PIPER

Piper stared absentmindedly at the floor. In a few sentences, in a matter of seconds, her entire life changed. Two people that she trusted the most had been revealed as lying, unfaithful, good-for-nothing cheats. She was still shocked to know that it was all real. Jason and Annabeth had become the very type of people she most despised, and the daughter of Aphrodite was having trouble processing it. Who did she have now, with her anchors were gone? The logical part of her brain told her that she should forget about them and be done with it, it would be pointless to exhaust her emotional compass for such...people.

But then there was the other part of her brain that thought it necessary to put her through the emotional ringer. It flashed memories, painful and ecstatic, in her head; like some sick, twisted movie. The fresh cuts on her pride and trust stung and burned, everything she had come to know was all wrong, all fake. Nothing was right anymore. If Jason and Annabeth, people who knew how much cheating would hurt her, and yet did it anyway, couldn't be relied on, who could be? Yeah Leo was a good friend, but ever since Ogygia, he hadn't been the same, couldn't think straight without remembering how Calypso had chosen to stay on the island.

Next on Piper's short list of close friends, was Percy. But there was absolutely no way she was going to go crying on his shoulder, the guy had enough to deal with on his own without her tears added to the mix. Last night had been fine, she'd be an alien if she hadn't cried, but he was on his journey to find himself. If she thought she had it bad, she knew he had it ten times worse. Percy had been living, breathing, and loving Annabeth Chase for a very long time, she was a part of him. Now she was gone, and he was on his own. It would have been pretty scary for Piper.

Of course, if he found he needed her shaky support, she'd do her best to offer it, whatever condition she was in. He was a good man, and he had done a lot for every living being, including her. Piper would definitely make time for Percy Jackson, if he wanted some. The Cherokee was broken, yes, but she still stuck by her friends, even if they didn't always stick by her.

Morbid, angry thoughts flew into her head. How many different ways could she kill the blonde? She could...she could... Piper sighed. This was not how she wanted to end up. She didn't want to be bitter and resentful her entire life. Of course, there was no way in hell she'd forgive any of them, not after what they'd done. But she didn't want it to consume her, like it was threatening to do. It was going to be enough trouble picking up her life without adding that kind of emotional baggage to weigh her down.

As Piper was reflecting, her eyes misted over, and she zoned out. There was a numb kind of feeling in her as she dully watched Rachel walk in carrying two plates heaping with fresh food. The redhead set the plates on a coffee table in front of the bean bag chairs. She wordlessly sat down, and the two started to eat.

For a moment she forgot about all her problems as she sunk her teeth into the food and demolished the fruit before her. Rachel handed her a goblet with a smirk, and Piper glared at her slightly before snatching it out of her grasp. She muttered, "Coke." And watched the glass fill. She'd spent a lot of energy crying, and not enough eating.

"Apollo, Piper! You're almost as bad as Percy!" Rachel lightly laughed, delicately picking apart her meal with the Big Money Manners she hated, but practiced all the same, "Are you even chewing anything, or just sucking it down like a black hole?"

Piper didn't answer in words, but rather with a nasty look. It was better than the hand gesture she had considered...

The two ate in relative silence, with Rachel occasionally commenting on Piper's 'Wolverine-like table manners' and Piper grumbling incoherently while shooting Rachel the stink eye. It was when the plates had magically disappeared that things started to feel stuffy in the cave. The awkward kind of stuffy, like the kind that happens when your parents give you 'The Talk', then give you a big hug and a box of condoms with a "stay safe" afterwords. The demigoddess realized she'd have to actually start talking about it now, to someone who had never dated, much less been cheated on.

Rachel realized her discomfort and decided to break the fragile tension by speaking up first, "You didn't deserve this, Piper. Neither did Percy. Well, no one really deserves it, but especially not you two."

Piper remained silent, so the Oracle continued, "I'm not going to say I'm sorry, because that's probably the last thing you want to hear right now. And if I did say it, I'd be lying. I'm not sorry for you, not in the slightest. If that's the kind of guy you were dating, you're better off without him. I am sorry for Jason though. He lost out on a great girl because he was stupid."

The younger girl cracked a small smile, which made Rachel grin in return. The oracle again went on, "And I have a feeling Annabeth is missing a great best friend. I promise that I had no idea about what they were up to until I went to bed last night. I wasn't even sure if it was a vision, or just a nightmare, but when I saw you, I knew."

Piper nodded, "I hoped it was a nightmare until I realized I was awake. Gods, it was like the worst horror film I'd ever seen sucked me up right into it."

