You've Got Mail

Discovery

Jason's POV

I cannot go through the same scenario all over again. At least, not without breaking down multiple times a day.

Did Piper really break up with me? Or was she kidnapped and taken away? Surely her charmspeak would have given her a high level of protection. Unless...it was one of her previously slain monsters that knew her powers and vowed revenge on her.

I swear I had already looked through all the main rooms: dining hall, main hall, bedrooms, kitchen and even the storeroom but to no avail. Nonetheless, I decided to scour through the house one more time. I was unable to sit still knowing there was the possibility that she was in danger.

After going through her bedroom for any clues to ascertain her whereabouts, I plumped myself onto her bed and let out a defeated sigh. Out of the corner of my eye, a piece of paper cluttered into view.

It was crumpled into an almost-minuscule ball. No writing was visible but I picked it up anyway. It could be a letter from Piper, or worse, her abductor.

When I opened it, I was shocked beyond belief. It was a note that some girl handed over to me before  my date with Piper. Now, the ink had stained more than the paper; it stained my relationship.

Call me? xoxo 212-200-4101

I was no genius but it was easy to piece together what had happened to Piper. I was unsure of how to feel. There were a million different emotions that I should be feeling, but the dominant one was relief.

Was that a good thing? I was neither angry nor hurt, neither annoyed nor surprised. I was simply relieved that the person I loved was safe. The sweat cooled from my forehead and my breath was no longer laboured. Was I a bad boyfriend for not feeling more angry at myself or annoyed that she left? To me, it was simply a misunderstanding. I hoped she felt the same way.

In all fairness, I should have dumped that piece of paper weeks ago when I chanced across any dustbin. It slipped my mind and now, it caused a strain on our strong relationship.

Wait, was this a sign of worse things to come? If Piper assumed I was cheating on her, she clearly did not trust me well enough. Oh Gods, I completely forgot that it could even break her heart. What if I caused Piper, a daughter of Aphrodite, to renounce her dating ways? She probably felt like Annabeth did those years ago.

Percy was supposed to realise whether Annabeth forgives him today. If it goes well, I hope he shares some advice with me. Hopefully, it would not take five years to fix this mistake.

Now, I had to make up my mind. Piper distanced herself from me to clear her mind. It was only a matter of time before she came back. After all, she left her belongings and her friends behind.

Do I continue to look for her? It would be the "boyfriend" thing to do but I was uncertain if she would appreciate the gesture.

The questions I posed at myself kept bombarding me, filling my head with doubts and insecurities. I laid down on the bed again and took several deep breaths to sooth my headache. A few minutes passed before I finally drifted off to sleep.

I woke up in a cold puddle of my own sweat. Something felt wrong. My heartbeat was racing a mile a minute and my chest was convulsing in quick pulses. I frantically looked around, trying to locate a possible source of my current condition. At the doorframe stood a tall figure.

Suddenly, a beam of white light shone directly into the room. Apparently, the ceiling was not a thing anymore. My eyes struggled to adjust to the abrupt change in brightness. The silhouette of the figure slunk out the door, prompting me to follow them. Like a moth to a lamp, I followed in hot pursuit of the mysterious person.