Blood of Olympus: The Epilogues

Chapter Three: Piper

Piper was a little disappointed in Percy. She was really tired of all the ignorance. Mostly people focused on Leo, or Percy, or Jason or Annabeth. Piper? She was just a girl who tagged along on the quest. Nobody ever congratulated her on putting Gaea to sleep. Everything was really weird. So when she Iris-messaged Percy at camp, she wasn’t expecting to give him a warm hello. But when Tyson’s face appeared on the water, her face melted.

“Tyson?” She said.

“Percy’s friend!” Tyson greeted her, a smile crossing his face.

“Hey, Tyson,” she said. “Do you know where Percy is? I need to talk to him. Now.”

Piper could see her brow lowering as she said his name.

“What is wrong, Percy’s friend?” Tyson inquired, his eye squinting in concern.

“It’s… nothing. I just need to talk to him.”

“Okay. I will go get him.”

Frank put a hand on Piper’s shoulder. “I know. You feel like he gets all the attention around here. So do I. It’s nothing to worry about. He’s our friend… Right?”

Piper nodded, shocked. “I just hope…” She didn’t finish her sentence, because just then Percy’s face appeared.

“Wassup, guys? Got a problem? ‘Cause if there’s like a drakon or something, I could just…”

“Not a problem at all!” Frank announced. Then out of pure giddiness he turned into a kangaroo.

Piper snorted, then turned back to Percy, who was cracking up.
“Dude! You need to work on that!”

Piper could’ve sworn the kangaroo blushed.

“Anyway, we found Leo.”

“Leo! Like… his body, or-?”

“Him. He’s alive!” Piper announced.

“Whoa! Really? Like, as in, not dead? And not a ghost? Or a zombie? Because thinking about Leo as a zombie really--”

“He’s coming, with Reyna and Jason and Calypso!”

Percy’s eyes widened and the color drained from his face.

“Calypso? But, Leo promised he would let me…”

Piper hung her head as Frank turned back into a very embarrassed-looking Chinese-Canadian. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve said too much,” she whispered at him.

“Calypso and Leo will handle it,” he whispered back as the three jogged up.

Percy strained to see Calypso, so Piper tugged Frank back and let Calypso see.

“Perseus Jackson,” she said, “it’s been a long time.”

Just then, Iris’s face appeared and started, “Please pay one drachma for ten more min--”

Her face disappeared and Percy’s reappeared.

“Stupid ten minute payment,” he muttered.

“Perseus Jackson,” Calypso repeated, “It’s been a long time.”

Percy looked up. He stumbled a little, and his black hair took over the screen. Then he stepped back so they could see his face.

“Calypso?” He asked. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to rescue you! Leo must’ve shown up without my knowing…” Percy stared pointedly at Leo, who hovered behind Calypso.

“I’m really sorry, Dude,” Leo said, “I was on Festus, and I thought I was dead… In fact, maybe I was dead… and then I landed at Calypso's place. I’m really sorry, Dude.”

“It’s really all right,” Calypso said to Percy. “Being rescued by Leo and his metal dragon was quite interesting.”

Percy hung his head. “I failed you,” he told Calypso, “I promised you I would…”

He trailed off.

Leo hung his own head in shame. Piper sighed. “None of that matters to either of you,” she said. She hated using charmspeak on her friends, but this was when it was necessary. “Calypso’s been rescued, and Leo’s alive. Those are the only things that matter right now. Understand?”

Both boys looked at her, nodding enthusiastically. For a second, Piper saw Leo as a car salesman she was charmspeaking. She blinked, and Leo had stopped nodding. He was a normal boy. She sighed. Piper must be losing it.

“Get over here,” she ordered Percy. “Come on. Please?”

“Oh, all right,” Percy agreed, “Maybe Nico can shadow-travel me and Annabeth and Hazel?”
“Good,” Piper agreed. She swiped her hand through the image, and Percy’s face dissolved.