~ { Shadow and Beauty } ~

We Talk A Lot

{Piper}

"You're a spirit from the Underworld," Piper guessed. "You're possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it?"

   Percy sneered. "I will live again in this body. The Earth Mother has promised. I will go where I please, control whom I wish."

   A wave of cold washed over Piper. "Leo... that's what happened to Leo. He was being controlled by an eidolon."

   The thing in Percy's form laughed without humor. "Too late you realize. You can trust no one."

   Jason still wasn't moving. Piper had no help, no way to protect him. Behind Percy, something rustled in the wheat. Piper saw the tip of a black wing, and Percy began to turn toward the sound.

   "Ignore it!" she yelped. "Look at me."

   Percy obeyed.

   "You cannot stop me. I will kill Jason Grace."

   Behind him, Blackjack emerged from the wheat field, moving with surprising stealth for such a large animal.

   "You won't kill him," Piper ordered. But she wasn't looking at Percy. She locked eyes with the pegasus, pouring all her power into her words and hoping Blackjack would understand. "You will knock him out."

   The charmspeak washed over Percy. He shifted his weight indecisively.

   "I... will knock him out?"

   "Oh, sorry." Piper smiled. "I wasn't talking to you."

   Blackjack reared and brought his hoof down on Percy's head. Percy crumpled to the pavement next to Jason.

   "Oh, gods!" Piper ran to the boys. "Blackjack, you didn't kill him, did you?"

   The pegasus snorted. Piper couldn't speak Horse, but she thought he might have said: Please. I know my own strength.

   Tempest was nowhere to be seen. The lightning steed had apparently returned to wherever storm spirits live on clear days.

   Piper checked on Jason. He was breathing steadily, but two knocks on the skull in two days couldn't have been good for him. Then she examined Percy's head. She didn't see any blood, but a large knot was forming where the horse had kicked him. "We have to get them both back to the ship," she told Blackjack.

   The pegasus bobbed his head in agreement. He knelt to the ground, so that Piper could drape Percy and Jason over his back. After a lot of hard work (unconscious boys were heavy), she got them reasonably secured, climbed onto Blackjack's back herself, and they took off for the ship.

The others were a little surprised when Piper came back on a pegasus with two unconscious demigods. While Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack, Annabeth, Kiara and Leo helped get Piper and the boys to the sickbay.

   "At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia," Coach Hedge grumbled as he tended their wounds. "How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"

   Piper sat at Jason's side. She herself felt fine after a swig of nectar and some water, but she was still worried about the boys.

   "As far as I can tell, both of them are alive," Kiara informed the others. "They just need to rest."

   Relief flooded Piper. "Leo, are we ready to sail?"

   "Yeah, but—"

   "Set course for Atlanta. I'll explain later."

   "But... okay." He hurried off.

   Annabeth didn't argue with Piper either. She was too busy examining the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy's head. "What hit him?" she demanded.