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DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN PLOT IS MINE

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Piper's POV

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   Piper groaned, waking up. Her eyes fluttered open before closing quickly, the sunlight from above too much to bear. The first thing she noticed was how high in the sky the sun was. It's probably almost noon. The second thing she noticed was how uncomfortable she was, lying on her back on solid ground. The third thing she noticed was the weight of an arm, draped across her stomach. What...? Turning to her right she was startled to see Annabeth lying next to her, her face close to Piper's own, and her body facing Piper. She looks so peaceful like this, Piper thought. Beautiful even.

"Annabeth," She spoke softly, starting to sit up and moving Annabeth's arm off her. Annabeth's eyelids fluttered and she whispered.

"Percy..."

Piper sighed. She didn't want to have to wake Annabeth up. She turned to look behind her when she thought she heard something. Voices... Holy Hera! They must be looking for us!

"Annabeth! Wake up!" Piper spoke, urgency laced in her voice. Annabeth opened her eyes.

"Huh...? Wha—Oh my Gods!" She stood up suddenly, panic in her eyes and a hint of red rising to her cheeks. "We slept here all night? The others must be looking! Any thoughts could be going through their minds right now. What if they think something happened to us? What if they think something happened between us?" Piper felt heat rising to her cheeks at that last comment. Annabeth must have realised something because Piper saw her turn away, also blushing.

"Well," Piper started, "I did hear voices just a few seconds ago. That's why I woke you up quickly. Plus they probably think something happened to us. Also, we did kinda fall asleep here...Together..."

"Yeah, but...Just as best friends...Ya know—Wait what was that?" Annabeth fixed her attention towards the trees behind them, opposite the horizon and the cliff. Yep...Just as best friends...Because that's what we are. Best friends as we will always be. Nothing more. Piper thought. But despite how much she thought this, she couldn't help but feel sad at the idea. The idea of only being best friends and nothing more with Annabeth.

Piper was quickly pulled from her thoughts when Annabeth grabbed her arms, a panicked look on her face.

"Piper! I can hear voices coming this way. What do we do?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the smart one here!"

"Yeah but... I don't know."

Piper laughed. "Annabeth Chase, not knowing something? That's a first." Annabeth scowled and playfully slapped Piper's arm. "Shut up McLean. Still, we need to do something."

"Do something? Like what? Whoever's coming this way will be here in a matter of a few seconds now. What are we panicking about again anyways?"

"That when they find out something bad hasn't happened to us they'll think something we did something...together?"

"Ah." They were silent for a few seconds, not meeting each other's eyes.

Piper so desperately wanted to say something, anything. Wanted to look into those eyes like grey diamonds but couldn't.

"Hey, Piper?" Annabeth's voice spoke, suspicion in her voice.

"Yeah...?"

"It's gone awfully quiet, don't you think?" Now that Piper thought about it, it had gone quiet. Surely whoever we heard would have been here by now.

Piper watched as Annabeth casually leaned down and picked up a stone off the ground, twirling it between her fingers, almost absent-mindedly. Her face still held the suspicious expression, but a slight gleam in her eyes was all Piper needed to tell Annabeth was up to something.

"You don't think they could've gone back, surely?" Piper asked, pretending she didn't know Annabeth was planning something. I know what she suspects is up.

Annabeth shook her head. Her eyebrows furrowing in thought. Or fake thought anyways.

"No.... Whoever we heard wouldn't have gone back. We were probably talking loud enough for anyone within our hearing range to hear us. They're probably—" Quick as a flash, Annabeth spun around. Piper watched the rock that Annabeth had been holding leave her hand as she threw it into the tree line. A string of curse words and rustling leaves could be heard from the trees.

Piper smiled. "Genius." Annabeth smiled back before turning back to the trees and shouting.

"Come out whoever is hiding! If you don't, I'm just gonna have to go round camp threatening everyone until you come out." She seemed to wait a second as more leaves rustled before adding, "And I'm no fool. I know there's a group of you there, not just one person."

