The Child of Hera

Chapter 32-Piper

Annabeth and Rachel both went red for different reasons.  Annabeth was silently fuming, trying to calm down.  She took a deep breath and looked directly at Rachel.  Perhaps she thought she looked collected.  If so, she was wrong.

"It wasn't when you guys were dating!  I promise!" Rachel said frantically.

Oh dear.  Annabeth was so red, she might have been a tomato.  She took a deep breath and said, "I'm going to try to not murder you right now.  I might have to restrain myself, so I suggest you stay in a place that has easy access to the door.

Rachel scooted closer to the cave entrance.

"Ooh!  Me next!" squealed Piper.

Birdie put her hand on Piper's head, no longer hesitant.  Soon she was giggling.  After a while, she ended up on the floor laughing.

"What!?" asked Piper, exasperated.  What could possibly be so funny?

"Ok, remember that time where you and Jason were flying, but he accidentally dropped you in canoe lake?"

"Yeah."

"The thing that happened right after that."

All of the girls laughed at the memory.  Piper had gotten pulled out of the lake, and her siblings from the Aphrodite cabin had insisted on drying her off.  She remembered thinking it was odd that Drew was being so nice.  Apparently it was
because she was about to give Piper the biggest makeover of her life.  She came out of the cabin looking like a doll that a child had colored on with crayon.

"I don't get it," said Reyna who had not been there, "what happened?"

After they told her, they moved on to the other girls.  Hazel had passed out after someone dropped the F bomb.  Calypso had fallen off of Festus, and into the forest, coming out looking like a demented dryad.  Reyna, apparently, had a memory so hilarious that happened in Albania, that Birdie was rolling all over the floor, unable to calm down.  Reyna threatened to load her into an onager, and shoot her into next week if she told them.  Birdie let it pass.

"Annabeth, your turn!" said Calypso excitedly.

Birdie placed her hand on her head.  Piper expected her to start laughing, but Birdie just smiled at first.  Then it became a rather confused look.  Then she was frowning.  Eventually, she looked so distressed, that she took her hand off.  

She looked at Annabeth with wet eyes and said, "You read it."

Apparently Annabeth understood, because she looked a bit guilty as she nodded.

"You told Percy," Birdie said quietly.

"I had to tell that to someone.  It was...incredible."

"That's not the word I'd use to describe it.  I would call it private."

Annabeth looked down.  Piper as confused.  "What did she read."

"Something, that I would like the world to remain ignorant about."

"Why?" asked Annabeth, looking up.

"The same reason that Luke doesn't want people to know about his past," Birdie replied.

Annabeth looked so guilty, that Piper wanted to be able to read her mind and make everything better.  "Ok.  What happened?" she said sternly.

Annabeth looked at Birdie.  She sighed.  "Go ahead, they're going to find out anyway."

"Can I go grab the book?  It would make it easier."

Birdie nodded, and put her head into her knees.  Annabeth ran out of the cave.  A few minutes later, she returned, holding a huge book in her hands.

"This is..." Annabeth began, "well, Birdie's journal.  I read it when she was unconscious.  I'm sorry Birdie."

"It's ok," she sniffed.  "They were going to find out eventually."

"June 13," Annabeth began...

I'm not sure how to say this, but I think Daddy just...died. I woke up in bed, because I smelled smoke. I figured it was probably a fire, so I ran to get Daddy. He was in the kitchen, hitting the fire with a shiny pointy stick. He calls it his sword, whatever that is. I told him that that wouldn't put out the fire. He told me to get out of the house as fast as I could, so I ran. All I had was you. Now I'm sitting in an ally four blocks away. I can still see the hear the sirens and see the smoke.

I hope that I turn out ok. It would be amazing if Daddy was alive, but I feel a feeling that he's gone. Daddy... I don't want...to believe...but I have to. Daddy always said to be brave...and strong...and-and. I'm too sad and scared to write right now. I bid thee adieu, journal. I think I'll go back and see if Daddy is still alive tomorrow. See you tomorrow.

Annabeth continued throughout the whole book.  Twenty eight gangs.  Hundreds of kills.  One small, confused, frightened girl.  Poor Birdie.  Piper didn't know how she didn't go insane.  Looking back, she was really lucky to be raised the way she did.  Yes, she was rich, but she meant that her father taught her.  Raised her right.  Birdie got her childhood stolen when she was only eight.

Everybody was in tears when Annabeth finished, hours later.  She was getting hoarse by the end of the book.  Somewhere in the middle, Birdie had gone over to the corner and cried.  She was still there.

"Does Luke know that you were in Kronos's army?"  The question from Annabeth was so quiet, that Piper was surprised that Birdie could hear.

"No."  The reply was even quieter, but the room was silent.  "I was going to tell him eventually, but I didn't know how.  I've been to camp half blood before.  When the army attacked through the labyrinth.  It was strange, seeing all of those people, working together.  Helping each other defeat us.  It was...incredible.  They were all...just like me."

Piper walked over and put and arm around Birdie.  "We don't judge you," she said, but she could feel the guilt weighing on Birdie's heart.  "I think that the only person in this whole world that judges you, is yourself."

The abnormally small girl looked up with wet eyes.  For a moment, Piper saw the scared eight year old girl that had her childhood robbed from her.  But then she started to smile.

"Thanks," she whispered.  "I guess I'm not all that good at following my own advice."

"What do you mean?"

"That's what I told Luke."

Piper laughed.  "Well, you can just tell Luke that-"

"Tell me what?"

OooOOooo!  Cliffhanger!  Not a very big one, but you know, I like the small ones too.  Keep reading!  I know I haven't posted in a while, and I'm sorry, but bare with me.  Being an author is hard.  Until next time, adieu.