Chains || Piper McLean

Chapter Two

Piper

It was raining that afternoon when Piper woke up, cold and confused. She was by the same river she saw in her reflection two nights ago, which surprised her. Had she not wandered off that morning to a different part of the woods? She assumed not, having awaken by the river yet again. Maybe it was her mind messing with her.

She tried so stand up, and she clutched her side, knees wobbling. Her rib cage felt as if it had been crushed, and she felt nauseous. Piper hadn't eaten in days, and she could tell; she didn't even have enough strength to support her own weight.

Piper staggered through the woods, her head spinning. Glancing up, she hobbled over to a tree and pressed her hand up against it to balance herself. All she could see was the dizzy world in front of her; she could her nothing but the distant ringing of her ears.

The last she could remember was the sound of Ella's horrified voice before her vision turned black.

Jason

Jason had been in the fighting arena with Percy when he heard Ella's terrorized shriek.

Jerking his head up, him and Percy dropped their weapons immediately. They had just decided to practice their fighting skills and brush up on their different aspects of battle. Percy had a nasty bruise on his forehead, and Jason himself had a scar on the side of his neck. But they didn't worry themselves; they would be fine with a little healing help from the Apollo cabin.

Annabeth had already rushed to Ella's side by the time Jason and Percy had ran over to her. She was shaking her head with worry, and could not stop flirting around nervously.

It was Percy who was finally able to calm her down. "Ella, listen to me. Everything's all right. You're safe here; Phineas will never find you again."

Ella often had electrifying nightmares of the days when she was a prisoner of Phineas. She loved to read, and she was full of knowledge; that is why he kept her for her own. But he wouldn't feed her, or care for her whatsoever; she was just like property to him. Percy, Hazel, and Frank had saved her on their quest; ever since then, she had been happy at Camp Half-Blood with Percy's half-brother, Tyson.

Ella shook her head furiously. "No. Not at all. Ella doesn't think of Phineas. Ella had no nightmares."

Annabeth cocked her head to one side, obviously looking confused. "Then what's troubling you Ella? Monsters can't force themselves through the boundaries of Camp Half-Blood unless they have the kind of power Gaea did."

Ella flitted around Jason. "Ella found Piper. Piper's in the woods. Ella saw that Piper looked weak. Piper had blood. Piper had no food."

At once Jason's body tensed up. "What? I thought she was at camp duties! Surely someone from the Aphrodite cabin would have noticed she was missing!"

Percy shook his head. "Perhaps the Aphrodite campers assumed she had left to start duties early. Ella wouldn't lie, especially about something like this. We need to go and find her."

Annabeth nodded in agreement with Percy. "If she's really like how Ella described, she needs to be taken to the infirmary. I can't even begin to imagine what has happened."

Shaking uncontrollably, Jason nodded. He was scared out of his mind for Piper; what could have possibly done this? Would she be alright? Millions of questions raced through his mind at speeds faster than he could fathom, but he pushed them aside. Trying to steady his voice, he said, "Lead the way, Ella."

Piper

Piper groaned. She tried to open her eyes, but for some reason they seemed to be fighting against her. She tried to sit up and prop herself up with her arms, but they screamed in protest; her body was shutting down.

Where was she? She sensed something wet and sticky all over her side; with a sickening jolt, Piper soon realized it was blood. She wanted to gag, but her body was too weak to even manage at that.

Piper coughed up blood, which was not a pleasant feeling whatsoever. Then, she felt her breath beginning to come in short gasps. She couldn't hold out for much longer.

With all of the strength she could muster, she whispered "Jason," before Piper blacked out.

Jason

Jason, Annabeth, Percy and Ella charged through the woods, shouting for Piper. No matter how loud or how consistently they called, they would never get a response back. Jason was beginning to lose his mind with worry.

Ella the harpy could not remember where she had found Piper. "Piper, Piper was in woods. Ella saw Piper. Ella came back to find Piper," she muttered underneath her breath.

Annabeth and Percy would occasionally say kind words to reassure Jason. "We'll find her," Annabeth would say. "It'll all be okay," Percy would say. But the looks in their eyes would betray their anguish, and all of Jason's hope would crumble away.

Finally, they stopped by a river. Annabeth shook her head in agony. "Guys, we've searched all over for her. We've looked through every part of the woods. She's not here."

"But she has to be! Ella saw her! We can't give up!" Jason protested. He was never going to give up Piper, no matter the circumstance. He loved her too much to lose her over anything.

Ella started to look at her reflection in the river, but a horrified gasp from Annabeth spun the harpy around. "Don't do that Ella! That's practically suicide!"

Percy started up at Annabeth, looking confused. "What's wrong with the river, Annabeth? It looks completely normal to me. Can Ella not stare at her own appearance in it?"

Shaking, Annabeth nodded. "That river is called the River of Desolation. The moment you look into it, all you can think of is despair. It shows you horrible things and reveals terrifying truths you'll never be able to forget."

Jason shuddered; one look into the river could change someone's life for the worse. Then he cleared his head; he had to focus on Piper. "Guys-"

Then he cut off. He heard a muffled gasp from far off, and someone's voice whisper, "Jason." And it was a voice he only knew too well.

"Piper!" he yelled. Jason ran towards the direction of the sound, not caring if his friends followed him or not. He had to find her no matter the circumstance. Just to be with her again and to know that she would be okay would be enough for him.

Finally, he found what he was looking for. Jason stopped and stared in horror. "Pipes-" he managed, choking in a pool of fear and regret. The body before him was not the girlfriend he knew and loved.

Piper's body was bruised and battered. Blood was on her lips, in her hair, and soaked on her left side. Her body was shaking rapidly, and her breaths were coming out in feeble gasps. She couldn't hold out for much longer.

Regaining his senses, Jason jumped up and cradled Piper in his arms. "Guys, we have to get her to the infirmary- now!"