Polympian || PJatO || Stollico || Lover of Olympus: The Demigod Journal || Pipabeth || PJatO || Jaseo

Title: The Demigod Journal – Hestia's Comfort

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; between Lost Hero and Son of Neptune in my 'Lover of Olympus'-verse, thus between Lost Lover and Champion of Venus

PJatO Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, of course. They are all copyright by the old Greeks. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shoujo-ai, fluff, shounen-ai, hetero

Main Pairing: Piper/Annabeth

Side Pairings: Lou/Miranda, Jason/Leo, Travis/Nico, Paul/Sally, Chris/Clarisse (mentioned), Grover/Juniper (mentioned), Polympians (mentioned)

Percy Jackson Characters: Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo, Travis Stoll, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Clarisse la Rue, Lou Ellen, Miranda Gardner, Juniper, Calypso, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Sally Jackson, Paul Blofis, Hestia

Summary: A oneshot-collection set between The Lost Hero/The Lost Lover and The Son of Neptune/The Champion of Venus, telling the stories of how Annabeth and Piper got together while Annabeth tried to comfort Sally and Piper had a rough time adjusting to camp and to Drew, how Jason and Leo coped with having fake memories of a relationship while Jason tried to mend his relationship with his sister and Leo did his best to build the Argo II with his siblings' help and last but not least how Connor and Travis seduced Nico, who kept himself busy traveling from one camp to the other and trying to search for their beloved son of Poseidon.

The Demigod Journal

Hestia's Comfort

The Tale of the Brave Women

Annabeth sighed and squinted some, she was dead on her feet, but what she was doing was more important than sleeping. She was observing Piper and Leo. Percy would most likely call her a stalker for that, but she was only worried for them. Drew was giving Piper quite a hard time and Leo tended to overload himself with work (she was well aware that it was very hypocritical of her to say that, but she was still worried for the tinkerer). Though at least Jason seemed to be able to take care of Leo somehow, the blonde just needed to smirk at the son of Hephaestus and Leo was out of Bunker Nine, doing whatever the Roman wanted. Like a cute puppy dog. A little bit like the boys reacted whenever Percy batted his eyelashes at them.

Oh great, she can't even go five thoughts without Percy popping up in them! Groaning in frustration, she decided that it was time to get distracted by some friends. Straightening her back, she walked out of camp to where she knew she would find her friend.

"What if something happens to him?"

"Now you're really being overly dramatic. He lived through his search for Pan. Why should something happen to him on his search for our Disney princess?"

"Clarisse is right, Juni. I'm sure that Grover will be fine."

Annabeth chuckled a bit amused as she entered the cave, finding a very distressed tree-nymph, a glaring redhead and an overly unimpressed brunette. Juniper was worried out of her mind for her boyfriend. For Percy too, of course, but even more so for Grover. What if the satyr came close to finding Percy and that foe that had managed to capture the most powerful demi-god in existence would not be pleased? Whoever it was, they were certainly strong enough to get rid of a satyr if he annoyed them. The thought made her stomach knot.

"Hey, girls", smiled Annabeth strained as she sat down in front of Juniper.

"Enough pining for today, Chase? Yes?", grunted Clarisse. "I think I speak for all of camp if I say; Just go to her and end this odd eggshell-dance the two of you are performing there."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about", hissed the blonde and blushed. "Anyway, what were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, I would appreciate it if we would rather talk about your love-life instead of the possibilities of something happening to... oh good nature", sighed the nymph and sobbed slightly.

It was hard to say no when faced with a worried girlfriend of a close friend. "Okay, fine... But can we not talk inside a depressing cave, please?"

The redhead stuck her tongue out at her friend and the four females left the oracle's cave to walk through the forest together.

"Okay, so... Spill it. I still remember how angry you've been at Percy for breaking up", grinned Rachel with sparkling eyes, edging closer to the blonde.

"Angry?", snorted Clarisse and rolled her eyes. "She's been a pouty brat for weeks."

"Because I've been crushing on him for ages before we came together", sighed Annabeth, combing her fingers through her hair. "And he was my best friend. It was hard to settle with the fact that he broke up with me and confessed to be gay..."

"And now you're facing sudden homosexuality yourself?", chuckled Clarisse, nudging her.

