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heavcnslyre · 4 years ago

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never leave me again — leo valdez x reader

in which you return from years of being missing, only to find that your boyfriend, leo valdez, has been missing as well.

warnings swearing

notes it’s been a few months since i’ve read the books so i kind of just made this my own. also this took me DAYS to write so pls appreciate it w me

events in this are not all canon

masterlist

the scent of camp half blood was familiar— yet something felt different. it had been years since you had smelt it, and being there again brought upon a feeling you couldn’t quite explain. you listened for the familiar ruffle of the trees and the rippling of the lake, but heard nothing. it was silent; eerily silent. it was the middle of summer, yet the camp was still.

although, you had been away from everything for so long, you didn’t actually know if it was summer or not. truthfully, you didn’t even know exactly what year it was.

you inched towards the entrance of camp nervously. something inside of you was scared that you weren’t even going to be let into the camp— but as you read the ancient greek at the entrance fluently and your foot went through the barrier, you instantly calmed down. the familiar atmosphere of the camp was comforting, even if you could automatically feel how different it was.

making your way to the big house, you gathered that it was still early in the morning as you saw the sun peaking out in the east. it was chilly and the grass was wet and suddenly you realized how tired you were. you wanted nothing more than to collapse into your bunk in cabin 18. your cabin was often lively, as it was common for children of hebe to enjoy parties and be social; but you only had a few siblings and you were one of the oldest. they listened to you if you asked them to quiet down, and the environment of your cabin was soothing. you found yourself longing for it on rough nights, and now that you were back, you debated on just going straight there as if nothing happened.

but, you fought the temptation and knocked on the door to the big house. you found yourself anxious for a moment that no one would be awake, but you heard movement from the inside and the door opened seconds later. you looked down and saw chiron sitting in his wheelchair. he looked the same, as you assumed he would. somehow, he didn’t look surprised to see you.

“(y/n). i thought you’d be here today,” he said, moving himself out of the way. “come in, we can talk.”

you followed him to the main table in the house and took a seat across from him. he settled his hands into his lap and studied you. suddenly aware of how you may have changed, you shifted in your seat awkwardly.

“chiron, can i ask...” you said after a moment. “how long has it been? how long have i been gone?”

“a little over two years.”

you sank down in your seat. “oh.”

“do you want to fill me in on where you’ve been, or should i tell you what happened here first?”

“oh, uh— i guess a lot of its fuzzy,” you started. “i was with hera, and she sent me to do... different quests. time doesn’t really feel real, at this point. i never got a break, i don’t think. she sent me places and i forgot a lot about... my life. and everything.”

“do you remember everything now?”

“i remember all of my life before hera— yeah,” you paused, taking it in. “but i don’t remember a lot of what she had me do, or whatever she said to me when i wasn’t off on a quest. that’s why i didn’t know how much time passed, it feels like it’s been three years and three days at the same time.”

chiron sighed. “i get that. the gods have the powers to do whatever they want to time and your memory— but they rarely use the ability. but hera, after all she’s done...”

“why is she so against demigods? after she switched jason and percy for no reason we thought she was done, why did she need to take me?”

“i guess we’ll never truly know her intentions,” chiron said. “i did assume now is when you would return, though. leo valdez is missing.”

you felt your heart skip a beat. leo. he had been a constant in your mind in the past two years that you had been gone, just like how percy explained that annabeth was all he could remember. you had started dating a few months before you disappeared. suddenly you yearned for his warmth, remembering the feeling of his arms wrapped around you. your heart ached for him for years and now that you’re home— he’s gone.

“how... how long has he been missing?” you asked. chiron frowned.

“a few months. after the war ended, he disappeared, basically into the sky. (y/n)... there’s a good chance he didn’t survive.”

you could almost feel your heart breaking, but you knew that wasn’t the main issue at the moment. you took a deep breath to gather yourself. “how’s everyone else doing?”

“it’s been rough, obviously. the prophecy of the seven was fulfilled, which was hard enough on the campers. and with leo gone... no ones sure how to continue. but, we are at peace with rome and some campers are planning on college in great rome,” chiron said, obviously proud. you smiled gently.

“thats... amazing. is everyone here now? piper, annabeth, percy and jason?”

chiron nodded. “everyone is here. it is early, though. i suggest you head to your cabin for some rest, unless you have anymore questions?”

“honestly, i have hundreds. but... my brain is foggy. i can’t really focus on anything right now so, later. later i’ll bombard you with the questions,” you joked and chiron smiled.

“go, get some rest. breakfast starts in about an hour and a half, but you take all the time you need,” you stood up.

“thank you, chiron. it’s good to be back.”

as soon as you slipped into your cabin, you felt at home. you saw your younger siblings sleeping soundly and that warmed your heart to see. they were safe; they were okay.

your bunk was obviously saved for you. there were organized bags of your stuff laying on top, and the sheets were made neatly. you could tell that no one had slept there since you left. the thought of this was bittersweet; you were happy they waited for you but... you couldn’t imagine how worried they all were for you.

the more you thought about it, the more you realized how many people could have been worried for you.

when percy and jason were switched back, everyone seemed to be at ease. the romans and greeks seemed to be getting along, and things were good... for about an hour.

you were walking around rome with leo. the seven of the prophecy had been decided; leo was one of them, you were not. this wasn’t easy for either of you, as you had recently began dating, but you both knew that this didn’t mean forever. cherishing your time together, you walked hand in hand down the beautiful streets of new rome. after a while, leo decided he was going to go check up on the argo ii, make sure it was ready for the quest to come. you kissed him goodbye, and told him to iris message you whenever he got the chance.

before you knew it, camp jupiter was being attacked. and leo was the one behind it.

you ran through the crowd, trying to push towards the ship to see what the hell was happening to leo. but the romans were angry— and you were wearing an orange shirt.

you didn’t know exactly what happened next. one second you were pushing through the crowd, the next second you woke in a bright room, hera standing over you.

thus the years with hera began. she told you that she needed you— and she’d bring you home when you were ready. she brought you places and gave you quests to do, and the more time you spent with her, the more you weren’t sure how much time had passed, and the more you forgot your real life. you were stuck in an endless loop, until this morning, where hera plopped you down right outside of camp half-blood; with a fuzzy memory and a million questions.

you woke up later to an empty cabin. it was obvious people had been in and out of it, and you wondered how everyone reacted when they saw you in your bed. you were just internally grateful no one woke you up.

after getting ready (putting on a new camp t-shirt was so refreshing) you slipped out of your cabin and out into the sunlight. at first, it didn’t register how much time had passed, because everyone was in the dining hall as they would be during breakfast. but, after examining more, you gathered that you had awoken just as dinner was starting, and you had slept all day. you stood back, taking in the familiarity of the buzz of mealtime. as you stood there, unsure on how to present yourself to the campers, you heard your name.

“(y/n)?” you looked forward to be met with the gaze of your best friend, piper mclean, standing by her table, staring at you in disbelief. “i can’t believe it.”

the entire hall hushed as everyone looked in your direction. you were suddenly aware of every little thing about yourself, and you hated the attention. but when piper rushed forward to hug you, you ignored your surroundings and let yourself feel comfort in her hug. it had been so long since you had felt so... loved. after these past couple of years, then the news that leo was missing, taking in the scent and warmth of your best friend was the most comforting thing you could imagine.

piper pulled back from your hug and studied your face. you studied hers as well, noticing everything you could; any change you could find. but, she looked almost the same. she was the prettiest person you had ever seen, and although she seemed slightly older and wiser, it wasn’t in a negative way. “are you okay?”

“i’m fine,” you said. “obviously i’m... adjusting. but, i’m okay.”

“what happened to you? where have you been?” piper asked gently.

“when the romans were angry at us, after leo...” you hesitated and piper’s expression softened. you cleared your throat. “i was attacked, or something. next thing i knew i was with hera and basically did anything she needed. i was so tired, constantly doing work for her. everything i did with her is sort of fuzzy though, just like my personal life was when i was working for her, if that makes sense.”

“hera’s the worst,” piper said. “guess switching jason and percy just wasn’t enough for her.”

you raised your eyebrows in agreement before being approached by annabeth chase, one of your other closest friends, who hugged you tightly. “i’m so relieved you’re alright.”

“back at you,” you said. percy and jason followed close behind annabeth, and you hugged both of them as well. “i can’t imagine things have been easy for you guys.”

“it’s been rough,” jason agreed. “but we got through it.”

your mind went straight to leo, and the four of them obviously noticed. piper put her hand on your shoulder and jason frowned. “hey, i’m sure he’s...”

“no,” you stopped him. “it’s fine. i... i’m really proud of you guys. seriously, saving the world and shit. that’s pretty cool.”

they all laughed which brought a warm feeling to your chest. it was going to be rough without leo, but you adored your friends. you knew they’d be there for you no matter what.

“c’mon, you must be starving,” annabeth said. “plus, i think you have a few more people to chat with.”

annabeth motioned towards your cabins table, where your siblings sat anxiously, watching you with wide eyes. you grinned at the sight and made your way over to the table, only to be met with smiling faces and lots of questions.

weeks past since you had returned to camp. you were settled back in and at ease with everything, but things still felt off. you figured it was just because you were most excited to come back to camp to see leo, but he was gone. and you didn’t even know if he was still alive.

you spent your days training and reconnecting with your friends. they had been through so much, and you couldn’t imagine how painful it was for them. they asked you questions about what you had been up to, but you weren’t able to answer them. you couldn’t remember a thing— it was like the past years had never happened. as days went on you forgot more and more about what you had done.

one morning, you stayed behind to finish cleanup in your cabin. now that you returned to camp, you returned to your position as head counselor. you were protective over your siblings (since you were the oldest), so when everyone was running late for breakfast, you volunteered to finish cleanup.

after you finished making all the beds, you fixed your hair and slipped out of your cabin. when the mess hall came into your line of vision, you paused as you saw a group of campers gathered around something. the scene was similar to how everyone reacted when you returned, and you watched curiously. but when you studied the campers who were grouped together, you realized it was a majority of the hephaestus canon who was standing. your eyes widened and you hurried forward, into the mess hall.

nyssa barrera, one of the older hephaestus kids, looked over at you and her eyes widened. she pulled a few of her siblings back to make room, and you were met with the grinning face of leo valdez.

your leo, standing there, in the flesh.

it took him a moment to see you, but when he did, his expression softened. he visibly relaxed, and his eyes studied your face. you were frozen in your spot and your eyes never left his. he inched towards you, and before you knew it you charged forward to him and threw your arms around his neck. he buried his face in your neck as he held you tightly around your waist. you took in his natural warmth and his vague scent of campfires and motor oil. he rubbed your back as you held him as tightly as possible. you never wanted to let go.

when you finally did pull back, you missed his warmth immediately. in his arms you felt safe, and that was something you had missed with your whole heart.

“are you okay?” was the first thing he asked you, tucking your hair behind your ears. you smiled at the sound of his voice. you didn’t realize how many little things you had missed.

“i’m okay. are you?”

“i’m... amazing,” he studied your face again. “gods i’ve missed you.”

“i’ve missed you too, you have no idea,” you said. your eyes drifted to a girl you didn’t recognize standing awkwardly behind leo. “who is that?”

leo raised his eyebrows and turned around to look at who you were referring to. “oh, this is my friend. calypso.”

“oh!” you said, remembering the story of calypso. “thats... hi! it’s really cool to meet you.”

“you as well,” calypso responded, her voice smooth. “leo talked about you non-stop.”

maybe it was the longing look on her face, or the fact that you had just finally reconnected with your boyfriend, but you moved towards calypso and pulled her into a hug. she tensed, but after a moment she relaxed and hugged you back. when you pulled back, you gave her a warm smile and when she gave you one back, you knew that there was no bad blood between you. calypso wanted to be loved— but she wasn’t interested in leo.

you turned around to find your way back next to leo. he watched you with a fond look on his face, and when you were closer to him, he grabbed your hand tightly. at this moment you made a promise to yourself — you would never lose him again.

chiron ended up coming over to tell people to sit at their tables for breakfast, but leo leaned over to whisper to you, “want to go chat? just the two of us?”

“absolutely.”

the two of you snuck out of the mess hall (although, if anyone had seen you, you doubted they would stop you from leaving). you made your way down towards the lake, hand in hand. you sat down next to each other, leo’s arm around your waist and your head on his shoulder.

“so how did you get calypso off her island?” you asked him after a moment of silence.

“well, i landed on her island a little while ago but i had to leave, obviously. was in the middle of a quest,” he said. “but she was miserable there, so i promised i’d come back to get her. and a few months ago, i landed on her island again, but with a plan this time.”

you listened intently. “and it worked?”

“for the most part. i had to work really hard to figure out a way to make it work, but it did. i just hope she gets a real chance to be happy now that she’s off her island.”

“that’s amazing. you did it against all odds, right?”

he chuckled lightly. “guess so. what about you? what happened to you?” you sighed and sat up to face him.

“i guess i’m not completely sure,” you started. he knit his eyebrows. “i was working with... or i guess, for, hera. but i don’t remember most of what she made me do. i just know i went on quests for her, and time didn’t really feel real. i had no idea how much time had passed when i returned.”

“gods that sounds... terrible,” he said genuinely. you shrugged.

“i got through it,” you grabbed his hand and started tracing lines on it. “and so did you.”

leo hummed and moved his other hand to your cheek. “i always knew you’d come back.”

“i knew you would, too.”

“promise to never leave me again?” you leaned into his hand.

“only if you promise me the same thing.”

#leo valdez #leo valdez x reader #leo valdez x you #leo #valdez #percy jackson x readers #pjo #hoo #toa #calypso #piper mclean #percy jackson #jason grace #annabeth chase #percy jackson and the olympians #hero’s of olympus #heroes of olympus #riordanverse

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bodytoflame-ao3 · 5 years ago

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born for this // one

When she finally feels the exhaustion drift over her, it’s overwhelming; like the entire weight of the day’s been dropped on her at once. In a way, it has. She’s here now, this is real. Not just the stories her parents told to her, or vague bursts of imagination from brief visits.

