Blood of Olympus FanFic {completed}

24: PIPER

CH 24-PIPER

Of all the weird things Piper has just experienced, the weirdest was that she wasn't cold.

Yes, she was sitting on something cool and flat, just parading around through the sea in her pajamas (hideous sweatpants, a flannel shirt) and a wool sweater her grandma had once made for her, without being cold.

Spitting a strand of hair out of her mouth, Piper felt... terrified. Powerful. Lost. The absurdity of the situation hit her, and she began to laugh hysterically, completely out of control. But soon enough, her shoulders began to shake and her laughter was turned into sobbing.

At least she'd saved Annabeth. Annabeth deserved to have a happy future with Percy. Maybe this was the sacrifice Jason had been talking about.

Jason.

She hadn't said bye. She hadn't even said bye, much less "I love you". A pent-up scream of frustration, anger and desperation echoed. It occured to Piper that she might've been the one screaming.

That's when she noticed the pink. Piper shrieked again - this time, in surprise - and almost took a pitch, righting herself ay exactly the right time.

It was everywhere - glowing around her, stopping the water from reaching her clothes and body.  An aura, or pink.

Wow. Maybe Aphrodite did have some useful powers after all. But Piper mumured a short prayer.

*Uh... Piper.* A voice spoke, inside her mind. Kind of like when the gods spoke to her, but also.... kind of NOT.

This time, Piper really did take a pitch.

When she resurfaced, perplexed and gasping for breath, she screamed, "WHO IS IT? WHERE ARE YOU?" 

*It's me, Frank.*

"Wha- what in the world are you..." she choked on a mouthful of salty water, and though she had to get back onto the object she'd been sitting on before. 

*I'm here.* Frank's voice said inside her head. *Get back on, quickly!*

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Piper sputtered, wildly doggy-paddling in an effort to stay afloat.

*I can hear what you think.*

Creepy, Piper thought.

*I know right!* Frank said, and Piper gritted her teeth. She wasn't sure she liked having this telepathic link.

*Me neither.* said Frank. Oops. She'd forgotten he could hear.

"Okay, where are you?" 

Something hit Piper's butt, and she climbed on it without even thinking. Strangely, it had a... saddle. Wait, what?

The object was pure stone, in the form of a hawk.

Realization hit Piper so hard it hurt. Percy. Medusa. Iris-Message. Nico di Angelo. Labyrinth. Medusa, again. Frank's shape shifting.

*Yeah. Sucks, eh? It's weird to be stone.* Frank's voice spoke.

"How do we get out of here?" Piper wondered.

*Look, land ahoy!* Frank's voice yelled.

"Seriously?" Piper said. "Ahoy?"

*It sounded cool.* 

"Sure it did." Piper started making motions with her arms and legs to move her and Frank to the shore. Then she suddenly hoped Frank wouldn't turn back into a human, since she was kind of sitting on top of him. Then she resolved to shut up, since he could hear what she was thinking.