
He reeled back, squeaking in protest, but Piper ignored him to savor the small burst of pride. Ever since discovering she was a demigod, she’d felt insecure about her fighting skills compared to the others—the fact that some of them had been training like this for years was only slightly intimidating—and every bit of progress was a step forward for her.
“Very good, Piper!” rang Annabeth’s voice, a little too close to Piper’s liking. She nearly jumped where she stood, but managed to turn around and smile back, ignoring the way Leo grinned widely at her.
“You’ll want to bring your hands up a little higher, though,” Annabeth added, and reached around Piper’s shoulders carefully to reposition her wrists. “Just… like that.”
“Oh.” Piper swallowed thickly, suddenly very conscious of the extra body heat behind her and the burning grip of Annabeth’s hands on her skin. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she replied, and Piper nearly collapsed on the spot as Annabeth let out a warm breath against the back of her neck. The warmth didn’t leave Piper’s face even as Annabeth drew away to survey her stance.
There was a sudden commotion behind them and everyone turned towards the noise. “Hey, Clarisse, let go of Connor’s hair! Right now!” Annabeth spun on her heel and stormed across the arena to the squabbling demigods.
Piper chanced a glance at Leo and found him red-faced and spluttering as he attempted to hold back his laughter. She gave him her best death glare, despite her burning red face. “I hate you,” she hissed.
Leo shrugged. “I did tell you, Pipes.”
Piper was sure she’d had her fill of torture for the day, but of course, the Fates had other plans. There were barely ten minutes left in the class when Annabeth called out, “Piper! Can you come here for a sec?”
She looked up at the sound of her name and spotted Annabeth standing next to Lacy. “What’s up?” she asked, jogging over.
“I needed you because you’re about the same size and build as me,” Annabeth explained, “although a little shorter.” She tilted her head, a gesture that Piper found inexplicably cute, and smiled. “That doesn’t really matter, though. Okay Lacy, let me show you why your stance is so important in combat.”
Annabeth nodded at Piper, who quickly obliged to get into a defensive stance. “See, Lacy, even if you block well—” her fist moved towards Piper, who scrambled to block it— “it’s your stance that gives you the balance needed to stay on your feet.”
Piper frowned in confusion, still holding her arm against Annabeth’s. Too late, she realized Annabeth’s foot had hooked around the back of her knee, and the air was knocked out of Piper’s lungs as she fell to the ground. She stared up at Annabeth in disbelief, barely registering the sting of the impact in her back and tailbone.
Annabeth grinned playfully down at her, her hair dangling over her shoulder in its ponytail. Her gray eyes shone with amusement as her mouth sloped into a more apologetic smile. Piper felt heat rising in her face at the sight. “Sorry, I was supposed to catch you before you fell,” she said, clasping Piper’s hand to pull her up. “So anyway,” she turned to address Lacy, “that’s what could potentially happen in battle if you’re not careful enough. Do you understand?”
Lacy nodded, smiling shyly. “Thanks, Annabeth.”
“Of course,” Annabeth replied. She turned to Piper again and smiled. “Sorry, are you okay? Oh.” She reached out and brushed her thumb along Piper’s jawline. Piper could feel herself melting inside, and was sure it probably showed on her face.
“Um.” Her throat went dry.
“You had a little dirt there,” Annabeth said nonchalantly, dusting her hands off on her shorts. Before Piper could say anything, she turned around and yelled, “Alright, that’s it for today, guys! Remember to meet here next week, same time!”
The demigods sighed in relief and swarmed past them, eager to hit the showers before lunchtime, and carrying Piper away in the crowd. Leo appeared at her side and slapped her on the back, grinning widely.
“So. Seems like you’ve fallen hard, huh,” he chuckled.
Piper glared at him, a silent plea to shut up. He didn’t pay attention.
“She really swept you off your feet, too,” Leo remarked. “You look a little beat up. I don’t—oww!” Piper smushed her hand against his face, holding him at arm-length. “Watch the nose!”
After a flurry of last-minute preparations, they were on board the Argo II within the next week, en route for Camp Jupiter. Piper leaned her elbows against the railing, her hair whipping in the wind as Half-Blood Hill shrank away from view.
She considered heading back inside to check up on Leo and make sure things were going smoothly, even knowing there was little she could do except put out the occasional fire, when she felt someone lean on the rail next to her. Piper looked over and her heart leapt into her throat.
“Hey,” Annabeth said.
“Hey yourself,” Piper managed. She prayed that Annabeth couldn’t hear her pulse hammering in her chest.
“Are you nervous at all?” she asked, throwing Piper a side glance. Before she could reply, Annabeth continued, “I know I am.”
“Yeah, me too.” Piper stared down at the wispy clouds racing below them. “You must be excited to see Percy though, right?”
The way Annabeth’s expression lit up subconsciously at the mention of his name sent a little stab through Piper’s heart, which she ignored. “Of course,” Annabeth replied, smiling. “He’s…my best friend.”
The sinking feeling Piper felt was too prominent to ignore. She tried for a weak smile. “That must be nice, to date your best friend. Those are the best kinds of relationships, so I’ve heard.”
She expected Annabeth to say something like “yeah, it is” and gaze wistfully into the distance as she waited patiently to be reunited with her lover, but instead Annabeth stared at her like she had dropped out of the sky. “You think I’m dating Percy,” she said, more of a disbelieving statement than a question.
Piper blinked, taken aback. “Are you…not?” she asked. She had heard so many stories about them—Percy and Annabeth, the prize demigods of Camp Half-Blood—that she had put two and two together and assumed they were... well, together. It was hard not to, considering the rumors and gossip that had circled throughout the Aphrodite cabin daily.
Annabeth laughed, ducking her head between her arms before looking back up, flushed. “No, definitely not. Percy and I are just friends. Best friends.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“Oh.” Piper suddenly felt indescribably light as she fought down the giddy smile that was threatening to spread across her face. “That’s…good.”
Annabeth grinned and squinted at Piper almost teasingly. “Why is that a good thing?”
She shrugged, trying to appear casual. “Just…because.”
There was a brief moment in which Piper could feel Annabeth’s stare like a pressure between her shoulders. She swallowed as she racked her brain for anything to break the silence; maybe Leo or Coach Hedge would come racing along the deck at any moment or—
She’d been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed Annabeth imperceptibly shuffling closer. “You know, for a child of Aphrodite, you’re pretty dense,” Annabeth said.
Piper was immensely glad that the railing was supporting her because she’s sure her knees are about to give any second. “How so?” she asked, gazing into Annabeth’s clear gray eyes. They seem impossibly close, like stars.
Annabeth answers by tilting her head to graze her lips against Piper’s. She leaned back and smiled a bit at Piper’s dumbfounded expression. “See? Dense,” she whispered.
Piper blinked. She’s almost positive Annabeth can hear how loudly her heart is pounding as she takes it all in—their arms pressed against each other, the breeze whipping their hair around their faces, the smell of Annabeth’s shampoo, her eyes, piercing into Piper’s—
Piper smiled back. “I’m afraid I didn’t get the memo,” she replied.
Annabeth grinned, and leaned in to kiss her again.