Olympian

13: Warm Bonding

Annabeth POV

I knew their conversation didn't go according to plan. I could see it in the way Rachel walked back to her tent with a glum face. Percy went to his tent early too without interacting with his friends for the night; his face was written with worry.

This was not the point of this camping trip. I planned this event to give Percy a break from stress and worry. He's been working so hard juggling swimming, school, and a social life.

"Seaweed Brain," I whispered aloud and sighed.

"What's that, Annabeth?" Thalia asked.

She was close enough to hear what I said. I pulled her to the side and explained what happened. For some reason, I felt caught in the middle of it.

"Annie, it's not your job to do damage control. Since when did you care so much about Percy?" she asked seriously.

I froze at the question, not expecting it.

"I don't know," I responded. For once in my life, I felt stumped at a question, and Percy was the cause. Somehow, he had creeped into the small bubble I constructed for myself. I found myself worrying about his well-being and his happiness.

"Well, you don't need to do anything about Rachel and Percy,' Thalia repeated. "I'm worried about Percy too. However, it's not our problem and it's not our drama. It's better not to be involved with other people's relationships."

"You're right," I responded.

We returned to the campfire to find Piper holding Leo captive against the fire. Leo was fearing for his life as Piper threatened to lower him further. Everyone was screaming about how dangerous it was, but Piper seemed committed to extracting information from Leo.

"Admit it, Leo. I know you have a crush on her," Piper shouted.

"I DON'T, Okay," Leo screamed.

He tried fighting against Piper, but her arms had him pinned close to the fire. You could see the sweat dripping from Leo's face, which was right in front of the flames. For someone who loves fire so much, Leo didn't seem to fond of it now.

"Are you talking about the new girl, Calypso," I started.

"YES," they both screamed before Piper elaborated, "It's so obvious that Leo likes her, but he's not putting his feelings into the world or (at least) to his best friends. Leo, if you admit it, then we can help you set something up."

"You might as well give in, Leo," Jason laughed. "You know how Piper is."

Leo took a deep swallow of smoky air before admitting the truth. "Okay, okay. I like Calypso. Are you happy now?"

"Very happy," Piper shared a satisfied smug. She turned around, releasing Leo, who fell to the ground next to the fire.

"YOU ARE ALL MONSTERS," Leo screamed between breaths.

Regardless of that minor dangerous incident, the rest of the night consisted of teasing Leo about his crush. Calypso was a really nice girl from what I've seen. She was a worthy crush for Leo. Piper and hazel made it a goal to create plans to set Leo and Calypso up.

Leo eventually gave in and went with the flow.

***

The next day consisted of hiking, playing games, and lounging around. Camping isn't really meant to be filled with activity. It's more an effort to get away from life. Our trip proved to be a productive event for doing just that.

I have to admit that the camping was meant for everyone, not just Percy. We're all seniors in high school, and we have a lot going on. All of us are working on college applications or looking for jobs to fill a gap year. It's stressful for all of us even if we aren't a nationally ranked swimmer.