His Return

17. Reminisce

"We need to talk about something."

««•••»»

Piper McLean, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Will Solace, Nico di Angelo, Calypso, Thalia, and Reyna Arellano.

These were the people that now attempted to make themselves comfortable on the chairs, bed and floor of the large room. 

Annabeth was still confused about why these people were in her space at this time, but whatever the reason, it was bound to be important.

"Piper, what are you doing here this early? And couldn't whatever you wanted to talk about wait until there was light outside?"

Immediately, the daughter of Aphrodite's smile dropped, her expression turning deathly serious.

"We have training in an hour. We barely have leisure time left on our hands anymore, but Annabeth, there is something that we need to hear your answer to. Something that has been bothering me for a while."

Silence fell.

Annabeth wished that she could read minds, from the way Piper stood, troubled and peculiar. There was a sudden pressure filled tension in the room, and the grey eyed woman could tell that this was not just any kind of problem. It was serious.

And it was about Perseus.

"W-Well what is it?"

She was anxious.

But on the surface, she tried to look calm and ready for whatever it was that her friend had to say.

But there was one little thing that scared her.

The quiet voice inside her mind that told her retreat out of the situation, because once she knew, there was no turning back.

And there was nothing she believed more than that internal whispering. Yet,...

"About a week ago. Before the Romans arrived. Leo, Calypso and I got up early. It wasn't planned, just a weird event, but I don't think that it was coincidental."

With all the attention focused carefully onto Piper, they could make out the scared undertone in her voice, and the slight quivers that broke her words. It would not go unnoticed that the demi-Titan and the son of Hephaestus shifted uncomfortably in the height of all of this, Leo wrapping his arms around a shaking Calypso. They all gestured for the Cherokee girl to continue, but by the looks of it, it appeared that she needed a minute to recollect herself.

Finally, after an almost unbearable suspense, she began speaking again.

"At the time, we thought nothing of it, but it was nothing more than fate that made us go into the arena that morning."

"When we walked in, we were met by Percy. He was at the back of the room, at the back wall with his wife pressed up against him, but the moment we took one step inside, he just stared at us. He pulled his wife off of him and completely turned himself to face us. Then all of a sudden, there was this...breathtaking silver dagger in his hand, and the look in his eyes just promised something wicked."

"After a solid minute of his gaze being set on us, he just leapt. So high that you would never believe me unless you saw it yourself. He wanted to kill us, but his wife grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to the ground."

"But Annabeth. Before he did, I need to tell you that he was shirtless,—"

"Piper, pl—." Annabeth tried to stop this line of conversation before she could get to far, but Piper cut her off.