~Come on skinny love, just last the year.
Poor a little salt we were never hear.
My, my, my, my, my.
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer~

If there's something that Piper absolutely despises, it's mental hospitals. The dingy, grey, worn walls and failed attempts to lively up the place with forms of decorations and decor. Don't the people who work in the place know that insane people don't really see any difference whether or not there's posters or statues? Red balloons to blue? Piper sighs, swallowing down her medication with a heavy heart. At least it's a modern mental hospital. She had read about past Asylum's- oh, sorry, mental hospitals- and how unruly and truly foul there conditions were. Still, even though she wasn't in an electric chair, it still felt like it.

She had been given a roommate at Sunny Hills Mental Hospital, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She's okay, even if she mutters strange, gibberish-like words underneath her breath. She's decent, even if she thinks she's an Oracle and can recite prophecies. For a psycho- whoops, mental patient- she's fairly okay. Friendly and nice, and doesn't hover.

The only thing was that Piper wasn't crazy. She just had an eating disorder.

NOT CRAZY.

This was all Jason's fault! She bit her plush rip roughly, taking a concentration to her plaid shoes. She understood why Jason had done it. He had been worried about her. He cared about her. She paused her thoughts, waiting for the monsters to jump in. They never did, almost like the pills were drowning their voices and criticisms out. Piper swallowed down another pill and handed the cup pleasantly back to the elderly women in a green suit. Already there was a plan forming in her mind. If she acts as kind as she can and trustworthy, perhaps they'd release her earlier. Piper Mclean shoved the thought away as she took her place in a chair for lunch.

For once in her life, she was glad that her father was rich. It was a nice, clean, well structured building. The nurses and shrinks-therapists, were all professionals and as good as they could get. But, then again, that could also result in a bad thing if Piper was trying to pull off her newest facade. She hugged her thin arms together tightly.

No, this wasn't Jason's fault.

It was her own. She had told Jason once that she didn't deserve him, and this had proved it.

Jason just thought that he was doing what was best for her and Piper could understand that. If situations were reversed, Piper would be knocking on Mrs. Grace's door worried and frantic.

But, still...he promised.

He promised that he wouldn't tell. He promised that he wouldn't let anyone take her away. Her eyes became glassy and she furiously blinked, trying to contain them.

"Hey, anorexic girl!" She heard a masculine voice call out. Piper froze in place. Was he talking to her? She very slowly turned around and was met with icy, light blue eyes locked with hers.

Hesitantly, she pointed at herself mouthing, "Me?"

The straw haired boy nodded, grinning crookedly. "Yes, you! You want to sit with me and my friends?" More hesitation held her back. Her entire plan was trying to get out of here and that meant trusting no one. But, maybe she could trust this boy. He was strongly built, blue eyes, blonde hair, and a scar scrawling down his left cheek. In other words, he looked slightly like Jason, only his features were different. His blonde hair was leaning more towards bleach blonde and his blue eyes were light enough to turn white.

He was kind of cute...

She shook her head at her hormonal, ludicrous thoughts. Besides that, Jason was cuter.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way over to the table, flushing as she did so. As she approached the boy and his friends, all eyes seemed to be locked on her. "Hi..."

"Hey," the boy replied. She studied him for a moment, taking in the fact that he seemed eighteen or nineteen, not fifteen like her. "I'm Luke. Luke Castellen." She gave him a curt nod, eyeing the empty seat in front of her. "You can sit down, you know." Looking sheepish, she took a seat next to Luke.

Luke gestured to a girl who had black flowing hair, and brightly lit blue eyes. "This is Silena Beauregard. She's an anorexic, too." Piper gave a small wave as he continued. It was nice to have another person dealing with her problem. It wasn't so good that Silena had the disorder, but just the fact that Piper wasn't alone made her feel so much better.

"Travis and Connor Stoll. There kleptomaniacs." The curly eyed twins grinned deviously at Piper, and her hand immediately flew up to her jean pocket.

