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Piper had not anticipated waking up to find her boyfriend falling from the sky.
The outline of his body would have imprinted on the ocean if she hadn't thought swiftly and used her charmspeak to rouse him.
They all sat around the table in the mess hall for an emergency meeting when Jason told Leo to change their course of action to Croatia after saving him from falling to his death, something she was all too used to doing.
“Ten minutes to the harbour” Leo announced ”Though I still don't get why you would want to visit a town called Split, I mean when you name your city a name like that, it's like you're trying to tell the people in that city to get out ”
“Wait,” Hazel looked around “why are we going to Croatia”
Piper didn’t miss the way the others avoided meeting her eyes. Ever since her mist trick on Sciron, they’ve been wary around her. Piper didn't understand why, her charm speaking is similar to hazel’s mist ability and just as dangerous. Had she been on the cliff with them, she could've made the bandit jump into his own pet’s mouth willingly just by telling him to do. It wasn't fair to hazel, she already was judged for being a child of hades (or Pluto in the Roman sense) she didn't need to be judged for her power either.
Leo crunched on a chip and pushed the rest away from him “Well technically we’ve been in Croatian territory for the past day or so. All that coastline we’ve been sailing past is it, but I guess back in the Roman times it was called…what did you say it was Jason? Bodacious?”
“Dalmatia,” Nico spoke for the first time since the meeting started from his place in the corner of the room.
Jason flinched. Piper had seen Nico walk in, but he didn't seem to want his presence known and had stayed silent the entirety of the conversation until now. She noticed that he tended to watch from the sidelines unnoticed until he was needed.
He stepped out of the corner into the light, his face becoming more visible as he fixed his eyes at Jason. Piper could tell Nico had not been sleeping well at all and eating even less. Ever since they had freed him from the jar, she could feel the exhaustion radiating from him at all times. As if he hadn’t rested in years.
“Croatia used to be Dalmatia,” Nico spoke up “A major Roman province, You want to visit Diocletian's palace don’t you?”
Jason nodded, “Nico’s right, I need to go to Diocletian's palace, it’s where Reyna will go first because she knows I would go there”
Piper raised an eyebrow “And why would Reyna think that? Have you always had a fixation with Croatian culture?”
She wished Jason wouldn't talk about Reyna so much. She felt guilty that she felt that way, she didn’t care about their friendship that much at all. But she was envious that Reyna and Jason had known each other longer than she has. Though Reyna wasn't the one with him now. She was currently travelling through the ancient lands all by herself, which Piper had to respect her for, not anyone could face that kind of journey alone. She admired Reyna greatly for being so powerful and authoritative. She was like a queen of her people, living up to her name.
“We used to talk about Diocletian, we both kind of idolised the guy as a leader. We wanted to visit his palace, which we knew was impossible since no one could travel to the ancient lands, but we made a pact that if we could that's where we would go”
Hazel nodded, bits and pieces of gold Piper had braided into her hair clicking together as she moved her head.
“I remember learning something about that. The nuns at St. Agnes taught us that he was a villain along with Nero and Caligula,” she looked questioningly at Jason “ why would you idolise him?’
“He wasn't a total villain, other than persecuting Christians he was a good leader. He was from Damaltia, and he moved back there and retired. The town of Split grew around…”
Jason trailed off when he noticed Leo next to Piper, who was imitating a student taking notes.
“Go on professor grace!” he exclaimed, staring at Jason wide-eyed as if he was focused on an important lecture “I want to get an A on the test”
“Shut up Leo”
Piper pushed Leo's hands down and swirled her soup around with a spoon “So why is his Palace so special”
Nico leaned towards the table and picked off a grape, Piper would bet anything that was the only thing he ate for the day “it’s said to be haunted by the ghost of Diocletian”
“Who’s a son of Jupiter like me,” Jason continued “His tomb was destroyed centuries ago, but Reyna and I wondered if we could find his ghost and ask where he was buried. According to the legends, his sceptre was buried with him.”
“Ah” Nico gave him a cold smile “ that legend”
“What legend?” Hazel asked.
