Disclaimer: I own nothing.
To say Percy was confused when Piper would blush at the sight of him and avoided him, was an understatement.
When he came back from his talk with Chiron, the crew members were sitting on the couch- Naden not included- watching a movie and laughing about the joke. They told him Piper had gone to sleep because she didn't have enough practice with the lightning thing so it wore her out and so he just joined them and waited until dinner.
Piper came out later and when Percy and the others greeted her, she blushed and waved her hand before going to sit on the other side of the room with her back to them. He shared a confused glance with the others before they looked expectantly at him and it was his turn to blush, but he went over there. "You okay?" he asked softly, taking a seat next to her and watching her put her head in her hands.
She nodded wordlessly and Percy frowned, thinking back to what happened. She could still be upset with the fight with the immortal campers and how she thought it was all her fault, but she wouldn't exactly blush over that would she? So that was out. They had gotten here with a fight breaking out against the campers, he was shot with an arrow, she fixed it, there was another fight before the immortals came...Still nothing to blush about- he even wore a shirt when she fixed his shoulder. And then Naden was hurt and that's something no person would blush about, she helped heal her, and then he left and she told him to be careful. Well, she could blush about that, but not avoid him like that.
"Er, are you sure?" he clarified, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
She gave another wordless nod.
"Oh." He coughed to fill the awkward silence- was this the first or second one? They had been doing so well. They had hugged, he had an arm around her most of the time, he had comforted her, she cried in his arms, they even slept together- in a bed with clothes on! And only one of those had involved awkward silences and a blush. But Percy couldn't really pin that on her because that had been the most refreshed, awkward morning of his life. So, they had been doing good with opening up to each other and...holding each other. What was making her act this way now?
"We're watching a movie if you want to join..." he said, watching her with a frown and eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.
She shook her head, but squeaked, "That's okay."
He blinked. He'd never thought he would see the day Piper McLean would squeak. Of course, before now he never really thought he'd ever see her again... "Er, alright," he replied, standing up. "Uh, yeah." He went back over to the group and they looked at him expectantly like they couldn't hear the conversation themselves. "I don't know," he told them, shrugging and looking back at Piper who still had her head in her hands. "She didn't even speak to me."
"Man, what'd you do?" Carl asked and he shot a glare at him.
"I just got back. What'd you do?"
"Nothing! I swear!"
"Uh-huh, you were with her."
"You spend the most time with her!"
"I was gone!"
"So?"
"Guys, you're really fighting about this?" Renna, another crew member- the last one-, asked, rolling her eyes. "Maybe it was something with her, so just let it go, okay?"
Before they could answer, the recording of Chaos echoed through the whole house type cabin thing, "Dinner for the Greeks is about to start, head on to."
Percy watched, searching for any sign of Piper's dilemna, while she stood up and headed upstairs to get Naden. "I don't understand," he admitted as the rest of the crew waited by the door. "I mean, we were all fine before, right? What happened when I left?"
Carl shrugged. "Nothing. We just healed up Naden, you know, and I teased her about you- but not even that bad! It was harmless."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "You do know that we're not together, right."
"Yet," Renna pointed out. "You're not together yet."
Percy's cheeks tinted pink. "It's not happening anytime."
Carl snorted. "Yeah, okay, and I'm the pink eight headed thing."
The other two crew members looked over at him in confusion and concern. "Did you get hit, Carl?" Renna asked hesitantly.
He rolled his eyes. "No. You guys don't know the eight headed people eater from way back when?"
"No," Percy replied slowly. "But I'm pretty sure that could be identified as the hydra and he isn't pink. Trust me."
"No it's not the hydra! Or, maybe it is...It's a kid thing, like a make-fun-of-story."
"I've never heard of it."
"The eight headed thing that eats people?" No one said anything, but their concern was growning. Carl groaned. "I can't remember the whole thing, but it's got a song and everything."
"He's gone crazy," Renna whispered to Percy who snorted with laughter and nodded.
"Completely."
"I am not- hey Naden, you ever heard of that pink eight headed thing that eats people? It's like a children song, but I don't remember."
"I'm pretty sure it's purple," Naden replied, smirking at him. "But I don't know what you're talking."
Carl waved his hands. "Then how do you know it's purple?"
"Because pink just doesn't sound right." She shrugged. "Purple eight headed people eater sounds...more realistic I guess."
"How is that realistic?" Percy asked as they headed out with Piper trailign behind. "I mean, the only thing that eats people and has eight heads would be the hydra, but that is not pink."
"What if a mortal saw it, but the Mist didn't exactly cover it up too much?" Renna suggested, giggling. "So they thought it was pink."
"What do mortals see when they see a hyrda?" Carl mused, his sky blue eyes far away.
Naden rolled her eyes. "He's got the attention span of a Fingernibbler."
