Chapter Fifteen: Piper (Jason vs Piper)

I opened the stairway doors and let Thalia and Will in. Both of them held Reyna together and ran towards the infirmary. Despite the brave face she put on, Thalia needed the infirmary herself. She was beaten and battered. Her lower and upper lip was swollen and the previous wounds on her legs were opening up again. Thalia only had a few moments before her legs would give out. Luckily for her, Frank jumped in and took her spot in helping Reyna. Frank and Will carried Reyna to the infirmary with Thalia not far behind. I was about to help Thalia out, but she was too fast to follow. They were all gone in a flash. I returned to my seat on the couch. It was best to let them handle it themselves instead of getting in their way.

On the couches were Hazel, Leo, and Cassius floating about. The viewing area had thinned out quickly over the last few minutes. The Stoll brothers were training themselves, and Katie was showing off her gardening skills to Calypso outside of the arena. Leo looked pretty bummed that his girlfriend just left him by his lonesome. He'll get used to it soon. Hazel healed up nicely and was able to watch a few moments of the last match. She was still a little out of it as she kept referring to her bottle of nectar as gumbo. Cassius watched over her like a mother hawk. He found some new friends and he didn't want to lose them that quickly. Leo watched Reyna get carted off to the infirmary.

Leo whistled. "Going to the infirmary twice in one week. Reyna's going for the record."

Leo turned to all our stares. It was neither the place nor time for jokes like that.

"What? What did I say?"

"Doesn't matter, just keep those types of jokes to yourself." I uttered in a bored tone.

Cassius took the warm towel off Hazel's head. "Let's focus on the positives instead. Our praetor might be back to normal soon. Mentally at least."

I smiled at that. I didn't know what was going on with Reyna. We both didn't have time to hang out this week as we should've. I considered her a new best friend of mine and yet I haven't reached out to her once. The moment she wakes up, I'll be the first one to talk to her. I had to take care of one of my girls.

Annabeth and Percy made their way back from one of the balconies. Annabeth sat right next to me as Cassius talked to Percy. Seems like they haven't met yet.

Annabeth looked a little tired. I don't blame her. Yesterday was not kind to the child of Athena. Not only did she have to wait the entire day for her match, but she sustained heavy damage from Clarisse. I haven't had the pleasure of getting to know Clarisse one on one yet. When I first got to Camp Half-blood, she was studying in college. When Gaea attacked, she was at camp while I was in Greece. There were a lot of demigods I never got to know personally because of Gaea. I wish I could slap her across her mud face one last time.

Annabeth sat a few arm lengths next to me. Right between me and Percy, who was still conversating with Cassius.

"You're beating Jason, right?" Annabeth yawned.

"That depends. Are you beating Nico?" I retorted.

Annabeth didn't respond. She never took a strong opponent lightly.

I wouldn't put it past her winning, but I still had my doubt. I know Annabeth is tough but beating Nico might be too much for her to handle. Nico always had a silent power to him. Not as grandiose as Percy or Jason but just as strong. If the stories Coach Hedge told were true, then he really pulled his weight when retrieving the Athena Parthenos alongside Reyna. If there was one person I didn't want to fight, it would be him.

I thought Annabeth wouldn't give out her thoughts on the matter, but she broke her silence.

"Beating Clarisse wasn't easy. She put up a bigger fight than I thought. Nico is even stronger than her, so I have to plan accordingly."

"I heard from Hazel that you used that hole that my Katoptris created as a distraction against Clarisse. Clever." I said making conversation.

Annabeth shrugged. "I noticed it during the clean-up after your match. Clarisse thought I was thinking ahead to my second match rather than thinking about my first against her."

"The ego on her." I chuckled. "Of course, you were thinking about your match against her. To plan for the next match even though you don't know who's your next opponent is, is crazy. Who thinks ahead like that?"

"Uh, daughter of Athena here. If I didn't think ahead then my mother would disown me."

That was true. Annabeth is the smartest person I know. If you believed in the whole dumb blonde cliché when you first met her, then you would be pleasantly surprised.

"So, she was right? You were thinking about your second match instead of your first." I asked.

