Piper's Flashback

Claire stuck her head around her notebook to look at Piper.

"What are we doing for New Year's Eve? Are you coming with me to the party of my dad's friend again?"

"No, I'm spending it with my father."

"Really!? That is awesome, I had no idea he was coming home!"

"He's not. I'm going to meet him where he is."

"And where is it?"

"Rio."

"Rio?"

"Brazil."

"Oh! I'm coming with you."

"You are?"

"Of course, I'm coming with you! Do you think I would leave my old best friend and my new best friend travel to another continent ALONE?"

"Well, in theory, Trish and I are not going alone... and it's the same continent, Claire, just south."

"Right, I forgot! Still, another country! You need me, I'm coming with you."

"I need you?"

"You don't?"

"You're right, I do. And your father is ok with this?"

"He will be. As soon as you talk to him."

Flashback over, back to present

MONDAY, 26th December

Piper woke up from her nap, her neck stiff for the weird position of sleeping in a plane seat. She was able to catch the remaining of the pilot letting them know lunch would be served by the flight attendants in ten minutes.

Must be this that woke us up.

Probably.

She looked to the side to see Claire engrossed in an animation.

"What are you watching? Disney?"

Claire didn't take her eyes off the small tv to correct.

"I'm doing research about the location I'm going to."

"... By watching Disney?"

This made her look annoyed at Piper.

"Rio is Dreamworks, not Disney."

"Still, you're watching an animation as a research?"

"I want to be aware of what I'm facing."

Piper groaned.

"Claire, you probably watched Rio a ton of times..."

"Hush, I need to rewatch it."

Piper rolled her eyes but wisely didn't say anything.

***

The landing was smooth, but Claire freaked out in the baggage claim area when her bag had to be the last one to come. The air-conditioner of the airport kept them fresh, but Piper could see the bright sun through the windows, still strong at 5 pm, so she searched her purse for her sunglasses and left them within reach. Leaving the arrivals area, Piper searched for her dad, only to find a random guy holding a paper with Trish's name on it.

And of course, dad wouldn't pick us up.

What a surprise.

She went straight to the guy, followed closely by Claire. After introductions, thankfully in English, he led them to the outside, where the car was waiting. As soon as the door opened, Piper felt the heat wave full force, sweating almost immediately. It was even a little hard to breathe, from such a temperature shock, the warm air refusing to enter her lungs.

"Trish, help me! I'm melting! How could have you brought me to somewhere so HOT!?"

"You invited yourself."

"Nonsense, you were the one to convince my father. Oh, the sun, the sweat, the heat... I'm melting away! Where is the damn temperature? It must be at least 200°F."

They checked one of the clocks hanging on the outside and saw the time give way to the temperature. Claire scoffed.

"35°? Really? I'm melting, not freezing!"

"Claire, they don't use Fahrenheit."

"What is wrong with them? How should I know the temperature now?"

"Convert it."

"I don't know how to do that!"

"It's around 95°F."

"How do you know that?"

"It's not my first international trip, remember? I have some temperatures saved by memory."

After putting all their bags in the trunk, Piper followed Claire to the back seat, relieved when the air conditioned was on again. It took them almost an hour to arrive at their hotel. Claire's jaw dropped when she saw the size of it.

"Why is it so BIG? Is it a five star?"

Piper shrugged, not really impressed after living with a rich father for so long.

"Most likely. Come, I want to shower."

***

Piper stopped drying her hair with the towel to stare quizzically at her friend.

"Claire? What are you doing?"

Claire left the window she was with her hands and nose glued to, grinning widely.

"Trish! Look! The beach! I can see it from here! Oh, so beautiful! I want to go there, let's go there!"

Well, it's not like someone can stop us.

"Fine, let's go. Put some clothes and sunscreen, please. I don't want to return you to your father all burned."

Claire squealed and ran to her bag.

Are we taking the driver who is most likely a translator too?

It's just the beach. Besides, I didn't like him very much. Did you?

Nah. How are you planning to avoid him?

I'm used to avoiding harpies, a man is nothing.

TUESDAY, 27th December

"Are we in the right place?"

Piper looked around her, trying to find a sign or anything, and coming up unsuccessful.

"I'm not sure..."

"Should we ask for information?"

Without waiting for an answer, Claire approached a man passing by them.

"Hi, I'm sorry, can you help me?"

Looking slightly scared, he shook his head and left her standing alone. Piper almost laughed at Claire's pouting face. She stared at her phone, wondering if she could find a place with WIFI since she didn't have any signal. After two more failed attempts at asking for directions, Claire approached two girls that looked a couple of years older than her, who were laughing out loud about some inner joke. One was taller than them, with a skin color to match Piper's, brown hair and eyes. The other was Claire's height and fair skin, with blue eyes and blonde hair. Both girls were wearing bikinis under the tank tops and shorts, and flip flops on their feet. They stopped laughing once Claire almost invaded their personal space.

"Hi, sorry, can you help me? Please say yes, we're lost and I'm close to freaking out now."

Both girls looked at each other, before relaxing. The blonde one smiled.

"Yes, how can we help you?"

Claire grinned and yelled to Piper, who was barely four feet from her.

"They speak English!!"

"Yes, Claire, I noticed. So, we need directions."

"You don't have a guide or map?"

Claire answered reluctantly.

"Well, we had one, but we kind of... parted ways."

