The Captain's orders seemed strange to Piper. And the look in his eye concerned her. Without a doubt, something had happened on the bandit's ship, and it had to be pretty bad if it disturbed Percy Jackson.
The Atlantis' Curse swayed easily on the bay of Ogygia, small and tender waves nudging the prow. The sky above was glittered in purple evening lights, the faintest hint of stars glistening down on the island. The wind kept blowing east; the gentle breeze brushing Piper's hair.
A group of people had arrived at the docks upon the arrival, staring in awe at the massive ship. Piper smiled as her crew mates peered over the edge of the galleon, wide grins on their faces as they arrived. Leo leaned against the edge, cockily grinning at the bystanders at shore.
"Ladies and gents of Ogygia," He excalimed, "your king has arrived."
Leo would have nearly fallen off the edge of the ship if it weren't for Nico. Piper found difficulty in not laughing at this, receiving an even more laughable glare from Leo.
As the ship stoped at the docks, the crew members filed out one by one. Leo, Nico, and Hazel were the firsts to leave. Piper could obscurely hear Leo grumbling something about him planning to slip.
Percy and Piper where the last ones to get off the Curse.
The way Percy remained silent made Piper feel even more concerned for her friend. If anything, he'd be cracking a smile–feeling happy to be back home. Instead, he scrunched his eyebrows and frowned, as if something were pursuing him.
Piper didn't like the fact that he was hiding something from his crew. She had no doubt that it was important. But she still had this horrible feeling that made her think that Percy payed no importance to his friends, or that he didn't trust them at all. She hated thinking that way, but there was no other possibility she could think of, which only made her feel guiltier. She was starting to believe that maybe she was the horrible friend with trust issues.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw a woman squeeze both Percy and she into a tight hug. Piper hugged the woman back, having a confused expression on her face. As the woman pulled away, a warm smile appeared on Piper's face, realizing that the woman was Sally Jackson, wearing a puffy white gown around her slim body, her curly brown hair framing her aged, but beautiful, face.
"You're back so soon!" Percy's mother sounded happy. "We thought you wouldn't return for days–weeks, even!"
Percy smiled at his mother, a hint of happiness in his sea green eyes. "Some things came up. So we had to come back and prepare for them."
Piper had no idea what Percy was talking about. She raised an eyebrow at him, somewhat feeling angry at him for not mentioning this. In the distance she could hear Leo laughing, a hot glow coming from the direction of the sound.
Piper was two seconds from asking Percy what he was talking about, but Sally beat her to it. "Percy, is something wrong?" Something about the concern in her voice made Piper feel guilty, as if she had done purposely hurt her son.
"I'll tell you later, don't worry." Percy then turned towards Piper, a distant look in his eyes. Piper tried her best not to glare at the Captain. "You too. Meet me and the whole crew tomorrow at the Four-Hoofed Tavern."
Immediately, Piper felt relieved that Percy wasn't planning on hiding anything from them. She was glad that he could trust them. But she still felt guilty for feeling angry at him. It must have been pretty bad…
That's when she started worrying. Was Percy about to drop out as Captain? Piper was first mate and all, but there was no way she could replace him. Was their days of sailing the seas under the black flag over? Piper surely hoped not.
It could've have been anything, but naturally, Piper's mind grasped for the worst possible scenario.
Percy had told her to get some rest, that tomorrow was going to be a big day. Piper smiled at him, saying good-bye to Sally and Percy as she walked into town.
She hadn't noticed how dark it had gotten. Millions of stars glittered across the sky, lighting up the path into town. The wind had gotten chillier, her skin getting goose bumps as she hugged her arms.
Leo was talking to a cute girl with almond shaped eyes the color of syrup–Calypso, the somewhat only political figure on the island. Ogygia had once been governed under a tyrant, Atlas. He hated any mortal who'd ever step a foot on his island. Most of the mortals on the island needed to go into hiding, including Piper. She remembered the first day she'd arrived, the day she had left London, and her father…
The thought of her father filled Piper's soul with melancholy, a sense of longing overtaking her heart. She missed her father deeply, but they were part of two different worlds. He was a famous actor, and had moved from America to England after his father died. He too was a half-blood–except his roots were Native American instead Olympian.
Piper wasn't meant for the life of fame or luxury. Instead she found happiness in traveling, exploring the seas, seeing new land. She was upset when she left her father, but the way he took her decision lifted weight off her chest. He was glad–happy–that she would be pursuing what she loved. She knew that she would see him again, and she waited that day expectantly.
