If I died tonight

I think I

would like to come back

as your morning coffee.

Just as strong

and just

as necessary.

~Tyler Knott Gregson


5.

Piper texted Annabeth throughout the rest of the day, talking about thing ranging from the weather to what would happen if Piper were elected president; Piper insisted that she would be amazing, but Annabeth had her doubts.

Before she knew it, Piper was climbing into Silena's car, dress shopping just a couple minutes away.

"Pipes, get your nose out of the screen and into real life!" Silena said as she twisted the keys, "Who are you texting anyway?"

Piper made no sound, but something must have given her away.

"Oh my GOD! Is it a boy!"

Damn, she was caught, and it was only a matter of time until Silena figured it out. Well, better to tear the band-aid off at once,

"Not exactly…"

"Oh, so they're a girl then."

Piper nodded, she knew Silena had some sort of sixth sense. Silena looked over the moon,

"Well? Tell me all about her! Is she pretty? Do I know her?"

Piper laughed giddily, she was dreading this very moment, but it all turned out so well. Silena looked at her, shock apparent on her face,

"Wait, did you really think I would have a problem with your sexuality?"

"…possibly." Piper mumbled before Silena smacked her on the arm, "Ouch!"

"Yeah, well you deserve it. Thinking I of all people would have a problem….." Silena trailed off into angry mumbling as she switched lanes. Piper immediately felt a twinge of guilt and knew what would cheer Silena up.

"She's super pretty."

Silena perked up, and quieted down, listening intently.

"She had these gorgeous blonde curls that make her look like a princess, and eyes that look like thunderclouds. She has the most graceful hands, and she recommended a romantic poetry book for me to read. She works in a small bookshop, and I'm pretty sure she goes to the other school."

The other girl was practically vibrating with excitement,

"Well? Well? What is her name?"

"Annabeth."

The car swerved and Piper screamed, clutching the small handle above the window.

"SILENA!"

"Sorry, sorry! Annabeth? Like, Annabeth Chase?"

"Probably? I don't exactly know her last name."

"This is exciting!"

"Do you know this girl?"

"How do you not? Her mom is only the best historian on ancient mythology, specializing in greek and roman stuff."

"And how exactly do you know this?"

"My dad is a bit of a history buff." Silena blushed, "And it may be a sort of guilty pleasure. Fashion design calls for research, and I somehow stumbled upon mythology while researching for my portfolio."

The car neatly pulled into a parking spot near the front of the mall. No matter how crammed the parking lot was, Silena always managed to park up front. Piper is amazed every time and often jokes that it is Silena's superpower.

The girls walked through the mall with plans to meet up with the rest of the group at Nordstrom. As soon as Silena stepped through the doors into said store, she seemed to physically relax and melt into the atmosphere.

"You know that was weird, right?" Piper said to the blissed-out Silena,

"Does it look like I care?" she retorted, "Nordstrom is my happy place."

"Whatever, loser." Piper laughed, and the two made their way up the escalator to the top floor.

Reyna, Thalia, and a girl with dark ringlets were shopping near a rack of dresses.

"Hi, Ladies!" Silena chirped, kissing each of their cheeks. Piper suspected she picked up the habit from the usual summers she spent in France with her aunt. Piper waved to the girls and glanced questioningly at the unknown person. Reyna stepped in,

"This is Hazel, she goes to Jupiter High and is on the Prom committee. She didn't have anyone to shop with, because all of her friends have already bought their prom dresses."

"Not to worry, not to worry." Silena spoke through the rack of dresses, "You are welcome with us. Now, Piper! You get your cute butt right over here and grab this dress."

Ten minutes later, and Piper was stumbling under the weight of six different dresses.

"Can I try these on, please? They are crushing me."

"I suppose, let's go find you a changing room."

Silena led Piper to a mirrored changing room and delicately sat in the elegant armchair out in the main area. Piper shut the door and sighed before grabbing the first dress off of its' hanger.

Piper wasn't out of the changing room for three seconds before Silena herded her right back in,

"No, no, no. Too much lace, you look like a bride."

The next one was the same story,

"Well, that's just hideous."

"I'll try not to take that personally."

"It's not you, love, it's the cut of the dress."

The next three played out the same way. One was too short, the next too glittery, and the final one too many weirdly cut out holes. Selina, however, was not put off by the steady stream of failures,

"Try on the last one, I have a good feeling about it."

Piper stepped into the pool of fabric and zipped up the back as far as it would go. When she finally looked into the mirror, she gasped. The dress was a metallic, silky number. It draped in such a way that it looked like she was wearing molten gold. The dress had thin straps, just shy of spaghetti straps, that held the fabric up. Her back was completely exposed, and the dress did wonders for Piper's curves. She stepped out of the changing room, and Silena shrieked.

Reyna came out of her changing room to see what was the matter. She was wearing a deep purple gown with long sleeves and gold detailing around the bust. The girl gave Piper's outfit a steady once over before announcing,

"I'd do you."

Silena and Piper laughed, but then Silena gave a happy wiggle,

"You have to get this dress. It is so sexy and beautiful, ugh."

Piper laughed again,

"This is definitely the one."

Reyna winked at her before sweeping back into the changing room, and Piper flushed as red as her mom's signature lipstick.


As Piper was paying for the dress, Silena whispered something unintelligible in her ear. Once she saw PIper's confused look, she repeated herself,

"While you were changing, I talked to Hazel. She's close friends Annabeth and says the girl hasn't shut up about you for the past couple days. "

Piper tried to respond, but all she could do was let out an embarrassing squeak. Silena giggled and took the dress from the cashier,

"Here you go, lovebird. Don't zone out on me."

Unfortunately, Piper had done that very thing, and all she could think of was that Annabeth may like her back.


A/N: HEY GUYS! I decided to update twice in one day! It's kind of wild, but also I may be procrastinating on my homework so...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the final chapter will be up soon! I am super excited for it, and it's gonna be adorable. Piper is going to loose it once she sees Annabeth in her dress, or will it be the other way around? How will Percy and Jason interact at Prom? Will Reyna finally say yes to Leo, or is she waiting for someone else? Will the author keep asking questions, or will she finally post this chapter? All will be revealed next update (except for that last one). Enjoy, lovelies!