Goode is Good: Piper Goes to Goode High School [a Percy Jackson Fanfiction]

Okay

Piper POV
~~~

I don't know how I hadn't been expecting it.

Someone was bound to feel as Paisley did at some point, but I guess it shocked me because we got along so well. My heart felt like it had been dunked in ice water, my hands were numb, and I was shaking.

It'd been a few weeks since the incident on the jet, but it didn't stop me from hurting every time I saw her walk past me in the halls without giving me so much as a glance. Jason had run back to camp for a while to help Chiron, Mr. D, Reyna, and the rest calm the chaos that was erupting. Percy and I were still lying low, walking the halls and joining in on the gossip so as to not look too suspicious.

Mere hours after the "Paisley Incident," as I call it, mortals found out about the gods. Jason, Percy, and I still had yet to figure out why or how this happened. The Mist was gone, that was for sure, but there was no explanation. No sense, no logic! Olympus was under some sort of lockdown once again, and my mom was suddenly not the French teacher anymore. Stupid thing to obsess over I know, but even if she annoyed me, she was my mom for gods' sakes!

Rumors about "Mademoiselle Colomb" were flying like a flock of birds during migration. They ranged from her being an FBI agent here to scope out demigods to her actually being a demigod and even her being a god! It was ridiculous and scary at the exact same time.

"Piper," Annabeth said softly. "Are you...are you okay?"

I whimpered, hoping it was answer enough for her. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling my head into her lap. We were sitting on the front porch of the Big House, technically breaking curfew, but honestly I couldn't bring myself to care. The night was beautiful, stars shining against a blank black canvas. With my mood, it felt more like they were glaring at me, demanding that I repent for all my sins from the day I was born, the darkness of the night an ominous shadow meant to show me just how grave everything was.

Percy was in the Big House with Jason, Reyna, and Frank, leaving me to stay outside and ponder my very existence. All in good fun, I swear.

"I feel..." I began, searching for the words that perfectly described the inner turmoil that had decidedly started to eat my inside out, taking over my very being. "Frustrated, sad, exasperated, angry, tired, and I could go on, but mostly tired and angry."

And sad, I added silently. About Paisley. About Percy.

"What about you?" I mumbled, burrowing my face deeper into her lap.

"Scared," Annabeth replied, tilting her head back to stare dreamily into the night. "Infuriated. Worried, for Percy that is. I don't know how he's going to keep staying strong. Jason, too."

I hid my indifference in a practiced sob.

"It's going to be alright, Piper," the blonde attempted to reassure me. She tugged her slim fingers through my brown locks, brushing aside the eagle feathers and twisting the hairs around her fingers in an effort to distract herself.

"That's what you said a few weeks ago," I muttered bitterly, folding my knees up to chest and cradling them.

"Why can't they just fix their own problems for once?!"

Annabeth and I winced.

The sentence had almost become some sort of catch phrase for Percy as of late, something he had been repeating over and over since the very beginning. He was tired - far more tired than I - and I could see it in Annabeth's eyes that she felt the same. She was scared, just like she had said earlier. But you could see she meant it, you could see the pure, unadulterated terror at the thought of Percy becoming too tired. Of revolting against the gods, as Luke had.

I knew about Luke.

I knew about him through Thalia's sleep talking, Jason's reserve. I knew about him through Chiron's frown lines, and the fire that lit up in Mr. D's eyes when Percy just got a little too angry. I knew about him from Annabeth's midnight ramblings, and then I saw it in Percy. Just the flicker of the tiniest bit of pure rage, and you could see Luke Castellan in him. So, Annabeth and I were worried. It was irrational worry, it had mountains upon mountains of foundation, and -

"I'm sick and tired of this! Why can't the gods just leave us alone?"

Annabeth's fingers froze mid stroke.

"We should..." Annabeth trailed off blankly. Her voice was mechanical, and the Fear was back. The Fear that everyone acknowledged but no one addressed. The Fear that Percy would become Luke. "We should go back to our cabins. And sleep. Sleep is good."

"Sleep is good," I agreed. "Sleep is good."

Slowly, I stood up. I shook my head and stretched, pretending to ignore the stiffness in Annabeth's back as Percy's yelling grew louder, and Reyna and Jason and Frank's frantic protests augmented in volume with it.

"Are you...are you okay, Annabeth?" I whispered, cringing internally at how that was what she had said to me mere minutes earlier, and pulling her up.

"I - " Annabeth choked midsentence. "I'm - "

I was quick to pull her to my chest, squeezing her shoulders lightly in a sign of comfort.

"I'm not okay, Piper," she mumbled into my ear, not lifting her arms up to return the what was supposed to be reassuring hug. "I don't think I will ever be okay again."

I led her to her cabin.

"Not until Percy is," she whispered.

My tears fell silently as I walked away.

~~~

"I hate you, Perseus Achilles Jackson," I muttered under breath harshly, practically yanking my backpack onto my shoulder.

I kicked a rock, the morning air doing nothing to help my mood.

"I hate you for being so stupid."

I saw the ghost of my breath in the cool January air.

"I hate you for being tired."

The sun turned red.

"I hate you for yelling the other night at the Big House."

I fell.

"I hate you for hurting Annabeth so badly."

The blood on my knee didn't phase me, even as the crimson liquid stained my socks.

"I hate you for not being able to do anything."

I rolled my eyes at the bright red graffiti on the school wall, declaring how badly "DEMIGODS SUX."

"I hate you for turning into Luke Castellan."

I saw him trying to grab Paisley's arm. I saw her walk away emotionlessly. I saw his face fall. I saw him lighten when he saw me, a friendly face. A best friendly face.

"And," I breathed, hating how I completely relaxed when I wasn't even in his presence, when I was simply within eyeshot. "I hate you, Perseus Achilles Jackson, for making me fall in love with you."

~~~

surprise! tell me your thoughts on this chapter. it didn't go how i was planning for it to go, but i rather like it anyways. can you guys tell me if it isnt winter in my story? i kinda forgot and refuse to look back bc im kinda too far into the fairy tail fandom rn.

anyways, thank you for all your wonderful support! and thank you to the people who still decided to read this despite my sporadic updating "schedule!" i love you all, just pleasepleaseplease don't just simply write update as a comment? it doesn't motivate me, it discourages me, but thank you anyways for reading and enjoying it.