Piper heard jumbled words. Steadily getting louder, the speaker seemed distant, unaware. She had a throbbing headache and her leg felt numb. Warm fingers brushed the tip of Piper's nose.
"She's stirring."
Piper's lips twitched ever so lightly. Annabeth had a stern sort of voice, a voice that seemed to tell a person, "Kill the spider or else."
"Really? I thought they said another few days." Hazel whispered.
Piper yawned, only now registering the pain that ached in her jaw. She strained her ears for the smallest sounds, clinging to the hope that Jason's quiet footsteps would approach.
Nope, Piper thought glumly. Nothing.
Pretending she hadn't been eavesdropping, Piper blearily blinked the sleep from her eyes, trying to focus on anything besides her migraine. She found Hazel on her left supporting her injured leg and tracing patterns of stars on her cheek.
Her friend seemed to sink into herself as Annabeth discussed what she would have changed in battle tactics. From Hazel's exasperated expression, it must have been at least the fourth time.
"I mean," Annabeth said, "if I'd known that the monsters would be invulnerable, I would have asked the Hephaestus cabin to build a defence mechanism that would have enclosed each demigod in a ring of steel that would have..."
Annabeth trailed off as Piper announced her presence, lifting one arm with great effort and nudging her nearest friend.
Hazel tentatively offered Piper a cup of water.
Piper downed the glass and felt a surge of relief. Coughing, she swallowed a few times, trying to get her throat used to the moisture. She scanned her surroundings and blinked in surprise when she recognised the infirmary.
Annabeth smiled tightly at Piper, speaking briskly as if she was trying to force the words out of her mouth. Piper was taken aback at her tone as Annabeth avoided her eyes, preferring to stare at the floor instead.
"Good morning, Piper. Do you want a review as well?" She asked. Piper wasn't rude enough to say no.
"The monsters, they targeted you," Annabeth began, while Hazel glowered at Piper. "They left their fights instantly, as if controlled. Similar to charmspeak, their eyes were unfocused and glassy. It was unnerving, but as the horde of monsters came, you levitated and fired black fire out of our palms."
Her smile became even bitterer, and she spoke more rapidly, her eyes darting from the floor to Piper's face.
"Percy then joined you. You both let out a blinding flame halo and it was like a circle expanding that evaporated all of the monsters." Annabeth seemed calm, but her hands betrayed her, twitching as she tried to unclench her fists.
Used to Annabeth's jealous nature, Piper sighed to herself as she continued to listen to Annabeth's review of what had happened. Her eyes flitted to the ceiling and she started counting the number of tiles.
One, she thought. Two, three, four…
"And you killed some demigods too," Annabeth said after a few minutes of mindless speaking. "Some of my brothers and sisters."
Piper realized Annabeth was looking at her in a guarded way, her body language no longer betraying her emotions. Piper's own hands were knotted in fury underneath the covers, but she plastered on a remorseful look.
Those demigods were traitors, she thought. They were working for Gaea. Why shouldn't they die when they've caused so much death themselves?
"Er, yes," Hazel added worriedly, as if finally noticing the tension, "I am sure she's very sorry for the destruction, Annabeth, but Piper - we've got to tell you - we don't think it's over -"
Her voice was suddenly muffled, and Piper craned her neck to see Annabeth holding her hand up to Hazel's mouth and smiling sheepishly. She removed her palm and gave Hazel a sharp glance.
Hazel looked at Annabeth confusedly.
"But I thought we were going to tell her-"
"That Gaea was going back to sleep," Annabeth cut her off. "We completely diminished her forces." Piper forced herself to smile and nod along with Annabeth.
There's something wrong, Piper thought desperately, reaching out with her powers. This can't be Annabeth.
Hazel attempted to hug Piper, smiling. She inwardly cringed as Hazel's fingers connected with her ribcage. The throbbing in her chest increased tenfold as Piper struggled with the temptation to tell Hazel it hurt.
"We missed you." she said, her voice brimming with honesty.
Piper gave her first real smile. It abruptly faded as she heard Percy stir from a few beds away and saw the state of his body.
How had no one treated that? She thought, wide eyed. Why hadn't he had ambrosia?
His nose looked bloody and broken, and from what she could see, he had a dislocated shoulder. A rib was poking out of his skin, and one of his ears was split open, top to bottom. She shuddered and tentatively felt her own ears, trying to confirm that they were still there.
The sheets covered his legs, and Piper shuddered as she wondered what other injuries had been dealt out to him. With a determined look, Annabeth ran over to him, doing little things, like checking his pulse and thermometer.
Young love, Piper thought, her eyes twinkling. I guess being a daughter of Aphrodite isn't all bad.
"So, Hazel," She said, trying not to show her confliction. Hazel smiled cheekily, a look of innocence making her gold eyes sparkle.
"Yes?" She inquired.
The pounding in Piper's skull intensified and she quickly lay back down on her pillow. As Piper looked upwards, she saw that the bags under Hazel's eyes had become more prominent, and her eyelashes seemed to be blinking away tears.
"Why are you crying?" She asked gently, changing her question. She shook her head at Piper, blinking even harder, as her pupils ran from Annabeth back to Piper uncertainly.
"It's nothing," Hazel replied mildly, but she had an undertone of warning in her voice.
Piper sighed, even though it made her chest ache. To anyone else, it would have looked perfectly natural, but Piper had bunked with Hazel for three years. She definitely knew when the littler girl was lying- or at least stretching the truth.
Piper looked into her crisp gold eyes and wondered what her friend was thinking, desperately wanting to help. Hazel's eyes hardened as Piper looked away.
Footsteps approached and Hazel hesitated.
"Annabeth's coming," Hazel hissed finally, a second from Annabeth's arrival. "Zip it."
Piper closed her mouth, biting back the retort that threatened to spill out.
Annabeth had stopped watching over Percy and approached them. Hazel looked tense for a second, then adjusted her stance to look more natural.
"I'm just tired, Pipes," Hazel grumbled, reenacting the scene they had just been in.
Jason called her that too, she suddenly remembered. Pipes. Once again, she was reminded of her boyfriend, with his cute staple scar and dimples.
"Hey, have you guys seen Jason? Where is he?" She asked.
Annabeth shrugged carelessly.
"I don't know, and it honestly doesn't matter." She said, seeming to take some vindictive pleasure in her nonchalant voice.
Piper looked worried.
"Is he alright?" she fretted. "He's not hurt is he?"
"I'm not exactly sure, but he is definitely alive," Hazel said unhelpfully.
Confused at their coldness, Piper tried to stretch out the kinks in her back, feeling the need to find her boyfriend.
Piper bent her neck, feeling a crack every few turns. Sighing, Piper looked around with her newfound motion and saw that she was wearing a white hospital gown. It contrasted so brightly against her tanned skin that she had to blink a couple times to get the shape in focus.
Struggling to move, she turned to her friends to ask for another glass of water, when she realized that she hadn't even noticed their clothing. While Piper didn't like it, it had always been her second nature to analyse her friend's outfits' and give them advice.
About a minute later, she was nodding thoughtfully at their choices, and thinking about how their styles had changed from the Argo II.
Hazel was dressed in ordinary blue skinny jeans, with the usual Camp Half Blood tee. Piper had to admit it complimented her tanned skin well. For the first time she noticed that Hazel's eyes were more guarded than they were before, even to Piper. She wore a silver headband, sandals and ribbon, keeping her fluffy chocolate hair out of her face. She also had a pendant with a crystal moon, which reflected the rays of light that were caught in it.
Her wiry arms made her SPQR burn seem darker against her skin, as if showing that she wasn't just a pretty face. She had cover-up under her eyes, but Piper still noticed the bags she tried to keep hidden. She also saw that Hazel's eyeliner was slightly smeared.
Did it have anything to do with the other issue? Maybe I shouldn't have pressed her. Piper thought guiltily.
Meanwhile, Annabeth was dressed in a white blouse with a grey owl reading a book and ripped jean shorts.