"Clarisse La Rue," Luke pointed at a beefy girl, who's jaw was set and a red fiery bandanna held her frizzy, greasy, brown hair into place. "She has anger issues." Clarisse glowered at Luke, who shrunk away slightly, but that same amused smile still ruled across his face.

"And this is Katie Gardner," a sweet looking girl shakes Piper's small hand, giving her a warm smile. Light freckles are sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, along with two braids that hung off her shoulders. What could be wrong with her? Piper wondered in curiosity and suspicion.

Almost as if reading her mind, Luke exclaims, "she's a former drug addict." Katie mellowed down, giving Piper a sorry-you-had-to-hear-that-look.

"Then there's the di Angelos." Luke pointed toward the two emo looking kids in the corner of the lunch table. "Bianca and Nico. There cutters." Piper gives them a small smile, but they just glare at her in return. There both skinny- not slim enough to be anorexic- but skinny enough to raise a few eyebrows. There also a sickly pale, so white, it was almost like they had never seen daylight or sunshine before.

Maybe this place is the reason.

Piper gives a small shiver at her own horrific thoughts and narrows her turquoise eyes in return. Not from anger, but from dominance. She wouldn't, no she couldn't, let this place take over her. She still wanted to be herself, and no mental hospital would take away who she was or what she wanted to be.

Though, her anorexia did that. It controlled her, like she was a puppet to a string. Now, here, at least the monsters voices were numbed out. She could eat without throwing up as much, and she felt a tad bit better about herself. Not a lot, but a start.

Still, she hated the medication. She despised the gossip that was surely going around at school and in the papers/magazines. Piper could practically see the headlines now: Tristan Mclean's Daughter Insane? Her father was discreet and very good at making sure secrets stay secrets, but still, could he honestly keep this under lock and key? All it takes is one person to know, a spark, and then a few more sparks lead on to a fully fledged fire.

Luke waved a hand in front of her face, sending her yet another crooked grin. "Hello? Piper? Are you with us?" She jolted in her seat, but nodded slowly. "Look, I know this place sucks. It gets better, though. And we got your back, right guys?"

Silena nodded, defiantly. "Totally! Piper, you are going to fit in perfectly here." The corners of her lips pulled up, patting Piper's thin arm with her own skinny one.

Piper frowned, bothered by her words. What did she mean by fit in here?

She shrugged mentally, deciding that she didn't care. It was simply just irrelevant to her situation. She took a sip of her water, giving herself a silent welcome.

Welcome to Sunny Hills.

~Tell my love to wreck it all, cut out all the ropes and let me fall. "
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my...
right in the moment this orders tall~

Piper hopes that Jason doesn't come to see her. It would be much too painful to see him again, and yet- she wants him here. She wants to scream at him, be absolutely furious for compromising her vital secret. But she knows that she would never do that.

She loves him, and some mental hospital isn't going to change that.

But still, Piper's so angry with him! She wants to punch him in the face, smash a plate over his head. She's angry, and lonely, and...betrayed.

Was that the right word? Betrayed? He only did this to protect her, therefore breaking her trust.

Did he truly betray her? She sighs, drowning out the noisy chatter of the Sunshiners (what they call the patients) and allowing herself to delve deep into her thoughts.

"Piper Mclean?" The voice sounds disoriented, almost like her head is underwater. She turns around though, facing a women in a orange suit. "Hello, Ms. Mclean. Chiron will see you now." She scowls immediately, and Silena gives her a sympathetic look.

Then, puzzlement settles in, replacing her annoyance.

"Who's Chiron?"

The women gives her a tight, weary smile and Piper can tell that her patience is running low.

"Chiron's the therapist and the psychiatrist."

Piper gives the women another look. "Then why does he need to see me?" The look of irritation on her face is a dead giveaway that's she's skating on thin ice. Thankfully, Katie Gardner chirps in.

"Chiron has meetings with everyone on their first day."

"But," she turns back to the lady with pleading turquoise eyes. "It's lunch!" The orange suit gives her empty tray a lingering look, then rolls her eyes at the stick-thin teenage girl.