Nico turned to his sister, his expression softening slightly “Supposedly Diocletian's sceptre could summon the ghosts of roman legions, any of them worshipped the old gods”
Leo whistled “okay now I’m interested. Be nice to have an ass-kicking army of pagan zombies on our side when we enter the house of hades”
“Not sure I would've put it that way” Jason muttered “but yeah"
“We don't have much time,” Frank warned, “ it’s already July ninth. Even if we survive all that, we still have to find out where the giants are waking Gaia and get there before August first. Besides, the longer Percy and Annabeth are in”
“I know,” Jason interrupted, “ we won't take long in Split. But looking for the sceptre is worth a try. While we’re there I can leave a message for Reyna, letting her know the route we’re taking for Epirus”
Nico nodded “the sceptre of Diocletian could make a huge difference. You’ll need my help”
Piper noticed how uncomfortable Jason looked at the idea of going anywhere alone with Nico di Angelo. She didn't see why people were so scared of him. Her siblings in the aphrodite cabin had told her things about him along with the rumours at the camp, that he was a mysterious loner with unclear loyalties. That he spoke with the deceased more than he had ever spent time with the living, and he had run away from the camp when he was ten. His somewhat ghoulish appearance and demeanour didn't scare her at all, she had spent more time in the mortal world than most and often saw people who looked and dressed like him. To her, he just looked like an exhausted kid who had been through a lot. But for people like Jason, who had spent their entire lives engrained deeply into the demigod world, would be wary of something as unfamiliar as Nico.
Piper grabbed Jason's hand and squeezed it “hey, sounds fun. I'll go too”
Jason gave her a grateful look
Nico interjected “You can't, Piper. It should be only Jason and me. Diocletian's ghost might appear for a son of Jupiter, but any other demigods would most likely spook him. And I'm the only one who can talk to his spirit. Even Hazel can't do that”
Nico's eyes gleamed, daring Jason to challenge him. He seemed curious as to if Jason would protest or not. Piper knew Jason would never argue if he felt he was obligated to a duty. Luckily for him, Piper was just as daring.
“No, I’m going. Jason has to stay here”
Nico looked slightly taken aback at her insistence “and why is that?”
Piper looked at Jason, who was just as surprised that she was so persistent that she needed to go. She didn’t know why, but she sensed that she needed to go with Nico and not him.
“You’ll need me, I don't know why but I have to go to the palace with you. Jason, you have to stay here, I'll deliver the message to Reyna for you. Just tell me where and I'll leave it for her.”
Jason gave her a silent questioning look, unsure. She nodded, she was certain that she had to go.
Jason nodded back “Okay, if you say you have to go then you should go, I'll stay here.”
The ship’s bell sounded. Festus roared and creaked on the loudspeaker.
“We have arrived” Leo announced “time to split”
Frank groaned with his face in his hands “Can we leave Valdez in Croatia?”
Jason stood from his seat “Frank, you and I are in charge of defending the ship. Leo, you’ve got some repairs to do. The rest of you help where you can. Piper and Nico…” he turned to them “You two have a ghost to find.”
Piper first saw the angel at the ice cream cart.
The Argo II had docked in the bay with the other ships. The mortals didn't take notice of the battleship on the shore, but to be safe Piper and Nico exited from one of the tourist boats so that they would blend in with the crowd when they came off.
The split was a scenic city. Around the harbour was an esplanade lined around the perimeter with palm trees. At the sidewalk cafes, were European teenagers who, unlike Piper and Nico, lived carefree as they spoke to their friends in several different languages and enjoyed the warm day.
Nico and she wandered along the esplanade when Piper spotted a man with large wings buying ice cream from a street cart. The street vendor looked bored as she counted the man's change, and tourists explored the city around him avoiding his wings altogether.
Piper lightly nudged Nico “Do you see him?”
“Yeah,” Nico agreed ”Maybe we should buy ice cream”
Piper wouldn't describe the man as a generic angel. He carried a jagged sword at his side, not unlike the one the Boreads had, but other than the sword he did not resemble the Boreads at all. He wore a red tank top, Bermuda shorts and huarache sandals. His wings ranged a collection of warm colours, resembling a dancing fire when they moved. He had a deep tan and black hair as dark and curly as Leo’s.
“He's not a returned spirit,” Nico murmured “or a creature of the underworld”
“He doesn’t seem like one” Piper agreed
“So what is he?”
As they got closer, the angel turned towards them. He flashed a smile and vanished. Piper couldn't see him, but the sudden gust of wind blew towards the end of the street, where a tall castle building stood.
