Dancing with Death

When You Most Need Your Friends

Eliza watched the waves roll by. After all the excitement, her brain had taken a while to calm down. Now, with her adrenaline spent, her mind had fixated on the way she'd brutally attack the scolopendra. Sure, the beast had provoked them, but it hadn't really had a choice. It was being controlled by a goddess.

She knew she was making petty excuses, but... the severity of the wounds she'd dealt to that monster was scary.

Ever since she'd regained her memories, her powers had seemed stronger, more unpredictable, and much more terrifying. She'd barely grasped the lengths of her power before; now it had grown.

She slumped against the railing, resting her head in her folded arms. When she looked up, she saw Jason staring at her, as if ready to approach. Before he had the chance, she straightened and marched down the stairs to her quarters below.
     * * *
Eliza stared at the ceiling as she lay on her bed. It probably wasn't the best idea to be alone with her thoughts, but she couldn't handle talking to anyone either.

Someone knocked on the door.

Eliza turned away from the door. "I'm not in the mood for visitors."

The only answer was another knock.

Groaning, she sat up and walked over to the door. She pulled it open. "I said..." she stopped when she found Piper, Annabeth, and Hazel outside her door in their pajamas carrying pillows and blankets. "What's this?"

Piper looked back at her companions and chuckled. "What do you think?" She shrugged when Eliza didn't answer. "Sleepover."

Eliza sighed. "Piper, I'm really not up for that right now."

"That's exactly why we're here." Hazel put in.

"The times you're most upset," Annabeth added. "are the times you most need your friends."

"Especially your GIRL friends." Piper clarified, giggling. "So, may we come in?"

Eliza couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess." She stepped aside and let the girls in. "Just a fair warning, I've never done this kind of thing before."

"You haven't!" The three girls gasped in unison, turning to face Eliza as she stood awkwardly by the door.

Eliza slowly shut the door. "No. I got to Camp Jupiter when I was 4. I never had the chance."

"Well," Piper dropped her stuff and walked over. "That's something we're about to fix."
                                     *   *   *
"So, let me get this straight." Eliza sat on the floor next to her bed. "You're not supposed to sleep at a sleepover?"

"Yep," Piper sat on the bed behind her. "Now stop moving." She tugged on Eliza's hair to let her know she was serious.

Eliza rolled her eyes and sat still, feeling Piper run her fingers through her hair, as the daughter of Aphrodite expertly wove Eliza's hair into two short French braids. This was so weird. Eliza had never had someone do her hair before. That's why she'd cut it short, so she could leave it down all the time without it getting in the way.

"Too bad we don't have any games." Hazel sat cross legged on the floor, hugging her pillow. "Or a deck of cards."

Piper tied off the second braid. "Hey! We can make our own fun."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at Piper's almost evil-looking grin. "Why does that not comfort me?"

Piper gave each of the other girls a mischievous look.
* * *
Piper pointed across the circle. "Annabeth, truth or dare?"

Without missing a beat, Annabeth replied. "Truth." She'd made the mistake of saying 'dare' to Piper before, which had resulted in her having to try and steal Leo's tool belt.

Piper's grin widened, never a good sign. "What's the most embarrassing thing Percy has ever done with you?"

Annabeth blushed, like she immediately knew the answer. "He's embarrassed me a lot."

"Fair point." Piper admitted. "But what's the worst one?"

"Umm..." Annabeth looked like she was about to die of embarrassment. "One time... he broke into song while we were on a date... in the middle of a busy park." She chuckled nervously. "He's not the best singer. Everyone was looking at us. It was sweet, but..." her facial expression said it all.

Eliza felt second-hand embarrassment for the daughter of Athena. Percy was very kind and thoughtful, but he could be absolutely ridiculous.

Piper was laughing so hard she could barely speak. "You mean... like full-on belting Disney style?"

Annabeth looked like she wanted to hide under her blankets. "Yes."

Piper laughed even harder. "Okay... okay." She wiped a tear from her eye. "You're turn."

Annabeth scanned the circle. "Eliza."

The daughter of Persephone cringed. She'd been hoping to avoid taking another turn after Piper had made her steal Hedge's remote, or attempt to. Her arm still hurt from where the satyr had karate chopped it to make her drop the controller.

"Truth or dare?" Annabeth finished.

Eliza bit her lip. "Truth?"

The other girls looked a little surprised. Eliza had been choosing dare all game.

Annabeth thought for a minute. "If the legion treated you so badly, why did you stay?" It wasn't a funny question. It wasn't supposed to make them laugh. Annabeth was genuinely curious.

Eliza dropped her gaze to her lap. "I stayed... because I didn't think I had anywhere else to go. Despite all of the crap that I went through, Camp Jupiter was the closest thing I've ever had to a home... and the legion, no matter how sucky they could be... became my family." She twisted the corner of her blanket. "Or at least some of them did."

Hazel dropped her pillow, threw aside her blanket, and moved over to Eliza, throwing her arms around her. Annabeth joined the hug, promptly followed by Piper. The girls sat on the floor in a group hug, trying to hold Eliza together.

A/N
I'M BAAAACCCCKKKKK!!!!
Hope you all enjoyed this filler chapter. I thought of this idea while I was at camp and thought it would be fun to write.
Thank you all for the support!
-Cheshire