"I don't see anything on your tray. Now, come on!" She grabs her bony arm, not at all gentle like and practically drags her out of Piper's chair. She glances back at her previous table, and sees Silena give her a tiny wave. She doesn't have time to wave back, because she's being shoved out the door and into a large corridor that leads to a hallway. Piper reads on the women's shirt; Mrs. Dodds.

"Um, Mrs. Dodds, not to be rude or anything but could you-" she gestures toward her tightly grasped arm. Mrs. Dodds is gripping it so tightly that her flesh is turning from a bronze to a bony, snowy white. The lights flicker overhead, and Piper flinches, almost jumping if it hadn't been from the human interaction of Mrs. Dodds. She's been so jumpy lately, almost like she expects Jason to come out of nowhere. But it's not a nervous kind of anxiety. It's full of longing and bitter sweetness so, that it cuts her deep down, making it unbearable to even remotely relax.

Mrs. Dodds coughs, snapping Piper out of her allusive trance. "Here we are. Enjoy your stay, Ms. Mclean." She releases her arm, and Piper resists the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. Mrs. Dodds prescience was humane, but it wasn't necessarily a positive one.

Mrs. Dodds pushes the door open, but not before she typed in a password on the silver pad right beside the door. Piper's eyes widen in a mixture of shock and surprise, her brightly lit turquoise eyes flickering to a deep shade of dark blue. Why couldn't her father put her in a hospitals where there's only anorexics?

She sighs, blowing a piece of her brunette hair that now resembled a birds nest. She hadn't had time to comb through her hair, and play around with it like Piper usually had time to do.

She had been way too busy trying to convince Rachel that there was NOT green mist filling up the room and suffocating her.

The door swung open and she was faced by a wise looking man in a wheelchair, a brown beard with tints of grey in it, and soft, kind brown eyes. Very much like Leo's, only his held a wiseness that read: I have seen things people have never dreamt of seeing. Which might very well be true, considering where he worked.

Piper suddenly felt nervous and glanced behind her, only to find Mrs. Dodds completely gone, almost like she had disappeared into thin air. The man named Chiron chuckled, and Piper gave him a strained, weak smile.

"Ah, she does that often. Quiet as a mouse, I'll assure you." The laughter ceased, but his warm smile remained. "Come, come in. You're Tristan's daughter, Piper, yes?"

Piper cleared her throat, shaking his hand. "Yes...I would say it's nice to meet you, but frankly it's not." Chiron nodded almost in understanding.

"Indeed. This must be overwhelming for you." An airy laugh escaped her lips and she nodded slowly. "Well, have a seat." Piper couldn't place the feeling, but she felt conferrable with Chiron. He seemed to take all the tension away, and make things seem like it was just a casual outing.

"You're father wants all of this behind us by the Summer." Piper winced. Summer hadn't even started yet. It was only April and that left her three months, which wasn't exactly comforting. "Or longer. Or sooner. It all depends on you." Piper nods again, feeling a tad like a robot. The thought made her think of Leo, her best friend, which sent her a terrible feeling of homesickness. He used to play with mechanical robots when they were kids...

"Usually, I don't like to jump into the water straight away. I like to take it one. Step. At. A. Time. Do you understand my metaphor?"

"Yes." She clearly understood it, but she supposes that some patients weren't as...around the bend as her.

Chiron gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, before wheeling around to his desk. "Now, I like to talk about fun things before we get into the hard parts of therapy. I'll let you choose the topic. What do you want to talk about? It could be books, movies, home life, friends, school..."

Piper shrugged, avoiding his gaze, hugging her arms. She hated talking to people about her problems, even if it was just casual conversation at first. She knew what it would lead to, and she just wasn't ready for that. Despite the fact that she wanted to leave here as soon as possible.

Chiron tapped his pencil on his notes, flipping through them for a moment. "We have to talk about something, Piper. It's your father's wishes."

Piper's jaw set and under her breath she muttered, "he even wants to control my life at a mental hospital." Apparently Chiron caught that because he arched an eyebrow.

"I believe we found something to talk about." Glancing up sheepishly, Piper's cheeks began to flush with a crimson color. "Tell me Piper, how does your father control your life?"