“That's probably the palace,” Piper said “Come on”
Piper wasn't an architecture fanatic like Annabeth, but she thought that the building was gorgeous even after two millennia of standing. The outer wall was a soft coral coloured granite shell, crumbling columns and arched windows stood, a quarter of a mile long and around eighty feet tall.
Piper couldn't see where the angel went, but she was certain he was inside the fortress. She looked around for an entrance, but the only one she saw was the long tourist line. If they waited there, they'd lose him. Good thing Piper had experience with trespassing.
“We have to find him before he gets away. Let's go”
“But-”
Piper grabbed Nico's arm and ran towards the entrance, ducking under the booth and bypassing the entrance workers. Nico yelped in protest as she ran past more columns and tourists taking photos. She stopped after running far enough from the entrance so no one could chase after them and scanned their surroundings.
On the left side of the courtyard stood a line of columns holding up weathered grey arches, and on the right stood a marble building with tall windows.
“The peristyle,” Nico pulled his arm out of Piper’s grasp “this was the entrance to Diocletian's private residence” he glared at Piper “and please, I don't like being touched. Don't ever grab me again”
She ignored the underlying threat in his statement “Sorry, how did you know what it was called?”
Nico looked around the atrium, lingering for a few moments on the steps in the corner
“I've been here before, with my mother and Bianca. A weekend trip from Venice. I was maybe…six?”
Piper did the math “You came here in the 1930s?”
“Thirty-eight or so,” Nico responded absentmindedly “Why do you care? Did you see the winged guy anywhere”
“No,” Piper walked around the atrium searching for any trace of the angel.
She didn’t know what to make of the son of the Underworld. Despite not having much experience with friends before the wilderness boarding school, which even in itself wasn't real, Piper tried her best to understand how others felt so she could connect with them in her way. Or at the very least understand how they felt. Nico was different, she couldn't read him at all. She couldn't understand him or his feelings because other than Hazel, he shut everyone out.
“How does it feel? Piper asked “coming from another time, I mean. I couldn't even imagine how hard it would be to deal with the change”
“No, you wouldn't” Nico stared at the floor. He took a deep breath.
“Look, I don't like talking about it. Honestly, I think hazel has it worse. She remembers more than me about when she was younger, and she suffered a lot when she was young. She had to die and come back and adjust to this unfamiliar world. At least with me and Bianca, we were put in the Lotus Casino. Time passed too quickly, in a weird way, that made the transition easier”
“I remember, Annabeth told me about that place. She and Percy went there” Piper said “years can pass, but it only feels like months”
Nico curled his hand tightly into a fist till his knuckles turned white “Yeah, I'm sure Annabeth and Percy told you guys all about me”
His voice was filled with hostility, which Piper should have expected. She had heard about what happened to his sister at camp and that he blamed Percy, but they had made up from what she knew. She had also heard a rumour that he had a crush on Annabeth, which Piper thought was an unbelievable assumption in itself.
Piper could see why a person would push everyone away after things like that. Even months after he left, rumours and untrue stories were still spread about him. Even after aiding Camp half-blood in the second war, most of its inhabitants still labelled him as odd or outlandish. What she couldn't figure out though, is that if he despised Percy Jackson so much, why would he promise him to lead the Argo II to Epirus for him?
“Why did you come with me anyway? If we found the ghost nearby only Jason would be able to speak with him” Nico asked
“I told you, I need to be here with you. I don't know why but something might happen that only I can help you with”
Nico analysed her carefully as if searching for any other motive she might have had for coming on the trip with him. Deciding that she wasn’t lying, he turned away to scan the area
Nico's eyes swept the windows above them “Roman dead are everywhere here. Lares. Lemures. They're watching. They're angry”
“At us?”
“At everything” He pointed to a stone building at the end of the courtyard “That used to be a temple to Jupiter. The Christians changed it to a baptistry. The roman ghosts don't like that”
“And over there,” Nico pointed east to a building surrounded by free-standing columns “That was the mausoleum for the emperor”
“And I'm guessing the mausoleum is empty” Piper surmised
“His tomb hasn't been here for centuries. When the empire collapsed, the building was turned into a Christian cathedral.”
Piper checked the area for any sign of ghosts “So if Diocletian's ghost is still here-”
“He’s probably not happy”
The wind picked up again, and Piper’s eye caught a brown feather floating down towards the steps. She picked up the feather and examined it.
“He went that way, where do those stairs go?”