"You were like Girlfriend of the Year, everyone looked up to you and Jason, and Percy and Annabeth. It's so weird to think that out of all the ways it could have ended, it went out this way."

The brunette smiled ruefully, "I don't know about Percy and Annabeth...But Jason and I weren't perfect, I mean, we fought just like everybody else. He had stupid friends...Did stupid things. And I was stubborn and independent, maybe even a bit difficult. We always had our issues, but never anything like this."

"Yeah, sometimes I forget that even though you guys are 'The Seven', you're still pretty much normal. Apollo forgive me, but right now I almost wish I wasn't the oracle," Rachel admitted, "If I weren't, I might be with Percy Jackson right now, and maybe, he wouldn't be hurting. Maybe you wouldn't be either."

Piper looked towards the redhead in shock, what was she going on about? Seeing her puzzled look, Rachel quickly explained how she had kind of been dating Percy, without him actually knowing it, but that when he went with Annabeth and she became the Virgin Oracle, that all went down the drain.

Rachel didn't sound bitter about it, just wistful, as if she had missed a good movie instead of the only guy she ever liked.

"Did it hurt? How long did it take to heal?" Piper asked desperately, if Rachel had gotten over it, she had to have some kind of handbook she could loan out, right?

"It hurt a lot. There's no feeling like the one you get knowing he's with someone else. It was so painful I threw caution to the wind, stole Percy's Pegasus, and put my life in danger so that way I could become the ever single oracle. I thought if I did that, I could break up with him before he could break up with me, even though we were never together. Healing took time, it was hard, but after a few months, it kind of faded away. I'll always love Percy, he's a good friend, but I don't need prophetic vision to know that we weren't meant to be. So I just let it go."

Time. That was the one thing that Piper didn't want to hear. She didn't have time, every second felt like a thousand years, how was she supposed to get through a couple months?

Rachel gave her an understanding look,"You know what really got me through? What really gave me strength to go on? Percy. I'm not the first to fall in love with him, I'm probably not the last, but I was the first that talked to him about it. No matter what Annabeth will tell you, he does understand emotions. Pretty well, actually. He doesn't think he knows what to say, but he does, maybe it's because he doesn't that he does. If you went to him, he'd probably find a way to cheer you up. Just remind him to follow his own wisdom, okay? Don't let him hurt more than he has to."

Piper nodded slowly, maybe she would. Probably not, but maybe she would talk to her older friend, "I don't know. He's going through this too. Who's going to get him through, especially if I'm dragging him back into it?"

"Percy's a tough guy. You're a tough girl. I'm sure you two can figure something out."

"Maybe."

"Well," Rachel said, clapping her hands on her criss-crossed knees, "That's enough depressing heavy talk for one night. So, Piper, I'm dying to know...Who's your celebrity crush? I, personally, like Chris Pine. Oh, and don't even get me started on Channing Tatum!"

Piper didn't have to get Rachel started on Channing Tatum; the mortal launched herself into it all on her own.

Three hours, two busted eardrums, and one pair of pajama pants later, Piper McLean found herself under the covers of a small, but comfy bed in Rachel's Cave. Rachel had kept her company the entire night, bringing small smiles and weak, but existent laughs from the daughter of Aphrodite. Piper was now busy deleting anything that reminded her of Jason from her phone, all photos were trashed, all text and call history erased, and his number, now titled 'World Class Ass', was blocked. It felt slightly invigorating, but also very sad. In a few taps, a huge chapter of her life was gone. Almost as if it had never happened. A few feet away, she could hear Rachel's soft snores.

It was hardly 10:30, but they were both relatively tired. Just as she was about to get off her phone, it silently vibrated with a text message.

PERCY

Hey, you alright?

She almost dropped the touchscreen in surprise, but quickly began responding.

PIPER

Been better. Hbu? How'd your mom take it?

Seconds later, he texted back.

PERCY

About to tell her. Gonna suck. She knows something's up. Can't hide anything from my mom.

Percy as a momma's boy; the thought made her smile a bit.

PIPER

Hope it'll go well.

PERCY

Do you want to get brunch tomorrow? Talk some things over?

Piper was a bit surprised, but figured he was probably going to say goodbye before heading out on his big adventure. She responded immediately.

PIPER

Sure. At Camp? Nothing's quite hit the fan here yet.

PERCY

Awesome. 11 okay?

PIPER

Perfect. I'll bring the chips if you bring the drinks.