Percy blinked. "Isn't that thing that you guys ate when we were on Pluto?"
Naden laughed and nudged Renna. "You should've seen his first day. He was scared of Nighthand."
"I was not scared!" Percy protested quickly with a blush. "It just...freaked me out is all."
Carl opened his mouth before looking around. "Hey, where's the person we're supposed to be protecting?"
They all stopped and looked in front, to the sides, and behind them, but Piper was no where in sight. "Oh, shit," Percy said bluntly as they all exchanged fearful glances. Chaos was going to kill them.
Meanwhile, Piper had been walking behind her crew, watching them laugh and talk while her mind was her dream last night. She had come to deals with things. She thought Percy was cute and sweet and she certainly wouldn't mind having a relationship with him...or kissing him...but she did not- in anyway except friendship- like him. She just didn't. Nothing would go on between them except him comforting her because of all the shit she's been through and that was his job and everything. They were good friends and nothing except the fact they were both immortal, powerful, and on a mission for peace, changed between them. And maybe feelings...feelings Piper hadn't recognized yet and probably wouldn't for a little while.
She was broken out of her thoughts of denying that she liked Percy when she passed a bush and someone reached out and grabbed her. She yelped, but they had covered her mouth so it didn't alert her crew which were only a little in front of her. She tried to go for her weapons when someone took her hands and pinned them behind her back. If this was how she was going to die, she'd come back and haunt her crew for letting it happen.
She looked up at her attacker to find some blonde kid with grey eyes- Athena's boy. When she looked in front of her, she found Annabeth with her eyes blazing and her knife out. "What do you think you're doing?" Annabeth snapped angrily, putting the blade on Piper's throat.
Piper's question was muffled by the guy's hand and she screamed it out in her head instead, What in Hades are you talking about?
"Move your hand, John, but if she screams..."
Piper spit on the ground as John moved his hand away. "What are you doing, Annabeth?" she asked, glaring at her old friend. "What are you planning?"
"To get rid of you," Annabeth replied, narrowing her eyes, "so I can have Percy back."
"There's nothing going on between us!" Piper exclaimed in frustration and exasperation- why didn't people believe that?
"Oh yeah?" Annabeth obviously didn't believe it. "Then where has he been for the past week and a half?"
"With Chaos and helping me!" Piper answered through gritted teeth.
"Chaos doesn't exist! You just swooped in here and kidnapped him! You probably brainwashed him, too!"
Piper struggled against the hold John had on her. "I didn't do anything like that! I didn't even know he was still alive!"
"Yeah, so then how did Chaos know he was alive then?"
"Chaos knows everything!"
Annabeth dug the knife further into Piper's throat, her eyes stormy and dangerous. "He's not real. Where have you been, Piper? And don't say with Chaos."
Piper locked her jaw and spat, "Saving planets."
Annabeth took a deep breath, obviously trying to restrain herself. "And how'd you get Percy to come with you? Is he under a potion?"
"No!"
"PIPER!" Percy yelled pretty close followed by choruses from the rest of her crew.
"PER-" Piper replied with all she could to get him to help, but she was cut off by John's hand on her mouth and Annabeth's knife further in her throat, a small trickle of blood flowing down.
"You stay away from him," Annabeth hissed with a deadly edge to her voice. "He's mine."
"He's not anyone's," Piper snapped, though her words were muffled.
"This is your second warning," Annabeth continued like she didn't hear her. "And everyone knows on the third, you're out."
There was a rustle in the bush and Annabeth just had time to pull away when Naden broke through the brush. "You!" she exclaimed, pulling out her sword and pointing it at Annabeth who got into a stance. "GUYS!"
Piper struggled because she knew that if Percy saw her like this, Annabeth and especially John would regret it for the rest of their lives. But the rest of the crew broke through seconds later and Percy's eyes flashed over the situation before he gritted his teeth and looked over Piper, his eyes lingering on the blood from the cut on her throat. "What are you doing, Annabeth?" he asked, obviously trying to stay calm as Piper continued to struggle and he pointed Riptide at John.
"Having a friendly chat," Annabeth replied bitterly, watching all her sides with her knife at the ready.
Friendly chat? Piper screamed in her head as she shook her head, or tried to since John had a good grip to keep her head pointed. She just threatened me because you're with me!
Naden snorted. "Yeah, alright. I'm just surprised you haven't tied her up."
"What was the chat about, Annabeth?" Percy asked, his voice demanding.
"You and her lies," Annabeth answered honestly, raising an eyebrow. "You're going to defend her, aren't you?"
"Oh, no, I think I'll do that," someone said, joining them behind Annabeth and she whipped around, going to strike, but looking stunned when she found her knife implanted in a tree a ways' away. Piper's eyes widened, as did her crew, and they dropped to kneel and bow their heads.