Nico unsheathed his Stygian iron sword and smirked “underground, my favourite place”
Piper didn’t like the underground all that much.
The place was empty. The mortals clearly knew better than to wander in the darkness where no one could help them.
Piper paced around in search of a suitable place to leave the note Jason gave her for Reyna. He told her to leave in a place where she would be able to see it. She turned and almost ran into a bust statue of Diocletian. It looked like a suitable enough place to leave the note, and from the short time she had met her, she knew Reyna was observant enough to find it.
“Hello!”
Piper jumped from the sudden voice and nearly knocked over the bust statue.
“That wasn’t very nice” spoke the voice behind them
Piper turned to meet the angel they had seen at the ice cream cart, leaning against one of the columns, throwing around a golden hoop, with a basket filled with a variety of fruit placed at his feet.
Piper eyed the man warily “You surprised me, I didn't mean to do that.”
The angel laughed “Piper Mclean, the west wind has been called many things, but I have not been called surprising in a long time. I leave that crass behaviour to my brethren in the north”
Nico inched backwards “ the west wind? You mean you’re-”
“Zephyros right? The west wind” Piper asked
Zephyros smiled and bowed slightly “You can call me By my Greek name if you want, of course, or Favonius if you’re roman. I'm not hung up on it”
Nico looked at him doubtfully, “Why aren’t your Greek and Roman sides in the conflict, like the other gods?”
“I have the occasional headache, '' Zephyros shrugged “But mostly the war doesn’t bother me. I'm a minor god, the to-and-fro battles among you demigods don’t affect me greatly”
“Why are you here then?” Piper doubted he came to offer them some of his ice creams
“Several things! Hanging out with my basket of fruit. I always carry a basket of fruit. Would you like a pear?”
“No thanks”
“Let’s see… earlier I was eating ice cream. Right now I’m tossing this quoit ring” Zephyros twirled the ring around his finger
“No, I mean why did we have to follow you here? It couldn't be for no reason,”
“Oh!” Favonius nodded “The sarcophagus of Diocletian. Yes. This was its final resting place. The Christians moved it out of the mausoleum. Then some barbarians destroyed the coffin. I just wanted to show you-” he gestured around the room ”-that what you're searching for isn’t here, my master has it in his possession”
“Your master?” Piper didn’t know that the wind gods served others, she assumed they were as free and independent as the element they ruled over.
“He means Eros,” Nico’s voice was hard “Or Cupid in Latin”
“Correct” Zephyros looked pointedly at Piper “Your half brother, no?”
Piper now understood why she was there, the person who was currently in possession of the sceptre they needed was related to her. She didn't know what she needed to do, but whatever it was Jason definitely could not have been able to do it.
Zephyros smiled “Very good, Nico di Angelo. I’m glad to see you again, by the way, it’s been a very long time”
Nico frowned “I’ve never met you”
“You’ve never seen me,” the west wind corrected “but I've been watching you. When you came here as a young boy, and several times since, I knew eventually you would return to look upon my master’s face”
Nico’s face turned paler, which Piper wouldn’t have thought was possible. His eyes darted around the room as if searching for an escape route if he needed to run from the conversation
“Nico?” Piper looked at him, slightly concerned as to why he was so panicked “do you know what he’s talking about?”
“I don’t know. Nothing”
“Nothing!” Zephyros exclaimed, “The one you care for most…plunged into Tartarus, and still you will not allow the truth?”
Piper felt like she should not be listening to this conversation.
The one you care for most
Piper remembered the rumour she heard from her siblings at camp months ago. When she heard it at first she didn’t believe it. Based on the descriptions and view of him she had been told beforehand, he didn’t seem like the type to be in love with a person as radiant and intellectual as Annabeth. Their difference in pallets and personality contrasted much too great. But from what Zephyr said, it seemed like the rumour could have been true, and his feelings ran much deeper than a crush.
“We came for the sceptre, do you know where it is?” Piper interjected. If what Zephyros was saying made Nico of all people anxious she’d rather not listen to the rest of it.
