This is PuffTheMagicMallow winning one shot! Honestly, I want a part 2 to this because the suspense and anticipation is high!

What do you guys think?

•••

(Y/N) (L/N) HAS ALWAYS HATED BULLYING from the first moment she saw a boy in her third-grade class get beat up by another boy a year above. She hated the blood and the cracking sound of the poor boy's nose. She hated the cries of pain. She hated the screaming.

She hated the way bullies dragged others down so that they could pull themselves up. She hated the way they hurt others, messing them up so bad that they were left completely and utterly broken in the end. She hated the way they would sneer and laugh and smile their cold smile and make you think that you're worth absolutely nothing.

So (Y/N) found it pretty fucking ironic that her childhood best friend, Leo Valdez, turned out to be one of the worst bullies to ever exist in the state of New York.

Leo was notorious for his daring and dramatic theatrics and his ways of pulling on peoples' heartstrings to get them to do whatever he wanted. And, the funny thing was, they let him. They liked the challenge. They let him build them up with kind words and fake promises, only to realize in the end, when they woke up the next morning, naked and in their bed alone, it was all a careful charade just to get into their pants.

No doubt about it, (Y/N) hated Leo Valdez with a burning passion.

So maybe that was why, when she had discovered that she was a child of (G/P) and had been brought to Camp Half Blood, she devoted herself to protecting the innocent and providing for the needs of the helpless.

But what (Y/N) didn't know was that Leo Valdez also lived at Camp Half Blood, and he was out to make her life a living hell.

. . .
Leo

Leo had first learned about (Y/N) arriving at camp from one of his buddies. The name has sounded excruciatingly familiar (for some reason unbeknownst to him). There was an ongoing commotion about the new camper, how pretty she was (which wasn't very relevant to the topic at all but, still, it's always a nice thing to know), and about how undeniably kind she was to nearly everyone and everything that walked and talked and breathed on the face of planet Earth. And so, to satisfy his burning curiosity, Leo decided to ask around for answers.

Most of the demigods Leo went to were too scared to even look him in the eye, deciding instead to stare firmly at their feet or the ground while they murmured their response. Some flirted (boys and girls alike), to which Leo flirted back (he didn't get much information out of them). Others tried to ignore the fact that he was even there, thinking that maybe, just maybe, if they pretend to not notice him then perhaps he wouldn't break their faces.

Here was what Leo now knew:

(Y/N)'s last name was (L/N).

She was from (B/P).

Her godly parent was (G/P).

Her favorite color was (F/C).

She was an excellent sword fighter.

She spent most of her free time training.

She liked to read and listen to music.

She hated bullying.

That was it. It irked Leo that he didn't know more. The name (Y/N) tugged at something at the back of his mind. Every time it seemed to be on the tip of his tongue, it slipped away from him like an animal that didn't want to be caught.

This whole thing was quite new to Leo, because, being a widely-known heartthrob, it was usually other people that were chasing after him and wanting to know more about him - not the other way around. Leo didn't know if this new camper was magic, but it sure began to feel that way.

Finally, after nearly a month of sitting around, Leo planned on confronting (Y/N) himself once and for all.

. . .

(Y/N)

(Y/N) was having a bad day.

It wasn't like anything terrible happened to her that made her feel like absolute shit - on the contrary, her morning and afternoon were rather quaint, full of laughter and giggles and kicking (B/F/N)'s ass during training. (Y/N) just seemed to be having one of those moments where she thought everything and anything that went wrong in life was her fault and that she was an absolute failure to her friends and family and distant relatives and the old lady at the supermarket down the street who tried to sell her a can of Diet Coke.

So, to vent out her frustrations, she snuck out of the (G/P) cabin as soon as it got dark and went to the arena, hoping that maybe the harpies wouldn't happen to see her out of her bed after curfew and that she wouldn't be turned into tomorrow morning's breakfast.

The air outside was bitingly cold - which was strange, considering the fact that the weather at camp was typically sunny and warm. The wind cut into (Y/N)'s flesh like knives and whipped her hair back and forth across her face. Her eyes watered as she assumed a proper fighting stance and threw a satisfying punch to the first training dummy.