"Lord Chaos," they said in unison and quietly and Annabeth went sheet white.
Today, Chaos had chosen to go on the professional side with a suit that was odd. His jacket was Pluto's grey with the craters and same surface area so that the texture looked hard and heavy. His shirt was sky blue with little clouds moving in and out of sight while his tie was black and had little stars and comets flying across. His pants were a plain black. Piper wondered if he had planned to come here all along.
Chaos looked over to Piper and raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to set her down now? I must talk to my second in command."
John quickly set her down and Piper bowed to her father like boss. "None of that," he said, waving his hand and Piper went to go stand next to Percy, watching what Chaos would do. "Why don't you five go wait for me?" he suggested, and when Piper went to object, Percy grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "I just want a friendly chat with these two."
"Are you okay?" Percy whispered to her as she walked and she nodded, wiping the blood away from her throat.
"Is it bad?" she asked, and he looked at it before shaking his head.
"It's not too deep. "
She nodded and Carl dug out a blue butterfly wing before handing it over to her. She ate it and in a few seconds, the cut was all about healed. They walked a little over before waiting in silence before Percy blurted, "Sorry."
She looked up to him in confusion. "For what?"
He frowned at her. "For not doing my job."
"Yeah," Carl said, coughing. "I'm sorry, too."
The girls echoed and her crew looked down in embarrassment. "It's okay," Piper replied, brushing a strand of hair out of her face with her free hand. "I know you didn't mean for it to happen. It was my fault, really, for not keeping up with you."
Naden raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you okay?"
Nodding, Piper smiled shyly. "I was lost in thought."
"About...?"
Piper blushed and nonchalantly pulled her hand out of Percy's. "Nothing."
Naden rolled her eyes. "Really nothing."
"I told you it was something you did!" Carl said, pointing at Percy who shot him a glare and tried to figure out why holding hands now bugged Piper.
"It was nothing any of you did," Piper corrected.
Chaos walked in a few seconds later, wiping his hands on his pants. "Well, they're taking care of," he told them before smiling warmly. "Let's go to dinner, shall we?"
"I thought you wanted to talk to us," Piper said, frowning in confusion.
"Oh, I do, but I haven't had decent Earth food in years. Besides, you're all hungry, aren't you?"
Piper nodded hesitantly and he beamed, grabbing her hand and Renna's. "Grab ahold everyone," he ordered and Piper grabbed Percy's hand again, something in her stomach acting weird when he interlaced their fingers.
Before Piper could ask what Chaos was planning, the little area of Camp they were just in turned black for a couple of blinks before the dining pavilion appeared and they hit the newly added black table away from everyone else's. People sitting at their tables screamed and some little campers passed out from shock and fear.
"Hello, everyone," Chaos said brightly as he let go of Piper's hand to jump down and walk towards the rest of Camp. "Is Chiron here yet?"
Percy jumped down and helped Piper down, her cheeks tinting red. He gave her a smile before helping Naden and Renna, Carl able to get himself down easily. They all watched as Chiron came forward with a warm smile before he bowed. "Chaos, what is the pleasure?" he asked as Chaos's eye twitched.
"None of that, old friend," he said, waving his hand for him to pick himself up. "I'm just here to pass a message along before talking to my second in command and her crew."
Chiron nodded before addressing the little heroes. "Everyone, please, welcome Lord Chaos, creator of the universe and all things."
Gasps ran through the crowd, but Chaos ignored them. "As you know, there is a war with your parents," he mentioned, "and you're picking sides because that's what makes sense to you. Well, my second in command and one of the best of mine, Piper McLean" -he gestured back to her and she smiled uneasily- "is here to set everything out. Now, you had your suspicions about if I was real or not, and I'm here to tell you that I am as real as you can get. And" -he raised an eyebrow and picked out a select few in the crowd- "I'm watching to observe Piper's success and progress, so you may want to think about your choices. Her crew, here, is here for her safety, if it is needed. Piper will be here for a few days to sort everything out, and I expect you all take the time to listen to her and not judge so harshly. That is all." He gave them one last smile before turning back to Piper and gesturing towards the table. "Let us eat."
They took their seats and waited quietly as Chiron gave announcements and warnings about fights and everyone else in the room was silent as well. Piper could feel all their eyes on her back. They started talking after getting their food and then sitting back down, Naden looking wary of some of the things on her plate.
"What's your plan, Piper?" Chaos asked as he looked over at her from the head of the table.
"Er, well, I haven't really thought one up yet," she replied honestly. "It's been a little busy since we got here."
Chaos nodded in understanding. "Yes, well, I quite get that. Bailey arrives tomorrow, doesn't she?"
"Either that or another day if things aren't going too well in Camp Jupiter."