Why not a Camp Half Blood shirt? Piper wondered confusedly. Since when did Annabeth start wearing jewelry and makeup?
Hazel, she could understand, but Annabeth? Annabeth - 'The shortness of that skirt is preposterous' - Chase wearing an equally, if not more skimpy top? A few months ago, the idea would have been ridiculous.
The girl in question was wearing grey sneakers as well. She was adorned in a grey pearl necklace and about three different bracelets. Annabeth was wearing silver eyeliner and slight blue eye shadow, defining her gray pupils. She even wore an anklet, with a silver moon embroidered on it.
"Is there something wrong?" Annabeth asked, an eyebrow arched aristocratically. "I don't have anything on my face, do I?"
"Of course not," Piper said, feeling uncomfortable. Perhaps Annabeth was not a complete tomboy, and just let her inner female free after the war. Putting her thoughts aside for now, Piper tried to sit up, but ultimately failed.
Annabeth stood and walked over to help her, and Piper leaned on her heavily. She dragged her burning leg out of the covers but felt faint when she saw her kneecap.
The largest bandage Piper had ever seen stretched from her thigh to her ankle, but what made it horrendus were the jagged stitches across the wound and poor workmanship done with it. Pus gathered at the edges of the slash, and Annabeth looked at the ceiling in revulsion.
Piper felt disgusted with herself too. How could I let myself get that? She inwardly cried.
For the first time in her life, Piper felt ugly.
It wasn't an epiphany, like she had hoped when she'd been younger, but a sort of dull ache.
Will Jason still love me when he sees the scars? She asked herself, feeling a lump form in her throat.
Yes, she thought desperately. He has to. Right?
Hazel saw her expression and sent her a sympathetic look. She then gently took Piper's left arm while Annabeth grabbed her right.
Piper knew the longer it took to get out of bed, the more painful it would be. She used her arms and pushed as hard as she could, lifting herself up off the bed and sinking exhaustedly to the ground. Piper had beads of sweat on her face as black spots emerged threateningly at the edges of her vision.
The burning in her collarbone and leg increased, and she felt nausea rise in her throat. Her headache started to feel as if a sledgehammer was pounding her skull in every heartbeat. Piper's left foot twisted awkwardly as it twitched uselessly an inch from the floor. Limping and using her friends as support, she dragged herself to the entrance of the infirmary.
Piper grit her teeth and prepared to set her foot down, knowing that it would be the worst part of walking, but was unprepared for the intense agony. The moment her ankle connected to the ground the feeling of absolute excruciation overcame her. It took all her energy to just wait it out.
Eventually, the pain lessened, and Piper was able to take her first step into the sunlight.
Any voices that were talking, stopped. Within exclamations of disbelief, Piper managed to make out a few phrases. It seemed that no one was pleased to see her. Trying to hide her hurt, Piper let her matted hair hang in front of her face, as if it could shield her from their judgment.
Blinking intensely, Piper looked at the ground, blocking her ears, and suddenly longing for the comforting darkness. The light seared her pupils and eventually, she just closed her eyes, letting her friends guide her.
Barely five steps later, she felt the salty tang of blood on her lips and opened her eyes a fraction. Piper nudged Hazel with her head to alert her.
"Annabeth," she said hushed. "Piper's bleeding."
Annabeth's grip on her shoulders tightened. The two girls picked Piper up and simply carried her the rest of the way. Humiliation set in and Piper looked self consciously at the scars across her arms, holding her head in her hands. Setting her gently on the couch, Hazel looked for the first aid kit while Annabeth walked up the stairs to find Chiron.
Piper lay weakly on the mattress, before realizing there was a long trail of red splatter leading from the infirmary to the big house. Piper could see the feather in her braided hair a mess, clogged with blood and grease.
She faintly heard Chiron in the background of the blurry landscape, barking orders, and Piper felt her migraine descend into agony.
After regaining her breath, Piper saw campers start to gather at the edge of the big house, looking at Chiron questioningly. He shook his head slightly, and they relaxed. A few of them sheathed their weapons.
The centaur turned to look at her with an expression of concern, but for the first time, Piper noticed how generic it looked.
"I'm fine, Chiron." She said gruffly, answering his unspoken question.
He nodded gravely.
Piper couldn't meet his gaze.
"Why didn't you give me ambrosia?" She managed to say.
Her voice came out colder than she had intended. The ice in her voice hadn't been specifically directed at Chiron, but he took offence just the same. Her hand crept higher, where is stayed, perfectly positioned, on Katoptris.
"Don't be rash," he said sternly. "I know you feel intimidated, and I know I would be too, but-"
Piper let out a raspy laugh.
"Intimidated? By what?" She challenged. "What opponent would be stupid enough to brag, 'Oh, I beat one of the seven, while she was crippled, bleeding, and ill?' Would that make the poor, bruised egos in camp feel better?"
Chiron looked slightly ashamed, but met her gaze coolly.
"I don't believe so, Piper," He said.
He better be sorry, Piper thought. Drawing her lips back in a snarl, she glowered at the campers defensively.
"Dumpster queen is on a roll," Drew sneered, drawing Piper's gaze to her. The crowd muttered some more, seemingly agreeing with her. Piper tried to ignore the whispers for as long as she could, but her skin had started tingling with fury. She waited a few seconds before her headache exploded and any tolerance she might have had died instantly.
"Shut up!" She shrieked, her voice echoing across the cabins. The gathering demigods fell silent. Piper couldn't tell if it was the charmspeak or if they had just never heard her talk so angrily. Then she felt rage burning in her eyes and realized what had happened.
I still have the black fire, Piper thought, unamused. She made the claw symbol around her heart and whispered the word, making her hand light up. She let the flame flicker in her palm as a warning to the campers before smothering the flame.
"Don't come any nearer," Piper growled. "I don't trust you, any of you."
Chiron looked alarmed, and Piper had to stop herself from painfully turning around. She knew she'd attracted a crowd, but the fact that they were all ignoring her and giving her cold looks was yet another mystery. Piper frowned distrustfully at Chiron for a moment; though she knew it was entirely the Gods' faults. She needed someone to blame, and unfortunately, Chiron was the first person on her, admittedly, very long list.
"At the very least, I need some ambrosia," Piper muttered, almost regretting having lost her temper.
Annabeth and a few of the campers fidgeted uncomfortably.
"There are some things we need to discuss," Chiron said gently, helping her up.
Eventually, after Chiron had calmed the campers down, he placed a soft hand on Piper's uninjured shoulder and guided her towards the back of the room. Annabeth and Hazel followed them wearily.
Piper looked around the room and was surprised to see a large pile of letters on the floor. Annabeth looked even more nervous and kicked a few to the side as she made a path around the clutter.
"I am sorry for the … unfortunate incidents, and hopefully this will clear things up for you-"
"It better," Piper interrupted softly, meeting Chiron's gaze.
"What's that?" He asked, his eyebrows raised in annoyance.
"You heard me," Piper snapped. "I want answers - now."
"Then ask," he said irritably, his tail flicking from side to side.
She looked at him closely, looking for a hint of truth. After inspecting Chiron for a minute, she finally growled out:
"Why do the campers want me dead?"
The centaur's face whitened, and the hollows in his eyes became more pronounced. His hoof tapped out the floor frantically, as if the demigods weren't the only ones with ADHD.
"What?" He asked, losing his arrogance. "Why would you say that?"
Piper turned her head slowly to meet his gaze and cocked her head to the right.
"I discovered a new power recently." She said, her eyes narrowed in spite. "It shows the level of hostility of people towards me."
Despite being calm, Piper could feel her heart start to beat faster and faster. She bit her cheek so hard that she tasted blood and her mouth parted in an expression of loathing.
"A few of their levels…" Piper let out a sadistic smile, "I don't know why I let them live. As soon as I'm healed..."
She drew a finger across her neck.
"Maybe you did it wrong? You never know..." He muttered.
