~Percy Jackson: Heroes of Olympus~

POV:Piper – Mark of Athena Chapter One

5 days. That's how long it had taken Piper to get bored. Of course, she didn't tell anyone, she didn't want to hurt peoples' feelings. Leo had tried his hardest – and Piper gave him props for that – to make the Argo II as much like Camp Half-Blood as possible. But Piper was pretty sure even if he took the camp and made it fly it wouldn't be the same. Up in the air, there was no wildlife, except for the birds and the occasional flying pig. (Turns out mortals were wrong about that too.) Piper sighed, remembering when she had first arrived at camp.

The chariot came to a stop on top of a hill. Annabeth and Butch stepped off first, and Piper followed suit with Jason and Leo. When her feet touched the ground, Piper gasped.

Farther down the hill, there was a valley surrounded by forest. A lake could be seen glittering through the towering trees. A river wound its way through the valley. There were about twenty cabins , all in a U formation, all different colors and designs. Hundreds of people milled about, playing volleyball, attacking each other with swords that Piper hoped were fake. Annabeth seemed to notice her surprise and she grinned.

"Welcome to my home," she murmured. Maybe camp isn't too bad, Piper thought to herself, and she headed down the hill.

She sighed wistfully. Nothing like running from venomous monsters and angry woodland spirits to make you feel at home.

Piper stood at the railing, looking out at the scenery. The Argo II was peacefully gliding over the Atlantic Ocean. The sight of the peaceful, rolling waves caused Piper to be hit with another wave of nostalgia. She sighed.

"Pipes?" at the sound of her name she jumped. She hadn't expected anyone to be up this early; the sun was barely beginning to rise over the top of the clouds. The only reason Piper was up was because she was supposed to make sure Leo didn't fall asleep while working the ship. But, it's not very entertaining to watch him shake the wii controller and stuff his face with candy and chips, so she went outside to get some fresh air.

She turned, expecting to see Jason, but found herself looking into a pair of bright green eyes, carefree and assuring, resembling the ocean at its most beautiful. Percy laughed, and Piper felt herself relax. Percy could do that to people. (she had been told multiple times)

"What're you doing up this early, Beauty Queen?" he asked with a smile. Piper felt herself grinning.

"I could ask you the same thing, Aqua Boy; besides, it's my turn to make sure Leo doesn't explode of sugar intake. Why are you up?" she smiled to herself, enjoying his new nickname. Percy just shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep, as usual, so I came up here to relax and I found you." Piper could tell he wasn't lying. His unruly black hair was knotted and crazier than usual, and dark circles lined his eyes. Oh and the fact that he was wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajamas was a big hint too.

"Which one's your favorite?" she asked innocently, pointing at his shirt. Percy narrowed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, blushing, and he turned away, but Piper swore she heard him mutter Michelangelo. He came up to the railing and put his hands next to Piper's. She glanced at his face.

His eyes were shining and he looked like a little kid coming home after a long vacation. A small lopsided grin peeked through his lips, and he sighed, the waves calming down, as if worshipping his presence.

They stayed like that for a while, staring out at the water as the sun slowly rose into the sky, turning it a rosy pink. Piper finally sighed. Percy glanced over at her, his eyebrows raised, and she found herself blushing.

"Sorry I'm just really bored," she said. Percy pouted.

"Am I seriously that bad?" he whined. They shared a laugh again, but Piper stopped abruptly when she saw him start to smile the "Leo smile." The look you get right before you end up with a homemade salsa bomb dripping down your face.

"Percy," she warned. He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Fine, fine. If you don't want to go have some fun than that's fine with me," he said, and he turned back to face the ocean.

Curiosity got the better of Piper. She inched forward until she was next to Percy again. When she looked over at him, his eyes were closed and he was muttering something she couldn't hear. She cleared her throat and his eyes shot open.

"Um, so what did you want to show me?" Silence. Piper turned, and Percy was gone. "Percy-" she was stopped when two hands grabbed her under her armpits and she was lifted into the air. Before she could scream at him or call for help, he whispered in her ear.

"See you in a few, Pipes," then Percy's hands disappeared and Piper plummeted towards the ocean.