THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES AND TRAUMA

PRETTY PRIVILEGE PROBLEM PROTEGEE PAYS

Hope this makes the week drag a little less slow for you all!

PJOHOOPJOHOOPJOHOO

Nico tried to tell himself he was being paranoid as he offered to take the book from his sister. Nobody had nearly even died for once! Kind of, technically, Jason just would have fallen into an endless sleep which was only courting death...

Hazel's calm confidence in the face of all this shook him, enough he didn't feel like a fool for once. He was kind of jealous why she wasn't a mess, and just as impressed.

So he read without the expectation that anyone was going to finish their long-term agreement with Thanatos. The opposite in fact.

PIPER IX

PIPER DREAMED ABOUT HER LAST DAY with her dad.

"Well this is going to emotionally slap us all in the face," Percy sighed. He had a little too much experience with last goodbyes.

Nico grumbled in agreement it was just his luck.

Will's stomach flipped and knotted in pain as he remembered that poor mortal they'd left out there. Despite finally being home and having no desire to leave in the immediate future, he'd still get on a pegasus right now and go check on him again if he'd thought he was welcome. The look on Piper's face as they'd departed led him to believe he wouldn't be.

...The morning had perfect, ...No way her luck could hold.

Leo chuckled, though there wasn't anything particularly funny about that. He'd liked hanging out with Piper at the Wilderness School though for exactly this reason. When he said stuff like that, she nodded, and gave him a rare smile. He'd disillusioned himself into having a crush on her for a while, but even those first weeks it had never been more than a joking idea. She'd been a good friend to him, and he hoped her dad was doing okay. It was so strange to be here without her.

...Piper knew the photographers would find him. They always did.

Nico really hoped this girl was having a quiet moment with her dad in California right now. That his broken eyes had finally gotten to see his daughter and some life had come back to him. Piper was already going to have enough struggles in the future on the godly side, he'd always hope more kids besides Percy had as many options in a home as they could.

"Nice job out there, Pipes."

"Hehe, Pipes, surfing," Percy grinned his goofy smile. Annabeth's heart fluttered as she grinned with him always finding the simplest things to smile about.

...ask him to sign their bodies. (Seriously, get a life.)

"I've never been that invested in a famous person," Annabeth said blandly, and she'd actually met a few of her idols.

"Eh, humans aren't as accustomed as we are to being around otherworldly figures," Thalia shrugged in agreement.

...would've given up surfing long ago except it let her spend time with him. There weren't many ways she could do that.

They could all hear the sting of jealousy rising in Nico's voice, even knowing the conclusion of this poor mortal probably set to die in this future if they hadn't intervened. Will drummed his fingers on his knees and knew there was no easy bandaid for this one, but he always wished there was.

Hazel murmured something to him. He nodded and shrugged and they weren't sure what, but he was smiling just a bit as he kept going.

... turkey pesto, crabcake wasabi, a Piper special! Peanut butter and jelly."

"The heck is pesto?" Percy asked with interest, he'd always try anything once, and all of that sounded delicious.

"Herby, green, paste," Nico tried to think how to describe it. He recalled his sister raving about it once. He'd tried some a few times now and loved it. "It's really satisfying, lingers on the tongue without being too heavy and can bring a quality of freshness to more carby, starch heavy dishes."* He sounded so much like a food critic Will was flabbergasted when this hobby had reared its head and instantly wanted to know more.

Percy gave him a spectacularly blank look, but didn't seem deterred.

"I suddenly miss the magic fridges," Thalia sighed. They really hadn't been at this long enough for lunch to even be close, but she wouldn't say no to sneaking into the kitchens for some of these if Percy tried to.

"I want to know what about it makes it a Piper Special," Jason waved to hush the two.

... PB&J was simple food, like a regular kid would have for lunch.

"I hear where she's coming from," Percy assured, "but I hope she wouldn't be that opposed if I mixed crabcake wasabi with PB&J."

"Your stomach should be a crime," Nico rolled his eyes.

"Hang on, you eat crab?" Hazel asked. Son of Poseidon, eating seafood? They'd told her he could talk to the fish...

"Not in front of the fish, but yeah," Percy shrugged. It really wasn't hard to separate the issue. He still couldn't eat burgers near the Statue of Liberty though, just in case someone caught a glimpse of him chowing down and decided to show Bessie his disloyalty.