The blonde girl raised her eyebrows.

"So you came to Brasil with no friends, no knowledge of Portuguese and are just walking by yourselves? Cê é burra?"

"What?"

She rolled her eyes.

"I asked if you're stupid. Inner joke, ignore it. So, where are you trying to go?"

Claire took the paper from her back and handed it to her.

"Jardim Botânico?"

The brunette one raised her hand to her chest.

"Nossinhora! Mais perdidas que cego em tiroteio!"

Claire and Piper looked at each other, before facing them again.

"What?"

The Brazilian thought for some seconds, before answering slowly.

"More... lost than a blind in a shooting?"

"This doesn't make much sense."

The girl laughed and raised her hands to push her hair out of her eyes.

"Well, English also has some expressions that the no sense, so..."

She extended her hand with a grin.

"I'm Rachel, it's very nice to meet you."

Claire shook her hand excitedly.

"I'm Claire and that's Trish."

They turned to the other girl. She smiled gently.

"Just call me Blondie, is easier this way."

Claire frowned.

"Your name is Blondie?"

Blondie shrugged.

"You'll never be able to pronounce my real name anyway. Besides, Rachel calls me Loira, which means Blonde."

"Oh, so you're like Rapunzel."

"You like Tangled too?"

Piper decided to go back to their original purpose of talking to them.

"So, can you help us get there? This..."

Blondie nodded.

"Jardim Botânico. Yes, but how the hell did you get here while trying to go there?"

"We took a bus. Where is here, exactly?"

The brunette pointed in the direction they were previously walking.

"Leblon. The beach is just two... blocks? away. Jardim Botânico is... maybe half an hour by bus from here? Where did you come from? What hotel, I mean. Or general area."

Claire answered before Piper even opened her mouth.

"Our hotel, a big one near the beach. Five stars!"

They both had scrunched eyebrows, before Rachel whistled in amazement.

"Wait, big one, like really big? Could it be Copacabana Palace? Well, you are rich."

Blondie was looking at her phone and around her.

"Well, there is a bus to there in this direction. To Jardim, I mean. Or to your hotel, depends where you want to go."

She opened her mouth to say something else and closed again, choosing instead to look at her friend.

"Rachel, what if we take them?"

Her friend nodded, before turning to Piper and Claire again.

"We're taking you there, let's go."

Piper was taken by surprise by that.

"But you were going to the beach, right? We don't want to mess with your plans or..."

Claire interrupted her.

"Yay!"

Blondie smiled at her.

"Don't worry, we won't die if we don't go to the beach. Besides, I like the Jardim, it's fresh in there."

***

"Wait, another!"

Piper sighed while waiting for Claire to set up another pose before taking a pic. They were there for less than two hours and Claire already made her take more than 300 pics. The Brazilians didn't help, either laughing quietly at Claire's wonder, suggesting other angles and places to take pics, or even joining Claire for her selfies, forcing Piper to join too. She admitted, their presence made things easier. The park, despite having signs in English, had very few employers who spoke the language.

"Trish, the water fountain, come!"

***

To Piper's surprise, the Brazilians took the same bus as them to the hotel. In Rachel's words, they needed to prevent them to 'get more lost than a blind in a shooting'. Apparently, she loved that expression or at least loved Claire's look of confusion when she tried to understand. They got off the bus and were walking, following Rachel's steps, until she stopped, looking both sides, turning in the same place, like trying to find her way.

"Eita, cacete!!! Loira, do you know where we are?"

Her friend raised one eye brow and crossed her arms.

"... You do remember I'm the one who lives on the other side of the bridge, right?"

Claire looked at her quizzically.

"The other side of the bridge? Another weird Brazilian expression?"

Blondie shook her head, laughing.

"What? No, it's literal. It's a way to say I don't live in Rio, just in the neighbor city. You have to cross the bridge over Baía de Guabanara, it's kinda a lake, to get there. She is the one who lived here all her life."

The brunette smiled sheepishly.

"You know my internal compass sucks."

"And mine is so much better? Anyway, go to the left."

"See? Yours is better than mine."

Claire let go a high squeal, scaring all three girls, who looked at them a little frightened. Claire paid no attention to it, just watching around her, searching for something.

"Where is Carnaval?"

Blondie frowned.

"You mean 'when'?"

"'When'?"

"Yeah, when is Carnaval. And it's in two months. It's always in February. Sometimes March, though it's rare."

Claire's smile fell.

"I won't be seeing Carnaval? But I want to see all that party! I just love Rio. I watched it on the plane to remember all the details."

Rachel smiled and clapped her hands once.

"Ah, the movie! I love that movie! But don't be sad, if you want a party, you don't need to wait until Carnaval. It's Brazil, after all! Loira, let's take them to Pedra do Sal?"

Piper looked at them.

"What are you talking about?"

Rachel thought before answering.

"Pedra do Sal. Hum... Rock of the Salt? It's a... party in the streets? There are music, happiness and anything you could want. Here, give us your number, so we can text you and set up something."

Blondie nodded, before adding.

"And please, if you're planning to venture somewhere, call us and don't go there alone. Or take your guide."

Rachel was excited again.

"And a very important thing: buy Havaianas. Let me tell you something... Havaianas is the official flip flops of Rio! "

Rachel nodded to herself, before pointing to her feet, or more precisely, her flip flops.

