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Piper stood in the middle of the cornfields stunned, afraid, confused. Her two friends stood facing off against each other, just as their parents before them, and the sight awed the daughter of Aphrodite. Hollywood could not direct a more fearsome, yet entrancing scene. Not even the fear and apprehension, as some foreign something possessed them, could overcome the beauty of the moment.
On one side stood the All-American boy, a poster child for beauty (at least to Piper’s biased tastes). Blonde hair whipped in the wind as a powerful gust wrapped around his lean body. White knuckles gripped a golden sword and wrists flexed, the weapon singing in the air. Even with something not quite right, Piper would take Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, in a fight any day and twice on Sunday.
Except this one.
Piper couldn’t stop the unbidden thoughts that invaded her head, of conversations long ago in the verdant confines of Long Island. At the time, the daughter of Aphrodite couldn’t conceive of anyone powerful enough to stop the son of Jupiter; couldn’t understand the knowing smiles of others when speaking of the phantom Percy Jackson.
Witty retorts and scathing remarks bounced between Jason and the previously missing son of Poseidon. Her eyes roamed despite herself, and relief suddenly flooded her with the knowledge that his girlfriend wasn’t around to witness it (and her boyfriend was too busy to notice).
Skater boy popped into her mind, followed by rebel, no-good, mischievous, and dangerous. Definitely dangerous. Even if celestial bronze wasn’t hanging at the side, the occasional lazy flick making it arch and weave. Or if his sea foam eyes didn’t look uncannily like a category five hurricane out at sea with a tsunami mounting beneath.
No, it was his lazy smile, easy manners, and black mop of hair that gave Piper the impression that boys like him were the death of good girls the world over. The troublesome surfer posture and admittedly attractive and fit swimmer’s body gave him an easy grace not unlike a dolphin. Like a magnet, girls probably flocked over him now. Assuming his physique to be from the water, they probably would never guess the deadly truth.
Metal against metal clanged against each other, the pace slow and steady, experimental. Her mind popped to the present once more, watching with horrified fascination. Blow for blow, they fought as equals, mounted on their respective steeds. A storm brewed overhead, and she could practically taste the ozone on her tongue. Clouds gathered, increasingly black as gusts and gales blew the stalks almost flat. Yep, she thought somewhere in the back of her mind, this is probably how crop circles were made. Yet, to her dismay and amazement, the fight slowly began to turn as the tide.
A single thought wormed her way into Piper’s mind. What if Jason loses? Flashes and sparks lit up the dark sky, fireworks in middle of the storm. Piper stood rooted to the spot, transfixed to the fight before and watch. No, she thought to herself as the boys continued to cross blades, Percy isn't like a dolphin at all. He moves like a shark. Boy wonder whirled and twirled in the air, diving and fighting, parrying and thrusting his sword like an eagle. However, Piper noticed, nervously tugging at her braid, Percy weaved around each strike, baiting him further, circling around the blood in the water.
With sudden clarity, a single moment flashed before Piper’s eyes, as if she were looking into her dagger. Annabeth Chase, blonde hair, grey eyed, and silver witted daughter of Athena, by the beach, eyes forlorn and brooding.
“Hey Annabeth, I know it’s hard, but we’ll get him back soon,” she smiled softly, reassuringly. “From what you guys say, I’m sure he can take care of himself.”
She turns towards her, sharp and intimidating, tension across her shoulders. Her voice, soft yet commanding barely reached Piper’s ears.
“Know how I feel? Piper, my boyfriend is gone, missing, and, if Jason is any indication, doesn’t even remember I exist! Despite everything we have done, have gone through, sacrificed- ” she broke off, staring at the waves gently lapping the beach.
Piper had the distinct impression that the girl next to her did all she could to suppress tears. “You’re right, maybe I don’t quite know,” she conceded, “But if he is half the man you guys have been raving about, I am sure it will all work out.” After a moment, she blurts. “Why don’t you tell me about him? No offense, but I find some of the stories hard to believe. Like seriously, you guys talk about him like he’s some god.”
At this, Annabeth allowed herself a sly, satisfying, weary grin. “I guess to some of us here, he is,” was her simple reply.
At the time, Piper couldn’t understand what the smartest girl in Camp Half-Blood meant. How could someone mortal, not even the son of the King of the gods, be so powerful and influential? Sure, Poseidon was one of the Big Three, but she’s met Nico DeAngelo plenty of times, and never thought of him as a god.
Now, Piper thought to herself, she thought she knew what they meant. No enemy they had fought, nor danger they had scraped by could make her forget that, at the end of the day, they were mortal. Though resilient, they could die; it is a fact of life for a demigod.
She wasn’t so sure now. As Jason began to tire from his full frontal assault, diving and sweeping like the birds of prey in his father’s domain, Percy simply defended. Biding his time, watching with piercing, assessing eyes. The occasional well placed jab bit through his defense, slowing him down even more.
Panic began to grip her senses, and she turned towards the pegasus, now standing and whinnying, nervous with the situation as she could be. If she could just get him to knock out Percy, just get him to stop attacking Jason, maybe she could save them both. She didn’t need to watch any longer to how close Percy had circled, the fact he smelled blood in the water, and she was going to stop them before he could strike.
Not a moment too soon did she enlist the help of the pegasus. She spun on the spot, running and getting ready to charm speak her boyfriend to safety.
Lightning flashed through the sky and illuminated the scene before her, and, for a terrifying second she couldn’t move. Percy stood over Jason, sword pointing straight down at him. She couldn’t see his face, but he glowed like the gods do, a blue halo surrounding his body, seafoam eyes bright and piercing.
Everything happened in a flash after that. Blackjack knocked out the son of the sea, and she made Jason fall asleep. They carried them back to the Argo II and told everyone what had happened. Her mind whirled until she found herself on the deck, Annabeth silently slipping beside her. Piper turned to blonde girl next to her and pondered for a moment.
“They are right, you know,” Piper said at length. “He really does seem like a god amongst us.”