Chapter 41 - She's With Me
published: Monday, 9 September 2019
Time Frame: after 'Blood of Olympus'; in Camp Half-Blood
Synopsis: Drew Tanaka may have a notorious reputation for being a heartbreaker, but when some new campers take things too far, Piper steps in to set the record straight.
Warning(s): slut-shaming, verbal abuse
Dedicated to: All my wonderful readers for hitting 10K reads! Thank you so much, and you have no idea how much this means to me. Happy reading!
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Today there were three new campers; the most Piper had seen in a while. Jenny, Lara, and Olivia, a trio of best friends from a high school in Queens. Having only met Jenny, Piper couldn't judge them all, but Jenny was the sweetest child of Demeter.
Lara was a daughter of Hephaestus, and according to Leo, was amazing at doing intricate projects. She was also an experienced member of the robotics club and hence brought some modern technology to their designs.
Olivia — "Livvy" by her friends — was still unclaimed, but she was chatty and bubbly and brought a certain liveliness to the camp.
Piper hadn't noticed them much, other than wishing she'd had such close friends when she'd first come to camp. All she'd had was Leo and a very confused Jason.
No, she only began to take more notice of them after something that happened two weeks later.
"...he's staring at you."
Piper glanced up to see that Lacey was speaking, directed at Drew.
Immediately, the Asian girl's features broke into an expression of interest. "Who?" she asked almost conspiratorially.
Piper didn't usually get in on her siblings' gossip, but now and then she did listen in to catch up on camp events.
"Brady Morris," Lacey whispered back.
Feeling her eyebrows shoot upwards, Piper decided it was time to join the conversation. "Isn't he dating the new camper?"
Lacey nodded excitedly. "Olivia. Makes this all the more exciting."
Drew frowned. "He needs to learn to be faithful." She kept her head turned.
Piper nearly snorted. "Sorry, what?"
Drew glanced at her. "I'm not a cheater," she told Piper with an eye-roll. "I might flirt with guys and break their hearts, but I'm not a cheater."
"He doesn't seem to have the same morals," Lacey murmured. Her head snapped down as she looked down at her food. "He's coming, he's coming."
Piper cleared her throat as she pointedly glanced away, catching Annabeth's gaze. The daughter of Athena was going over new blueprints for one of Jason's new temples with her siblings, but Annabeth did look over at their table.
Olivia? Annabeth mouthed questioningly.
Piper shrugged helplessly to display her own confusion.
"Hey, Drew, right?" Brady asked nervously. Piper caught a glimpse of him wiping his hands on the back of his trousers.
Drew glanced up warily. "Hi. Don't you have someone else you should be with?" she tried in her sickly sweet voice that made Piper's stomach churn. After spending more time with her half-sister, Piper quickly realised that she only used jay voice when she wanted to mask her true feelings.
Piper felt her eyes widen in surprise. For some reason, she'd always thought Drew was a boyfriend stealer. To be fair, Piper wasn't technically dating Jason when Drew had tried to swoop in and charm him away. Percy and Annabeth hadn't been dating either when she'd made a move on Percy.
Brady shook his head. "I don't think so?"
Drew's gaze flickered to the Hephaestus table, where Olivia was sitting, beside Lara. The girl was glaring straight daggers into the back of Drew's head, stabbing at her pancakes in a way that made Piper feel a little uncomfortable.
"Just wanted to say hi," Brady stammered out. "Um, hi."
Drew then did what the camp had named "The Hairflip". It was the move she usually pulled to mesmerise the boys she met, and when paired with her killer smile, even Piper had to admit she was good at it.
In this case, however, she performed the move with a touch of exasperation. "Go back to your girlfriend," Drew said firmly. "You're not free. Don't be a dick."
Piper choked on her orange juice, disguising her laughter as a cough. She caught the small smile that Drew sent her way.
"You heard her," Freddie told him curtly. He was one of Piper's half-brothers, the sibling she related most to. They weren't as caught up in the whole looks and love equation as the rest of their siblings.
Drew gave Brady the shooing motion, making him turn his back with red cheeks as he slumped on the way to his table.
"Gods, some people need a lesson in common sense," Drew said disdainfully. There's the tone we love, Piper thought with a touch of relief. She was just wondering if someone had pulled a switcheroo with the real Drew.
When Olivia slid into the seat next to Brady and they struck up a conversation, Piper turned her attention back to her sisters.
"That was good of you," she said quietly.
Drew didn't even look at her. "Yeah, well, guess I'm not as bad as everyone says."
That was just the beginning.
<<< >>>
The next time Piper remembered the events over breakfast, it was the morning of the next day. She was awoken by a loud shriek, instantly jolting awake as her right hand scrambled for Katoptris.
"What's going on?" she demanded, leaping to her feet as her adrenaline-flooded veins sent her heart into overdrive.
Shaking gasps and soft sobs rushed over Piper as she realised who had screamed — Drew.
"Oh my gods," Piper tossed her dagger back into her bed as she waded her way through the piles of clothes on the floor towards her sister's bed. "Drew, what—"
A chilling cold rippled down her spine as Piper angled her gaze to the ceiling just above Drew's bed. Her wracked pants filled the silence as their other siblings got up.