"You won't pass for cariocas unless you have one in your feet."

Blondie's expression was skeptical.

"Rachel, not even I pass as a carioca, Havainas or not; do you really think Claire can do it?"

"At least you pass as a Brazilian."

Blondie rolled her eyes.

"I AM Brazilian. It would be a little sad if I couldn't pass off as one, even if in just behavior."

***

They parted ways in front of the hotel and Piper went straight to shower. All the sweat made her uncomfortable. When her father knocked on their door an hour later, inviting them to dinner and shopping, they accepted in a heartbeat. She didn't care about shopping, but spending time with Tyron was the original idea, so any opportunity should be taken. After they ate in a restaurant with a large number of vegan options, he took them to a mall. Most of the time had been Claire to fill the silence, with every kind of nonsense she could come up. But after she got involved in searching a perfect bikini, that would take time, since the shop had a slogan of 'More than 300 models'. Piper was left with Tyron, each with an ice cream in hand and some awkwardness around them.

"So... what are your thoughts around Rio, so far?"

She laughed.

"Hot. Coming from winter to this summer was definitely a shock."

"How did Claire react?"

"She said she was melting. Do you believe she had remade her suitcase twice before realizing we would be coming to summer, not winter?"

***

"Trish? Are you still awake?"

"Yes."

"What do you say we call the girls tomorrow?"

"You really liked them, right?"

"They're funny. And they don't mind being our guides."

"Sure, we can call them."

"Good."

Piper opened her eyes when she heard Claire leaving her bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling them."

"What if they're asleep?"

"Hum. Well, then they won't answer, and we try ag- Hi, Rachel? It's Claire!"

WEDNESDAY, 28th December

When they went down for breakfast, Piper was surprised to see their dad calmly eating alone. She nodded at Claire before walking to him.

"Dad?"

"Hi, I was waiting for you to come. I'm free today and tomorrow and thought about doing something together. With Claire, of course."

"Oh, uh... we kind of made plans yesterday. We met a couple of Brazilians and they offered to be our guides."

He suddenly was as embarrassed as her.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know. Well, in this case..."

"Why don't you come with us?"

What?

I don't think they would mind. And he's trying to spend time with us.

***

When they got a call from Rachel to let them know they were waiting in the lobby, Piper knocked at her father's door to ask if he was ready.

Quick question, do you think we should have said to them my dad is coming with us?

Well... too late now, we just introduce them, I think.

It wasn't hard to spot the girls waiting and they stood up waving when they got closer. Piper could see one whispering something to the other before they arrived. She waved to her father with a guilty smile.

"Girls, this is my dad, Tyron."

They both dropped their jaws, which made Piper uncomfortable, while Claire was still yawning in her state zombie-like.

"Oh, wow."

"Is it okay if he joins us today?"

Blondie blinked twice and changed her focus back to Piper.

"Hm, sure, why not? I definitely don't mind."

Rachel nodded.

"Neither do I. Hm, nice to meet you. I'm Rachel, she's Blondie. Now..."

Blondie pointed to the door.

"Rumo ao Pão de Açúcar!"

"Should I call the driver?"

Both stopped and looked at her father.

"Driver?"

"Well, I know Pão de Açúcar is not very close, so I was thinking of calling the driver to take us there. Unless you think I shouldn't?"

Blondie laughed to herself before answering.

"Well, who are we to refuse air conditioned, call your driver by all means."

When he took a couple of steps to make the call, Rachel approached Piper and whispered.

"Would it be too weird if we asked for autographs at the end of the day?"

***

"Well, we can go in cableway up and down all the way, or we can take the trail to go up and down the first part; and the cableway to the second part."

Claire didn't look very sure.

"How hard is the trail?"

"Not hard. There are a lot of families with kids. Only the first ten meters are trickier."

"I'm in."

"Then let's go."

They said the truth; the trail wasn't hard. For Rachel, Piper and her dad, anyway. Claire wasn't doing so good. After only two minutes up, Blondie, obviously the most skilled in it, kept walking beside Claire and helping her up, while the others were on their own. It was barely 9 am, and despite the trees providing shadow and a light breeze grazing over their skin from time to time, Piper was already sweating. She hid her surprise when both Blondie and Rachel took off their tank tops to stay only in their bikinis.

I wish we had thought about it.

Me too.

She was relieved when the trail came to an end. Looking around her, the clear sky and the vast sea gave her a sense of peace. Being a demigod and daughter of an actor allowed her to travel to a lot of places, most of the times not because she wanted to, she was forced; but still, she'd admit, Rio had its own charm.

"Oh, my God, is that a little monkey?"

Piper turned to Claire, seeing how Blondie looked annoyed by her friend's tight grip around her arm. She pried Claire's hand from her arm before correcting her.

"It's a mico. They're a kind of monkey, alright."

Rachel held Claire's hand to get her attention.

"Remember the monkeys from the movie Rio? They're micos, just like the one you're seeing now. They're everywhere, but they aren't thieves like the movie made them."

"They're thieves, but they steal food, not jewels."

"I find their cute nonetheless! Can I pet him?"

"No."

"But..."

"They're not pets, they're wild lives, and the probability of them letting you touch them is very small. Just give up and let's go to the cableway."

She ignored Claire's pouting, but Rachel was with an arm around her shoulders, patting her arm sympathetic.

