Of Rumors and Lava Fights

                                    

                                          
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. But honestly, are you surprised?
                          
Part 4 of the Storms saga

                          
Percy's Point of View
                          
"But Chiroooooonnn!" Silena whines. "They are beyond adorable! How could you punish them? It's just love!"
                          
"LOVE?" Thalia and I yelp simultaneously, still shivering even under thick, fluffy towels.
                          
"Silena,  my dear, that is not the problem. The problem is that Percy and Thalia  broke the rules by staying out later than curfew allowed. And for that  they must be punished," Chiron explained.
                          
"I agree. Which  punishment shall we give them?" Annabeth asks, her expression livid,  arms crossed over her chest, her eyes a stormy gray.
                          
"Annabeth!" Thalia protests. "Whose side are you on?"
                          
"My side," Annabeth snaps, and walks off in a huff.
                          
"What  the Hades is her problem?" Thalia demands furiously, clutching the  towel tighter around her dripping body. "You would think we were  juvenile delinquents." She pauses for a moment, considering her words.  "Actually, I guess we are juvenile delinquents...but that's not the  point!"
                          
"Chiron, can't you give us a break? I was just taking  Thalia swimming since she hasn't been swimming since she was seven!" I  say, defiance lacing my voice.
                          
"Yeah, Percy, you were 'just swimming,'" Travis Stoll smirks, and I snarl at him.
                          
"We were!" Thalia insists.
                          
"Mhmm, whatever you say," Connor Stoll says, sarcasm seeping into his tone.
                          
"But we were! Why don't you guys believe us?" I shout.
                          
"Percy,  De Nile is not only just a river in Egypt," Silena chides, placing a  thin hand on my shoulder. "Face it: you and Thalia are totally falling  for each other!"
                          
"Listen, Silena, there is no way in Hades that we  are-" Thalia snaps, electricity sparking on her skin, before Chiron  interrupts her.
                          
"We were talking about Thalia and Percy's  punishment," he points out, and all of the campers fall silent, though  most of them are fluent in silent-language.
                          
"I say that they have a picnic on the lake!" Silena suggests. I face palm myself.
                          
"Silena, that's not a punishment, that's a reward," Clarisse snaps. "These punks need to get what's coming to them."
                          
"You  dare call me punk?" Thalia hisses, her eyes bright with electricity,  one hand clutched around her spear, the other poised to press Aegis.
                          
"Bring it on!"
                          
"Oh, trust me, when I'm done with you-!"
                          
"Clarisse!  Thalia!" Chiron thunders, and both of the girls fall silent, ugly  grimaces on their faces. "Percy and Thalia, you two will be on dish duty  tomorrow night. Wear protective gear."
                          
Thalia and I start to protest, but Silena interrupts us. "CHIRON! Dish duty so totally does not spell out romance!"
                          
"Yeah, we'll take dish duty," I say hurriedly, and Thalia nods in agreement.
                          
Thalia's Point of View
                          
Washing dishes in lava while wearing bulky, heavy protective gear is definitely not one of my favorite pastimes. I've gotten burned at least three times so far.
                          
"Thanks a lot Seaweed Brain, this is all your fault," I mutter.
                          
"My fault?"  Percy spits, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he starts to scrub a  dirty plate furiously with a handful of molten lava. "I was just trying  to be nice, Pinecone Face!" I bite my lip. He was trying to be nice.  Really nice. And I just yelled at him.
                          
"You're right," I sigh  resignedly. "I'm sorry. It was an awesome thing you did for me, and I  really appreciate it." Percy didn't answer; his back was facing towards  me. "Percy?" I ask hesitantly, taking a tentative step towards him.  "Percy?" Another step. All of a sudden, Percy whirls around, a malicious  grin spreading over his features, and throws a handful of lava into my  face.
                          
"Ahhhh!" I screech, as it flings onto my helmet. I scrape it  off the best I can, but my vision is now slightly distorted. "Oh, you  are so going to get it, Kelp Head!" I hiss, scooping up a gob of lava  and flinging it at him. It hits Percy in the chest.
                          
"Thalia!" he screams, clawing at his chest.
                          
"Thalia," I mimic, grinning as I scoop up another handful of the burning hot sludge.
                          
"THALIA!"  Percy shouts, and a couple of minutes of lava-flinging, laughing  hysteria ensue. Then, after a very successful throw of lava that lands  on his head, Percy abandons the lava fight and instead tackles me to the  ground, landing on top of me.
                          
"Per...cy..." I gasp. Gods, he is  heavy! "I...geroff...me...you're...hea-" A loud, shrill giggle  interrupts me, and Percy and I turn in horror to find Silena Beauregard  and one of her siblings, a tall caramel-haired green-eyed girl that  covers her mouth with her hand, blushing and stifling girlish giggles.
                          
"OH!  MY! GODS!" Silena shrieks, taking out a camera and snapping a photo of  us before we can move. Thalia and I are startled and shocked to the  point of being numb, like a deer in headlights.
                          
"OH! MY! GODS!"  her half-sister squeals, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.  They then hold hands and jump up and down in a circle spinning joyfully  around all while shrieking with giggles. Then they run out of the room,  their camera clutched in Silena's hand.
                          
"Oh, Hades," Percy moans, getting off of me.
                          
I'm silent for a moment before saying lividly, "I am going to murder Travis Stoll for starting this whole mess."