"Don't give me that," she spat. "Haven't you heard what I've been saying? I can feel it. They hate me, and I don't know what I did! In fact, I saved their sorry arses from Gaea!"
Chiron winced at her tone, and put on his best mature adult face.
"Are you sure-" He began. She seemed to glow in quiet fury.
"And you know the worst part?" Piper whispered, her voice suddenly jagged with grief.
She drew back her arm and flung Katoptris, purposely letting the dagger penetrate the wall an inch from Annabeth's face. They grey eyed girl shook with anger.
"One of my best friends, one who I trust with my life," Piper let out a choked laugh, tears running down her face, "would like nothing more than to slit my throat."
There was a moment of silence.
Then Hazel recoiled from Annabeth, shaking as tears started to pool in her eyes.
"You said!" Hazel screeched. "You said you were acting! You said you wouldn't do it!"
Hazel trembled, the tears now streaming down her cheeks. "You're really going to do it…" she breathed. "You're going to… you're going to…"
She paled so much she looked like a ghost. "You lied to me." she said faintly. "You… you fucking lied to me!"
Hazel reached up and slapped Annabeth as hard as she could, the crack echoing across the room. The jarring red handprint drew Annabeth out of her stupor. Her eyes narrowing, she unsheathed her knife and advanced on Hazel.
"Fight fair Annabeth!" Piper screamed, Chiron standing between her and her friend. Hazel wasn't even armed.
"Stop!" The centaur yelled, banging his hoof on the ground. "Don't you see? This is what Gaea wants! To descend into war amongst ourselves!"
Annabeth hesitated, and then her eyes hardened.
"You're right," she said coldly. "It isn't worth it anyway."
She stood down and stepped away from a sobbing Hazel who had curled up into a ball and was rocking back and forth. Before she could move, a hand was firmly around her throat. Piper struggled not to breathe too deeply.
Chiron ignored her, approaching Piper. She strained to get to Hazel, but it was in vain, as she was to injured to put up a fight.
He held up his hand, and Piper stopped struggling against Annabeth's chokehold.
"I am here to answer your questions. Nothing more, nothing less."
Annabeth lightened the pressure on her throat just long enough for her to ask the question.
"Where is Jason?" She stammered, her question coming in short breaks. Annabeth smiled cruelly as she tightened her grip with every word.
"He is in Camp Jupiter," Chiron said mildly.
"H-has he visited?" The centaur raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." He said. Piper sighed in relief.
"Once." Tears leaked out of her eyes as her mentor smiled, mocking her. They were enjoying this.
"Why wasn't I given ambrosia?" She managed to gasp.
Chiron regarded her with an amused expression. "We did."
"Lies," Piper choked, her tears overflowing again. "All lies."
"No," Chiron said firmly, the grin falling off his face. "It is the truth. Thalia had to shock you to keep you alive. Your heart stopped beating the second it went into your mouth."
Piper sucked in air in short breaths, trying to keep the room from spinning. She repeated his sentence again and again, mumbling the words to herself. There was something missing.
As she blinked, an echo of something appeared in her mind. Flashing, like a radio without signal.
A girl. Black hair. Chains.
Darkness.
Piper blinked again, desperately looking for something. Anything. Another shake of her head, and the girl looked up. Blue eyes.
Thalia.
Piper twisted in Annabeth's grip, writhing in agony.
"Thalia," Piper moaned. "Please. Not Thalia."
Chiron looked up in disinterest.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"What have you done with her?" Piper asked brokenly, ignoring her struggle to breathe. "That's Jace's sister! That's Jace's full blooded sister! What kind of monsters are you?"
Chiron looked angry for a second, before his expression evened.
"Thalia is with the hunters." He said icily. "Artemis had a mission for her and her sisters to complete."
It was a lie. So many lies. Piper felt this conversation could drag on for hours. Drowning in lies. She could see the contempt in his eyes. Chiron thought she was weak. Worthless.
And in that moment, she was.
"Tell me," she begged, almost collapsing. Piper gagged, her throat constricting as Annabeth's grip tightened. She spat a mouthful of blood on the floor.
"I am telling the truth, child."
Chiron smiled, but this time, didn't even bother to make it look real. He bared his teeth menacingly.
Piper turned to Annabeth.
"This… this is how you repay Luke?" She managed to get out, before a hand hit her head and everything went black.
When Piper next awoke, Hazel was delicately sitting on the mattress next to her. After tucking the covers over her injured leg she gently washed the blood out of Piper's hair.
"Hey Pipes," Hazel whispered, barely looking down at her. She hesitated.
"I… we need you to pretend to be asleep for the next few days."
"Who," Piper growled, instantly suspicious. "You, or Annabeth?"
"Shh!" Hazel hissed.
She looked around frantically. A blinking red light shone in the corner.
A camera.
Hazel busied herself around Piper, pretending to check her temperature again.
"The people who are trying to keep you alive," Hazel breathed quietly into her ear. "You know I'd never let you die."
Piper closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to find Hazel's aura. It was more difficult with the children of Hades that with any other demigod, and she had never tried to read Hazel's intentions before.
When she got to the wall that Hazel had built to keep away her aura, a black door appeared for her. Hazel's large trusting eyes crinkled at the corners, as if she was smiling without a mouth.
Wandering in the barriers of her mind, Piper knew it was the truth. Hazel was trying to protect her.
Piper didn't open her eyes again and let her breathing fall into a normal sleeping pattern. As she tried to doze off, she heard Hazel give a sigh of relief.
"They're only letting me take care of you as long as you're asleep. If you're going to escape, you need the information and I can't give it all to you in such short time." Hazel murmured, her mouth hardly moving.
Piper tilted her head ever so slightly to show she understood.
Hazel patted her carefully on the head one last time and cleaned the dried bloodstains trickling down Piper's mouth. Checking her watch, Hazel brushed her wet, tangled hair, and took a last look at her wounds, frowning.
"Bye Piper," She said quietly, gathering her things. "I'm going back to my cell."
"Bye Haze," Piper managed to whisper, her heartbeat suddenly racing.
Hazel was in a cell?
Piper spent the rest of the day trying to sleep, but kept awake by her frantic thoughts. It was likely that the camp had seen Hazel's true intentions of staying loyal to her and had locked her up, besides for her hours at the infirmary. She must be needed for her on the go medical skills.
While most campers had recovered, there was the occasional injury from sparring in the arena or other accidents. After hours of tossing and turning, Piper finally managed to fall into an uneasy slumber.
Her caution had merit, because the second her mind succumbed to darkness, she was sucked into a demigod dream. Piper moaned, holding her head as her pupils dilated, trying to adjust to the lack of light.
Finally, she managed to recognise a background she was familiar with. Too familiar, in her opinion. Goode High School. She shuddered, recounting the destruction she had caused in the science lab.
That was my eighth expulsion, wasn't it? She mused.
Piper suddenly jolted, and she felt a painful pull in her navel. Groaning, she walked dizzily in a couple directions until the pain lessened. As she continued on her path, she saw a girl in black, climbing over the roof.
It was her.
Piper put a hand over her mouth.
What's going on? She thought.
The girl leapt lithely across a bush and leaned on the back door, breathing quietly.
Piper suddenly smirked as she realized it was a memory.
I don't remember doing this. The notion hit her suddenly, and she frowned. You'd think I would remember sneaking out of my house in the middle of the night.
She followed her alternate self, feeling the pain fade with every step. Flexing her arms, she relished how it felt to move without the injury that restricted her in the waking world. Piper kept her eyes firmly on her counterpart, not wanting to feel unnecessary pain.
Narrowing her eyes, she broke a stick with her foot. The other Piper whirled around. With a gun.
Piper's eyes widened.
A gun? Why the hell do I have a gun? She thought incredulously. There's no way I just forgot this.
Apparently seeing nothing, the girl pocketed the weapon and used her hands to hoist herself up on the wall.
Landing lightly on her feet, both Pipers looked around.