... wrapped in gold leaf with a sparkler instead of a toothpick.

"Now that is a Happy Meal," Will snickered. "If she doesn't want it I'd be okay with such extravagance!"

"Ah the things we become immune to," Leo rolled his eyes. He lit enough stuff on fire by accident not to want sparklers in his food.

...pull a bigger stunt each time, it took more to get Dad's attention.

Hazel could barely wrap her mind around all heights a human could reach just being dismissed like that. Piper had the entirety of the world at the tips of her fingers, and it didn't even sound like there was a curse attached except the one she brought upon herself.

... Nothing off limits, and you had to answer honestly.

Annabeth struggled to swallow for a moment as she tried to imagine doing this with her dad. Three months between having a conversation was nothing new to her. If she suggested it to him, would he pay attention long enough to participate?

... promised to stay out of her business, which was easy, he wasn't around.

Jason couldn't help but laugh at the number three showing up again, but it was tinged with a lot more than three emotions than just vague amusement. It wasn't lost on him that even if his life had been 'normal' and he'd stayed with Thalia rather than being whisked off to some other camp, he'd still never have a parent like this.

...After you were born, she simply left. I never heard from her again."

Percy had never heard of another demigod having such a similar interaction with their parent like him. He could imagine the guy's face perfectly, the sad eyes, the hopeful smile. This guy had fallen in love with someone who couldn't love him back, and was left with a baby instead.

... Ghost Country, where you could talk to the dead... it's a long story."

Nico took a deep breath to stop himself from screaming. How did this keep happening to him!?

He only let himself grumble for a moment though, his interest was peaked to hear a new take on a death story.

...A year before, he'd had his biggest role as an Ancient Greek king.

"He's an actor," Annabeth finally said in relief, even smacking herself on the forehead. "Oh my gosh, Trysten McLean! I remember now, he played Tyndareus in King of Sparta!" She tapped her chin for a moment before shrugging, "it really wasn't a good portrayal, they only referenced having Helen as a child and she was his step-child! And don't get me started on the rest of the accuracies, or lack thereof in that movie."

"But the choreography was insanely good," Percy shrugged.

"Insanely, I wish we had wires to do some of those stunts," she nodded. "And the costumes, weren't, the worst in the city, but don't get me started on that battle armor. Oh, and they had an amazing replica of the theater of-"

"I'm positive Piper would appreciate you two so much right now," Jason chuckled. He wondered if he'd seen the movie. He had no strong sense of the idea, but he almost hoped he had. That he'd had days where he'd gone to the movies with friends too...though the wistful idea only put a weight in his chest at how that didn't seem likely the more he tried to conjure up the idea.

Thalia made a face too, but more for the idea being presented here now that Piper's dad was an actor, a profession she unreasonably hated for personal reasons. Gods it really was like the universe was trying to set her little brother up with the worst girl possible in every way Thalia could imagine, and it entirely was not Piper's doing.

... They'd had a fun time studying, it made Piper's life seem not so bad.

They all laughed in agreement, Percy hardest of all.

..."Lot of similarities between Greek and Cherokee... probably think we're ghosts."

"Aw, are we not getting the story?" Will sounded as disappointed as Nico felt.

"Maybe Piper will like to look it up herself and share it," Nico said.

"Are you guys trying to provoke a fourth pantheon into our life?" Percy groaned. Annabeth patted his shoulder in understanding and Hazel was chuckling at them.

... his eyes held so much sadness....generations of pain and suffering.

Hazel's breath caught in the back of her throat in surprise. Nico read past that so casually, just the slightest bit of sadness in his voice he clearly didn't mean to linger on. It was an idea that floored her, that others who'd had to live through being different and separated still might exist in this day and age and won't just think she couldn't let go of the past.

...I couldn't sleep at night. I'd always be looking for somebody to blame."

There was an awkward moment of silence where nobody in the room wanted to look at anyone else. This poor guy had seen something while being held captive, the Mist had started to fail the longer he was around all those horrors.

Wherever he and Piper were now, they hoped he was doing okay.

... If I believed otherwise,I don't think I could stand that."

