"Ok, truth. What's the worst monster you had to kill?"
"No contest" Percy sighed. "The Minotaur."
"The Minotaur?" His girlfriend replied doubtfully. "Why?"
"Because I had to kill him twice. And that was before the second giant war when they had the door of death open."
"What about all those we we had to fight when we were on the Argo?" Frank queried.
"Or any other quest for that matter" Annabeth echoed. "You seriously trying to tell me the worst monster you ever faced was the Minotaur?"
"Of course not" Percy said, giving her a confident smirk. "But you asked which of the ones I killed."
Annabeth stared at him in disbelief, then she cursed herself for not realizing her error. Leo laughed from his spot by the fire where he was toasting marshmallows. "The round goes to Jackson for that incredibly slick performance. Wouldn't you agree miss Chase?"
"Oh bite me Valdez" she shot back, making everyone around the fire chuckle.
They all sat around the big camp hearth at Half-blood hill, a little Argo reunion to mark a year since they defeated Gia. Alongside the seven was also Nico and Reyna, who were the only other invites to agree. Thalia was busy with the Hunters and coach hedge was...actually, no one wanted to invite him. So after making the arrangements with Chiron they were allowed to stay out past curfew to celebrate with a few roasted marshmallows and some idle gossip, provided they didn't make too much noise.
"Ok, my turn" Percy cleared his throat, pulling out a random stone from the container, reading the name engraved on the object. "Jason. Which is better? Camp Half blood or Camp Jupiter?"
"That's not a fair question" Jason objected.
"It's a perfectly valid question. Unless you're opting for a dare?"
"This is the most boring game of Truth or Dare ever" Piper complained, resting her chin in her palms trying to stay awake. They'd been playing for half an hour and so far the most embarrassing secrets they'd uncovered were Frank once are a leftover pizza and vomited all over the praetors. And so far there had only been two dares, neither of which had been substantial. It was disappointing, compared to some of the crazy games she'd been a part of in her childhood.
"Not having fun babe?" Jason asked, putting his arm around her.
"Not really. When I suggested we play this game, I was hoping for more...I don't know..."
"Wild dares and embarrassing truths?" Reyna finished.
"She wanted it to be a dirty game?" Leo smirked.
Piper shrugged.
"Well, we're not" Annabeth told her authoritatively. "We agreed, no outrageous dares or suggestive questions. Just a nice game between friends. We agreed, yes?"
Piper rolled her eyes, remembering someone who looked like her agreeing to those terms. "But does it have to be so...lame? Just some more interesting questions at least?"
"Okay miss perfect" Hazel leant forward. "You're turn. Truth or dare?"
Piper stared back at her, doubting the validity of the challenge. "Truth" she sighed.
Hazel smiled, leaning closer to the fire, eyes looking into hers. "Who is...your fantasy shag?"
There was a sudden wave of shock that shot through the group, some choking on their marshmallows as they stared at the daughter of Pluto. Piper herself was dumbfounded. "Wh..what?"
"You heard" Hazel answered with a cheeky grin. "Who's your fantasy shag? I'm assuming it's not your current boyfriend." She motioned to Jason sitting beside her as his girl went red. "You wanted interesting" she pointed out.
"She's right" Leo chuckled. "What better embarrassment then revealing who you'd rather be in bed with in front of your own partner."
Jason, however, didn't bat an eye as he took his girlfriends hand. "Well, jokes on you Hazel" he said calmly, "because she's already told me who her fantasy is."
"Really?" Percy asked.
"Oh" Leo's expression faded to disappointment. "Well that spoils the fun."
"You still haven't told us yet though" Hazel reminded them. But then she turned to address everyone else. "In fact, I think I'll put this question to the group. We all have to answer, and answer truthfully."
"Now, hold on" Nico suddenly sat up. "I'm not agreeing to any of this."
"Neither am I" Annabeth agreed, crossing her arms defiantly. "It too...personal."
"Exactly what makes it perfect for this game" Hazel told them, gazing questionably back at Piper. "Well? Interesting enough for you?"
Piper was quiet as she looked around the group, a wide grin forming on her face. Alright then. If you want my answer, everyone has to answer too. All swear, deal?"
"Deal" Hazel replied immediately.
"Sure" Frank said after her.
"Fine, deal" Jason followed.
Percy and Annabeth shared a glance. "What harm could it do?" Percy asked her.
She didn't seem convinced, but they both agreed.
"This ought to be fun. I'm in" Leo replied.
Nico slumped back in his seat. "Fine."
Reyna was last, And with all eyes on her, she had no choice but to agree.
"Ok then" Hazel said excitedly. "Piper, who is your fantasy shag?"
Piper took a breath before answering, composing herself for the big reveal. "Well, don't judge ok? My fantasy is Apollo..."
