A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 21: Piper

I actually missed my chores.

There was only so much you could do in a prince's room, and by day 2 Rachel and I had done all of them. Now, it had been a week.

So as I watched the carriage containing Octavian and his family roll out of the castle gates, I couldn't be happier.

"We're free!" Rachel shouted happily.

"As we can get!" I replied. Because, you know, we were still slaves.

"But now, we can move! Do things! Not have to fear for our lives!" Rachel grinned.

I grinned back. I heard the lock click, and the door swung open.

"The prince instructed me to let you two out," Lee said. Then he left.

Rachel stood up. "Well, Piper, see you at dinner."

"See you too!" I called out to her as she left.

I sat on the floor, alone for the first time in a week. Without Rachel there, Jason's room seemed empty. And it was a huge room.

About a half hour later, Jason showed up. He sent me to get wine.

I happily ran to the kitchen.

"Nice to see you again Pipes," Lou Ellen said as I walked in.

"Nice to see you too, Ellie," I replied.

I spent the rest of the day serving Jason. Octavian's departure had put him in a good mood, and he was pleasant to be around.

At dinner, all of my friends hugged me. We were so worried! Miranda said tearfully.

For once, I was grateful for my lumpy bed. It beat the floor, which was what I had slept on for the last week.

I fell asleep quickly.

΅🕊΅

I awoke to the breakfast bell. I quickly got dressed and rushed into the dining hall. I had eggs for breakfast.

Then I rushed back to my room and waited for Jason to ring his bell. Once he did, I sprinted up to his room.

I bathed and dressed him. Then he went down to the royal dining room to eat breakfast.

I waited for him to return. When he did, he threw a glass that he must've brought up from the dining room against the wall, and sat down on his bed with his head in his hands.

I stared at him, wondering about what I should do. It looked like he needed a hug, but I didn't think that it would be appropriate for me to give him one.

After around five minutes, he muttered, "She's gone."

I tilted my head at him, but he didn't see me. His head was still in his hands.

"She's gone, and he didn't even tell me," He muttered. "Off to get married, and I didn't even get to say goodbye."

I stared at him, confused. Who was this she?

Finally, he looked up at me, tears running down his face. "Thalia's gone."

I hugged him. I couldn't help myself. He just looked so sad.

He hugged me back, rested his head on my shoulder, and started to sob. I just held him.

I knew how much his sister meant to him. I had seen them together, and it was obvious from their body language that they loved each other. If I were Jason, I'd be crying too. Heck, I'd be crying if I got to say goodbye, something that he didn't get to do.

After what felt like hours and seconds at the same time, Jason broke the hug. He wiped his eyes, which were very red.

"I've got to see Lady Reyna," He sniffed. I nodded, mainly because I had nothing to say.

He wiped his eyes until they weren't red anymore, and then left. I sat there, confused. What the hell was that?

The fact that Jason had let me hug him surprised me. After all, he had been told his entire life that I was an object. But he had just opened himself up to me, not verbally, but physically.

And it felt pretty nice.