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Chapter Text

A first punch leaves the mirror shattered and her fist bloodied.

There’s a traitor. 

An another one sends flying all the beauty products standing on the shelves of Cabin 10’s bathroom. 

“-Oh my gods, honey, are you crying ? What happened ? 

-Charlie is— oh Drew I… it’s all my fault but he told me he—

-Silena, what happened to Beckendorf ? 

-HE’S DEAD DREW ! He… he blew himself up to sabotage Luke’s armies because someone told him they were coming ! Oh no, hum, forget I said anything sweetheart, okay ? The counsellors are supposed to keep it secret ‘cause we wouldn’t want to cause a panic right ? Hey, Drew ? Are you listening to me ? You can’t tell anyone about this you hear me ?” 

A third punch lands on the wall, bruising severely Drew’s knuckles but the pain is better than what’s she’s been feeling since Silena slipped up. 

There’s a traitor, there’s a fucking traitor who wants them all dead, they killed Beckendorf, they probably killed Lee and Castor and they will kill everyone else if Drew doesn’t find who it is. 

There’s a scorching inferno in her heart. She never suspected she could hate someone she doesn’t know with such passion (oh buy you know them don’t you ? Odds are the traitor already talked with you, laughed with you, trained with you.).

Before she can break her hand landing a fourth punch, someone knock on the door and ask if everything is all right. 

“No” she wants to snarl back, “we are all going to die because of some heartless monster !” 

Instead she just responds with a sharp “everything’s fine, coming out is a few minutes. Can’t a girl finish her makeup in peace for gods’ sake ?”. She hears an offended huff and she knows she’s alone again. 

No matter what other people think, Drew Tanaka is nor heartless nor a bitch. She might lack some basic empathy skills but last time she checks, she’s not responsible for everyone’s feelings just because she’s the daughter of the goddess of Love. Plus, Silena is empathic enough for the both of them. Except that she’s been a mess of tears and chocolate for the last two days and just like that, pure white-hot rage burns from her heart to her veins, a firestorm blazing in her blood and igniting her whole body aflame. 

Drew cares about Silena. She’s the one who welcomed her with a warm smile and chocolate gifted by her father. She’s the one laughed with as she told her stories about Sasha and the one who held her after she saw his headless body on the ground during the Battle of the Labyrinth. She’s the one she yelled at for thinking herself above the Rite of Passage and continuing dating Charles Beckendorf when Drew had to break the heart of his best friend only for him to die two weeks later. Silena is the sister Drew loves and adores, all resentment and bitterness melted away by those blue eyes and kind smile. That means that the bastard who got her boyfriend’s sister killed is going to pay for what he did. 

For Drew is the daughter of Aphrodite Areia, the warlike goddess.

Every monster and demigod who dare venture in the Midtown Tunnel is shot down by Drew and her siblings. Her arms ache from stringing her bow far too many times and the occasional stab for those getting a little too closer. Love is as compassionate as it is merciless and Drew has no qualms in slitting an enemy’s throat (they will join the other ghosts in her nightmares), not when she hears Silena’s mourning cries in her ears. She wonders where her older sister is right now. The girl disappeared hours ago, going back to Camp to convince Clarisse to come fight with them. She’s sure her sister managed to convince her, the stubborn daughter of war loves Silena as much as she does. She is proven right when she hears whispers of the girl warrior dragging a drakon behind her (she does not know of the blue-eyed girl whose face has been deformed by acid, a silver charm bracelet found on her arm).

The moon slowly bows to the sun as she disappears and the sky turns a bright summer blue. The fight is over for now, the only moment of peace found in death because no one would dare attack when each side recovers their friends and siblings’ corpses from the battleground (not when they could be the next body lying on the ground), ensuring them proper funeral rites. 

On August 18th, the Empire State Building turns blue and the Titan Army accepts its defeat. Victories cries can be heard throughout all Manhattan because they won and Drew savors the sight of Lacy, Mitchell, Heloise and Thomas hugging each other, basking in the fact that they all survived. They celebrate with the other demigods they encounter as all the survivors, some carrying their dead, head back to the Plaza Hotel, the hastily designed headquarters. When they arrive, the hall is full of injured demigods and packed in a corner lay the shrouds. The mix of golden, silver, grey and all the other would have been a beautiful sight if it wasn’t for the friends and siblings laying behind them. 

The world goes silent when Drew glimpses a pink shroud in the mass. She freezes, air stop circulating and her heart skips a few beats.

It’s a mistake. It’s a mistake. None of her siblings died, she made of sure of it. 