Another shrug.

He sent her a warning glance. "Piper..."

She huffed, giving up. "Fine." She crossed her legs, getting into a more suited position before explaining. "He just controls what I do all the time! He makes all my decisions and choices for me! When my friends ask me to do a banner for Art Club, he tells his assistant to find an artist to do it for me! It's so unfair and he never even asks me what I want in life. He just does what he thinks is best for me, and I thank him for that, but I think I have the right to live my life!" Her face is redder at the end, and the ends of her hair are twining up with frizz. She exhaled, realizing that she had practically said a speech and hadn't taken a breath once. It felt like for once...someone was actually listening.

"And that's all?"

Piper chewed on her lip. Those sentences had unlocked something deep inside of her, like a key fitting into another door, another problem that needed to be resolved.

"I guess it's not just my dad. It's other people, too. It feels like I'm screaming and no one can even hear me. No one except...Jas- me. No one except me." Chiron gives her a peculiar look at her last sentence, unconfirmed. But a few seconds tick by and a proud expression forms.

"Piper?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you think you started being anorexic? Caring about what you looked like, making yourself throw up." Piper's eyebrows curled together in puzzlement. She racked her brain, trying to remember a memory that just kept slipping out of her reach. Truth was, she never put much thought into it. The only thoughts on her mind were; she was making herself throw up because of her looks.

"I don't-I don't know." Chiron gives her a meaningful look, like he's testing her to see if she's lying or not. "I mean, I can't remember."

"Think hard. About your past. Memories. Anything that links you to the first time you made yourself puke. The first hesitation. The first time you doubted yourself. Anything in this scenario would be helpful."

Piper shivered, only this time, it wasn't from the blasting air conditioning. She didn't want to unlock the door. She most certainly didn't want to see her darkest times. She had blocked the memories out for a reason. A reason that she didn't know, but she knew herself. If Piper had wanted to forget the memories, she wouldn't have wanted to see them again.

Almost as if reading her mind, Chiron asked, "did you block them out?"

Piper nods curtly, slowly. "Yes. I think so."

There was a silence to the room, and Chiron looked up at his bookshelves thoughtfully. "Piper? Have you ever considered hypnosis before?" Piper's eyes flicker up, as something stirs in her mind.

"I'm telling you darling, getting hypnotized was one of the most relaxing things ever!" High heels, stomping around. Clinking to the newly waxed floor. Piper, a toddler, crouched underneath the large, dining room table.

"Does it make you relaxed enough to forget about your own daughter?" A deep voice growled.

"Calm down. She was only home for like, what, an hour?"

"The entire day," his voice sounds like it's restrained from saying something he might regret. "The entire damn day."

"Oh well. She told me that she wants to be a big girl. What better way to start?"

Objects getting knocked off shelves. Screams of anger. Yells.

Fighting.

"Piper?" He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. "Are you alright?"

Piper shakes her head in disbelief, her rats nest hitting the side of her cheeks. What had just happened? "Yes. I'm fine."

Looking unconvinced Chiron's eyebrows furrowed, but he didn't pursue the matter. Instead he repeated, "I asked you if you would be willing to try hypnosis to remember."

Piper didn't respond, just staring at the furnished floor, her eyes seeming to be a million miles away, like in a different world.

"Piper?"

"Yes, fine. I'll be willing to do anything to get out of this nut house." Another skeptical, disapproving look was sent her way, but Piper ignored it. It had only been around ten-fifteen minutes of therapy, and already Piper felt too emotionally exhausted to care.

"Okay," he said, wheeling away from the desk. She wanted to offer to help, but she had never really associated with a, with a...cripple. It wasn't like she was against them, but more that she had never met one officially. So she settled with sitting there, her bronze hands clenched tightly into two balls at her sides.

"You can lay down, now. Or if you prefer to remain upwards..." he gestured towards the couch, before wheeling to the closet on the other side of the room. She heard a click of a button and soft, calming, music full of tranquility and peacefulness began to fill the room.