"Ziana." Her imposter hissed. "You there?"
The shadows seemed to melt and form a female figure.
"Good evening Piper." The girl said slowly stepping into the shadows.
Dark lidded eyes rose up to meet the Piper's. Ziana was dressed in a black leather jacket, with many chains of silver layered across her neck. She was wearing black leggings and a loose grey shirt which portrayed a flower with an arrow through the stem.
"So," said Piper, sounding excited. "Who will we kill tonight?"
The real Piper drew back her breath in shock.
"You mean what thing," Ziana said reservedly. "We will be hunting a beast called hellhounds."
"Hell...hounds?" The girl said dubiously.
"Indeed," Ziana said, sounding amused. She motioned for Piper to drop her gun.
"You won't need that where we're going," she said impatiently.
"Then what will I use?" Piper asked.
"This." Ziana said, smiling.
She drew a familiar knife out of her pocket.
Katoptris.
The girl took the knife cautious hands.
"Tell me why I can't use my gun again?"
Ziana rolled her eyes. She drew a card out of her pocket, and blew on it.
The sheet of paper seemed to dissolve into dust, and swirled around on the ground, gradually forming a shape.
"This," Ziana motioned to the hazy hellhound, "is a basic model of what the monster looks like."
She nodded to Piper.
"Shoot it."
Piper held the gun up and fired, only to gasp in horror as the bullet passed through the form.
"Would that happen to a real monster too?" She breathed.
Ziana nodded. "We've practiced with dummies for the past few weeks, but it's time for you to make your first kill."
The smaller girl looked at her friend determinedly.
For gods sake! Piper thought in disbelief. This Ziana girl was making me kill when I was twelve! And I somehow don't recall this!
The two seventh graders sprinted away, and Piper felt pinpricks of pain start to gather. With a gasp, she ran after them, her longer legs making it easy to catch up.
This means I knew about demigods. She realized, her emotions slowly rising with terror. I knew all along.
Her legs pounding on the ground, she finally calmed her thudding heartbeat when she realized they were just going to the forest next to the school.
She studied the lush grass and pulled a few strands to steady herself, only to scream as it turned to dirt in her hands. Massaging her head, she traced patterns in the brown dust and slowly raised her head.
Ziana waved her hand and the trees melted into a deadly landscape. Sharp rocks covered with blood lined the ground and a hellhound roared in the distance. A few skeletons of animals lay in different piles.
Her twelve year old self didn't seem to mind the sticky red liquid on her combat boots. The older version of her clutched her own stomach and retched, feeling the vomit coat her mouth.
Ugh, Piper thought, wiping her mouth. How barbaric. This Zia has some imagination.
Ziana didn't seem to mind though, her fingers gracefully twisting mist into more barbed wire. She weaved thorns into a short path leading directly to the hellhound.
She smiled devilishly at Piper.
"Kill it," she said. "I dare you."
Piper struggled to keep her nausea down and ran to keep up with her younger self as she raced off.
The twelve year old sliced naively, unbalanced and overconfident. After about five minutes of trying to hit the hellhound, a black arrow flew across the long distance and impaled the monster's heart.
Both girls spun around, looking at the approaching figure of Ziana.
Piper was impressed. The girl had a black bow with two silver stars on both ends. The bow seemed to be metal, which was a miracle in itself as Piper had never seen a working bow made of that material. Normally metal bows were never crafted because the tension of the string would always be too tight and the arrows were very hard to control.
However, Ziana seemed to fire the arrow as simply as her younger self had pulled the trigger.
"Wow!" Piper gasped. "Ziana! I never knew you could do that!"
Ziana walked up, looking amused.
"Thank you, I suppose," she said. Piper looked at her eagerly.
"How did I do?" She asked.
Ziana didn't miss a beat.
"Terribly," she said.
Piper deflated a little.
"Oh."
Ziana just shook her head, smiling, and showed Piper the beginners stance for fighting.
"So you put your hand here, right leg back to support your body and left leg in front to give you a push if you need it..."
The girl watched wide eyed for several hours, as she tried in vain to copy the moves.
Eventually, Ziana paused her training. She looked completive as Piper held a her body in an adequate defensive position.
"Now let's see how good you are at reflex fighting," She said, grinning mischievously. The older version of Piper noticed that this was the first sign of affection Ziana had shown the girl.
Instantly, Ziana summoned another crude hellhound, the pearly surface shining brightly. The creature barked, lunging for Piper. Screaming, she deflected the blow, unprepared for such a sudden attack.
Once she had regained her balance, Piper ran her knife down the side, encouraged by the sliver of mist leaking from the hellhound's side. Eyes narrowed, she gave a stab, missing it's leg by inches. Ziana stood to the side, proudly watching the girl fend off the monster. Soon enough, Piper managed to land a blow to the creature's windpipe, cutting a vital artery.
Whimpering in pain, the monster finally disintegrated. While Ziana looked pleased, she didn't give Piper any time to recover.
"Stand in front of me," she said determinedly. "I must show you something."
The older version of Piper looked curiously at Ziana. Her aura felt familiar and Piper could tell that she meant no harm.
Then again, the power could still be a bit shaky, she thought. I'd only developed the power after using the black fire, after all.
Piper stood trustingly before Ziana. There was a flash of shame in her eyes, but Ziana seemed to ignore it, and rose up on the balls of her feet.
"I'm sorry Piper. You truly were a friend." She said gently.
"Ziana?" the girl asked confusedly.
"Chaos." Ziana said clearly.
Piper staggered in disbelief.
What did she say? She thought shakily. It can't be.
Bright sparks rose from Ziana fingers but when she snapped them, the orbs flew to the young girl, and circling around her head.
"Ziana?" She repeated, sounding scared. "Zia, what are you doing?"
The girl just smiled. "Don't worry. You won't know Ziana by tomorrow."
Piper swayed, looking faint. Her eyes closed and she slumped to the ground.
"But she'll have the muscle memory of what she's learned… she should survive until camp," Ziana muttered to herself. The then looked up, smiling.
"Good luck Piper," she murmured, retrieving Katoptris.
"I will send it to the Camp armory." Ziana muttered thoughtfully. "It will draw her attention, just as it did her sister, Helen."
She took a pen from her jeans and traced what looked like a rune on the blade.
I've seen that symbol before, Piper said, amused at the irony. I always wondered who put it on my knife.
The word 'Creator' flared over the weapon for a second, then seemed to sink into Katoptris. Ziana put it on the ground quickly, where it vanished with a crack.
Ziana inspected the place where it had been. Apparently finding what she had been looking for, she exhaled in relief.
"Chaos," she said again, getting to her feet.
Another orb shot from her fingers, but this time, it was pitch black. It swirled gracefully across her palm, and she enlarged it.
"Hello?" She called.
"How did it go?" An answering voice came.
"Mission complete, Commander," she said.
"Good," said the person on the other side. "Come back immediately. Don't risk anything else."
Ziana nodded. Her form swirled just like when she had created the illusions of the landscape. It seemed to lengthen, and in a second, there stood a beautiful young teenager.
"Permission to teleport?" She questioned.
"Granted," the voice informed her.
With a crack, similar to the knife, Ziana disappeared.
Piper was left staring in shock at the spot where Ziana had just been. She tried to reach out to her younger self, but the landscape started to fade. Piper found that she couldn't move.
The scene changed, fading into shades of green and pink, until the color yellow overwhelmed both of them. The desert. It was the desert, she realized. Bile rose in her throat as she smelt the decay of the dead bodies that lay littered on the ground around her. A hundred demigods lay scattered across the battlefield.
Feeling sick, she glanced at one of the demigods near her. Mark. Behind him. June. Faces upon faces that had haunted her nightmares seemed to rise up out of the dust to mock her.
"You killed me," Lacy said indignantly, her corpse creaking as she sauntered over to her sister. "Damnit Piper, you said you'd have my back."