He hummed and cut up his steak before raising an eyebrow at Piper. "How do you expect to get everyone to listen to you, Piper? Greeks are much different than Romans."
Percy didn't know if that was a compliment or an insult.
Piper looked nervously down at her plate. "I'm not sure. I haven't really given much thought since they didn't believe me about you."
"Yes, shame isn't it? The Olympians have a war and immediately bring it down on their kids to assume more power." He shook his head sadly. "You'll have to work extra hard to get these kids to listen to you."
"We could play Capture the Flag," Percy suggested, shrugging. "I mean, the whole Camp against us and Bailey."
Piper brightened up. "They'd have to listen then!"
Chaos nodded in approval, and his eyes twinkled towards Percy. "Very good idea, then. Use respect to your advantage."
He grinned sheepishly. "That's how I got respect."
Chaos turned back to Piper. "How do you plan to start making peace here?"
She bit her lip. "I guess I could just talk to them and then get them into, you know, more activities with each other."
Chaos nodded. "That might work, yes. But you have to remember, Piper, that if the Olympians' children are like this, what will the Olympians be like themselves?"
The whole crew winced. "How do you suggest I go with Camp, then?" Piper asked, hoping for an idea better than hers.
Chaos's eyes twinkled mischievously. "That, my dear, I can not help you with. You're the Peacemaker and this is your assignment."
She frowned. "So if it was mine, then why are you here now?"
"To assure that you don't have any mishaps like earlier. Of course, they'll believe you more since I'm here and I'm sure the daughter of Athena will spread the word."
Her frown deepened. "You didn't hurt her, did you?"
"Oh, no," he replied brightly with a smile. "I just threatened her a bit to stay away from you like she did with you to stay away from Percy."
Piper blushed and Percy blinked in surprise. He didn't understand why Annabeth was so eager to be with him once they broke up when she wasn't exactly eager to be with him while they were together. Chaos, girls are confusing.
"And you do know that you're not supposed to hurt anyone either, Piper, correct?" Chaos asked with an amused glint in his eyes.
Piper's blush deepened. "I only redirected the lightning that was sent towards me."
"Yes, I must praise you on that. Not many people get it after so little practice."
"Thank you, Lor- er, Chaos."
He turned look over at Naden. "And how are you feeling? Better, I pressume?"
Naden nodded. "Yes, sir."
He rolled his eyes and turned back to Piper. "You kids sure know how to make a man feel old with your formalities. Well, let's finish our meal and then I should be on my way again."
Piper blinked. "That's all you came for?"
"Why of course. You didn't expect me to lecture you on thinking or give you a whole plan, did you?"
"Er...No, si- uh, no."
He smiled brightly at her. "Exactly. Let's dig in!"
The table talked as they ate and Chaos observed the girl who was like his daughter and the great hero, Percy Jackson, while they did. Piper was obviously confused by the way she was feeling shown by the way that she would blush whenever their hands brushed or he'd whisper something over to her. And Percy was half confused by his feelings and even more so confused by the way Piper was acting shown by his proud grin whenever he got her to laugh or the sparkle in his eyes.
Chaos was not stupid when he chose Percy to help out Piper during this mission. He knew it would be especially dangerous and he needed someone skilled to finish off her crew in order to keep her safe. He knew it would be emotionally draining and he needed someone who had been just as emotionally challenged throughout his life to just understand the need of having someone there. And he knew that Percy fit both of those, but also how he cared on his own for Piper and how he missed her during the times he was gone.
What he was not seeing when he picked him was the way they'd grow feelings for each other. Feelings that had been hidden when they were together in the past, and feelings that Piper had not felt in thousands of years. And he did not know if this was a good thing or not. It could be with that of Percy making sure she was safe and okay at all times, but what about when he had to leave? It was not exactly the most happy thing to break the two of them up. But he'd have to see how'd it go before he considered taking Percy into the crew full time.
When dinner was finished, Chaos walked the crew back to their cabin before calling to Percy, "May I speak to you, Percy?"
Blinking and looking absolutely surprised, Percy nodded and squeezed Piper's hand before falling back with Chaos. "Yes, sir?"
Chaos thought for a second. Should he be blunt about it or beat around the bush? Eh, what had the latter ever done for him.
"Do you have feelings for Piper, son?"
Next chapter will be Percy's answer and their game of Capture the Flag. This chapter may not be the best one, but I had to update since I just got my computer fixed today after it broke down and my friend left town so I couldn't go over to upload this. But if I had, it would've been shorter, so I hope this makes up for all the lost time.
Sorry for not updating, but I'm going to try and update this weekend, too. I want to at least make it to 20 chapters before the end of this month, hopefully a little over. I've got the storyline in my head and I hope it turns out as good as I think.
Well...
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