Will remembered how Beryl Grace had handled that kind of rejection when she knew the truth, and most days he couldn't decide how to judge his mom for her trying to let Apollo go but never what he could have really given her aside from him. Even Sally had ended up in a seriously bad situation to protect her gift from Poseidon. It truly didn't seem there was a perfect solution out there for the gods and their mortal lovers.

... just knock her out for the rest of the day, please? But Jane kept advancing.

Leo's brain hard switched to a crude design of a device to trip anyone and never cause permanent damage. How to do so and hide it in the sand without it messing up all the gears? He laughed lightly with the others, because they'd all wanted this pocket invention at some point in their past.

..."Do anything, but do it yourself! Don't let Jane handle it for you. You can't just send me away."

Annabeth knew that feeling all too well. Powerless, unloved, seeing a stranger in your parents face and begging for them to listen to you.

And never getting it back. Not until it was too late.

She'd never questioned Piper's adamance about going home to her dad when she heard he was safe. She wanted to call and check on her, even though Piper had no reason to answer the phone to a stranger. She wanted to check on her anyways, make sure she was still okay.

Even if her dad did listen to what she needed, instead of thinking he knew best, it felt so awful at what it had taken to get there. A corner of Piper's mind that wasn't going to be erased any time soon.

... Piper was just another problem Jane could check off her list.

Jason knew it was ridiculous, but he had a feeling Piper had needed these fake memories to like him from the vicious edge to those thoughts. If he'd been anything like his normal self around her, he might remind Piper of Jane.

... Purple flames cast more shadows than light, the heat so intense, her clothes steamed.

Jason winced, the ridiculous urge to take off his purple shirt and cast it in the fire as if the color had betrayed him. He really hoped that wasn't symbolic of something...he wouldn't betray Piper would he? He wasn't capable of that...the idea rested easily in place though if he found out about her without finding out everything, things might not go so well...

...Piper's father was hanging unconscious, tied to a stake.

She woke and closed her hand around the hilt of her dagger.

It was no great feeling to be hearing another dream, another threat in such great detail, but it was hardly new to any of them except Leo. His nightmares were rooted in the past.

The instinct to reach out for a weapon upon awakening, or die otherwise was one they all learned fast.

Piper not even being here a whole twenty-four hours might have been a record though. Will wasn't entirely sure how he'd do a study on that, but he wanted to.

..."How are you feeling?" someone asked.

Rachel Dare sat next to her...Don't let sickness get your goat!

Percy leaned eagerly in his seat to hear that Piper awoke with drool on her chin or at least the worst bad breath ever. Then the cycle of this poor girl reliving his life would really be complete, and hopefully the outcome too.

..."That's Argus, head of security. He's keeping an eye on things ... so to speak."

"Does everybody feel the need to make that joke?" Percy rolled his eyes.

"Don't be mad, she just wants to be involved in all our traditions," Will chuckled.

"You grabbed me," Piper remembered. "Hera's voice—"

"I'm so sorry about that," Rachel said.

Percy's feet itched to take him out where Rachel was, to make sure she knew not to apologize anytime a god hijacked her brain. It really wasn't her fault, the gods would do that even if she wasn't some Mist mouthpiece or whatever...even though she did kind of ask for it and he'd warned her this oracle business was dangerous.

...Nectar heals demigods, if it doesn't, ah, burn you to ashes."

"Oh. Fun."

"Right!" Leo burst out laughing, though he hadn't the chance to taste any yet and was clearly lamenting nobody had shouted in his face so he could pass out next.

"I'm pretty sure you would still burn up on the inside just because you can't on the outside," Annabeth cautioned.

"Ah, lame," Leo sighed.

...Argus made a rumbling sound in his chest. His eyes all fluttered at once.

Annabeth sighed, wishing Rachel had thought to ask Piper about Hera after Argus had left. Now that Piper was awake and coherent, the danger had passed, and there were still water stains in the basement from last time.

... Piper tried not to stare as Argus wiped the tears from his elbows.

"Aww," Hazel grinned at how sweet that was. It was no secret Hera was nobody's favorite goddess around these parts, but it felt good to hear that someone in camp was worried about her as more than just 'Olympian In Peril,' like they were bothering to hear out her rescue as a court ordered ordeal.

...if Jason got his memories back, would that be a good thing?...didn't want their relationship to be a trick.

Jason cringed that he was hoping the opposite. That Piper's strange ideal of him would continue to fade the longer those implanted memories faded.