A few more muffled curse words could be heard before they heard someone speak.

"Dammit. I told you guys this was a bad idea watching," A voice whispered.

"Heh. This was a Dam bad idea."

"What is with you, Percy and Grover and saying damn?"

"Come on guys, we might as well just step out of the shadows," Another argued.

All while this whispered conversation was going on, Piper and Annabeth stood there, silent. Piper looked over at Annabeth and caught her eyesight. She raised her eyebrow in question and Annabeth, catching on, just rolled her eyes, smiling. Definitely Reyna, She mouthed. Then Thalia.

And Leo, Piper mouthed back. Frank was last.

They both turned back to where their friends were hiding when the leaves rustled. Reyna and Hazel emerged from the trees, looking annoyed.

"Sorry you two," Hazel apologised, "We shouldn't have been spying on you."

"It was honestly getting annoying waiting while the others went ahead with their idea." Reyna spoke.

"It's fine," Annabeth spoke. "Though, the others should probably come out of the bushes now." Her voice raised at the end, sounding as if she were scolding a child.

Frank came out first looking embarrassed, followed by a dejected looking Thalia and Leo. Calypso walked out next to Leo, but judging by the annoyed look on her face and the guilty look on Leo's, she was in the same boat as Hazel and Reyna.

"Sooo...," Annabeth started, "Care to explain why you were spying on us?"

"Well—"

"Shut up Valdez!" Thalia interrupted Leo. She grinned before continuing. "No reason. We were, however, looking for you two because we thought something had happened to you."

Annabeth looked at Thalia, with an unconvinced expression on her face.

"If it helps," Hazel piped up, "Frank, Calypso and I definitely thought something had happened. Of course, Leo and Thalia made a point of telling us what they thought and we were curious." She looked down, guiltily. Annabeth turned to Thalia and Leo, her eyes narrowing more if possible, and crossed her arms.

"What, exactly did you think happened? Wait...Oh..." She glowered at Thalia and Leo, red rising to her cheeks. It took a few seconds before Piper caught on. Fighting to stop blush rising to her own cheeks, she changed the subject, addressing what had caught her attention before.

"Hey, Leo, did you and Calypso arrive this morning?"

"Oh yeah! We've set up our own repair shop." Leo exclaimed.

Calypso nodded. "Yeah, finally settled down somewhere. Of course, Leo wanted to visit Camp again so that's why we're here for a couple days."

"Yep. We even somehow found a place close by. Near Percy's house in fact." Piper noticed how at the mention of Percy, Annabeth's eyes darkened. The others seemed to notice too but Leo didn't as he continued. "We stopped by. He said to mentioned, specifically to Annabeth, that he would be coming back to Camp in about a week."

By the end of his talk, everyone was looking at Annabeth in worry. Her eyes had darkened more and looked more like rough storm clouds than grey diamonds. They shined with something that could have been tears, but when she spoke, her voice came out strong and laced with venom.

"Well, next time you see Percy, ask him why he's decided to come to Camp now and why he couldn't have just talked to me himself. He has drachmas. I know he does." She sprinted towards the trees, quickly disappearing.

Piper was too shocked to move after her, and by the looks on the other's faces, the same was for them. There was a look of confusion and guilt on Leo's face.

"What did I say wrong?" He asked.

"Her and Percy have... been having issues," Hazel spoke softly.

"You've been away recently so you haven't noticed," Piper heard Thalia add.

Piper had to do something. She knew that Annabeth really wasn't mad at Leo. Or Percy. She was just frustrated that her and Percy were growing distant, after all the things she'd been through with him. Piper knew from what had happened between her and Jason. Only Annabeth and Percy's relationship had always been more genuine than her and Jason.

Shaking her head, she took off to the trees, disappearing into them. Leaving her friends behind.