***

Piper had a déjà vu at seeing Claire again with her nose and hands glued to the glass, but this time, they were going up in cableway.

"Trish, look! Wow, we're so high!"

That's what I like about Claire, she doesn't mop around for more than 5 minutes before finding something else to get excited about.

Their guides were absorbed in a conversation with other Brazilians. Since she couldn't get a single word of it and it seemed they weren't talking about her, she wasn't paying attention. Her father approached and slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him.

"Enjoying your trip?"

She smiled up at him.

"Yeah, I am."

His smile dropped.

"I know I won't be able to spend all my time with you, after all, we have a schedule, but..."

"It's okay, dad. I'm happy you're here now."

"I'm glad you brought Claire with you."

She huffed.

"Claire brought herself. But I'm glad she did."

"And the other girls?"

"They're okay. They're funny, know their way around the city and don't mind of acting as our guides and translators. Claire likes them."

"Do you?"

She looked over her shoulder to see them still talking excitedly.

"Yeah, I do."

"I'm happy they're girls."

Wait...

"You thought I meant two Brazilians guys?"

"Well, you're both beautiful girls, I wouldn't be surprised if some Brazilians offered to be your guides just be near you."

"Gods, dad!"

***

"We're even higher than before!"

"The Cristo is higher, just forewarning you."

Claire's eyes went round, but she focused back on the view.

"If I lived in Rio, I would come here every day."

Blondie snorted, not taking her eyes from the view.

"I'm sure you didn't notice it because of the dollar, but the ticket is not the cheapest one. That is why we don't come here every day. But it would be nice. I have been meaning to schedule a picnic here."

Close to noon, they took the cableway down, before moving to the gate leading to the trail. Halfway down the trail, they met a group of women going up. They smiled and waved, nodding their head and saying the same thing.

"Bom dia."

Rachel and Blondie answered right back, with the others taking a little longer before following them.

"Bom dia."

They exchanged a couple more sentences in portughese, it took less than 10 seconds, and after they parted, Piper turned to the girls with a curious expression.

"Were those... nuns?"

They nodded and kept going like nothing happened.

Radical nuns.

Am I the only wondering how they're not melting in those habits when we're dripping sweat?

***

"I'm starving!!"

"We know, Claire, you said that four times already."

Tyron looked at the girls.

"You're joining us for lunch, right?"

"If you want us to do it, sure."

"So, what do you suggest we eat? I'm sure you have something in mind."

Blondie shook her head.

"Not really. If it was São Paulo, I would take you for pizza, but pizza in Rio... blergh, nope."

Rachel scowled at her friend.

"Hey, stop it!"

Blondie started to giggle, but stopped and inhaled deeply.

"I already know what we should eat. Churrasco. Brazilian barbecue. And we're taking... rodízio? I have no idea how to translate this. Oh, I know, an all-you-can-eat buffet. Now I'm hungry only imagining. Let's go!"

They started walking while talking between them in Portuguese when Piper actually realized she might not enjoy lunch.

"Wait, barbecue? I feel I should say I'm vegetarian."

Both Brazilians stopped and looked at her like she just said she liked to kick puppies.

"What?"

"It means I don't eat meat."

Blondie nodded.

"Yeah, I know what it is, I have two vegan aunts. Hm... ok, give us a couple of minutes."

They pulled their phones and started researching for something. Claire approached her side and moaned.

"I'm hungry..."

"Claire, you sometimes act like a 5 years old."

"We got it! We are still going to a... barbecue restaurant? But they have some vegetarian options. And it's close to your hotel."

***

Piper was happy with their choice of restaurant. She got a special plate that let the waiters know she shouldn't be offered meat. The variety of the salad bar and even some roasted vegetables made her enjoy as much as the others. Claire was easily the happiest of their group, relaxing in the chair.

"I can't move! I'm too full!"

Blondie was still staring at Claire, a little frightened.

"You ate so much."

Piper frowned at her.

"You ate just as much."

"Well, yeah, but I know I eat a lot, I wasn't expecting it from her. God, now I know how people get scared when they see me eating."

Rachel leaned and gave her friend a side hug.

"Don't worry, we still love even after we find out you eat like a draga."

Claire scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"A what?"

"How do I translate draga?"

Blondie shrugged to her friend.

"I don't even know what draga means in Portuguese."

***

"Di immortales, look at the size of those lines!"

Blondie gave Piper a look of 'why are you surprised'.

"What did you want, going to the Cristo in the week before New Year's Eve? EVERYTHING here is packed this time of the month. Anyway, we're not staying in those lines."

"We aren't?"

"Nope, we bought our tickets on the internet last night. Of course, it gets a little more expensive, but if we would wait in the lines, we would miss half the day, so... internet."

"But what about us?"

"What about you?"

"We still have to buy our tickets."

"When I said we bought our tickets, I meant ALL of us."

Wow, that was nice of them.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you can pay us later, now let's go. We still have to wait half an hour at least."

***

While on one of the many escalators to Cristo, Tyron turned to the Brazilians with a smile before asking.

"So, did you visit Cristo already?

Both girls nodded, Rachel, answering first.

"I visited once, many years ago."

"I visited twice already, the last one being two years ago."

"Why twice? Is it that beautiful there?"

She shrugged while stepping on solid ground again.

"It is, but I did because I had relatives from another state visiting and they wanted to go to Cristo. And Pão de Açúcar too, so... yeah."