“Ah,” Zephyros nodded sadly, still looking at Nico. "You thought it would be as easy as facing Diocletian’s ghost? I’m afraid not. Nico, your trials will be much more difficult. You know, long before this was Diocletian's palace, it was the gateway to my master’s court. I’ve dwelt here for aeons, bringing those who sought love into the presence of Eros”
Piper remembered one of the stories the Aphrodite cabin told the younger campers once at the campfire “You’re the one who carried Psykhe to Ero's palace”
Zephyros grinned “Yes, Piper Mclean, from this exact spot I carried Psykhe on the winds and brought her to the chambers of my master. That is why Diocletian built his palace here. This place has always been graced by the gentle west wind. It is a spot of tranquillity and love in the turbulent world. When Diocletian’s Palace was overtaken I took the sceptre for safekeeping. It’s one of Ero’s many treasures, a reminder of better times. If you want it…” he turned to Nico “You must face the god of love”
Nico looked around as if debating whether or not he should merge with the shadows and vanish.
Piper didn’t know what exactly Zephyr meant by facing the god of love , but she didn't like the sound of those trials at all. It gave her a bad feeling. If someone as closed off as Nico had to openly admit something to the god of love, that couldn't mean anything good.
“Nico, if you don’t think you can do the trials it’s fine,” Piper assured him “He's my brother, maybe I can talk him into giving us the sceptre”
“No, I can do it” Nico looked sick. As if he would throw up at the thought of whatever he was going to have to do “I- I’m not afraid of a loving god”
Zephyros beamed “Excellent! Would you like a snack before you go?” he picked a green apple from his wicker basket and frowned. “Oh bluster, I keep forgetting my symbol is a basket of unripe fruit. Why doesn't the spring wind get more credit? Summer has all the fun”
“That's okay,” Nico said quickly “Just take us to Cupid”
Zephyros twirled the ring around his fingers once more, and Piper’s body turned to air.
Piper had used the air to travel before, with Festus and with Jason. But this was something entirely different.
She couldn't feel her body in the physical sense. She felt scattered, both physically and mentally, it felt like she couldn't piece any of her thoughts together or herself at all.
As they soared through the town as winds, Piper caught sight of an old Roman town in ruins. It looked like it hadn't been visited in a long time, the grass and trees overgrown and intertwined with the crumbling buildings surrounding them.
Zephyros placed them in the middle of the town's ruins.
Piper felt her body reform and for a few moments, she felt restricted, as if her skin was too tight and suffocating her.
“Yes, mortal bodies are bulky. Honestly, I don't know how you stand it, day in and day out”
Zephyros placed himself on a wall of a ruined building and ruffled his wings
“Welcome to Salona,” Zephyros announced ”Capital of Dalmatia! birthplace of Diocletian! but before that, long before that, it was the home of Eros”
The name echoed as if voices were whispering it through ruins
Piper didn't like this. She had seen enough valentines cards sent to her father to know what mortals thought he looked like. She knew better than that, she had met her mother before. And if Eros was anything like their mother, he wouldn't be anything like what most mortals thought of him, No, he would be much more terrifying. not an innocent child with a bow and arrow flying around shooting hearts.
“Oh he's not like that” Zephyr spoke up
Piper peered at the russet winged man “Like what?”
“I know what you're thinking. Everyone has the wrong impression of Eros…Until they meet him”
Nico leaned against a crumbling column, his legs trembling too much to stand upright.
“Nico-” Piper walked towards him, but Nico waved her off
At his feet, the grass wilted and died. The decay spread to the rest of the grass around him until it was a perfect ring of dry, crumbling brown.
“Ah,” Zephyros nodded sympathetically “ I don't blame you for being nervous, Nico di Angelo. Do you know how I ended up serving Eros?”
“I don't serve anyone,” Nico muttered “ Especially not Eros”
Zephyros ignored him “I fell in love with a mortal with Hyakinthos. He was quite extraordinary,”
Piper wasn't surprised by hearing him saying he was instead of her . The gods' sexuality was fluid, they aren't bound by labels like mortals are. There were some exceptions such as Artemis, who only loved women, and maiden goddesses, who swore off men and marriage entirely. But the rest didn't care what gender their lover was. So hearing the west windfall in love with a man didn't shock her in the slightest.
“I think I remember hearing that story. Eros shot you with an arrow right?” she asked
Zephyros snorted “You make it sound simple. Alas, Love is never simple. You see, the god Apollon also liked Hyakinthos. He claimed they were just friends. I don’t know. But one day I came across them together, playing a game of quoits-”
“The hoop you were playing with?”
