For @MsAna168 - the OC is hers (Midnight)

•∞•∞•∞•∞•∞•

A light dusting of snow covered the ground at camp, just enough to coat everything so it looked like it'd been dipped in powdered sugar. Campers, especially the younger ones, squealed and laughed as they played outside in the snow. Dryads decorated their trees, and even Mr. D had been persuaded to let the younger campers decorate the Big House- and so they did, clumsily mummifying it in lights and twisting the garlands around.

And where were you in the midst of these festivities?

Hiding in your cabin, reading a book.

Christmas was just a time of broken memories and promises long forgotten.

You set your book down, unable to concentrate on it any longer, and sank into a memory.

•∞•∞•∞•∞•∞•

"Percy!" Seven-year-old you giggled. "Stop!"

He pretended to scowl fiercely. "Not until you admit it!"

"NEVER!" You attempt to defy him longer, although you sensed that more resistance was futile.

"You asked for it!"


He begins to tickle you mercilessly, until you gasp and beg for mercy.

"Okay, okay! Cookies are better than brownies!"

"Haha! Finally!" He raises his hands in triumph. "The almighty Percy Jackson wins again!"

Percy's mom comes in, smile soft and kind. "Okay, who wants cookies?"

"Me!" you both scream, bumping and jostling each other in a race for the kitchen.

•∞•∞•∞•∞•∞•

"Hey!" your best friend enters the room, startling you out of your stupor. "Why aren't you doing anything?"


You wave. "Oh, hey, Midnight."

"Well?" she taps her foot impatiently. "We haven't got all day."

You sigh. Your best friend was... energetic. And since she was your best friend, it was your job to curb her. " 'Night, we didn't plan anything."

"We've got to train the younger campers, clear the snow from beneath the lava wall, help your siblings decorate the G/P Cabin, decorate the Poseidon Cabin-"

"Woah woah woah hey hey hey!" you interrupt. "I never agreed to this!"

"Oh well yeah... about that- I signed us both up for those things. As for the Poseidon cabin, well, Percy's a horrible decorator, so I figured that you'd help me out..." she gives you her best pleading eyes.

"Ugh, fine," you groan, ignoring the way your stomach twists at the mention of Percy's name. "Anything else we've got to do, ma'am?"

"Oh, yes," Midnight gives you a grin that makes you doubt her sanity. "Piper and I are setting you up with Percy."

•∞•∞•∞•∞•∞•

"Midnight!"

"What?"

"You can't throw snowballs at the campers attempting to climb the lava wall!"

"And why not? Maybe it'll cool them down." She shrugs, clearly unrepentant.

You stare at her mouth agape, questioning your life choices when you picked her as a friend.

".... You know what? Never mind."

•∞•∞•∞•∞•∞•

"Um, Y/N? A little help here?"

You round the corner to the front of the Poseidon Cabin and burst out laughing, doubling over.

Your best friend was entangled in the Christmas lights, some of them flickering weakly.

"How did you... never mind. I don't want to know."

As you set to work on a task that will probably be very time-consuming, one thought crosses your mind.

"And you say Percy's bad at decorating."

"Hey!"

•∞•∞•∞•∞•∞•

You sigh, taking in the sight of your siblings.

"How have I lived with them for so long?"

"I don't know." A familiar voice was at your side.

You whirl around, hand instinctively groping for dagger. "Percy?!"

"Whoa, there! No need to decapitate me!"

"What is your problem?!"

He stares at you, completely oblivious. "What do you mean?"

You lose it. 

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean?' You were my best friend for seven years, Percy. Seven. Freaking. Years. And then you just up and disappear, and you didn't think to ever get a message to me, never thinking that your best friend might be worried sick."

You pause to take a breath.

"And then I come here, to this camp, and what do you know? You are here. My best friend who went missing all those years before, who I spent many sleepless nights worrying about, the one whom I trusted, Percy."

Your voice drops down, barely a whisper. "But you? You forgot me. You were all happy here, with a girlfriend, for Hades' sake! You had new friends, Percy. Ones that you chose over me. So don't expect to just waltz over here and I'll forgive you and everything will be well again."

