Leo's POV

So it's New Years Eve morning, and Calypso and I are sulking in Bunker 9. Why are we sulking one day before the new year in a dangerous workshop that has a high probability of spontaneously combusting any minute, instead of planning a kick-podex party with illegal fireworks and a disco ball? Well, let me tell you.

The Argo ll crew has planned to go to Times Square to watch the ball drop. I know you're probably thinking, Oh but Leo! You know how many people dream of doing that? You should be excited! Well, I'm not. Don't get me wrong, I love a wild party as much as the next guy. But Times Square is an absolute mad house. I like fun, not chaos. Plus, Calypso isn't real fond of crowds, and you can't blame her. She spent a millennia alone on an island except for magical wind spirit-servants and the occasional hot, heroic dude (I was one of those dudes, mind you). So yeah, Calypso really wasn't looking forward to this, therefore I really wasn't looking forward to this. The result: we sulk.

When we first decided to go do this, isn't sounded like a great idea. Going to Times Square to kick of the New Year? Yay! I thought this might be a good way to help transition Calypso into 21st Century America. Now I see that it's a little over the top. Plus, we couldn't exactly tell our friends no. Curse you, peer pressure! So now we're stuck doing this.

I heard a dull thunk thunk on the heavy door of Bunker 9.

"I'll get it," I grumbled, standing up. I opened the door and was met by Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Percy, Frank, and Hazel.

"Ready?" Hazel asked excitedly.

"As I'll ever be," I muttered under my breath and then said louder, "Yep! Let me just go get Caly."

Within a few minutes, the eight of us were piled in the Camp Halfblood Delphi's Strawberries van. Percy was driving, Annabeth in the front with him, me, Calypso, and Jason in the middle, and Frank, Hazel, and Piper in the back. It was cozy. Hopefully I didn't sneeze flames again. That sometimes happens when I have a cold.

Percy said we needed to leave so early because all of New York becomes a zoo during this time. If we wanted a good place to stand, we had to get there way ahead of time. I'm super excited to be crammed with a bunch of strangers on the street for hours with no bathroom. Not.

"Hey Leo," Piper said.

"Whazzup?"

"You're on hug duty."

"I'm on what now?"

"Hug duty," she restated. "Like, when any of us get cold, you have to warm us up. Because the whole fire thing."

"Oh, yeah, sure." All I could picture was me sitting under a sign that said "FREE WARM HUGS", while all the New Yorkers lined up in front of me. Maybe I could even recruit Frank. He could, like, become a polar bear or something so two people could get hugs at once.

"As long as you hug me the most," Calypso whispered to me.

"Sure thing, Sunshine," I replied, just as quiet. Jason must have heard us though, because he wiggled his eyebrows at me. So I gave him a mature response: I stuck my tongue out.

Percy turned up the radio after that, and the eight of us sat in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was comfortable, like we didn't have to say anything to fill the space. Well, up until Piper started singing.

 I didn't know any of the songs that were playing, but Piper knew them all. She sang on her own for about five songs. She has a great voice, and we were all content to just listen. Then, "Thanks for the Memories" by Fall Out Boy came on. Pretty soon, all eight of us were screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs. It was painfully loud, painfully off pitch, and painfully awful, but it was also painfully fun. Like that feeling you get when something is so great, you never want it to end but you know it will soon.  After the song was over, we decided that we should do that more often. Go hide in Bunker 9 (which is soundproof) and blare the music.

In no time at all, we were already in Manhattan. Perks of ADHD. Percy said he was going to park near the apartment complex that his family lived in and we could walk the rest of the way to Times Square. So the eight of us trekked through the bustling streets, laughing the whole time. Percy and Jason were daring each other that they could carry their girlfriends on their backs all the way there. Before they were even done talking, Annabeth jumped on Percy's back. It surprised him and nearly knocked him over. Piper hopped on Jason's back, and the rest of us just laughed at them.

The girls tired out before the boys did. Something about how it was uncomfortable, I don't know. Annabeth got down from Percy slightly before Piper did to Jason, so the two of them fought about who won.

"Annabeth was on me first!" Percy protested.

"Yeah but she got down first! It evens out!" Jason countered.

Once we arrived where the party was at, we milled around a bought a bunch of junk food. 

"FONZIES!" I screamed when I saw my favorite Italian snack on a vendor. I immediately rushed to buy a bag or seven.

"Why do they even sell these here?" Frank asked. "They aren't anywhere else in America."

"Don't complain, Zhang," I told him through a mouthful of cheesy goodness.

Finally, midnight rolled around. The night hadn't been as bad as I thought it would be a little while ago. It had been uber fun just chilling with my friends and girlfriend.

When the ball dropped, I leaned down and kissed Calypso, who was in my arms. I kissed her for longer than I care to admit. Actually, not really. I would willingly admit to just about anyone.

"New Year's resolution," she said when we pulled away. "Go places with our friends more often."