"She wasn't wrong or right. I was thinking about my first and second match."

I was puzzled. "Both? Well, the first match is obvious since you already did it, but what did you notice yesterday that would help you in your next match today?"

Annabeth turned to me and smiled. "That's a secret. Make sure you're not sent to the infirmary after your fight so you can witness it."

"Oh boo, Chase." I said as I threw a couch pillow her way.

She dodged it easily. Her reaction time was on point today. I couldn't say the same for Percy as the pillow hit him at full speed.

Ouch. He was already hurt from his fight with Hazel and here I was making it worse.

He cursed before throwing the pillow back at me. "Hey, watch it! Don't you got a blonde superman to beat up?"

Annabeth agreed. "You should armor up instead of screwing around. I know Jason is already ready."

Annabeth pointed to the practice range. In it was Jason who was putting on his last set of armor and a pair of boots. His sword clings to his side and just like his fight against Kayla, he wore no helmet.

I let out a sigh. I didn't know he was ready to this extent. I had my weapons on me, but no armor. Jason and I weren't on speaking terms for now. While seeing his face in shock was enough for me, I still wanted some form of apology from him. We're more than just girlfriend and boyfriend. We're partners, and as partners, I thought he would have more faith in me as a fighter. What if Jason is in trouble one day? Is he even going to rely on me? Against Gaea, I thought he did, but he also had the rest of the seven to pick up the slack. When it's just the two of us, he can see himself saving me, but not me saving him. That's why I have to beat him. It is the only way to prove myself as his equal.

Annabeth interrupted my train of thought. Her face was that of concern. She knew I could handle myself in a fight, so this concern must be for something else.

"Piper, this is your last chance to talk to him before the fight and I think you should take it."

"Don't tell me you're taking his side." I groan.

Annabeth laughed. "Oh no, he's in the wrong for sure but it's better to mend fences than keep that type of energy bottled up. You can patch things up with him and still beat him in the fight. If you don't do it now, then you'll never get the chance. Who knows what could happen?"

I wasn't surprised by Annabeth's sage advice, but it didn't change my view.

"If Jason wants to talk, then he should come to me first, not the other way around. I'll happily listen when he does. As long as it starts with an 'I'm sorry' and ends with an 'I'm an idiot.'"

"Don't know about that first part, but he should say the second one more often." Leo added.

I got up from my seat. Now feeling a new sense of inspiration. Annabeth noticed and didn't say a word. She knew I had some work to get done. Leo didn't say a word and gave me a thumbs up instead. Percy and Cassius both looked worried for me, knowing my opponent was one of the strongest in camp. And Hazel… well she was dead asleep on the couch. The abundance of nectar would do that to a person. She snored beautifully. She deserved a rest.

I ran towards the restroom and changed there. There were changing rooms, but they were in the practice range. I didn't want to see Jason until our fight. There were no words left. No conversation to start between us. Some couples had their own form of therapy when it came to their relationship, and for now, this was ours. With my armor intact, I made my way down the ramp as Chiron yelled to the crowd. I didn't see Jason in the practice range anymore. There was a seed of doubt forming in my mind. Why didn't I just talk to him? We could've ironed out our problems before our fight. Was ignoring each other all day worth it? I couldn't dwell on these thoughts. I made my bed and had to lie in it. I had the battle to win.

I marched my way downstairs and past the doors towards the arena. The first thing I saw was him. He was shining brightly as the sun reflected off his armor. Jason stood tall and was ready to fight. Just by looking at him, I started to realize that I didn't have a concrete plan against him. I really put some thought into my first match against Frank, but my time in the infirmary didn't afford any thoughts on a plan. As I walked towards the center of the arena, I came to realize that my injuries and strain relationship with Jason got in the way of coming up with a clear plan towards success. If I was going to win, I would have to improvise.

The crowd was roaring across the arena. The two battles that took place earlier really got everyone revved up. My teeth started to clatter as every Roman and Greek stomped their feet in unison for the upcoming fight.

Jason met me halfway at the center. Our eyes locked to each other for only a moment before Jason averted his. He always had this inner shyness about himself that only I would notice.