PERCY

Deal! I'll see you then. Gotta go now. Can't keep stalling my mom. Goodnight.

PIPER

Goodnight.

It was with great reluctance that Piper dragged herself from the bed in the morning. The alarm, which was blaring a 'Red Alert' type sound was by no means going to allow her to ignore it. A groan escaped her lips, and she hurriedly disabled the offensive tone. She glanced over to Rachel's bed to see the girl holding a pillow over her ears. Piper laid back on the bed for a moment and just blinked out the spots dancing in her eyes. She wiped the crust that had formed around them, and cracked her molasses-like knuckles. Then she stretched like a cat across the bed before nimbly jumping onto the floor. She padded across the floor to her clothes pile (which Rachel had snatched from the Aphrodite cabin) and grabbed a pair of dark jeans, a navy blue, v-neck t-shirt, and a fresh pair of undergarments. The teen also picked up her brush. She laced up her old high tops and took off towards Percy's cabin. She avoided any and all living beings, fast walking towards the low, sea rock building with mission-oriented determination.

The daughter of Aphrodite scrunched her face up as she adjusted to the minimal, but comfortable lighting in Percy's cabin upon entering it. She allowed herself to slow down once she entered the bathroom. Switching the light on, she began to undress, quickly folding her dirty clothes into a small bundle and turned on the water. A quick search of the cabinet under the sink revealed a second set of towels, which she decided she'd use. Piper briefly felt sorry that she was using all of Percy's bathroom stuff, but she remembered that he probably wasn't going to be anywhere near Long Island for a while. He didn't necessarily need it.

Piper set the water at a warm, but not scalding, temperature, and stepped in the shower. She didn't have to shampoo and condition twice, because her hair was already clean, but she did anyways, simply because the task kept her mind off of other things she didn't really want to dwell on. She grabbed the little washcloth and, after treating it with the man-soap, scrubbed her body clean. The demigoddess gave her dark, thick locks a once-over to make sure all of the soap was gone. Satisfied with her work, she grabbed the big towel (She supposed a 6'4 guy like Percy needed XXLarge towels) and dried off.

After dressing up, Piper began to brush through her hair, not doing anything particular special with it; just the normal choppy-braid style she wore everyday. All in all, her entire process, shower, hair, and all, probably took 30 minutes. That left her with an hour and a half to buy off the Stoll's for the supplies she said she'd bring, which she knew was more than enough. The two sons of Hermes could have it to her in 20, 15 if she paid a little more. (Or charmspoke a little) Piper took a look in the perspiring mirror, praying to her mother (one of the first times ever) that she didn't look half as bad as she felt.

The face that met hers was familiar, but yet so alien. Her eyes, transitioning from color to color as ever they did, seemed...tired. Almost like they had aged a thousand years in a matter of days. That, she guessed, wasn't too new. Her statuesque features were the same, aristocratic and noble. When she tried to smile, it seemed fake. Like she didn't know what a smile really was and was trying to wear someone else's grin. It wasn't her. She frowned slightly. Now that was all Piper McLean. A look she could never forget, and one no person could ever replicate. Being the owner of a unique pout wasn't something she was entirely proud of, but it was something. Beggars can't be choosers right?

Back to planet earth, McLean! Piper thought to herself, Get a move on!

She spurred herself into action and grabbed her clothes, hung the towel, and stepped outside of the cabin into the mild June weather. The sun was decently warm, with a light breeze rustling through the trees and grass. In just over two months, she'd be eighteen. A legal adult. A free spirit with absolutely no clue what her future held. It was frightening, scary, and nerve wracking, but also exciting. Now that she and Jason were history, she could do whatever she wanted. There would be no one to tell her what to do, or where to be, or decide anything for her.

Piper disliked a lot of things in life, the mainstream world, and pop culture. But one thing she hated more than anything else was people making choices for her. She wasn't necessarily a feminist, but it aggravated her to no end when she came into contact with anyone who remotely believed in men being superior to women. Jason had the tendency to take the 'traditional male role' and try to force her decision in some things. It was one of the recurring arguments they'd had. She had to make it clear numerous times that she wasn't a Stepford Wife and had no intention of becoming one, and that he needed to let her do her thing. Then it would be fine for a while before one of his stupid Roman friends (probably Bobby or Wesley) would tell him he was whipped and it'd start all over again.

