The Harvest Trials

Chapter IX

Piper

The next morning, the agents were there again at quarter to eight. They wrestled Percy, Nico, Hazel, and Jason to their feet. All of them save Nico were exhausted from the day before, Percy especially, who had had two shifts. I could feel the fear radiating off of Nico, who was trying to be brave. 

I met Jason's eye before he was pulled away. But then I heard a whisper in my ear. I looked to my right and then my left, but no one had spoken. I was about to brush it off when I heard it again. Go with the guards, McLean. You have some charmspeaking work to do today. It was Everette, using the so called 'brainwashing' to get me to do things. One of the guards stood waiting to take me away and I considered refusing, rubbing it in Everette's face that it didn't work on me. 

But then I thought, what would Annabeth do?

I decided I would play pretend for a little while longer. For as long as I could do get some information. Maybe I could find out more about the Drop Zones and where they took Calypso.

So I stood and exited the cell, ignoring the startled questions of my friends. I followed the agent, whose name tag read Reeds and he took me down the hallway after Jason and the others. By the time we got there, Jason, Hazel, and Nico were all in their respective Harvesters. Only Percy was on his knees in front of number one. He didn't say a word, just looked at the ground. 

"He won't move," an agent with the name Montgomery explained to Reeds. He then nudged me and used the ear piece to give me my command. It made me sick. Charmspeak him. Get him in the Harvester.

I swallowed hard and kept a straight face. I sank to my knees in front of Percy and made him look at me. His eyes were pleading, but so were mine. I flicked my eyes back to the agents and he instantly understood. He knew what I needed him to do. 

"Get in the Harvester," I told him, not an inch of charmspeak in my voice. He held my gaze for a moment more before doing as he was told. And it made me sick. Even though it wasn't charmspeak, I just told my friend to willingly get in a machine that would drain his demigod essence. In a machine that would cause him misery and agony for a straight eight hours. And he trusted me. He did as I asked without hesitating. It just goes to show how much he trusts me and what he's willing to do to keep me safe.

But am I really deserving of that trust? My question is answered as soon as they turn it on. Because I can see the misery and the agony in his eyes and I will never forgive myself. I don't even think I can stomach looking at Jason, so I just look away. Reeds takes the cue and leads me back down the hallway, then a right, a right, a left, some stairs, and then we're in the New Rome wing. 

And it's horrible. They don't even have decent living conditions. There's a whole lot of people down here, a whole lot of families. I see a mother clutching her young daughter to her. The mother can't stop crying. Everything about this place is a nightmare. 

The rest of the morning I'm sent around, ordering people to do things and coaxing people to follow orders. But mostly I'm comforting them. Whenever I can, whenever there isn't a guard watching, I charmspeak some peace and calm and comfort into these people. Everyone recognizes me since I'm one of the Seven, and they trust that I'm here to help. 

One little girl, Julia was her name, was so happy I was okay. She was thoroughly convinced that I was going to save everyone. I didn't have the heart to tell her she was wrong.

On the way back, Reeds had to take a detour into some high tech computer lab. He left me in the doorway, foolishly trusting me to be completely brainwashed, while he slipped through another door grumbling about being right back. It occurred to me then how dangerous my mission really was. If they ever found out I was faking to get information...Well I just knew I'd be in trouble.