"It's not... sudden", shrugged Annabeth awkwardly and blushed. "I mean, I have been kind of crushing on Thalia before we came to camp. I guess I just... never felt comfortable with admitting it. When we came to camp, all I saw were happy straight couples for the longest of times. With everyone slowly falling in love – Beckendorf and Silena, you and Grover, or you and Chris – I had been feeling a bit uncomfortable... And Percy was there and so incredibly cute. It... was easier for me to project some kind of feelings onto him to feel normal, to fit in... But when he broke up with me to stand to his true colors, it hurt me even more because I wasn't as brave..."

"But now you're braver?", asked Juniper curiously.

"Well, maybe", shrugged the daughter of Athena as they entered camp grounds again. "I mean, it had helped seeing Jake and Will so happy together. And then even Lou and Miranda."

She tilted her head toward where the daughter of Hecate and the daughter of Demeter sat. The other girls frowned at the unhappy look on Miranda's face. Juniper, who had always gotten along very well with the Gardner-sisters, tentatively touched Miranda's shoulder to gain her attention. The depressed brunette looked up at the four others with large, dark eyes.

"What's bothering you?", asked the nymph worried.

"Randa is worried about her big sister", sighed Lou next to her girlfriend, one arm wrapped around Miranda's shoulders. "And she's uncomfortable being cabin leader."

"And annoyed because my girlfriend keeps teasing me and answering for me", grunted the daughter of Demeter with one raised eyebrow, leaning her head against Lou's shoulder.

"You're doing a good job", smiled Annabeth, trying to cheer the younger girl up some. "I'm sure Katie will be quite proud of you once she returns from her quest."

"Say, how come you didn't go with Connor and Malcolm?", asked Lou with a curious frown.

"Well...", drawled the daughter of Athena and shrugged slightly. "I... want to over see everything from here. Mr. D asked me to keep an eye on camp and the search. So that's what I'm doing. I'm keeping up with Grover's search, Tyson's search, Nico's search, the hunters' progress and Connor's quest for Percy. Someone has to structure this, otherwise they're just aimlessly running around the US, maybe looking one place five times and somewhere else not even once."

"And it has nothing to do with a certain daughter of Aphrodite?", accused Lou mischievously.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Ellen", grunted Annabeth, blushing a little bit. "As the temporary leader of camp, I have to watch out for the newbies. Especially when you consider how Piper, Leo and Jason came here. So of course I'm watching out for Piper."

"Just a tiny bit more than you watch out for Leo and Jason", giggled Miranda. "Oh, stop denying it, Annabeth. We know. And as like the only lesbians in all of camp, you can trust us."

Annabeth smiled slightly and shrugged, leaving it at that for now. She may now feel more comfortable about herself, but certainly not enough to openly say things like 'I'm a lesbian and in love with the most beautiful daughter of Aphrodite ever'.

"Anyway, we're leaving you two alone again. It seems Annabeth's misery lifted your mood, mini Gardner", smirked Clarisse, pulling her blonde friend along. "See you later."

The couple waved after them, laughing to themselves a bit. While Clarisse, Annabeth, Rachel and Juniper continued their little walk through camp. It was rather busy, most were either getting everything ready for their own Christmas celebrations or packing for a short visit in the mortal world. Annabeth heaved a sigh. Her initial Christmas plans had been dumped too.

"Say, what are you guys doing for Christmas now?", wanted the daughter of Athena to know.

"You mean now that the overly awesome gods and demi-gods party a la Jackson is being canceled due to multiple schizophrenia on Olympus and a certain host missing?", grunted the brunette next to her with a frown. "Well, Chris and I had been thinking about maybe visiting my grandparents in Paris. They had been pestering me to meet Chris for months now."

"Thinking or actually doing it?", asked Rachel curiously.

"We booked a flight for later today and will be landing in time for Christmas dinner", shrugged the daughter of Ares. "I don't really know why Chris is so eager for this though."

"Because he's meeting your family", grinned Juniper delighted. "That's special!"

"It's annoying, that's what it is", muttered Clarisse and blushed the faintest bit. "What about you?"

"Well...", sighed Juniper, her mood deflating again right away. "I had planned to spend the day with Grover, but now, I will probably spend it sulking with Willow and Ash."

"Nymphs", chuckled Rachel and shook her head. "No need to sulk. He's certainly fine. Besides, if anything you can spend it feeling bad. My parents insist that I am at home tonight for their annual Christmas ball, playing the part of the obedient, well-behaved daughter."

"Sounds like tons of fun", snickered Clarisse. "What about you, Annabeth?"