"Well, that's lame" Percy said abruptly.
"Wait for it" Jason told them mildly.
"...with Artemis" Piper finished.
Everyone stared at her. "Apollo and Artemis?" Frank checked in disbelief. "Aren't they brother and sister?"
"Ew" Reyna cringed.
Piper sighed, knowing she was going to get that reaction. "Honestly, that's my fantasy. Not as in the two of them with each other, as in...by fantasy shag is with Apollo and Artemis at the same time." She was still met with confused stares. "What? I can't be the only one who'd find that hot."
There was a pause of silence until a Percy shrugged and said "I can see it."
"Me too" Nico muttered, sparking a few more mumblings.
"Ok, I'm done" Piper said hopping forward to look around the group. "Who's next?"
Unsurprisingly, no one volunteered.
"I refuse to take part in this" Annabeth said, just out of principle.
"Come on Annie" Piper insisted pleadingly. "It'll be fun. Just...be honest." When she remained stubborn, the daughter of Aphrodite locked her gaze onto her. "Don't make me become persuasive" she warned her. "You know I can use my charm-speak to make you answer."
Annabeth glared back at her. "You wouldn't" She snarled.
"She would" Jason warned her. "This is too juicy a topic for her to ignore."
The two girls stared each other sternly, each waiting for the other to crack. After a tense minute of silence, Annabeth created a curse. "Fine." She shifted in her seat, opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Piper interrupted by commanding "all answers must be the truth."
Annabeth's face went white, her mouth slamming shut on instinct. Around her the rest of the group shivered, realizing the brunettes command was directed at them all. She'd charmed them into revealing nothing but the truth. "You b..." Annabeth tried to scream, but held her tongue. She should've known better.
"It's truth or dare Annie" Piper replied smugly. "You have to tell the truth."
She gave her a cold glare before glancing awkwardly around the group. Now all eyes were on her, waiting for her answer. She could just refuse to answer, but now it was a sure thing Piper would just force her to talk. She didn't have a choice. "Fine. My...fantasy shag is..." she hesitated, wanting to say anything else, say Percy's name, but the only words her lips would form was the truth. "Hephaestus!"
The group all blinked as they stared at her, her cheeks flushing red as she buried her face in her hands, dying inside of embarrassment. "Hephaestus?" Piper repeated. "Him? Really? Why?"
She looked up at her. "Why? Why not? He's...amazing? Incredible! Utterly..."she managed to stop her mouth from moving before she could continue. Piper cringed, thinking she might have laid the charm-speak on a little strong.
"Hey, I'll be the first guy to say my dad is awesome" Leo spoke up. "But...be real, you had some strong, more attractive contenders."
"I know" Annabeth replied more confidently. "But Hephaestus isn't just...it's not about looks. He's brilliant. The things he builds, the ideas he creates...he's a genius. How could I not be attracted to that? He's one of the smartest people I know, and that makes him...beautiful to me." She suddenly flushed red as she turned to face Percy, her current boyfriend. "No offense" she quickly added.
Percy couldn't form a response, because how could he respond. "Well, I'm glad you chose me anyway" he eventually told her with a smile. She relaxed slightly as he pulled her into a kiss, a comforting, reassuring kiss.
"Plus, you know what it is they say?" Frank added, drawing everyone's attention. "What's they lack in looks, they make up for in performance."
The boys all laughed while the girls just stare at him. "Who the hell says that?" Hazel asked him.
"He's not wrong" Reyna replied quietly, drawing everyone's gaze as they looked at her. "What?"
"That sounds like perfect irony" Nico chuckled to himself. "Imagine being the goddess of love, skulking around having affairs, all the while unaware that her own husband has the biggest dick in Olympus."
"Ew" Piper nearly vomited, the mental image of her mother going at it making her sick. "Alright then. You want to go next Percy?"
Percy fell silent, his face going slightly pale in the fire light. "I think I'll pass" he said.
"Oh no, spill it!" Hazel replied, her gaze joining the others as they stared at him.
"No, I'm good. How about...um...Leo? Jason? Anyone else?"
"Come on Seaweed brain!" Annabeth elbowed him, making him wince in real pain. "You know mine, now tell me yours. It can't be that bad. I promise I won't get mad."
He glanced nervously at her, and she looked back at him expectantly. Everyone also waited impatiently, the camp deadly silent save for the sound of the crackling fire.
The black haired demigod swallowed a gulp, finally grumbling "Athena."
There was an audible gasp of air alongside Leo, who burst out laughing. "What!" Annabeth replied, her gaze narrowing until she was glaring at him with two very immigrating stormy grey eyes.
"Oh, you are so screwed" her heard Frank mutter under his breath as he cowered under his girlfriends gaze. Could they blame him, he just confessed his fantasy shag was her own mother.