I spoke first. I didn't want to. I expected an apology, but I knew I wouldn't get it.

"No matter what happens, I wish you good luck, Jason." I said keeping eye contact.

Jason didn't respond. Instead, he started pointing to his ears. I was confused at first until I saw the earplugs utilized within.

Once I noticed them, I started fuming. He wasn't in the wrong for this. Hades, he prepared for the match better than I did, but I just couldn't believe it.

"Oh, now you're taking me seriously?" I asked even though he couldn't hear me.

Jason looked confused before pointing to his ears again as if I didn't get the message the first time.

I gritted my teeth. "Fine then. I'll win without powers, lets see if you can do the same."

Chiron blew on his horn, signaling the start of the battle.

I didn't let Chiron say another word as I jumped straight at Jason. Jason understood immediately and pulled out his gladius. With the swing of my blade, I came crashing down on Jason as we came to a standstill. Sword to sword. My strength was holding up, but it was only a matter of time before one of us won the exchange. Jason won as he pushed me off and ran in for pressure. Jason did continuous strikes to my midsection. I was barely able to parry half of them, the other half led to small scratches and nicks. They should've been real injuries, but he was taking it easy on me. That put me in a frenzy as I started to parry more and more of his stabs.

Our exchanges were instantaneous. Every time I pushed back, he jumped back in and continued his pressure. He couldn't get the upper hand yet as I stopped him at every turn. Jason's face was perplexed but not defeated. He knew I was a better swordfighter than I was a few months ago, and he did see my prowess when I fought Frank yesterday. He knew I was more lethal than I was letting on. But his face didn't betray him. He knew he was better with a sword and had more experience with him. I had to break his confidence. Surprise him like I did yesterday during my first match. The moment he's surprised, the moment his guard goes down. That's when I strike.

I swung my sword downwards for a feint and Jason fell for it. Instead of striking at his legs, I struck my sword in the dirt and used it as a balance stick instead. As Jason positioned his sword to meet mine for a block, I put downward pressure on my sword hilt and pulled it to propel myself closer to him. With that, I kicked him square in the chest and he was sent a few feet back.

Jason wasn't pushed back as far as I wished. He kept a firm hold on his sword as he was kicked back. His sword traveled in the dirt creating a line before coming to a halt. Jason was barely hurt, all that finesse I had for no injury. Jason's face didn't change at all in that exchange. I did no damage physically or mentally.

With no plan in mind, I ran back for another exchange before Jason sidestepped me and swept my legs from under. I fell on the floor and landed straight on my sword arm. It hurt badly and wounds from yesterday were starting to open. Frank's bear claw did serious damage to that area, and the nectar I had barely kept it intact. With one easy move, Jason did more damage to me in three seconds than I could do in sixty. All without the aid of the skies.

Before I could get up, a hand hovered over me. I was confused until I realized that it was Jason's hand. He looked down at me as if I fell on my face by accident. His face was shades darker as the sun shined behind his head.

He had all the time in the world to attack, but he chose to help me up instead. In any other situation, it would be sweet, but here and now, it was an insult. I swiped his hand away and got up on my own. Jason stepped away a few feet before pausing. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction that he craved.

I looked him in the eye. He had the same face since the beginning, it was time to rearrange it.

I wiped the blood off my arm. There was an idea forming in my mind. It wouldn't help me in battle, but it would make me feel so much better knowing Jason wouldn't even notice it.

"Since you can't hear me, I think it's time we have a one-sided heart to heart." I said before advancing.

My sword arm was throbbing in pain, but I still swung at him. He parried the first couple of hits before my sword fell towards his knee and scraped it. I didn't get to see his face, but I knew he felt that.

I focused on myself and my words as I attacked. I didn't care that the rest of the arena could hear me.

I started to scream. "You probably figured out that I don't want to go to California. That's a lie by the way. I just don't want to go with you!"

My words didn't pierce through the earplugs he had on. I let every word go unfiltered. So what if everyone heard? That just means that everyone knew but him.

"I woke up on a bus with fond memories of you. I thought I really loved you despite it all being a lie. I even tried to build something off that lie. I never learn!" I added.

