Between the battles: Heroes of Olympus one shots

Coming Back with Nike

PIPER

Piper paced the deck of the Argo II as she waited for the four demigods to return. They had been gone over half the day, and Piper was getting worried. She was alone on watch duty, and she constantly scanned the horizon for any sign of the questing demigods.

She was finally delivered from her vigil when she saw them coming towards her, but something seemed off. They were approaching much too slowly, and there seemed to be something large behind them.

As the demigods grew closer, Piper's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock.

Behind them, in a net, they were dragging Nike, the goddess of victory, and from the muffled screams she heard, Nike was not happy about it.

"Jason, Annabeth," she called behind her. "They're back, and I think you'd better see this."

She heard footsteps coming behind her, but she kept watching the others coming. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Jason and Annabeth came on either side of her, and Annabeth's mouth parted in shock, and Jason said "Now, I would have expected that if Leo and Percy had gone alone, but I really thought Frank and Hazel had more sense."

Annabeth shook her head in amazement. "They really subdued victory. Wow"

"I suppose we should go and help them," Jason said reluctantly, and he jumped off the ship and summoned the winds.

Piper watched as Jason flew down and confronted the questing demigods. She couldn't make out any words, but Jason landed and helped drag the sack.

Annabeth ran over and lowered the gangplank, and Piper stood at the top.

Leo looked up at her, and grinned. "Hey Pipes! We subdued victory!"

"Oh my gods Leo," Piper shook her head. "I have absolutely no words."

"Well that's fine, but we could really use your help dragging Ms. Grumpy here-" Leo nudged Nike with his foot, who glared at him, "Into the stables."

"Woah, hold up." Annabeth said. "We're going to keep the goddess of victory in the horse stables?!"

"Well where else do you suggest we put her?" Percy grumbled. "Now can you help, because she's getting really heavy here."

Piper and Ammabeth exchanged glances, but both went over and helped drag Nike into the horse stables.

After they had gotten her properly secured, the seven demigods met in the mess hall to hear what the Hades happened with Nike.

Piper couldn't help but laugh as Frank described their encounter, and the battle that followed. Only those four could pull off something like that. "So when Leo captured her, we talked to Nike-"

"Nike was pretty mad when we stuffed her in the sack. She didn't say much, mostly trying to curse us with her victory mumbo-jumbo which Frank stopped by stuffing his sock in her mouth." Leo cut in, shooting Frank a look that Percy copied. But when Leo took over, Piper noticed something odd. The four demigods were glancing nervously at each other, and they all had distinctly guilty looks on their faces.

"Is there something you guys aren't telling us?" Piper questioned.

"Well, Nike did say something el-" Frank was cut off by Hazel putting her hand on his arm, Percy giving him a death glare, and Leo kicking him under the table. "OW!" Frank yelped.

"She told us a cure for death." Percy interrupted. "Some poison, a curse on Delos, and the makai.

Piper narrowed her eyes. They were definitely hiding something. "Guys, we're all on this quest together, we all need to know. What are you guys hiding?"

"Piper, seriously, you don't want to know. It's nothing." Leo said, looking unusually serious.

Piper opened her mouth to argue, but before she could she noticed what was happening on the other side of the table. Percy and Annabeth were having a glare off, and surprisingly, Percy was not backing down.

Whatever they were hiding, it had to be serious. Piper caught Annabeth's eye, and Annabeth nodded. "Do it."

Piper really didn't want to charmspeak her friends, but she really didn't see another option.

"Wait." Percy said. "I'll talk. Just don't use charmspeak on us, some things need to be left unsaid, ok?"

Piper nodded, relieved, and Jason squeezed her hand.

"Like Leo said, Nike was pretty P.Oed when we stuffed her in a sack. She told us some information, but it really wasn't what we needed to hear."

"Percy, what was it?" Annabeth pressed.

Percy looked at Frank and Hazel, who wouldn't meet his eyes. Hazel looked up, and said "Tell them Percy. I suppose they have a right to know."

Leo looked disgruntled, but said, "Just tell them."

Piper listened to this with growing dread. What could they possibly be hiding?

"She said one of the four demigods present, one of us four," Percy gestured to himself, Frank, Hazel, and Leo , "Was fated to-" He took a deep breath, and continued. "One of us is going to die battling Gaea."

No. This couldn't be happening. She looked at Jason, who looked shell shocked. "No." Piper said. "No, no ,no."

Leo's head was on fire, Percy was avoiding Annabeth's gaze, and Frank and Hazel were talking to each other in low tones, and Frank put his arm around her.

"This is why we didn't want to tell you," Leo grumbled. "But the cure she mentioned would work. She said it's the only way. To prevent it the death would be disastrous from what we heard."

"We've done impossible before. We will collect this cure." Jason said. Despite the wound in his stomach, his eyes glittered with determination, "We are all making it through this alive, ok?"

He glared at each of the four demigods, as if daring them to argue.

"Meeting dismissed."