Piper leant down on the couch, her back relaxing against the plush, soft cousin.

"Now Piper, I want you to remember that you are in a safe place. You are here with me. You are not in the memory, do you understand?"

Anxiety began to form in her stomach and she bit back tears of fear. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all...

"Yes," she breathed out, her voice remaining neutral.

"I want you to count down from ten with me, in your mental state, eyes closed."

"Ten. You're becoming relaxed."

Piper squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to relax.

"Nine. You come to multiple roads. Some are shimmering brightly, some are black as night. Can you see them?" Piper nodded faintly, trying her best to imagine the roads in her head.

Hundreds of roads stood in front of her, and if it wasn't for the emotions flickering off each one, she would have felt overwhelmed and frustrated. She took a step towards the brightly lit one... then paused. It was so tempting. She could just go onward to her happy memories full of warmth. She heard Chiron's voice break through.

"Eight. Walk down the darkest one. Walk down the one that you want to go farthest away from."

Piper cringed, her eyes glazing amongst the roads. They were so covered by trees, you couldn't see where they led. But you could see the colors. Reds, blues, yellows, black, brown. And white. So bright, that it took all of her willpower not to go rushing towards it.

She felt something tug in her gut as she stared at the one that she couldn't see past at all. Piper only saw the outline of the road. The rest of it- was completely black. That was the one. The one that she wanted to flee from. But she couldn't. She had to do this, if she even wanted a remote chance at getting better. Slowly, hesitantly her feet walked straight into it, until she was completely covered in darkness.

"Are you walking down it?"

"Yes." Her voice sounded like mush.

"Seven. Now, I want you to stand still. Remain on that road. Now, I want you to imagine a door to the right of you."

Slowly, but surely, a door formed. It was a large brown door. Piper's eyes widened. It was the door to her bathroom.

Everything was becoming foggy. She could barely hear Chiron's distinctive voice anymore. "Six. This is the easy part. I want you to remember every positive memory you ever had."

Her father giving her an Eskimo kiss, spinning her around in a circle. Leo and Hazel's first kiss (thanks to her), Annabeth, Thalia and Piper at their first sleepover. Leo giving her a noogie. Frank, dancing with Piper, being the total klutz that he was. Tristan letting her act with him on a real stage, dancing and spinning, eating food without getting sick. Watching the Notebook with Percy and laughing when he began to get tears in his eyes. Then there was Jason. His pinky swear. His blue eyes. His blonde tuffs of hair. His favorite color-purple. Jason's talks at lunch, dancing with Jason at the prom. Singing, laughing. Blue in his eyes. Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason. Jason.

"Five. The door is becoming clearer now. You can see more details to it." The trees on the road began to dispatch, disappearing completely. Then, there was a white wall forming in their place. The door sank into it, the knob having an old fashioned Greek word written on it.

περιστέρι.

Dove.

"Four. I want you to reach out and run your hands along something that gives you more comfort on the door. It could be a window ledge, or a doorknob. Anything that gives you a sense of peace."

Piper's bronze, tan hand reached out and like gossamer, ran her thumb along the Greek word Dove. She had seen the Greek on her own bathroom door far too many times. Piper had always assumed that it meant 'bathroom' or 'restroom' in Greek tongue. But no, it meant Dove, and it took Piper this long to realize it.

Over and over she gently ran her fingertips across it, until the crashing waves in her stomach formed into an abrupt stillness.

"Three. Remember everything about your past. Anything that you can recall from your childhood years."

A women. A women with plush, red lips much like her own. Her scarlet red high heels, her long silky, bleach blonde hair. Her turquoise eyes like hers. Fair skin, with no blemishes whatsoever. Designer clothing. A forced smile on her face, the look of disgust obliviously in her eyes.

Aphrodite.

Piper's heart began to pound faster, her arms beginning to tremble. It was Aphrodite. Her mother.

Her father had told her that her mother had died during childbirth. Somehow, deep in her heart, she knew that what he said wasn't the truth. But, she had believed it up until now.

Tristan had never shown Piper any pictures of her mother.