You turn to leave, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry. Before you go, a strong hand catches your wrist. "Y/N. Please. Believe me when I say I wanted to come, I wanted to talk to you, I wanted to stay your friend."

"But how could I bring you into... this?" He gestures around him. "A lot of the people closest to me have gotten hurt, Y/N. I couldn't let you come into this... I couldn't, wouldn't hurt you."

"Percy, I-"

"And then you came here." He continues, completely ignoring you. "And I was overjoyed but then I saw you having fun, being happy... without me. And I thought, maybe she is happy without me. Maybe I wasn't a good friend. So I left you alone, but only because you seemed happy in your life without me."

"Perce..."

"And that so-called girlfriend? We're just friends."

"Percy, what are you trying to say?"


"Can we please, please, please be friends again?"

"...Okay."

"Finally!" Midnight saunters up to you. "It's about time!"

She abruptly stiffens. "Time...."

Midnight turns and runs, yelling, "PIPER! PHASE ONE ACCOMPLISHED!"

"Well then..." He turns to you. "That was awkward."

"Don't look at me- she's your sister."

"Well, she's your best friend."

"... Tóuche."

And the two of you slip easily into the childhood banter the two of you once shared.

•∞•∞•∞•∞•∞•

"Y/N!" Piper, Leo, and Midnight run up to you.

Oh no... Midnight and Leo cause things to explode. With Piper's charmspeak... they're a force to be reckoned with.

You resist the urge to scream and run. "Hey Leo, Pipes, 'Night," nodding to each of them in turn. "How're you all doing?"

Leo flashes you a thumbs up and grins. "Never better."

Piper smacks him. "We're getting off topic, Leo."

"Oh, right! Right! I knew that."

He turns to you. "Hey, Y/N, I need some help in Bunker Nine tonight. With Christmas Eve tomorrow, a lot of people are doing last-minute Christmas gift shopping."

"Um... okay?" You didn't understand why he asked you. You weren't the most gifted with you hands- you could scrape by, but you definitely wouldn't complain about it. You were glad for the work.

"Great! See you there!" The three of them run off to pounce on a different victim.

•∞•∞•∞•∞•∞•

Leo sets his hand upon the limestone cliff, fingers smoldering.

"Yep, okay, so just go in there, yeah, okay, so.. yeah." 

Leo was acting more hyperactive than usual. Dismissing it as a sign of too much Christmas candy, you foolishly stepped in.

Only to have the door swing shut behind you, leaving you in darkness.

"Leo?" A familiar masculine voice called out.

"No, it's me, Y/N."

"Oh. That idiotic Repair Boy tells me that he needs my help, then he just locks me in here! I mean, what kind of a person does that?"

During Percy's rant, you try to move towards his voice, cursing when you bump your shins on something. "Do you know how we can turn the lights on?" you ask, stopping his monologue.

"Oh... right."

Rolling your eyes at his idiocy, you squint your eyes as the lights- a combination of fluorescent lights and wall-mounted torches- flickered on, displaying a single, solitary note folded up, glaringly obvious in the light. You unfold it, and stumble through the note, which is thankfully written in Ancient Greek.

Dear Y/N, (assuming it's Y/N 'cause we all know Percy's a Kelp Head)

We've locked you in. Muahahahahaahaha! Okay, but anyway... there's a simple way to let yourself out.

You simply have to do what we say. Starting with this:

Look Up.

Your best friends (and best matchmakers)

Midnight and Piper

You craned your head to look up at the shadowy ceiling, and swore softly under your breath.

"Styx."

"What is it?" Percy had made his way to you squinting to decipher the note- his Ancient Greek skills were probably a little rusty.

*cough cough didn't exist cough cough*

You decided to put poor Percy out of his misery and tell him the contents of the note. "Percy, look up."

He tilts his face upwards. "Y/N, why are there... plants taped to the ceiling?"

"Percy..."

"What?"


"Those plants..."

"... yes?"

"They're mistletoe."