Hey, everybody! Have a good weekend? Ready for another update? This chapter's a bit short, but just like I warned at the beginning of Blood and Sand, the chapter length of this story is gonna vary quite a lot. It's very difficult to keep the same pattern of narrators, and I'm trying hard not to let this drag too much. But it's a lot of work, and I don't want to distract too much from the main plot, so that unfortunately means there will be short chapters. But hey, as any of you who've written stories like this before will understand, long chapters aren't always better - and they certainly aren't ever easier.

So anyway, thanks so much to everybody who reviewed last week! Enjoy!

XVI
PIPER

News of Rachel Dare's momentary awakening had spread through the camp like Greek fire overnight, and by morning everyone was talking about it. The Oracle's warning had been torn apart and compared line-by-line to Rachel's last prophecy in an effort to uncover any hint or clue as to its meaning. There were theories, but so far the general consensus was that they were really no better off than they'd been a day ago. Especially considering the absurdity of some people's interpretations. Piper suspected that her fellow campers were exploring every possibility, no matter how impossible, because they were just so desperate for an end to this war. And to be completely honest, she couldn't blame them.

The only thing everyone seemed to agree on was that Percy was suddenly much more important to the war effort than previously believed. The manner of which, however, varied—some people wanted him to lead a charge on Olympus immediately, thinking that the Oracle's prediction obviously indicated that he would be the only one able to defeat Erebos. Others, however, were insisting that the warning meant he was destined to turn on them—to join Erebos and bring about their downfall. Piper didn't believe the latter group for a second, but she had a hard time supporting the former as well. Either way, she felt bad for Percy—he was obviously trying not to let the increased attention and pressure get to him, but she couldn't imagine what he must have been feeling underneath.

Piper didn't know what to make of Rachel's warning herself, or the remainder of the prophecy, for that matter. Both indicated an end to the war—the prophecy spoke of 'bringing light' and the last line of the warning contained the words 'the sun to wake'. Those, at the very least, had to be good signs. The trouble was that they were lacking solid ideas that brought them to that point. What should they do next? How could they erase the darkness? If Leo and the others succeeded in freeing Hypnos—and, by association, the rest of the gods—then that would be a huge step in the right direction. The Resistance may not have much opportunity to defeat Erebos, but the other gods' chances had to be brighter.

Distracted by her thoughts, Piper's hand slipped in its back and forth motion of buffing the sword on her lap and her right index finger slid across the bronze blade. She breathed in sharply and cursed under her breath, bringing her finger up to her mouth reflexively and sucking on the cut as blood welled over her knuckle. The slice was long but shallow; she knew she should probably tie it off, but it wasn't exactly urgent. Moreover, she was glad she was alone in the weapon shed—anyone watching might have thought she'd never cleaned a sword before, let alone handled one.

"You okay?" a voice suddenly asked. So much for being alone.

Piper looked to her left to see a dark-haired girl a few years older than her standing just inside the doorway with her arms full of equipment. Piper smiled when she recognized her—her name was Gwen, a former member of the Roman Twelfth Legion. They'd only talked a few times, but Gwen had always been friendly toward her and the other Greeks.

"Yeah, fine," she answered, shaking her hand in an effort to quell the stinging. "Wasn't paying attention. Nothing serious."

Gwen nodded and started setting down the items in her arms—hanging shields from the wall, placing a pair of daggers on their shelf, dropping pieces of armor into properly-labeled boxes. "What are you doing in here by yourself?"

Piper shrugged, shifting her position so she was facing the other girl. "Cleaning equipment is a good way to get some time alone to think. Things have been… busy lately." It was true that almost every corner of the camp was typically occupied at all hours of the day. The weapon storage sheds were among the few places in which Piper could sometimes manage to find uninterrupted time to herself—which, with everything going on, was something she needed.

"I don't know how you do it," Gwen said with a small, almost sad smile, eyes traveling over the rows of weapons on the walls of the small shed. "I prefer to stay busy, around people. Keeps me from thinking about… you know."

Piper bit her lip, feeling suddenly intrusive. She didn't have to ask for the rest of that sentence. Gwen kept herself distracted to avoid thinking about Dakota, the Roman centurion who'd gone under with the rest of New Rome last month. Piper had heard that Gwen used to be centurion of the Fifth Cohort herself, before she retired and Frank took her place. She wasn't sure if Gwen and Dakota had just been good friends or anything more, but either way the older girl had been devastated by his death. Piper hadn't known either of them as well as she'd liked to have, so she wasn't sure how to respond. Before she could decide, however, Gwen gave a heavy sigh and turned toward her with a smile that didn't quite reach her distant eyes.