(Y/N) lost all track of time as she bounded from target to target, her mind a tangled mess of worries and doubts and insecurities and anxiety and stress from her tiring day, and then she began to think frantically, Did I remember to close the door? What if someone breaks in? What if the patrol finds me? What if everyone hates me? What if I get eaten alive by harpies? What if -

Her vision blurry from the wind and her brain occupied with millions of thoughts going around and around in her head like a never-ending carousel, she kneed what she presumed was the next dummy and kicked it with the flat of her foot, sending it sprawling to the floor below.

The "dummy" landed on the ground with a muffled thump and groaned.

It took ten whole seconds for (Y/N)'s brain to process that a) dummies were not supposed to make noises and b) they definitely weren't supposed to be able to move, which is what the thing seemed to be doing now, wrapping its arms around its stomach and curling into a fetal position with another groan.

Then the idea of (Y/N) not fully paying attention and maybe sort of kind of possibly killing another human being occurred to her, and she instantly felt a wave of guilt and remorse as she bent over to help the someone, who was still lying helplessly in the dirt.

"Oh my gods," (Y/N) said hurriedly, "I am so, so sorry. Are you ok?"

The someone didn't move. (Y/N) began to panic and said, "Oh no, are you hurt? I should probably go and get help - "

Finally, the someone shuffled a little so that they were on their back, one arm draped over the upper part of their face, covering their eyes.

(Y/N) breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank the gods you're not dead. We should probably get you over to the infirmary before - "

The someone cut her off rudely with a terse, "Can you just shut the hell up for one minute?"

(Y/N) blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." They sounded male - and rather angry.

The male someone rose shakily and unsteadily to their feet. (Y/N) followed suit.

(Y/N) began again, "Do you want me to help you to - "

"Just be quiet, will you?" the other snapped, brushing off their clothes. (Y/N)'s eyes narrowed at the sheer inhumanity of their response, but she said nothing.

(Y/N) took the time to study the person standing in front of her. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, she was able to make out some of his physical features. He looked like a boy no older than she was, albeit a few inches taller. He had a mass of dark curls tucked underneath a black beanie and pointy elf ears poking out from either side of his head. His eyes were dark and stormy and slanted, and his mouth was set into a grim scowl. His lanky frame was covered by a black t-shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. (Y/N) supposed that - had they met under normal circumstances, like normal people usually did - she might have found him somewhat attractive.

Something tugged at (Y/N)'s memory. She ignored the thought, focusing more on how she was going to get back to her cabin and why the boy now appeared to be glaring at her with a fiery hatred.

"What the fuck was that for?" he spat.

(Y/N) rolled her eyes. She had dealt with these types of people before, and they pissed the living daylights out of her. "No need to swear. I was trying to help you, y'know. I said I was sorry."

If looks could kill, (Y/N) would have died twice from the intensity of the boy's narrowed stare.

"Whatever," they said. "I'm too tired for your bullshit. Have you seen (Y/N) 'round here?"

(Y/N) hesitated.

He's looking for me, she thought. That can't be good.

Before her brain could jump to the worst possible conclusions, she quickly said, "Nope. Can't say I have."

The boy's stare faltered. Then, he huffed, "Fine. If you do, tell her Leo wants to meet with her."

He stalked off, folding his arms across his chest like a pouty seven year-old kid who didn't get what they wanted, taking his beanie off of his head and raking a hand through his curly hair out of what looked like frustration.

(Y/N) was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness that caused her to stagger backwards.

Leo.

Leo Valdez.

Leo Valdez as in (Y/N)'s ex-best friend.

Leo Valdez as in the boy who had left (Y/N) alone one night without any explanation at all as to why he disappeared.

Leo Valdez as in the boy who had broken practically every girl's heart in New York City (which she highly doubted, but she wouldn't put it past him).

And, now, for some reason, he was here. At Camp Half Blood. With (Y/N).

Well, shit.

. . .

It had been nearly a week since (Y/N) had had her little "run-in" with Leo, and ever since then she had been doing her best to strategically and carefully avoid him ever since - whether it be dodging him during dinner, skirting around the edge of the woods so as to not cross paths with him - you name it. (Y/N) was not particularly new to the art of going unnoticed by others, so staying out of sight was a cinch.

One day, (Y/N) wasn't so lucky.

