The comical ways of grief (A Valgrace story)

V

The son of Zeus was no son of Aphrodite;

(A look into Piper's POV)

As a daughter of Aphrodite, Piper became prone to understanding others' feelings. It was almost unintentional. Crashing waves of emotions rushed through her veins, taking over. They traveled as a chill or a warmth through her body, settling in, communicating what others felt.

Before learning she was a demigod Piper was oblivious to the effect others' emotions had on her. They infected like a plague, contaminating any spark of her own emotions and taking over; controlling her. It happened a lot, so often that even when alone Piper had difficulties understanding her own mood.

And maybe if Jason's hurricane of emotions had been happening back when Piper was in the dark to the capabilities of her powers, she would have never realized it. Maybe, even, she would have thought she had feelings for the fire bender.

When Piper learned she was a demigod, when she learned she was a daughter of Aphrodite, when she learned the power she carried, she was all too scared of herself. The memories of everyone she manipulated with sweet and dangerous words traveling back to haunt her. The memories of the foreign emotions that settled in her gut, crashing down every sense of identity Piper had.

What would be of her if she couldn't control the powers she was cursed to have?

Terrified of the powers she held, Piper made it her personal goal to learn how to control them.

And maybe if she hadn't become so outstanding at regulating the curse she was born with, Piper would have never seen right through Jason.

Jason's emotions were hard to read. They were so inconsistent that they unsettled her. Sometimes they whizzed past as a warmth, delicately and tenderly. Other times, they leisurely traveled through her heart, like a storm with the purpose of destroying everything on its path, bitter and seethed.

And maybe if Jason hadn't spent so much time next to Piper, she would have never cared so much to want to understand him. Maybe if Piper hadn't been so worried about the rush of dark waves that radiated from the son of Zeus, she would have never understood.

Piper knew that Jason's love was not all hers. Piper knew Jason's love was not hers at all. Piper knew that no matter how hard she tried, how hard he tried, Jason's heart would never truly belong to her.

At first, the thought infuriated her. She screamed and lashed out, cursing the name of her lover in dead languages. Her heart burnt with rage.

But then, as endless questions settled in her gut, Piper realized she was oddly relieved by it; she was certain that she and Jason were not meant to be but played along because to fight a war with a lost identity was nothing sought for. 

I am sorry this is two days late, I never did realize what day it was until it was too late.