In my never-ending Jason phase, I would like to discuss how long it really took Jason and Piper to get together. In terms of fandom debate, people either argue for them getting together in less than a week or having taken a few months to get to know each other before officially dating.
Contrary to popular fandom opinion, both opinions can be ‘proven’ using the short story, “The Quest for Buford”.
To start off with, let’s explain why the short story is so important in regard to establishing the Jiper (Jason x Piper) timeline. To put it simply, this short story is the earliest chronological instance we see Piper and Jason officially dating.
Despite the situation, her multicolored eyes sparkled like she was trying to suppress a smile. Now that she and Jason were officially together, Piper looked like that a lot.
Demigod Diaries pg 125
Figuring out when this story comes chronologically is also figuring out how long Piper and Jason actually took before deciding to date each other. So, let’s get into it.
To begin with, let’s look at the former opinion. That Piper and Jason took less than a week to start dating. This is based on the fact that the timeline of the story is given to be on Christmas eve. Here are the quotes I found that either seem pretty explicit in it being Christmas Eve or imply it.
1
The camp’s weather was magically controlled, so it wasn’t freezing and snowing like it was in the rest of Long Island, but still Leo could tell it was late December.
Demigod Diaries pg 131
2
Christmas Eve. Leo couldn’t believe it was here already.
Demigod Diaries pg 132
3
Babette laughed. “The beverage of the season! Behold the power of the thyrsus rod!”
She slammed her pinecone staff against the ground and a white geyser bubbled up. “Eggnog!”
Maenads rushed forward to fill their goblets.
“Merry Christmas!” one yelled.
“Party!” another said.
“Kill everything!” said a third”
Demigod Diaries pg 146
4
Camp Half-Blood didn’t really celebrate mortal holidays, but everyone was in a good mood at the campfire. Some kids were drinking eggnog. Leo, Jason, and Piper passed on that and went for hot chocolate.
They listened to sing-along songs and watched sparks from the fire curl up to the stars.
Demigod Diaries pg 167
So, what is the importance of it being Christmas Eve? The answer to that is dates. We know that the Lost Trio met each other four days before the winter solstice, December 21st. Christmas Eve, conveniently, is December 24th. That leaves approximately less than 7 days from when they met and less than 3 days from the quest ending to choose to get together. That is not a lot of time to sort through fake memories and cope with amnesia.
Any inconsistencies with the how long it has allegedly been in text, can easily be explained away via both Riordan not knowing his own timeline and Leo being confused by time because he probably forgot to sleep.
Nonetheless, when it comes to this short story, the discrepancy in time can also be considered just as significant as the date given. As such, in this specific chapter of Riordan forgot his own continuity, the two-month time frame still has just as much of a basis for the ships set up.
Let’s dig into that side. To start off with where it took them months’ time frame comes from, let’s start with it on a basic level.
On a simplest level, Leo constantly mentions it’s been 2 months, literally from the get-go.
Leo blamed the Windex. He should’ve known better. Now his entire project-- two months of work-- might literally blow up in his face.
Demigod Diaries pg 125
In his two months at Camp Half-Blood, Leo had spent most of his time at Bunker 9. After all, he’d rediscovered the secret workshop. Now it was like a second home him
Demigod Diaries pg 126
Both times, it’s been two months. And there’s this...
Jason folded his arms. “You lost it. Don’t you have an extra? Can’t you pull one out of your tool belt?”
Leo shook his head. His magic tool belt could produce a lot of great stuff. Any kind of common tool --hammers, screwdrivers, bolt butters, whatever-- Leo could pull out of the pockets just by thinking about it. But the belt couldn’t fabricate complicated devices or magic items.
“The syncopator took me a week to make,” he said. “And yes, I made a spare. I always do. But that’s lost too. They were both in Buford’s drawers.”
Demigod Diaries pg 129
The syncopator took Leo (at least) a week to make. A week more than they would have had given the above timeline. The only way for that to work is if Leo thought the project, he is consumed by, took far longer than it was supposed to. And that’s not even including the time spent making the spare (even assuming if most of the week was spent figuring out how to make the original, the machinery is still plenty complicated enough that Leo can’t just whip up a new one within an hour or afternoon)
A week from returning their quest is way after Christmas. In fact, it even looks like Christmas already passed them by. At least once. Let’s look at the ‘Christmas Eve’ quote again. Only this time in full.
Christmas Eve. Leo couldn’t believe it was here already. He’d been working so hard in Bunker 9, he’d hardly noticed the weeks passing. Usually around the holidays he would be goofing around, pranking his friends, dressing up like Taco Claus (his personal invention), and leaving carne asada tacos in people’s socks and sleeping bags, or pouring eggnog down his friends’ shirts, or making up inappropriate lyrics to Christmas carols. This year, he was all serious and hardworking. Any teacher he’d ever had would laugh if Leo described himself that way.
Demigod diaries pg 132
The Christmas and holiday season very much sounds like the sort one would have at camp. Also based on the way Leo thinks about his holiday plans, it really gives in sense that he’d already had Christmas at camp.
Nonetheless, if Christmas really already passed, then how come it seems like it’s Christmas again? It being Christmas eve plays significant part in the narrative. Why would all the characters treat it like it’s that time of year and why would Leo think that if it isn’t?
This is where we enter the wonderful void called head canon. Keeping in mind that it’s been about two months, that brings us to February. Which conveniently is the dreaded month of aros and lonely singles alike. Valentine’s day. Leo Valdez is single. He is lonely. Add on that Piper and Jason canonically just got together and unless you consider them clueless friends, they are therefore very aware how this affects Leo. As such, they, maybe, brought this up with one of the Stoll brothers. Who had a brilliant idea. To prank everyone into thinking its Christmas again. That way Leo makes it through the holiday none the worse for the wear (and maybe Travis can get over his deal with Katie Bell) while focusing on the Argo II.
The Maedeads are also called because of this. It’s a holiday out of season. It calls to them like service to Mr. D. They don’t care whether its Christmas or Easter or Valentine’s Day. All they know is they are being called to a party that Mr. D. didn’t know about to prevent them being summoned. And the theme is Christmas. Of course, they’d come ready to party lugging eggnog.
If this version is true, then far from getting together in less than a week, Jason and Piper started dating after about 2 months of knowing each other. Which, for two teenagers at a summer camp is not only plenty of time to sort out false memories but far longer than usual time taken for summer camp romances.
All said and done, bc it's a case of messed up continuity, both versions are equally valid and equally flawed. At the end of the day, everyone should stick with the headcanon they like best but hopefully this clarifies the point of view for both sides.