So how did Piper know what she looked like?

"Two. Wrap your hand around the doorknob, or place your hand on the door. Be prepared to open it."

Piper shook her head, eyes still remaining shut. She could feel tears pricking in her eyes. "I can't." Somehow she knew that she wouldn't like what was behind the door.

"You can, Piper. You can do this."

The words etched Piper onwards, so her hand was securely wrapped around it. She couldn't push the door open, but Chiron's words were so encouraging that she considered it. She braced herself for what was to come next.

A tear escaped her shut eyes and cascaded down her cheek.

"One. Open the door."

She opened the door.

A bright, blinding light flashed in front of her as she stepped into the room. Confused and overwhelmed- she held up her hand in front of her face to reject the blinding sunlight. Her hand only came down when she realized that it was a lamp shining bright.

She was in her living room.

Two pairs of feet came rushing down the expensive stairs, past the marble statues. Awkward, hesitant legs. The eight year olds face was perfect. She had just enough meat on her bones to be called not fat, but not skinny either. The child's weight was perfect. Her brunette hair was long, and her bangs fell breathlessly into her eyes. Her eyes were a bright turquoise color, but they seemed to be flickering into different shades of violet and blue.

It was like Piper was watching a movie. She knew the little girl was her, but she wasn't in her body. She was standing a few feet away from her, seeing her like she was a completely different person.

"Mommy!" Then, bright red high heels came into the room. A cell phone was in her hand as Aphrodite-Piper's mother- continued to ramble on.

"I know," Aphrodite said, blowing on her freshly red fingernails. "Those shoes were to die for!"

Piper cringed at her choice of words.

"Mommy!" The little version of Piper repeated, stumbling a bit, holding up a crayon drawing of herself and Aphrodite. Doves were in the background, but they looked more like checkmarks. Piper winced again. She could feel the pain radiating off of herself, seeing how distant her mother truly was. "I drew you a picture! See? Look, mommy! Look!"

Aphrodite gave a smile to the girl, reaching out to pinch little Piper's cheek. "It's beautiful, dear. Now, run along. I'm busy." Little Piper frowned, disappointment flashing in her newly dark eyes. Piper knew that she had expected that to go differently. Still shell-shocked, all she could do was watch as the eight year old handed her mother the picture, before skipping merrily away.

Even at a young age, she was pulling off a facade.

As little Piper exited the room, Aphrodite set the picture to the side, not even giving it a second glance. Piper's hands balled into fists at her side. How dare she? How dare that women that call's herself her mother just wave her child off as if she was an actress getting called off and called on for different scenes?

A few minutes went past, the clock ticking in the background.

"Piper? Are you still with me?" It took her a few minutes to realize that she was indeed only on a couch, remembering. Her tightly clenched jaw slowly relaxed.

"Yes," she replied, her voice sounding as if she had just ran a mile. "I'm here."

The scene shifted to the dinner table. The two women sat at the table, tiny Piper digging into the chicken. Aphrodite stiffened, picking at her salad.

"You know, dear, you shouldn't eat so much food. In fact, you should become a vegetarian, like me."

Piper's scowl deepened. Was this the true reason that she was a vegetarian now?

Little Piper frowned, pushing her plate full of chicken away. Her eyes flickered down to the table in shame.

Aphrodite rolled her blue eyes. "Don't pout, dear. It causes wrinkles."

"Sorry, mom." Her voice was cold and she gave Aphrodite a look of adult conception, so intimidating that it made Piper tremble. Aphrodite, however, remained unfazed. "I didn't mean to."

Aphrodite sent her a weak smile. "It's quite alright, dear." Then, changing the subject, she continued, "how much do you weigh this week?"

"Sixty pounds." Piper stared in wonder as her own mother stood, her face twisting in outrage. Little Piper was expecting this, and didn't bother to lie, knowing that it only made it worse.

"Sixty pounds!" She shouted, rubbing her temples like she was going to faint. "Sixty pounds? You're getting fat. I won't allow it." Her eyes narrowed in on her daughter. "Stand up!"