The words "BACK OFF" were crudely sprawled across the wooden boards, the red ink dripping onto Drew's cheek.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Piper hurried, beckoning her other siblings to come forward.
Everyone was frozen.
"Is-is that blood?" one of her younger half-sisters whimpered.
Piper hesitantly reached out and wiped off a drop of paint on one of Drew's white pillows. She sniffed it and exhaled heavily. "No, spray paint. Whoever did this obviously meant it as a threat."
Drew was still trembling, tangled up in her sheets as her fear started to disperse. "Oh-oh gods."
"Lacey," Piper hissed, turning around this time and jerking her head pointedly. Lacey and Mira, another one of her siblings, slowly aided Drew to the bathroom.
Piper sat down, hard, on Drew's bed, clasping her hands together into a tight fist as she swallowed. Gods, to wake up to a threat like that.
Back off.
The memory of Olivia glaring at Drew resurfaced in her mind. A cold feeling clamped around Piper's heart, and she bit her lip nervously. Would Olivia do this? How could she have even?
Piper went through the rest of the day keeping a watchful eye on the three new campers as well as Drew. She was her sister and part of her cabin — she was kind of her responsibility.
At dinner, Piper sat at the Poseidon table with Percy and Annabeth. "I'll come check out the cabin," the daughter of Athena offered. "Maybe try figure out how someone could've gotten in."
Piper nodded. "We would've woken up if anyone came by." She sighed frustratedly and ran a hand through her hair. "I need to get to the bottom of this before we leave for New York."
Percy pulled a face as he stabbed at his steak. "Don't remind me. We have to go back to school."
Annabeth shrugged. "We've only been there for a few months. It's not the worst." It was the one-week October term break, but Leo and Frank had decided to stay back in the apartment to catch up on rent. Hazel was back at Camp Jupiter, while Jason travelled in between to continue organising tributes to all the gods and goddesses.
Annabeth peered round Piper's shoulder. "Hey, look who's here."
Piper threw a glance over her shoulder, and her face lit up when she saw a familiar blonde jogging towards them. "Hi," she said brightly as Jason hugged her from behind and gave her a fleeting peck on the cheek.
"Hey, man." Jason hugged Annabeth and ruffled her hair affectionately, making her frown.
"What, no kiss for me?" Percy feigned hurt as they exchanged hugs.
Jason winked at him. "Tonight, baby."
Piper rolled her eyes, stifling a chuckle. "Yeah, you guys pretending to date will always be funny until you actually do it."
Jason opened his mouth, either to reassure her that he was staying with her or dating Percy — Piler really didn't know — but he was interrupted by a strangled cry coming from the Aphrodite table.
Shooting to her feet, Piper sprinted to her cabin's table, her friends at her heels. She screeched to a halt in front of the table, staring in horror at the sight in front of Drew.
"I-Ithought it w-was a present," Drew whimpered, her hands trembling uncontrollably. The plate of food had been covered by a silver bell jar, and when she'd removed it, displayed a hamburger with the word "SLUT" written on the bread in ketchup.
"Oh my gods," Piper heard Percy murmur.
"Hey, it's okay," Jason tried, holding Drew upright by the shoulder. He sent Piper a look of alarm.
Annabeth was glaring around the pavilion, scrutinising everyone. Piper's theory was confirmed ben more by the one face standing out — Olivia's sneer that twisted her pretty features into a cruel sight.
"Hades," Piper breathed, helping Drew up from the table. "Let's get you back to the cabin. Lacey will get you some food." Together with Percy, Piper hauled Drew to her feet and slowly walked her back.
"We're gonna find who did this," Annabeth said quietly as the five of them walked down the hill.
Drew shook her head, her eyes filled with tears. It was one of the first times Piper had ever seen her show any kind of weakness. "Doesn't matter. It's just what everybody thinks anyway."
"It's not fair," Piper voiced angrily. "No one should be bullied like this. It's not right. Calling you a 'slut' is just wrong."
"We're going to Chiron," Annabeth said firmly. "First thing in the morning — we're going to find some way to prove who it is—"
"No!" Drew yelped. "No. It'll just be worse if Chiron knows it too."
Annabeth exchanged wary glances with Piper. "Are you sure?"
Drew nodded tiredly. "I-it's fine. It'll blow over. I'm just gonna get some sleep now." Piper watched as she traipsed to her bed and disappeared behind the doorframe.
"I should go," Piper gestured to her cabin. She lowered her voice. "I'm worried about her."
Annabeth nodded. "She's not what they say she is. I mean, sure, we've had our ups and downs, but slut-shaming? Who does that?"
Piper frowned. "It's Olivia. I'm sure of it. We have to find some way to prove it was her."
"We can confront her tomorrow," Annabeth told her. "I know she said not to Chiron, but that doesn't mean we can't ask Olivia about it."
Piper nodded, rubbing at her eyes. Today had been an exhausting day. Giving Jason's hand a squeeze, she said, "I'll see you tomorrow. I've just got to..."