“A game played with them, it's kind of like horseshoes” Nico explained, his voice brittle
“Something of the sort” Zephyros continued “At any rate, I was jealous. Instead of confronting them and finding out the truth. I shifted the wind and sent a heavy metal ring right at Hyakinthos’ head and…well” The god sighed “As he died, Apollon turned him into a Larkspur, or Hyakinthos in greek. I’m sure Apollon would have taken horrible vengeance on me, but Eros offered me his protection. I had done a horrible thing, but I'd been driven mad by love, so he spared me. On the condition that I work for him forever.”
EROS
The name echoed through the ruins again
“That would be my cue” Zephyros stood and looked at Nico “Think long and hard about how you proceed. You Cannot Lie to Cupid. If you let your anger rule you…well, your fate will be even sadder than mine”
Piper felt like something bad was going to happen. After hearing Zephyrus’ story and seeing how terrified Nico was, She didn’t think talking to the god of love was a good idea. The winds whispering his name in a very ominous manner didn’t help either.
Zephyrus disappeared in a flurry of red and brown, and suddenly the wind blew harder. The ground trembled, Piper and Nico unsheathed their weapons.
Piper heard his disembodied voice breeze by her ears, when she looked for the source, she saw no one there.
You come to claim the sceptre
Nico stood at her back. Piper got into position, ready to fight if necessary.
“Eros, are you here?” Piper called
The voice laughed, and it chilled Piper to the bone. It was as honeyed as her mother’s, but it possessed a much crueller undertone as if it alone could cut her to pieces.
I’m where you least expect me, As love always is
An unseen force shoved her, and she was thrown into the street. She tumbled down a set of stairs and landed on the cold floor of an excavated roman basement.
I thought you would have known better than to meet me, sister, You’ve found true love after all. At least that’s what you've been made to believe.
Nico ran down the steps and offered her his hand “You okay?”
Piper let herself be pulled up and stood to her feet. “I’m okay, just got pushed down a bunch of stairs”
Eros laughed
Oh, did you expect me to play fair because we share the same mother? I’m the god of love. I am never fair
Piper Did not like her mom’s side of the family.
She put all of her attention on her surroundings so that she would not be caught off guard again. She sensed something racing towards the both of them when an arrow came into view, right in front of Nico's chest.
Piper blocked the arrow with Katropis and changed its course of direction into the nearest wall. The arrow exploded, and shrapnel flew in all directions.
The two raced up the steps. Ignoring Nico’s previous warning, she grabbed his hand and pulled him away just in time for a column to topple where they had stood before.
“Is this guy trying to kill us?” Piper grumbled
“We just want the sceptre!” Nico shouted at the empty room “We’re trying to stop Gaia. Are you on the gods’ side or not?”
Piper spotted another arrow and pushed Nico away before it could pierce one of his feet. The arrow glowed white and burst into flame.
Love is on every side And on no one’s side. Love Is loyal to everyone and no one.
Don't ask what love can do for you.
“What is he, Apollo? Can he not speak in riddles?” Piper said exasperatedly
An image appeared in her dagger, a figure standing behind her. Piper turned and drove her dagger into the figure as hard as she could. It sunk into something she couldn't see. She heard a soft sound of discomfort and swung at the same area again, but the figure was gone. Golden liquid shimmered on the floor.
I applaud you sister. At least you possess the ability to sense my presence. Even glancing at true love is more than most heroes can manage.
“Thanks. Can we get the sceptre now?”
Eros laughed. Unfortunately, you could not wield it. Only a child of the underworld can summon the dead legions. And only an officer of Rome can lead them.
Piper swore. The only people who could lead the undead legions were Percy and Reyna, both of which were unable to do so at the moment. Jason might be able to, but even then it might not work, and that could be a problem even if they managed to get the sceptre.
“The sceptre won't be a problem” Piper reasoned “Nico’s a child of the underworld, he can-”
Another arrow flew by Piper, and before she could cut it down, it lodged itself into Nico’s arm.
Nico stumbled. The arrow vanished and left no trace of it ever being there in the first place, however, Nico's face remained full of pain and anger.
“Enough games! Show yourself!” Nico yelled
It’s a costly thing, looking on the true face of love
Another column fell, and Piper barely avoided it
My wife Psykhe learned that lesson. She was brought here aeons ago when this was where my palace resided. We met only in the dark. She was warned never to look upon me, and yet she couldn't stand the mystery. She feared I was a monster. One night, she lit a candle and beheld my face as I slept.