As hard as she tries, she can’t shake the feeling of anger in the pit of her stomach — exactly for what, she’s not sure.

or, a next-generation fic following the lives of Percy and Annabeth, and Piper and Jason's children, and a prophecy.

AO3 Link

okay. so this is my first attempt in a very very very long time at a multichapter fic. i have absolutely 0 clue how long this is going to be or how fast i'm going to be able to update. but here it is. my take on a next generation fic. in which jason is alive because i said so.

this one goes out to @officialpjo for encouraging this mess

i //

Piper McLean never thought she’d be alive at 18, much less pregnant.

“I don’t know what to do.”

It’s three in the morning, but Annabeth’s still here for her. She’ll always be grateful for that. She rubs her back, and for a moment, it’s like everything is okay. She’ll speak her wisdom and that will be it. Instead (and Piper knew deep down it would turn out this way) she says; “Piper, that’s something you have to decide for yourself. You know that.”

And that’s not very helpful — but it’s true. “I just thought everything was finally going back to normal.” It was. She’d gone back to school and was about to graduate, even got accepted into a few colleges (not that she was sure she’d even go). “What if there’s another prophecy?”

Annabeth stays silent.

“I can’t bring a baby into the world like that, Annabeth. I won’t!” It would put both of our lives in danger.

“Then you don’t have to,” she replies softly, resting her hand on Piper’s shoulder.

“I do, Gods, I want to.” Piper wipes the tears from her eyes, “That makes me sound so stupid.” It was stupid to want to have a baby when she could be pulled into a war at any moment. But this is a chance to make something with her life — something mundane; normal.

Annabeth reassures her, though Piper isn’t sure how much she believes it, “No. It doesn’t; you’re not. You were as safe as you could be.”

Piper tries not to yell, not at Annabeth at least, but her emotions get the best of her this time. “I don’t want you to tell me it’s not my fault, I want you to tell me he won’t hate me!”

“I can’t do that.”

“Then lie!”

She doesn’t acknowledge the outburst, knowing it comes from a place of frustration, not directed at her but the cruel irony of the world (and how familiar she is with that herself). She simply offers a piece of hope; knowing nothing is certain, but it could be. “It’ll be okay.”

Piper lets the silence wash over them for a minute. “What would you do?” She asks, genuinely curious.

“I’ve always wanted a family,” she admits, fiddling with her wedding ring. Of course she does. That's all she's ever wanted. “But it would still be scary.”

“I have to tell him,” Piper says after a moment. He’s just as much a part of this as she is, and he deserves to know, no matter what she decides. And she knows — she knows what she wants, and it’s this.

Annabeth is unflinching. “I’ll come with you, okay?”

“Hold my hand?”

“Yeah.”

Annabeth does; all the way back to their apartment, up the stairs, into the living room, onto the couch, across from him.

“We have to talk,” Piper says, firm, but gentle.

“Are you breaking up with me?” Jason asks, a puzzled look on his face.

“No.” She shares a knowing glance with Annabeth, knowing what it looks like, and suppresses a laugh. Though, in all honesty, they both know if by some coincidence they both ended up single, it wouldn’t be a question, and they’d both know the answer.

“I’ll be right outside if you need me.” Annabeth squeezes her hand tight before she leaves, and then, it’s just them.

“Pipes. You’re killing me.”

She reaches into her pocket and hands him the test, unsure if she could even get the words out of her mouth.

“Oh.” He pauses. “Do you—”

“I’m keeping it,” she answers.

“Hey.” Jason wraps his arms around her. “We’ll be okay.”

ii //

Annabeth storms into her room, barely knocking before she opens the door. “I think I’m pregnant.” She says it, quiet, almost nonchalant. It’s hard for Piper to decipher the look on her face; somewhere between dissociated and awed. But most definitely a little scared.

“I thought you were on the pill?” Piper asks.

She nods.

“So why do you—”

“—I don’t know. I just feel… off.” Annabeth cuts her off, rambling. “It’s possible.”

“Unlikely,” Piper adds.

Annabeth emphasizes, “But possible.”

She knows Annabeth wants this, but she has no clue what Percy’s stance on kids is. To be completely honest, he seems to Piper like the kind of guy who wouldn’t care as long as Annabeth was happy. “Have you two talked about wanting—”

“No… not yet, but...”

“But you do want—”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do,” she admits. She does, and she will, no matter what. It’s permanent — a concrete legacy, that will last as long as the circle of life keeps spinning. And isn’t that what she wanted? It may not be exactly what she imagined, but the thought of it makes her want to cry. With Percy, doing better than her parents ever could, because he’d surely learn from the best; knowing this child would grow up with people who care. Immensely. Deeply. Parents who know what it’s like.

Annabeth wipes a tear from the corner of her eye, composing herself. “I bought a test, I just… I wanted you to be here.” She sighs, and opens the box from her bag, tossing the cardboard in the trash along with a packet of pills from her bag.

Piper pulls them out of the bin, scoffing, “You might still need these.”

She shakes her head, “I already know what it’s going to say, Piper. I just have a feeling.”

“Is it… a good feeling?” she offers.

“I don’t know yet. I hope so.”

iii //

“Is something wrong?” Percy asks, sitting down next to Annabeth on the couch. “You seem off,” he offers. She’s been distant all week, and it scares him. He knows what that distance feels like, the kinds of storms that brew up in their minds.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Annabeth says, because it's not — but it is scary. “I do need to talk to you though. Ask you something.”

He looks at her expectantly.

“Do you want kids?” she asks, a nervous edge lacing her voice. It's something they've never talked about, and she really wishes they had, if it would make this moment easier. In all honesty, she has absolutely no clue what she’ll say if he doesn’t; and his hesitance is no reassurance. Because she does; now more than ever, now that it’s real.

Percy considers his answer. He does. Not desperately; distantly. Not so much that he would have a problem if she didn’t. “Um, yeah. Do you—”

“Percy.” She stops him, because it’s all she needs to hear. “I’m pregnant.”

The look on his face turns from confusion to awe as he processes her revelation. It’s a moment before he speaks again, softly: “Really?”

She nods.

“Wow.” His hand finds her stomach, unable to feel a difference but struck with wonder with this new knowledge. He’s always wondered what it would be like to start a family with her, but for all the daydreaming he’s done, none of it compares. “When did you find out?”

She stares out the window, leaning into him. “Two weeks ago. I didn’t have any good reason to suspect it, I just… had a feeling?”

“Does anyone else know?” He has a feeling he's not the first person she's told. Two weeks is a long time, bottling up something that big.

“Piper.” She ran to her the second the thought popped into her mind. It was only fair — she’d helped Piper when it was her. Piper held her hand while she waited, and hugged her as long as she needed.

Percy analyzes her nerve-wracked expression. “Just Piper?”

Annabeth frowns, looking at him with a gaze that’s trying too hard to be apologetic. “No, I… I told your mom, too. I’m sorry,” she says, bursting out laughing, and trying to hold the tears back. It’s expected by now, but somehow still funny how untraditional they are. “I was freaking out and she’s kind of the best motherly figure I’ve got. But she’s thrilled — if that helps.”

“Oh, thank the gods,” he sighs, laughing, “No, no, I think I would die of embarrassment if I had to tell her myself.”

“Well, then you’re welcome… and you owe me.”

“When do I not?” Percy smiles, wrapping his arms around her.

“I know this wasn’t what you expected — me either — but this is the best I’ve felt in a long time. I’m actually happy, Percy,” she sighs, so weary from the world and how it’s beaten her up before. This almost feels like a blessing, even if it isn’t one she planned for.

“No, no, so am I, I just don’t… how? We’re careful.” Incredibly so. He doesn’t want to dwell on the odds of it.

“I mean, nothing’s perfect. To have two different methods fail, though… that’s either just terrible luck or godly interference.” At this point, it doesn’t matter which.

“I feel pretty lucky right now.” No; odds are… he’s the luckiest person in the world.

“Yeah?” Annabeth asks, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“I couldn’t think of anything I want more, Annabeth.” Now that it's right in front of him, he knows that.

iv //

“How is she?”

“Asleep. Both of them.” Piper nods her head towards them; Percy clinging to Annabeth as much as he can in the tiny hospital bed. She winces, seeing the position he’s folded himself into, knowing too well how sore he’ll be in the morning. “Estelle was getting antsy so Sally took her home.”

Jason sits down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“I still can’t believe she walked across the stage at graduation nearly nine months pregnant. I barely left the bed.” It was as much a physical feat as it was an ode to her determination.

“Don’t I know that,” he scoffs jokingly.

It hits Piper that she’s never seen Annabeth this happy. Even the day they got married. And then — she had thought the same thing. It’s something she could get used to; seeing her best friend overwhelmingly happy, with the love of her life, and knowing she has everything she’s ever wanted.

Lyra stirs in her arms, wriggling her tiny limbs within the blanket swaddling her. Piper smiles, shushing her before she even starts to cry. “Don’t you miss when he was little?” She asks, curled up awkwardly in the uncomfortable chair, but cradling the baby in her arms so gently.

Jason’s blunt, yet misinformed response: “Pipes, he’s still a toddler. He’s like half your height.”

She laughs, “This tiny. So tiny you’re amazed it’s even a person. When he could fall asleep in our arms.”

“Huh,” his face softens into a smile, “I guess… wow, he was so small when he was born. Smaller than her.”

“I can’t wait to do it all again.”

“Wait—”

Piper smiles.

He speaks, quieter this time, trying not to wake Percy and Annabeth, “You’re serious?”

She nods, “Yeah. Yeah. I found out this morning. Then Percy called, and it’s just been chaos since then. She doesn’t even know yet.”

Piper can tell it means a lot to him, being the first to know, like it’s a secret between them — secrets were inevitably reserved for Annabeth, as they’d been before.

“I love you. A lot.”

“A lot?” She hums, teasing.

“The most.”

Part Two

#fic #percabeth #jiper #annabeth chase #percy jackson #piper mclean #jason grace #pjo #pjo fic #made #born for this

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flightfoot · 5 years ago

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Many of the side character’s stories and development in Trials of Apollo mirror and support Apollo’s own development

One of the things I love about ToA is how many of the other characters’ stories, their situations, their development, mirrors and compliments Apollo’s own development, reinforcing the story of how Apollo changes from being a selfish, arrogant, shallow, apathetic person, to one of the most selfless, humble, aware, and empathetic people in the Riordanverse.

Meg Mccaffrey

Obviously Meg’s story is the one that mirrors Apollo’s the most. I’ve already talked about this in past analyses however, and it’s so blatantly obvious I don’t want to waste time making a point that I’m sure all my readers already know. Maybe I’ll make another analysis focusing on Meg later, but I’ll skip over her for now.

Calypso

Fairly superficial similarities here. Calypso is also a former immortal who’s learning to deal with the loss of her powers (though not TOTAL loss) and being thrown into the demigod world headfirst. The emotional core of their experiences is different though, since Calypso’s whole thing was that she was trapped on an island (albeit a nice one) under house arrest for thousands of years. Apollo wasn’t really trapped like that. Even saying he was METAPHORICALLY trapped is a bit of a stretch, Zeus doesn’t seem to have been to involved in the day-to-day business of what Apollo got up to.

Lityerses

This one IS fairly similar actually. Lityerses is controlled and manipulated by his father, and it sounds like he’s okay with that - like he’s as bloodthirsty as his father is.

“Right.” He regarded Calypso. “I think I’ll keep you alive long enough to kill you in front of Valdez’s face. That’ll be fun. But this former god here...” Lit shrugged. “I’ll just have to tell the emperor that he resisted arrest.” (TDP 152)

But there are hints that maybe there’s more going on there. His muttering of “I hate that” when Midas casually mentions accidentally turning Lit to gold in The Lost Hero, him being glad that Apollo gave his father donkey ears, his casual mistreatment by Commodus - all of it gives the clues that maybe there’s a REASON for his attitude, for his behavior.

What it does NOT do, however, is hint that Lit could be a better person. None of any of the heroes’ encounters with Lit actually suggests that. That’s a leap of faith that Apollo makes, hoping that MAYBE, just maybe, Lit will be a better person if someone gives him a chance. If someone shows him kindness, helps him when they have no good reason too. He identifies with Lit. The hidden depths that Apollo’s shown as a mortal... they wouldn’t be apparent to a casual observer of him as a god. Heck, APOLLO didn’t know they were there! He’s constantly surprised at himself, at the kind of person he is now, at the sort of things he’ll do. Apollo gives Lit the chance he wants people to give himself, the sort of chance that he didn’t even really realize he needed. Showing him - showing Apollo - showing Lit - that level of kindness, mercy, and concern, when there’s no ulterior motive, showing it just because this is another person, and they haven’t really done anything to ‘earn’ compassion beyond that simple fact - that threw both of them for a loop.

In Apollo’s case, he really started appreciating others compassion in THO, when his children took him in, treated him as family, cared for him, said they’d protect him against anyone who gave him trouble.

“If anyone gives you trouble, Kayla will shoot them. Then I’ll curse them so bad they’ll be speaking rhyming couplets for weeks.”

My eyes watered. Not so long ago - like this morning, for instance - the idea of these young demigods being able to help me would have been ridiculous. Now their kindness moved me more than a hundred sacrificial bulls. I couldn’t recall the last time someone had cared about me enough to curse my enemies with rhyming couplets.

“Thank you.” I managed. I could not add “my children”. These demigods were my protectors and my family, but for the present I could not think of myself as their father. A father should do more - a father should give more to his children than he takes. I have to admit this was a novel idea for me. It made me feel even worse than before. (115)

It makes a difference here that his kids are helping him when he couldn’t offer anything back. If he’d still been a god, he wouldn’t have given their help much thought. He would’ve just thought that he was entitled to it, and that it’s not like he’d REALLY need them anyway. But this? This is different. They’re helping him just because they care - it’s not anything transactional. Apollo isn’t used to thinking about relationships this way - not for the most part anyway. His relationships with Artemis and Leto are solid, and he seems to have genuinely cared for Hyacinthus, genuinely loved him as a person, and cared for Asclepius quite a bit, but aside from that? Not so much. Certainly not caring about someone who’s practically a stranger.

