Chapter Three - Back to Home
She could see the shining blue sea and the green valleys and mountains in the distance. This was it, she was home. She was in Greece.
Piper took one look around at where she was standing, she smiled she was back in Greece, it felt nice to be at home, she hadn’t been there for months, thanks to the task she was given. Taking one look around her at her companions she noticed that Nico was sitting on the ground with a dazed face, she hurried over to Nico and drew out a canteen of Nectar from where she could see it poking out of Nico’s jacket. “Nico,” she said gently, while bringing the canteen to his lips, making him drink the godly liquid. “Drink this.”
She stood up and brushed herself off and walked over to Hazel, she stepped over Jason’s body, after checking that he was still alive, he was. When she reached Hazel she stood next to the roman girl and followed her gaze which was to further up the coast, Piper squinted her eyes and she was just able to see the outline of….the palace?
Hazel muttered “This is….Greece?” as her eyes wandered over the horizon of the deep blue sea, taking in all the sights of the waves and the lone ship that darted across the ocean. “But, it’s the sea!”
“We are a sea faring country Hazel,” Piper said, making the girl in question jump up in surprise, not noticing Piper standing beside her.
“We? You’re a Greek?” Hazel asked, as if forgetting what Piper had told her before they left Rome.
She rolled her eyes, “I am Greek after all, a daughter of Aphrodite actually, that’s why I could change my appearance. I was sent to Rome three months ago.” Piper took a moment to look to the sky, more specifically to the sun remembering the time she said, “We need to go!” Without waiting for a reply from Hazel she rushed over to Nico and shook his shoulder roughly, “Nico! We only have fifteen minutes, come on! Wake up!” Nico blinked open his eyes at Piper’s words, he jumped up and stretched, before turning to face the white palace in the distance.
Piper, with Jason partly in her arms started to make her way down a path that ran around the cliffs. Hazel and Nico followed, with the latter moving to help Piper carry Jason. Hazel strode after the trio while asking, “Why couldn’t, Nico was it? Yes, Nico, why couldn’t you just do whatever you did back there and make up appear at the palace?”
It wasn’t Nico who answered, it was Piper, she could remember somebody telling her about the shields that had been put up by Hecate and her children, “You can’t get within a few miles of the palace, in any direction.” As the palace became closer and closer, everyone picked up the pace, even Hazel.
When the palace finally loomed over the quartet Piper smiled, it was still as she remembered… But before they could walk through the entrance they were stopped by a familiar looking guard.
“Frank?” Hazel said, her eyes widening as she saw who was standing on the gates.
“Hazel?” Frank replied even more astonished at her appearance, “What are you doing here?”
“We’ll just leave you two to it then…” Nico said, as the air started to get a feel of awkward, Piper spared a look to Nico and they both thought the same thing, lets get out. Piper titled her head slightly, agreeing to the silent question that was shared between them.
Quietly the pair slowly backed away, still supporting the unconscious son of Jupiter, and made there way to the entrance of the room where everybody would be gathered. As they near they heard loud voices that seemed to be shouting drifting from behind the door.
“He started it!”
“I’m your older brother you’re meant to listen to me!”
Piper and Nico each placed a hand on the doorway and pushed it open, when the door opened a giant room was revealed, a grand hall with white pillars supporting a roof which was the same white colour. Drapes hung down, each a different colour, the light drifting in through the windows shone down onto the people who were arguing in the centre of the room, each trying to explain their side to the people who were looking on in amusement at the siblings who were arguing.
Nobody noticed the pair entering, carrying Jason with them.
Piper watched as Francesca Adams scowled at her brother, Sam, and narrowed her eyes into a glare and she stared up into her six-years-older-than-her brother. Piper stifled a laugh at the small figure of Francesca up against Sam. Piper couldn’t hold in her laughs any longer, she burst out laughing and pairs of eyes turned towards her. One by one, they each lit up in recognition of the brunette who had been in Rome for months. After seeing Piper, the eyes slid over to see the body which herself, along with Nico was supporting.
Slowly, the pair began to move forward, carefully, so as not to drop Jason, after all they did have to keep the Roman alive. “Piper,” Percy said, from a semi-circle of chairs than only his and two others were occupied, “Piper, its great to see you back, and thanks Nico.”
Nico nodded and helped to lower the praetor to the floor, once he had done that he walked up to the seats and sat in a completely black one. He reclined in his chair as Piper stood still in front of the
“Anything else you want to share Piper?”
Piper only nodded, “Yeah, the Romans, they’re planning an attack on Greece and all I know is that its soon.”
Annabeth nodded an expression on her face which was one of a deep thought, “We’ll have a meeting.” I was more of a statement than a question. “Later today, at 5 o’clock, no exceptions. And when this thing” she said, staring down at the blonde boy, “wakes up, take him to the room.” With that she walked down the steps and walked out of the hall, probably going to look at Roman Attack patterns.
Piper smiled as she saw her friend’s usual reaction to attacks, they had before more frequent before she had left for Rome. She was just so happy to be home and where she belonged, no matter how much Rome had appealed to her, she just hadn’t felt right…
A groan was heard from the floor and the entire hall turned to the now awake praetor, Jason Grace. Once out of his daze he widened his eyes and struggled against the bonds that tied his arms together. “I demand you release me! I am a praetor of Rome! No filthy graecus can bind me up!”
“I think you can take him to the room now…”
