Oklahoma was nice.

The weather was warm, the landscape was beautiful, and the people were amazingly supportive. Piper had met some family that she knew the names, but not the faces of. Her father and she moved onto the land with the few possessions they had left. Her father, who was still trying to process the situation, was slowly coming around to acceptance.

Piper didn't mind. All she needed was her dad in one piece, and a roof over her head. Anything else was unnecessary and a luxury. Quite frankly, Piper liked the location, its connection to her roots, and the fact that she could see the stars and galaxy at night. That was not possible in light-polluted California. It also reminded her of a certain, fake school for troubled children, but she would never admit that.

The worst part of Oklahoma was the tornadoes. Three warnings had already been called since their arrival a few days ago. Luckily, a tornado shelter was built on the land so they were safe, but every time she saw a news piece on tornadoes on the little, rickety TV they now used, Piper felt like she got punched in the gut. Of course she would move to a location that is plagued with creations of Zeus/Jupiter. When the first tornado warning was called, Piper couldn't stop crying even hours after the warning had ended.

But, for the most part, Piper had no issues with her new home. It was definitely a downgrade from her former life, but she was not materialistic like some of her sisters so it didn't bother her. After everything she and her father had been through, Piper had a very good idea of what was and wasn't important.

However, there was one thing that had bothered Piper since their move: her dreams had become very active and very realistic. She hadn't had one dreamless night since they arrived, granted it had only been three nights. But even when Piper blinked, she swore she could see images floating around behind her eyelids for the nanosecond before she opened them again. For the past few nights, the dreams were just a vibrant jumble of random events and thoughts that if they had a meaning, were indecipherable.

But last night, she saw her mother.

She saw Aphrodite clearly, down to the individual hairs on her head, but for the the first time, the rest of the image appeared foggy. The goddess was arguing with someone, but Piper could not tell who. And her mother must have been heated because Piper had never seen her so expressive with her hands and her usually flawless face was surprisingly marked with some stress wrinkles. Piper also had not been given any audio in any of her dreams since moving to Oklahoma so her mother's words were lost.

Just when Piper was about to start screaming in her own head to get herself to wake up, she heard her mother's voice, crystal clear, right next to her ear even though her dream-self was ten yards away: "For the sake of my daughter, will you please stop her!"

/

After waking up immediately following her mother's plead, Piper sat in bed for a while to contemplate her mother's words.

Piper assumed that she was the daughter Aphrodite was worried about. Why would the dream be shown to her otherwise? And who was coming after her? Why was Aphrodite so worried?

Piper knew the answers could fall on either side of the danger spectrum. Sometimes, her mother was right on calling out real danger that was heading her way. Most times, her mother's definition of "danger" was completely different from her daughter's. Usually, her mother's false alarms annoyed Piper because she had better things to worry about than her mother's warning of incoming drama (which to Aphrodite was equal to danger). But today, Piper wished for it. She did not have the energy to deal with anything more.

Piper got out of bed and went to get food because she knew as a demigod, whatever was going to happen would occur whether she tried to stop it or not so she might as well be ready to take it on with a full stomach.

She sat at the kitchen table, eating cereal, thinking about her phone call with Annabeth from the afternoon prior. Piper didn't want to tell her and Percy over the phone but it was her only option at the moment, and they deserved to know as soon as possible.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the front door. Whatever Aphrodite was worried about, it was here. Piper, who had brought Katoptris into the kitchen with her just in case, held the knife under the table so it was out of the view of whoever walked in. Whatever enemy had the nerve to walk into her home after everything that had happened was a special kind of stupid. Piper secretly hoped it was Caligula.

Her father answered the door and Piper couldn't hear their conversation well enough to know what was going on. She heard the door close and footsteps approaching. Her fingers curled tighter around the hilt of the knife.

To Piper's utter surprise, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano walked into the kitchen with her father following behind. The roman wore no armor or weapons, and Piper had never seen her so tired before. In her purple Camp Jupiter t-shirt and shorts, she could pass as any typical teenager.

