❝𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥.❞
𝗟𝗘𝗢 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗭 falls in love easier than he would like himself to. To the many people he had liked before, dr...
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XXI. THE AGE WHERE LYCANTROPHE CAN'T CATCH ME, I SWEAR!
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"You wouldn't be the first renegade
To need somebody"
LEO VALDEZ WAS ABOUT TO take the most glorious bite of his burger when Piper had suddenly spoke up. Her voice was flat, serious—the kind that immediately wiped the grin off Leo's face. He and Kasturi were both jolted out of their little world, the cozy bubble they'd been floating in since things between them started feeling right again.
"I don't mean to ruin this beautiful moment and all," Piper said, her voice tight, "but we need to talk."
Leo froze, burger halfway to his mouth, glancing over at Piper with wide eyes. Kasturi, who had been laughing just a second ago, now looked equally concerned.
"What's going on, Pipey?" Kasturi asked, her voice unsure, but Piper's expression was deadly serious... as well as scared. She had sat up, facing all of them now: Leo, Kasturi, Jason, and Coach Hedge.
"I don't want to hide anything from you guys anymore," Piper said quietly. Her knuckles were white from gripping her knees, and she avoided looking at anyone directly.
Leo blinked, a confused look spreading across his face. He glanced at Jason, who was watching Piper carefully, and then back at Kasturi. She looked just as confused as he felt, but Piper's tone made his stomach twist in a way no amount of food could fix.
"What... what are you talking about?" Kasturi asked, her voice quieter now.
Piper's lips pressed into a thin line before she finally spoke.
"Three nights before the Grand Canyon trip," she began, her voice steady but low, "I had a dream. A vision." She paused, and they all watched her intently. "A giant. He told me my dad had been taken hostage. And that if I didn't cooperate, he'd kill him."
The flames crackled.
Finally Jason said, "Enceladus? You mentioned that name before."
Coach Hedge whistled. "Big giant. Breathes fire. Not somebody I'd want barbecuing my daddy goat."
Jason gave him a shut up look. "Piper, go on. What happened next?"
Piper swallowed, her hands twisting in her lap.
Piper nodded, her voice cracking a little as she went on. "I tried to reach my dad after that, but all I got was his assistant — Jane — who basically told me not to worry. But I knew something was wrong."