Piper grunted when another person brushed their shoulder against her.

"Is it always this packed?"

Blondie sighed.

"Again, you come to Rio in summer, close to New Year's Eve. EVERYTHING is packed. Ai, my foot, cretino!"

She glared at someone passing in front of her, angry. Tyron wondered.

"But is it worth?"

"What is worth?"

"To face the lines to go to these places."

Blondie opened her mouth to answer, but Rachel cut her off.

"Let's go to Cristo, you see it and then you tell me if it was worth it."

***

"Holy..."

Claire didn't finish her sentence. Piper was looking up, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand to try and take the statue whole size.

"Ok, we got closer to Christ than I thought we would."

Rachel nodded to the side, going to the rail.

"Check the view."

Claire eagerly followed her, gasping when she took in the view.

"Oh, my God! Trish, look at that!"

Piper and her dad followed them, along with Blondie. Piper's dad turned to Rachel, also amazed.

"Can you see the whole city from here?"

She nodded.

"Pretty much. The idea of Cristo here is that he can bless the whole city or something in these lines."

Rachel had a small smile while surveying the city.

"The Cristo Redentor is our pride, our symbol, kind of like Eiffel Tower is for France or Taj Mahal is for India."

Piper was looking everywhere, trying to take it all in.

"Wow. The view is..."

"Worth of facing the crowd?"

She couldn't help her smile at Blondie's question.

"Yeah, that is a good definition."

Rachel was clearly proud of her city.

"Now you can see why it was voted as one of the seven wonders of modern world."

***

After they dropped the Brazilians at Rachel's house, Trish reminded Piper to let her father know the girls would like an autograph and he promised to give it to them. arriving at her room, after showering, she joined Claire at searching places they would like to visit in Rio to let their new friends know.

THRUSDAY, 29th December

Blondie shook her head, before focusing on Piper.

"Wait, you want to go to the beach Secreto?"

"Yeah, more than one review on the internet said it's very beautiful, do you know where it is?"

"Yes, we went there, only once."

"Why only once?"

Rachel exclaimed, waving her arms.

"Porque é lá na puta que pariu da Barra!"

"... What?"

The brunette pinched her nose with her right hand.

"It's very, very far. You even have to take a trail to get there. And it's not an easy one like yesterday."

"So... what do you suggest we do?"

Rachel grinned.

"We're taking you on a... food tour? Loira, como eu falo tour alimentício?"

While they bickered in Portuguese, Claire leaned so she could whisper to Piper.

"I really wish I was better at Spanish so I could understand what they're saying."

"You know they are talking in Portuguese, not Spanish, right?"

"But it's similar enough, I think."

With the argument finished, Rachel was grinning again.

"So, food tour. Let's start with açaí, because açaí... how do I say this?"

"... is the food of gods"

***

"It looks like..."

"Don't think about how it looks like. Just close your eyes and eat it."

They were sitting at a table situated on the sidewalk.

Don't you think it's a little weird that people just walk on the street because we're occupying the sidewalk and don't seem even a little bit bothered by it?

A little.

Her dad had already tried the açaí thing because he was eating his with as much eagerness as the Brazilians. Claire poked it a little more and tried some.

"It tastes like... hum..."

Blondie and Rachel nodded at her, speaking in unison.

"Like açaí."

Blondie continued since Rachel got busy stuffing her mouth with the dark substance combined with banana and some other things Piper couldn't identify.

"Açaí has such a unique flavor. Like I said, food of the gods. If ambrosia had a taste, it would be açaí."

"I don't know, Loira... what about brigadeiro?"

She nodded, before firing back.

"Beijinho."

"Tapioca."

"Pastel."

"Coxinha."

"É, coxinha é tudo de bom..."

Tyron found their bickering amusing.

"I have no idea what you two just said."

"We were talking about foods. Very good foods. Which are included on the food tour."

"Rachel? Churrasco."

"Bife à milanesa."

"I don't like it."

Rachel looked shocked at her friend

"You take that back!"

Piper focused on her own açaí. Sure, it looked weird, but they said it tasted close to grape ice cream, so why not try it. Her eyebrows raised in surprise. It wasn't bad as it looked; it actually tasted quite good. She looked up and sure enough, even Claire was almost finishing her bowl, but stopped suddenly, rubbing her nose.

Brainfreeze./ Brainfreeze.

Claire looked at the other girls.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"If I knew Spanish, would I be able to understand what you're saying?"

Blondie shook her head.

"Hum... no. Sure it has similar words, but they're still different languages. We MIGHT understand a Spanish speaker if they speak slowly and with a lot of mimics."

"Portuguese and Spanish are so different that if we meet someone who talks Spanish and English, it's easier to talk in English. The only time Spanish and Portuguese are similar is when trying to learn it, because the way we build our sentences is similar. But to be honest, if you had learned Portuguese, you wouldn't understand Blondie. Portuguese is my first language and sometimes she gets so excited and speaks so fast even I can't understand her."

Blondie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but a resigned smile was on her face, hitting that Rachel was telling the truth.

***

The food tour continued, and they made them pass by a mall as a shortcut. Claire was looking at the people passing by them.

"Why there are people wearing bikinis at the mall?"

Piper looked and sure enough, at least half of those passing by them clearly had swimsuits under their clothes, mostly shorts, and tank tops, with the always present flip flops. Without even looking at each other, both Brazilians answered at the same time.

