Meeting 2
Piper McLean wasn't happy, today was supposed to be a day dedicated to her and her father without her work getting in the way. But once again she was disappointed, instead of finding herself in a nice park for a walk or even just for a picnic she was forced to accompany her father to yet another business meeting.
Since her father's acting career had taken off, Piper felt like she was spending less and less time with him and it had only gotten worse since he'd hired Jane as an assistant.
Piper had no proof but strongly believed that the woman likes to spoil her father and daughter moments. Like today when he had pulled this very important job interview out of nowhere, claiming that the future success of his father's career could depend on it.
Piper may have been young but she understood the importance of her father's career to their future so despite her disappointment she didn't make a fuss but agreed to let her father go.
Of course, she hadn't done it without conditions: she had managed to convince her father to take her along so that once his business was done they could go out together. Piper didn't know how, but she'd always been good at getting people to do what she wanted.
At first, Piper didn't even notice this skill, it was just little things like swiping an eraser or lending a pen, but as time went on the little girl noticed that her gift was getting stronger and stronger as she managed to get people to always do bigger things.
Piper had tried to tell her father but ironically, despite using her gift, her father didn't believe him that said power existed. Piper had been disappointed by this twist but had decided not to break down and exploit the situation as in this case.
"Tristan you have to give your best. Sally Jackson is the most popular writer of the moment, her books are the best sellers of the last fifty years and she has just signed on to make a series of films. Jane explains by snapping Piper out of her thoughts
"I know Jane Pipes and I are big fans of her work. Isn't it Pipes ?" Tristan asked his daughter with a smile
"Yeah, I'm a big fan of hers," Piper nodded, which was also one of the reasons she'd convinced her father to take her along.
"You don't understand. Getting lead roles in his movies could very well win you an Oscar Tristan" To make her client more focused on upcoming talks Jane had no qualms about using every actor's greatest wish.
Hook, line, and sinker "Oscar" at the mention of the famous prize that was the dream of every great artist Tristan stood to attention becoming serious as his secretary wished
"So be on your best behavior, Piper, I don't want you to make us look bad"
Piper had to bite her tongue not to answer the woman, Jane had a bad habit of making decisions for her and her father as if she were Tristan's wife and therefore his mother.
And that would never have happened if Piper had had something to say, because the girl was sure that was exactly what Jane was aiming for. You could say it was almost a sixth sense that allowed Piper to understand this sort of thing, it was like she could smell the love and attraction that people felt.
"Well. now let's go in" As a general sounding the charge Jane led the way into the building. The building was huge and had only one owner. Piper knew this from the TV special she'd seen about the writer a few days ago.
The building was owned by the Emiya company, an association that brought together some of the most capable and intelligent women in the world. Sally Jackson was only the latest successful member of the association, from jewelry to restaurants the Emiya company seemed to turn everything into gold.
Emiya himself Shirou, was a world-famous chef who also cooked for the president. Piper had tasted a cake made by him and his sous chef Sakura Matou at one of the parties she had attended with her father, the girl had never eaten anything so good, this was the second reason why Piper had decided to accompany his father.
The thought of being able to savor such divine cuisine was already making Piper's taste buds water. To relive such a heavenly experience, the girl was also willing to put up with Jane's novels.
Once we entered the building it was immediately clear that this was not only a place to work but also a home. Indeed, the floor where they were to meet Sally could only be described as a luxury apartment even by celebrity standards.
Sally was waiting for them in the doorway with a warm smile on her face that would warm anyone's heart. It was the kind of smile that made Piper want to meet her mother all the more.
Did it have her hair or eyes?
Did he look like her?
What was it called?
Piper didn't know anything about her mother, not even the smallest information, no matter how much she begged her father to tell him something. Tristan's lips were tight on the subject.
At first, her questions had been asked more out of curiosity than actual lack, but the more important her father's work became and therefore he began to spend less time with her the more Piper felt the desire for her mother.
Even discovering the smallest information about her had become important to Piper and the desire was only increased by the sight of Sally Jackson who with that smile looked like the perfect mum similar to the one in Piper's dreams.
"Tristan, Jane, it's nice to finally meet you," Sally said welcoming them warmly with open arms
"Sally is a pleasure for us too" Jane immediately stepped forward, also speaking for her client
"And you must be Piper, I feel like I already know you. Tristan is always talking about you." Ignoring Jane and thus scoring a run for Piper, Sally addressed her directly.
In the woman's eyes, Piper could read so much love and goodness that she blushed. It was a real shame that Sally was already happily married otherwise Piper would have done everything to make her his new mum finding her already from that little exchange better than any other possible candidate including Jane.