“I’m guessing she was right then,” Piper thought she could sense Eros' aura nearby. She kept still and looked into Katropis, which for some reason could make out his silhouette to pinpoint his exact position.
Her brother chuckled.
Not quite. I was too handsome, I'm afraid. A mortal cannot gaze upon the true appearance of a god without suffering the consequences. My mother, our mother, Aphrodite, cursed Psykhe for her distrust. My poor lover was tormented, forced into exile and given horrible tasks to prove her worth. She earned her way back to me, but she suffered greatly because of out
Found him
Piper sped to where she thought Eros was standing and drove her dagger downwards, but she was met with nothing but air. She felt another shove and hit the wall behind her.
Impressive attempt, unfortunately, love cannot be cut down so easily
She heard a rumble and leapt out of the way as the wall collapsed. A chunk of marble fell an inch away from her head.
“Stop it!” Nico shouted “It’s me you want. Leave her alone!”
Piper didn’t understand why he was so insistent that it was him that had to go through this by himself. She insisted on going with him to help, she wanted to help. But Nico seemed used to doing things alone and putting himself in harm's way. And it seemed that Eros agreed with Nico on the putting him in harm's way part.
Poor Nico di Angelo, the god’s voice filled with sympathy. Do you know what you want, much less what I want? My beloved Psykhe risked everything in the name of love. It was the only way to atone for her lack of faith. And you- what have you risked in my name?
“I've been to Tartarus and back,” Nico growled “You don’t scare me”
But that’s not what Eros meant, Piper knew that. He wanted Nico to sacrifice himself, to suffer. Not in the name of loyalty or obligation. But for love.
I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest.
Piper grabbed her dagger and stood.
The entire vicinity around Nico shook. Plants withered and died, the ground cracked, like every layer of the earth was desperately trying to free itself.
“Give us Diocletian’s sceptre, we don’t have time for games” Nico ordered
Games?
Nico had been shoved into a pedestal, Eros must have struck him.
Love is no game! There is no Flowery softness! It is hard work- a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you- especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards.
Piper did not want to be here any longer, whatever Nico had to do would hurt him. They had to get out of there and fast.
“Nico! we have to get out of here. Whatever he’s making you do isn’t worth it”
But Ero’s was clearly not going to let them leave. Not until he got what he wanted out of him.
Tell her, Nico di Angelo. Tell her you are a coward, afraid of yourself and your feelings. Tell her the real reason you ran from Camp half-blood, and why you are always alone.
Nico let out a scream. The ground cracked open and dozens of skeletons underneath the earth finally broke free. Some work ancient Roman armour. Most were missing limbs or were disfigured. They continuously crawled out, with no sign of stopping.
Will you conceal yourself with the dead, as you always do? Eros taunted him
Waves of death and terror came from the Son of hades. It overwhelmed Piper when they reached her. She stumbled back, almost losing her footing. She could feel his emotions now, which she was unable to do before. Years upon years of despair and shame flooded her mind.
Images started to flash before her, what looked like memories. She shut her eyes, she didn't want to see them. She refused to see them. She had enough of this.
Stop
Her voice rang clear throughout the amphitheatre
It was as if time had stopped. Everything around her froze in place. The skeletons stopped in their tracks. The area immediately became dead silent. The only sound that could be heard was Nico’s ragged breaths in the distance. Piper hadn’t realized she used charmspeak. But she didn’t care.
She was not letting this god get what he wanted by forcing it out of Nico.
“You want someone to face your trials? Fine.” Piper didn’t know where the god had hidden himself this time, but she stepped forward.
Oh? And what have you risked in my name dear sister?
“What have I risked?” Piper wanted to laugh “I am the daughter of Aphrodite, I was born to risk everything for love”
A golden arrow appeared before her. If Eros sent it or if she summoned it herself she didn’t know, but she impulsively did the first thing that came to mind. She levelled the shaft and drove the arrow into her leg as hard as she could.
In hindsight, it was a stupid thing to do. She hissed in pain as the arrowhead pierced through her skin. The golden weapon disappeared.
Memories of her own flashed in front of her eyes. Holding Jason’s hand on the bus to the grand canyon. It was warm, but unfamiliar, almost like it was wrong to hold it.
When Jason had forgotten about their relationship and who she was.