Her dad spoke up. "Hey, Pipes, she said she's a friend of yours?" He gave Piper a questioning look over Reyna's shoulder.

Piper sat up straighter in her seat and in the process pressed her knife flat against the bottom of the table so her father wouldn't see it. The sound of the celestial bronze hitting the wood was drowned out by the sound of Piper's creaking chair, just as she had hoped.

However, of course, Reyna picked up on the sound and also shot Piper a questioning look.

"Yeah, dad. This is Reyna. She's a friend from Camp who lives nearby. I told her about the move because I wanted to see her." The lie fell easily, too easily for Piper's liking, from her lips. She never liked lying to her father, but it was becoming a recurring pattern after his memory was wiped. It was necessary in order to protect him, or at least that's what Piper kept telling herself. "Dad, I heard that Aunt Ama was looking for you. You might want to go see her," Piper laced her voice with slight charm, needing to get her father out of the house for a while. Her Aunt Ama lived well over two hours away so it would buy her some time.

Her father nodded, soaking up the idea. "Okay, I'll head out now." After grabbing keys to the car they were borrowing from a friend and bidding the two goodbye, he was out the door, leaving the girls alone.

Piper let out a breath and pulled Katoptris from under the table, placing it on the countertop. "I had a dream about my mother. She said someone was coming, but I didn't know who. And I can't let my dad see the knife. There would be a lot of questions I don't want to answer," she explained, shrugging. "Come join me."

Reyna walked over to the square dinner table and sat down on Piper's right. "I've never met your dad before. He seems nice," Reyna said, scooting her chair in.

Piper shrugged again. "Times are a little tough right now, but he's doing alright." She pulled her legs up onto the chair and hugged them. "What are you doing here?" Piper hoped the girl knew. She didn't want to recount the story again. It was currently pushed to the back of her mind, waiting to be triggered.

Reyna folded her hands on top of the table, her posture straight, looking like she was sitting at a Senatorial meeting instead of Piper's kitchen table where some drops of milk were still present from her father's breakfast that morning. "I had a dream where Jason Grace was killed and then I received a letter from Praetor Zhang early this morning to return to Camp Jupiter due to urgent matters," she said, her voice emotionless. She looked at Piper and Piper could see slight panic in her eyes, but her voice remained even. "I heard from tabloids that you would be here so I came for confirmation before I returned to the Legion and addressed the people."

Piper's chin fell onto her knees. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew better than to think that Reyna would be here for any other reason. "I'm sorry, Reyna," she whispered. She heard a sharp intake of breath from her right, and opened her eyes to see Reyna staring blankly at the table. Her jaw was clenched and her hands were slightly shaking.

"Well-" Reyna stood up from her chair, not meeting Piper's eyes, "-thank you for telling me. I should be getting back to Camp Jupiter now. Thank you for having me." Reyna turned to head back to the front door.

Suddenly, Piper's heart clenched at the idea of Reyna leaving which struck her as odd. Weren't they enemies just months ago? Sure, they had their "girl talk," but everything wasn't just perfect between them. But Piper knew deep down why she wanted Reyna to stay. The daughter of Bellona was with Jason through everything before Piper met him. If there was anyone who knew Jason as well as her, it was Reyna. They were both feeling the same pain in the same way. Piper felt connected to her, and she knew that if Reyna walked out that door, they would probably never see each other again.

Besides, the praetor looked exhausted, probably had not eaten anything all morning, and was emotionally unstable. It would be wrong for Piper to let her leave the house in her current state. She remembered her grandparents who always said Anyone who comes into your house should leave it happier than they were before they walked in.

Piper scrambled to her feet. "Wait," she said, which halted Reyna in the middle of the kitchen. "You should stay. Just for a little while. You're probably exhausted and hungry. I'm not a great chef but I can probably whip up some eggs or something."

