Fix You

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

Reyna Ramirez-Arellano: Beta

Piper had been trying to fix things since she was old enough to know that she was different for not having a Mommy. She'd tried to fix her father, making him less broken, less hurt. She'd sent letters out to sea, where her Dad said her Mom had left to. ("Gone to the military to help, Pipes. Isn't that wonderful?" he'd asked through his tears one night.)

When that hadn't worked, she'd tried to fix her relationship with him. She couldn't fix that either. Her father had only grown more distant when she was suddenly able to take any one person and sway them to her will with only a word the summer of seventh grade. And nothing in the world could fix it when she was on the bus to a new boarding school with a fleece snowboarding jacket, three bags packed full of clothes and other things required for her, and tears running down the bruise she'd gotten from her fight with her father's shitty secretary.

HoO~HoO~HoO

Piper had immediately been drawn to Jason, so strong and amazing and kind. She'd defended him in the seventh grade when Reyna had picked on him until he'd had enough and was willing to fight for himself. Then they met Leo. Leo was kind and smart and witty and funny and bright! She couldn't have been happier when she found out her two best friends were just like her. Leo's powers were mechanical genius and fire. Fitting given how bright and warm and bubbly and friendly he was.

Jason's powers kind of played off Leo's, which was also fitting given how close they were as friends. Jason held electricity in his fingertips and the wind in his palms. Both where beautiful.

Piper was so happy to find more like her, but in her excitement, she'd forgotten that Leo knew what it felt like to be left behind. He had learned too early what abandonment was and Piper would never forgive herself for hurting him so much when she made friends with Annabeth, Hazel, and Rachel. Sometimes she wondered in high school would've been different if Leo had still been a close friend to her.

In many ways, she was thankful that he'd found Nico. She wasn't quite sure what would've happened otherwise.

HoO~HoO~HoO

Why did he have to go? It was the question Piper had asked herself for moths after Leo's death. Since Freshman year, Piper and six others had been fighting against the mother of all Alphas, Gaea. Piper wasn't quite sure why it had to be her and the others, why did it have to be them? Why couldn't it have been the adults, their parents maybe? Because Piper knew for damn sure that Aphrodite was far more powerful and better equipped to deal with Gaea than scrawny klepto Piper McLean.

But, Piper couldn't fix it when Rachel spouted seven names from her lips. Piper couldn't fix it when her father finally found out about Piper's inherited abilities. Piper could fix it when Jason was almost frozen to death by the jealous Khione. Piper could fix it when Leo and Jason where nearly skewered on each other's weapons while Medea whispered control words into their ears. Piper could fix it when Jason, Leo, and Percy were under the control of the spirits and couldn't fight back.

Piper couldn't fix it when Percy and Annabeth were trapped by Tartarus. Piper couldn't fix it when Hazel was blessed by Hecate and didn't know how to control her new-found magical abilities. Piper couldn't fix it when Leo was thrown off the boat and landed on some girl's island; not able to leave for weeks before Calypso finally fell hopelessly in love with Leo. Piper couldn't fix it when Nico and Leo had a fight two nights before Nico was to leave. Piper couldn't fix Reyna's broken heart or broken home.

Piper couldn't fix it when Leo was riding higher and higher into the sky with Gaea in Festus's claws. Piper couldn't fix it when Leo's entire body went up in flames that couldn't hurt him. Piper couldn't fix it when Leo died and Nico screamed and the entire army of Gaea went down and turned into a skeleton that collapsed under their own weight. Piper could only hope Leo stuck to the two promises that she knew her little brother had made. Piper couldn't fix heartbreak, but she could reassure Nico of Leo's promise to come back to him. Piper couldn't help Nico come back from grief, but she could promise to be there until Leo came back.

She couldn't fix it, but she could be there until it got better.

That would have to be enough.

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
~Coldplay "Fix You"