Meeting Annabeth after battling the venti. Seeing the frustration on her face from not finding Percy at the Grand Canyon but them instead. Piper felt like at that moment, though she had just met her, her existence had disappointed her. And though she hadn't met him yet, wished she was Percy so Annabeth wouldn't look at her like that again.
Discovering that her relationship with Jason was never real. It hurt when she found out, not because she was heartbroken. She was more frustrated that all the time she spent with him, all the time she spent trying, making sure they had the perfect relationship and that she loved him as much as he loved her wasn't even real .
Erasing her father’s memory because the thought of her being a demigod almost drove him to madness. The fact that he couldn't even know her, a huge part of herself without losing his sanity hurt, a lot.
The memories stopped, she could see again. She didn't want to see those specific memories again, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what Nico could have possibly seen. And She'd rather relive her own painful memories than being forced to see him against his will.
“I will always fight in the name of love. But I should do it of my own accord. I can only dare to look at the face of love of my own free will as Psykhe had. Forcing someone to do that is not right, and is hardly love at all”
Piper took a deep breath “I love Jason, I do. But our entire relationship was built on an illusion. I don’t know if I love him like Annabeth loves Percy. I’m jealous, jealous of the way she gets excited when she looks at him, how devastated she was when he was gone."
"I’m jealous of Annabeth, but more so I’m jealous of Percy. I want what they have. My relationship with Jason doesn't feel like that at all, and I don't know why yet. I always wonder if Jason went missing from me as Percy had, would I miss him as much and search to the end of the world for him as she had. I just want to love someone the way Percy loves her.”
The shadows retreated to their original place, and the skeletons crumbled to dust.
Eros became visible. A tall athletic man with pure white wings, curly blonde hair that rested gently on his shoulders, and a plain white shirt with dark blue jeans. The bow and arrow strung to his back were golden and wicked sharp, Piper didn’t know how she had enough willpower to put something like that through her skin. His blue-grey eyes swirled with a tinge of red. He was attractive, sure, but Piper thought him to be more terrifying than anything. He nodded to Piper with an air of respect.
“That was enough for your trials, right? Are you happy?” Piper glared at the god.
Eros looked at her curiously “Oh, I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy. You of all people should know that” he sounded less intimidating now, more human “Sometimes it can be heartbreaking. But you have to face it. That’s the only way to conquer me”
Eros vanished with a gust of wind, in the place where he stood lay the sceptre so Diocletian.
At some point Nico had recovered from his flashbacks, he stepped forward and carefully picked up the sceptre. He examined it before he turned to face Piper.
“Why did you do that? I could've handled it, you didn’t have to step in”
“I know I didn’t,” Piper said “ but that wasn’t right, whatever he wanted you to say, you didn’t want to. As I said, you have to face it when you're ready, not when you’re forced to”
Nico stayed silent for a few moments. He looked at the ruins on the floor near them
“I should tell you what it was about”
“You don’t have to, I don't want to-”
“No,” Nico took a deep breath. “it’s okay, I… I want to tell you”
Piper paused, then nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
“I left camp half-blood because of love, I’m sure you heard the rumours about me”
“I heard that you had a crush on Annabeth”
Nico let out a dry, bitter laugh
“If only it was that easy. I didn’t have any friends at that camp, I was an outcast”
“I didn’t belong there, I’ll never belong anywhere.” his voice cracked
Piper looked away, she didn't want him to be embarrassed if he started to cry.
“I hated everyone, I hated myself, I hated Percy Jackson the most,”
“Back in the Palace, the one you care for most. Plunged in Tartarus ” Piper looked back at him “So it's true then. You liked Annabeth”
Nico fixed his eyes on the floor “No, I didn’t like her”
“But then…oh”
“I had a crush on Percy, that’s the truth. That was the big secret”
“That’s why you didn’t tell Eros, you didn't want him to make you admit it”
“I don't feel that way anymore” Nico muttered, “I mean, I gave up on Percy, I was young and impressionable, and I- I don't-”
“You don't have to explain” Piper reassured him, “I understand”
He cautiously looked up at Piper “if the others found out-”
“They won’t find out unless you want to tell them, don’t worry” Piper finished for him “Just don't tell them about my confession either, yeah? Especially Jason”
Nico nodded “yeah”
Piper sheathed her dagger and searched for an exit "So how are we getting back? Maybe we could summon Zephyros somehow-”
“No” Nico announced “This time we’re shadow-travelling. I’ve had enough of the winds for a while”