Strange

Chapter 6: Stalk

4:00pm, Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Piper and Jason walked down Main Street, hand in hand. It was late October, and the start of the Paparazzi stalking (They called it following) had started almost a month and a half before.

It was later in the evening, so it was already starting to grow dark.

Piper was glad that the colder weather was allowing her to wear heavier, more covering clothes, without it making her look like a maniac. She could wear heavy clothes, which allowed her to blend in better.

She unfortunately stood out, with her tall and thin body, and her less than inconspicuous motorcycle. Her license plate was well known by the paparazzi in the city, which led her to having to find an alternative.

The original alternative had just to hitch a ride on Jason's motorcycle, but his license plate had been leaked as well, around two weeks before. They couldn't both hitch rides with Percy and Annabeth, because the couple had managed to not have their connection with Piper connected.

Piper wasn't going to force them into being public figures. Percy had also said that if they connected him to her, and connected him to the national mahunt he'd been the main target in, it could put her in a bad light. Percy knew better than anyone what it was like to have a bad reputation, and he didn't want Pipers to be even more damaged.

So the couple had resorted to public transport. Piper originally hadn't minded, but she found herself wishing she was out on her streets, weaving between cars on her bike.

But, it was the safest for the two of them.

Together the couple walked through the city, hands intertwined. Today was Halloween, and a snow storm had ravaged the city two nights before. They were still without power in the apartment, leaving everyone inside feeling cooped up.

So the two of them had donned their coats, and decided to face the cold. Piper was certain that the paparazzi wouldn't decide to follow her today, seeing as the cold was so stinging, and would ruin any equipment.

So she and Jason strolled, gloved hands intertwined, down the street. They passed store after store, window shopping as they walked. They would pause at every few stores, and point out what caught their eyes. Then they would move on.

Piper and Jason were laughing and strolling along, when Piper stopped dead in her tracks. In a corner grocery store, there stood a magazine stand. Pipers hand reached out and pulled out a magazine, and read.

PIPER MCLEAN: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS DAUGHTER OF TRISTAN MCLEAN.

Her breath quicked and she looked at the photo in anger. It was a photo from her public appearance from a year and a half ago. Her eyes were wide, and she was flipping off the cameras. She could faintly make out the angry tears that had streamed down her face that day.

She looked at her old self. In just a few months she would meet her best friend, then a few months later actually meet her boyfriend, and her world was turned upside down. Her father had been kidnapped, she had learned the truth as too who her mother was, and she had learned that Gaea was rising.

Jason's hand tightened on hers, and she furrowed her brow, thinking. She looked up to see that no one was attending the corner stores counter, so she dropped her idea and put back the magazine and continued on her way.

Jason's arm had wrapped around her shoulders at this point, and she leaned into him ever so slightly.

They passed by a Starbucks, and together decided to go inside. They ordered some warm drinks, and continued on their way.

Just as Piper was starting to feel better, a bright flash assaulted her eyes. She winced, and threw her free arm in front of her eyes. When the burning seized, she dropped her arm to see what had hurt her eyes.

Infront of her stood a guy around her age. He grinned a creepy grin at her, and Piper could see the black braces on his teeth. He held a phone to her, and she guessed the flash had come from it. Even though Piper had not an ounce of fear coursing through her, everything about him was unsettling.

His grin was extremely wide, his eyes seemed to have a twinge of insanity with them. Her demigod senses sharpened, and her knife, that was strapped under her jacket, seemed to grow heavy and weighted.

She opened her mouth to speak, to ask him what he was doing, when he spoke. His words were almost slurred and he spoke so quickly that Piper could barely understand him, "Are you Piper McLean?"

Piper tensed, and her eyes narrowed at him. "Why are you asking?" She failed to keep the annoyed edge out of her voice, but failed.

He didn't seem to notice, but he was staring at her like a maniac. Suddenly, his hands jerked out and he was holding a pen and a paparazzi photo of her. She stared at the two objects, eyes wide.

He wanted an autograph.

She didn't want to give it. She had grown up with her father giving her warnings as to what you did when someone asked for a photo or an autograph. You don't give it, you walk away, and you get away as soon as possible.

Lest you turn out like John Lenon.

So Piper did that, taking a surprised Jason along with her. She ran into the closest subway station, which was only about ten feet away from them.

She got to the stairs and sprinted, taking them two at a time. She weaved around people, apologising every time she bumped into someone. She could feel that Jason was hot on her heels.

She found herself eternally grateful that he trusted her judgement enough to follow her so blindly. They got to the gates, and she practically jammed her metrocard through. She risked a glance behind her, and her stomach dropped.

The guy was running toward the two.

The gate opened, and she and Jason bolted to the closest train. They jumped on just as the doors were closing. The doors slid shut behind them, just as the boy reached the train. His hands slammed against the door, and he was screaming as the train pulled away.

The train pulled into the tunnel, and Piper turned to look at the cabin around her. Jason was leaning against the door, running his hands through his hair. The people around her were staring. The cabin was silent.

An older woman spoke up. "Are you two okay?"

Piper nodded, leaning her head against the door. Jason shakily took her hand in his, and she looked at him and smiled.

A new voice spoke up. "You two want to have someone walk you home, cause I'm willing to." She turned to see a buff, tattooed man, looking at them in concern. Piper shook her head, but gave him her thanks.

They got off at the next station, and managed to get on a line that would eventually, whit a couple of line transfers, get them back to the apartment.

5:00 pm, Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Lilith VanWes grinned at the tabloid on her coffee table.

A photo of Piper McLean, was splayed on the cover of the trash tabloid magazine. A shitty headline, suggesting some outlandish theory was typed against the cover as well.

Lilith smiled a cold smile, and sipped on her drink.

Would yall be interested if I did a small fic on the above thing? It wouldn't come out for a while and I'll prob put it only on ao3 (please go check it out, I have the same name there as I do here) but...