It was a surprisingly bright afternoon - despite the fact that it was supposed to be mid-winter (maybe there were some perks to magically controlled weather) - and (Y/N) was walking with (B/F/N) to the dining hall for dinner when she spotted Leo and his group of cronies.

And they were headed this way.

(B/F/N) seemed to notice (Y/N)'s sudden growing unrest, so they asked, "Something wrong?"

(Y/N) chanced a glance over at Leo.

Two words: big mistake. (Y/N)'s eyes locked with his in an intense stare-off, before Leo broke the eye contact, shaking his head and going back to laughing with his friends.

(B/F/N) caught (Y/N) and Leo's mini show-down and smirked.

"You know that hunk?" they said, tone suggestive and bordering on the edge of teasing, waggling their eyebrows.

(Y/N) laughed awkwardly. Well, I used to, she thought.

At least... I thought it did.

Instead, (Y/N) shook her head complacently and replied with, "No, I don't." She hoped her voice sounded at least somewhat persuasive.

But (B/F/N) didn't look convinced. "Right. Sure. Definitely. Of course. I totally believe you."

(Y/N) shoved (B/F/N) playfully. She meant it to be a light push, but (B/F/N) toppled over and yelped.

"(Y/N)!" they half-screamed, eyes alit with both playfulness and annoyance. "(Y/N), you are so dead!"

At the sound of (Y/N)'s name, Leo's head snapped instantly in her direction. (Y/N) swallowed a lump in her throat as her gaze locked with Leo's once again. A look of recognition dawned on his face, and he opened his mouth as if to say something. Then he stopped mid-way, as if deciding better against it, and then slowly the corners of his lips curled into a smirk.

(Y/N)'s insides squirmed. She coughed.

Leo spared (Y/N) one more glance before he disappeared into the midst of the dining hall and took a seat among his brethren.

(Y/N) let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. (B/F/N) got to their feet and waggled their eyebrows again.

(Y/N) pushed them into the dirt.

. . .

It seemed as if everything started to go downhill after that - from that point on, since Leo now had the knowledge that (Y/N) was (Y/N) and that she was the one who scored a kick to his groin, he went especially out of his way to annoy her. First, it was a cannonball of rotten fish skins, banana peels, and moldy fruit aimed at her plate that exploded into a mess of stinky leftovers, splattering all over her face and her favorite pair of jeans. Then, it was a bowl of scalding hot soup "accidentally" spilled onto her white shirt by one of Leo's henchmen. And then it was Leo himself who stuck out his foot and tripped her as she trudged back to the (G/P) cabin to change outfits, a full-blown grin gracing his face.

And then after that, she was bombarded with an army of spitball-wielders who pelted her from head-to-toe with sticky wads of something - whatever it was, (Y/N) didn't particularly want to know.

(Y/N) sighed as she stepped into the (G/P) cabin and was greeted with the heartwarming sight of a blazing fire in the fireplace, casting a soft warm glow along the walls of the cabin, shadows dancing on the ceiling like ballerinas. It was just about as close to home (Y/N) had ever gotten.

She stepped into her section of the room, a four-post mattress separated from the rest of the room by a blue and purple flowered curtain. (Y/N) had strongly protested, saying that blue and purple and flowers didn't really suit her at all and that she'd much rather have a plain white partition instead, but flowers was all that they had; and so here (Y/N) was, sitting on her bed in the stillness of her cabin, enjoying the quiet calmness of the whole scene that was playing before her.

After a long, hot shower, (Y/N) - not bothering to change out of her street clothes - lay wide-awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, suddenly wondering why and how and when and where and what she had done to deserve this. Maybe she had been a serial killer in a past life. Or a drug dealer. Or a really cold, heartless person who stepped on a puppy in the streets.

Either which way, (Y/N) firmly decided that there was no way in Hades that she was going to let some stuck-up jackass - such as Leo - mess up her day.

And with that thought, (Y/N) closed her eyes with a contented yawn and fell asleep.

. . .

(Y/N) was quick to realize that remaining optimistic about her current situation was very nearly impossible. At first, Leo's theatrics been irritating and, granted, had made (Y/N) want to throw a brick at his face - which was saying something, since (Y/N) wasn't an extremely violent person - but now, as the days turned to weeks and weeks turned into months, (Y/N) was beginning to run out of patience.