Her ghost seemed to swirl for a second, then disappeared in a puff of black ink, as some unknown author painted a new bloody scene.
A mirror image of the battle rose up around her, and all Piper could do was close her eyes and pretend it wasn't happening.
When Piper finally opened them again, she was sobbing.
This is impossible, she thought. No god would be cruel enough to make me suffer through this twice. Piper's heart sunk as she saw her sister disemboweled by the hellhound. Reaching as if trying to help her, her hand flew right through a empousa.
I'm not substantial, she thought miserably. This is even worse.
Piper watched herself crouch over her sister, murmuring gentle words as she closed Lacy's eyes for the last time. Floating over to them, Piper smiled at seeing Lacy again, even if she was as dead in the dream as in real life.
Piper's counterpart stood, fists clenched, feet apart, flipping Katoptris into her hammer's grip. Her eyes blazed with rage as she raced off to find the hellhound.
To distressed to see the hellhound killed, Piper managed to avert her eyes from her brother's unmoving form. As she drifted over to her friend, she felt her heart clench as Hazel screamed, hand on her face as a hellhound gouged out her cheek. Blood coated half her face and large marks could be seen where her left ear had been.
I didn't see that before, Piper thought, realization striking her across the face. She was using the mist to cover it up.
Piper couldn't bear to watch another second. Eyes streaming, she raced across the battlefield, determined to find something good. Anything.
She couldn't get the images out of her head. Hazel was scarred for life. Lacy's body would never be recovered. Chris would never see Clarisse again.
Guilt set into the center of her chest.
I was so selfish, she thought, tears leaking from her eyes. I didn't even think to look at other people's suffering, I was so certain mine was the worst.
As bursts of pain began to form in her stomach, she she realized that it wasn't just the shame. Wiping away her tears, she cursed her stupidity for leaving her past self.
She hobbled in the direction that she had last seen Piper, only to gasp as the pain increased and doubled back. Running as fast as she could, she finally recognised her battered braid.
Piper sighed in relief as the agony subsided. After a few moments to regain her bearings, she confusedly studied where she was.
Princess, she eventually recognised.
Piper and the other girl faced one another, muscles tensed and teeth gritted. As they engaged in hand to hand combat, Piper studied the style on the girl, and for the first time, noticed a bow strapped to her waist.
From afar, the girl seemed to know what Piper was going to do before she did it. Piper saw herself looked stunned as the girl flipped her knife into an icepick grip, and scoff at the hand.
In a matter of seconds, the girl had her past self pinned down. Piper floated closer to the pair, and felt a smile bubbling on her lips for the first time in hours.
That was a remarkable shade of puce, she admitted.
Suddenly, Piper's dreamlike state was merged into her past self, and she saw her opponent's mesmerizing black eyes once again.
Or was that twice? Piper thought, her head spinning.
"Oh gods." She breathed. "Ziana."
The girl looked stunned.
"What?" She managed to spit, pressing her knife harder against Piper's neck.
"Zia," She repeated. "Let me up."
Ziana narrowed her eyes, and Piper suddenly realized that this wasn't how the battle had played out.
Have I changed something? She wondered, her heart in her throat.
She refused to beg to Ziana, the girl who had once been her friend.
She stared back determinedly, and didn't look away.
Eventually, Ziana sidestepped, and offered her a hand up.
"Piper," she said guardedly. "How do you remember me?"
Piper didn't answer.
This is all in my mind, she thought. This never happened. I am not here.
In the illusion, it suddenly started to rain, and she felt the damp wetness on her forehead. Piper's eyes shot open to daylight, and she realized it was morning.
Gold eyes met cherokee, and the sunlight flowed into Piper's pupils. The person took a step back and Piper recognized her as Hazel. She wet Piper's head with a towel, cursing as her hand connected with her flesh.
"Gods, Piper, you burning up!" She whispered.
"I'll bet she has a fever," Hazel said loudly, mainly for the cameras. Piper felt a little faint, but she tried to respond anyway. She relished the ice-cold water coursing through the sticky heat of the fever.
Hazel placed her hands on her collar and Piper ignored the pain blistering through them. If anyone were to look through the window it would look as if Hazel was massaging her shoulders.
"Hazel!" Piper muttered. "Too hard!" Hazel looked back with an embarrassed face.
"Sorry," she hissed. "I had to make it look convincing."
Piper nodded, waiting for Hazel to sit down and press her shoulders again, more gently this time.
"It starts like this," she began, sighing as if the memory was not one she would repeat. "You pretty much know about the battle. Death. All the monsters disintegrating. All that. You passed out in exhaustion, and nobody could touch you, there was that much power. Well, no demigod could touch you, and the gods were just selfish."
Piper's eyes widened to hear Hazel so blatantly disrespect the Olympians. While she wholeheartedly agreed, the first rule to surviving a demigod life was to choose your words carefully. When she pointed this out, Hazel didn't even bat an eyelash, choosing to ignore her.
"Percy was awake, but looked completely worn out. He had this crazed look in his eyes, and I don't think he knew at all what he was doing. We gave you some ambrosia, and you caught flame." Piper barely managed keep her hand from flying to her mouth. The stories Chiron had spun at least had some truth.
"Percy staggered forward, and shot about five streams of water into your mouth, and you lay limp as a rag. Percy then collapsed, even that small act was too draining to perform without consequences." Hazel reluctantly told her in the brightest light she could.
"You were still smoking though, and Thalia limped over and shocked you about three times until you choked the half-eaten piece of ambrosia out." Piper flushed in embarrassment. "She kept using her powers, and when we asked her why, she said you're pulse was gone."
Piper could feel Hazel's hands trembling on her shoulders.
"It was so horrible," She breathed, blinking rapidly. "You were dead, Piper. You were dead." She faced away from the camera, hiding Piper behind her body.
"Then," she said shakily, and Piper didn't have the heart to stop her. "You were moved to the infirmary. And for unknown reasons," Hazel grit her teeth, "The gods claimed you were not to have any medical treatment."
Piper flicked a finger, gesturing to the horrible stitches and flimsy bandages. She raised her eyebrows in a clear question.
"Well," her eyes glinted rebelliously, "Katie and I attempted to patch you up. You would've been in an even worse position of we hadn't," Hazel muttered, wincing at my charred leg. She sighed and pretended to check the thermometer.
"Chiron put Percy in the Infirmary and gave him ambrosia, already having a bucket of water in case Percy had the same result. What he said was true - Percy started to burn. Chiron poured the water in his mouth and he healed, he is a son of Poseidon after all. But what scared everyone the most, was that he burned slowly. The fire barely hurt him, when it should have killed him instantly," Hazel said, looking troubled.
"Good to know," Piper muttered, her eyes glazing over in confusion.
Hazel brushed her words off.
"While you both were out, Chiron got a whole load of packaging. He took one glance at them and turned deathly white. He went into his office and didn't come out for a week."
A week? Piper thought incredulously. I imagined a couple days, at the most.
"How long have I been asleep?" She asked, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. Hazel looked sad, like she would rather not tell her, but then a harsher coldness came over her eyes.
"Just two weeks. But so much can change in that time," she replied, dimly.
Hazel then moved on to the next topic, as if she had never asked a question.
"After that, Annabeth was known to be really agitated, she wouldn't eat, and hardly slept. Always staring into Daedalus's laptop." Piper nodded, understanding. She knew that when Annabeth set her mind to something, she never gave up.
"I was worried about her," Hazel bitterly declared, "and I asked her to tell me what was on her mind. She softened and told me that she had become so curious about the letters she had stolen them."
Piper was horrified. Annabeth had always been a role model, a sort of older sister, and her taking things without permission was a strike against everything Piper knew about her.
Then again, she thought darkly, I thought she was loyal too.
Hazel exhaled solemnly, and Piper knew that this was the body of the conversation.
"She told me everything. The letters, Gaea's final wish, she told me that in the printing Gaea wrote… 'The two half-bloods who failed to awaken me shall be sacrificed in my honor.' I thought about you and Percy and was horrified. Completely disgusted."