"I hope it's okay that we took her with us?" Tristan asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting began
"For nothing," I reassure Sally
"In fact, Piper could help me if you want," the woman added after a moment's reflection
"Help you? I how?" Piper eagerly asked to not only help but also impress one of her idols
"See Piper, I have a son your age who has been in trouble recently and it would be very helpful to have someone to keep an eye on him. My husband was supposed to take care of it but there was a sudden commitment so he is not available at the moment. I therefore need a competent replacement and you would be the perfect person for this role"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Jane said immediately, haughty
"Piper has a bad habit of getting into trouble," Jane added to Tristan, and Piper's barely contained chagrin.
Sally also didn't seem to appreciate the woman's outing very much if the slight frown that had sprouted on her face was any indication, thus scoring more points with Piper
"I'm sure you're exaggerating. Piper seems like a perfectly responsible little girl. Sally defended the little girl without hesitation with obvious appreciation from Tristan.
"So what do you say, Piper, would you help me?" Sally asked again
"Sure" Piper doesn't hesitate to reply to Jane's wince at her words which only made them sweeter
"Did you hear Percy?"
Only then did Piper finally notice the other occupant of the room, half hidden behind an armchair trying unsuccessfully to make himself as small as possible as if trying to disappear there was a boy who must have been around her age.
Wild black hair and deep jade green eyes were what Piper immediately noticed about the boy.
Percy must have been trying to sneak away from his mother undetected because, at the sound of her name, he clearly jumped on the spot.
"Yes, Mom." Percy immediately snapped to attention, abandoning any escape plans
"Piper will be your guardian today, so be on your best behavior," Sally admonished, leading Piper forward so the children were facing each other.
"But Mom I don't need it," Percy protests
"You really weren't trying to escape until a moment ago." With a raised eyebrow and a stern expression on her face, Sally was the very picture of royalty, making it impossible for Percy to even say a word, let alone argue.
"Okay, so it's all settled." With applause, Sally finally smiled in victory
"Come on let's go" Percy mutters in defeat, trying to drag Piper away from the place of her defeat
"And leave your Shinai, you know full well you're not allowed to use it when you're grounded," Sally added seeing that her son had already surreptitiously grabbed the incriminating object.
With another defeated sigh Percy let go of his weapon, taking Piper's hand instead
"And Percy watch out for the apples" Sally joked for the obvious confusion everyone except her son who couldn't help but turn red at that umpteenth bite
"Apples?" Piper asked, not understanding how the conversation had gotten to this point
"Forget it," Percy growled under his breath as he continued to drag the girl away from her mother and her possible teasing.
Only when the adults were out of sight did Percy allow himself to slow down?
"Well, what do you want to do?" Percy asked after a long, soothing breath to a still-confused Piper,
"I have no preferences, we can do what you want, the important thing is that I can keep an eye on you" Piper answered honestly already without taking her eyes off Percy, as if she feared he might run away at any moment
"You're exaggerating, I'm sure my mom was just kidding. I don't get into so much trouble that I need a supervisor," Percy protests
Unfortunately for her Piper didn't believe him at all if his expression was any indication, yet again that day Percy found himself defeated. It almost seemed that in his life he was destined to lose every verbal battle against beautiful women.
"Well let's go eat it's already past breakfast time" the boy simply said putting aside for the moment any escape plan, strangely Percy could have sworn that Piper's eyes lit up with a thousand colors like a kaleidoscope when I mention the breakfast as if waiting for this moment forever.
"Lead the way," Piper's gentle voice almost seemed to have turned into a demon's as Percy commanded.
Nodding, Percy wisely decided to comply and lead the girl into the kitchens.
The kitchens in the house were huge, even bigger than any of the restaurants Piper had seen on TV, only the refrigerator was bigger than a car and there were three others the same size.
Sally's husband being a professional cook, she had expected a large kitchen, but nothing of this standard, the room seemed almost too large to cram into the house.
Percy made his way into the large hall with the grace of someone who only lived in a certain place possessed despite the incredulous looks Piper gave him
"What do you want? Dad should have made some ham omelets before he left," Percy said as he began to unload dishes from the huge fridge,
'I don't eat meat, I'm a vegetarian,' Piper replied as she shivered at the thought of eating meat, the memory of the slaughterhouse she had been to with her father still fresh in her mind.
"Alright then, let's cut out the savory stuff and move on to the sweet stuff," Percy said after checking the refrigerator for any vegetarian meals.
With his back to the girl Percy couldn't see how Piper's eyes lit up like Christmas trees at the mention of sugar, if she did there was no doubt he would run away as fast as possible.
"We've got apple pie, pudding, and chocolate mousse what do you prefer" Percy lists the treats in front of him but Piper doesn't notice the girl's eyes are focused on a single dessert.
