Is There a Doctor in the House?

Following the little… event, I knew it wouldn't be in my best interest to go around fuming. With that in mind, a shower was most definitely in order. After my morning routine, I decided to take care of the check ups for the day before taking Silena to go shopping.

Before long, I found myself in Piper's unofficially claimed living room. She lied on the couch, breathing gently as the blanket nearly concealed her every movement. I knelt down to her level and ran my fingers through her messy chocolate brown hair.

She gave a slight moan as her eyes fluttered open, glassy and disoriented, but still as radiant and colorful as sea mist on a sunny day. Her head leaned against my touch and her lips formed a gentle smile.

"Hey, Pipes," I said. "How are you feeling?"

She groaned slightly. "Like your pegasus decided to club me upside the head."

That earned a slight snicker from me. "Well, I can promise he didn't do that. Other than that, are you feeling okay? Do you need anything?"

She yawned slightly, wincing from the strain on her head. "Some ambrosia would be nice…"

I smiled apologetically. "I wish I could help with that. However, I could use some water to help out."

She eyed me tiredly. "Yeah," she mumbled with a smile, "that could work."

Minutes later, I returned with a trusty water glass. I wasted no time spreading it over her head, calling on the sea to heal her wound and alleviate her pain.

She moaned as the cool water massaged her scalp, caressing her lovingly as the sea would cradle the feather of a seagull. Her hand reached out from under the blanket and took hold of mine, her fingers slowly flexing and relaxing in my grip as her pain vanished. I'm sure she felt better long in advance, but she never told me to stop. So for a near half hour I ran the water against her head, adding my fingers to the mix to knead her scalp. She let out soft moans through parted lips as she leaned into my hand, trying with all her might to gain more stimulation, though she was too exhausted to do much.

After deciding her water massage session was finished, I sent the liquid back into the cup. Piper pouted slightly, which looked cute on her sleepy face.

"Better now?"

"Mhm, but I was enjoying that."

I cracked a smile at her sleepy words. "Maybe I'll give you a more thorough water massage when you're better. For now you need to rest."

She nodded sleepily, but her grip on my hand tightened.

"Could you join me on here? I know it's a tight fit, but it would definitely be worth it. Maybe you could be my pillow."

I laughed a bit at her words and gave her a small kiss. Her lips moved as I pulled away, as though she didn't realize she was kissing the air.

"I would love to, but there are other things I have to do. If you're feeling better tonight, I'll definitely join you."

She grumbled, but a slight smile appeared on her lips. "It's always something. Well, go do your master stuff."

I gave her a kiss and began to walk away.

"Percy."

I turned back to see her head slightly peeking over the arm of the couch.

"Thanks for helping me out so much. I really don't deserve someone like you."

I gave as warm of a smile as I could muster without letting my pride show.

"Of course, Pipes. Anytime you need help, just ask me."

With that, I turned back around and strolled down the hall with my glass of water in hand. If my experience told me anything, a very expectant demigoddess would be waiting for me downstairs.

Thalia leaned against the wall outside of the dungeon as I approached. She idly rolled her drachma over her knuckles as she stared intently at the metal door. Her hawkish features tensed as I approached, but relaxed as she recognized my gait.

"Took you long enough. I was getting bored down here."

"Yeah, well… I had some other things happen."

She laughed, crossing her arms and pulling herself off the wall. "That doesn't surprise me. I can't imagine everything being easy for you these past few days."

"Wow, is the mighty Thalia Grace actually showing concern for me?"

She stuck her tongue out in response to my words. "While I may want to pummel you into the dirt sometimes, you are still one of my best friends, Kelp Head. So of course I'm concerned for you. That's why I'm not letting you tackle these problems alone."

That pulled a smile across my face. "Glad to hear it. Speaking of which, how did things go with Reyna?"

"We talked," she said simply.

"And?"

"Look, she's the better person to ask. But she'll come to you on her own time. Right now, we're working on a little plan, but we need to figure out some of the details before we go through with it."