Piper's hands fisted the covers and she struggled to breathe.
"A sacrifice." Piper said uncertainly. "A sacrifice." The meaning of the word finally sank in and Piper coughed up blood as her stomach convulsed.
Hazel lept to her feet looking panicked.
"Oh no," she said loudly, covering up the sound of Piper's coughing. "I should get the… uh… sleep medicine," she finished lamely.
"A-a..." Piper couldn't bring herself to say it. Tears ran in little drops into her hair. She tried to think of something else.
"How did you know that Percy and I were the ones? The half bloods whose blood failed… the um… that," Piper said, struggling to control her nausea.
Hazel frowned, sitting back next to her after getting random pills from the shelf. "I don't know. The letter didn't even mention you. I guess because you guys are the most powerful."
Piper ignored the tears welling in the corners of her vision.
Why am I crying? They don't deserve it, she thought venomously. She calmed herself and faced Hazel, forcing her face in a neutral expression; pursed her lips into a straight line.
"What was their excuse? The campers'? The gods'?"
Hazel looked up, the beginnings of teardrops glistening in her swollen red eyes. "That you were… worthless," she spat. "That you didn't even do that much in the war. Not important enough… to save. They said it was pointless."
The tears spilled over Piper's eyes even though she tried to stop them. The bed sheets were stained with blood and salt. Hazel had stopped feeding Piper information, but she could still feel the daggers piercing her heart. Miserably, she gave Hazel a watery smile.
"At least you're here," Piper said quietly.
A sudden thought made her jolt.
"Thaila." She burst out. Hazel looked horrified and slapped her hand down on Piper's mouth. She glared furiously at her, and Piper could see the warning in her eyes.
"She would have never abandoned us," She said softly. "Never. She's too loyal, most kids of the big three are." Piper seemed to dare her to say otherwise.
"She didn't." Hazel murmured soothingly. "A few demigods fought against it."
Piper breathed a sigh of relief.
"They were furious," Hazel continued. "There was Grover, Juniper, Nico, Katie, Leo, Travis, Connor, Thalia, Reyna, Lord Hades, and even Lady Artemis." Hazel listed the names, pointing them all out on her fingers.
"No Frank?" Piper asked gently.
Hazel's voice broke.
"No Frank," she whispered.
"Oh Hazel," Piper murmured, tightly embracing the girl.
She couldn't bring herself to ask about her own boyfriend. Realization seemed to sink in.
"What happened to them?" Piper whispered, her heart suddenly racing. Hazel smiled, as if reading her mind, and looked thoughtful.
"They're alive," she said carefully, and Piper closed her eyes in sheer thankfulness to whatever deity was helping her friends.
"But barely," Hazel said gently. "They are being contained. Forbidden to help you. Those particular gods have been... temporarily relieved of their duties. They are in a different type of prison." Piper looked at her shaking hands, wondering if another place like Tartarus existed.
A sudden notion hit her. Wasn't Katie one of the demigods Hazel had listed? Piper could have sworn she'd seen her last night.
"What about Katie?" She inquired, trying to stretch her back with minimal movement. Piper groaned as she heard a crack.
She'd seen Katie's glowing green eyes peeking from the Demeter cabin last night. They had a certain innocence that she couldn't ignore, and Piper could honestly say that she had missed her attitude and kindness.
I just can't forget the way she beat the Hermes out of her boyfriend, she thought, a small smile forming on her lips.
Hazel reassured her. "Katie, like me, is one of the demigods that have resolved to sneak you and Perce out. One of the quieter ones that blended into the crowd…" Hazel stumbled across her words.
"Well, Travis wanted to be a, um, ninja, but even he knows how serious this is. Acted like they were okay with murder, slightly reluctant, but still prepared." Piper smiled. There were at least a few pure hearted campers, and the knowledge warmed her heart.
A matching pair of steady gold slits met her eyes.
"We're going to sneak you out. The sacrifice will start as soon as Percy regains consciousness, and knowing his limits, it won't be long… so we're leaving tonight," she gestured to Percy, "dragging his useless behind with us. Got it?" Piper nodded.
She smiled, her sinister grin fixed on the window as if still keeping watch.
"Here's the plan," she said. "All of the loyal demigods are in on it, Katie, the Stolls and I. Katie's packing the necessities, Travis is setting traps, Connor's making the escape route, and I'm planning where to go."
She continued, shaking her head slightly.
"You are to pretend to wake up again at six in the afternoon. Get used to the feel of crutches. Tell the camp that Annabeth hit you too hard, and that's why you were unconscious longer than they expected. The twins will guard you so that you don't escape. Understood?"
In shock the entire time, Hazel had to shake her to get a response. Finally, they resolved to do as she had originally planned; her idea of escape was a good one after all. With a reluctant sigh, Piper said the sentence that would change her life, for the better.
"I'm trust you, Haze."
At sundown, Piper was painfully hobbling around on crutches, practicing racing around. It was getting darker and darker outside, and the Stolls decided to keep 'watch' over her. As soon as the sun had set, Connor mumbled to Piper.
"Ready?" Piper nodded, because she wasn't capable of talking without the remaining blood spilling out of her mouth.
He grabbed Percy's legs and pulled with brute strength. There was a gruesome crack and Connor winced as he spotted the damage he had done to get him out of his bed: Percy's left collarbone was unimaginably twisted and there was a large split in the skin with the bone easily peaking out.
Blood spilled relentlessly from the wound and Piper spotted a large sponge in the only sink and stuffed it into the cut, hoping to ease the steady flow of red liquid.
Satisfied, Connor dragged Percy onto his shoulder and heaved him up. They rushed to the entrance of the infirmary. Travis looked across the desolate clearing and looked surprised to find that it was barren of human life.
He gestured for us to hurry. Travis completely blended into the background, he was wearing entirely black.
Hazel joined them at the entrance, along with Katie. She looked completely mortified at her boyfriend's outfit, but gave Travis a peck on the cheek anyway, and sincerely handed Hazel the bag of basic survival. She hurried back to the Demeter Cabin after wishing them luck.
Piper felt nervous as she realized Percy was leaving a trail of blood, and they could easily find them just by sending dogs. They tried to stem the flow of the sticky red substance as far as the border of camp.
Painfully dragging herself across, Piper searched for her bag. She found some blood start to dribble down her mouth and felt slightly embarrassed, only to inwardly smack herself. Piper had some of Connor's weapons, because it was hard to take more than Percy. He could only take his sword, strapped to his back.
Connor was leading the way, with Travis placing traps over all forest life they didn't step on. Piper looked in the packed bag and spotted a gallon of water, about a pound of food, and some ambrosia. Hazel had insisted, despite Piper's proclamations that it 'didn't work on her'.
Without a second thought, she grabbed huge gauze from her camping bag; pushed it in her mouth, stopping a portion of the red from splattering on the leafy ground. Hazel helped her, drenching her hands with blood.
"We need to strategize," Piper told her, barely able to talk around the cloth. She stopped Travis and wrapped some gauze around Percy's collarbone. She ignored that it was so tight that she probably stopped his circulation. Piper knew that they just needed to distance themselves from the camp and hope Katie and the Stolls can put on a good show. Hazel was out of the question. She was already a known traitor.
Lead them off the trail, she thought grimly. The idea was for Hazel to tell the camp the direction they had gone in. Obviously, the camp wouldn't believe her, but they would believe the Stolls' when they pointed in the opposite direction.
Piper had laughed when she first heard it. It didn't seem funny anymore.
She grunted in torment as her mouth overflowed with blood and she noticed the bandage was already soaked. Piper grabbed another and found it was hard to breathe. Blood trickling down her throat, she gagged and bit back her squeamish stomach.
Annabeth was the best tracker at camp. She didn't need to give them more evidence to use.