Lying on the top shelf of the refrigerator almost hidden from view was the most beautiful creation Piper had ever seen despite its splendor Percy hadn't even mentioned it, the girl almost felt an irrepressible desire for that delight
"What is that?" asked Piper pointing to the offending object, the desire of the girl was so strong that it could not be ignored pushing her to act
Following the girl's finger, it didn't take Percy long to identify what she was pointing at, but at the sight of Piper's coveted dessert, the boy's entire face went white as a sheet as shivers of terror ran through him.
"It's nothing important. An experiment in no way comparable to the delights I listed above. Look there's also some caramel brittle I mustn't have seen it before, I can assure you that my favorite is actually very good" Percy in a hurry I try in every way to distract Piper from the dessert on the top shelf by also inventing excuses going so far as to offer his favorite sweet that he had previously hidden everything in the hope of dissuading the girl.
But her attempts came to naught, every word, and deed fell on deaf ears. Piper's eyes didn't want to leave the delight that tempted her more every second the girl looked almost bewitched by how strong her desire was.
"I want it," said the girl
"Look at that strawberry cheesecake it's for someone else. Someone who cares a lot so I can't give it to you no matter how delicious it is" Against the girl's insistence Percy had abandoned all forms of excuses and justifications preferring frankness in the hope that with this he would finally be able to make the girl surrender.
"I do," Piper insisted, her voice sounding possessed, distorted as when two radio signals overlap thus creating redundancy.
Percy took a step back by now it was clear that there was something wrong with the girl, it wasn't just her voice that had changed but her whole figure seemed to have turned pink. Percy could also see a dim, almost evanescent shadow behind her.
"Give it to me!" by now it was no longer Piper speaking but the figure behind her, the poor girl had become only the go-between for the manifestation of a more powerful being who had exploited the desire shared with her poor victim to manifest herself.
"Give it to me!" the order was repeated once more; yet to Percy's ears the words sounded neither harsh nor imperious, but warm and honey-sweet, almost seductive.
"I don't know who you are, but certain tricks don't work on me," Percy growls as he shrugs off whatever constraint the mysterious figure had thrown at him.
"Mortal dare you to disobey me?" there was disbelief in the shadow's voice as if it had never experienced rejection in its life
"YES?" Percy replied confused not quite understanding what the figure meant
"Do you really think you can resist me with your meager power?" taunts the stranger through Piper's mouth, the surprise that had filled her voice earlier gone, leaving only annoyance in its place.
"He probably won't be able to but I certainly get foam-headed," said a mysterious voice causing Piper and her mysterious controller to freeze once more.
"Who dares?" she whirled around the pure shadow of anger pervading her, her anger was such that the pink aura that had previously surrounded her turned a deep crimson.
But instead of his new opponent, the shadow was faced with a wall of pure energy with a bloodcurdling scream. Piper and the shadow found themselves enveloped in a beam of light.
The whole building seemed to shake as the figure controlling Piper evaporated, blown away like smoke in the wind, like a puppet whose strings had been cut the now free girl began to totter.
Without hesitation, Percy stepped forward just in time to catch Piper before she fell
"Really Percy you took too much from Shirou now trouble is looking for you even at home," said the voice revealing itself as a young woman of Asian origins with long silky raven hair surrounded by a golden crown adorned a face that could only belong to a goddess, most surprising was that the woman was levitating in a few inches of air.
"What was that Mom Rin?" Percy asked still confused not being able to understand how a simple cake could have caused all this
"An uninvited guest who doesn't know what no means," Rin replied as her purple and green eyes captured Percy and his mate.
"She was my mother right?" asked Piper's sobbing voice
"A rarity a foam-headed daughter who knows how to use her brain" joked Rin but in her eyes, there was approval and admiration for the child's quick deduction
"How is this possible? none of this is possible" I start stammering confused Piper is unable to understand and believe everything that had happened to her
"You know part of the truth, you may have suspected it in the past. your strange abilities, the voice that seems to whisper to you sometimes when your desires seem uncontrollable pushing you to indulge them regardless of the consequences" With each word Rin uttered Piper's face became more and more pale.
The girl wanted to deny every word that the strange woman was saying but she couldn't because of the doubts and suspicions she had developed over time. His strange power, the complete lack of news about his mother, the experience he'd just had, it all seemed to make sense when you factored in the impossible.
"What is my mother?" Piper was almost afraid to hear the answer
"A goddess who rules feelings and love," Rin answered sincerely
"Loves me?" Piper feared this answer even more, for most of her life she had longed for her mother's love, but there hadn't been even a shadow of her, the only contact she had with her was when he had possessed her, certainly could not be described as maternal behavior.
"I can't speak for her, what I can tell you with certainty is that the gods are particular creatures that live and express emotions and feelings in different ways than us mere mortals. What for them is an act of love could not be for a normal person"
"That's not an answer," Piper growled after deciphering the woman's words
"You're right that's not an answer because as I told you before I can't answer your question only your mother can" Rin replied impressed that the baby had managed to decipher her words so soon while Percy was still holding her in his arms. he looked more and more confused.
