Where there's smoke // L.Valdez

Chapter twenty-three

Persephone was bouncing on the balls of her feet. They were going shopping together, and they'd get a special deal? She couldn't wait. She was only slightly disheartened when she realised Piper didn't seem to be as into it as she, Jason and Leo were.

They started at the top floor, looking at all the different colours of potions, some sparkly, some see-through, some had smoke pouring out of them. She was in awe.

She vaguely remembered Piper asking about a potion for her and Jason's memory loss, but what did she care? She didn't need her memories. She just wanted to go shopping with her friends and the lovely saleswoman.

Piper kept mentioning something about leaving. This upset Persephone. She didn't want to leave yet. They weren't done looking around.

The clothes section was particularly enjoyable. Leo had a little racoon hat that wiggled its tail and feet. He grinned shoving it onto her head, laughing as it wiggled around. She placed the hat back, dragging Leo to another clothing rack.

"Hey, check it out!" Jason called, holding up a purple t-shirt, with some fashionable rips in it. It looked familiar but Persephone couldn't quite place her finger on where she'd seen it before.

"Why does this look so familiar?" Jason frowned.

"Jason, it's like yours," Piper said. "Now we really have to leave."

'Oh.'

"Nonsense," The princess told them. The boys aren't done, are they? And we haven't even began shopping for this little dear." She said smiling kindly at Persephone. "And, yes, my dear. Those shirts are very popular- trade-ins from previous customers. It suits you."

Leo picked up an orange Camp Half-Blood tee, a hole through the middle of it. Persephone grinned at him and nodded her head, giving him a thumbs up.

As soon as Persephone heard Piper said the word 'story', she had Persephone's full attention.

The princess fell for a young hero, and they got married, leaving her home of Colchis. Persephone's heart picked up at the part of her brother's ship coming after them and she killed her own brother- no, her husband killed her brother. The original Jason, not their Jason, betrayed her. Persephone's heart broke. After everything she did for him, he betrayed her? The poor princess.

She had grabbed just about anything she could in the Women's section, looking for her friends' approvals. Piper seemed the only one not interested, which upset Persephone a bit. It made her feel stupid, getting excited about something and her friend shutting her down. Even when she found an item she thought Piper would love, she got disheartened when the girl barely paid any attention to the item, saying something about leaving.

Leo got excited when he saw what was on the second floor, as he strolled ahead, Persephone rushing to keep up with him.

"You have good taste," The princess complimented Leo, on the appliance he got excited about. "This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze, Imperial gold and Olympian silver."

Persephone's hand went to circle her ring. The princess explained Jason's coin, but Persephone was too deep in thought about her own weapon.

"Your ring is rather special, dear. Olympian silver can only be crafted by sons of Hephaestus. It's a rather clever design, to have your sword disguised as a ring. You must have had a very strong bond with the one who crafted you that."

Persephone kept running through what the princess had said over and over in her mind. Someone special did make it. But why? And who...? Her brain was more foggy than usual, her amnesia stacked on top of something else.