I took notice of the drachma in her hand. The lightning bolt on the side facing me drew a curious quirk in my eyebrow. She realized what I was staring at and tucked the coin into her pocket.

"No, it has nothing to do with that. So if you're thinking you'll get a threesome or something out of us, think again." She paused as a thoughtful look etched across her face. "Well, it better not happen for a while at least, so keep it in your pants."

My pants tightened a bit at the prospect. "Two tough girls at once? May as well throw in Clarisse for extra credit."

She wrinkled her nose. "Thanks, but I'll pass on that. Reyna, I see no major issue with, but the fact that you'd even think of bringing Clarisse into this…" She shuddered as her mind filled in the gaps, as did I.

"Well, anyways," she continued, "I believe we have an appointment to make."

I nodded and pressed against the heavy door. To no surprise of my own, it was unlocked. No doubt everyone avoided it like the plague after rumors about what happened started circulating. Funny how the girl who started them was standing behind me.

Thalia placed her hand on my shoulder when she saw me tense up. I could feel the magic at work before I even entered the dungeon. A manic paranoia began to settle on me only to be ripped away by the gentle touch.

"You've got this," she said.

I took a breath and marched into the room. The room was as cold and bleak as Asphodel. Memories of my previous actions in there weighed down my spirit. The guilt was only reinforced when we looked at Khione.

"Di immortales," Thalia muttered. "Whatever god caused this, I'll turn them into rotisserie with my spear up their ass."

Whatever whispers Thalia told the others about Piper's actions against Khione, I doubted they could quite match the horrors of the goddess's current mangled form. She was returned to her position hanging from chains, but now she looked as though she'd been dead for days. Her body was coated in massive gashes from head to toe, some no longer than a finger, others running along the entire length of her leg. Mottled purple, blue, and gold bruises formed a grotesque mosaic across her face and torso. Her arm and neck were both twisted in awkward angles. Though her body hung lifelessly from the chains, her raspy breaths indicated she was in much worse condition than what she showed. Trails of dried ichor clung to her body like little lightning tattoos.

One stream in particular caught my attention, as it still dripped from her foot into a golden puddle on the cobbled floor. The line of ichor trailed up her leg, its source apparently from between her thighs. A wave of nausea crashed over me as I realized what exactly was bleeding; it was most likely the very place where Piper buried her dagger down to the hilt.

I nearly vomited at the sight, but I couldn't let the image, or the smell for that matter, get the best of me. She needed healing.

The fact that Piper and I did this to her made me want to stick Riptide in my mouth and uncap it. To think Piper, who only a few minutes prior was sleepily asking me to cuddle with her on a couch as she slept, was capable of something of this magnitude was a terrifying realization.

As I approached her, Khione's face came into clearer view. Her once beautiful features now lay twisted and swollen; one cheekbone caved in entirely; her lips hung loosely from her mouth, bound only by small tissues. Her left eye was swollen, along with the entire portion of her face surrounding it. A nasty yellow and purple bruise glowed in the coral light.

She twitched upon realizing she wasn't alone. Her eyes, or eye, rose to meet mine. An immediate panic ensued with the goddess, as she thrashed in her chains, trying to pull herself away from me while whimpering pitifully. The fact that she was reduced to this nearly made me crumble on the spot. After all, I was the one who let this happen.

I raised my hand and opened the cell door, trying to move as slowly as possible as she thrashed in her chains. Thalia remained at the door, her hand now firmly gripping her spear. I walked in and did my best to keep my voice level.

"I'm not here to hurt you. Just let me help you."

Reasonably, my words fell on deaf ears. She continued her vain attempts to escape, further bruising her shackled wrists and ankles.

I realized she wasn't going to listen. After all, why would she? So rather than telling her again, I decided to show her. With a wave of my hand, the water in my glass formed a small tendrils that hugged her body. She recoiled on contact, but seemed to notice it wasn't hurting her. With her realization, her struggling halted and she looked down at me with her one good eye.

Now with her thrashing settled, I worked my magic as best as I could. I started from top to bottom, healing any injury on her head, slowly reconstructing her face piece by piece. With the restoration of her pale countenance completed, I continued my work downward.