Little Piper's eyes widened in shock and so did Piper of the present. What was she going to do?

"I said stand!" Trembling ever so slightly, she stood up from her chair. Her eyes were glassy as she did so, smoothing out her light pink dress. "Go upstairs to the bathroom."

"Why?"

"Because, dear." Aphrodite's red face had soothed now, returning to its milky white feature. "I know a trick that will make you stay skinny forever."

"Really? Do you mean it mother?"

She sent miniature Piper a dazzling smile. "I mean it."

"What do I have to do?"

"Stick your finger down your throat."

~And I told you to be patient, I told you to be kind.
In the morning I'll be with you... but if will be a different kind.
'Cause I'll be holding all the tickets and you'll be owning the fines~

It was all too much. Piper's eyes flashed open, and Chiron was immediately alert. Gasping for breath like she had been underwater all this time, she struggled to remain collected. But, she couldn't stop the fresh tears that now were escaping her eyes.

"It was, it was-" she coughed, making a choking noise. "It was her!" A look of pure disgust formed across her face, much more repulsive than the look Aphrodite had made. That horrid women! Her own mother had done this to her? Her own mother did all of this? She held up her bony hand to examine it.

Piper wasn't fat. Not nearly.

She was so skinny it made her want to revolt. How could she be so blind all this time? How could she not see it? She had been so ignorant to everything!

Still, it didn't make her critics away, nor the fact that she was anorexic. But, at least now she could see clearly. It was like waking up from a dream- a dream that she had been asleep seemingly forever.

Chiron handed her a glass of water, and Piper took it eagerly. "Who is this 'her,' Piper?" Piper pressed the cup to her lips, taking a deep, long drink.

"My mother, Aphrodite." Chiron's face looked puzzled, but Piper waved his questions away. She had to think this through. It wasn't her mother's entire fault, it was also her own. It was her responsibility, even though her mother had started all of this.

Her mother had started it, but she was going to end it.

A determined grin spread across her face. She was going to live. She was going to eat. It may take days to get over this disorder, but she was going to try.

"Piper?"

"Yes?"

"This is progress."

She couldn't help but smile herself. This was progress, wasn't it?

And she had to admit, this place was already growing on her.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Chiron gazes at the clock. "I think our time is about over, Piper." He then handed her a sucker. She doesn't even protest at the idea of eating something, because she felt accomplished. And happy for once in her life. Productive, even. It feels like she's actually making progress and it makes her...elated. She feels like she needs a reward, almost. Piper gives Chiron a warm smile before taking the purple lollipop and exiting the room.

Rachel's outside the door, as Piper closes it- her green eyes shimmering bright.

"Hey, Rachel."

She doesn't respond. Just stares at her- eyes wider than ever. Piper sighs in realization and disclosure. Rachel Elizabeth Dare looked like she was about to have one of her fits, and something told her that this would be worse than the one this morning.

Slowly, almost cautious like, her freckled hand reached out and rests on Piper's shoulder. She tries to back away, but there's only a wall. No way out.

Her eyes shimmer, glittering almost. She doesn't say anything, and Piper does everything she can to break her intense gaze with her own. Look over her shoulder, at the floor, at the door, the wall- just not those green eyes that appeared to be following her everywhere.

Then, Rachel whispered something.

"Skinny Love."

"Skinny Love."

"Skinny Love."

And Piper didn't have to look at Rachel to know what voices were coming out of the red heads mouth.

The monsters.

They were back.

Blackness swept across her eyes, in large wings of darkness. The hallway seemed to be spinning. Around and around.

Piper stumbled backward, breaking Rachel's grip.

Then, she was back in the dream again. Two hands were clasped in hers, tugging her back and forth. She couldn't see who was tugging her, she only acknowledged the fact that she had to get away.

Then, the children's high pitched voices were back in her head; "Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posy. Ashes to ashes, we all fall down." Their voices sounded enchanting, but Piper remembered the end of the dream.

They would push her into the flames.

Blue eyes appeared in her mind, Jason's.

Brown eyes. Reyna.