It was Christmas Eve. (Y/N) had never particularly liked Christmas - or any holiday, for that matter - but for some reason (Y/N) found herself in an even more sullen mood than usual.

That day, (Y/N) walked out of her cabin in a gray and white snowboarding jacket, her orange Camp Half Blood t-shirt, dark jeans, and boots, her hands shoved into the pockets of her pants. A light dust of snow fell from wispy-looking clouds in the sky, coating the entire camp with a fine white powder and turning it into a fantasy-like winter wonderland.

(Y/N) was able to take exactly two seconds to admire the natural beauty of it before she was attacked by a giant snowball.

She was thrown backwards with the impact and shut her eyes reflexively as she collided with the floor. Her ears began to ring.

When she finally decided to lift her eyelids, she came face-to-face with a familiar sneering, grinning, elf-eared Latino.

"Something wrong, (Y/N)?" Leo jeered. "Cat got your tongue?"

(Y/N) smiled sweetly. Something in Leo's confident gaze wavered.

Then she hooked her foot around his ankle and yanked him forward.

Leo was sent sprawling face-first into the ground with an undignified grunt.

Laughter rang through the air at Leo's expense. (Y/N) couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles herself as Leo lifted up his head, revealing a mop of disheveled curls coated with dusty snow and a tomato-red Latino face. Reluctantly, he broke into an ear-to-ear grin.

Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.

But then she saw the snowball forming in Leo's large hands, split-seconds before it was launched at her unsuspecting head.

As the sound of laughter grew fainter and fainter - (Y/N) supposed Leo and his friends had at last gotten bored of her - (Y/N) sighed.

Never mind.

. . .

(Y/N) came back to her cabin right after dinner, deciding that she didn't want to stick around for any loud and kind of obnoxious campfire sing-alongs and s'mores after all, and would much rather stay in her bed by herself next to the fireplace with a snug blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and a good book.

But when she stepped inside of the (G/P) cabin, she realized she wasn't the only one.

In a distant corner of the room, (Y/N) could hear what seemed like the crying of a little girl, accompanied by another much calmer, soothing voice that sounded eerily familiar.

"Shh," said the familiar voice. "Hush, now. It'll be ok."

The little girl sniffled. "Nobody likes me. They all hate me. That's why they sent me away."

"There, there. It'll be ok."

(Y/N) chanced a peek at the two speakers - and almost did a double-take at what she saw.

Sitting at the edge of (Y/N)'s bed, half-hidden behind the purple and blue flowered curtains, sat one of (Y/N)'s siblings - a little seven year-old girl named Olivia - and the one and only -

(You guessed it.)

Leo - Bad Boy Supreme - Valdez.

(Y/N) couldn't help her lips curling upwards into a small smile. The sight of Leo's long arms wrapped around Olivia's tiny, frail body in a comforting hug made (Y/N) think that maybe Leo wasn't as much of a "bad boy" as he thought he was.

Then Leo began to hum a lullaby, and that's when (Y/N) stopped in her tracks.

Because it was one thing for Leo to hug a little girl to make her feel better, but it was an entirely different situation altogether when Leo's voice began to ring through the cabin in soft, melodic tunes, making (Y/N) feel as if the music was being pulled into her lungs with every breath she took and causing it to course through her veins like her blood was on steroids (was that even a thing?). It was such a sweet, soothing sound that (Y/N) had to fight back a yawn.

(Y/N) slowly took a step backwards, deciding that Leo and Olivia probably didn't want any intruders, but her plan was ultimately foiled when the floor gave a long, droning creak as her foot met the wooden planks. Leo's attention was automatically diverted to her, and his eyes seemed to have widened a fraction of an inch in surprise - or maybe it was a trick of the light, because as soon as it had arrived it was gone - and now Leo was offering (Y/N) a sheepish smile as Olivia dozed, half-cradled in his arms.

"I... I-I don't..." Leo began. (Y/N) cut him off - which was probably a good thing, seeing as Leo most likely wouldn't have been able to string together a coherent sentence in his current state anyways.

"It's ok. I'll tuck her in. You can get going," she said, assuming that Leo probably wanted to leave asap to join the rest of his friends at the campfire (where they would most likely throw marshmallows at campers' heads and pretend it was bird crap).

But when (Y/N) made advances to unburden Leo from Olivia's tiny weight, he made no moves to leave.