When Piper arrived at Ogygia, the mortals of the island had ushered her to hide. She saw no reason why until she noticed how the Titan mistreated them. Piper hated feeling so vulnerable, so she felt like she had to take a chance. She stood up against the titan, calling him out for being such a cruel governor. She was sure that she was about to be impaled by a javelin when he saw the look of anger on Atlas' face. Luckily, Leo, Nico, and Hazel jumped in and stopped the titan before getting into further trouble. That had been how she met her friends.
Eventually, the four of them were inseparable. They shared much in common: Their love for sailing, their knack for adventure, their hatred for Atlas.
A few months later, Percy had arrived at the island on the huge ship that would become the vessel for their ongoing adventures. Piper always found it funny how Percy had no crew, no gold, no flamboyant clothing, nothing but his ship; yet he still called himself a pirate. She also wondered how a boy could travel so far away all alone at sea.
She soon realized that Percy wasn't very smart. For a pirate, he had no idea how to steal from towns or inject fear into the people. In fact, Piper thought he didn't even try. All he did was stay at the tavern and walk around town.
Piper's theory about Percy's stupidity went further as he saw the boy challenge Atlas. That day, Piper was hanging by the tavern with her friends as he saw a tall, muscular man walk down from the mansion on the golden hills. He had stony gray skin, and there wasn't a part in his body that changed color. His eyes were blank, as if he were a statue that had come to life. Over his head, he wore a cloak, and in his hand he had 5 feet long javelin.
Atlas had been assaulting the mortals of Ogygia, shouting at them and taking swings at them once in a while. Piper had noticed the newly arrived pirate yelling at the titan in anger. Atlas eyed the boy, analyzing him like a piece of meat. When Piper saw him smile, She knew that the kid had messed up. She knew that it was it for him.
Instead, the titan seemed interested in him. Piper wasn't sure if he was going to suddenly attack, or bargain over the boy's life. Knowing Atlas, preserving his life wasn't something he would ever consider, and Piper was right.
Atlas jabbed his spear, aiming at Percy's heart, but he was fast. He sidestepped, dodging stabs and swings as if he were a born fighter. Piper felt afraid for him–he had been armless, nonetheless, but Percy made it look easy. The idiot even tried stopping a swing by catching the shaft, but that only sent him tumbling down the street.
Once they had enough distance, Percy had pulled out a bronze flintlock, aiming it at the tyrant's chest. Atlas only laughed at this. "You have fight in you, young one. Go ahead. Shoot. Gun powder is not enough to defeat me."
Percy had gulped here, and Piper could tell that he was trying his best to hide his fear. Then, it was as if magic had happened. Percy twiddled his fingers on his pistol nervously–the barrel of the flintlock elongating, morphing into something else. There was a faint glow from the weapon, a glow that remained even when it had transformed into a cutlass.
Piper wasn't the only one in awe at Percy's magical weapon. She noticed the townspeople gasping, her friends gawking, looking between each other as if they were sending a mental message. Even the titan stood still for a few seconds, but he seemed to regain himself.
Atlas lunged himself at Percy, but he was prepared. As far as Piper could remember, Percy was a hurricane of madness. He rolled around the titan, slashing and stabbing him between the legs, or on his chest, or cutting his arm. Golden ichor seemed to flow down his body, a more irritated look on his face.
She felt like she had the chance to attack, to help Percy. She glanced around, noticing that her friends were ready to attack too. Mother, Piper had begun praying silently, I know I'm not your favorite, but please, help us…
As soon as she'd unsheathed her dagger, Percy screamed, "No! Wait for my signal!" She thought that Percy was crazy, but soon enough she noticed his plan. As Percy dodged and swiped and rolled around, She noticed them moving farther towards the beach, closer to the ocean. Piper had no idea how this would work, but she decided to stay put.
She had heard Hazel scream when they saw the titan pierce Percy in the leg with his javelin. The wound had made him lose his balance, making Percy fall on his face against the golden sand. Piper couldn't catch her breath when she saw Atlas pull the javelin off Percy's leg, finding pleasure in his screams of pain.
"Foolish little demigod. That's right, scream. Scream for what it's left, for these last moments of pain are all you have. You dare believe surviving after defying me? Me, the general of the Army of the Golden Age! Insolent fool!"
Percy looked up at Atlas, a painful look on his face. Piper could barely control herself from running over and attacking the titan. She was almost sure there was never going to be a signal.
"Now," Percy winced, and immediately a tidal wave had erupted from the ocean, engulfing Atlas. Piper stood in shock for a brief second, until Hazel had pulled her towards the beach.
