Chapter 60
"You probably don't need to worry about putting all of those away," Piper noted.
"Until we get word that we're going to be heading home, I intend to act like we'll be staying," Hazel replied evenly as she continued to hang up some of the dresses that had been washed the day before "Besides, word hasn't even been sent to your parents yet about any of this."
"Once the duel is over it will be. News will be sent out either tomorrow or the day after. Even if Percy wins and Poseidon doesn't give his blessing, it will still only take a couple of days for him to realize that Percy is really gone and for word to reach my parents," Piper shrugged, though to Hazel's relief she didn't push it any farther.
Percy had filled both of them in on what had happened with Luke and his father, and how that if he won the duel but the king still refused he planned to run away with Annabeth the same night. Of course his father would look for him for awhile, but Percy planned to leave a note asking him not to and he doubted the search would last more than a few days. After that there would be no reason for Piper to remain in the kingdom.
It wasn't until she was done putting away the clothes that Piper spoke again, setting the book she had been reading to the side "Are you going down to the stables or have any other plans for the day?"
Miss Dodds was still freezing her out, and Frank was out for the day, helping the knights with something, so Hazel just shook her head "No. I was just going to spend some time in my room, maybe see if some of the others need help without letting Miss Dodds know."
"Well, I would quite enjoy some company if you wanted to stay and talk." Piper was always careful to word things like that as options, and while it sometimes made them come out a little awkwardly, Hazel appreciated the effort.
"Jason's busy then I take it?" She teased, smirking a bit, though she was already making her way over to take the seat next to Piper, the smile becoming a bit more genuine as she added "But, yeah, I would like that."
"Just as busy as Frank," Piper teased in return smiling as she did so "I'm glad, with everything that's been going on I feel like we haven't spent much time together. Though I suppose we'll have plenty of time with nothing to do but talk to each other during the trip home."
"Right," Hazel agreed, though it came out a little uncertain. She hoped Piper wouldn't notice, but even as she thought it she knew it was in vain. Of course Piper would notice.
"That didn't sound very sure," Piper noted, tilting her head a bit "Are you planning to ignore me the whole trip home? I knew I'd probably annoyed you on the way here, but I didn't think it was so bad you were planning to ignore me completely."
It was meant to be teasing, but it was a little forced, and Hazel could tell Piper was honestly confused by the comment. Sighing, Hazel shook her head "No, of course not. The journey here was incredible, I just wish there hadn't been so much sitting around and more time to explore."
"Me too," Piper agreed, giving her a small smile as she added "Maybe we can take more time on the way home, stop to actually look around and visit some of the towns we pass."
This was her way out. She could claim that's all it was and go on with the conversation. But on the other hand, there were only a few days till they would be leaving, and she needed to talk to Piper about this. And this was probably the best chance she was going to get.
Hazel took a deep breath before answering "Yeah, that would be really nice- I'm just- I'm not sure if I'll be going back with you- at least not on the entire journey."
"What?" Piper blinked, clearly taken aback by the comment, and Hazel could see she was struggling to piece what Hazel had said together "What do you mean? Why wouldn't you be coming back with us?"
"It's kind of complicated," Hazel sighed, looking down at her hands "Ever sense what happened with Leo I've been thinking a lot about when I was younger and the druids who raised me. I- I want to learn more about them, and to do that I think I need to actually find more druids. The best way to learn about them is to talk with them."
It was more than just the actually arrest. It was just how often it had been brought up over the last few weeks, it made her actually start thinking about it again. About really how little she knew about druids in general, about her own past. Because as much as she hadn't wanted to admit it, it was her past. What Nyssa had said, about being a druid even if she said she wasn't, was still circling around her head, and she couldn't shake it.
Piper listened carefully to what she was saying. It was only when Hazel was done that she spoke "Are you sure Hazel? Traveling from place to place to meet with druids is going to be dangerous, especially just to learn about something that was such a small part of your life. I mean, you barely remember it."
"It's still part of my life, and I remember more then everyone seems to think I do," Hazel shook her head, a determination slipping in now that she'd said it out loud. "And it's my history. My mom was a druid. I am a druid, and I want to know more about what that means."
Slowly Piper nodded, and Hazel watched, trying to read her face. Unfortunately that was rather hard to do at the moment. "Alright."
For a long moment Hazel just looked over at her, before sighing as she looked away "You think it's an awful idea?"
"No. I mean, I wish you wouldn't go. You're my friend, and I'll miss having you around. I've missed spending as much time with you just since we've been here, let alone having you just gone altogether for who knows how long. At least here I get to still spend some time with you," Piper gave her a small smile, reaching over to take Hazel's hand and give it a small squeeze "But I think if this is something you feel like you need to do then you should do it, and I hope you find what you're looking for."
Looking up, Hazel meet Piper's eyes, and smiled at her in return "Thank you, Piper."
"Of course," Piper smiled a bit more as she did so "Just know that if you decide you've learned enough or change your mind you can always come back. There will always be a place for you at the castle, even if you just need a place to stay for the night."
