The Guardian of the Underworld

Chapter 2: Piper

By the time they got there, Piper's mouth was hanging open like a fish. For the last five miles, she could see this place. It looked about 50 stories tall and was probably wide enough to stand next to two Empire State Building together without looking out of place. They pulled up to the valet parking and Jason found someone to park their car for them. Jason said he already had the money problem taken care of, so they wouldn't need to worry about a bill while they were here.

They walked inside, and Piper immediately saw the elevator. It was a giant glass box that was outline with lights and went all the way up to the top floor. There was a bar off to the left and a lounging area to the right. Jason said he already had a room number, so he was going to bring up the stuff and come back down to find Piper.

When Jason got into the elevator, Piper saw him rise up to what she thought was the 35th floor. He looked down once he got to his floor and waved to Piper. She waved back but she could tell she probably had a stupid look on her face because Jason walked out laughing.

When Piper couldn't see Jason anymore, she walked towards the bar. She ordered her and Jason each a drink then went to wait for him in the lounging area. Just looking around, she could tell this place had to be a luxury hotel. There was an area inside towards the back of the room that was enclosed with glass walls. From where she was, she could see a jacuzzi and what looked like a heated pool. The whole place looked so elegant with the glass and the gold lights. It was definitely not a place you would take children.

Piper saw a few doors running down the right wall on floor level. One door had a sign over it that said kitchen, and there was a lot of space around the door, so she figured the kitchen must've been really big. The second door had a sign that said casino games. Piper thought this was pretty straight forward, but then again, when they first arrived and Piper saw the outside of the building, she thought this place was an amusement park for adults. So, for all she knew, behind that door could be a full casino attached to the hotel. The third door had a sign that said stairs, but Piper had learned not to be fooled, so she wouldn't be surprised if there was a whole other room along with the stairs.

A few minutes later Piper felt someone tap her shoulder. She jumped up so violently she almost knocked over the drinks. She turned around to see Jason trying to steady the glasses before they spilled. 

"Calm down Pipes. I know this is a lot to take in, but you look like you've just watched Frank turn into a dragon and try to eat you." 

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting something so extravagant. How were you able to pay for all this?" 

"Hey, hey, remember what I said. No worrying about a bill while we're here. I've got a friend who works here, and he said he could make an exception and let us stay the night for free." 

Piper had a feeling of relief wash over her. She had been so worried about not being able to pay, she hadn't been paying much attention to what she had been doing.

After getting some food from the snack bar and going to the casino games -that really had turned out to be a hallway leading to the casino that was next door- they decided to go up to the room to change so they could go for a swim in the pool. Jason brought Piper to the elevator which had a clear glass floor as well as the walls -which kind of terrified Piper, but she wasn't going to tell that to Jason- and they went up to their room. As soon as they got up to their stop, Piper noticed that one wall had to have at least ten rooms lined up on every floor, but there were also lines of rooms on all the other walls around the building. They walked down the pathway and stopped somewhere by the right half of the hall.

When Jason opened the door, Piper was amazed. Everything was lined with gold. On one side of their room, there was a little kitchen with a stove top, an oven, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher (along with a bunch of counter space and a sink in the back). In the middle of their room, there was a TV that looked like it belonged in some fancy mansion with a couch and some designer throw pillows. Off to the other side of the room were a couple doors.

The first door Piper opened was a bathroom. It had a quartz counter top with a built-in soap dispenser and an automatic sink. Next to that was a big bathtub -about the size of a hot tub- with paintings that hung over the top. There was a shower in the corner, but Piper didn't think anyone would end up using that with this bathtub sitting here. There was a toilet on the other wall, and of course the toilet paper holder and the towel bar were gold.

After looking around the bathroom, Piper stepped out and opened the second door. There was a king bed in the middle of the back wall that had night stands on either side. There were chairs around a table in the back-left corner and another flat screen TV hanging on the wall over the dresser opposite the bed. There was a walk-in closet on the right wall that looked like it would be seen on some crazy reality show, and Piper was sure she could've fit a full quarter of her own house inside the closet alone.

On the left wall next to the table there were sliding screen doors. Piper stepped outside with Jason and they were standing out on a balcony. The view from the 35th floor was amazing. They could see all of the city lights and the cars driving by, but because they were so high up, they didn't have to listen to the sound. The only sound Piper could hear was the whispering of the wind as it flew through her hair. 

Jason wrapped his arms around Piper's waist and said, "Isn't this such a beautiful sight?" 

Piper smiled. "Yeah. It's so breathtaking, and it just shows how magnificent our world really is."

Jason put his lips on Piper's hair. She loved it when he did that. She could feel his warmth all around her and it made her know that he was right there with her. His voice was muffled against her hair but she heard him say, "You know what's even more beautiful than this?" 

"Hmm?" Piper replied even though she knew what he was going to say. Jason always found a way to turn the spotlight back to her. 

"You." 

After he said it, he turned Piper so she was facing him. She found herself staring into his eyes. They were so blue, and Piper always caught herself looking at them. Jason didn't seem to mind though. He would usually smirk at Piper then kiss her.

"You know I'm not just saying it because I love you, right? You really are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." 

Now there was no hiding it. Piper's face was on fire and it wasn't getting any better. Of course, this always happened when Jason started talking to Piper like this. He always has the same look on his face, he smiles and looks at Piper with an expression that says You look adorable or You're so cute when you blush. Piper knows that face so well, it's become one of her favorites.

Jason looked down at Piper and pulled her in closer. The moment he put his lips to hers, Piper had a feeling of shock go through her. Jason had always been very passionate whenever he was around Piper, but this time he seemed more tense. It was as if he was scared something were about to happen to them. But as soon as Piper thought this, she pushed it to the back of her mind. Maybe Jason just wasn't feeling himself tonight. They were here to enjoy themselves, so Piper was going to do just that.

As soon as she stepped away from Jason, she saw that he was shaking. What if he got food poisoning? She thought. That would be horrible! I can't let him be miserable during our anniversary! Piper saw that Jason was looking past her up into the sky. 

"Jason, are you alright? I can get a doctor up here." 

Jason shook his head and pointed behind her. Piper turned around and almost fell backwards. Not food poisoning! Definitely not food poisoning!