The next thing she knew, they were all going crazy on the tyrant. Leo had been jumping around, distracting Atlas with every move while he slammed one good fireball against the other. Piper had climbed on his back, stabbing his stony skin as best as she could, leaving it to crumble and decay with every stab. Hazel had sent a storm of iron, diamonds, and gold, all aiming for the titan's face, being careful not to hurt her friends. Finally, Nico had a acquired a cutlass of his own, applying brutal force to every area that had been scorched by Leo.
Atlas began bellowing in anger, taking a few swings at each and every one of them, but there were so many demigods attacking him, he barely had a chance to defend himself.
Percy had emerged from the water, almost as if he were surfing on a wave. Piper gave him a confused look as she'd notice his wound barely beginning to heal. He had an angry look on his face, which even made Piper feel a little afraid. The water had begun crawling towards them, being careful to wrap a cocoon around Atlas' body. As his body was fully enveloped by the water, Piper and her friend's began retreating, letting Percy deal with the rest.
For a second, She had thought that he would drown the titan on the spot, but a thought in her mind made her believe that he wasn't that cruel. Instead, the liquid cocoon had formed into a giant hand, leading it's way towards the ocean. Once it had reached a distance, Percy had flicked his hand as if he were throwing something, sending Atlas flying into the distance.
The whole town cried into cheers, running towards their new heroes and lifting them off their feet. Piper felt proud of herself, thankful that Percy would arrive and finally step up to Atlas. She felt glad that she didn't have to stand back and watch them battle while she did nothing. She felt amazing that her friends took part of it, truly working together as a team.
But the cheering soon died when the powerful demigod collapsed. All that power must have drained Percy, and he had been pretty banged up after the battle. Thankfully, Leo and Nico took hold of him by the shoulders, dragging him off to the tavern.
Calypso had been the one tending Percy's wounds while he was in his small blackout, which made Leo feel resentful towards the newcomer.
Piper found it surprising how Calypso had been glad that her father had finally been gone, explaining that he had held her captive for being a "disgrace." Then again, if Piper's dad locked her up for no reason, she'd be a little resentful too.
She had barely noticed when she arrived at her front door, her senses catching back to reality. Leo and Calypso had given her company, a huge grin on Leo's face as if he'd cracked the best joke ever, and an annoyed, but loving, look on Calypso's face, as if she'd just heard the worst joke in the world.
"Thanks guys," Piper smiled at them as she opened her wooden door. "I'll see you two tomorrow. By the way, Leo, Percy wants to meet us and the crew tomorrow morning."
Leo tilted his head here, furrowing his eyebrows. "Sure, but, what for? Where at?"
Piper shrugged, not really knowing the answer herself. "Four-Hoof Tavern. It's supposed to be something important."
Leo nodded, smiling at Calypso. "Knowing Percy, he probably lost his favorite ring or something."
As soon as Piper had said goodbye, she marched herself to bed, feeling exhausted from the long journeys she had. Her sleep took over her body and mind as soon as her eyes went shut.

The blazing rays bursting through her window interrupted Piper from her sleep. She had no way of calculating time, but noticing the yellow glow of the sun, she could tell that it was barely past sunset.
She looked around at her small cabin, smiling at its small, yet comfortable, perimeter. On her left, she had glass that Piper barely used as a mirror, she had no time for that. Leaning on the glass was a drawing framed by carved mahogany, something Hazel had made for Piper. The drawing was her dad smiling at her, his typical confident smile that Piper had loved so much. Now, Hazel had never met Piper's dad, but she must have been pretty good at imagining paintings if it was based on the way Piper was describing him. It looked pretty accurate.
She lay in her bed, realizing that she hadn't changed or showered since she arrived back home. She chided herself for this, immediately rushing out of bed to fill her bucket with some clean water. After her shower, Piper had slipped into a different motley shirt this time, the stripes being navy blue. She had a favoring towards this style of clothing, as they were comfortable and easy to fight in. She put on a pair of baggy pants, allowing hers leather boots to cover the space between her tendon and her ankle. She refused to bring anything else with her besides her dagger–No jewelry, no bandannas, thinking that they would be unnecessary.
A blow of salty air brushed Piper's hair as she walked towards the tavern, happily greeting people with good mornings and how do you do's.
She had noticed Will, a blonde boy who captained a ship himself with a few of his siblings, walking out of Four-Hoofed as she came in. They both said their respectful hellos and continued along.
The Four-Hoofed tavern had been like haven for fellow pirates. There was hardly any trouble, and if trouble started, Cyprus–the buff centaur/bartender/owner of the bar–would find a quick and painful way to end it. Candled lamps dangled from the ceiling, casting a low light over the round tables. Piper didn't mind, the sun's light was bright enough anyway. The tavern seemed nearly empty, only having one table full of people.