Lacy, Thomas, Heloise and Mitchell are all here with her and Silena is with Cla—

She is proven right when she hears whispers of the girl warrior dragging a drakon behind her. Her cries of rage  and grief  echo in city,  the stubborn daughter of war loves Silena as much as she does.

There is only one reason for Clarisse’s grief

Drew runs to the shrouds and lift off the pink veil. A deafening scream tear her throat as Silena’s acid-burnt eyes meet hers. 

The room is spinning (they all survived). 

Her throat hurts, her head hurts, everything hurts. 

Someone is taking her away from her sister and telling to “shut the fuck up Tanaka, you’re going to make someone deaf.”. She looks up to find Clarisse holding her and looking at her with the most sympathy the daughter of war can muster for someone who isn’t Will Solace or Silena. How can she stand while Drew feels like she’ll throw up if she even tries ? 

“How ?” 

Silena never liked when Drew used charmspeak on someone for her own benefits (what does it matter now ? she’ll never reprimand her again). 

Drew has to refrain herself from cursing Clarisse when she finds out Silena is dead because of the stupid pride of the girl. Her sister led the Ares campers knowing full well she could not kill the drakon. 

Why, Why would her sister kill herself ? 

“She felt guilty for Beckendorf’s death.” 

Clarisse answers the question Drew had not realized she had verbalized, eyes still glazed in pink. Why the Hades would her sister feel responsible for—

The realization comes with a pang of pain right in her heart, as if someone just stabbed her (maybe someone did). 

“Charlie is— oh Drew I… it’s all my fault but he told me he—"

(Hey there was someone before Beckendorf remember ? The tall boy with a scar on his face ? The one Silena used to gush about until—, until… wait no what am I saying ? Silena only loved Charles) 

Her brain feels like Athena is going to come out from it. Memories of Silena and Luke Castellan laughing and whispering behind the cabins flash brightly and darkens just as fast. Why did she only remember now ? 

Her eyes wander to Silena and the answer is painfully clear : because the one who charmspoke her into forgetting is dead and so is her magic. 

There’s a traitor. 

someone told him they were coming.

There’s a traitor, there’s a fucking traitor who wants them all dead, they killed Beckendorf, they probably killed Lee and Castor and they will kill everyone else if Drew doesn’t find who it is. 

There’s a scorching inferno in her heart. She never suspected she could hate someone she doesn’t know with such passion. 

Silena is the sister Drew loves and adores. 

Silena is the traitor. 

The only thing she hears is her heart pounding. 

Everything is too much, too much thinking, too much feelings, too much people around, telling her intelligible nonsense about “a hero’s death… Silena did the right thing at the end…”.

Drew wants to scream at them to shut up because the last thing she wants is to think about Silena Beauregard. 

She has never been the kind to cry in front of people and she’s not going to begin now, certainly not for a murderer sister. She’ll deal with this later, alone in her cabin’s bathroom. She’ll just have to wait until her siblings are taken to dinner (by who darling?) and join them later (you’re the oldest now honey), babbling some excuse about fixing her makeup. 

I’m the oldest.

I’m the new head counsellor. 

Drew wonders how much shock she can take before crumbling. She reached her limits apparently because tears are threatening to spill. She gets up, pushes away Clarisse, Will who has come to see if she was alright, and her crying siblings. As soon as she gets out of the Hotel, she lets her tears fall.

            The ride back to Camp is even worse than going to Manhattan. Everyone has a vacant seat next to them, everyone is tired from the three constant days of battle and tensions are high. She can see Kayla shooting daggers with her eyes at the Ares Cabin, not one meeting her glare, the daughter of Apollo holds a bow tightly clutched in her arms while Will snores loudly on her elbow. Travis and Connor are seated together, murmuring and sometimes glancing at her. She refuses to meet their eyes despite knowing that those two are very well experienced in discovering that your older sibling is a cold-hearted child killer. 

Thinking of Silena transforms her heart in a turmoil of emotions. When she came back in the hotel after her little breakdown Drew went straight to her sister’s body and lifted off the shroud entirely, revealing in a macabre beauty the ravages done on her sister. Her face has been the most altered by the acid but some has trickled down her arms and torso, creating a pattern on the skin. Drew found what she wanted on her sister’s left wrist. 

A single charm bracelet, a little silver gleaming scythe.  

The object burns through her jacket’s pocket. She is well aware that she should not have taken it but she could not, for a reason she cannot explain, bring herself to let it on Silena, fated to burn alongside her sister. 

As the oldest and closest sister to Silena, Drew should have been the one to deliver one final speech about her but she has given the honor to Clarisse instead. She doesn’t trust herself not to break down in front of everyone and besides, what does she have to say about Silena ?