Reyna turned, and Piper noticed her eyes were teary. "No, it's okay. I have to get back to-"

Piper interrupted, "And let them see you like this? No offense, but you look like shit right now. You and I both know that you can't go in front of the camp like this." She beckoned to the table. "I'm not going to hold you prisoner, but you need some energy. It must have taken you awhile to get here, especially by a pegasus," she said, knowing Reyna's preferred way of travel.

"I have to be there by the dinner," Reyna protested weakly, her stomach grumbling against her will. She really did want to return to camp, but postponing it for a little wouldn't hurt, right? Her will was slowly running out.

"It's nine o'clock now, I'll kick you out by noon. That will give you plenty of time," Piper never added any charm to her voice as Reyna would recognize it and could turn hostile. However, she did use her most gentle voice to coax the young women into sitting at the table.

Reyna remained stiff in the middle of the kitchen. "May I use your bathroom?" she blurted out, looking unsure. Her eyes were still shiny and her face was getting red. She looked like a young lost child asking strangers for directions.

But Reyna was smart. Piper weighed the possibility that Reyna would simply use the bathroom as cover to slip out the front door, which was near the bathroom. Piper also knew that she couldn't kidnap the fellow demigod so if she wanted to leave, then she could. Piper wouldn't stop her.

So against her heart's objections, she told the other girl the way to the bathroom who nodded her head and excused herself. Piper let out a breath when she heard the bathroom door open and close.

After a few minutes, Reyna returned to the kitchen as Piper was pulling the eggs from the refrigerator. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she kept running a hand under her runny nose. It was the most vulnerable Piper has ever seen her.

Piper gave her a sad grin that looked more like a grimace. "Go ahead and take a seat. Make yourself comfy."

With one last futile look at the front door, Reyna did just that, falling heavily into a chair at the table. Piper smiled slightly.

"So, how do you like your eggs?"

/

After serving up some scrambled eggs, the duo sat at the table in silence while Reyna ate.

Piper wasn't sure what to say. Here they were, two exes of a dead demigod, sitting at a table on a Tuesday morning in Oklahoma. The situation would have brought a chuckle to Piper's lips if it weren't so damn depressing.

Reyna broke the ice. "I never heard what happened to Jason after he lost his memory. Can you tell me?" Reyna asked, her eyes never leaving her eggs. Her voice was softer and higher pitched than Piper had ever heard. It never dawned on her that Reyna might have a voice different from her typical commanding one that she presented to everyone. Not even their conversation about their love lives after the war with Gaia revealed Reyna in this way. Piper, for the first time, was seeing the real Reyna.

Piper thought back to the day at the Grand Canyon, where her life turned upside down. She went from being a normal (troublesome, but normal) teenager to being attacked by storm spirits and flying through the grand canyon with Jason. Piper recounted this to Reyna, talking about the false memories that Hera planted in their heads, making her and Leo very confused when Jason woke up on the bus not recognizing them. She told of the Grand Canyon escapade, Annabeth's arrival, and their travel to Camp Half-Blood. She told of their quest to save the goddess, fighting through Midas, Medea, giants, and Khione. She told of how Jason saw Hera reveal her true form, but Piper was able to charm speak him back to life. She told of how his memory slowly returned and they realized that the two leaders of the camps were switched. She described the painfully slow months of building the Argo II and waiting for it to be ready for travel across the country. Piper came to halt once they reached Camp Jupiter because Reyna knew the rest from there.

The older girl was a great listener. More than once, Piper had to stop and compose herself before continuing with the story. She never interrupted. She kept her attention on Piper at all times, encouraging her to continue, but never pushing her to tell something too difficult. Piper didn't realize how therapeutic the recounting would be until she finished and she felt a thousand times lighter. It gave Piper peace to know that one more person knew Jason's story and could pass it on.

By the time Piper finished, Reyna was done with her eggs and she was leaning back in her chair, her posture relaxed. She was shaking her head slightly.