This set an example for Apollo, one that he carries forwards to Lit. Lit also has never been shown this sort of kindness before, kindness when he’s at his most vulnerable, compassion without an expectation of a return, and most especially, compassion when he’s given Apollo and the Waystation residents every reason to reject him. And that compassion is enough to cause him to break down, to rethink his whole stance on life. Seemingly overnight, he changes from being the brutal, cruel killer who would murder Calypso in front of Leo just to hurt him that much more, to being a lost person just looking for something or someone to live for, to fight for. And having found it, he suddenly softens, becoming kinder, more balanced.

But it’s not really an overnight change, is it? This other side has always existed, it’s just been hidden under layers of bravado and cruelty. That’s why both Lit and Apollo are able to change their mindsets so quickly - not all the aspects of what they’ve learned is truly “new”, they just haven’t applied them like this before, or not for a long time. Apollo’s experienced these sorts of caring relationships with Leto and Artemis at least, so they’re not totally a foreign concept. I’m betting in Lit’s case that he and his sister, at least at one point in time, did truly care about each other. The difference is seeing it applied more broadly to themselves by people who don’t already know them well, and then applying it to others that same way in turn.

Piper

Piper’s whole identity crisis has similarities to Apollo’s own. She was thrown into a situation where people expected certain things of her, and she just kinda... conformed to them. Which isn’t to say that she might not have chosen them herself on her own, but she didn’t really get that choice. Now that she has the time and has had a chance to think, she’s trying to find herself, figure out who she is. Her dad being financially ruined throws a wrench into it, but both of them returning to their roots, her father seemingly having more time to spend with her - those aspects are familiar. Apollo’s now figuring out who he is, now that he doesn’t have “being a god” to define him, along with everything else associated with that. His having his godhood stolen, and only now spending time really getting to know his kids and his demigod half-siblings, along with many, many others, is like how Piper’s dad now has time to spend with her, time he didn’t have before - a silver lining in this whole mess.

Apollo’s advice to Piper seems to be talking about himself nearly as much as it’s talking about Piper.

“It’s been my observation,” I said, “that you humans are more than the sum of your history. You can choose how much of your ancestry to embrace. You can overcome the expectations of your family and your society. What you cannot do, and should never do, is try to be someone other than yourself - Piper McLean.” (265)

With how Apollo’s grown throughout the series and ESPECIALLY in TTT, this fits him as well. Apollo is more than the sum of his history, of what he has done, of what has been established by the older gods. He can choose how much of his past - and his family - to embrace, and overcome the expectations of his family, both godly and mortal, and of godly society. And he will do it by being himself, his WHOLE self, including the parts of his being that he’s been nurturing as a mortal, the compassionate, empathetic parts of himself.

Jason

Jason is a little different, because I don’t think his development, his situation parallels Apollo’s CURRENT situation, so much as Apollo’s future development. His willingness to sacrifice himself, to be the one who dies so that his friends can survive, wanting to keep secret about the prophecy so that Piper doesn’t try to stop him, so that hopefully he can keep her safe, even if it means merrily walking to his own death.... I’m expecting Apollo to get into a similar situation in TON. Though there are elements of that he’s already lived through, since he ALREADY chose Meg’s life over his own in TDP, and in TTT, he tried to conceal and downplay just how badly he was hurt to try to stop Meg from worrying as much.

Frank

Frank carries his mortality - the stick that’s attached to his life force - around with him. He’s decided that in order to lead the Legion effectively, he has to put one hundred percent of himself on the line. He can’t let fear hold him back.

Apollo’s mortality is also on the line all the time. Originally he wanted to hide away, to cower behind others so as not to die (not that he actually tended to go THROUGH with it, either because he couldn’t or he wasn’t willing to abandon them) but now? Now he doesn’t even try. He wants to live, that’s true. But he values his companion’s lives more. He won’t hesitate to put himself on the line, to commit himself completely if he believes that it gives them a greater chance of survival.

The greater parallel however comes later, with Apollo’s hypothesis for how Frank survived his stick burning up. He believes that maybe since Frank took charge of his own destiny by willingly sacrificing himself, that he was freed from his old destiny and forged a new one:

“It’s just a guess,” I admitted. “Frank went into that tunnel knowing he might die. He willingly sacrificed himself for a noble cause. In doing so, he broke free of his fate. By burning his own tinder, he kind of… I don’t know, started a new fire with it. He’s in charge of his own destiny now. Well, as much as any of us are. The only other explanation I can think of is that Juno somehow released him from the Fates’ decree.” (393)

I don’t know how plausible this explanation is. Honestly, it kinda sounds like BS to me, especially since Jason did the same thing and HE died. But what’s important here is what APOLLO thinks happened. His explanation says as much about him as it does about what he thinks happened with Frank.

Breaking free of your fate by accepting, by EMBRACING your own mortality, putting everything on the line, sacrificing yourself completely in order to have a shot of stopping your friends from being hurt or killed... it’s similar to what happened with Jason, but with the added twist that Frank survived and started a new story, free of his previous destiny.

The destiny thing is really important. As a god, Apollo’s not ‘supposed’ to be able to change or mature. The gods seem to believe that their nature is more set in stone than mortals are. But Apollo has disproven that. He’s changed a lot, and has continued to change. He’s forging his own destiny, one different than he ever imagined it could be. And maybe, just maybe, one that Zeus won’t have control over. One that’s truly his own.

Don the Faun

Don has only a small role, but what Apollo says about him - what he thinks about him - says a lot.

“Hey, Apollo, you- you know the difference between a faun and a satyr…?”

[…]

A moment later, his body collapsed with a noise like a relieved sigh, crumbling into fresh loam. In the spot where his heart had been, a tiny sapling emerged from the soil. I immediately recognized the shape of those miniature leaves. Not a hemlock. A laurel - the tree I had created from poor Daphne, and whose leaves I had decided to make into wreaths. The laurel, the tree of victory.

One of the dryads glanced at me. “Did you do that…?”

I shook my head. I swallowed the bitter taste from my mouth.

“The only difference between a satyr and a faun,” I said, “is what we see in them. And what they see in themselves. Plant this tree somewhere special.: I looked up at the dryads. “Tend it and make it grow healthy and tall. This was Don the faun, a hero.” (398-399)

Here, Apollo’s noting that the difference between satyrs and fauns are purely societal. That there’s no inherent difference between them. Like the difference between gods and mortals, mentally, isn’t that different. Gods may be more powerful, but they’re still people, like mortals are. The differences between them, psychologically, have more to do with how society sees them, and how they see themselves. Having had his godhood stripped away, this is very apparent to Apollo. Because he’s still himself. A better version of himself, in fact, but that has nothing to do with him being mortal - not in and of itself. But with the things he’s learned as a mortal. He can be a hero, truly. Because he is just as capable of such things as any mortal.

Reyna

And lastly, there’s Reyna. She too, like Frank and Don previously, broke free from expectations to forge her own path.

“My whole life, I’ve been living with other people’s expectations of what I’m supposed to be. Be this. Be that. You know?”

[…]

“But you showed me. When you proposed dating…” She took a deep breath, her body shaking with silent giggles. “Oh, gods. I saw how ridiculous I’d been. How ridiculous the whole situation was. That’s what healed my heart - being able to laugh at myself again, at my stupid ideas about destiny. That allowed me to break free - just like Frank broke free of his firewood. I don’t need another person to heal my heart. I don’t need a partner… at least, not until and unless I’m ready on my own terms. I don’t need to be force-shipped with anyone or wear anybody else’s label. For the first time in a long time, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. So thank you.” (405-406)

Reyna thought that she was supposed to find a partner. Everyone else thought she needed a partner - needed romantic healing. Until Lester asked her out. Until she saw how ridiculous it was to let others expectations - or curses, or whatever you’d call Venus’s little prophecy - control her life.

Apollo has a similar thing going on with letting expectations about what he’s supposed to do, about who he’s supposed to be, control what he does - or did, at least. I’ve gone over that already, so I’ll skip past that.

But the romantic angle? About thinking - or having others think - that she needs to be healed romantically? That also falls in line with Apollo’s development. Apollo’s had a LOT of romantic relationships, and a decent number of them have ended in disaster. He seems to be convincing himself that some romance will “fix” things, like with how he convinced himself that getting together with the Cumaean Sibyl would fix things:

But that wasn’t enough for me. I was smitten. I convinced myself it was love - the one true romance that would wash away all my past missteps. I wanted the Sibyl to be my partner throughout eternity. As the afternoon went on, I coaxed and pleaded. (131)

But he wasn’t in love with her, not truly, or his love wouldn’t have turned to hate so fast when she refused him. He just really WANTED it to be a shining romance, one that would finally fix things.

He actually does seem to be finding this sort of fulfillment now, but not with romantic relationships - with more platonic, familial relationships instead, such as with Meg.

I’d always wondered what it would be like to have a younger sibling. Sometimes I’d treated Artemis as my baby sister, since I’d been born a few minutes earlier, but that had been mostly to annoy her. With Meg, I felt as if it was actually true. I had someone who depended on me, who needed me around no matter how much we irritated each other. I thought about Hazel and Frank and the washing away of curses. I supposed that kind of love could come from many different types of relationships. (192)

I don’t think he’s realized it yet, but in a way, Meg seems to be “washing away” his curse of loneliness, of feeling empty. Taking care of her, connecting with her, bantering with her - this is what he needed. To be a protector. To be a friend. Romance is fine, but they’re not the only fulfilling sorts of relationships.

Honestly with Reyna and Piper both taking a break from romance in order to find themselves, I think that Apollo may lay off the romance for a bit after ToA’s over, work on his more platonic relationships instead. I don’t think he’d swear it off, but maybe look for something more steady than he was before. And with the experiences he’s had as a mortal, I think he could better recognize truly serious love versus a temporary infatuation.

Final Thoughts

I really love how focused this series is on developing Apollo! A lot of aspects of this series seem geared to do that, from who the antagonists are and how they act, to the storylines of the side characters. It allows a level of development for Apollo that’s deeper and more nuanced than with any of Rick’s previous protagonists, even Percy. I look forward to seeing how Rick will conclude his development. If his writing for Apollo in TON is as solid as for previous entries, I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

#ttt spoilers #the tyrant's tomb #trials of apollo #toa spoilers #the trials of apollo #analysis #my post #apollo #lester papadopoulos

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sonofsallyjackson · 5 years ago

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Family Never Truly Leaves Us: Chapter 1 featuring Baby Lost Trio

AO3

Summary: Thalia Grace was very good at finding her family. Keeping that family together was a completely different story. Her first family collapsed when her brother’s disappearance became too much to bear. She died for her second family, only to wake up years later and not recognize them anymore. Her third family is literally twenty-odd teenagers and an immortal virgin goddess, but she’s never been one for traditional.

AN: Basically this is a three part story that was inspired by @silima’s incredible art of the lost trio together as kids. I mean just look at it. Baby Piper, Leo and Jason are absolutely adorable and deserved to be celebrated. However, this turned into a Thalia piece and the three different families she’s made for herself. As I initially planned to have this chapter out by Jason’s birthday and it’s now the last hours of Leo’s, I cannot hope to have the next section up by Annabeth’s birthday even if that’s my unofficial deadline.

Thalia Grace was very good at finding her family. Keeping that family together was a completely different story.

Her first family was one pulled together just as much biologically as it had been by circumstance. Beryl Grace lacked the maternal instinct necessary to be a good mother, but she did have a strong ability for finding people who might be useful to her. Of course, her definition of useful was particularly fickle. Some days useful meant the literal king of the gods, who she would beg to make her queen of his dominion, to revere her above all others. Other days it meant the personal assistant, all too willing to fill their mansion with a never-ending supply of alcohol. On the best days, it brought Tristan Mclean, Esperanza Valdez and their children into their lives.

Beryl had mocked her agent at first. You really couldn’t get me anything better? The Oscar committee hates fantasy. But she had wanted to dive back into the world of Hollywood elite where she belonged. She wanted to prove that her second child didn’t mean she had let herself go or was less worthy of the public’s adoration. If anything Beryl claimed to six-year-old Thalia, I’m more worthy. Who can say they’ve attracted a god twice?

They met in the middle, as Beryl Grace’s fame was crashing, and Tristan Mclean's was preparing for a meteoric rise. He'd worked with the director on a few minor projects, but it was his first starring role in such a big-budget film. Regardless, it had taken a little convincing. After all, he was a single father with a daughter under the age of two, and his closest family was halfway across the country. But the director was insistent, sending scripts, pictures of the prototype animatronic dragons, and finally, a pretty young woman from the special effects department who also had a little kid. Esperanza Valdez and her honest approach to how she was handling her "tornado with legs" did more to calm his fears than anything else did. Tristan signed on enthusiastically after making sure childcare was handled.

Beryl Grace didn’t bother to consider something as bland as childcare. After all, she accumulated a list of nannies over the years. No one stuck around very long. The latest, Mrs. Costa, thought their house was haunted. She didn’t like the way wind danced through the house or the lightning that flashed even when the sky was completely clear. One day Mrs. Costa ran out of the house, screaming that the baby was floating and needed to be exorcised.

"I don't have time to be dealing with this, Thalia." Beryl snapped as if this was all Thalia’s fault. “I’m calling the studio.”

It turned out the studio had no problem with adding two more children to their makeshift daycare. Beryl Grace dropped them off at Tristan Mclean’s trailer, apologizing all the way as she runs to makeup. The trailer was a mess of children’s toys and storybooks. Thalia was not impressed, but Jason squealed excitedly at the other children already on the floor. The girl definitely dressed herself, decked out as she was in a rainbow tutu, a camo t-shirt and rainboots despite the fact they’re in the middle of a drought. The boy didn’t say anything but offered Jason the red block he’d previously been playing with. He’s smaller than Jason, with dark curly hair and an infectious smile. Thalia’s never felt more out of place as she watches the three of them play. She’s used to being Jason’s whole world, the one who always keeps him entertained and safe. The blond intern boredly watching them, jumped to her feet as the door opened again. A woman slightly younger than her mother with dark skin and twinkling brown eyes smiled at her easily.

"Thanks so much for covering for me, Sarah. We should be good to go. I only had to explain the controls about six times to Pat.”