"I'll still go and visit Sally. Someone has to eat the eight turkeys she bought", chuckled Annabeth darkly. "Besides, she can use the company. Every day that passes without word from the gods only depresses her more. She's at her end."

"Then how about you take someone else with you tonight?", smiled Juniper.

"Huh? What do you-", started Annabeth confused before she found herself faced with the new trio.

She was face to face with Piper, staring wide-eyed into those multi-colored eyes. On either side of the native American stood one of her boys. The furrowed brows of Piper and the way the Latino was biting his lips told Annabeth enough. It seemed the daughter of Aphrodite was once again busy doing what she did most of the time. Trying to help her two best friends cope with their faked-memories-relationship. Which proved to be hard with such an insecure boy like Leo and such a stoic, stuck-up like Jason. Annabeth blinked a couple of times and turned, just to find the other three girls gone. Wonderful. What had she done to deserve that?

"Uh, is everything alright, Annabeth?", asked Piper curiously. "You look a little... lost?"

Eight turkeys. Christmas. Two boys with love-trouble and the girl she was crushing on. She knew exactly what Percy would do now and what their friends wanted her to do now.

The Latino shifted awkwardly. "Well, I'll be... going. Jake and Nyssa are waiting for me."

"Yes, I should be going too", nodded the son of Jupiter.

Both boys left into different directions, leaving Piper to heave a sigh. Annabeth frowned.

"Are you alright, Piper?", asked the daughter of Athena. "Is Drew giving you a hard time?"

"For once, it's actually not Drew", chuckled the native American darkly, starting to slowly walk with Annabeth at her side. "She's laying back, for now. But I don't trust the peace. No, I'm more concerned about Leo and Jason... I know Leo is madly in love with Jason. Mostly probably because of those fake memories of a happy relationship. But also the quest. They got closer during our quest. Trusting others with your life brings you closer. I mean, my friendship with Jason had been faked too, but I now trust him with my life. The problem is that Jason is... huh, too Roman for this, I guess. He's not good with being open about feelings and stuff. And he's having a rough time at the moment too, I mean he's away from his friends and everything he knows and now he's also faced with a big sister he never really knew and he still didn't get to talk to her properly... I guess a fake relationship is not very high on his list of priorities at the moment..."

"Perhaps", nodded the blonde thoughtful. "Or is there something else? What have you been talking about before I interrupted you guys?"

"Leo is jealous because Jason saw this photo of his sister with you, a satyr and Percy Jackson and he had been talking about Percy a lot now", sighed Piper and bit her lips. "He had mentioned how beautiful Percy is once or twice. I don't think he meant to hurt Leo, but he did. Leo is so insecure about himself all the time...

"Or maybe they just need a little push", hummed Annabeth as they reached the lake. "Camp is big, they can hide from each other without many difficulties. I think they try to avoid talking about it because they both fear the other's reaction."

"Suppose you're right", nodded Piper and sat down at the shore, staring out at the lake. "But I don't know what to do, I mean this whole being a daughter of love is still so new..."

"Then how about you take an advice from someone who has seen many couples get together?", grinned Annabeth, falling down right next to the other girl. "I may have an idea..."

"I'm listening", nodded Piper curiously, tilting her head.

"First I need to know if you have plans for tonight", grinned Annabeth.

"I don't. I mean, I would have loved to go to my dad for Christmas, but he has to work, he has left for Europe two days ago and won't be around for Christmas", sighed Piper with a frown.

"Then how about you, Jason and Leo come with me?", smiled the daughter of Athena.

"With you?", blinked the daughter of Aphrodite surprised. "You mean to your family?"

"No", replied the blonde, shaking her head amused. "I'm... not very close to my father and his new family. No, I'm spending Christmas with my second family." At the confused look on Piper's face, she had to chuckle a bit. "Percy's family, his mother and stepfather."

"Uh... but they don't even know us? And don't they have enough on their minds at the moment, with their son missing and all?", asked Piper in a small voice.

"She already bought eight turkeys for a big Christmas party and I doubt we'll manage to eat them all on our own", smiled Annabeth encouragingly. "Besides, I'm sure she wants to meet you. The three of you had been assigned to help finding Percy, after all. Which makes you part of her family. Everyone caring for her son is part of Sally Jackson's responsibility. Especially if they don't have parents like Leo and Jason do. Don't worry, you will like it. It's very homey and all."

"Well, I... think I would like to come along", nodded Piper with a small smile.