"You really charmspoke him back to life?" she asked disbelievingly. "Circe used charmspeak on many people, but I don't think she was even that powerful," she said, almost to herself.

Piper wasn't sure what Reyna's connection to Circe was, but she nodded in thanks for the compliment. "I guess when you're desperate, anything can happen. Besides talking Gaea to sleep, I've never done anything else so powerful. I usually get drained too quick," Piper said modestly, thinking about her exhaustion while on Caligula's boats.

"You know," Reyna started, "the reason I was bitter towards your charmspeak was because I have seen what people can do with, how they can manipulate anyone and put them under a spell. I was worried that you would use it like everyone else, to put yourself ahead." Reyna gave her a small smile. "I was wrong about you. If there was anyone who I would want to have charmspeak, it would be you because I know you only use it for good."

Piper felt a blush creeping up her neck at the unexpected compliment. "Thanks, Reyna." She gestured to the space around them. "The world sucks. I have no reason to abuse it further."

Reyna chuckled at that. "The world does suck." She paused. "Did Jason ever tell you about the battle against Krios?"

And so the girls went back and forth, exchanging stories about the fallen demigod. Stories of laughter, sadness, love, and battle. Tears were shed and tissues were exchanged. Hands were tightly and reassuringly held during particularly hard tellings.

Through it all, the daughter of Aphrodite and daughter of Bellona felt their spirits lift and their hearts lose a few pounds. The connection that Piper felt earlier was now mutual between the two, knowing that they both held unique positions in Jason's life. They didn't see this as a reason to fight, but one to come together and share their experiences.

Eventually, Piper looked at the clock and saw that it was half past noon. Her heart deflated at the idea of the other girl leaving but she knew it was necessary. While Reyna's eyes were red, she looked more confident and energized, ready to lead a city through mourning. Her three hours with Piper were exactly what she needed before she returned. However, she had to leave now or else she wouldn't make it back to the camp before dinner.

Piper walked Reyna to the door and pulled her into a tight embrace. Reyna pulled away, a few tears running down her cheeks that she brushed away with her hand. She exited through the door, her pegasus waiting for her, before turning around.

"Piper?" She smiled. "Thank you," she said earnestly.

Piper smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"If you ever find yourself in California," Reyna said, "feel free to drop by camp. We'd love to have you."

"Hopefully, I'll be around soon. Right now, I just need some time…" Piper trailed off, but Reyna nodded her head in understanding. No words needed to be shared between the two to describe their pain.

Reyna turned and mounted her pegasus, and with one final wave, took off towards the west.

Piper closed the door and headed back into her new house, falling onto the couch.

The morning gave her hope, that this seemly impossible obstacle was passable. Piper could feel the sisterly bond growing between them, and she found herself looking forward to her first trip to Camp Jupiter.

/

Happy Mother's Day to all of your moms and mother figures! Appreciate your mama today for me.

I also really liked this chapter. I think Piper and Reyna's relationship deserves a little love because they're two badass girls with opposite backgrounds and parents, and yet they come together to be an awesome duo IMO. They're both very modest and are willing to do anything to save the people around them. As characters, I respect both of them greatly so I enjoyed putting them in the same room. I hope I captured their characters correctly.

Also, as you can tell this story is in past tense and I have not written in past tense in a while so if the tenses are all fucked up, I apologize. Some things sound correct in my head as I write them, but sound weird once you actually read it aloud so idk. I didn't proofread this so sorry. I hope you can enjoy it through a couple grammatical and spelling errors. Also, when I saved the doc, it fucked up the formatting so I went back and I think I deleted everything but I could have missed some stuff, so it there's random characters added or letters missing, that's what that is. Sorry.

Nico and Will are next. I've been trying to make the chapters in chronological order but this one is going to make it a little wonky since Nico obviously knows as soon as it happens. Sorry. Again, if there is any more characters you want to see, let me know!

Have a good Mother's Day. See y'all soon.