Every word ended with a sword strike, and a sentence meant multiple strikes overpowering Jason. He was barely keeping up. I didn't lose pace or lose my advantage. I was pushing him slowly. Jason's face was slightly irritated. He was curious about what I was screaming about, but he also had to focus on the fight. His eyes wavered and his mouth was shut. He had to fight his curiosity as well as mine.

I didn't care. I continued speaking to keep him off his game.

"Now you think I can't defend myself. That I'm more damsel in distress than a warrior? Jason, I am the distress! I'm every monster's worst nightmare, and I can be yours too!"

I could tell that I created an awkward atmosphere with my words. The crowd was not feeling it at all. Airing out someone's dirty laundry for the whole world to hear wasn't fun for anybody. I would probably regret this later, but I didn't care. I just said what was on my mind at that moment.

I slashed his armor causing a hole to rupture around the shoulders. The once beautifully golden armor was now nicked and battered. I didn't let up for one second.

At first, I thought I was just beating him with my skills alone, but it was his earplugs helping me too. Important sound cues were omitted from Jason because of his lack of hearing. He couldn't hear where my sword would land or hear the sounds of a surprise attack coming from his blind spot. The earplugs were my curse and my blessing. If he relied only on sword fighting, then he would have to take them off sooner or later.

With that realization in mind, I kept going with my pressure and threw all my weight into my next hit. Jason saw this and blocked it without realizing it was another feint. I twisted my hand to change my sword's direction. Instead of attacking with a swing, I attacked with the flat side of the blade towards his head. The flat edge landed straight on Jason's forehead and he crumpled to the floor.

This hit actually did some damage as Jason staggered. His first words came out as he cursed and continued with his heavy breathing.

I laughed with no humor. "Surprised I can hold my own? Well, I'm surprised that you still take head wounds like a champ. You should've been afraid of my sword skills, not the charm speak."

On his knees, Jason looked towards me before trying to get back up. I didn't allow him as I kicked him right on the chin and he flew backward.

I couldn't believe it. Seriously, I was beating him. I walked into this knowing I had to win, but that didn't mean I knew for a fact I would. I'm this close to victory, and Jason was on the floor. I didn't need charm speak or any stupid power of love. I was a warrior who helped defeat Gaea and I was showing him exactly what I am capable of.

I turned around, ready to see Jason's face on the floor. However, he was nowhere to be seen. I panicked for the first time since I fought Frank. I didn't know where he went and that was the worst possible scenario.

At that exact moment, I was hit from the back. The feeling of cold metal hit me hard enough for me to flip a full 360 before falling on my back. I got up quickly despite being dazed. Bad idea, as my head was still spinning, and I had no clue where he was. I looked to my left and he wasn't there. I looked to my right and he was gone. My legs were swept from under me, and I fell on my other arm this time. If I fell on my sword arm again, then it was over. I looked around again and failed to find him. I was about to scream to the heavens before I realized.

"The heavens," I thought to myself. How I could be so stupid. I looked up and saw Jason churning the clouds as he moved. A thunderstorm was brewing, and I couldn't let him churn any further. Jason flew at speeds that were unimaginable by many, but not to me. I've seen him do it a thousand times against monsters and giants, but not me.

Jason summoned rain and winds as I got pelted in every direction. The rain forced me to close my eyes and the wind kept me off-balanced. After that, Jason would swoop in and attack again. I had no defenses as he kicked me in the chest, and I went flying. A little payback from when I kicked him in the chest moments ago, but I didn't have the same level of impact as he did. I fell on the floor after ample airtime. Bouncing twice before staying down. I was on the ground rubbing my eyes full of rainwater. To summon a storm like this that quickly would take a lot of energy. He was wasting a huge amount as he did with Kayla. He wanted a swift victory, but I wouldn't give it to him.

Jason came down again for another attack, but I was ready. I pulled out both my sword and Katoptris. As Jason came raining down on me, I positioned myself for a parry. I didn't need to attack him, I just needed to parry one attack. I thought I could beat him without charm speak but I overestimated my own abilities. Just like how Jason relied on the storm, I need to rely on charm speak.

