Secrets [A Heroes Of Olympus Fanfiction]

Part Thirty-One:

Part Thirty-One:

Piper was nervous.

After seeing Hazel give birth and hearing her screams, she felt like a major chunk of the ceiling had just crushed her body. Sure, Sammy was adorable, but Piper was still nervous. She couldn't wait for Michael to arrive, yet she was anxious about giving birth. Will had told her that she wasn't due for almost a month, so that gave Piper time to relax and hang out will Calypso and Annabeth who were also yet to have their kids.

Today, though, was different. Annabeth had told Hazel, Piper, Calypso and Thalia (who had decided to visit camp while the hunters were off on a quest so that she could have some time off) that they were going dress shopping for the wedding. Even though Piper, Calypso and Annabeth couldn't try on any dresses because of their pregnant stomachs, Aphrodite was going to help them by creating an image of each of them in different dresses, then she would create the dresses in their size and deliver them in time for Annabeth's wedding.

Piper's mother liked shopping and of course, the demigods' love life, so it was no surprise that she was extremely eager to help with Annabeth's wedding.

"Girls!" Aphrodite cried when she appeared in the Aphrodite cabin, a wardrobe appearing along with her.

"Hey mum." Piper greeted unenthusiastically.

"Hello Lady Aphrodite." Hazel bowed. Thalia didn't say anything, and Calypso and Annabeth replied almost the same way Piper did.

"I picked out my ten favourite dresses!" Aphrodite squealed. "Lets start with the bridesmaid dresses first." She opened the wardrobe and reached inside it.

This wasn't any wardrobe; in some ways it reminded Piper of an unloved puppy, with it's red paint-peeling walls and door that squeaked whenever it was opened. But on the inside, it was what looked like an entire shop, full of wedding dresses. Piper had a sneaky suspicion that Aphrodite had stolen the whole wardrobe idea from one of the books her father had read to her as a child. What was it called? Something about a lion, a witch and a wardrobe and a place called ... Narnia.

"Did you have any ideas?" Aphrodite asked Annabeth. While the daughter of Athena was reading off her list of what she and Percy had decided on, Piper felt a kick in her stomach.

"Ow." She mumbled, glaring at her pregnant belly. "Stop it."

"Is Michael annoying you?" Calypso asked, smiling almost shyly.

"Yeah. He never listens when I tell him to stop, though." Piper grinned as she felt another kick.

"You're lucky to only have one." Calypso sighed. "Alex and Charlie keep fighting each other like they've already started a sibling rivalry." The two girls burst into giggles.

Ten minutes later, Annabeth had chosen two bridesmaid dresses. The first one was light blue with a sea green sash around the waist, the second sky blue that faded into a darker shade as it reached the bottom.

Aphrodite created an image of Thalia, Calypso, Piper and Hazel in both of the dresses and Annabeth had a good look at them. "Hm, well I like the first one, but I think I prefer the second one because it reminds me of a mix of the sea and the sky."

"So it's the second one then?"

"Yup!"

"Excellent!" Aphrodite clapped her hands together and gazed around at the girls. Her eyes lingered on Piper's for a moment and her face changed to a brief pain before she looked away. "Now for THE dress!"

While Annabeth was being showed countless more wedding dresses and what she would look like in each, the other girls commenting their thoughts, Piper felt another kick. This time the pain lasted longer and it hurt. A lot. Imagine stubbing your toe and pain shooting up your leg. Now multiply that pain by about a hundred times. That's what it felt like.

"Piper, are you alright?" Hazel asked.
"I'm fine." Piper tried to smile, then looked down. There was water sliding down her legs. Suddenly, something clicked in Piper's brain. She was going into labour.

"Piper!" Thalia, Calypso, Hazel and Annabeth shouted as Piper's vision blurred. She collapsed, crying out in pain.

"Get Will!" Was the last thing Piper heard before she blacked out.