She braided my hair ? Talked with me about Sasha ? Killed Sasha ? Conspired with Luke to invade Camp and then felt guilty when she blew up her boyfriend ?

She smiles bitterly and she knows she made the right choice. 

When she leads her siblings to the Aphrodite Cabin, Drew has no other choice then talk with them about Silena and how it will be Clarisse who will deliver the speech. As expected, Lacy breaks down in tears at the mere mention of their sister, Mitchell frowns but otherwise stays silent but Heloise and Thomas protest. 

“Why aren’t you doing it ?” 

Because I know you don’t share my opinion about Silena, none of camp does. 

She heard the whispers on the way back. 

“A hero” 

“Sacrificed herself, so noble” 

“I hope she goes to Elysium.” 

“She was just manipulated by Castellan, poor girl having her heart twisted like that” 

She hasn’t heard anyone calling her a traitor or even just a little resentment and Drew is smart enough to know that her opinion won’t be appreciated or valued. 

Instead of telling the truth to her brothers and sisters, Drew just shrugs and tell them she always felt Silena liked Clarisse more than her. 

A first wall builds around her heart, hiding her truth from the others. 

Despite her hatred towards the traitor, Drew still loves Silena and allows herself to cry in public when they burn her body. Clarisse painted her sister as a noble hero dying for the right cause, realizing she had been manipulated by Luke and giving her life to right her wrongs. In her eyes and therefore the campers’ eyes, Silena Beauregard is hero. 

In Drew’s eyes, Silena Beauregard is a girl with kind rotting blues eyes and a scythe charm on her arms, standing on Lee’s, Castor’s, Michael’s bodies (and so many more) looking at her with a bright bloodied smile, a brush in one hand and a dagger in the other. 

In Drew’s eyes, Silena Beauregard is a girl with blood on her hands, an apathetic smile and the most beautiful laugh she has ever heard. 

In Drew’s eyes, Silena Beauregard is the person she loved and hates the most. 

She doesn’t stay at the campfire for long, warns Heloise she’s going back to the cabin and that she’s in charge to bring the rest before curfew. The minute she hits her bed, Drew falls asleep.

She’s in the strawberry’s fields. The fruit’s sweet scent fills the air, birds are chirping somewhere over her head, the sky is a bright blue, the sun heating her skin in a way that makes her sleepy. 

It’s peaceful. 

“Drew, sweetheart!” 

Of course. Even in her dreams Silena will haunt her. 

She turns around expecting to see a horrible corpse but her sister is alive, her blue eyes alight, her smile wide. She’s just her Silena, not the traitor she became. 

“Oh darling, they’re always been the same !” 

Her sister laughs, a terrible shrilling noise and advances towards her. 

Drew can’t move. 

“Sooo, how did it went with Sasha ? You guys had fun ?” 

Silena smiles as if she wasn’t the one who told Luke the camp’s weaknesses and killed the boy in doing so. Her now bloody hands leave red patches on the grass. 

“I never intended for him to die Drew.” 

Tears fall from Silena’s face and Drew believes her. 

It’s too confusing to hate and grief someone at the same time. Especially with the passion Drew feels when she thinks of Silena. 

Leave me alone  please . 

Silena stills right in front of her. Her pink shroud rests on her shoulders as a cape and her face slowly gets eaten away by the acid falling from the sky. She leans towards her and murmurs in her ear. 

“Never.”

Drew opens her eyes and stumbles as quickly and quietly as she can to the bathroom. Once she is in there, she slides down on the cold floor. She can hear the birds chirping in the real world this time, meaning it must be around five in the morning. 

The tears sliding down her face bring her a weird comfort. They’re the physical representation of her grief and it feels nice to grief Silena here when she doesn’t allow herself to do it outside. Already enough people mourn Silena. 

She knows her refusal to do the speech gave away a little of her true feelings towards her sister. She felt the judgmental glares from the others all day long and it had been infuriating. 

Why isn’t she allowed to deem Silena a traitor but all the others can make Luke the villain ? Her sacrificial ending is enough but his isn’t ? 

Why could they not let her feel the way she wants to ? How dare they assume they knew better emotions than the daughter of Love herself ? 

Drew lets out a small maniac giggle. She can’t wait to see their reactions when the next time someone dare paint Silena all in white, she’ll make it black. 

From the other side of the door, one of her siblings stirs up from their bed. They are going to want to use the bathroom and they will not see the mess she is. Drew gets up, sits in front of the mirror and while she applies her makeup carefully, she swears she will not let anyone get as close to heart as Silena did.

A second wall shelters her heart from the world.

Chapter Text

She sees the hurt in Lacy’s eyes when she makes a cruel remark about her makeup. 

