Lost In Memories and Curses (PJO HOO STORY)

CHAPTER 13: PARTY TIME BABIES!

FRANK POV

I called it.

I knew it from the very beginning: we should NOT have let Leo and Piper be in charge of a slumber party. I don't even know why we allowed the charmspeaking daughter of Venus and the hyperactive human torch son of Vulcan to even be in charge of our fate.

And then I saw Percy and Annabeth, curled up together on the floor, simply surviving solely on each other's presence.

So I said nothing.

Less than an hour later, blankets and pillows were scattered all across the floor and plates of various foods were scattered around: Leo's famous tacos that were ridiculously good (not that I'd admit it to his face), blue treats on behalf of Percy (though I still don't know the reason behind it), and a bunch of other mini sandwiches and snacks.

We all took a seat on the floor, our weapons out and to our side just in case of an attack, but relaxed nevertheless.

"Hello everyone and welcome to Leo and Piper's slumber party. Please keep your head and arms inside the boat at all times. Enjoy the night!" Leo said, with a weird flight attendant accent, through a mini microphone he literally just made from the stuff he pulled out of his tool belt. That thing was crazy cool.

We all just sat together, munching on food as we just talked and joked around. I had my arm around Hazel and she leaned into me. We tried to steer the conversation away from anything to do with the war and monsters.

At some point, we all started to list just some random facts about ourselves.

"Did you know I actually got arrested once? I stole a 6kg gold necklace from a lady. My father covered it up so no one knew, but I spent my night at the station!" Piper exclaimed, laughing so badly she almost choked on the pizza slice she was trying to simultaneously eat. Percy started to laugh a lot too, a light filling his eyes none of us had seen ever since he returned.

"No way, really Pipes? Me too!" Percy said, shocking everyone, including Annabeth.

"What Seaweed Brain? You got arrested? For what?!"

"Oh it was nothing, just breaking and entering," Percy said so nonchalantly, as if it was just a normal thing. "It was a... rough day to say the least so I just walked right out of my house, slammed the door on Gabe, and went to go skateboard somewhere. Most of the rinks were closed, but I knew a secret way in. Got caught."

Everyone laughed at that one. Percy as a skater boy. I could actually totally see that. He's a New Yorker, right? I could just imagine him with his black beanie as he rolled through the rough streets of Manhattan.

"Mom got so pissed at me that day!" Percy choked out in between his laughter. He suddenly turned sad. "Gods, Annie, when was the last time I even talked to her? I gave her that one phone call in Alaska, but after that... Gods, she must be so worried about me!"

Though his face looked normal and composed, a skill he sadly had to force himself to learn, I could tell he was freaking out on the inside. The relationship Percy had with Sally was so deep, Olympus and the Underworld combined could not destroy it.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll call her tomorrow. It's kind of late now, but first thing tomorrow we'll call her, okay?" I told him, the others nodding their heads in agreement.

"Yeah, okay, yeah thanks man. Sorry for killing the mood, continue!"

We just went 'round in circles, sharing silly tale after tale.

The Gods must have been protecting us today, I thought, because luckily we didn't face any monster attacks.

Seeing Percy and Annabeth so fragile and weak was something I could never unsee. Everyone really stepped up when they fell into Tartarus, but none of us could forget the fact that our leaders were gone. They were unofficial, yes, but we all knew Percy and Annabeth were the head of the team. Percy is what connected us together, helped us with fighting and morale. Annabeth was the strategy.

An unbeatable team.

And then they fell into Tartarus and came back with wounds that none of us knew how to heal. When they pretended like they were getting better, it almost felt like that rift was healing on the ship.

And then everything fell apart.

They weren't okay. They weren't healing.

And then I realized I couldn't be so selfish as to want them to be okay so they can lead us. They are just kids too.

We all are.

"Okay, what should we do next?" Leo exclaimed when the conversation dwindled, snapping me out of my thoughts, rubbing his hands in a crazy manner. Again, that boy and sweets should not go together. "Oh! How could we have forgotten the classic slumber party game!"

"TRUTH OR DARE!" Piper screamed in excitement, filling in the blanks.

Oh no... I know for a fact (and from personal experience) that truth and dare is not good with a bunch of superpowered teenagers.

Within this group? 7 demigods that have been stuck on a flying warship for weeks now with no other form of entertainment other than, well, talking to each other?

I'm doomed.

Goodbye world.

"I'll go first," Annabeth said, sitting up straight. "Hazel, truth or dare?"

"Um, dare?" Hazel replied tentatively, looking a little nervous. I was the one that explained to her what this game us but, I, uh, may have used a few unpleasant adjectives. What! Truth or dare really is a fight for survival with all the crazy stuff you have to do here!

"I dare you to..."

We played for hours, each of us taking turns eating random combinations of condiments from the kitchen or running around the boat screaming with their whole body lit on fire (guess who did the last one).

We ended up sleeping ridiculously late, I think between 3 or 4 in the morning. It was worth it though, the smile on their faces made it worth it.

They're going to get better, I know it.

That was, well, until the morning.