Desert Winds (a Percy Jackson AU)

The Man, the Legend

        Piper's thoughts were filled with worries for the future. Should she follow Hera's plan or would she end up with same fate as Reyna? Piper has asked Michael more about her, and he had told her that Reyna was fond of Jason. "He was friendly towards her, but didn't like her back," he had said.

     What if Jason did the same to Piper? What if she disappeared and became another source of servants' gossip? When Piper voiced these fears, Hera shot them down. "We are two poor women," she would say. "Do you want to remain servants forever when you could marry a wealthy man?"

     Piper didn't really care how wealthy a man was as long as he was kind and could support her and Hera. In the end, however, Hera's cajoling won her over. Besides, Piper had a morbid curiosity over Reyna's fate. Perhaps the plan would illuminate the past as well as the future.

      A full cycle of the moon after being hired, Piper and Hera decided to put the plan into action. They had used the money they earned from wages to buy cloth. When they weren't sewing for Jason, they worked on a veil and a dress for Piper.

      Piper bathed in a nearby creek and combed her wet hair. Hera braided it and tied the locks together with a strip of cloth torn from one of her veils. Piper was then dressed in the brine dress. A veil covered her hair. It was pushed back to apply cosmetics to Piper's face: rogue to darken the lips and cheeks and kohl to accentuate the eyes.

Hera exhaled as Piper lifted the veil to cover her hair again. "You are look as beautiful as Ishtar."

Piper hoped she could also be as fierce as Ishtar if something should happen. "I'll see you later," she said before slipping away.

Piper headed to the stables where Hera had learned Jason was laying tonight; he had adopted a new horse named Tempest that day. She saw no one as she traversed through the fields, her gaze darting to detect danger. The door to the stables was slightly open.

Piper slipped in through the space, the door creaking slightly. The moonlight illuminated streaming through the door Jason's face. He was rising up. "Who goes there?"

     Piper kneeled. "It is I, your humble servant Piper."

     Jason met her gaze. "Do you require something from me?"

     Piper swallowed. Jason scooted closer to her and gently placed a hand on her face. "Are you alright?"

      Piper felt trapped. She felt cornered and dirty and wrong. Shame filled her as she placed her hand over Jason's. She guided it until it slipped off her veil, revealing her plaited brown hair.

      "I am your humble servant," Piper continued.

      Jason's brows knit together. "Your job is to sew, you don't have to."

      "I want to," Piper replied.

       Jason shook his head. "Then, why do you look so nervous? Why are your cheeks damp with tears? I cannot in good conscience do this."

    Pressure built up in Piper's throat. What would become of her? "I'll see you tomorrow," Jason said. "We can both forget that today ever happened."