"Because Rio."

"Rio. Enough said."

FRIDAY, 30th December

"E aí garotas, vão querer guarda sol?"

"Sim."

Rachel turned to Blondie with a question in her face. The latest pointed over her shoulder to Claire. Rachel's eyes cleared and she nodded.

"Dois, por favor."

The girls decided to go to the beach to tan, in Rachel's words. It was packed, as expected and Piper was grateful for the girls because it looked like everyone had something to sell and they were very good at shooing those people away. The only time it was Claire to answer, the moment the guy realized she wasn't a Brazilian, started speaking some random mix of English and Portuguese, getting even close, like it would help convince her. Claire looked at a loss for words, before Rachel said something and shooed him away. The woman they had just talked came back with two umbrellas. Piper looked curious at them.

"I thought you wanted to tan?"

"It's for Claire. With her fair skin, she would turn red like a shrimp in no time."

"Like you?"

"What? No, I wouldn't."

"But you also have fair skin."

"Yes, but I have a BRAZILIAN fair skin. Trust me, I might look milk white for a Brazilian because of the European blood in my family, but I can withstand the sun for more time than the ones from North Hemisphere."

"Ei, Loira!"

"Hum?"

"Caipirinha."

"Caipirinha?"

"É, pra elas. É bem Brasil."

Piper was a little annoyed whenever they went back to Portuguese, especially if they were clearly talking about them. Rachel turned to face them.

"So, caipirinha is a very traditional drink from Brazil, and you need to... experiment?"

Blondie corrected.

"Try it."

"Yeah, that."

"What is it made of?"

Rachel smiled.

"Lemon, sugar, ice and... cachaça?"

"Cachaça?"

Blondie clarified.

"Alcohol. Kinda like vodka, or rum."

Claire bit her lower lip.

"I don't drink."

Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"Well, there is a first time for anything."

She waved her hand at a guy passing, calling for him. While she ordered, Piper turned her head to Blondie.

"We don't have fake ID's."

"Who said we need them? Rachel turned eighteen two months ago."

"The legal age for drinking is 18?"

"The legal age for ANYTHING is 18."

Claire was still biting her lip.

"I don't want to get drunk."

Blondie shook her head.

"Caipirinha won't even get you close to tipsy, let alone drunk. Unless, of course, you drink twenty of it."

They got three, one for each Brazilian and one for Piper and Claire to share. According to them, they asked the waiter to make it light and sweet, so the alcohol didn't ruin the cocktail. Piper tried but didn't like much, opposed to Claire, who surprisingly liked a lot. She had drunk half of the glass yawning, blinking heavily. Rachel chuckled looking at her.

"Vixi, miga, cê é fraca pra bebida, ne?"

Blondie turned to Piper.

"Let me guess, she is the kind of girl who drinks six glasses of Coke and can't keep still?"

"Yeah..."

Rachel laughed out loud.

"Hahahahahahah, just like you were, Loira! Claire, maybe you should stop, for now, give me your glass."

***

They parted ways after the beach to shower, but Rachel would be taking them later to Pedra do Sal, to give Claire the feeling of a party in the streets, since they weren't in time to Carnaval. She said it would be full of people, music and they could leave at any time. It gave Piper and Claire time to rest and nap for an hour before her phone rang with Rachel's call. Blondie had surprisingly joined them, saying her appointment got delayed. They got a taxi and when they finally arrived, they could already hear the music coming from a distance.

"Come on, it has already started!"

It was uphill, full of small and tortuous streets, staircases in between the house, the walls full of graffiti, most of them with African culture references. Their friends had explained it was an area known as Little Africa, for the number of African descendants that concentrated there from the beginning of 1600. The name came from the fact they used its proximity to the sea and the port for salt departures and arrivals, and there was a very particular slope of rock.

The slogan of Pedra do Sal was 'Aqui se respeita o samba', which they translated to 'Here we respect samba music'. They were going to watch a real Roda de Samba, it was free and they were only required to fully enjoy the energy, the smiles, voices, movements, and even sweat, which would be abundant in that heat. As to participate, they assured no one would expect them to give a dance show, just clapping their hands was enough.

***

They were there for 20 minutes and after having spent almost ten of those trying to find a good space to stay, they were not in rush to leave. Rachel had returned from a bar with soft drinks for Piper and Claire, beer for herself and caipirinha for Blondie. They were whispering between them in Portuguese ever since her return, before Blondie rolled her eyes and turned to face Piper, with a tired expression on her face.

"So, that guy over there asked if you want to... 'ficar' with him."

Rachel got in front of her.

"Actually he asked to ask you: Se colocar uma bolinha numa ladeira. Rola ou não rola? Translated it would be: if you put a ball in a downhill. Does it roll or not?"

Blondie sighed, obviously annoyed.

"Which in the end, is the same as asking to 'ficar'."

Claire was looking at both, clueless.

"What is 'ficar'?"

Rachel opened her mouth to explain, but closed and turned to her friend.

"Ahn... how do I explain it to them?"

The blonde girl had a thoughtful expression when she answered.

"Kinda like a one-night stand. Go, kiss, make out and pretend you never saw him fatter."

"... saw him fatter?"

"It's brazilian way to say 'never saw him in my entire life'."

They have the weirdest expressions.