With about ten minutes, her neck was back in place, her torso and arms were cleared of their cuts and bruises, her bones were fixed, and her blood was pulled back into her body. I hesitated when I came to her waist. The idea of the pain that wound caused made me want to double over on the spot. She seemed to share my sentiment; her silent, but panicked expression told me this was not something she was comfortable with.

I rested my hand on her shoulder, to which she recoiled. The chains rattled in her efforts, though she moved a grand total of three inches closer to the wall.

"This is going to feel weird, but I promise I won't try to hurt you."

She shivered a nod, not that she had many other options in her position. With a delicate wave of my hand, a thin tendril of water slithered into her core. It expanded to coat her insides, washing away the ichor and healing the internal wounds. She wriggled around, her hands clenched and teeth gritted. No doubt, this was not a pleasant experience for her.

"If you want me to stop, tell me."

"No matter what I say, I will be at a loss. Either I suffer through this or let that savage's attacks continue to wound me."

I returned a halfhearted glare. "You're not exactly in a position to go bad mouthing Piper."

She hung her head. "It's not like it could get any worse for me."

I withdrew the water from her, which, if my ears weren't deceiving me, almost elicited a moan from the goddess. The liquid traveled down her legs, healing the wounds as it went.

"Let's not forget you brought this on yourself. You sided with Gaia. You attacked Piper several times. You attacked a nymph who was simply trying to feed you."

She turned her head away. "Would you do any different in my position? If not for this war, would you even know of me?"

I hesitated. "There are better ways to make yourself known. A gentle flurry can be just as powerful as the gale of a blizzard."

"Do you honestly believe that? What do you think keeps your harlots in line, love or fear?"

I ignored her choice of words. "You seem to think we're at war still. In times of war, fear works wonders. In times of peace, love will keep the masses unified."

She pursed her lips. "I've heard of your idiocy. Your words both prove and disprove the claims, Jackson."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is an observation. I won't deny you've made me curious. Maybe you have what it takes to be a good master. Or maybe you will fall to your own meekness."

My gaze hardened. "Never mistake meekness for weakness. Maybe I should introduce you to my friend, Hazel, to prove that point."

She paled, if that was possible. "Um. No… please."

A smile crawled across my face. "That was fear. Now let me show you some love."

I fashioned the water into a comb and stroked it down her hair. The knots unfurled and moistened. She leaned into the sensation, closing her eyes. Her arms tugged at the chains, though she didn't appear afraid.

"Are you enjoying this?"

She pouted. "This is the gentlest touch I've had in years."

I sent the water back into the cup and rested a hand on her cheek. Though she flinched initially, she eased the trepidation in her face, a look of tranquility crossing her expression. The moment passed, and her eyes hardened into an icy glare.

"I will not be manipulated, Jackson. You can take your kindness and stuff it!"

That jab caused something to snap. My hand flicked towards her and the water flew around her neck, compressing slowly into a vice. She writhed and choked under the grip, but nothing she could do would make me withhold the punishment she deserved.

My hand closed into a fist, ready to constrict her throat. Before I could, a loud POP rung in my ears and everything went black.

I woke to see a pair of electric blue eyes staring back at me. If my cheek was anything to go by, Thalia just slapped me awake.

"What happened?"

She smirked. "Looks like what you said was true. You were doing fine, but you lost it after a while and started choking her out."

My head sank into my hands. "Great. All the more proof I'm not in control of myself."

SLAP!

"Ow! Hey, I'm already awake!"

Thalia scowled. "This is no time for self pity, Kelp Head. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and actually do something about this."

"But-"—"

"No 'buts!' Otherwise my spear will wind up in yours!"

My glutes clenched at the thought. "Yes, ma'am."

"Di immortales, Percy! Stop letting me push you around!"

To accentuate her point, she gripped my shoulders and slammed me against the wall.

"You need to start standing up for yourself! Stop being so damn worried about everyone else! No one is going to follow you if you won't take a stand!"