"Now" Percy stammered, trying to calm her down as she continued to glare at him, judging him silently. "Now, let me explain. It's not that I'm...listen, yes. Athena...your mom... I'm attracted to her, BUT...but...only because...she's...she reminds me of you! I mean, you look just like her...I mean, she looks like you, I mean...you're so alike it's unreal, in a way...you are my fantasy shag."
He finally stopped talking and waited for her to respond. After a tense few moments her gaze wavered and Annabeth sank back into her seat. "If she was here right now, who would you rather be with?"
"You! Every Time! No question!" Percy took her hand, looking her in the eyes as he told her "I love you Annabeth. No matter what."
She smiled back at him, giving him a kiss to forgive him. "Good save bro" Leo commended, raising a marshmallow to toast to them.
"For a second I thought we were going to have fish food for dinner" Jason said, hugging Piper close.
"So what's your fantasy shag big guy?" Hazel asked him. "I'm assuming it's not your girlfriend?"
"No" Piper answered for him, but then paused. "Actually, you never told me" she said looking up at him.
"Well...I dint think it was important" he shrugged.
"So who is it?"
He hesitated, looking uncomfortable. "It's kind of embarrassing."
"Unless it's Pipers mom, it can't be an worse that what we've already had" Leo pointed out, causing Percy to throw a few stones at him.
Jason glanced across to Piper, who looked back with kind but persuasive eyes, and took a deep breath. "It Juno, Okay?"
Percy stared at him. "Juno? As in Hera? She's a..." he managed to stop himself in case she heard him and instead ask "why?"
"I don't know. We just have this...connection. It's complicated." He looked down at Piper. "You aren't mad right?"
"No" she assured him. "Of course not."
"That's because her fantasy shags a threesome" Leo chirped. "Can't get mad when you're playing for big bucks."
"Alright then blabbermouth" Jason sighed, turning his attention to his mate. "Who's your fantasy shag then?"
"Yeah, shut up and tell us!" Piper called out, ignoring the pointed stares from Annabeth about her incorrect use of grammar.
For once, Leo Valdez found himself unwilling to speak. He felt the answer creep up his throat but forced his mouth shut before he could spill the beans. After a brief pause, he gave a quick smile and responded with "ah, you know. So many goddesses and girls out there, I don't just have the one..."
"Quit stalling Valdez" Piper teases, leaning forward to give him that persuasive smirk. "Who is it? Tell me, Leo. Please?" She hyphened that last word with her charm-speak, the urge to confess growing to new heights.
Leo squirmed under her gaze, his lower lip trembling as her power took over and forced his hand. "Ok! It's you, Okay!" He cried out, gasping for air as if the truth had emptied his lungs.
Pipers eyes went wide in shock, sitting up straighter as everyone else struggled to hold their composure. "Oh" was all she could say in response.
"I knew it!" Hazel cried out with glee, turning immediately to her boyfriend. "Didn't I tell you?"
"Yeah, Yeah, alright!" Frank sighed, fishing out a five dollar note and handing it to her. "God damnit Leo" he muttered.
Jason was the only one not laughing, instead staring dumbfounded at Leo's pale expression. "You" He stammered, glancing between him and Piper. "How...when did that..."
"Oh come on man!" Leo said to him in exasperation. "Don't look at me like that!"
"So how long has she been your fantasy, Leo" Hazel asked mockingly, taking great joy in this moment.
"Ever since I met her" he replied immediately, the charm-speak still having a hold over him. He realized this a second later and almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Jason's face. "Well, can you blame me? Look at her! She smoking hot, talks like an angel, kicks serious ass, is braver than any of us combined... she's like a goddess among mortals. All I'm saying is if you hadn't gotten in first, I'd have jumped onto that like a..."
"Leo! Stop talking!" Reyna interrupted him, mercifully ending his rant. "Your making things worse" she told him as he finally stopped digging.
For all her bravado, Piper found herself suddenly regretting her decision to coax the truth from everyone. Now that Leo had settled down she was left to break out of her uncomfortable silence. "Well" she mumbled, trying to find the right words to describe her thoughts and feelings. "That was..."
"Awkward?" Nico suggested.
"Hilarious" Hazel countered.
"Soul crushing" Percy said sympathetically.
Annabeth shook her head. "See, this is why I didn't want to play this game."
"Well, too late to back out now" Reyna reminded them. She did the only thing she believed she could do and turned their attention to their next contestant. "Since you've been having so much fun Hazel, you can go next."
"Sure" she replied eagerly, ignoring the depressed and saddened looks of judgement around her as she sat up. "My fantasy shag is Thanatos."
"Leto? The god of death?" Nico perked up.
She shrugged. "Yeah. I know he's the grim reaper or something, but you have admit he is really attractive."