With excruciating pain, Piper heaved herself forward, Hazel supporting her left arm with her free shoulder. She grunted in arduous pain, and moved faster, reaching the edge of the forest less than seventeen seconds. Piper was sweating: her arms were overloaded and her left leg was in incredible agony.
Piper suddenly heard a voice in the woods.
"Come on," Hazel hissed quietly, and she leapt, jumping over the bushes to avoid the demigod. She crept downwind so he couldn't see her.
"Hello," she finally said, emerging from the branches. Piper stifled a giggle. It was such a messed up situation that she felt delirious. The boy spun around, holding a shaking gold sword.
Hazel's fake smile turned into a sneer, and she snapped her fingers, making a tunnel appear below him. He fell, yelling, until she snapped her fingers again and the tunnel closed off.
"Goodbye," she said calmly.
Hazel gestured for her to come and Piper obeyed. She hobbled through the hedge branches, gritting her teeth as each twig seemed to gather blood from her cuts. Travis and Connor crept out of the trees opposite them and looked at Hazel in awe.
"Get over it," she said bitterly. "It's just Hecate's powers. I don't even want them anymore."
The strange group walked for several minutes, until Connor finally stopped at a cave. He motioned for Travis to start putting down traps.
"This was one of their hideouts," he said. "Annabeth, Thalia and Luke's." Connor whispered raggedly at the last name, breathing hard as he eyed the cave.
"I'm sure Luke, wherever he is, is happy that you'll be able to hide here. It's finally being used for good."
Piper couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. She felt like this was the end of the road, where her friends would leave and risk their own lives for her. She nodded tearfully and looked at Hazel.
"Jason abandoned me. Didn't he? Tell me, please, the truth." She begged, her heart breaking with each word. She saw the answer in Hazel's glowing eyes. Piper let out a sob.
She had willed herself to be wrong. Every shard of hope that she had protected fell. Broken. Shattered.
"You're worth so much more than him." Hazel promised. "He never deserved you in the first place."
Piper gave her a watery smile.
"Frank too," she murmured back. Tears fell from Hazel's eyes.
"I love you Hazel," Piper said, as she wiped the trail of tears off her cheeks.
"I love you too, Pipes," she promised, "I'll never forget you." Piper nodded numbly, and Hazel seemed to understand that if she said a single word more than she would break down.
"Tell Percy… No matter how much of a… a weirdo he is, he'll always be my favorite cousin."
A stick cracked. At once, the Stolls' heads shot up, rapidly scanning the area. They had been listening to their conversation in an awkward silence. Piper listened intently, and realized that she could distantly hear approaching footsteps.
Hazel looked horrified.
"I didn't know they'd find you so fast! You've got to get out of here!" She hissed, gnawing on the inside of her cheek. Connor handed her Percy, and Piper almost collapsed.
"Get him into that tree and climb the branches," he told her, looking far more composed than she felt. Piper nodded and hastily found a hole in the bark. With obvious relief, she slipped him inside the trunk. Percy was entirely encased in the branches, safe, for now.
Travis murmured something to his brother, before speaking aloud.
"Who's there? Show yourself." A young demigod around the age of twelve appeared.
"Travis? Connor? What are you doing here?" He asked angrily. "Annabeth said that the plan was happening now! We have to kill them before they escape!"
Piper inhaled sharply. The boy was nine.
How could you, she thought to Annabeth. You've created a camp of monsters.
His eyes suddenly narrowed. "What are you doing with her?" He said in disgust. Piper tensed. "That girl, Hazel, whatever, is a traitor! Don't you remember?"
Piper let out a low growl.
The boy spun around wildly.
"What was that?" He shouted loudly.
Piper watched in horror as they shielded her with their bodies.
"Stay back, Jeremy, don't come closer if you want to live." Connor said warningly, holding out his hand to her for his weapon. Piper was startled as she recognised venom in his voice.
Piper reluctantly handed a glinting blade down from the branches, and the boy was aghast when he caught a hold of her face.
"You're a..." He shook his head in disbelief. He started spin around and duck behind the bark, but didn't make it five meters. Connor raised his arm, and the knife soared through the air. The boy twitched and fell still. Travis held his face in his hands.
"I'm sorry," Piper whispered. "This is all my fault."
There was a split second of silence, and then Connor spun around, fury blazing in his eyes.
"Don't. Don't you dare." He said quietly, trying to contain his anger. His hands shook as he looked at the knife protruding from the boy's back.
Piper looked at him inquisitively.
"What do you mean?" She asked, in a voice full of shame. "It is. There's nothing else to say. I've caused all this destruction, I didn't just kill monsters: I killed people."
"If you're a murderer, that what am I?" Connor roared.
Without hesitation, Hazel slapped him across the face.
"When I say shut up, I damn well mean it." She seethed. "What is with you people that prevents you from being subtle!"
They all listened for footsteps but none reached their ears.
"What I meant," Connor said bitterly, "is that I just killed my own brother." He pointed to the boy lying on the floor.
Piper moaned in horror. That was a son of Hermes, she realized, feeling sick. Tears sprang into her eyes.
"You just have to understand that none of this is your fault," Connor continued. "It's not your problem that those idiot campers decided to kill their savior, or that your friends abandoned you. We've risked everything for this, to know you'll die in your own time, for something worth sacrificing yourself for. You guys are going to live your life, and you're going to be happy!"
Hazel didn't have the heart to hit him again. Connor seemed to age with every word.
"We're not just doing this for Percy, McLean, because while we've only fought with you once, we know you're good. You've got a true heart, and you're going to live all that… that pureness somewhere that is good enough for you and him." He motioned to the trunk.
"I'm not trying to save you both to be heroic, or brave, or all that shit. I'm just trying to do the right thing."
Travis nodded. "We owe it you and even more so to Percy. The camp just doesn't deserve two people as good as you. We've caused you nothing but misery."
Hazel finished the sentiment.
"It's not your fault," she said gently. "It's not fair to us, after risking our lives, for you to wallow in guilt for the rest of your life. You'll be a bird chained to the ground." She pulled a feather from Piper's hair.
"See? You just need more time to decide when to fly."
Tears gathered in her eyes. She squeezed Hazel's hand and turned to the twins.
"I really wish I'd know you guys better," she said, touched. "I'm honored to call you my friends."
Connor turned to look at the looming trees.
"I'll only consider myself your friend if you survive tonight," he said darkly. He looked at the boy's body miserably, but with no hints of remorse.
"You're my only brother," he told Travis.
Piper felt another surge of guilt but pushed it down. Conflicted emotions rose up in her. A part of her battered relentlessly at her self esteem, asking if she murdered children for fun. At the same time, a spiteful side of herself confirmed that she was glad he was dead.
Hazel set her mouth in a hard line as she caught her staring at the corpse.
"You have to get used to killing, Piper," She said rather coldly. "I know you don't like murdering in cold blood but, sometimes, there's no other way."
Piper forced herself to nod. After five minutes of silence, Hazel stepped away from the tree.
"We have to leave before it gets suspicious. Annabeth's already hunting for you. She clearly hasn't alerted the camp yet. Probably wants to kill you alone as some kind of sick achievement." Hazel winced.
"I can't believe we used to be her friends," Piper said softly, pressing the cloth to her mouth again. Her gums had started to bleed again. She grunted irritably into the gauze.
"Piper," Hazel said firmly. "I want to talk to you for a second."
Piper reluctantly jumped down from the tree, gasping as he leg came into contact with a branch. Another day, another gash, she thought, gritting her teeth.
Hazel gently lead her a few meters away from the twins.
"Pipes," she said quietly. "I want you to promise me."
She looked down at the younger girl.
"What do you mean?" Piper asked.
"You have to get out. Do you hear me? Get out."
Piper flinched. But Hazel continued, as unforgiving as flint.
"Get away from camp, away from America, away from the gods. You know what I mean, right?"
"Alaska," Piper mumbled.
"Alaska," Hazel said, nodding. "A place where the gods can never reach you."
She put a hand on Piper's shoulder.