"Well, I should get back," she said. "See you later, Piper."

"Gwen, wait," Piper said quickly, the words seeming to spring from her mouth of their own accord. "Do you… want to talk? You look like you need it." She set the sword on her lap aside and smiled, adding, "I've been told I'm pretty good with words."

Gwen squeezed her hands together, wringing them tightly. The look on her face showed confliction. "I don't… Well…"

"You should relax," Piper told her, charmspeak in her voice. She knew it wasn't nice to use it on her friends, but in her opinion, the situation called for it. Thankfully, it seemed to work, and Gwen breathed out slowly and dropped her hands to her sides. "It's okay to be sad, you don't have to hide it."

"I know," Gwen replied. She sat down heavily on a nearby bench and stared at her knees, a melancholy look on her face. "I just… I feel so selfish. So many people died, and all I can think about is him."

"That just means he meant more to you than anyone else," Piper said gently. "There's nothing wrong with that."

Gwen shook her head, brushing a tear from the corner of her eye. "Maybe, but I still can't… I mean, everyone else is working so hard, focusing on the war and trying to protect the camp. I've always tried my hardest to stay positive, to help people through tough times. I can't let them down now, not when it's so important. Right now, we need all the help and strength we can get."

"Look," Piper argued, keeping her voice calm but firm. "The only thing worse than losing somebody you care about is… trying to pretend you don't care that they're gone. Wallowing in grief won't help you move on, true, but neither will pushing it away. Trust me, your friends understand what you're going through. And they'll understand if you need to take some time to yourself. We've got enough people blundering about this place that we won't miss you for a little while." She gave a wry smile and was glad when Gwen returned it. She wasn't sure quite where all those words were coming from, but she felt like they were what the Roman girl needed to hear. Maybe it was another small blessing from her mother, Aphrodite—if anyone could see into people's hearts and know what they really wanted, it would be the goddess of love.

If only that little trick could work on Jason, Piper couldn't help but think. If she could see his heart and understand what he was thinking, maybe she could find a way to help him—to make things right with him. She replayed Gwen's words in her mind, about wanting to work hard like everyone else and do what she could to help out, even if that meant ignoring her own grief. Would it be better if Jason thought that way as well? He hadn't avoided work, sure, but his outlook was noticeably dark. If he'd tried for a false optimism like Gwen, could he have avoided pushing everyone away? Or would that only have hardened his heart and made things worse? Piper couldn't even begin to guess. Anymore, she felt as though Jason had become a different person—someone she didn't understand at all. And that scared and saddened her.

"I guess you're right," Gwen admitted, bringing Piper back to the present. "Maybe a break is what I need. To think about… things, and just sort of… let them go."

Piper smiled. "Here's what I want you to do," she said, magic in her voice. "Go back to your tent. Relax. Get some sleep. Cry if you need to. Don't avoid thinking about your grief for a while. Then you'll find it easier to move on."

Gwen blinked as the power in Piper's words washed over her. Then she smiled and said, "Thanks, Piper. We should talk more often." She gave a friendly wave and stood, heading for the shed door, but stumbled to a halt the second she stepped outside as someone running by nearly collided with her. "Whoa—Larry, where's the fire?" she said as she and the teenage boy steadied themselves. "What's going on?"

"You seen Jason's girlfriend anywhere?" Larry asked without looking at her.

With a frown, Piper stood and walked toward them, saying, "I'm right here. What's going on?"

"Oh, good," Larry said with a breath of relief. He turned to face her with serious eyes. "Follow me, I need your help." He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the storage shack and a few feet up the hill toward the Big House.

Startled, Piper wrenched her arm from his grip and dug her feet into the ground. "How about you tell me what's wrong before dragging me off?" she shot at him.

He sighed shortly, looking frustrated, and answered, "Jason and Octavian are arguing. And if we don't do something, it looks like things are gonna get ugly."

That sounds fun, huh? Dunno when the next update will be. I just started writing Chapter 20 so I'm not quite as far ahead as I'd like to be, but if I get a few more done this week maybe I'll update on Friday. If not, expect one next Tuesday at the latest.

Thanks, everybody! Later days!

-oMM