"Really, Esperanza? They're letting Pat handle it." There's clear annoyance in her voice, but she also seems resigned to the fact.

"It turns out being the producer's son has its perks." Esperanza patted Sarah's shoulder encouragingly. "If it were up to me, you'd be the one running it.”

“I’ll come get you if we run into problems, but I think you’re good to stay with the kids.” Sarah glanced in Thaila’s direction as if to remind her boss of their unusual charges.

“Well, you’ll know where to find me.”

After Sarah had left, Esperanza set her walkie talkie on the table before kneeling down, so she was eye to eye with Thalia. "Hello Mija, you must be Thalia. I don't know what your mother told you, but my name is Esperanza. I’m going to be looking after you and your brother today.”

Thalia nodded uncertainly. She was used to new people coming into their lives, but that didn't mean she liked it. And she knew all too well, that even the people with the brightest smiles could bring trouble.

"The other little munchkins are Piper and Leo." Piper didn't even react to her name as she was too busy building a tower, so a giggling Jason could knock it over. Leo, on the other hand, gave his Mama a curious glance before promptly shoving a block in his mouth.

“Jason tries to eat everything too!” Thalia said with a slight laugh.

“They tend to do that at this age. It helps them explore their world better.” Esperanza gently encouraged Leo to take it out only to have her son holding tightly to her like a spider monkey.

Thalia sort of understood that. She didn’t understand the world either, but she didn’t think knowing how blocks tasted really made Jason any more of an expert.

“Most of the toys we have are meant for someone their age, but I’m sure we can find something for you to play with.”

In the end, Thalia settled down with a stack of paper and crayons. She sat as close to Jason as possible, just on the outside of the trio’s little circle. Even though she already felt like Esperanza was better at keeping an eye on Jason than Mrs. Costa, Thalia continually checked in on her brother, although her glances slowly subside from one for every new line she added to her drawing to only when she grabbed a new crayon or when one of the kids let out an indignant squawk or a giggle.

When Piper requested a song for naptime, it’s easy to slip into a gentle sleep until the trailer door opened, and Thalia heard her mother's voice.

Beryl fluttered her eyelashes at Tristan as she leaves exaggerated kisses on her children’s heads. “I really can’t thank you enough for helping today.”

He let out the hearty genuine laugh that he’ll be known for one day. “It was all Esperanza, really.” He said as he offered the other woman a smile. “In this industry, single parents need to stick together. Helping out for the week is the least we can do.”

It ended up being much more than a week.

Many days on set are often the same as their first, although a collection of toy cars, a robot, and a pair of lightsabers are added to the more toddler-friendly options. There are days when the kids are so full of energy there’s no possible way to stay in the trailer. The trio ran laps around the trailer or race between wherever Thalia and Esperanza are standing.

Sometimes if they promise to be good, they even go on adventures to see different parts of the studio lot. The women in the hair and makeup department dote on Piper. Leo is happiest in his mother’s workshop. Jason proclaimed he wants to be exactly like the stunt actors, which made Thalia’s heart skip a beat. Despite all of the cool things she’s seen on set, Thalia loved the days they watch their parents act the most. When Thalia watched her mother, she felt like she understands why Beryl is so determined to make it here. She thrived in front of the lights and camera. There's an ease to her smiles that Thalia hasn’t seen since her father left.

After one late-night shoot where the children all slept over in the Mclean house, the families traded the trailer for their homes. Esperanza's schedule barely overlapped with the other two. She got to set early to set up her machines, or she went later for the nightly repairs. In the hours where makeup calls overlapped with set-up, a tired production assistant lazily watched the kids in Tristan’s trailer. There are days where Beryl filmed, and Tristan didn't, and vice versa. Days when Tristan took all four children because Esperanza needed to get some decent sleep. They look out for each other. While Beryl was not thrilled about the idea of two additional kids in her house, it’s a lot easier to keep a babysitter than a nanny.

Undoubtedly, this strategy would have been completely impossible if the three toddlers hadn't been friends. Luckily, the kids got along almost too well. Even if they saw each other nearly every day, separating them was a nightmare. They also were more than willing to help out in each other's schemes. Jason’s determination to put absolutely everything in his mouth had only grown as he got older. Sure things kept falling off of high shelves as if pushed by some invisible force, but Thalia thought she’d probably be able to handle that if it hadn’t been for Leo. He was a week younger, but when he got the occasional look of mischief on his chubby face, Thalia knew it was over. She’d walked in from school twice now to find Jason chewing on something she knew was in one of the locked cabinets and Leo proudly smiling on the counter.

Of course all good things come to an end. Thalia worried that with no movie bonding the three families together, everything would fall apart, that she and Jason would be left to their own devices. She realized she shouldn’t have worried when Beryl mentioned they’re spending the Premiere night at the Valdez’s. Three assistants needed to sew Beryl into a form-fitting dress with embroidery that looks like the night stars. Her mother may have looked radiant on the red carpet, but Thalia preferred Esperanza’s mismatched pajamas and the genuine smiles she gave as she tucks the four of them in.

In the end, the film flopped. The only things critics deemed worthy of any praise are Esperanza’s mechanical dragons. The fans seem to prefer the shirtless Tristan Mclean scenes. It had the potential to be a cult classic one day, but Beryl Grace didn’t care about being famous someday. She wanted the world now when she’s young and beautiful. She already deserved the world.

It was probably for the best that Beryl misses most of the party. It's the easy sort of affair that she would hate. She's always been one for spectacle, and three kids sitting in highchairs flinging red frosting at each other was not a spectacle. She chose her career over her son’s third birthday. It didn’t even surprise Thalia anymore.

“You know I can’t Thalia. My agent says this is a big opportunity we’ve been waiting for. I just know it’s the one.” Beryl said as she pulled up to the Valdez’s apartment building.

Thalia didn’t mention that every audition, every lunch, every cocktail hour seemed to be the one lately. Her mother is frazzled in a way she’s never seen her before. She hasn’t accepted that there is no new movie coming. A new blonde-haired, blue-eyed ingenue showed up in Hollywood every day, and they’re almost all younger and easier to work with than Beryl Grace.

“I’ll be there later, Sweetie.” She handed Thalia a disposable camera. “You’ll just have to show me what I miss.”

It’s almost funny how their birthdays align so perfectly. Piper’s is in June and Leo and Jason’s a week apart. They held the party together since the kids wouldn't know differently anyway. Unlike Beryl, Tristan took the day off from auditions. Esperanza had already spent the entire night before making enough food for an army.

Thalia blew up a hundred silver balloons, never realizing that an eight-year-old should have been out of breath much sooner and that without helium, her balloons should stay firmly on the ground. Some of them do, but most float easily around the apartment. Piper and Leo bounced one back and forth to each other, giggling the entire time. Jason practically pounced on one and tries to eat it. It pops beneath him, which seemed to be enough to convince him not to put this strange thing in his mouth. He joined the other two, although he took great pleasure in hitting the balloon as hard as he can at Thalia to convince her to join them.

There’s easy laughter, homemade tamales, and little shouts of “Tree! Tree! Tree!” as the birthday kids marched around the room, announcing their age proudly for everyone to hear despite not mastering the sound an h makes. The pictures Thalia took are more for herself then Beryl, to remind herself of how happy she was. This is probably for the best as Beryl never asks to look at the pictures.

Maybe in another world, Thalia would feel like it was impossible to go to school, to leave Jason alone with their mother or the nanny of the month for the day. But in this world, Thalia has other adults in her corner. The three children stayed together in a play-pin in Esperanza’s workshop or Tristan’s office as he looked for his next big role. It wasn’t an ideal scenario since by the time they were three and a half, they were more than capable of making a break for it. But they’d learned early not to touch anything besides their toys, that masterful escapes were meant for playing in the yard or for grabbing extra crayons and that if necessary the parents could find other arrangements, potentially separate arrangements. Personal assistants and nannies filled in where the parents couldn’t, but these had been hired by parents who actually cared about their children.

School was hard enough in this world where the letters floated off the page, and Thalia couldn't sit still, so Thalia truly couldn’t imagine a worse one. But after school, when there were no glowering teachers or odd children with one eye, Thalia relaxed. She sat at the short wooden table in whoever’s living room they were staying at for the day and stubbornly work on her homework as Leo put together puzzles, and Piper roped Jason into creating larger than life storylines for her Barbies.

Piper seemed to know when her homework made her want to scream because she would ask in her sweetest voice, “Tally, play now?”

“Who am I today, Pipes?”

Jason might try to hand her the doll he'd previously been sucking on, but usually, Piper had something very specific in mind. There’s Sofia, the redheaded murder suspect complete with purple crayon scars. Or Ama, the princess in disguise that Jason attacked with a pair of safety scissors, so she's almost bald. Or a million other characters with intricate backstories.

Piper occasionally needed to pause their play because “Jason was doing it all wrong” or because she needed to ask Leo to build their characters a castle out of Legos. But overall, Thalia could play with the kiddos for hours after school.

Occasionally things were bad. Beryl would be sent home from a shoot early, alcohol heavy on her breath. Daytime soap actresses were a dime a dozen, and no one had the patience for a woman past her prime who could barely remember her lines and couldn't even stand without swaying. (Beryl’s character was given a brain tumor to explain her behavior and allow the writers time to get rid of the fan favorite.) Those days featured doors slamming and screaming. If they’re at the Grace Mansion, Thalia made sure the kiddos were safely out of sight and occupied, before ducking behind the kitchen counter so she can call for reinforcements. Mostly though, she found about these sorts of days after the fact, when Tristan’s assistant drove the two of them home, and there would be broken glasses and picture frames with their mother passed out in her bedroom.

Despite this, Thalia grew up loved, even if that love didn’t come from her biological parents. Tristan tried to entice her to read even though it's hard. He pretended he needed someone to run lines with and encouraged Thalia to be as dramatic as possible. Somehow it didn’t matter that the words are swimming in front of her, she’s only nine, and the idea of collapsing dramatically into fake tears is so much more powerful than her fear of getting something wrong. It certainly helped that her captive audience of toddlers seems to love everything she did. Piper and Jason always seemed to giggle when she reads the lines in a sing-song voice, so Thalia goes out of her way to do it, even when the part didn’t call for it. Esperanza played rock music that allowed Thalia to scream out her frustration and dance around the kitchen in the Valdez apartment. It's a wild mass of limbs, and she doesn’t even know which language Leo is yelling in half the time. But it feels right. She has a family that loves her.

When they moved out of the mansion into a cramped apartment, Thalia told herself it didn't matter. This cold house with its glass walls and minimalist furnishings never really felt like home. The new apartment sort of did after Thalia covered her side of the room in scotch tape and pictures. She's collected evidence of everything her mother missed during her auditions, her soap operas, and eventually her hours as a waitress. There's Tristan playing ring-around-the-Rosie, and Piper refusing to wear anything not dinosaur themed. Jason smiling despite his stitches because he tried to eat a stapler. Leo stands proudly in front of his first project, little wrench still in hand. There's a slightly blurry picture of Esperanza teaching her how to make enchiladas. Thalia captured everything. Maybe someday her mother would see them and be sorry she missed this.

On Thalia’s 10th birthday, her mother didn’t give her a gift. It’s almost like she can’t see her anymore. Beryl spent the entire day reminiscing about Zeus. Thalia is not her own person. She’s her father’s black hair and startling blue eyes. She has Zeus’ determined face and his chin. Thalia is proof that in the long scheme of things, Beryl has won, won the affection of a god, and that no matter how much further they fall, no one can take that prize away from her.

Thalia didn’t particularly like the idea of being the child of a god, especially since she hasn’t seen her father since Jason was born. She wasn’t sure she truly believed it either. It seemed like just another fantasy Beryl latched onto the idea in a drunken haze. Thalia barely saw her mother sober anymore. If she was a child of a god, Thalia should feel powerful and important. Instead, she's just alone with her baby brother on her birthday.

She got birthday phone calls from both the Mcleans and the Valdezs, but they’re not here. It’s three days before Christmas after all. Esperanza’s extended family in Texas took the holiday very seriously, and Tristan finally had a long enough break from shooting to go home to Oklahoma. She smiled brightly when they gave her presents later, a leather jacket and extra cameras, and doesn’t tell them the truth that even thinking about her birthday made her heart ache.

In the weeks leading up to Jason’s fifth birthday, Beryl got worse. She didn’t acknowledge her children, wandering the house in a daze, muttering under her breath.

Thalia put on a brave face and told Jason, “Mom’s just practicing for a new role,” but she was terrified.

Thalia saw her arguing with people who aren’t there, her mother’s eyes wide and tortured. None of her pleas made any sense. "No, you can't have him. I need more time." “He’s my son, not hers! You didn’t even let me name him.” “Why can’t you protect us?”

Jason nearly threw a tantrum when Beryl suggested they have a birthday picnic. “No! We always celebrate with Piper and Leo!”

Thalia glared at her mother before kneeling to face her brother. "We'll see them tomorrow, Jay. But for now, we'll go see the woods and the stars. You'll be able to run around as much as you want."

“Really? As much as I want?”

Thalia almost groaned, knowing she'll regret those words later. She’ll have to chase him down, and Jason runs like he's practically flying.

Beryl gave her a grateful look, but Thalia didn’t return it. Sure her mother was making an effort, but they both deserve so much more after everything she has put them through.

Jason was the only one to speak the entire drive to the state park. He sang the alphabet about six times and twinkle-twinkle little star twice. But he never stopped talking, not even as Thalia unbuckled him from his car seat, and the three of them walked through the state park.

Beryl’s hands shook as she set their picnic basket by the pond. “Sweetheart, I think we forgot the blanket. Why don’t you run back to the car and grab it?”

“Sure,” Thalia shrugged. “Jason, why don’t you come with me?”

He looked ready to shout that he’ll “race her back” when Beryl put an arm around his shoulder, a sickly-sweet smile on her face. “Really, Thalia. I can watch my own son for two minutes.”

Thalia swallowed. She seemed more put together today, but her mother is an actress, and appearances can be misleading. Thalia practically ran from their spot near the ruins to the car.