Rachel nodded in excitement.

"And if he bothers you, you can just say 'who are you in the line of bread?'."

"Brazilians sure are weird..."

Piper scrunched her nose in disgust.

"Why is the purpose of this?"

Rachel was looking wide at her like she couldn't believe a question with such an obvious answer.

"To kiss, obviously. No strings, and maybe not even name exchange."

"Is this a common thing here?"

Blondie nodded.

"More than you would believe."

Piper still had a disgusted expression and distaste laced her voice.

"No thanks, I have a boyfriend."

Claire was still trying to wrap her mind around this custom.

"Why is the purpose of only kissing if don't even know the guy?"

Rachel grinned widely.

"Miga, sua louca, beijo é sabor, não amor."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes before translating.

"Kiss is about flavor, not love."

"What if he tastes bad?"

A valid question.

Blondie answered this question.

"Then you push his face away from yours, say 'thanks but this was enough', turn tail, run back to your group of friends and don't look at his direction again."

"Do you do that frequently?"

"Do what, run back to my friends?"

"Kiss a stranger."

"If I feel like it. Right now, I don't feel like it. At all."

Her friend gave her a secretive smile.

"I know exactly why you don't feel like it and why you're so grumpy tonight. Relax, Loira, a delayed flight isn't a canceled one."

Claire looked at Rachel

"Does every Brazilian do this thing of kissing a stranger?"

"Darling, our population is beyond than 200 millions. It would be a stretch say EVERY Brazilian does it, but let's say it's quite common. But if you don't want to do it, it's not a crime. It's your body, after all, you do whatever you want with it."

Well, feminism all the way. Even if I think it's a bit weird.

SATURDAY, 31st December

After they woke up late, Piper and Claire went with Tyron to enjoy the sun at the beach, even if they stayed most of the time under the umbrella or at the sea, to avoid sunburn on their last day and refresh from the oppressing heat. The Brazilians wouldn't be joining them, they said they had already plans with friends for the day, but they would stop by the next day to say goodbye. After returning to the hotel, Piper enjoyed a long shower, even if she knew she would start sweating as soon as she finished.

"Trish! Come here, quickly! Trish! I said come here!"

She wrapped herself in a towel before leaving the bathroom and going to join Claire at the window.

"Easy, tiger. What is the rush anyway? What is it?"

Saying calm down to Claire is like saying stop being wet for a fish.

"Look!"

"What am I looking at?"

"Can't you see it?"

"See what?"

"It's just like in the movie!"

She looked puzzled at Claire, who sighed and got her phone to make Piper watch the clip from Rio. Only then she understood. It was barely 8 pm, but the beach in front of them was already covered in people, a lot of them with at least one white piece of cloth, if not all of them.

"Can we go now?"

"Sure, I'm certain towels are the last trend."

Piper pointed at herself and Claire's hair, which was still wrapped in a towel.

"Ops!"

They had left almost two hours after that. And even if her father had said they could stay inside the hotel to celebrate, Claire wouldn't have it. In the end, all three crossed the streets, took off their shoes and walked around the beach until finding a place they were comfortable. Closer to midnight, Tyron

ran back to the hotel to get a bottle of champagne and glasses. They went next to the sea to see that some people threw flowers at the waves. Rachel had explained the day before it was meant for Iemanjá, from the mythology Yoruba, queen of the sea and the great mother, since the water is the origin of life. People asked her for a lot of things, mostly protection, purification, and help, which she could give for being so 'motherly'. This also made her a patron for pregnant women, some saying she could even cure infertility.

"NOVE!"

Piper jumped when all the people around her yelled at the same time.

"OITO!"

Claire looked at her with wonder.

"It's the counting."

"SETE!"

"Ok, girls, come closer and get your glasses."

"SEIS!"

They did what they were told. Piper got also her father's glass.

"CINCO!"

He removed the protection and went to the cork.

"QUATRO!"

"Hurry up, dad!"

"TRÊS!"

Claire smiled in excitement.

"Hey, it does sound like Spanish!"

"DOIS!"

"Got it!"

"UM!"

At the same time the cork gave way, the people around them yelled together.

"FELIZ ANO NOVO!"

A loud whistle made Piper look behind her, to the ocean. As soon as she did, the sky around her exploded in color. Fireworks from over ten boats positioned parallelly to the beach took over her field vision. Of every color and shape she could imagine, what surprised her was the size. It made her think it would be the size of the moon if it has closer to the Earth. She felt her father take a glass from her hand and turned to be embraced by his.

"Happy New Year, sweetheart."

"To you too, dad."

They turned to see Claire with her mouth hanging open looking at the spectacle. Laughing softly, she pulled her new and old friend for a hug.

"Happy New Year, Claire!"

"You too, Trish."

She whispered next to her ear the next part.

"And to you, Piper."

"Thanks."

Smiling, she let go so they could both watch the fireworks.

Happy New Year, Trish.

Happy New Year, Piper.

Less than five minutes later, they got a call. Seeing it was Rachel, Claire put on speaker. From the other side, came a chorus of voices, male and female.

"FELIZ ANO NOVO!"

Right after, came the voice of Blondie.

"That is Happy New Year for you, crazy gringas!"

"Crazy what?"

Next came Rachel.

"And don't forget to jump seven waves! Just go ankle deep in the sea, jump over seven waves and leave. It's for good fortune!"