Jason flew in for another strike as I parried his sword. My sword flew as we both collided, but I got my job done. Jason tried to change his direction and not fly into me head-on and I allowed it, but that didn't mean I allowed him to get away as I jumped as far as I could and grabbed his ankle. In a matter of seconds, both Jason and I were airborne.

Jason looked to his legs and saw me, like a stowaway on a moving train. I never saw that level of panic on his face since our fight with Gaea. Jason and I flew together before, but it was a mutual effort. I was unwanted luggage now.

Jason flew around the arena. We went towards a lower altitude as he flew in different directions at drastic speeds to get me off. I didn't budge as I slowly climbed my way up. I put more pressure on his back so he would fly further up. The higher the better. I tried not to focus on the depths below me. One look downwards and I lost my edge. Fear would creep up on me like an eidolon looking for its next victim.

"Piper, it's not safe! Get off me!" Jason screamed as loudly as he could.

That's all I wanted to hear. I wanted to call him an idiot, but he couldn't hear me. I had leverage now, if he dropped me at this height then that would mean certain death, so he couldn't be too drastic with his flying. I only had a few moments before he realizes that returning to the ground is his only good option.

We flew by the crowds in the stands. Some of which were horrified by our actions, and some close enough to touch us. Chiron was yelling to call off the match, but I tuned him out. I didn't get to see the viewing area's balconies, but I imagined everyone was scared to death by my stunt. We flew faster and faster with no chance of slowing down.

I clawed my way up and had my two hands over his shoulders. I reached for his left ear, but he did a barrel roll and I almost fell off. He was playing it risky. I couldn't stay here for long. I had to make my move now.

I reached for his right ear and found the earplug. Jason's arm shot up and grabbed mine, but that changed his trajectory. This was beyond risky and I didn't even have the earplug yet. The rain was smothering me, and I peeked down. That was the worse mistake as I saw that we were three stories up. I panicked and pulled the earplug right out of his hand and screamed one word that spelled doom for both of us.

"DOWN!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Jason didn't utter another word as his body went slack and we both fell towards the earth together. Before I could even get another word in, we both hit the ground at the same time.

I don't remember what happened right after. My eyes slowly opened as the last few raindrops dripped over my skin. It was a tingly sensation that was enough to wake me. My whole body hurt like Hades. I felt my sword arm and cringed. I knew it was broken in two places. Katoptris and my celestial bronze sword were nowhere to be seen. I was mangled on all accounts. As I laid flat on the floor, I viewed the sky. I fought the earth for so long that it always felt like a safe haven to me. As long as Jason was there, I could breeze the skies anytime I wanted. Now, I don't even know if I felt safe on a plane, let alone the back of Jason. I don't trust the skies anymore.

I got up with my non-dominant arm and saw him. Jason. He was standing a few feet from me. He must have gotten up early and was making his way towards me. His body was a mess. All of his armor was gone except for his breastplate which was dented in so many places. His right leg was bleeding profusely. His face was hollow as he limped towards my body. He wasn't annoyed, he was livid. I tried to reach for some weapon but all I could find was dirt and some rainwater. I had nowhere to go. Even barehanded, I was at a disadvantage with the broken arm. I had to think quickly.

I opened my mouth, but Jason ran as fast as he could and put his hand over it. Fastening it shut. His eyes were bloodshot, and his usually golden short hair was a mess. Up close, I saw the pain both on his body and face. He was done with this whole fight.

"Is this what you wanted? To prove yourself to me. You almost got us killed, Piper." Jason said angrily.

I tried to reply but all that came out were muffled noises.

Jason gave me one hard look of disappointment before sighing.

"This match is over." Jason said in a low tone. "No more charmspeak or thunderclouds. Say uncle right now or I promise you, I'll stop pitying you for once and give you a real fight. Trust me, you'll regret it."

What he said broke me. I couldn't handle it. Jason was waiting for an answer but I didn't give it to him. I pushed him off of me and ran out of the arena, forfeiting in the process. I didn't look back as tears swelled in my eyes. I wasn't a threat to him, and he wasn't a friend to me. I wanted to cry alone. By myself where no one could bother me.