"Good", grinned Annabeth. "I'll be leaving in half an hour. I'll give you the coordinates and you come around six with Leo and Jason, okay? It'll be good for them to get out of camp and have a bit more forced privacy to talk."

Piper smiled and nodded in agreement.

/break\

"So, who is this that you invited?", asked Sally curiously, finishing the salad.

Annabeth, who was setting the table in the dining room, turned her head toward the kitchen. "Piper, Jason and Leo. They're the others that got assigned to rescue Percy for the gods. Jason is Zeus' son, well, his Roman son. He is the one that got exchanged for Percy. He had been brought to us with fake memories of being friends with Piper and being together with Leo. So now Piper tries to mend the relationship between her two friends because she's a daughter of Aphrodite. And Leo is the son of Hephaestus with special fire abilities. Oh, and it seems Jason is quite intrigued by Percy's looks, had seen him on a photo. Which causes more trouble between Leo and Jason."

"My, my, you young people and your love troubles", sighed Sally amused and shook her head.

"How come everyone is falling for our son?", grunted Paul a bit annoyed.

"I think it's something Lady Aphrodite did, like some kind of blessing, I don't know", mused Annabeth with a curious frown. "But we'll probably only learn this once she is willing to reveal it. And once Percy is safely back with us again."

"Could you please stop frowning about this. It's Christmas and we are to celebrate. Besides, Rachel had called me earlier and told me to keep an eye on you and Piper. She said something interesting is going on there. Care to share, Annabeth?", asked another curious voice.

A girl with long caramel curls entered, carrying the last missing pieces to the dining table. Annabeth blushed and averted her eyes as the two mortals turned to look at her curiously.

"Is what Calypso says right?", asked Sally with a small smile. "Are you truly in love?"

"You could have just stayed silent, Cally", sighed Annabeth and bit her lips.

"I'm sorry", laughed Calypso and shook her head. "I've spend too much time on my own on that island, all this socializing and gossiping is way too intriguing to ignore."

Smiling apologetically, the daughter of Atlas scratched the back of her head. Annabeth sighed and stuck her tongue out at the girl. It had only been two days now that Calypso had been freed from Ogygia. At first they had suggested that she should stay at camp, but being the daughter of a titan she did not feel all too comfortable being surrounded by all the demi-gods. And also being surrounded by so many people to begin with. She wasn't used to being with other people like that. After Sally had learned that the gods had finally freed the girl her son had been talking about so much and with so much fondness, it was only logical for her to offer the 'poor child' a place to stay. They planned to renovate the study and turn it into an own room for Calypso, but the girl was for now staying in Percy's room. It was still very new and sudden, after all. Annabeth had been quite curious about meeting her in person. Since Annabeth had spend half her time skypeing with the Blofis-household, she also got to know Calypso a bit better.

"Okay, so yeah, I have been inviting Piper to have a bit more of a homey atmosphere to be with her", confessed the daughter of Athena with a very bright blush. "I hope you're not angry..."

"By no means", smiled Sally softly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you finally found someone. I had been very worried when you and Percy hadn't been talking after your breakup."

Annabeth grinned slightly. "I'm sure you'll like her. And Leo and Jason."

The doorbell interrupted any further conversation. "I'll go and get it! Need to see that girl!"

"What? No! Cally, wait!", called Annabeth after her wide-eyed.

Calypso giggled and ran up to open the door. Just as she reached the door and opened it, Annabeth caught up with her, nearly running into the brunette girl. The three other guests blinked surprised at that, making Annabeth blush some more.

"Uh, hey, guys. I'm glad you could make it", smiled Annabeth and straightened some.

The trio blinked wide eyed and nodded. Calypso laughed amused at that, ushering them inside.

"It's nice to meet you. I've already heard a lot about you from Annabeth", smiled the titan's daughter. "It seems I have to thank you for my freedom. I'm Calypso."

"Oh! Hi. Nice to meet you", grinned the Latino broadly. "I'm Leo Valdez. That's Jason and Piper."

"Hello", greeted someone else.

The trio turned to face the two adults, who just finished setting the table. Annabeth could tell that the tree were feeling a little awkward, celebrating Christmas at someone else's house. Especially so someone they had never met. But with Jason being a Roman, Leo being an orphan and Piper's father working so much, she was sure that they could use some Jackson-family-feeling.

"Hello, sir, ma'am, thank you for having us", greeted Jason and nodded politely.