Thalia was much more clearly agitated about anyone trying to imply otherwise Jason would be a different person with all his memories. She'd spent time watching Jason and Percy at their most vulnerable, she knew who they were!

...He would hate her eventually. Everyone here would.

"Not everyone," Leo promised without looking up, as casual as could be. He'd enjoyed being friends with Piper their few weeks together and while this place was freakishly awesome, he'd take his diminutive ass up to the highest point he could here and yell to make sure everyone knew what was at stake for her.

Annabeth smiled without surprise. She'd been in a similar boat once, convinced that a traitor was worth saving when nobody else believed it.

...All show and no substance. And its name was Katoptris, looking glass.

Percy was starting to get a funny feeling about this girl as he turned it all over in his mind, comparing herself to that thing. Her dad being a good looking actor, her charming voice, now this feeling of her's- well, it was sort of what he assumed the average Aphrodite kid was like. Shallow, pretty vain, aka all show no substance. With the odd exception of Silena, who'd overcome her own demons of showing one face while forced to betray them behind her dreams.

Maybe Piper and her had more in common?

She didn't dare unsheathe it again, she couldn't bear to see her reflection.

Nico's voice shook a little too hard at that, he knew he sounded pathetic but really hoped they just assumed he was getting into Piper's mood.

He liked being with Will, he wasn't ashamed of his crush on Percy anymore, but it still left a terrifying blank space in him of what came next. Having friends really only meant there was more to lose if- no, when Gaea came back. He had the power to stop that, he knew he did, but he kept letting himself be talked out of it.

He'd earned his place here at Camp by proving he was on Percy's side, but he didn't feel like that gave him a free pass to sit around and do nothing. He'd barely slept in his cabin last night agonizing over what came next.

Rachel tries to comfort Piper, telling her about Jason's vision. All Piper hears is, 'you get to betray Jason in person while rescuing your dad!'

"I always knew Rachel had a special way with words," Percy said with a strained smile.

"This really wasn't going to go better in any way," Jason sounded much more resigned to the fact this was not going to end well and he'd still try to help Piper anyways.

...a hardened car thief. Here she was, crying like a baby.

"I never liked that expression," Thalia rolled her eyes. "Babies have plenty good reasons to cry too, it's the only way to express themselves. Nobody removes our tear ducts as we age!"

"Secret initiation into the hunters debunked," Percy snorted.

...When you know who your godly parent is, things might be clearer."

Clearer. Not necessarily better.

"She really is a quick witted girl," Jason smiled.

Annabeth nodded in agreement, a part of her still hoping Piper was her half-sibling, though she couldn't imagine as of now what Trysten McLean had done to get Athena's attention.

"You guys are depressing," Will muttered. He'd need to talk to Rachel about her pep-talks, or lack thereof in this case!

...Her dad had always warned her there was no getting her mother back, and for the first time Piper wasn't sure she wanted to as her claiming drew near.

Hazel nodded in understanding. Growing up with Pluto as her dad had left a weight on her, the curse she could blame on his oily face hadn't given her much comfort.

"I hope it's Athena." ... afraid Rachel might make fun of her, but she smiled.

"Rachel only makes fun of Percy like a proper Oracle," Thalia smirked.

Percy wanted to protest, but considering the mummy had once snubbed him for Zoe, it didn't feel like an untrue statement that the spirit might have it out for him like every other Greek thing.

...I think Annabeth is hoping that too. You guys are a lot alike."

Annabeth smiled in agreement and didn't deny it. Jason was in total agreement this could only be a good thing if true, he well knew how useful having a child of Athena would be on his misadventures.

... "Don't be giving away my secrets, Piper."

"That's Percy's specialty," Thalia smirked. "Maybe she's one of those long lost siblings Poisideon teased you about."

"I could live with this sister," Percy agreed without a moment of hesitation. Maybe instead of his insane water powers, she had taken more after the charming siren part of sealife.

... "Time for the campfire. Let's go find out who you are."

"Without dinner?" Percy looked at the book for the tragedy it was, now more for Piper's life than Jason's though.

"Relax, I'm sure whoever her new siblings are will sneak her into the kitchens without getting her killed after the show," Will assured as he took the book.

HOOPJOHOOPJOHOO

*Description of pesto given by SpringScrollFairy. Thank you as always for being my voice of Nico!