He nodded with understanding. "Don't worry about it," Jason reassured her.
<<< >>>
As it turned out, they didn't even have to confront Olivia. Piper walked into the pavilion for breakfast and entered a world of chaos.
"Hey, Tanaka!"
Piper glanced at Jason warily and turned around to see Olivia strutting up to Drew, scowl plastered across her face.
"I see you got my messages," she snarled.
"What the hell?" Annabeth whispered.
"Where's Chiron?" Piper demanded.
Percy frowned. "Coordinating repairs in the Big House."
Surprisingly, Drew didn't lash out at her. "Go away, Olivia." Piper realised why Drew had been so unsettling this morning — she wasn't wearing any make-up. Her clothes were baggy and she didn't look anything like herself.
"You're a whore, Drew," Olivia said curtly. "Everyone thinks so. You take people's boyfriends and you think you can get away with it. Well, I'm here to stop that."
"I didn't take anyone's boyfriend," Drew said through her clenched jaw.
"Bitch," Olivia spat. "You flirted with Brady yesterday. Everyone knows he and I are together."
"I didn't go for him, he came for me!"
"I don't care!" Olivia growled. "Look, you're a problem, Drew. And you'll stop being one. No one here likes you. You dress like a stripper and bed new guys every night."
She sneered. "You're. A Slut."
There was a reverberating 'bang!' when Piler slammed her hands on the table.
"Enough!" she ordered, climbing out of her seat and stalking up to the trio of girls. Annabeth followed close behind. "That's it! Who do you think you are?" Piper demanded, pushing down the urge to slap Olivia in her smug face.
The girl didn't back down. "Why are you arguing with me?" Olivia said furiously. "She tried to steal your boyfriend!"
"No, she didn't!" Piper yelled back. "Jason and I weren't even dating, and the moment we were, she backed off!" She took a threatening step forward. "Look, Olivia, you might be new here," Piper snarled. "But this isn't how we do things at camp. We're all here for each other, and if some people want a different lifestyle, we don't shame them for it!"
"So Drew's gorgeous and she gets a lot of guy," Annabeth continued. "That isn't bad. Frankly, I want to ask her how in Hades she does that?"
Drew gave them a teary smile.
"It's incredible," Piper agreed. "Really." She turned to the crowd of demigods. "If anyone expected me to join in this name-calling, shaming business, then I'm disappointed in myself for letting you think that."
She stared Olivia down. "We stand up for each other instead of tearing each other down. I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, and she's all about beauty and love, and she isn't shamed for it. She's respected for it. The same way we should treat Drew and anyone else."
"The only bitch here is you," Piper told Olivia. "The only person here who needs to change is you, because you're way, way out of line here." Her voice rang out clear and confident. "Anyone else who has a problem with Drew? Take it up with Annabeth and myself."
Piper felt amusement rush over her features as Annabeth sent her infamous glare around he pavilion, the sunlight glinting very obviously off of her dagger.
"Otherwise, back off," Piper said calmly, turning back to face the three new campers. Her gaze flickered to Lana and Jenny. "I don't know how she roped you into this, but Olivia isn't right. I promise you. We girls have enough struggle in the world as it is — we don't need more problems by adding them on ourselves."
"Okay?" Annabeth enunciated, glowering furiously. Olivia nodded stiffly.
Piper took pride in how the girl had practically folded into herself. She didn't like confrontations or hurting other people, but anyone who said things like that to anyone — especially to her own sister — frankly, deserved it.
"Thank you," Piper declared. "Now, go back to breakfast. The show's over." Annabeth spun on her heel and slid back into her seat, Piper opposite her.
Later in the day, when Piper was sitting on the beach, doing some homework, Drew came up to her. The padding of feet in the sand alerted her, and Piper smiled when she saw her sister walking up slowly.
She had changed back into her favourite purple top and black skirt, paired with make-up done to perfection. Drew spread her skirt smoothly and sat down next to her sister.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
Piper glanced at her. "Anytime."
"After all the things I've done to you, and you still stood up for me." Drew paused. "It really meant a lot."
"You're a good person," Piper said simply. "No one should be slut-shamed or bullied like that. Especially not you." She nudged Drew in the side playfully. "You're beautiful, Drew. Please don't let anybody ever tell you otherwise."
"I won't," Drew assured her, fiddling with her bracelet.
Piper turned to smile at her. "You know," she said carefully. "We don't have to be enemies. I know it started when I challenged you for the position of counsellor. But we can be friends."
The other girl tucked her hair behind her ear. "I think we already are," she confided.
Piper laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah, okay."
—*—
I wrote this chapter after seeing a post on how many stories often see Piper joining in on slut-shaming Drew, when really, her personality and morals clearly states otherwise.
Slut-shaming is a real problem with our world, and it involves shaming women based on their behaviour, clothing, or promiscuity. Most people do it unconsciously and never realise it.
We help to change the world, and I think every time someone realises this, the problem becomes smaller. That's why I wrote this chapter, and while it definitely isn't perfect, I wanted this message to be out there.
Hope it came through to everyone out there :)