"Please, call me Sally. And this is my husband Paul", smiled the mother of Percy softly. "I already heard much about the three of you. Annabeth had told me that you're having a bit of a hard time settling in. And as the honorary mother of them all, as Annabeth and Rachel had lovingly dubbed me, I see it as my duty to make you three feel more comfortable. Now come and sit."

"Though we will have to wait for the last ones", grunted Paul a bit displeased. "That this son of Hades can never be on time for anything! It's a miracle Percy can put up with that brat!"

"I feel the love, thanks Paul."

The five teenagers and the two adults turned to face the last two missing members of their dinner. A grumpy looking son of Hades and a mischievously grinning trickster, who had both his arms wrapped around the smaller demi-god. Annabeth chuckles as she noticed the faint blush on Nico's cheeks. She wouldn't have thought that the demi-god lovers of Percy would fall for each other too. But then again, they all had the genes of their parents. And if there is one thing the Greek and Roman gods are well known for, it's their open minds when it comes to sexuality and their stand toward monogamy. She would wish for Nico to have someone else too. Percy was always so busy, it would be wonderful if he had someone to rely on too.

"It's not my fault Lord Hades can't raise you properly", huffed the mortal man. "I'm hungry, so please take a seat so we can start, boys. Hurry up."

"I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here anyway", muttered the son of Hades and took the seat next to Annabeth, with Travis hot on his heels to take the empty seat next to the Ghost Prince.

"You need rest, Nico", smiled Sally strained. "I know how worried you are for Percy, but if you keep searching until you collapse, then it's futile too. So enjoy our company, will you?"

"Of course, Sally", nodded the half-Italian.

Annabeth noted how Nico made a habit of always staying out of sight for Jason. Her guts were telling her that something was off, but her mind was too full with other things at the moment to contemplate the odd behavior of his friend. For now, she deemed it a simple feeling of being uncomfortable around a Roman, even more so since Jason was another child of one of the Big Three. Her attention got drawn to Paul as the mortal coughed slightly.

"I'm glad we're gathered here tonight, even though... this night had been planned differently", said the man as he started to cut the first turkey. "I still hope this Christmas will be one to be remembered. At least so we can tell Percy about what he missed."

The others laughed a bit at that. They started eating, first in a little awkward silence, then with conversation, the trio telling about their quest to safe Hera, Calypso talking about her island. And, of course, trading stories of Percy, until even Leo, Jason and Piper felt as if they knew him.

/break\

Three hours later had everyone scattered around the the house, three of the eight turkeys eaten and everyone still chewing little snacks of it while drinking mulled wine. Much mulled wine. Sally and Paul were talking to Nico and Travis, catching up with the boys in person finally. While Leo and Jason sat in the corner where a mistletoe was hanging. They had not separated in like half an hour.

"I can't believe they can't stop touching", giggled Piper amused, nibbling her wine.

"Boys that age", grinned Calypso. "They're always the same. Had been like that in my time too."

"I told you they just need a little change of scenery and a little push", smiled Annabeth softly. "Being constantly surrounded by Leo's siblings and everything wasn't really helping them with settling their feelings. But a mistletoe and some kissing does the magic."

"I'm so glad they're finally at least not looking around awkwardly, not sure what to do", sighed the daughter of Aphrodite contently, resting her head against Annabeth's shoulder.

"Well, girls. I'll be looking for desserts. How about you wait at the hearth?", grinned Calypso.

She hastily stood and left the living room. Annabeth frowned after her and stood too. The hearth sounded good. They had been outside to avoid all the happy couples for a little while. Not that Travis and Nico were a proper couple. But...

"Say, Travis and Nico...? I mean, I thought they're both with Percy", whispered Piper as they entered and passed the two boys and the two adults on their way.

"Soon", grinned the daughter of Athena amused. "I think Nico still needs some time, but..."

The way Travis kept subtly touching Nico and more so the way the Ghost Prince leaned more into the touch the more wine he drank. Annabeth grinned mischievously. She walked over to Percy's favorite spot, the blue-dyed fluffy pelt in front of the fireplace. Sitting down comfortably, she motioned for her friend to sit down too. Piper cautiously cuddled closer to Annabeth, reluctantly wrapping one arm around the blonde's waist, as if she waited for Annabeth's protest. But instead, the daughter of Athena leaned against the native American, sighing contently.

"Say, you said you're not very close to your family... uh, I mean, if you don't mind me asking..."

