Hurricane ~ L. Valdez

1.37- I Kiss My Boyfriend in Front of the Whole Camp

      "Lara!?"
     "Elara, I swear to God."
      "They're not dead Piper! They can't be."
      "They're still breathing."
      "Jason, Elara... wake up." 

      I shot up with a gasp, my vision clearing and my eyes stinging.

      "What—what happened?" Jason groaned as I rubbed my eyes.

      "Impossible!" Hera said.

      I barely had time to register anything before I was tackled in a hug.

      "I hate you so much." Leo muttered into my ear. "God, hermosa, I thought you were gone."

     "You love me." I whispered, my throat dry and sore.

     "You know it." He grinned, giving me a chaste kiss and then releasing me, keeping his arm around my waist.

     "How do you two feel?" Thalia asked, coming over to me and gripping me in a bear-tight hug.

      "Hot," I mumbled.

      Jason nodded in agreement, "Mouth is dry. And I saw something...really terrible." 

     "That was Hera," Thalia grumbled. "Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon." 

     "That's it, Thalia Grace," said the goddess. "I will turn you into an aardvark, so help me—" 

      "Stop it, you two," Piper said, and surprisingly, they both shut up. I have to admit, I did laugh.

      Piper helped Jason up, and gave us the remaining nectar. The taste of hot chocolate and cinnamon filled my mouth as I took a careful sip, my body immediately feeling less sore.

      "Now..." Piper turned to Thalia and Hera. "Hera—Your Majesty—we couldn't have rescued you without the Hunters. And Thalia, you never would've seen Jason again—I wouldn't have met him—if it weren't for Hera. You two make nice, because we've got bigger problems."

       I giggled, choosing to ignore the glares they sent my way. They stared at Piper for three seconds (I counted), and the girl looked terrified under their gaze. I had stopped being afraid of Thalia a long time ago, and Hera was more of a nuisance than someone I was scared of.

      "You've got spirit, Piper." Thalia finally said. She pulled a familiar silver card from her parka and tucked it into the pocket of Piper's jacket. "You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you." 

     Thalia had tried that trick on me a long time ago. Thankfully that was during the beginning of my boy crazy phase, back when Connor Stoll and I used to make out behind the Hermes cabin.

      Percy ripped up that card when I got it. He has attachment issues.

       Hera crossed her arms. "Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite." She looked Piper up and down. "You wondered, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn't reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment I was not sure." Well Hera... that's helpful. "Something told me you would be vital to the quest. Now I see I was right. You're even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together." 

      Piper blushed. Leo stepped in. "Yeah," he started, "I don't suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?" 

      "No," Hera agreed. "By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regained his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together. Once you freed me—"