The two of them kissing.

Being tugged back and forth.

Flames.

Fire.

Puking.

Vomit.

Red lipstick.

High heels.

Chicken.

Vegetables.

Thrashing.

Falling down.

Stumbling.

Green mist.

Lies.

Shouts.

Food.

The monsters.

Blue eyes.

Blonde hair.

Jason.

Darkness.

There was nothing but utter darkness as Piper collapsed to the floor.

~Come on skinny love what happened here?
Suckle on the hope in the light brassiere.
My, my, my, my, my, my. Sudden low is full so on the split.~

A/N: I am so SORRY for the long wait. Things have been very hectic lately with my camps. I am also so disappointed with myself and this chapter. It was fun to write, but it just didn't give me the same vibe it gave me in the last chapters. It also was harder to write. And yet here I am, 6,000 plus words later.

I am happy to say that we have one more chapter after this one, so stay tuned! Also thank you to everyone that has reviewed, read, favorited, or followed this story! Meant a bunch!

Who's excited for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters? I am! Going to go see it tomorrow. ;)

More stories by me:

Unfinished Stories- "Annabeth Chase didn't think she was crazy, but when it came to a certain green eyed boy... she thought she was going completely and utterly insane." A collection of unfinished one-shots or short stories I have yet to finish. Most are Percabeth, but some include other couples as well such as Jeyna/Jasper/Lazel etc. Vote on the unfinished stories that you think I should continue! Rated K-T because there's a lot of them. R&R!
The Butterfly Effect- Love. Sorrow. Remorse. Lies. "She screams until she's blue in the face. She screams and screams and screams yes. But she knows it's too late. The war has began, and now there's no going back." Anger. Regret, but most importantly betrayal. Set in Mockingjay, with the biggest twist ever imaginable. Rated T/M. Peeta/Katniss, Gale/Madge.
Guilt-"Because in the end Annabeth decided that it's the guilt that is the worst." The aftermath of Tarturas, Annabeth and Percy have to deal with the heavy guilt that easily overpasses the burden of the sky. Rated T for torture, suicide, angst. Percabeth.
Let The Fear In-"The fear was real. And I knew I had to deal with it. So I just made a choice. I'd let the fear in, let it take over, let it do its thing, but only for five seconds, that's all I was going to give it. So I started to count: one, two, three, four, five. Then it was gone." The fear was controlling her, as the car sat underwater. Then she thought- Jason. She had to save him. Somehow.
The Little Mockingjay-"On the last moment, I rub the pin back and forth in between my fingertips feeling the warmth from it. The warmth from the little Mockingjay." Prim's perspective during the reaping, with a kiss on the cheek, comfort, and her thoughts about the capitol and the little glass bowl full of slips, she despises. Rated T for Angst and depressing words.
Love- "Do you love, Annabeth?" Tyson questioned, as I spit out my drink. "What?" Tyson asks Percy if he loves Annabeth, and other very personal questions about their relationships. Set in TBOL, One-shot.
It Was Her-After Beckendorf's death, Percy and Annabeth have a meaningful talk about his death, the prophecy, the war and about a certain red-head. "It wasn't your fault." "I can't lose you." "You won't." "You don't have to be jealous of her." One shot.
Eternal Flame Prologue: A one shot/prologue to the new Percy Jackson fanfic Eternal Flame. Review and let me know if I should continue this or change the prologue. R&R
All's Fair in Love and War-"Wait," Rachel said backtracking. "Did you just call me a hooker?" Octavian looked confused as she leaned up against the statue of Jupiter and giggled." He hated her. He despised her. So why was he finding it so hard not to stare into those green eyes of hers? She hated him. She despised him. Yet for some reason, he amused her to no end
Tears of Glass- "How would her gravestone get here? It was impossible, because her whole family was...dead. Yet here it stood in the middle of a graveyard." Katherine reflects on her past, and all her mistakes. She also remembers all the times that she, the Katherine Peirce, cried. "Because it hurt. And feeling the shards of glass escape from her eyes, somehow made it all better." Rated T.