"Dude, are you serious??" Leo asked through the phone, after school. Annabeth had ignored him all day after the incident.

"Yeah," Percy said, walking around nervously, "I swear."

"So my plan worked?" Leo asked. "The video actually worked?"

Percy sighed but told Leo that his plan did actually work.

"I'm sensing a but," Leo said. "What is it?"

Percy sighed sadly into the voice. "We saw... something today," he decided on saying. "It-it made her think that she wasn't ready to be with me. To deal with me."

"Ouch," Leo responded. "You okay, man?"

Percy took a deep breath to avoid his voice from cracking. "Yeah, she'll probably get over the feeling and come back anyway, right?"

"Yeah..." Leo said. "Right."

Percy wiped his eye. Not because of tears. No. Simply because... his eye was itchy.

"Anyway..." Leo said, "I have some good news to... enlighten the mood."

At least there was that. "Hit me with it."

"Do you remember that girl I told you about? The one in my history class?"

"Oh, yeah? Calypso, right? What about her?"

Leo paused for dramatic effect. "I asked her out."

Percy gasped but smiled, too. Leo, apparently, had had a crush on Calypso for the longest time. "You did not."

Leo laughed into the device. "She said yes."

Percy's jaw dropped. Calypso was an amazingly beautiful girl way out of Leo's league. She was nice and funny and caring. She was great for Leo. Leo was great for her. At least Leo's love life was going well. "DUDE!" Percy said, overenthusiastically. "That's awesome! Since when?"

"Since today. I left a not on her desk. Wrote the question in morse code. Ahh... she thought it was so romantic..."

"Leo," Percy began, "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?"

"What?" Leo asked, oblivious to the fact that no one asks anyone out with morse code.

"Bro, who the hell asks a girl out with morse code?" Percy yelled into the phone.

"Well, at least I had the balls to actually ASK HER OUT," Leo said, laughing on the other line. "Unlike someone I know."

"Ouch, dude," Percy said. "That hurt, man."

Then, silence.

Another minute passed.

"So," Percy decided. "Got any plans for Winter break?"

Percy could practically see the excitement on his face, without really seeing him.

"Well," Leo began, "My dad is taking me to Canada (A/N: WHERE MY CANADIAN PEEPS AT?) and I'm really excited since Canada is awesome. We're going on our annual camping-in-winter-time trip. Then, we're gonna go ice-fishing and stay at a hotel, and then, FINALLY, we're gonna go to his pal's workshop in Quebec. And then we're coming back and my dad's dropping me off at my abuela's house to spend the last three days with her."

"Wow," was all Percy could muster. "You're doing all that? All I'm doing are my swim competitions... But, will you be back to watch the countdown with us?"

"Nah, man, sorry. Ever since my mom died, I always spend New Years with my abuela."

"Oh," Percy said, a little disappointed. "That sucks. But, hey, at least I won't be getting headaches when you're gone."

"Shut up, Jackson," Leo yelled at the end of the other line. "I'm so excited for school to end! Tomorrow's our last day! But I can't believe that there are only 10 days left until a new year begins..."

"I know right?" Percy asked. "It's crazy!"

"Percy," his mom shouted from downstairs, "someone's at the door for you!"

"Okay, mom! I'm coming!" he yelled back. Then to Leo, he said, "I gotta go, man. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay, bye, Percy."

"Bye, Leo," Percy said and hung up. He ran downstairs. His mom was in the kitchen making supper.

And sitting on his couch, with a smirk on their face, was none other than...