The Shadow of a Hero

Christmas One-Shot

This is not part of the story. The next chapter might not be out for a while because the friend that's doing has three A.P. classes and her afternoons have been taken over by drama club. Sorry, but to make up for it I wrote a small Christmas one-shot. I've never done anything like this before so it might be really cliché or something. Thanks for being patient with me.

It was the day before Christmas and Camp Half-Blood is oddly quite. Most campers left to visit family in the mortal world (Percy and Annabeth) or decided to take the time to travel without the pressure of a quest (Jason and Piper). Even the monsters in the woods aren't growling as loud. Overall it's rather boring. So here I am, laying on one of the beds in the Hades cabin with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling and wait for the Roman campers to arrive.

A hurried knock on the door sounds before someone invites themselves in. The sunny Will Solace starts pacing back and forth without a greeting. "Just let yourself in; I guess," I muse, uninterested. Honestly, this isn't the first, and I doubt it will be the last, time that this has happened.

"Oh, sorry Neeks," Will pauses and stops pacing. "What am I going to do?" He sits down on the edge of the opposite me with a sigh.

"Calm down Will; what's the matter?" I sit up so that I'm looking at Will and not the ceiling.

"They want to know how Santa's going to be able to visit them at camp." Will tells me like it should have been obvious.

"Sorry, who?" I still don't really get what the big deal is.

"Maddie and Benjamin!" Will just about yells.

Oh..." I pretend that it all suddenly makes sense. "But Santa Clause isn't real." I point out.

"They don't know that." Maddie and Ben are twin 7 year old children of Apollo and apparently the only ones currently at Camp that still think Santa exists. "And there is no way that I'm going to be the one to let them in on the secret." Will concludes.

"Why not?" Will fixes me with one of his rare glares that actually sends a shiver down my spine. "Okay, okay, never mind." I  raise my hands in a show of surrender. "So what are you going to do?" 

"I don't know." Will flops on his back and covers his face with his hands.

We lapse into silence until it's broken by the second person today rudely inviting themselves into my cabin. Though this person stops in the doorframe when catching sight of Will. "Oh, sorry, we'll come back later if you're in the middle of something," the person apologizes.

"Hazel!" I tackle my sister in a hug.  "Frank." I welcome my sister's boyfriend politely.

"I hope we didn't interrupt anything." Frank comments.

"Just me stressing about Saint Nick." Will moans from his spot on the bed. Hazel raises her brow in confusion. I just shake my head telling her not to ask.

Frank steps into the cabin with Hazel's bag slung over his shoulder and I suddenly get an idea. "Hey Frank, can you shift into people or is it only animals."

"I don't know, why?" He looks at me worried.

"Will, I think I found the solution to your problem." Will sits up, eager to hear my plan.

-Time skip-

"What if he can't do it?" Will asks me. We're standing in the shadows outside the Apollo cabin waiting for Frank to finish posing as Santa Clause and leaving gifts for Maddie and Ben.

"You worry to much." I say through chattering teeth. A few inches of snow were let through the barrier to allow for a white Christmas and with it, the cold temperatures.

A crash is heard from inside the cabin followed by the door flying open. A jolly fat man dressed in red and white and has a white beard comes out with two small blond haired blue eyed children hanging onto him yelling "We caught him, we caught Santa!"

"Get off, please." Frank grunts through his disguise.

"Should we help him?" Will manages between snickers. I can't answer him I'm laughing so hard. Lights from other cabins begin to turn on as the commotion spreads throughout camp.

"We should get going." I end up getting out.

"Okay, but first," Will pulls a small gift wrapped in bright yellow paper out of his pocket, "merry Christmas."

"It isn't Christmas." I claim, staring at the gift.

"It is now." Will holds up his watch so that I can see it says 12:00. I bite back a rude comment and instead accept the present.

"I can't open this." I tell him emotionlessly.

"Why, why not?" Will looks at me in confusion.

"Because I haven't given you mine yet." 

"Oh just open it." He insists. 

I relent and tear off the too bright wrapping to reveal a box with a black ring inside. "I'm flattered really, but don't you think we're a little young for you to propose to me?" I tease with a smirk.

Will's face goes beet red. "That's not what it is." He scolds while hitting me lightly on the arm. "Loe Ellen and Leo helped me with it so that it's like Percy's pen." 

My eyes widen in surprise, "you mean it turns into a weapon?"

"Yep." Will declares proudly. "Just press the skull." I look closer at the surface and find that there are thin veins of gold forming the shape of a skull. "Now come on."

I don't even get to test my gift out when Will grabs my grabs my arm and drags me in the direction of the big house. "What are we doing?" I complain.

"We're going to watch a Christmas movie." 

Oh no we're not. I dig my heels into the ground making Will stop. "It isn't even one in the morning Will."

"So? It's Christmas which makes it okay." Will defends.

"I don't think that's how it works." I counter.

Once Will's made up his mind there's nothing that can change it and this time is no different. "Please," Will begs with his puppy dog face that even the most strong willed person can't resist.

I sigh knowing that he's already won. "Fine, but I get to pick the movie."

"No, you'll just pick The Nightmare Before Christmas which isn't even a real Christmas movie." Will whines.

"It says Christmas in the name." I explain as Will and I continue on.

"That means nothing."

 Will and I debate the rest of the way and eventually end up watching movies until the sun rises, starting with The Nightmare Before Christmas of course.

Happy Holidays! Hopefully the next chapter of this story will be up soon. Like I said, I haven't written anything like this before, so sorry if it isn't great. Also, thank you for the 15K views!

Disclaimer: I'm not Rick Riordan.