BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

epilogue.

BY TWO AM, Eden had stopped trying to sleep.

She just couldn't go to sleep without Piper next to her, charmspeaking in her ear, her warmth engulfing her until she eventually went to sleep.

Now? The only thing she had were stuffed animals that couldn't replicate her and the stupidest brother of all time sleeping in the other corner of the cabin.

Oh, and also Moose, but he was the best thing in this cabin by far. Even Eden.

She let out a sigh and rolled out of bed quietly, and Moose perked up. Eden grabbed a blanket and put on a giant bomber jacket, before leaving with Moose right out the front door of her cabin, all without waking up her idiotic brother up. Just like clockwork.

They snuck around the harpies to the Aphrodite cabin, where Eden found Piper's window and saw her staring outside. Grinning, she rapped on the window frame until she snapped out of her reverie.

"Come on," Eden said quietly.

Piper sent her a grin. "I knew you'd come for me."

She took her hand and climbed out the window, and they ran toward the woods, Moose leading them to the creek where they'd been sitting in two days ago.

"It's a shame that my brother exists and he's sleeping," Eden sat down, handing Piper her jacket and petting Moose, grinning as he licked her face. "So we have to be here until I kick him out to sleep with Annabeth."

"Hey, it's just like old times, right?" Piper put on Eden's jacket and sat down, wrapping the blanket around them and petting Moose. "He's cuter than you described him. Why'd you name him Moose?"

Eden snickered. "Con asked me that too. Honestly, I think I was just tired. That entire heist was a fever dream, but at least I got a dog out of it."

She watched fondly as Moose cuddled up in Piper's lap, and she felt a pang in her heart. God, why did she have to tell her that she had to move to Alaska because by breaking the prophecy, she'd infuriated the gods because she'd had a taste of the power they'd got?

Eden couldn't separate Piper from here, where she felt at home. Where she'd be most at ease, and safe from any monster. Piper had learned everything she knew here, in this goddamn camp. And besides, her dad was still in LA, unknowing to the life that she lived in, that she was born in with the power of the gods in her blood. Piper had sacrificed a lot to save him from Enceladus, back in December. Eden couldn't separate her from this life.

"Eden?" Piper asked quietly, and she turned toward her. "Yeah?"

"There's something you're not telling me, baby," Piper took her hands, and Eden nearly cried at the display of attention, which was probably because of the words that she didn't want to say. "What is it?"

"Piper," Eden's voice broke, and for the first time in a while, there were tears streaming down her face, and they couldn't stop, they wouldn't stop, and she had tried to stop them, she really did, but the fire that she still felt from the supernova in her just wanted to get out of her.

So Eden was sobbing into Piper's shoulder, and her body was shaking and she hated being so weak, especially in front of her, and she hated this. But Kaleidoscope would be the only person that she'd willingly cry in front of. Every single time Eden was in Piper's arms, she lost herself in the love child.

But Eden wouldn't have it any other way, which was why her chest hurt.

"Darling," Piper whispered, her voice fading into the night. "What's happening?"

Eden pulled away, wiping her tears away and laughing. "Holy shit, that was so unexpected. What was that? You know, actually, I could kill for a drink right now—"