It took a few minutes to realize there was no picnic blanket. Thalia wanted to think it's a coincidence that Beryl actually thought they brought the blanket, but the sinking feeling in her stomach let her know it was likely always a distraction, a wild goose chase to get her away from Jason.

Thalia slammed the trunk of the car closed. Ten minutes. How much trouble could her mother cause in ten minutes? She ran until her lungs hurt, her heart throbbing in her chest. The path was uneven under her worn-out sneakers. Thalia tripped over a tree root and barely noticed her scraped knee as she set off again. It felt hard to breathe, but Thalia isn't sure if that's coming from her worry or her running.

Upon first glance, the meadow with the ruins of the old house was empty. As Thalia got closer, she saw her mother hunched over on the ground. Beryl was sobbing like she would never run out of tears. She’s alone.

Thalia couldn’t help but shake her mother desperately, “What’d you do? Where is he? How could you?” The questions rolled out of her uncontrollably.

She was barely gone ten minutes, but it felt like something has drastically changed.

“Hera claimed him. He’s as good as dead.” Beryl was able to manage between sobs.

Her mother had no right to cry. She didn’t know Jason, not really, not the way Thalia did. She didn’t know that Jason liked to pretend he can fly and preferred the Buzz Lightyear band-aids when he inevitably scrapes himself up jumping from furniture or the playground equipment to demonstrate. She didn’t know that Jason liked to build block towers just as much as Piper did, but he liked knocking them over more because he got to roar like a dinosaur or howl like a wolf. She didn’t know about the bird’s nest Jason decided to camp outside protecting because he was worried the mama bird wouldn’t come back. Thalia knows those things. She thinks he’s the most important person in the universe and now he’s gone.

They stayed for two hours. Thalia combed every inch of the area, looked behind every tree, in every bush. She screamed Jason’s name until she can’t anymore. When Beryl dragged her away from the site, Thalia didn’t even have the energy to fight her.

The drive home was oddly silent without Jason’s chatter.

Beryl disappeared into the confines of her bedroom as soon as they got home. She would wallow in her own grief away from her remaining child. Beryl knew Thalia deserved to be comforted, but she also knew that people seldom got what they deserved.

Thalia ran to her spot behind the kitchen counter. She wished it was a normal day as she picked up the phone. She wanted to just be able to call Esmeralda and tell her that her mother was having a rough day, to ask that someone come pick up Jason and her. But this time was different. This time Thalia calls 911.

The police cars pulled up to their apartment in a flurry of sound and lights. Thalia can’t move from her spot behind the counter even when they demanded someone open the door. She hugged herself tightly as her mother opened the door.

"Really, Officer, I don't understand what the problem is," Beryl said earnestly but firmly kept them outside.

“We have a report of a missing child from a Miss Thalia Grace.”

Thalia can’t see her mother’s face, but her mask must not firmly be in place. They knew something was wrong, even as Beryl attempted to push them away. "Oh, that's just my daughter. What a frightful imagination she has. I'm sure it's nothing, Officers. I'm sorry for bothering-.”

A female officer cut off Beryl's apology. "Even If it's just a simple mistake, it's still best that we talk to her. We'll even let her know that this isn't the sort of thing to joke about."

Thalia felt her tears grow heavier at that. There is no way she could ever joke about this, not with a memory of her baby brother singing twinkle twinkle little star running through her head.

The officer walked past a reluctant Beryl into the apartment. Her partner, a Hispanic man with greying hair, stayed with her mother as she sought out Thalia. The blonde woman didn't need to look far before she found her curled in a ball in the corner against the lower cabinets. Thalia was a mess, covered in scrapes and dirt from her time spent searching for her brother. The officer gingerly sat down across from her.

“You must be Thalia. I’m Officer Joan. You did a really good job calling us tonight. I know you told the person on the phone a little bit of what happened, but can you tell me everything please?”

Thalia’s words spilled out of her, a desperate flood of information on the off chance that literally anything is even the slightest bit helpful in finding Jason. She didn’t know if these people even can help. This felt strange, like her one-eyed classmates or her mother begging people who aren’t there, but Thalia needed them to be able to do the impossible anyway. She won’t ever forgive herself if the police could have done something and they didn’t

When she finished, Officer Joan nodded to her partner before helping Thalia to her feet. "Now, I know this isn't going to be fun, but we need to take your mom to the station so we can ask her more questions.

Thalia nodded, slightly unsure. She understood, but every second that someone wasn’t looking for her brother was time he could spend hurt. Why weren’t they moving faster?

“Do you have someone you can stay with while we do that? A relative?”

When the police car pulled up to the Valdez apartment, it is seven hours since she last saw her brother. Thalia thinks it isn’t possible to cry anymore. She’s done almost nothing but cry since Jason disappeared. She used up all her tears.

Esperanza answered the door with a look of confusion on her face. Her curls were already wrapped in a purple headscarf. Her fingers kept her thin robe closed over her nightdress. The look of confusion turned to one of worry when she saw Thalia. Officer Joan briefly explained the situation, but Esperanza never truly took her eyes off Thalia’s face.

“Tally!” Leo exclaimed as he saw the people at the front door. He peered around their legs eagerly before the smile fell from his face. “Where’s Jay?”

Thalia broke down into a fresh set of tears.

“Leo, why don’t you go pick out another book to read while I get Thalia settled?” The little boy looked confused. Thalia and Jason were a package set. If Thalia was here, his best friend should be too.

Esperanza pulled Thalia into a tight hug. "Oh, sweetheart, everything's going to be alright. You just let it out. I know it's been a hard day."

Esperanza maneuvered the two of them, so they're sitting on the sagging couch, all the while clutching her tightly. Esperanza wrapped her in a blanket and fixed some hot chocolate before she finally left to put Leo to bed.

After Leo’s safely asleep, Esperanza came back with a washcloth and a glass of water. She doesn’t force Thalia to say anything. She merely wiped away the grime of the day from her face before gently helping the girl lay down with her head in Esperanza’s lap. She ran her fingers through Thalia’s short hair until the girl settled into an uneasy sleep.

The police come back the next day. She remembered getting frustrated that they were here again, asking her the same questions instead of being out there finding her brother, but the rest of the interview is a blur. She sat on the couch, watching the rain pound harshly against the glass. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and Thalia prayed to whoever may be listening that Jason is somewhere safe and dry. The thunder didn’t stop all day.

Her mother must have been sober enough to give the performance of her life because she wasn't charged for Jason's disappearance. There is no body. It's Thalia's word against hers, and Thalia was just a kid. Still, the papers had a field day. “Who is Beryl Grace’s super-secret custody agreement with?” “Did Disgraced Soap Opera Star Kill Her Own Son?” “Where is Jason Grace?” Her brother’s face smiled at her on the cover of tabloids for weeks, and it just felt like too much.

Thalia tried to stay. She really did. She barely entered the apartment that she shared with her mother, instead crashing on Esperanza’s couch or the guest room in the Mclean house. These people seem to understand, at least. They’ve seen Beryl Grace at her worst. They believe Thalia without question. Although after Tristan gets reprimanded for drawing negative attention to himself, they don’t press the issue publicly anymore. No one says it, but the odds are Jason is dead already.

Thalia pretends she doesn’t hear Esperanza and Tristan’s frantic whispers late at night, knowing they’re talking about what to do with her. She ripped down every photo she ever put on her bedroom wall the one time she can bring herself to go back inside the room she shared with her brother. She can’t look at them, can’t see Jason grinning back at her with a red party hat holding up three fingers proudly or Jason making funny faces with Piper and Leo, without wanting to scream. Thalia tried to avoid looking at Piper and Leo’s disappointed faces. They don’t understand what’s happening, but their best friend is gone. Their little questions of “But is Jay coming back tomorrow?” break her heart. She can’t bear to stay here, but she also has nowhere else to go.

In the end, Thalia didn’t make the decision to leave so much as the monsters did.

She noticed the looming shadows before she saw them. Thalia ducked behind a mailbox to get a better look at them. They're over double her size, with wild eyes, pointy teeth, and hairy arms covered in tattoos. Their clothes wouldn’t look too out of place at a rock concert if it weren’t for their necklaces. The giants proudly wore chains with everything from beaded necklaces to gleaming weapons attached to it. Souvenirs, Thalia thought to herself. The spoils of war from the people who they killed before. She would not let herself be next.

“The hero is close. Their scent is strong.”

Thalia did not feel like a hero, especially as she studied the swords and spears that rattle against their chests. She’s only ten years old, but no one else on the street seemed to notice them.

"You better be right, brother. Halfblood is a treat, but I'm hungry now." Scraps of blood-soaked denim clung to the ogre's face.

Would they just eat whoever they come across if she didn’t come forward? This is a busy road, only a few blocks from the school. They could grab anyone; her classmates are at risk the longer she stays hidden. She knows in her bones that she’s the person they’re looking for. She may not know the word “Halfblood," but it felt right to her. Thalia wished she was in a position where she could fight, where she could leap up and just fight them. But all she has is a backpack, and as scary as math is, she didn’t think her textbook can do much damage.

Thalia was so absorbed in trying to think of an escape plan, something that both didn't draw attention to herself and minimized the casualties, that she didn't notice the hand inching toward the mailbox until it was too late. She jumped back.

The giants leered at her. “Little hero. I see we won’t have to wait long for dinner.”

She’s not an especially fast runner, but she is small enough to maneuver quickly, to change paths even as they lumbered toward her. They recognized that they could not win on speed alone. They use the very features of the street as projectiles. The giants lift cars as if they weigh nothing. Shop awnings fall in their grasp. Thalia did everything she could to avoid them.

Still, it was not enough. The stoplight may not have hit her, but she needed extra time to jump around it to avoid the sparks flying off it. It was time she did not have to lose.

Thalia can’t explain why she did it. Her back was against the rough concrete wall. She was out of options. So Thalia raised her right hand and directed it toward the closer giant. She just wanted a way out of here, any way. The lightning flashed until there was nothing left of the giant but the smell of burning flesh and his spoils of war.

“Child of Zeus, you shall pay for that.” He lunged for her, but missed, his hand impeding deep into the wall behind her.

Thalia swallowed, surprised despite the absurdity of her current situation that her mother was telling the truth. A god. Her father really had been a god. After Jason had disappeared, Thalia had completely dismissed the notion. What sort of god didn’t even protect his own son?

"I will have revenge, godling." The remaining giant ripped one of the streetlamps up from the base. It flew to her left, even if the miss was a little too close for comfort.

Thalia tried to recreate the feeling, the tug in her stomach, but no matter what she did, she could not summon more lightning. She had another option, though. The giant may have disappeared, but his necklace of souvenirs had not.

Thalia tugged a spear loose from the chain. It feels right in her hand.

“There is no escape, little hero. I will feast on your bones.”

Thalia didn’t have any time to think as the monster stalked forward. There was no time to worry about all the ways this can go wrong, that she's never held a spear, let alone thrown one. She flung the spear with all her might, hoping it would go straight.

Amazingly it did, and the Laistrygonian howled as he disappeared.

Even as the ogre crumbled into dust, Thalia kept panicking. He said her scent was strong, which meant more monsters would be coming. What would happen if she was with Piper and Leo next time? They were just little kids. Plus, Tristan and Esperanza had gone out of their way since they’d met to make sure that she was safe and loved. It wasn’t fair to involve them or put them at risk.

Thalia couldn't be here the next time a monster attacked. She wasn't going to let them get hurt. Thalia couldn't watch someone else she loved die and know she could have prevented it. She had to gather some supplies first, but then she was leaving. If the price to pay for her family’s safety was never seeing them again, she’d gladly pay it.

#pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo/hoo #hoo #thalia grace #jason grace #leo valdez #piper mclean #my fic #Esperanza Valdez #because she's an icon in this #silima #moh tag #because I think you told people it was alright to tag you in content we hoped people would see #my writing

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cabinofimagines · 6 years ago

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Our road back home (Piper Mclean x Male!reader)

A/N: Y’ALL THIS IS THE LAST REQUEST I HAD IN LINE IM SO PROUD OF MYSELF, hope u like it, I made it very sad. -Danny c:

Words: 1,755

Warnings: none, besides bad writing lol

Request: May I request a Piper x Male!reader - maybe in the last war is where the reader is holding onto dear life, and Piper now holding on to him- trying to charm speak him to keep going as they battle is waging but is forced to leave them to keep fighting, and somebody else has to take him for to get treated. And with the major head trauma his memory goes fuzzy and can’t recall Piper anymore.

“I’m sorry...”

Piper never thought this could happen, somewhere inside her, even if it was silly, she expected her mom could do an exception, after all she did for her, she wanted nothing but a happily ever after.

But it wasn’t there.

Y/N was the best. He was sweet, smart, pretty... How could this happen to him? it wasn’t his fault, everyone suffered, people lost more than what they could stand after the war, to think that she was safe from the pain was too naive.

He got hurt during the last minutes, Piper found him by her side, blood coming out in excessive amounts from his head, she got scared, fought to keep him standing and “Please,” she muttered on his ear, “please don’t close your eyes”

I worked once with Jason, it had to work with Y/N, there was no other option. Piper loved him. Love conquered all.

Or so she thought.

Will and Kayla practically had to rip him from her hands, they wanted to help but she didn’t have the mind to understand. She saw red. Jason and Nico had to grab her by the arms and pull her apart while she screamed. He wasn’t dead. Y/N couldn’t be dead.

She had lost one of her best friends, and with Leo away she couldn’t bear to lose Y/N so she prayed to all the gods known, she prayed for his life. Surprisingly the listened and obliged. Piper heard Will’s voice coming out of his cabin, his blond curls peeking through the door with a shy smile on his face, and the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders.

Y/N was unconscious at the time, but he looked okay, even cute. Most importantly, he was breathing. She stayed there for what it felt like days and nights compressed into one hour; until Y/N moved quietly in his bed, blinking slowly, showing his bright, cheery eyes.

“Hey, you” Piper whispered, wiping her tears away, “how ya feeling?”

“I’m throwing up any minute now,” He complained in a husky voice, “holy Hades, what the hell happened?”

“A monster hit you” she explained patiently, “you were bleeding. A lot. Thought I’d lost you”

She reached to touch his cheek, but Y/N pushed it away gently, looking around.