"Swear it," she said harshly. "swear that you'll live your life. That you'll forget what happened here tonight, and you'll release the guilt, that you'll forgive me for what I'll do."
"For what you'll do?" Piper asked her. "You've done nothing but help me, Haze. Why should I have to forgive you?"
She just shook her head.
"You'll see," she murmured.
Hazel reached up wrapped her in a loving embrace.
"I'd forgive you for anything, Hazel."
"I'll miss you Pipes. Seaweed-Brain too. Stay strong, please."
Piper nodded against her chest. Though Hazel was physically younger than her, Piper knew one day she would match her in height. Piper had been looking forward to that, and now she recognised for the first time she would never see it.
Piper pointed west.
"In the morning, I'll be leaving that way," she said.
Hazel nodded and gave her a light kiss on the cheek before melting into the darkness. Travis and Connor wished her good luck before disappearing into the trees, undoubtedly heading for camp.
Piper exhaled, her limbs trembling with effort as she crawled back into the security of the branches. No more that five minutes later, she heard the thundering of footsteps signaling the discovery of the escape.
She was snatched out of her daydreaming by an emerging yell.
"They're this way, I saw them!" She heard Connor, his voice steadily fading away. Piper blotted her tears and understood that there was nothing else they could do for her – them – even if they wanted to. Their remaining loyalty had given them the chance to escape, and they had to take it.
Piper fell into the curtains of sleep and stayed that way for a couple of hours.
She jolted awake when she felt the branches shudder, and a furious pounding surfaced in the bark. Piper heard Percy start to yell.
I didn't think he had claustrophobia, She thought, panicked.
Using her instinct, Piper immediately used charmspeak to quiet him. She carefully made her way down from the bark, careful not to dislodge any branches.
"Where are you," he muttered drowsily, trying to fight the impulse to obey her.
"I," he yawned. "order you to release me."
Piper looked through the trunk at his face.
"After we escape," she promised.
He blinked, beginning to dispel the cloudy white film on his eyes.
"What escape?" He turned his head slightly in the bark to look at her. His eyes showed no recognition and Piper saw the burning pain he tried to conceal.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked. "What have you done with Annabeth?"
Piper felt tears running down her face as she sensed waves of love and despair radiating from his heart.
"Annabeth is gone," she told him. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head in disbelief.
"I don't believe you, and I won't until I see her body for myself."
Piper's heart sank. He thinks I mean she's dead, she thought.
She closed her eyes. This is the man who went to the deepest pits of the earth for her.
"She's not dead, Percy," she said as gently as she could.
Percy snarled at her, his senses suddenly crystal clear.
"Let me out!" He snarled, brutally slashing and kicking. If not for her trained reflexes, she would have undoubtedly been punched. Piper begged him to calm down.
"Please! Stop it! Percy, we're being hunted, you have to stay quiet." She whispered down the hollow trunk.
He appeared to recognise her voice, and his attempts to escape subsided.
"Piper? Oh. It's you." He muttered. His dimples vanished, as all exasperation evaporated into the musty forest air. He looked up at her with the determined expression that he always wore.
"Tell me this is a prank," he pleaded, looking up at her with matching green pools of misery.
"There's no way this can be real. I just dreamed about this. Why am I not," he banged his head against the tree, "waking up," he said in frustration, a large bruise forming on his forehead.
"The camp isn't trying to kill us," he rambled on. "Annabeth didn't betray us. We never were sacrifices. Chiron's on his way right now. Right?"
Piper knew she had to tell him. She looked into the eyes that had seen so much pain- inflicted so many deaths- and managed to find the innocence he still had in him.
This was too much, she acknowledged. This would break him. However, just like Connor and Travis did, Piper owed him the truth. And so she told him.
The color drained from his face, and he all but collapsed in the tree.
"Get me out of here," he rasped. Limping heavily, Piper dragged his body weight onto her shoulder and tried, without prevail, to heave him out of the shelter. He grunted in agony wherever she pulled. After the fifth attempt, he glared at her with his piercing jaded eyes.
"This is not going to work."
She glowered back, her hair soaked in sweat and blood dripping down her chin.
"No shit, Sherlock," she retorted.
An hour later, they were both sweaty and tired, but away from the tree. Percy was in the same state she was. They were in pain, both emotionally and physically. He looked at Piper in despair, as if he wanted her to laugh and say: "Joke, just kidding, can't believe you fell for that!"
But it was impossible. And she thought he finally realized.
After another hour of total silence, Piper heard a rustle in the trees. A camper fell out, dangling by a rope.
"The traps," she breathed. "It's too soon."
They were supposed to wait until nightfall to move.
Suddenly, with a loud bang, Percy collapsed to the floor, panting madly. The air seemed to be choking him.
Piper watched in confusion and sick fascination as he writhed in agony before her. After a few seconds of shocked horror, she dragged herself over to him and put a hand on his forehead.
She flung her hand away, gasping, and saw small burn marks appear on her skin.
Piper's vision flew to the trees, and she saw a few glinting eyes. They were watching, coldly observing.
"Help me!" She cried. If the campers heard, they showed no sign of it.
Piper felt her shirt catch searing flame, and looked down, panicking at the state of Percy.
"Chaos!" She said raggedly, but only a few tiny sparks flew from her palm.
I'm too weak, she thought, feeling disgusted with herself.
Percy was smoking, and obviously couldn't breathe. Piper took the little water they had and poured it over him, but the water simply evaporated into thin air. He coughed, gasping out smoke.
"Percy." She told him. "Stay calm."
He didn't listen and got to his feet, shaking at the pain that wracked through his body. He looked directly into the branches and started to speak. Every single demigod could hear him over the sound of his sizzling flesh.
"Just remember, that… I loved you. Loved you, so much." Piper felt tears threatening to spill over her eyelids and in an attempt to cover it up, wiped her charred hand over her cheek. She looked at the clear, salty water contrasting against the dirt caked onto her hand.
"But you betrayed me." He said in such a hurt tone that Piper saw every glowing eye look down, except for one pair of dull grey that looked at him in despair, and slight anger.
"Goodbye, Percy." The pair of eyes blinked, murmured something, and immediately he fell to the floor, writhing once again. The flames seemed to burn him down to his very core, and suddenly he was effulged in dark black flame. When the flames had ceased, Percy was gone.
Piper felt sudden fury shudder through her body.
"Are you happy Annabeth?" Piper screamed. " You hurt him more than Gaea ever could! You broke him!"
Annabeth ignored her, leaping to the next tree and smiling sadistically. The message was already clear, but the girl slowly drew a hand over her throat, ending with a jerking motion.
Piper felt sick, but faced her death head on.
All of a sudden, agonizing pain exploded in the surface of her throat, expanding, and demolishing the little relief she had felt. Piper felt the bubbled burning skin and the smell of acrid fire and smoke. In a split second, she felt the world spin. Dizzily, Piper tried to stand.
The pain was so intense that all she could do was scream in strenuous agony before darkness overwhelmed her, gently lapping over her forehead, a huge black wave. Somehow, she wasn't afraid. Piper greedily welcomed the unconsciousness, knowing that above, the traitorous campers were silently watching in the trees.
She was about to give into the unknown, before she heard an ear piercing shriek.
"No! Murderers!" Piper turned with great pain to see Hazel on her feet using every single curse she could think of.
"I'm too late," she kept sobbing. "I failed."
Keeping her back to Piper's body, she defensively stood between her and the remaining campers.
"I don't care anymore," she heard Hazel whisper softly. "Piper, forgive me."
She drew her spatha from her belt and stabbed a camper.
She's going all out, Piper realized. She's trying to kill Annabeth.
She tried to tell Hazel that she was okay, still alive… but her mouth felt like putty. Out of the corner of her eye, Piper saw the pair of gray eyes narrow. Hazel fell to the floor with a thud: Annabeth's dagger protruding from her chest.
Piper screamed.
The world faded into shades of black and grey, and she was encased in a black velvet cover.