Nico thought about it a moment. She wasn't wrong, he thought. Thanatos was an unbelievably hot dude.
"What about you Frank?" Jason asked him, desperate to think of anything besides Leo in bed with Piper. "Who's your embarrassing fantasy?"
"Nothing embarrassing about it" he answered with a smile, putting his arm around his girl. "Hazels always been my fantasy, and she always will."
Piper cocked a brow as she shook her head. "Cute. Now who is it really?"
Frank fixed his gaze on her, feeling the pull of her charm-speak. "Hazel is my fantasy shag. And that is the truth."
There was a long pause before Piper realized he wasn't lying. "Oh. Well that's lame" she pouted as the two Roman demigods kissed each other. So instead she glanced over to Nico, sitting quietly by himself. "Can I assume you're fantasy shag is still Percy?"
He whirled across to her suddenly, mouth agape in surprise. "How do you..." he glanced across to Jason, who raised his hands in defence. He shook his head, it didn't matter who told her. "Just because I had a crush on the guy doesn't mean anything. I'm over it." She didn't buy it, but didn't need to ask twice as he quickly let out a reluctant sigh. "Yeah, its Percy."
"Well that was predictable" Annabeth muttered as all eyes turned to face the final member of their group.
Reyna sat their silently under their gaze, looking around at the patient faces. "What? You think I'm just going to tell you who my fantasy shag is?"
"Well, we all told you ours" Piper pointed out. "It's only fair. What harm could it do?"
"No" she said insistently, crossing her arms defensively. "I'm the praetor. It wouldn't be professional, or appropriate."
"Appropriate?" Frank wondered, before his eyes suddenly snapped wider. "Hang on, your fantasies one of your subjects, isn't it?"
She didn't answer his question, but her face went red. "Oh, now you have to tell us!" Hazel told her fiercely. "I promise it won't leave the group."
She looked up at her doubtfully, circling around to see the others. "Swear you won't tell another soul?" She asked them, genuine in her plea.
They all agreed, even swearing on the river Styx never to reveal it to anyone outside the group.
"Okay" Reyna took a deep breath, compelled to answer truthfully and praying to the gods it won't be as bad as she feels it will be. "It's Jason. My fantasy shag is Jason."
"Hot damn" Leo gasped, looking proudly at the son of Jupiter as he stared at her. "Another hottie confesses her love to the big guy. Big surprise."
"I..." Jason stammered, unsure what to say. "I'm sorry, I don't..."
"Oh, get over it" Piper nudged him. "You're hot. It's natural. You shouldn't feel bad about fantasizing about my boyfriend" she told Reyna, who had turned away ashamed. "He is very worthy of such attention."
"Thanks, I think" Reyna replied, slumping down into her seat waiting for the gods to strike her down or something, just to get away from the embarrassment.
With the whole group now complete, they all sat in silence looking awkwardly at one another. "So" Leo asked the group hesitantly. "Now what?"
"We never speak of any of this again" Reyna motioned immediately.
"Agreed" Annabeth rose her hand.
"I second that" Nico matched her.
Piper shook her head. "No, no. I have one more idea before we go back to business as usual."
"Oh no!" Percy halted her. "No more truth or dare. I'm done with that game."
"Just one more dare, to the group. I promise I won't charm-speak anyone, but we all have to do it. Then we can forget this night ever happened. Ok?" They all shared an uneasy glance, but reluctantly all nodded, if only to humour her. "Final dare...to everyone in the group, if your fantasy shag is currently present...you have to kiss them on the lips for two whole minutes."
As one they all looked at her as if they'd been slapped. "I beg your pardon?" Percy asked, but she just gave him a cheeky smirk and waved it off. "If you don't complete the dare, you have to walk up to Chiron office and moon him."
They all blinked and took a moment to consider that ultimatum, all coming to the same conclusion.
"Sorry Jason, but that isn't going to be an option" Leo apologized as he slid his way over to where Piper was waiting for him. She gave her boyfriend a reassuring wink before turning around to face the shaggy haired boy as he sat nervously beside her, waiting patiently for him to lean in and give her a gentle but awkward kiss. Help ease him into it, drawing it out for the desired length.
Jason turned away from the sight in time to find Reyna standing over him. Without a word she pulled him to his feet and took his cheeks in her hands, pulling him into a deep kiss that took his breath away.
Nico hesitated the longest before kicking at the dirt. "Sod it" he muttered as he sprung to his feet, strode over to where Percy was sitting, yanked his face back and lunged into his mouth, not even giving the son of Poseidon time to take a breath.
Hazel and frank laughed mildly as they watched the others pounce on each other, content to fall into each other's embrace as they indulged in a long and passionate kiss beside the campfire.
Annabeth sat by herself watching the others make out around her, crossing her arms in frustration. "Now that's not fair" she complained to herself.
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