Percy Jackson, the embodiment of hope.

Chapter 31: A(nother) talk with Leo. (Piper and co. suck)

Percy POV:

I don't know what I was exactly expecting, but being knocked out was definitely on the list. I wake up on the Chaos cabin couch, groaning. I sit up.

"Ow. What -"

I falter as I see Artemis next to me with her arms crossed.

"Uh," I say. "Hi? Did... did you knock me out?"

She nods silently, and I gulp. "So does that mean that..."

Her eye twitches. "Should you win Capture the Flag, I will tell Zeus about our relationship. However, judging by the new prophecies lines, I may have to speak with him once the quest is over."

I nod. "That... makes sense. What time is it?"

She uncrosses her arms and starts walking to the door. "Right after lunch. You better start preparing your team for Capture the Flag because I'm not going easy."

She stops at the doorway, as if forgetting something, before turning around. "And Leo wants to talk to you."

I nod, and she walks out of the cabin before popping her head back in one last time. "And don't think your little stunt earlier changed anything. We're still roasting s'mores tonight."

I smile, and she walks away, presumably to start setting up for Capture the Flag.

I groan and stand up off the couch, head pounding. I walk to the fridge and pull out a Twix and eat it (don't question it, Achilles is weird) before putting on my mask and walking out of the cabin.

I start heading to the Big House before stopping. Leo wanted to talk to me, didn't he?

I close my eyes and stand in one place. Almost instantly, I can see everything and everyone around me.

Clovis, snoring in his cabin, has some leftover essence from being in close proximity with Hemera.

Jason, in his cabin, glowing with the power of a son of Zeus.

Zoe, hunting and re-familiarizing herself with the woods of Camp Half-Blood, shining with the unreleased power of Ouranus.

Icarus, flying high above camp, doing loops, no longer afraid of the sun.

Chiron, inspecting the firearm I left in the Big House.

And Bellerophon, cleaning his pistols and speaking with Leo.

I smile and open my eyes, and start my short walk to the Amphitheatre.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I walk into the Amphitheatre and sit across from Bellerophon, who's sitting next to Leo.

"You wanted to talk, Leo?" I ask.

He nods and stands up. "See ya, Seashell," he says with a smile.

Bellerophon smiles and pulls out a small pistol from his cloak, and holds it out to Leo, who grabs it questioningly.

"It's a gift from Mom," Bellerophon says.

"But my Mom is- oh," Leo says, before strapping it into his toolbelt, albeit uncertainly.

He turns to me. "Yeah. Let's talk."

He starts to walk away, and I follow him. Once we leave the Amphitheatre, he starts talking.

"Do you remember Kekrops?" He asks.

I nod. Of course I do, all of us do.

"Piper used her charmspeak and singing to control him. Why do you ask?" I say.

"Well, remember how she reacted when she thought he would betray her?" Leo asks nervously.

"Ah. That. Yes, I do. She was very... controlling..." I say, lost in memories.

The moment she came to the realization that Kekrops would likely betray us, she stepped up HARD.

Her words were harsh and cold, making her charmspeak like shackles. Kekrops literally wasn't able to betray us. She made sure of it.

An oath on the Styx, metaphorical shackles, and trickery led to him helping us.

But it's still the scariest I've seen Piper. Well... second scariest.

Watching as she forced me to stay still, to have her plunge Katoptris into me, and watch as I fruitlessly tried to stop the bleeding... it still takes the cake. I still wake up in a cold sweat sometimes, imagining the feel of my own slick blood on my hands.

Thank Chaos for Silena and charmspeak resistance.

"Uhh, Hope? Are you there?" Leo asks.

I shake my head, snapping myself out of the memories. "Sorry, sorry. But yes, I do remember. Why do you ask?"

He fidgets his hands. "Well, you know how she... used charmspeak on me and Calypso?"

"Yes." I respond.

Leo takes a deep breath. "I think she did on Frank, too."

I stop walking, causing Leo to stumble as he tries to stop as well.

"What?" I ask.

Leo nods his head, avoiding my eyes. "I think that's why he has been so sad, and why he wants Per- well, you, to come back."

"He wants to repair his friendship with me?" I ask.

Leo nods. "I... I think so."

I frown under my mask. "Then why hasn't he said anything like you did?"

Leo pulls some stuff out of his toolbelt and starts tinkering with it.

"I don't... I don't think he knows he was charmspoken," he says.

"How would he not know if he was charmspoken?" I ask.

"Well... Calypso and I were completely against what happened, but he was the Praetor, right? So he was conflicted between justice for a traitor and the harming of a friend, and we both know how sneaky Piper can be with her charmspeak." He replies.

I look up to the sky. "Maybe... hm. I'll try to find him. Maybe we can talk."

Leo nods. "That's all I really ask. I can tell that he's not happy right now, and I think this is why."

I nod to Leo and start to walk away before stopping.

"Oh," I say softly.

Leo turns and looks at me. "What is it?" He asks.

"I just realized that... if Frank doesn't know that he was charmspoken, then... Piper and Annabeth, at the least, have been lying to him for years. But... that's the least. Do you think..."

Leo's eyes widen. "Oh. I see what you mean."

"Please tell me the other two don't -" I begin to say.

"They do," he says, cutting me off.

I shake my head sadly, not wanting to believe it. "So for the last 4 years, Frank has been lied to by his best friends, and..."

"And Hazel," Leo confirms softly.

I stare at the ground for a few moments and then spread my wings.

Leo's eyes widen, and I launch off the ground, eyes closed, magically looking for the very specific aura of a shape-shifting son of Mars.