Enjoy =)


Chapter Twelve: Piper

Piper was walking down the hall in the Big House Two, wondering why the halls were empty, when she heard something that ruined her day even more. Not that her days were happy. She was miserable. Lonely. And she really didn't want to talk to anyone about it, she didn't, not when Hazel came by to coax her out her room, or when Calypso tried to lure her out with ice cream. That almost worked. Piper sped up when she heard the arguing from Jason's new room, "...out harsh. Leo has been cheating on you."

Piper's heart stopped beating as she heard nothing.

Zilch.

Zero.

Silence.

She turned the corner and a sight she saw. Calypso was standing in the doorway of Jason's room, and Hylla and Hazel were exchanging looks as they backed out, slowly. She went up to stand next to them, frowning, and she swallowed when she felt Jason's gaze trained at her. As Reyna's words settled in, Piper blinked. Oh, shoot. No. She did not just say that.

Reyna could break her heart all she wanted, but Calypso was too low of a blow. She was going to retaliate when Reyna continued, her voice smug, "With Piper."

"Oh, shit," Piper breathed, as Calypso's jaw dropped. She turned to her with a horrified expression, betrayal dripping from her features. This was too much. Piper shook her head, already knowing it was useless. "Calypso, it isn't true. She's lying," She said as calmly as possible, trying not to use Charmspeak. She didn't dare look inside at Jason or Leo's faces. She didn't want to look at Reyna's. Not ever.

Calypso began to shake, rage taking over. "I cannot believe you!"

Piper flinched as she stomped into the room, storming up to Leo. Piper glanced away as she heard the echoing of a loud, hard, painful-sounding smack. She looked up slowly, scanning everyone's expressions. Reyna, the little Roman devil she was, smirked, her eyes wild with amusement. Jason stared at Leo and Calypso with wary shock, stunned, as if they had laughed it off instead.

His reaction would've been funny if her heart didn't clench painfully everytime she laid eyes on him. And if they were in a different situation, of course. Hylla seemed disappointed, yet irritatingly unfazed for the most part. Hazel, bless her, was evidently confused, and seemingly a bit scared.

And Leo, Gods, Leo. Have you ever watched someone you loved suffer? You watched with horror as they screamed pain—sometimes silently. Your eyes go wide, your mouth opens in terror, and your whole body shakes as you try to keep away tears.

That's similar to Leo's expression now, poor thing. It seemed he and Piper would suffer in their woes together. Leo, though, he was done for. Piper couldn't watch this. She blinked away tears as Calypso whipped around, then stormed up to Piper.

The hate in Calypso's hazel eyes shone fiercely, her features wrinkled in utter disgust. "I thought you were my friend!" Each word was another blow to home.

"Calypso—"

Calypso twisted to where Hylla was standing, stomped up to her, and swiftly unsheathed the dagger resting in her belt. Everyone stood frozen in shock as she whipped towards Piper, knife pointing out, and lunged. "You're going to pay for this!" She screeched.

Piper easily side-stepped her, then grunted slightly as the metal sliced at her inner wrist. Piper gasped for air, ducking under as the blade swept up, then caught Calypso's wrist, twisting slightly. The bloody knife clattered to the ground, the sound echoing. "Calypso, we weren't—" Piper tried again.

"No! Shut up! You have done enough! Freaking enough! Lying is just going to make this a whole lost worse for you!"

Ignoring the sting in her wrist and heart, Piper continued. "Listen, you need to calm down so we can—"

"So we can what? Talk? You want to talk? Do you really want to freaking talk about it?" Calypso was panting with rage, her expression irate. "There is nothing more to be said! You and Leo cheated on Jason and I! What more do you want to add? Honestly," She chuckled humorously, "No wonder Jason broke up with you."

Piper inhaled sharply, and Jason murmured, "Calypso," in warning, yet Calypso carried on, "You wanted to talk. I can talk! I can tell you why he left you! You want to know why? It is because, you, Piper McLean, are a pathetic, deceitful, manipulating Aphrodite slut who thinks she can get away with anything! You are an ugly, lying little bitch who acts like she runs everything and can do whatever the hell she freaking wants. Here's some news, you are anything but that! You are nothing! Don't you see? Why did your father send you to the Wilderness School? Why did Jason leave you? Why do all your friends hate you and hate hanging around you? It's because you're freaking nothing! You deserve hell, no, you deserve the most painful freaking suffering for what—"

"Calypso!" A powerful voice boomed. "That. Is. Enough!"

Calypso had shut up, but the words were out. And they hurt so much. Hylla looked stunned, Hazel looked ready to cry for Piper, Leo was broken as ever, and Jason looked like he had a war going on in his head. Reyna was grinning.

Thalia, who just came, was pissed.

And Piper couldn't take it anymore. She hadn't cried in a few hours, which was a good record, and the past two days her sobs were tearless. But this, when she faced the reality of how much she couldn't see, she broke. That was why Annabeth always wanted to hang out with Percy, it was why Leo acted like he was dead, it was why there was always strain between her and Calypso, which she never noticed until now. It was why her father sent her to the Wilderness school. It was why Jane hated her so much. It was why Jason made sweet love to her for the first time then broke up with her the next morning. It was true. She really was nothing. And she was an idiot for not seeing that.

Everything came tumbling down on her, and it's weight felt almost real; she collapsed to the ground, her hair a curtain around her as she began letting out the tears at last. She gasped for air, uncaring there was an audience, she shattered into even smaller pieces, unseeing and unhearing the voices that grew louder and the feet that shuffled towards her. She blocked it all out. She was alone in this suffocating bubble, and she would need to fend for herself. It would be the last time anyone saw a trace of emotion from her. Emotions cloud your judgement. Emotions cloud your decisions. They cloud everything, a thick layer of fog growing until you're blinded by them. That couldn't happen to her. She swore it.

This was the last time she would allow someone to see the pain of Piper McLean.