"It's not a big deal. I mean, I love my dad and I even get along with my stepmother quite well by now, but when I was a child..." Annabeth interrupted herself with a sigh. "Well, she was angry because I never accepted her as my mother. They have two sons. My half-brothers. But I don't know them all that well. I ran away when I was seven years old. That was when I first met Jason's sister."

"Seven?", blinked Piper surprised. "And you've been all on your own?"

"Not very long. I soon met two friends. Thalia and Luke", smiled Annabeth sadly. "We traveled together before we reached camp. I've spend many years at camp, without contact to my family. Until I met Percy. He... values family so much, he made me reconsider my relationship with my family and made me give them a second chance. It didn't go as well as I could have hoped for, I'm better off as a year rounder at camp. I don't want to endanger them, my little brothers are too young to be pulled into this mess because of me and I don't want to anger my stepmother because of that."

"You and Percy... you're really close, huh", noted Piper a bit jealous.

"He's... I didn't like him at first, because of our parents' rivalry. But then we had a quest together – to retrieve the master bolt of Zeus. We bonded over the quest, me, Percy and Grover. Much like you did with Jason and Leo. And since then we had many quests together and a war." She smiled softly. "Yes, we are very close. He's my little brother and I need to protect him. I need to find him."

"Oh, are you at that topic again?", interrupted the chiding voice of Calypso.

The caramel-haired girl handed them each a goblet full of vanilla ice and hot raspberries. Annabeth smiled at her apologetically. It was hard to keep a conversation away from Percy these days.

"Oh!", yelped Calypso delighted, pointing at the fireplace in front of them. "You have to kiss!"

Annabeth and Piper stared at the mistletoe hanging above the fireplace and then turned to look at each other wide-eyed. Annabeth blushed the brightest pink possible, her face darkening even more with every inch the daughter of Aphrodite neared her. Piper put her hand reluctantly at the back of Annabeth's neck and pulled her closer, staring into the blonde's eyes to see if there was any sign of doubt. The daughter of Athena breathed deep and leaned in, placing her lips on Piper's.

"I really like you", mumbled Piper against Annabeth's lips as they parted. "I mean really."

"I... uh... like you too", grinned Annabeth lopsided. "You're so... carefree and concerned for your friends and different from other children of Aphrodite and so beautiful and clever and-"

The rambling blonde got interrupted by soft lips again, Piper laughing while they kissed. "You're incredibly cute when you ramble. And when you talk about architecture. Or quests. And clever and beautiful too. And a leader. I really want to get to know you better and... well... uh..."

"I would like to... uh... be with you too", smiled the flustered daughter of Athena and pecked Piper's lips once more. "How about we... stay here while the others eat dessert and talk some more?"

"Yes", grinned the native American highly motivated and got a bit comfortable. "I want to hear more about that quest for the master bolt. And any other heroic story."

Annabeth returned that grin and laid down too, cuddling up to the daughter of Aphrodite. The two girls stared at the burning fire in front of them, hearing the faint chattering of the others behind them. The daughter of Athena sighed contently, enjoying the radiant body heat of her... girlfriend. Oh yes, she enjoyed that thought even more. A happy smile, the first ever since Percy had disappeared, spread over her lips as she started the tale of the Master Bolt.

/break\

Hestia giggled delighted as she watched through her hearth's fire how the two girls snuggled up together. She hated staying at Olympus at the moment. All the moping gods, all the sadness. And now that Percy was gone, the goddesses didn't have much to do either. It was astonishing how much time they had spend with the son of Poseidon and with setting said Sea Prince up with the gods.

So now they were looking for... other things to do. Other pairings to ship, as Aphrodite had phrased it. And Hestia had always liked Athena's girl. So putting a mistletoe up to make them finally act was not that hard of a task. The feelings were there, after all. Hestia grinned amused. Yes, this was a merry Christmas indeed. It would only be merrier if Percy would have been there to witness his best friend's happiness and spend the holiday with his family, friends and lovers...

Author's note: I've spend all day yesterday to finish this up so I may be able to give it to you as a Christmas present! I hope you enjoyed the first of three oneshots!
Oh, and before I forget it, my story "When a Wise Girl Goes to War" may cover the how Pipabeth got together part differently, but the whole point of assembling the crew will also be canon for the further Lover of Olympus series. So you may also read that, because it will explain why the Argo II will have a different crew than it had in Mark of Athena. My stories, my twist. ;) But I didn't feel like writing another story for this collection concerning that since it will be the exact same as the previously mentioned oneshot!
Anyway, have a beautiful Christmas! ;)