The only one missing from the crew was Percy, naturally. Piper took a seat beside her friends. Hazel, Leo, and Nico were in deep conversation, looking just as confused as Piper.
"Where's the Captain?" Piper asked them, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure…We thought we'd find him here already, since he seemed a little agitated last night." Hazel stated. Piper agreed with her, Percy did seem a little nervous before, and that only made Piper feel the same.
Still, she had to stay confident. She was second in command, and that kind of job wasn't as easy as it sounded. She had to keep the groups morale up, keep them boosted.
"Ah man, I did not wake up so early just so Cappy could oversleep." Leo yawned.
Nico rolled his eyes at him, kicking his feet on top of the table.
The four if them kept talking, mostly about Percy and what he was up to or what had made him feel so agitated.
Suddenly, Percy had arrived, and he brought company. Next to him was a girl with frizzy red hair and emerald green eyes, a fearless grin on her face. Her motley t-shirt and leggings were stained with several shades of paint, making it obvious that she was a messy painter.
Percy and Rachel Elizabeth Dare sat down next to each other on the table, an awkward tension in the air. Piper raised an eyebrow at Percy, trying to read his thoughts. Instead, she received an evasive smile from him.
Percy cleared his throat, tapping his legs impulsively against the wooden floor. "So, uh, You're probably wondering why I brought you all here. Now, don't be worried or anything, it's just…I think there's trouble." Suddenly, everyone looked interested. Percy looked nervous addressing his crew, even though he'd done it several times. "Yesterday, after battling Scatron or whatever, he told me something, warned me about something. He said some dangerous things were stirring, I'm not sure what he meant about that, but it's still worrying. But what concerns me the most was his message, 'He rises again. The Crooked One.'"
Piper could barely keep her heartbeat still. Whatever Percy was talking about, it sounded dangerous. The others seemed to have felt the same, as the silence was slowly taking over their meeting.
Finally, Nico spoke up. "The Crooked One…I've heard that somewhere."
"Do you know what it could mean?" Hazel asked her brother.
"Nothing good, I'm sure. I've heard dad talking about it…"
"Maybe Scatron was just talking about his great grandpapi? Anything is possible."
"I doubt it, Leo. But nice try."
Percy took a deep breath, as if he had more to say. "That's not the end of it. When I first got my ship, The Atlantis' Curse, my father warned me about something. He said, 'My son, taking this vessel ways a great responsibility upon your shoulders. Not only must you care for it, but you must guide it to the most dangerous battle of your life. But be not afraid, you and your crew shall succeed. When he rises, you will all be the heroes to strike him down.' He barely gave me a chance to ask any questions. And, I don't know…I feel like whatever he's talking about, it's coming soon."
Great, Piper thought. Suddenly a god had invited them to the most dangerous quest of their life. Piper couldn't blame Percy. He had no control over his fate as much as wanted to. He never dragged any of them into this.
"That's why I brought Rachel," he continued, "she's the best guidance we can get. Rachel, if there's anything you've seen–please, we have to know."
Rachel had stayed so quiet during the conversation, that Piper had nearly forgotten she was there. "I keep seeing this island," she began explaining, "it's up north. The Island of Wraiths, it's called. But, Percy, it looks dangerous…It's dark and lifeless over there The visions keep telling me that they are the key to your journey, but I'm not sure if we can trust them."
"Wraiths," Nico repeated glumly, "Those aren't good at all. Those guys are the anarchists of the Underworld, yet the smartest of the undead you'll ever meet."
Percy let out a sigh, trying to hide the misery on his face. "Right. I'll go to the island. If these wraith guys really are that much trouble, I don't want to drag you guys into that. Like Rachel said, it's too dangerous."
"Oh, no way, bro. There's no way we're letting you go to the home of Creepy McGhost all alone. It's with us or it's nothing."
"Leo's right," Piper said, "We're a team and we're sticking together."
"Count us in. Besides, you need us children of the Underworld to reason with the wraiths." Hazel suggested.
Nico gave Percy a small smile, agreeing with his sister. Piper thought that he would protest, ask them to stay here, but instead he gave them a huge grin, as if pressure been alleviated from his heart.
"You guys are the best. We should be leaving soon. Just one more thing: Rachel, do you know exactly what we need from the Island of the Wraiths?"
Rachel pressed her hand against her head, sighing as she tried to remember. "It's blurry, but I think it has something to do with the fate of–"
Will Solace suddenly burst into the tavern, a fearful look on his face. "You guys gotta check this out. Fast."
Nico was the first to get up, the rest of them following behind him. Percy had asked what was going on, But Will just led them to the docks.
A knot formed in Piper's throat as Will pointed at the vessel stopped several miles away, a Union Jack barely visible on its foremast.