The Selection

Happy Birthday Piper

Piper's POV
"Sparky, don't you act like that. Tell me what you are up to. " I have been blabbering under my breath but he is not replying.

So I shut my mouth and decided to go with the flow. We are in the palace and he is taking me through an unknown corridor. Obviously, I have not explored the whole castle and thus every passage is strange to me.

We stop in front of a door and he passes me a smile. And then he opens the door.

The room is pitch dark. But as soon as my feet touch the floor, the lights are back on. And what I see makes my mouth drop.

"Happy Birthday Piper! "

Leo and Calypso are standing there with a huge chocolate cake beside him and there is Zoe, who is jumping up and down restlessly. But besides them, there is someone else too. I look at her. Blonde hair, grey eyes. Annabeth. Her eyes examine me from head to toe and then she smiles at me. Tears of happiness fill my eyes.

Annabeth extends her arms and I run towards her into her arms. I pull away. She cups my face and I touch her soft hands on my face. "You have grown, Piper."

"What do you think, I would have always remained the same, sis. "

"Happy Birthday Piper! "

At this, little Zoe came towards me and said, "Hapie Biday Pipes! "

"Thank you a lot, Zoe," I said.

Annabeth smiled at her with motherly eyes.

Zoe averts her gaze to the giant cake that sat on the table beside us.

"Zoe, no. "

"Mommy, please. " She said with puppy dog eyes.

Then I realize, she has the same blonde hair. I remember what Sparky said about Zoe when I first met her and what I learned from the history lesson.

"Annie, no,  Queen Annie Chase Jackson, right? You got married without even informing me. That's not fair. " I say.

"I am sorry, Pipes. But I can show the pictures. "

"Thanks, Annie. "

"But not now. We have to cut the cake now. "

I steal a glance at Sparky but I am caught. He smiles at me. The scar above his lips changes its shape.

I take the knife in my right hand and cut the delicious chocolate cake. I offer it to Zoe first as she is the youngest one and the most excited one.  I can see on Leo's face that he is trying to suppress his desire of jumping over the cake and devouring it. He is the biggest foodie I have ever seen. So, I give him a slice of cake.

"Happy birthday Piper! " Calypso says. "Thank you, Calypso! " I pass her a plate of cake.

I take a piece of the cake and offer it to Annabeth. She smiles and takes it mouthing a thank you. But before I leave her, she does an unexpected thing. She smudges the cream all over my face!

"Annabeth! " I say full with pretended rage.

I chase her with some cake in my hands while she runs in her gorgeous gown. I throw it at her but she ducks and the cake hits none other than Sparky.

Oh shit! I bit my tongue. And whirl away from him. Oh, gods save me!

I take the risk of turning. And I am greeted by electric blue eyes that seem to take me into a new world. He wipes the cake off his face, his hands full of creamy chocolate.

"Sorry, Sparky. "

"Sorry won't work today. "

"Catch me if you can, then. "