"Don't you think I've done that? I beat a goddess half to death and nearly turned Drew into a smoothie!"

Her grip tightened, driving her nails into my shoulders. "Not like that, Kelp Head! You need to be assertive, not abusive! Stand for yourself and make sure things go your way!"

"O… okay. I'll try."

SLAP!

"Oh, come on! I said I'll—"

SLAP!

"Do it then. Assert yourself!"

She pulled back her arm to strike, and I countered. Taking hold of the open flaps of her leather jacket, I rushed her against the opposite wall. She let out a gasp and attempted to fight back, but I pinned my hand around her throat and began to squeeze; not enough to hurt her, but more than enough to be uncomfortable.

"You want assertiveness, Pinecone Face!? I'll show you some damn assertiveness."

SMACK!

My hand crossed Thalia's face in a blinding strike, leaving her far more than stunned with my action.

"Did you just—"

My grip tightened around her throat.

"That assertive enough for you?"

She nodded her head, her body quivering underneath me. I didn't fail to notice her legs rubbing together, nor the snap of electricity running through her hand; a sure sign she was nervous… among other things.

"Good."

I released her from my grip, to which she immediately muttered a goodbye and shuffled down the corridor, rubbing her arm and cursing herself under her breath. A shiver went up my spine as I came to a sudden realization.

I just put Thalia in her place.

Waves of varying emotions swept over me. Never before did I imagine being in a position of power over Thalia. Yet here I was, glowering over her and pinning her to a wall. The part that wracked my anxiety up to eleven, though, was the fact that I liked it. I needed… more.

Of all the horrific thoughts to come to mind, only the desire to force Thalia to submit stood out. Make her drop to her knees and beg for me to spray a fresh load of cum all over her face. Make her quiver and tremble at the mere mention of me taking her, choking her, fucking her raw.

Why? Why am I thinking like this?!

I shook those thoughts out of my head and attempted to focus on any further tasks at hand. The image of a certain nymph popped into mind. Maybe it's about time I paid her a visit.

Nimba's room was definitely a bad omen for me. Nothing good ever came out of it, minus some help from Hestia… and a make out session with Palírroia… okay maybe it wasn't that bad. Either way, I found myself dreading the approach. What will I find on the opposite side of the door? What if her condition goes back to the way it was before? Or worse?!

The door swung open, maybe a bit faster than I intended, and the sight before me dissuaded any thoughts of Nimba's poor health. She still lay in bed, but she seemed back to her usual chipper and overly energetic self. The last of the nymphs, Ashe if I recall correctly, kneeled at the side of the bed.

"Master!" Nimba called. "I can get back to work, I prom—"

"Don't worry about that. I just wanted to make sure you were better."

Ashe muttered something under her breath before standing up.

"If you'll excuse me."

She marched out of the room with a permanent scowl warping her face. I turned to see if I imagined it, but her curtain of chestnut hair made it nearly impossible to tell if she was scowling at me.

I turned to Nimba. "Um, is everything alright?"

"Please don't be angry with her. She hasn't adjusted as well as the rest of us."

"I'm not mad, just…" I trailed off. "Anyways, how are you feeling?"

She swung her legs out from under the covers and stood. "I'm feeling very…"

Her head swayed and she fell forward. A light shade of grey mixed with her pale complexion. Not wanting her to faceplant, I caught her as she lost balance.

"Don't push yourself. If you still need rest, then by all means, get some rest."

"But Master… I need to-"

"You need to take care of yourself."

I steered her back towards the bed and laid her down. She gave a half hearted attempt to push back, but she didn't have the strength to rebel. Her head hit the pillow with a soft FLUMPH and her eyes closed almost right after.

Well, it could be worse. At least she's awake.

With my mind put to rest regarding everyone's health, I turned my attention towards my next goal. Before I go see Silena, I definitely needed to check up on Palírroia. There's no telling how she took to Annabeth's actions from earlier. Now with another goal in mind, I tucked Nimba into bed and left her room. Hopefully things are better than how I imagined.