"Does it have anything to do with Iemanjá?"

"Now that you ask, I have no idea."

Blondie yelled from the other side.

"Just do it!"

"Go back to your Italian and stop yelling at my ear!"

The call was cut off, and after some argument, they decided to do it. The worst case scenario would be wet feet.

It's so hot we might just go full body.

SUNDAY, 1st December

They were finishing packing when Rachel called them to go say goodbye. Going to the lobby, Piper was surprised to see a tall guy waiting with them.

Is he her appointment?

Appointment?

That was delayed, so she went with us to Pedra do Sal.

Right.

Seeing Blondie hugged to him, with the biggest grin Piper ever saw her sporting, wasn't hard to guess which their relationship was. That was confirmed when getting closer, Blondie introduced him.

"That's my boyfriend, Giorgio. He arrived some a couple of hours after we left Pedra do Sal. I was a bit anxious about his flight, sorry if I wasn't the best company."

He smiled and extended his hand.

"Ciao. No, hello."

Claire looked curious at him.

"Ciao?"

Blondie answered for him.

"He's Italian. We met when I spent a year there. I came back only a couple of months ago, and now he came to meet my family."

Piper smiled at them.

"Well, I wish you guys luck."

Does your wish for luck count as a blessing from Aphrodite?

I don't think so. But I really wish them luck.

"Thanks. We will keep contact, right?"

Claire nodded.

"Of course, what is the internet for?"

"Oh, before I forget, wait here."

Piper ran back to her room and came back with two posters, giving one to each girl. They looked until they opened, to see the picture of her Piper's father last movie, with a small dedication and his autograph.

***

Hugging goodbye to her father, knowing it would be another month until she saw him again, left a bitter taste in her mouth. Luckily, she had Claire to distract her, but after her friend fell asleep on the plane, she was left alone with Trish.

This week felt surreal.

It feels weird to return to reality. It's even weirder that I know think of you as part of my reality.

Thanks?

What would you do if you were here alone? I mean, with no Jason, Annabeth and the others?

You mean apart from freak out, lose my mind and get depressed.

Cut the crap, we both know you're too strong to that.

Depression is not for weak people, Trish, it's for the strongest. To keep living while your mind says it's not worth is not easy.

... Did you go through depression?

I honestly don't know. I don't think so, but I think there was a time I played way too close to that cliff.

Because of your dad?

Feeling alone sucks.

I was lucky to have met Claire, she kept me centered.

She's a good friend. She would also make an excellent daughter of Aphrodite.

She already loves the love.

Precisely, say that to Aphrodite and you get the job.

A/N: I know I said the next one was Percy's, but his is almost empty so far, so when inspiration came, I decided to anticipate Piper's chapter. Hope you liked. I won't make promises of schedule for updates, because I did move to Italy, and I'm still here, in a way I totally did not expect. I'm living with my boyfriend, looking for a job and to start a new course at the University. Even if in theory I have free time, I spent 85% attached to my boyfriend. It's not 100% lovey-dovey, we also do adult stuff, like groceries, cooking meals, cleaning the house, but I enjoy so much just being with him. Waking up next to him makes me smile, even if it's 3 am. Spooning with him makes me so relaxed I fall asleep in 15 minutes, even if it's 4 pm. We laugh and joke while cooking, we dance while shopping, we prank each other like we're siblings. Life is weird and unexpected, and I'm enjoying it so much. I do feel a bit guilty about not updating, but until today, I couldn't feel the same rush of excitement about writing as I did. I asked help from a fellow writer and his main advice was "Life changes, so do you. Enjoy what you have now, don't stress about it". So that is what I'm doing. I hope you guys can enjoy your days as much as I do mine. I'm always open to conversation, so PM if you want. 

Glossary:

Nossinhora! Mais perdidas que cego em tiroteio: More lost/confused than a blind in a shooting. It means that a blind can only hear, so since they can't see from where the shooting is coming or where there is a cover, they would be... helpless. So we use this expression to say about someone having absolutely NO IDEA where they are. Or sometimes to express someone having NO IDEA of what to do, how to help, where to go, who to speak to... Nossinhora is a way to say 'oh my God' (but it's actually about the Virgin Mary, and not God).

Eita, cacete!!!: Oh, damn!!!

Rumo ao Pão de Açúcar: On our way to Pão de Açúcar./Let's go to Pão de Açúcar. (Pão de Açúcar means 'sugar bread')

Cretino: Jerk.

Porque é lá na puta que pariu da Barra: Because it's there in 'putaquepariu' of Barra. Barra is a neighborhood, Barra da Tijuca. There is another one called Tijuca. So cariocas only say Tijuca or Barra. Puta que pariu... I admit, is a cuss word in Portuguese. It's versatile, and in this case, it means a place very, very far inside Barra(which is already very far).

Loira, como eu falo tour alimentício?: Blonde, how do I say 'food tour'(meaning to make a tour not to see architeture or views, but to taste food)?

É, coxinha é tudo de bom...: Yeah, coxinha is amazing.

E aí garotas, vão querer guarda sol? /Dois, por favor.: Sup, girls, do you want umbrela? / Two, please.

É, pra elas. É bem Brasil. : Yes, for them. It's very Brazil(meaning Brazilian).

Jardim Botânico

Pão de Açúcar

Açaí

and this... is us, at Firenze, in autumn.