The Warmth Of Summer

Part 2 - Piper

CRASH!

The car reversed into a bin, sending it and it's contents all over the pavement. Percy appeared at the door, still wearing a pair of fish boxers and tugging a shirt over his head. The man walking his dog across the road and the lady jogging didn't bat an eyelash, so Piper presumed it was a regular thing. Lucky them. Winding down the window, she stuck her head out.

"C'mon Perce. Grab your bags and go!"

Percy disappeared into the apartment, then reappeared moments later, fully dressed and lugging a small suitcase.Sally and Paul stepped outside, still in pyjamas, and Percy hugged them both, kissing his mother's forehead.
"Bye guys! Don't do anything to crazy whilst I'm gone!"

The driver beeped the horn impatiently, and Percy rushed to get in, waving at his parents through the window. As the car turned the corner, Percy collapsed on the plush leather seats next to Piper.

"Wow, Pipes! This is so cool. I wish I was rich."

"No you don't. It is a terrible affliction to have."

"You're so melodramatic, Pipes. What times our flight?"

Piper pulled out her phone and checked it. "Like, ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes!" Percy yelped, lurching forward. "How are we meant to get to the airport, through security and board in ten minutes?!"

Piper smirked.. "We have a private helicopter, remember?"

Percy relaxed back into his seat. "Oh. See, this is why I want to be rich."

Piper rolled her eyes at him, and he poked her in the stomach.

...

Piper hated flying. Her stomach was tying itself into knots (which wasn't helped as her dad, a completely inexperience pilot, was flying), and the inside of the helicopter was like a sauna. When they finally landed, Piper could barely see straight, and Percy practically had to carry her of the helicopter.

"That was the worst experience ever." Muttered Piper, watching Percy twirl around. Finally, when she thought she would be able to stand, she joined him. They had landed on a large expanse of grass, and in the distance Piper could see a beach, the sea crashing against the sand, which lead into a small patch of woods. Further than that, a cluster of villas could be see, surrounding a large pool. Her father appeared at her shoulder, gesturing towards the beach.

"That is where we'll be filming, mostly." He then pointed to the villas. "And that is where we'll be staying."

Suddenly, Mellie, Tristan's assistant, appeared. She was wearing a fitted suit and black heels, and Piper wondered how she wasn't falling over or boiling to death. She was sure Mellie was some sort of alien. Realising Percy was tugging at her arm, she walked backwards a few steps, before jogging to catch up with him.

"Let's get are stuff and go. I want to check out where we're staying."

Percy shrugged, pulling their suitcases from the pile where the had been dumped and handing one to Piper. "Don't we need someone to check in with us?"

Piper struck a pose. "Oh please Jackson. I'm famous."

"Whatever. I'll give you all the money I have in my wallet if anyone recognizes you."

"Ten pence and some sweet wrappers? I'll pass, thanks."

...

Percy owed Piper a lot of money. There had practically been a fanfare when the walked through the large challengers they had to check in. Some of the staff were surreptitiously trying to take photos, while others had simply stopped dead. The man at the desk had only glanced at Piper before ticking her name on his list. He raised an eyebrow at Percy. "And you are?"

"Percy Jackson."

For a long moment the man skimmed down his list of names, before ticking Percy's.

"You're in villa 7, South Side, and you have adjoining rooms." He said sounding bored, but Piper could see from where she stood that her and her father's name's on the list was highlighted and surrounded by little gold stars.

"South side? You mean, like, round the back?" She said.

The man rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

Percy began to say something, but Piper hit him in the chest. "Come on." She muttered in an undertone. "Let's just go."

They walked out of the villa into the glaring sun, and Piper, spotting a path winding round the back on the building, followed it. She tried not to show how annoyed she was that they were the furthest away from the pool and the beach - until suddenly the villa was visible, framed between two large palm trees. It was nestled quite deep into the woods, balanced over a deep river, which was filled with only a couple inches of sparkling water. The back wall was completely made of glass, but the front was only surrounded by a thatched fence, made of the same material as the roof. Underneath the villa hung a square hammock, covered in pillows and duvets.

"Woah." Said Percy, putting his arm around her and tilting his head. "The company really splashed out, didn't they?"

Piper nodded, ignoring the somersault her stomach was doing. She pulled Percy up the steps and through the thatched doors. On the far side were two small adjoining rooms, and she dumped her bag on the floor, pushing the door to one open. It was pretty plain, with only a double bed, a small solar powered lamp, a wardrobe and the view of woods in the floor-to-ceiling window. Turning, she crashed straight into Percy, and they tumbled back. He managed to grab on to the table, and Piper stood up after a second. Her face suddenly felt very hot.
"Let's - let's go explore this place!"