“I’m sorry, “ He said, “am I in the Apollo cabin?”

“Yes,” Piper frowned, not sure of what was going on inside his head.

“Alright, one thing at a time” He rubbed his eyes, then looked at her curiously, “you’re new. Are you the person in charge of my recovery?”

“What?”

“Hey Y/N, you’re up!” Kayla approached the boy with a glass of nectar, handing it to him, “how are you?”

“I’m fine” He retorted, sipping his drink carefully, “I mean I have no idea how I ended up in here, but yeah I guess I’m fine.”

“What?” Kayla looked at Piper, “What does he mean?”

“I-I don’t know”

Y/N snorted.

“What a good healer you are then, having no idea what is wrong with me.”

“She’s not your healer” Kayla replied in a stern voice, “Piper’s your girlfriend.”

Y/N choked on his nectar, his eyes widening at the news.

“She’s my what?!”

“You don’t remember?” His friend asked in utter surprise, “oh man, we need Will”

She ran out of the room, leaving Piper and Y/N alone, again. A heavy silence fell around them and the weight that was no longer on Piper’s shoulders fell right on her stomach, it was way worse like this.

“Y/N, what’s the last thing you remember?” She asked softly.

“I-uh... I know I’m a demigod, and I have no family. I’ve been living here all my life and fought in the war against Kronos. Then Percy disappeared and Annabeth went nuts...”

“And?”

“Another war against other demigods, we protected camp while some of us went on a quest” He frowned profusely, “I’m skipping things, aren’t I? Did the war happen? That’s the reason I’m here, right?”

“I was one of the demigods that went on the quest” she replied with a shaky voice, “and when I came back you started talking to me, and... we...”

“Kayla’s telling the truth?” Y/N stared at her, it was hard to see how distant his eyes could look, “we were a thing?”

“We are a thing, Y/N!” Piper stood up, “gods, I can’t have this, please don’t joke like this” she begged.

“I’m not joking!” the boy replied, shifting uncomfortably on his bed, “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you.”

Will came in right on time to see Piper walking out, fighting against her tears. Y/N didn’t have to see her so affected, he didn’t know. He didn’t remember.

Leo had sent a message a week ago, he was alive. He was lost but looked completely okay. He’d be back any day, they just had to be patient. Piper trusted him enough to know Leo’d go back. She wished she could say the same about Y/N.

“There you are,” Hazel sat next to her, sinking her feet on the sand, “you didn’t have breakfast and is time for lunch, here” She handed her an apple.

“You didn’t have to”

“Oh I did, cause see, Piper, if people don’t eat, they die” She joked, patting on her back.

“Gee, how wise” She smirked, “I’m sorry, I guess I’ve been distant with... well, everyone”

“I understand” Hazel nodded, “how is he?”

Piper shrugged, the feeling in her stomach coming back in full force, “dunno, I don’t really talk to him, it’s kind of... well, it sucks”

Her friend nodded again, grabbing her by the shoulder in a protective way.

“He’s very sorry, Piper. I mean, he’s confused as hell but you can tell he hates hurting you, maybe something inside him tells him is wrong”

“I don’t want to think about it,” she said bitterly, “it’s so stupid that I get this luck being the daughter of Aphrodite”

“It’s life” Hazel sighed, “but perhaps you can do something about it”

Piper raised her brows, “Like what?”

“Well, maybe win him back” the girl offered, “it’s cheesy, but if he doesn’t get his memory back nothing stops you from making him fall for you again.”

“It’s different now” Piper muttered, “I don’t know we could get together the same way we did before”

“Then do it differently” Hazel smiled, “people do crazy things for love, Pipes”

“Oh gods, please don’t quote Hercules like that” Piper cringed, “it’s hard to think positively about the story once, you know, meet the real Hercules”

“Oh no,” she giggled, “you’re so right”

“Huh, hi” Some boy talked behind them, “hey Piper, can I talk to you?”

Y/N stood awkwardly, looking like he had no idea of what to do with his hands. Piper remembered it being one of his quirks, ‘at least he’s still the same’ she thought. Hazel excuse herself and went up to eat lunch, while Y/N occupied her seat.

“So...” Piper started not sure of how to talk to him now.

“So” He repeated, clasping his hands together nervously, “Hello.”

“Hi?” Piper answered with a half smile.

“I have no idea how to start, I’m so sorry,” He whined, hiding his face with both hands, “I’m trying to ask you something, but I don’t know how to do it without making it awkward.”

“Just say it,” She shrugged, “can’t be too bad.”

At least she hoped it wasn’t that bad.

“See, I feel like shit all the time,” He said, “because I know I hurt you, and that... well, it sucks”

“Please don’t” Piper replied worryingly, “don’t feel bad, these things happen sometimes but is not your fault-”

“I know is not” Y/N sighed, “it isn’t fair either, you deserve to be happy”

“I don’t wanna force you into things”

“Don’t worry, you’re not doing this, I am” He smiled, and for a moment Piper felt at home, “so anyway, I’m here to offer peace”

“What does that mean?”

“I think that, whatever we had before my accident,” Y/N stopped for a moment, thinking his words, “well people had told me about it, and it sounded nice.”

“It was nice, yeah” Piper nodded nostalgic.

“I hope you understand it would be weird for me to start up everything again since I don’t really feel like I know you” His voice was soothing, allowing her a safe place to stay at ease, “but I think we can maybe, try to be friends?”

“You are very special to me, Y/N” Piper murmured, “I’d do anything for you, at some point you knew that but now you don’t, still was important to me you knew that”

“Thanks, Piper” He blushed, nodding at her words, “that’s nice of you.”

They stayed silent. When the sun was starting to paint a faint orange, Piper spoke up.

“I would love to be your friend again.”

Y/N looked up at her, mildly surprised that she had agreed, he then nodded showing one of his best smiles.

“Great, then I could finally meet the legend behind all the stories people already say around camp”

“They have stories about me?” She grinned.

“Kayla told me you made Drew quit her title as a counselor”

“Well yeah, but I had reasons.”

“Like what?”

“She annoyed me.”

Y/N laughed, and it was like things were going back to their place. They stayed there for a long time, talking until dinner was ready and the moon stood tall up their heads. Once more, she was totally head over heels, losing her senses to a simple boy, the best boy.

“We should go eat now before they leave us without any food.” Y/N shook the sand from his legs and held his hand out to help her stand. Like he used to do before the accident. Maybe not everything was lost.

“Sure” Piper brushed her clothes too, then she looked at him again, “this was nice, Y/N, I hope we can do it again soon”

“Me too” He tilted his head, eyeing her curiously, “I like you, Piper, I get why old me felt things about you”

“Woah, that’s so romantic” She snorted.

“Hey, I’m trying!” He laughed, “I’ll get it right at some point, don’t be bad”

“Yeah” and her heart pounded at the chances, “I believe you”

“I’ll find my way home” He beamed, puppy eyes staring at the girl. His best girl.

Yay, you really thought I would make real angst? Bitch, AS IF, everyone knows I’m completely incapable lmao

Hope you guys like it anyway <3

-Danny :)

#piper mclean x reader #pjo imagine #pjo writing #Danny's writing #male reader #it's so late but I hope someone's up to read it

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arrowheadproductions · 7 years ago

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The Harpies & Aristaeus

After the stable scene, Coach Hedge subjects the seven to an unexpected lesson that is somehow more awkward than it sounds.

No Archive Warnings Apply- Rated T

Relationship(s): Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Jason Grace & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase & Piper McLean, Percy Jackson & Hazel Levesque, Leo Valdez & Frank Zhang, Coach Hedge & Everyone

Characters: Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Jason Grace, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Leo Valdez, Coach Hedge, Athena (Percy Jackson)

Read on Ao3

If you were ever curious how to piss off an over-enthusiastic, bat-wielding satyr, I could provide you with a proper step-by-step. It really isn’t that hard for someone of my expertise, because evidently, I am incredibly gifted in the art of frustrating people. Annabeth will vouch for this since she’s made a point of letting me know for the past 6 years. Any of my foes of past and present could probably give a similar reference, but with more bias to their reasoning.

Anyway, back to satyrs that are taking their chaperoning job way too seriously:

Step 1: Sneak out after curfew at the beck and call of your beautiful/amazing girlfriend.

Step 2: Fall asleep.

Step 3: Get caught sleeping beside your beautiful/amazing girlfriend.

So now, thanks to the biggest misunderstanding in modern history (I’m sure Annabeth would normally have a tragic Greek tale about a grander example of miscommunication, but I doubt she’d dispute me now), we’re grounded. I haven’t been grounded in forever. To be fair, I’d been missing for a while and just before that I was kind of thrust into almost dying in the second Titan War, but I’m a good kid regardless.

I don’t regret spending the time with Annabeth, because it’d been forever since we’ve had a moment alone. My heart pattered when I thought about how she didn’t scare when I mentioned the idea of New Rome. It upgraded to full-scale pounding when I pictured the way she’d kissed me shortly after and how it still made me feel like I was floating.

Frank found and alerted the media, because apparently everyone was pretty worked up over the idea of losing us. I mean, I do have a record of going missing and losing my memory now so I can’t say I blame them for the concern. Their tunes completely changed when they saw us sprawled across the clear door cuddling. Frank seemed pretty embarrassed, which probably would have been closer to my response too if I walked in on Hazel and him like that. Piper smiled like a Cheshire cat for reasons beyond me. Whatever it was, it made Annabeth super uncomfortable whenever she looked at her pointedly. Jason seemed pretty indifferent, if not relieved he wasn’t in my shoes. Leo was relentless as if a day ago I hadn’t almost attacked him when I thought he set the canons off on Camp Jupiter.

Coach Hedge was as scary as I’d feared, but I wouldn’t say that to Annabeth. I don’t think I needed to, because she rolled her eyes when she looked over at me while we were chastised. There wasn’t much heat in it though, which told me that maybe she didn’t regret getting caught either. You could tell she’d been through a lot, too much, in these past 6 months. She barely even hesitated as he laid into us with threats of contacting our parents. While I half-expected Athena to storm our ship, scoop me up, hang me, and turn me into a flag, I was more afraid of the idea of Coach Hedge calling my mom. My mom has made it really clear that she does not want any grandbabies yet.

I thought we were safe from humiliating punishment until that night, Coach called for a group meeting. Leo said we’d never actually done that before on Argo II, so I knew something was up. It had just been an incredibly long day of near-death experiences so the fact that Annabeth and I dozed off was so far from my brain. As she laced her hands through mine while we walked from the lower cabin to the upper deck, it seemed to be far from her mind too.

It should have tipped me off that everyone was sitting towards Coach like he was performing a one-man show. Gods, I would imagine his singing voice would be on par with Chuck Norris and Dog the Bounty Hunter, just like the rest of his personality.

He set down a whiteboard on an easel and I could tell Annabeth was immediately cued in. My girlfriend is such a Brainiac and while ADHD like the rest of the demigods, her attentions were always easily grasped through organized visual aid, especially when it was educational. She looked cute when she was learning. She looked cute all of the time, because duh, it’s Annabeth, but her eyes get super focused and she leans forward a bit, occasionally nibbling on her lip.

I, on the other hand, am not taken with graphs or statistics the way I am with her. Whenever she feels the need to recite whatever he said, I’ll listen much more carefully from her. She must have felt my gaze, because I’m being far from discrete. Being away from her for all of that time, even if it was really only a few weeks for me, made me want to capture every detail of her and force myself to save it in safe keeping.

I thought she was going to smack me for zoning out so badly, but her face goes a little dumbfounded at whatever Coach is preaching and then her gray eyes flash to me in… Horror? Oh Gods, what did I miss?

She gently reaches out and turns my head to face the very red and very sweaty Coach Hedge, who looks the opposite of happy at me (or someone directly behind me). It takes me up until that moment to see everyone else is looking at me too, except they seem mad too, which is weird.

“Jackson!” He hollered and that brings me back to reality at a crashing rate.

It’s probably useless to say I was listening and play along.

“I was listening.” Stupid.

His nostrils flared. “Tell me what I just said.”

I had one of those typical Percy Jackson moments. You know, the ones that make everyone around me gasp at my superior intellect and amazing capability of remaining hyper aware at all costs.

“Uh… Duh…?”

“Smooth.” Annabeth muttered.

“That’s what I thought.” He barked. “If you don’t get your head out of your bungle hole right now, I’m going to tie you to your mattress, so you can’t have another infraction like last night’s ever again.”

“Why don’t you leave that to Annabeth?” Leo snickered cheekily.

I felt my face turning hot while Annabeth gave Leo one of her trademark glares that sent him sliding into his seat to avoid her gaze. Coach didn’t seem impressed by the comment either, because he hovered over Leo and resembled an exploding bottle of ketchup.

“I would hold my tongue if I were you, Valdez. This talk is for all of you little horn-balls. I should expect this from the child of Aphrodite-”

“-Hey!” Piper said indignantly.

He powered on. “But since Annabeth Chase has been dirtied up, it can likely happen to any of you. So, that’s why we need to take a moment from all of this world-ending business and move onto a different kind of life-or-death.”

The glare he sent me when he said “dirtied up” made me want to sleep with my eyes open tonight. Or you know, forever.

“I have not been dirtied up!” Annabeth snapped. I admired her bravery, but we’d already gone in circles about how nothing even happened, and no one believed us. At this point, Coach Hedge was going to trust a son of Hermes not-guilty plea of pick-pocketing over us.

“Oh really, I know your mother wouldn’t be pleased about your recent deeds.”

“We didn’t-”

“-Save it!”

I could feel myself sweating and could practically hear my own heartbeat in my ears. The implication behind all of this was uncomfortable at best, even if we had been innocent. It was no secret that Annabeth was born from Athena, who was one of the Maiden Goddesses. In other words, she never biologically produced kids. While Aphrodite was definitely sex-positive when it came to her children, Athena was… Not. She saw more important values than love like battle strategies or instilling constant fear into her daughter’s boyfriend.

“Anyway, it’s time that I have a little talk with you kids. Nobody else seems to have so it’s up to me.”

