PIPER MISSED LEO. It seemed like everything reminded her of him. She would be sitting at the campfire talking with Jason and one of them would just mention his name, because it still flowed in with their conversations, as if nothing had happened. As if he wasn't gone. And maybe they'd go on for a few words more, and then catch themselves. Piper would reach for Jason's hand, or he would reach for her's, and they would just sit there in silence, shoulders touching, holding tight to each others hands, thinking about their friend.
The days since the Romans had left had been bittersweet and filled with adjusting. There were still many repairs to be done around Camp Half-Blood: damage caused by the war, and things neglected because of the war. And then, of course, emotional and physical damage. The wounded demigods were healing nicely, but the inner struggles and nightmares didn't fade so easily.
Leo's grinning, burning face appeared in Piper's dreams, and she was pretty sure it did in Jason's too. His final words of I love you guys echoed in Piper's mind, and every time she thought of it she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.
At times, it seemed like she could get used to it. Other times it didn't seem real. How could there be a world without Leo Valdez, Supreme Commander (and Repair Boy) of the Argo II? Without the crazy, clever son of Hephaestus who always had something funny to say, who could create a masterpiece out of random bits of metal and wires?
How could there be a world without one of the best friends Piper had ever had?
And yet, it seemed there was.
It had been twelve days since the Romans had left. Fifteen days since the war. Since Leo's death.
The campers were gathering in the dining pavilion for breakfast. Piper passed by Coach Hedge and Mellie heading over with little Chuck. She smiled and waved. Then she saw Jason and Annabeth standing by the Poseidon table and she broke into a run.
Jason's face lit up a little when he saw her, but both he and Annabeth looked worried.
"Good morning," Piper said. She gave Annabeth a quick hug and slid her hand into Jason's. "Is everything okay? Where's Percy?"
Annabeth glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the cabins. "I don't know. I just got here, I slept in because I stayed up late working on some architecture stuff for Olympus. I would have gone to his cabin but I assumed he'd be here. I'm gonna go look." She turned and ran towards Cabin 3.
Piper assumed Percy had just slept in as well, but she understood Annabeth's fear. Piper knew that the morning Percy had disappeared last December must have gone something like this.
"I'm sure everything's okay," Jason said. He squeezed Piper's hand, and she smiled weakly up at him. The dark circles under his eyes mirrored her own.
Chiron trotted over to his table and blew the conch horn again. A few stragglers ran up to the pavilion and campers started to get their food, but no sign of Percy and Annabeth. Piper reluctantly went to join her siblings, and Jason went to his table, where Nico di Angelo was seated.
Out of the corner of her eye, Piper saw another tall blond guy come up to Nico. It was Will Solace.
"Hey, di Angelo," Solace said. "Remember, at least four pieces of bacon or sausage, or it's back to the infirmary with you. Doctor's orders."
Nico scowled as Will went to join his fellow Apollo campers. The son of Hades was looking better every day, even if his recovery was in very small increments. Piper knew it was mostly thanks to Will Solace, but Piper found Will's over-protectiveness of Nico amusing.
Piper got some waffles with raspberries and maple syrup on them. As she ate, she kept looking towards the Poseidon cabin. Since Annabeth hadn't come back, Piper figured that she was inside with Percy. On one hand, Piper thought, biting her lip to hide a smirk, that could be a good thing (even though they might be breaking some rules,) but she was worried about her friends. The two of them still seemed so haunted by their experiences in Tartarus.
Piper took another bite of her waffle. Suddenly, she remembered something. Last winter, when Leo was building the Argo II, Leo had eaten waffles a lot. And there was that fun morning that lead to her and Annabeth's inside joke about stealing each others breakfast...
Piper looked down at her lap and blinked hard.
"Hey!" Someone's voice – Piper didn't recognize them – called out.
Across from Piper, her brother Mitchell's fork clattered to his plate. "Look!"
Piper's head snapped up. She followed where Mitchell was pointing. Off in the distance, above them, something gold glinted in the August sunlight.
A few of the campers closest to the edge of the pavilion got to their feet. Katie Gardener stepped out into the field. "It looks like..." she trailed off. "I don't know, some kind of golden airplane."
Nyssa jumped up and ran to Katie's side. "Not a golden airplane," she said, her voice low and kind of shaky.
The pavilion was completely silent. Piper watched as the golden thing came closer. Her heart hammered in her chest.
"Piper." Without Piper even realizing it, Jason had come up behind her. She couldn't tear her eyes off the golden thing, coming closer and closer, so she just reached back and gripped his arm.
"Piper," Jason said again, pulling her towards Nyssa, Katie, and the other demigods slowly gathering out in the field.
It was like everything was moving in slow motion. The golden thing in the sky came into clearer view.
Am I dreaming? Piper thought.
She wanted to pinch herself, but she couldn't move.
It couldn't be true.
It just couldn't be.
But then again, being a demigod was all about the impossible.
Change of scenery here, as well as POV. I'm pretty sure that Calypso, Leo and Piper will be the only POVs in "Flying Free." I chose Piper for another POV because of how much I love her character and because of her close sisterly relationship to Leo. I hope the POV change isn't too weird of a jump. The story will be mainly focused on Caleo but I do want to incorporate other characters' lives as well and what I imagine them doing in this time after the war. (Another reason I added Piper's POV is to help with this.)
Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. Please review! Reviews make me very happy! :)