Stormy Seas (a Percabeth AU)

Jason and the Brick

       Annabeth woke up late on the day of Piper's wedding. She'd tended the lighthouse last night, only being relieved at dawn, so she slept till noon. That meant she now had to get ready super fast. Luckily, she had practice.

     Annabeth changed into her nice olive-green chiton and matching pallas. She slipped on her sandals and quickly combed her hair. By the time she was done, it was about time to go. Helen and Annabeth went to the shrine of Artemis to meet the bride, while Frederick, Matthew, and Bobby headed towards the groom's house.

    As Annabeth approached the shrine, Piper was laying her childhood toys down: a doll, a collection of smooth rocks, and a carved, wooden horse. She straightened up as she saw Annabeth. "It feels so weird to be saying goodbye to them."

    Annabeth nodded. Marriage meant a permanent change in Piper's status. She wouldn't be a child or a maiden anymore, but a woman. Soon, she'd be a matron and mother. She was going from the authority of her father to that of her husband. She was going from helping run a house to being in charge of it all. That had to be scary.

After supplicating the huntress with prayers, Piper stood up. The women headed to the shrine of Aphrodite where more women were gathered. Hazel, a girl a couple years younger than Annabeth, was the first to greet them. "How are you feeling?" she asked Piper.

The bride laughed. "Nervous."

Hazel patted her on the shoulder. "Countless women have gone through this. You'll be fine."

Piper nodded as if trying to reassure herself. Annabeth prepared the ceremonial bath with water from a nearby stream. When it was ready, Piper bathed and then dressed once again in saffron-stained veil and chiton. Silena, her stomach round with the promise of life, used kohl to line Piper's multi-colored eyes. Lacey, another of Piper's half-sisters, braided her brown hair. "I'm just glad you're the one carrying the torch and not Jane," Piper told Annabeth.

    Jane was Tristan's housekeeper and from what Annabeth had heard of her, she was as unpleasant as could be. As the women finished prepping Piper, each giving a word of encouragement or divulging tips for marriage, Annabeth realized this was how it would be. She would always be the one holding the torch or preparing the bath — never the one wearing the veil.

      Piper was trembling as they left the temple. Annabeth envied her friend for her courage to show her emotions to the world. Annabeth grew up knowing she had to hold things in to keep safe. It was that rule that had helped her weather her life so far.

     The women met the men outside of Tristan's house where the wedding feast was being held. Long, wooden tables had been pulled out. They were separated into three sections: one for the men, one for the women, and the last (and smallest): a sole table bearing the food.

     Annabeth stuck close to her friend. The meal began and Annabeth noticed Piper was picking at her food. "Nervous?" Thalia asked.

      Piper nodded. "Don't be," Thalia said. "My brother is about as scary as a puppy."

      This caused several women to giggle. Some of them were remembering their own weddings and how nervous they had felt as they left the only house they knew behind. "Look," Thalia continued. "See my brother over there, standing up to get more food?"

     Piper nodded and followed Thalia's gaze. Jason had picked up his bowl and was walking towards the feast table. Someone asked him a question and he turned around to answer it. It was Piper who realized what was going to happen first. She ran forward, Thalia and Annsbeth flanking her, as Jason tripped over a clay shard.

      Piper caught Jason in her arms just before his forehead hit a fallen brick. Annabeth realized it was strangely quiet. "Is this a bad omen?" Beryl asked.

"It's a good omen!" Thalia announced.

There were murmurs as if not everyone agreed. Piper had let go of Jason now that he was standing up and he was looking at her in awe. "You saved my life," he breathed loudly enough for Annabeth to hear.

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration," Piper said. "You probably would've just suffered some head trauma. You might've fainted or suffered from memory loss, but I think you'd be alive."

Jason smiled. "But you prevented that. You care about me, don't you?"

"Don't get your hopes up," Piper said, though she was smiling broadly too.

They separated to finish the meal and Annabeth noticed that Piper looked more relaxed now. When the meal was over, the procession began. Chiron lent a chariot pulled by four horses for the couple and they were helped up onto it by their parents. The wedding guests thronged together in the wake of the chariot, singing hymns to Aphrodite and Hera in honor of the bride and groom.

When they finally arrived at Piper's new house, Beryl was handed a blazing torch and she stepped in front of the threshold of the house. Annabeth was quick to help her friend down from the chariot. Leo helped Jason down.

The bride and groom now stood facing each other. Then, Piper slowly lifted her veil and Jason picked her up. The guests broke into song as Jason carried his bride over the threshold of the house. Annabeth blinked as she watched her friend disappear from sight. She would visit Piper the following day to ease her loneliness.

    Annabeth wondered how Piper would adapt to the life of a wife. If Jason, unlike his namesake, acted honorably, she would probably be happy. Plus, Thalia lived with her brother and the two liked each other pretty well. Then, there was the matter of Beryl whom Annabeth had heard had a drinking problem. She hoped it wouldn't cause any troubles. It was dusk now and as the wedding guests dispersed, returning to their homes, Annabeth couldn't help but wonder what the future held for her.