Everyone around me got super pale and started stammering in disagreement. Me? I was just confused and trying to hide it. I mean, I can’t say I enjoy long conversations with Coach Hedge, but this had to be better than having to sleep outside in the rain or sharing a room with him, right?

“Why should we have to sit through this?” Frank stumbled over his words and wouldn’t look at Hazel.

“Because I am becoming very aware that you folks seem to think this is a romantic couple’s cruise and I will be having none of it.”

“I am not part of a couple.” Leo pointed out.

“Yeah, but don’t think I haven’t noticed the goo-goo eyes you’ve been making at Miss Levesque here.”

Gods, it looked like Frank was wishing his eyes were snipers by the way he was glaring at Leo. Leo seemed very aware of this and once again sunk down in his seat in an ill attempt to become less of a target. His rescue came in the form of Hazel placing a hand on Frank’s bicep. He looked down at her and calmed down almost immediately. I’m usually the last guy to notice this kind of thing, but maybe being in love has sort of made me more attune to other people in love.

“This ship will not become the playboy mansion!” Coach emphasized this point by referring to a poster with the word “sex” scratched over with red slashes. “So, in order to stop this, I’m going to give you the talk my old man gave me: The Harpies and Aristaeus.”

“So, looking at ugly harpies made you swear off sex?”

Everyone groaned. I bet some of them were wishing they’d never picked me up in the first place, because I was still lost. Coach Hedge looked like he was about 3 seconds from chucking his clipboard at me.

Annabeth smacked my shoulder and was glaring at me with that “can you be more stupid” look in her stormy eyes. A deep blush clung to her cheeks and the back of her neck and if she didn’t already look mad enough to throw me overboard, I might have commented on how cute it was.

Still, she clarified. “Aristaeus is a minor God that is a protector of many arts, Percy. A big one is bee-keeping."

"How is bee-keeping an art?"

Thunder rolled in the distance.

"Sorry." I murmured and tried to put the pieces together.

The bee keeper? That still sounded lame. And what did that have to do with harpies?

The harpies and the bee keeper.

The ugly bird people and the bees.

The birds and the- oh crap.

Needless to say, I felt dread. Like, titan-fighting dread. I couldn’t bring myself to look anywhere near Annabeth’s direction as it dawned on me. My sense of panic must have translated to the outside, because Coach seemed much smugger than he had been earlier. My tongue seemed to swell in my mouth and my face definitely invented its own shade of magenta for the occasion. Everyone else looked pretty stiff too, but it was hard to believe anyone could be more awkward than me about this kind of thing.

“I had that talk with my mom… A while ago.” I tried, and it was true. It was painful then, but something told me hearing it from a big and loud half-goat with my girlfriend right beside me was going to be infinitely worse.

“Well, if you’re such an expert, you’re going to point out and name every part of the female reproduction system.”

Right then, I wished that maybe, just maybe, Gaia would rise early so I wouldn’t have to live through this. Wow, super selfish and absorbed, I know, but you have to understand that this is basically akin to slow and brutal torture. And I have been tortured before.

Gaia is spiteful and probably saw this as a lovely little way to prolong suffering.

The diagrams were awful and graphic. Coach wasn’t exactly a stand-up comedian, so he wasn’t joking about me having to point out and name every part of the female anatomy. I was wrong about almost all of it, but I couldn’t give the legitimate terms for the parts of the male anatomy either, I swear.

“Is this thing upside down?” I asked at one point.

“Poor Annabeth.” Murmured Piper to Jason, who looked just as dumbstruck and confused as me. Annabeth had her head in her hands out of pure mortification and I was wondering if the entire purpose of this exercise was to embarrass me so much that my girlfriend would never want to so much as touch me ever again, let alone do anything resembling sex.

“Poor Annabeth, indeed.” Coach Hedge agreed after shouting at me for getting the term “clitoris” wrong for the third (or was it fourth?) time.

“Why does Annabeth even need to know this? Doesn’t she just have brain babies like Athena? I mean… Can she have kids the normal way?” Leo asked.

She scowled. “I can’t have brain children and even if I could, it would require an impossibly strong connection of intelligence.”

Everyone simultaneously turned back to me and Jason clicked his tongue. “Yeah, I guess that’s out of the question.”

“Hey!” I protested.

Consent was talked about, which shouldn’t have surprised me considering how many gross people live in the world. I guess I was just surprised that any sane person would be able to sleep at night knowing they’d just totally broken someone’s trust in mankind in such a violating way.

“NO MEANS NO!” He yelled over and over again. “MAYBE MEANS NO! MAYBE NOT MEANS NO! YES IS YES AND THAT IS ALL THERE IS TO IT.”

But it wasn’t, because he started grilling us on situations where consent was properly given. I passed this was flying colors, because honestly, I’m the kind of person that usually needs intense verification to do much of anything. You saw how long it took for me to admit I liked Annabeth. I know I am not always good with subtleties.

I glanced over at her, who also didn’t seem the least bit worried about this part. I gently took her hand and hoped that it reminded her that I would never hurt her.

Coach went on to explain protection, which seemed like it would be the most mild portion of this TED talk, but when he handed all of us bananas and condoms, I knew it was going to be bad.

“This seems excessive.” Hazel laughed nervously, which made sense since she’s not exactly from a time where even talking about this stuff is the norm. I can’t say I was too comfortable either. Plus, I was pretty perturbed about the fact that while everyone else had a full-sized banana, Annabeth had been given half of a carrot.

“I ran out of bananas.” Coach tried to justify but wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Sure.” I grumbled.

“If you don’t know how to put on a condom, you will die.”

Piper smirked. “Nice Mean Girls reference.”

We spent the next half hour explaining Mean Girls to him while simultaneously trying to take this fun little meeting off the rails. It worked a little bit and Coach even seemed to enjoy some of the smart remarks made in the movie, but he’d apparently drank a lot of persistence juice before calling us together so he was not being shaken from his original purpose.

It turned into a contest at who could put it on the quickest and the most secure. Annabeth was the first to accomplish this feat, but again, she had the smallest and most slender object to work with. I didn’t do as badly as Leo or Frank, who kept dropping the banana.

“It’s not really staying on.” Annabeth murmured and wouldn’t look at me.

Leo snickered. “Poor Annabeth again.”

This time, she thumped him upside the head and I would be remiss to say I didn’t support the reaction.

“Valdez, I’d hold your judgment since you can’t even seem to finish.”

I laughed this time.

Coach realized we were all having a little too much fun with this exercise and went on to explain the intricacy of orgasms, both male and female. I felt my stomach lurching again, especially as he was clearly trying to dispel any positive thoughts from the girls’ minds by harping over the fact that guys our age do not last long in bed. I was trying to find other stuff to focus on, like the impending mortal threats that were coming our way, but he kept reeling me back in by using me as an example.

“Take Jackson, here--”

“Please don’t.”

This didn’t stop him. “Someone of his anxiousness and stupidity would have no idea how to pleasure a woman. He’s better suited at maneuvering the Labyrinth than the vagina. He proved that earlier.”

“Thanks for that.”

“I can promise you, that the 15 seconds will not be worth it. And that applies to all of you boys.”

Needless to say, it got a lot worse before it got better. Frank was asked what the best way to prevent teenage pregnancy was, was given the hint that it started with an “A”, and then panicked and said “anal” instead of abstinence. Hazel took a solid 4 steps away from him then and I thought the big guy was going to throw up. Jason, Hazel, and I were then given a nice chat about how if we had children, they would be so powerful that there would be a quorum about whether or not they should even live. Leo asked if it was possible that he would accidentally light a girl on fire mid intercourse. The answer was yes. Annabeth was the only one born of a virgin Goddess present, so of course the majority of her segment focused on “purity” and “clear-thinking” and also the mention of her mother’s intense disapproval.

She’d told me about how her mom already claimed she failed her and I could see her flinch at the idea of failing her further, but then unexpectedly, her gaze turned to a hard steel.

“Hold on a second,” She said angrily, and I knew that look. I’ve been on the other side of that look many a time. She gave me that look a lot in our time of knowing each other, especially when I was being dumb about whether or not she liked me/whether or not I should admit I liked her.

“What is it, Chase?” He asked gruffly.

“This is ridiculous.” She snapped. “How is virginity, which isn’t even a physical or tangible thing, something that could possibly increase or decrease my value as a human being?”

“Well…” He started, but she didn’t let him continue.

“If Percy and I have sex, does that make him a terrible person and me dirty? Because that’s how you made it sound earlier.”

Hearing it point blank like that almost made me swallow my tongue and frankly, made my heart race a bit more than I’d ever admit.

“Not on my-” He was going to say “watch”, but she pushed onward with confidence akin to when she’s marching into battle.

“We talked about consent earlier, so clearly you understand the concept of it being my body and my choice at what I want to do with it. So tell me, how is sex more deplorable than going on life-threatening quests that could potentially rip me limb from limb? How is that encouraged, but something that is so biologically basic and innate is considered irredeemable? Do I suddenly become less if I decide I want to feel human every once in a while?”

“You don’t want to get-”

“-Pregnant, I know, and you’re right. I don’t right now, but I’m not exactly an idiot. There are ways of preventing that as we talked about earlier. That is all this should be about, though. Preventing pregnancy, preventing STI’s/STDs, consent, understanding the body, etc. Not guilt about a very natural and human experience. Given the lives we’ve lived, I’d say we deserve it.”

My mouth hung open like the hinges of my jaw had broken and I was left with an open cavern for a mouth for the rest of my life. I tried to shy away from Coach’s shocked stare as if to say, “don’t look at me, I didn’t tell her to say that”, but I couldn’t. I agreed with Annabeth, of course, because she should be the one to get to decide what she does. She’s proven herself capable of that more than a billion times.

I met her gaze while she sat back down and she closed my mouth for me, the smallest remnants of a smile lingering on her lips. Her stare was… hard to read, but I couldn’t seem to stop looking at her. Everyone else seemed to follow my lead, with Jason whistling slightly in approval of her tangent, Piper looking like she wanted to fist-bump her, Hazel smiled cautiously, Frank seemed relieved she shut Hedge up, and Leo looked a little scared and a little aroused.

Hedge cleared his throat as he muttered the words “meeting adjourned” roughly under his breath. Everyone made their move to get away from each other as quickly as possible. We could all probably use a moment to ourselves after that utter humiliation. In the end, Hedge ended up getting the short end of the carrot, so that was semi satisfying.

Annabeth and I walked to our respective quarters in silence and my mind raced on whether or not there was a good thing to say right now. What was appropriate for this moment?

"Thanks for stopping him before he got to sex toys."

"I literally cannot stop sweating right now."

"FYI: mine isn't the size or color of a small carrot."

Thankfully, she spoke. However, when she did, I couldn’t have seen it coming if it was right in front of my face.

“Do you ever think of me like that?” It was so rushed and abrupt that I’m not totally sure she even meant to say it.

I swallowed hard, but I knew if I didn’t answer quickly enough she was either going to get offended or annoyed and I didn’t want either right now after she’d basically saved us all from having to sign anti-pregnancy pacts.

“Sometimes.” I tried to make it sound casual, like I wasn’t a horny, sex-obsessed teenage boy that spent all of him time ogling his girlfriend. I definitely ogled at her, but not like she was an object or anything. She’s just insanely beautiful. Truthfully, I always felt lucky she’d have me in any capacity and didn’t really register that she might want me in that way. Also, I’m usually busy thinking about simple things like food or whether or not I’m going to die painfully in battle. But the thought occurred to me on occasion. Like when we go swimming and she’s climbing out of the water in a bikini or when she sits on my lap and wriggles around a little too much.

The time we made out in the strawberry fields and she placed my hand under her shirt made all the blood leave my brain just thinking about it.

“You?” I asked.

“Sometimes.” She affirmed and looked away and it was obvious in the dim lighting of the hallway that she was blushing again. I couldn’t help but wonder when in Hades she saw me like that, because I’m not exactly smooth. That didn’t mean I wasn’t grateful she did.

“So…” I rocked back and forth on my heels. “You… Want to? Someday? Not today. Obviously not today, but at some point in our lives you want to-”

Thanks, the Gods almighty, because she cut me off from that embarrassing tangent with a kiss. I felt myself relax against her immediately, because she wasn’t totally repulsed by me after both my inability to correctly label the female anatomy or my stupid tendency to make things more awkward somehow. Her fingers threaded in my hair and she tugged a little bit out of satisfaction. My hands found their usual residence on her waist. Her tongue slipped into my mouth and she smiled against my mouth when I inadvertently moaned in response. We stayed like that for a while, her tangling her fingers in my hair while pressing me against the door of my cabin, my hands playing with the loops of her jean shorts, everything seeming impossibly right with the world.

She pulled back and looked at me through sparkling eyes that danced with a knowingness that I will probably never fully understand or stop appreciating. She gently tapped her fingers along the back of my neck in a light drumming movement. She leaned up and kissed me again, this time chaste, which was probably for the best since Coach Hedge would likely be doing some kind of inspection soon.

“We’ll get there.” She smiled, and I wondered if she could feel my heart doing jumping jacks in my chest cavity. “Soon.”

Soon.

She opened the door to her cabin and winked at me before leaving me to the influx of thoughts that decided to attack my brain all at once, leaving me standing there like a big dumb idiot. I wouldn't even have been surprised if I ended up standing here all night out of shock and... Anticipation? She was always going to be miles ahead of me, but I was more than okay with that.

#percy jackson #annabeth chase #pjo #percabeth #ap's fics #my fics #percy and annabeth #frank and hazel #jason and piper #jasiper

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pjoplusmore · 7 years ago

Text

Child of Hera

Pairing: None

Warnings: None, to my knowledge

A/N: First chapter of my little fic idea here. May continue to post here based on response.

A special thank-you goes out to @perseusjackson-sonoftheseagod for reading through the first few rough drafts.