"Why do this to me if he loved me? why possess me and use me as a puppet if he loves me? By now Piper was crying, her young mind unable to process everything that had happened to her
"It can be said that the gods are slaves of their own desire if this is too strong they completely lose reason it is very likely that your mother did not even realize what she was doing" Rin I try to console the little girl
"Do you know what could have aroused such a strong desire?" Rin asked curiously
Elsanee 's cake," Percy replied for the first time in the discussion
"I stopped him before he could get her," the boy said proudly, proud of his interference.
"You did well if she had managed to eat it the bond could have strengthened making the exorcism more difficult"
"Not to mention what the older sister would do to me once she found out I was responsible for her snack going missing." At this Percy shuddered as if his sister's fury were more terrible than that of an angry goddess
But instead of correcting him Rin just nodded as if he understood perfectly what his son was talking about.
'All for a sweet fool', I spat Piper was clearly angry that such a trivial reason was the reason she was deprived of her will
" Foamhead has always had a sweet tooth, it wouldn't be the first time she's done something stupid because of it" Rin reflects aloud
"Do you know her very well?" she couldn't help but ask Piper when she noticed how familiar Rin spoke of her mother
"I've had the misfortune of meeting him once or twice in my life," Rin admitted
"Like her?" even after everything she'd been through Piper couldn't deny the curiosity she felt for her mother
"A vicious and manipulative bitch is the best way to describe her and many would consider my words too polite," Rin replied bluntly.
Instead of being shocked by the stark truth just revealed, Piper almost seems resigned as if what Rin had said was within her expectations
"Thank you. thank you for saving me and for telling me the truth"
"I didn't do it for you I just protected my home and my family" Once again the sorceress I don't try to be polite or kind in the slightest preferring to be honest once again
"What will happen to me now?" despite her young age and the situation Piper was in I showed no hint of fear when she asked about her future
"Nothing, it's all over now" I reassured Percy but his words fell on deaf ears as the two women ignored him preferring to engage in a staring contest
"Really smart," Rin complimented again
"So smart that it looks more like an owl than a dove," added the sorceress
"It doesn't take long. Your abilities, the way Percy calls you mom, even the existence of this Elsa. None of that is known to the public," Piper explains her theory
"You're right" Rin I'm not trying to hide the truth at all
"You are also a protective person towards your family and what I know is a threat to this even without considering my mother" concluded the girl
"A perfect analysis couldn't have done better"
"Mom," Percy began
"Shut up Percy" only to be shushed by Rin who continued to stare at Piper, the two women never stopped staring at each other
"You're a lucky child that it was me who answered your mother's invasion, there were others far more eager than their pound of the flesh who would make you pay her dues by making you suffer for her sins," Rin said
"So how lucky am I?"
"You have a choice before you: Option one you go home, your memory erased, no memory of what happened and you will most likely continue the path that the gods, including your mother, have paved for you"
"The alternative?"
"The alternative is that you become my pupil, that with your own hands, you destroy the path that destiny has reserved for you, projecting you towards an unknown and unpredictable future, full of difficulties and suffering."
"But it would be mine, the future that would be created in this way would be mine. Not yours, not my mother's but mine, right?
"Yes, to get it you would have to face a thousand and more difficulties but the final result would belong only to you"
"You don't offer me all this out of sheer goodness, you don't seem like the type so why do you do it?" Piper asked
"I offer you the first option because it is the safest and my son and husband would like nothing more for you."
Hearing this Piper finally looked away from the woman in front of her at the boy who had supported her all this time marveling at the genuine concern painted on his face
"With the second option it can be said instead that I seek revenge, by accepting it I would pull you out of your mother's clutches by spitting her by putting a spoke in her wheels. Saving you from being a pawn of the gods would just be a fortuitous coincidence."
After she finished explaining Rin gave the little girl a few moments to assimilate everything so that she could choose her future with the right mindset
"So tell me, Piper McLean, will you become my apprentice and go against your fate whatever it is or will you choose to stay on the path the gods have carved out for you?" Rin asked once again
"Yes, I'll be your student," Piper replied simply, thus sealing her fate
Throughout this speech, Percy could only remain silent, helpless in the face of the unfolding of events. Amazed at how even the most insignificant of events can lead to unexpected situations.
But also happy that for once, despite everything, things went in the best way. The Boy couldn't wait to tell his father everything, hoping he didn't get into trouble as usual.
Another encounter changes fate and Percy finds new allies along the way.
Releasing one chapter here means two more are available on my P. a treon, if you want to read ahead feel free to visit.
P a /RedArcher739
P a treon . com(slash)RedArcher739