The teen shook her head, she sure was scatter-brained today. She swiftly dropped her clothes off at the cave, careful not to wake the still sleeping Rachel. Then, Piper began her search for the Stoll brothers. Chances were, Travis was bugging Katie over near the strawberry fields. Conner would, undoubtedly, be nearby. She walked at a normal pace towards the fields, her eyes scanning the area for any sight of the Demeter girl; just as she predicted, Conner and Travis were rowdily making their way towards Katie. Piper grinned, target acquired.

The daughter of Aphrodite lightly jogged up to the slowing brothers, a few feet before they reached Katie. The two stopped moving to avoid hitting her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Katie had disappeared.

"Conner, Travis, I need you to get a few things for me," Piper said bluntly, she didn't see the need for pleasantries. At least, not right now.

Travis squinted at her, "What do you need?"

"Some fruit and a few bags of chips."

The two looked at each other and shrugged, "It'll cost you."

"I'll give you the week's schedule for the Aphrodite cabin. Unlimited access to the Barbie Mausoleum!" Piper added in a sing song voice, watching as their eyes grew wide at the planking possibilities, "Just don't touch my bunk and it's yours."

"Deal!" Conner and Travis said in unison. They spun around on their heels and began walking off to wherever they got their supplies.

"Oh and boys, I like the barbeque chips. Don't take too long now," Piper's voice rising just slightly so they'd hear her, and when they turned, she winked saucily, the action alone made them flat out sprint to get her the goods. Her charmspeak had amplified so much over the past two years that she didn't even have to speak to get what she wanted. It was safer to say it, but a little bit of concentration and a well-timed gesture did her just fine now.

It kind of made her feel as if she were a bad flirt, which is why she hardly did it. It always felt like she was betraying Jason when she did the whole non-verbal route. But hey, she was single now. Why not?

Single.

Sin-gle.

siiiiingle.

She hadn't been 'single' since she was fifteen. More than two years ago. Gods, she hadn't felt this old and weathered since the damn war. It was so foreign to her, she'd been dating Jason since she even thought about dating! And the bastard had cheated on her for a good portion of that relationship. She scrunched up her nose as she thought about it, how could she not have noticed that? How do you date a guy for a year (or two) and not know when he's acting funny?

It made her feel stupid and foolish. She'd been played. Oh she'd been played hard.

She huffed in frustration, blowing her choppy bangs from her face where they floated in midair for a second before drifting down again. Piper pushed her hair behind her ear to get it out of her eyes. Said eyes scanned around her, surveying the place where her feet had taken her. She was a few yards away from the Big House, in particular the porch. The wistful thought of ice tea and a gentle breeze wafted in her head before disappearing in the shadow of what now lied inside the Big House, and what he'd done to her.

She quickly smacked away those memories, she didn't want to cry...again.

So, instead of sitting on the porch where she risked being detected and or harassed, she decided she'd plop down exactly where she was. It was grass, not like it'd hurt her. She didn't have a phobia of dirt like her many half siblings, but she was clean, so she made sure to sit only where the grass was thickest and fullest, where there was less of a chance of her sitting in a mudhole.

Piper's thoughts were whisked into a blissful unawareness, she was zoning out. She knew her face was probably comical, imagining the squinted eyes, scrunched nose, and parted lips. She assumed it was similar to a look a guy would get as he was kneed in the crotch. But honestly, she didn't care. That particular cloud was just too fascinating. It was moving and twirling and just floating there, inconspicuously. She briefly thought about floating above the Grand Canyon, but pushed it away as she resumed her zone out.

A dark shape blurred in front of her unfocused stare, and then agin.

"Piper, hey Piper, we got the stuff you wanted. Look, Barbecue chips and strawberries and everything!" Travis's excited voice crashed through her void like state, she blinked before refocusing her state on the two sons of Hermes.

"Oh, okay, thanks guys. Listen, I've got to meet someone, but when I get back I'll find you and drop off the schedule," she replied, standing and taking the heavy, double wrapped plastic bag from the outstretched hand in front of her.

She left no room for objection, and the two nodded eagerly.

"We'll be in our cabin. Good luck with whatever you're doing."

She nodded and after checking the time on her phone, decided she'd go ahead and wait by Thalia's Pine for Percy to arrive. The walk wasn't long. She patted Peleus's nose as she set down the bag. Piper pulled out her monster radar free phone as it pinged with a message.

PERCY

Almost there.

She smiled and began to play a game on her phone, losing herself in the app. She didn't even notice Percy park and exit his Jeep until he was standing right in front of her.

Piper glanced up at him, all twinkling green eyes and easy grin, as he held out a hand to help her up.

"Hi. Ready for our date under the sun?"