Disclaimer: I own none of the content in this fic minus a few OC’s. Everything else belongs to its own respective culture, and Rick Riordan

My name is Scarlet Corvus, and welcome to Camp Half-Blood! Yay! Note the sarcasm. Though, that might just be my bitterness shining through. I’ve got good reasons for it too. Been in the foster care system since I could remember. Been in Camp Half-Blood a little longer than that. That makes for 18 years of missing parents. Most everyone here, including the ‘batch’ I came with is missing at least one parent. You’ve got my two friends Aron, living alone with his dad, son of Aphrodite, and Eliza, living with her two moms, daughter of Ares. How did Ares knock up a couple of lesbians? Not something I actually wanna know. Bi? Probably. Anyways, I found them when a Satyr dragged me out of bed at 2 in the freaking morning to run for my life as some weird dogs wrecked everything they could. We ran and ran, stole a car, and drove, slept, ate, and drove some more, until we got here. And I haven’t left since.

“Scarlet!” Eliza tends to get into more trouble than most.

“What’s up?” She’s running up the hill to me, panting, and out of breath. I brace myself for the less than stellar idea.

“Let’s break into the Big House.” Whoop. There it is.

“Are you insane? Chiron will have your head!” I’m just about to drive my book through her skull when Aron runs up behind her.

“We’re doing it whether you come with us or not. The Oracle is here, talking to the 7, and we wanna go see if we get some kind of prophecy!” His grin is almost irresistible. Almost.

“Why do you want a quest? You leave for home every summer. You spend time outside, why risk your lives?” I can see the wheels turning. My friends aren’t dumb, not by a long shot, but they’re not the brightest kids on the block either.

“Fame.”

“Fortune.”

Their responses are simultaneous. It’s all I can do not to groan in pain.

“Fine. I’ll come along. Just to make sure the two of you don’t get hurt.” They both jump up and down. I swear, it’s like looking after 6-year-olds. Aren’t they 17 now? “But first…” I let them register it, and they suddenly freeze. “I’m gonna go talk to Percy.” They look a little scared. Fine by me. Maybe they’ll listen to me next time. And anyways, I am more than a little curious about why Rachel, of all people would visit camp. It's moments like this that I’m really glad I did my best to help Percy and Annabeth when they needed it. The 7 formed a very exclusive club after the war against Gaea. They interact with other campers, from both camps, but their best kept secrets don’t leave their cabins. I’ve managed to get both Percy and Annabeth to talk to me, even if it's not quite to the same extent. Still, it’s not a long walk before I’m at cabin 3’s door. I knock gently.

“Percy?” There’s a small groan, some shuffling, a thud, and the door creaks open. Of course he’s not wearing a damn shirt. I’m not trying to peek in, but… was that my little Annie?

“Scarlet? What’s up?” It seems almost like… if he’s in nothing but the sheets, and that was Annabeth… Okay. I’m not judging. Apparently, though, I am one to space out as Percy snaps his fingers in my face. “Helloooo? Earth to Scarlet? Scarlet, come in Scarlet?” I jerk back up to face him.

“What?”

“There you are.” He chuckles, and the one grey streak of hair falls over one of his eyes. “What’s up?”

“Oh! Oh! Well, I’ve heard that Rachel is in town… and here to talk to you.” His eyes turn hard for a second.

“If she is, and it's from Olympus…” There’s a hard edge to his voice. Sometimes, I wonder why he hasn’t overthrown them at this point. I know I would. Been here eleven years, and I still can’t be claimed? I can’t even guess at which parent is mine!

“So she hasn’t talked to you?” I ask.

“No, she hasn’t. Is she here?” This time, I gulp.

“Yeah. Grapevines move fast. There’s already three plots to find where she is, two to break in, and one that has a remote chance of succeeding.” I laugh, hopefully not nervously. Even if I’m on good terms, breaking into the Big House is kinda taboo, and even with Percy’s tendency to break the rules more than enforce them, if Annabeth is in the room behind him…. Well… best not get caught. His laughter breaks the tension I hadn’t realised that I’d been holding in.

“Right. I’ll let Wise Girl know. Maybe she’ll do something, maybe she won’t. See ya.” I don’t even have time to say goodbye as the door slams in my face. I wait a bit in shock, but vacate the premises, as groans and moans begin to sound from the other side of the door. Perfect. Now I get to dodge both Annabeth and Chiron, keep two children safe and out of trouble, speak with the Oracle, and be in bed before morning cabin checks. Easy. I hope. Finding my way back to the kids was easy. They hadn’t moved an inch.

“Percy didn’t know she was here. Beware Annabeth and Chiron tonight.” Aron looks slightly deterred, but Eliza just looks ready for a fight.

“Fine. Just a bit more planning! Come on Aron!” Before asking for any second opinion, she dashes off.

“Wait! Eliza! This doesn’t sound good! Slow down!” Eliza, of course, is long gone when Aron takes off after her. All I can do is sigh. Prep time. They’ve pulled stunts like this before. Too often. I have a patented kit, they do it so much.

“Scarlet!” I turn at my name. Nobody talks much to the nobody from cabin 11. Yet, Jason, child of Zeus, comes running. Friends in high places, I suppose.

“Jason! You okay?” Few people worry me as much as he does. Well, him and Percy. Chaos incarnate the two of them.

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine. But I need your help anyways.” Now he’s got my attention.

“What’s up?”

“How do I ask Piper out?” It takes me a moment to process.

“What?”

He sighs and grabs me by the shoulder, pulling me behind the nearest tree. “I need to ask her out soon. She’s a daughter of Aphrodite, and half the camp falls in love whenever she walks by, so I need to make a move now. But I don’t know how.”

“Okay. Give me about a day to process, and I’ll have a solution for you, okay?” I feel bad for brushing him off, but I’ve got to prep for tonight. He nods solemnly, and almost trudges off like a hurt puppy. It’s almost impossible to walk away. Almost. The walk back to the cabin is quiet and unsettling. Tension courses through me, as I do my usual and run through all the ways tonights little expedition can go wrong. Before I get through the 25th scenarion, pretty early in the process, I’m at the cabin, opening the door. It’s a large cabin, with sleeping bags and air mattresses everywhere. I shuffle over to my little corner that I’ve cleared of other campers.I sift through the bagts piled under my cot. Theres duffle bags of writing, drawings, poetry and all my other attempts to figure out who my godly parent is. I dive through the plethora of baghs until I reach what I’m looking for. Its a small black backpack, with the zippers locked shut. Slinging the damn thing on my shoulders, I slip out of the cabin. I scramble around, looking for my favourite cliff in the woods. As usual, it’s empty, the one tree overlooking the rest of camp. Nobody but me knows about this place. Well, maybe the 7. Nobody know where they go most of the time.

“Scarlet.” I jump out of my shoes and almost off the cliff. I whip around, dagger in my hand before I register it.

“Jesus Piper, you scared me!” I put the dagger away, and sit on the edge, letting my legs hand. I take the bag and open it up.

“Whatcha got there?”

“Emergency maternity kit.” I answer. It seems to intruigue her, so she sits next to me. I search through the bag. Bandages, salve, ambrosia, nectar, spare weapons, flares, flashlight, flask of liquor, rope, grappling hook, it’s got everything.

“What kind of kids are you herding?” I almost laugh as piper asks.

“The demigod kind.” I can hear her sigh, and turn to her. “What’s up?” It’s as though I threw a switch in her mind. Suddenly she’s a blushing mess, uttering nothing but a mixture of ums, and uhs, and any other space-filling words word you can imagine.

“Well, you see, uh, it’s uh, you know, um, maybe this can wait.” She stands up, and I grab her wrist.

“Piper McLean. You’d think you’d be a better actor knowing who your father is. What is it you need advice with?” She takes a deep breath.

“WellyouseetheproblemisthatIlikeJasonandIalsolikePercyandnicoiscutetooandhowdoyoudistinguishlovefromfriendship?” It takes me the span of about a minute to understand what it took her 3 seconds to say.

“Well…” I think for another minute, trying to come up with a solution. “Let’s see, if your feelings for the three of them are the same, talk to them individually. Start with Nico, end with Jason. You’ll find things will work out well.” Am I going to tell her that, aside from the obvious Percy and Annabeth dating, that Nico is gay, and that I’m purposefully stacking the odds in Jason’s favour? No. Am I doing just that? Hell yes. All the same, she seems grateful.

“Thanks Scar. I’ll see you soon.” This time as she left, I let her go. No sense in letting her see the rest of my equipment check. I rummage through the bag again. Lock picks, check, crowbar, check, ski masks, check. It’s not the first time they’ve broken in somewhere, and it won’t be the last. Seems like I’ve got everything. I head back down to the cabin to get some rest. It’s going to be a very, very long night.

By the time I wake up, I’ve gone and missed dinner. And the campfire song. I’m slipping out of my little cot and out the door. Most people are at the campfire. If we’re gonna break in, its now. The dark night sky makes it difficult, but not impossible to find my way to our little rendezvous spot. The little tree behind the Big House is a risky place to meet considering our upcoming adventure.

“You two ready?” Of course they beat me here. They’re usually more excited for our outings than I am. Aron nods his head shakily, and Eliza looks ready to jump the gun.

“You bet.” She whipers. I slip my bag from my shoulders, and pull out the rope and the hook. I toss them at Eliza.

“Get knotting.” A snort escapes her before I galre her into silence. I pull out a flashlight and toss it to Aron. “Lookout.” He nods and marches off. I pull out a flashlight for myself, and start searching for some indication of the right room. A though occurs to me. “She’ll probably know we’re coming.”

“Let her know. We’ll get in all the same.” Eliza’s cocky as ever. I grunt, and keep looking. There’s movement in a window, and I shut off my flashlight. This time, it’s Eliza who tosses me something. “Night vision. Less likely to see you.” I don’t even want to know where she got them

“Thanks.” I slip them over my eyes and go back to searching. I guess whoever was in the window didn’t see the beam from my flashlight. Either way, there’s an open window. Easy way in, and then we search. Plan: Formulated. I nudge Eliza. “Open window, left corner.” She nods, and I hand her the goggles. I run off searching for the beam of light that tells me where Aron is. I nearly die of a subsequent heart attack as he appears out of thin air. “I swear your ability to change your appearance is more freaky every day. Come on, we’ve found a way in. I’m off running back to Eliza. She’s just winding up with the hook.

“You two ready?” She hisses. I shake my head.

“Let’s do it.” Aron answers. I don’t even need to be told to know that I’m going up the rope first. Without further ado, she trowsh the hook. It clanks loudly and harmlessly against the side of the Big House. We all flinch and dive to the floor. We wait for a minute. Two. Three. This is the longest Eliza has held still in a long time. Eventually, we all stand up.

“Get it in the window this time.” I grit out between my teeth. I almost lose a hand in reply. Never forget that Eliza is a daughter of the god of war. Mental note made. She goes for the same window, eyes invisible behind the night vision goggles. This time, she throws and it goes in. Now its a race against time. Eliza pulls the rope taut, and then lets it drop to the side of the big house. I run up it, hand over hand, I’m at the second story window in seconds. I take a glance around, nobody seems to be coming. I motion with my hand through the window, and both Aron and Eliza scramble up the rope after me. I pull the rope into my bag as they keep watch. Once we’re all set, we move on, gently opening doors where we can, and picking locks where we can’t. Room by room, we search, until we find the room we want. If she knew we were coming, she didn’t care. The door is unlocked as we all slip in, silently trailing one after the other. She’s sleeping silently in her bed as the three of us huddle under the window. We exchange a few glances.

“Who goes?” Aron seems to say.

“Take a guess.” Eliza seems to answer.

“Me.” I say. There’s no surprise at this point. I never set the plans in motion, but I’m the firs one into the fray, and the last one to request treatment. It’s who I am. I tiptoe silently to the side of Rachel’s bed. I reach out a hand, and shake her shoulder. She seems to sit up, but its the spirit of the Oracle that controls her.

The power of Gods once Returned

To command the Youth who once yearned

Forbidden daughter to choose

To the old or new, the Gods must Lose

The oracle slowly seems to vacate the body of Rachel, and three things happen simultaneously. Rachel wakes up and almost screams. But whatever noise she makes is drowned out by the Camp alarm going off, deafening everybody in the Big House, and waking everybody not here. And the third thing to happen is Aron’s sneeze.

I have seconds at best to get us out of here. The window. I toss Eliza the crowbar. “Window!” She seems to understand, and smashes the glass. “Jump!” I dont have time to see if she follows me out of the window, as the door to Rachel’s room slams open, and Annabeth stands there, dagger at the ready. I fall for less than a second, before slamming into the ground. Two accompanying thuds tell me that both Aron and Eliza made it out alive. The three of us take off running into the nearest forest available. Well, at least Eliza and me. Aron has done his thing and rendered himself invisible. I toss a bottle of water to Eliza, and we pour them out on the ground behind us, as a sort of bribe for the nymphs. We both run for as long as we can. The alarms are distant at this point, and we both lean against the nearest tree.

“Step 2.” Eliza stands back up, and begins to strip. I reach into the bag, and toss her a change of clothes. I change as well, and draw out the spare weapons. I pick the telescopic trident, and Eliza, as usual uses a spear. We both face off, and begin to spar. Its about this time that I hear Annabeth running up the hill.

“Scarlet!” She sounds angrier than I expected her to be.

“Halt!” I call out to Eliza, and she stands relaxed, spear as a crutch. “Annie. What’s up?” Seeing her grimmace at the nickname is worth the rant I’m about to weather.

“You know damn well what’s up!” She tries to make the last two words sound menacing. But honestly? Annabeth is much more terrifying if she’s not visibly shaking with rage.

“I have no idea. I mean, I’m not exactly sprinting towards the sirens, but… you know, not exactly anxious to die.” Annabeth looks as red as a tomato.

“If I find out you had something to do with this…” She leaves the threat hanging in the air as she charges off further into the forest. I turn back to Eliza.

“I’m done for the night. I’m exhausted.” I pack everything back up, and Eliza gives me a wink as we both begin to walk back to the cabins. Whatever set off the alarm, if it was us, they wont find a trace. If it was something else, they’ve caught it already. I get back to cabin 11, and almost slam into my cot. It’s been a really long night. I close my eyes and wait for sleep to take me into its welcoming arms.

Masterlist

Tags: @thehalfdoctor @mrs-jjamespotter @hik5 @perseusjackson-sonoftheseagod @wearepjocrazy

#percabeth #jiper #fanfic #Child of hera

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