"Leo?" (Y/N) asked, feeling slightly baffled.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Lost in thought." He lay Olivia down gently onto (Y/N)'s bed and pulled the covers over her small body.

(Y/N) watched the way Leo treated Olivia - as if she was a delicate antic that would break at the slightest touch. It was so different than what (Y/N) was used to - pulling pranks, breaking hearts (and bones), sleeping with dozens of people all within the same week - that she had to take a moment to recollect herself and make sure that this was most certainly not just a dream and that Leo was most certainly not staring at her.

"What?" (Y/N) said.

Leo hesitated. He looked like he wanted to say something but somehow couldn't quite find the words, and was now trying to come up with an excuse as to why he had been intently examining (Y/N)'s face - no matter how beautiful it was - with some visible difficulty.

Then he shook his head, seemingly changing his mind and instead replying with another small, sad, apologetic smile.

"You look tired," Leo said eventually in a quiet voice - so unlike what (Y/N) had been accustomed to. "You should get some rest."

(Y/N) frowned. "I'm not tired," she countered, not caring at that moment how much of a five year-old child she sounded.

(Y/N) then took that precise moment to let out a long, gaping yawn.

Leo smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Not tired?"

"Shut up." Another yawn.

Before she even knew what was happening, (Y/N) had the sudden sensation that she was being lifted up from her seated position next to Olivia and carried over to another bed in a different section of the cabin - which (Y/N) later knew to be vacant. Then she was being laid down, the mattress cool to the touch, making her shiver. A blanket was draped over her shoulders.

(Y/N)'s vision was blurry from tiredness, but she could see the outline of Leo beginning to leave the cabin.

Suddenly, (Y/N) didn't want him to leave.

"Leo?" (Y/N) called out, voice croaky.

Leo halted in his tracks and turned to face her, his expression a mixture of confusion and amusement. "Yeah?"

"I missed you."

And maybe (again) it was the light - or the lack thereof - but (Y/N) swore Leo's shoulders sagged at her words, as if his entire "bad boy" facade was beginning to melt away, revealing the same vulnerable little boy that (Y/N) had grew up with.

"I missed you," (Y/N) repeated when Leo didn't respond. "I miss my best friend."

Leo sighed, already reaching for the doorknob.

"Me too," he whispered, so soft and quiet (Y/N) could barely hear.

Then he disappeared into the night.

. . .

(Y/N) awoke to the sound of her phone buzzing. Groaning, she rolled over in bed and tried to ignore it.

Then it buzzed again.

And again.

And again.

And again, until it became so unbearable to (Y/N)'s poor ears that she begrudgingly reached out for her phone to unlock it.

07:45 am, Unknown Number: G'morning Princess. ;)

07:46 am, Unknown Number: Sleep well???

07:46 am, Unknown Number: Hurry up Princess, or you'll be late for breakfast.

(Y/N) cocked her head to the side in confusion as she typed out her reply.

07:50 am, (Y/N) (L/N): Who is this?

07:50 am, Unknown Number: So Sleeping Beauty finally deciding to wake up and grace us with her presence. ;))

07:51 am, (Y/N) (L/N): Do I know you?

Her phone buzzed with the response:

07:52 am, Unknown Number: Darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream.

(Y/N) laughed.

07:53 am, (Y/N) (L/N): Taylor Swift? xD

07:53 am, Unknown Number: You know it. ;)))

07:54 am, (Y/N) (L/N): Do I get to know who you are now?

Pause. Then:

07:55 am, Unknown Number: I'm your knight in shining armor.

07:56 am, Unknown Number: What do you say we go for a walk later around camp and just talk? For old times' sake??

07:56 am, Unknown Number: :)

(Y/N) cracked a smile.

07:57 am, (Y/N) (L/N): I didn't know you liked Taylor Swift, Leo.

0:57 am, (Y/N) (L/N): :P

07:58 am, Unknown Number: Is that a yes?? :)

07:59 am, (Y/N) (L/N): Three words and I'm yours.

08:00 am, Unknown Number: ...

08:00 am, Unknown Number: I have food??

08:01 am, (Y/N) (L/N): ...You know me so well.

08:02 am, Unknown Number: :)

•••
I hope that's the right order!

So do you guys want a part 2, because I know I do!

Love you Piløts💙❤️