This was just Swimming around in my head, and I had to get it out so I decided to post it. Probably a one shot. This is absolutely unrelated to my other story, Son of Neptune Rewrite, as of now. Later I might incorporate it. Please review!

Piper looked around for Jason. They had been at camp a few days, and it was all she had hoped and feared. The Romans were nice, and more welcoming than expected. Piper'd been worried they wouldn't like Annabeth, because she showed weakness, but that didn't seem to be a problem.

Annabeth was tough and strong, and the Romans seemed to like her even more than Leo and Piper combined, especially after they heard about some of her adventures and quests. It turns out Percy had regained his memory around the same time as Jason, and had been sharing a few stories. Piper had also heard a lot from the other Greek campers, but she could tell there was still a lot about Annabeth that Piper didn't know yet. She'd been at camp so long, and even those who knew the story of her arrival didn't really want to talk about it. Piper thought the Romans were really accepting them, and things were going great.

However, Piper had also learned that Jason was indeed involved with another girl. He wasn't "official" with either of them yet, but it didn't really help. Reyna, daughter of Venus, was beautiful, smart, funny, and super nice. Okay, maybe not all that smart, but, Piper had to admit, was still undeniably likable. Piper was competing with her half-sister, and a sister who had been nothing but nice to her since she arrived.

Piper continued to scan the beach for Jason, and when she didn't see him, she turned to go try the forest. Why he would be there, she had no idea, but she'd already tried everywhere else.

She turned and WHAM! ran right into a boy with muddy brown hair and chocalate brown eyes, maybe 13, 14 years old, who was scowling at a very definite point down the beach.

"Oh, Sorry!" Piper apologized and stepped to the side, but he barely seemed to notice her.

"S'okay," the boy said offhandedly, his eyes never straying from the spot.

Out of curiosity, Piper followed his gaze and she found she also could not look away.

There was Jason, but he wasn't alone. He was talking to tall girl with dark auburn hair whipped into a braid and a bow at her side.

She felt herself scowling, too. "Who is that?" she snarled, narrowing her eyes in on the girl as she laughed.

"Jason Grace." Piper was about to clarify that she had in fact been referring to the that piece of scum standing beside the amazing hero, but the boy just continued.

"Disgusting, isn't it? He was never like this before; don't know why he's changed now. Must be that Greek camp he was at. He's morphed into this… player. He and Reyna were this close to being a couple when Juno took him," the boy said, illustrating with his thumb and forefinger, "Then he comes back with some Piper girl on his arm." Piper stopped breathing, "I haven't met her, but people say she's pretty nice. How she got involved with someone like that I'll never know," he continued, gesturing towards the pair as they talked quietly. "And he just expects Reyna to follow him around, too. And she does!" he talked of this like it was some great evil that could not be defeated, "And now this!" he added with a tone of disgust. "I can't believe it! He didn't have to suck Sophie into this, too."

Piper stood there frozen, absorbing this. It wasn't Jason's fault he was so perfect! It's not like he had thrust himself upon her! Jason couldn't even remember Reyna when he'd met Piper! Just because he was too nice a guy to throw either girl aside…. It wasn't Jason's fault that those dark brown eyes were hitting on him! Piper was about to tell this guy just what was what, when he disrupted her train of thought.

"Sorry, I'm being rude. Ranting on before I've even introduced myself." the boy extended a hand, "I'm Dakota."

I took his hand, smiled, and, with contempt apparent in my voice, said, "'Some Piper girl,' evidently."

Dakota release my hand and stumbled, that pleasant look melting off his face to reveal extreme embarrassment underneath, "Oh, I'm so sorry." His face glowed scarlet, "I didn't realize."

About this time was when Jason and that girl noticed them and waved them over. They approached, Dakota shooting Piper guilty looks, which she then ignored.

"Hi, Dakota," the girl greeted him brightly, and then smiled warmly at Piper, "You must be Piper. Jason's told me so much about you." she winked at Jason.

"Did he?" Piper asked, beaming. Jason was talking about her, even to other girls! He must like her!

The girl nodded enthusiastically, "I'm Sophia, by the way."

"But you can call her Sophie, everyone does," Jason added.

"Or So," Dakota put in mischievously, "She really likes that."

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, I suppose you could call me that if you really wanted to. I don't really care."

"Oh, yes, you do. You just don't show it." Dakota grinned in a teasing manner.

Sophie (Piper decided to call her that, it was much better than So) fixed her stare on Dakota, looking directly at him. "If I was hiding something, Dakota, you wouldn't know it." She smiled knowingly.

"She has a point," Jason said, mostly to just stop Dakota, who by the look on his face was about to retort something back. Those two could go on all day! He turned to Piper, who was watching the exchange aptly, "Sophie's a daughter of Apollo, but you wouldn't know by looking at her. She's really good at blending into any situation, acting like anything or anyone. We use her in reconnaissance missions a lot." At this, Sophie blushed fiercely and shoved Jason gently into Piper. Piper couldn't pretend she didn't appreciate this, no matter how brief it was, no matter the reason, she liked that Jason had touched her.

"Stop it!" Sophie squealed. Oh, lovely, a squealer. Sophie did seem really nice, though- which made it even worse that she was so hard to hate.

"However, she has a small matchmaking problem," Sophie glared at Dakota, but got no response. "She also appears physically unable to brag in any way," Dakota continued in mock seriousness, "And is ridiculously non-violent to everything but monsters. In fact, I'm pretty shocked that she just pushed Jason."

"Like that's a bad thing," she smiled at Dakota, "Being non-violent. This is why I tend to avoid the Mars cabin as much as possible; unlike a certain someone I know who is clearly missing half his brain because he likes to provoke them." Sophie shook her head, "It's a wonder you're not dead already."

Dakota flashed a cocky smile back, "Yeah, I'm just cool like that."

And as Sophie rolled her eyes, Piper detected something.

Maybe it was the glint in Sophie's dark, warm brown eyes as they rolled up to the sky.

Maybe it was the way Dakota glanced at Piper when he said matchmaking.

Maybe it was how Jason turned pink at the same word.

Maybe it was the gleam in Sophie's eye as she pushed Jason into Piper.

Maybe it was the way Dakota scowled at Sophie and Jason together.

Maybe it was just her mom messing with her.

Maybe it was just Piper being jealous. But she thought, just maybe, that Sophie had no intention of dating Jason. In fact, Sophie may be helping her.

Yeah, so, I overused the word maybe just a smidge. I own nothing and no one except Sophie and Dakota. Well, actually I don't own Dakota's name but everything else about him is mine. Please Review!

Peace, Love, and Life

PLKBerry