Betrayed But Never Forgotten

Question time, how fun :(

Pipers pov

    It was time – time to confront our past, time to face those we'd once called friends, time to potentially reveal the identities we'd hidden behind masks for so long. The four of us made our way through the moonlit forest, the path both familiar and foreign after years away. I walked with Annabeth up front, our footsteps in perfect sync despite everything, while Luke and Percy trailed behind us.

The air felt heavy with anticipation and unspoken tension. Percy and Annabeth hadn't exchanged a single word since their heated argument, the silence between them more telling than any shouted accusations could be. I couldn't help but wonder if this rift would ever heal, or if it was just one more casualty of our exile.

"We're almost there," Annabeth's voice broke through my thoughts, soft yet clear in the stillness of the night.

"Huh, what?" I asked, realizing I'd been lost in my own troubled mind, memories of happier days at camp threatening to overwhelm me.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, though there was no real irritation behind it – just the ghost of an old, familiar gesture. "We're almost there," she repeated, her gray eyes briefly meeting mine before looking away, scanning the woods ahead as if expecting an ambush.

We lapsed into silence again, the only sounds our footfalls on the forest floor and the distant murmur of Percy and Luke's conversation behind us. I caught fragments – something about contingency plans, about trust and betrayal – but didn't try to eavesdrop further. Some things were better left unheard.

The trees thinned out as we approached Zeus's Fist, that strange pile of boulders that had been the site of so many camp games, so many memories. And there they were – three figures leaning against the rocks, fighting to stay awake under the silver moonlight. My heart clenched at the sight of them – older now, faces etched with years of searching, but still so achingly familiar.

They straightened immediately when they spotted us, fatigue vanishing in an instant. Will was the first to speak, his healer's eyes trying to penetrate our disguises.

"I see you brought along Charm and Stealth," he said, using our code names with a note of uncertainty, as if testing the waters.

Annabeth nodded, her posture rigid with tension. "They decided to help answer your questions." Her voice was carefully neutral, betraying nothing of the turmoil I knew she must be feeling.

With a casual wave of his hand, Percy conjured two benches from the shadows – a casual display of power that made our old friends' eyes widen. "Sit and we will explain," I said, allowing just enough charmspeak to flow through my words to ease the tension in the air.

They obeyed without hesitation, taking their seats on one bench while we arranged ourselves on the other. I positioned myself on the far right, with Annabeth beside me, then Luke, and Percy all the way on the left – as far from the others as he could get while still being present. The symbolism wasn't lost on me.

"How about we go back and forth, three questions each?" Annabeth suggested, ever the strategist, trying to maintain some control over the situation.

Thalia leaned forward, her electric blue eyes intense even in the dim light. "Alright. Question one: are Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Piper McLean alive?" The raw hope in her voice made my throat tighten.

"Yes and well," I answered simply, not trusting myself with more words. The relief that washed over their faces was painfully beautiful – Will and Thalia breaking into tentative smiles, while even Nico's stoic expression softened slightly.

"Have you met them?" Will asked eagerly, his healer's hands fidgeting in his lap, as if he was fighting the urge to reach out to us.

"Yes..." Luke replied, his voice carefully measured. Will nodded, clearly wanting to ask more but restraining himself.