It’s impossible to ignore Mitchell’s glare when she throws away his used shoes, “making more space for better clothes”. 

She feels the dislike for her growing in Thomas and Héloise. 

Good, better for them to hate her. It will hurt less when they inevitably leave her. 

She knows she’s hurting them but one day they’ll understand that she did for good reasons. 

It’s laughable, irony at its finest. 

A child of Aphrodite scared of love. 

It might be the most beautiful thing the Fates ever crafted. 

Camp already didn’t like her, it doesn’t take too much effort for it to despise her. 

A little flirting over there then a charming smile here, some charmspeak and two campers are fighting, her standing in the middle, modern Helen as Menelaus and Paris fight for her. Here it is not Aphrodite, oh no she’s sure her mother is enjoying the view, but Chiron that separates the enchanted boys and girls. 

At the beginning, they forgive her. Put her despicable attitude on Silena’s death and that she’s allowed to grieve, that nobody blames her. 

Drew laughs, a cruel cold sound (such unlike Silena’s warm, inviting one) promising even crueler words. 

She doesn’t remember all the insults she hurled at her dead sister, Clarisse’s punch has been quite effective on her nose and memory. 

Months passes and Drew’s eyeliner gets pinker and sharper. Her makeup is an armor, one she wears every seconds of every day. 

While the demigods of Camp Half-Blood forget Silena Beauregard, Drew dreams of her every night, laughing over bodies aflame, hugging her and murmuring kinds words, talking to that damned bracelet. 

It’s not a healthy lifestyle. But Silena is true daughter of Love, consuming her very essence and mental health even in death. No amount of makeup is waterproof enough to resist her endless tears at night.

Eight months after the battle of Manhattan, Drew Tanaka can finally go to sleep without seeing her dead sister. In the grand scheme of the universe, it’s not such a big deal, not when Percy Jackson disappeared and that Annabeth Chase is going mad trying to find him. But to her, it’s liberating. 

She still thinks about Silena from time to time. And every time her heart turns into a boiling inferno of hate and grief but now she has time to breathe, air enters her lungs and she isn’t suffocating anymore. 

Some campers see through her façade, Will Solace harbors no love for those who murdered half his cabin while Connor Stoll stills has to force a smile when a new camper asks him about Luke. 

She always admired Will’s capacity to forgive, to plaster a wide smile for every camper entering the infirmary, even the children of Ares who wished the death of Cabin 7’s residents during the war. 

If it was Drew, she would have screamed at them until her throat was raw and buried them under guilt and shame. 

She would also have kept that stupid chariot very preciously, not landing it to Annabeth Chase who had been manic, mumbling things about the Grand Canyon and a guy with one shoe. 

When said chariot crashes into the lake, ruining it completely, it’s funny to see Will loses his normally calm behavior, Annabeth’s promise to fix it doing nothing to calm him down. 

“Where’s Jackson ?” she asks, not seeing the son of Poseidon. 

“He wasn’t at the Grand Canyon, Hera just wanted to keep playing with me.” Grits Annabeth, “but we found these three.” 

She gestures at the three demigods behind her, a tall blond guy with electrical blue eyes, a small latino boy and a girl with horrendous chopped hair. 

“Woah, really feeling the love here.” Mumbles the latino boy, his hands fiddling with some strings. 

“Yeah, what’s your problem ? You’ve been looking at us, especially Jason, like we are the ones who kidnapped your boyfriend.” Adds the girl, crossing her arms defensively. 

“Nobody wants you here hun, you and the rat nest you call hair can leave for all we care.” 

Seeing her face reddening is most amusing, Annabeth’s scolding having no real effect on her but for the sake of her authority in Camp, she obliges and keeps her mouth shut. 

The latino boy, Leo Valdez she learns, is claimed really quickly. She had to say he doesn’t have the typical built of an Hephaestus kid, all scrawny and elfish features.

She wonders whose children are Jason and Piper McLean, Jason could very well be one of her siblings while Piper is certainly not. Maybe Hermes, or Iris with those kaleidoscope eyes.

With one look, she can assert what kind of girl Piper is. She’s the girl thinking herself superior for not caring about her appearance, for not wearing makeup.

She’s the type of girl who hates girls like Drew.

Well, Drew has no problem hating back.

There is obviously something between them, the way Piper reaches for Jason’s hand and-

Oh

He doesn’t take it back.

Drew tilts her head curiously, looking straight into his blue eyes, trying to decipher his emotions.

Confusion, anguish, fear, a sentiment of not belonging, all of those are very common for new arrivals.

What is not, however, is the void. She cannot feel anything else, no joy or sadness.

It’s like he doesn’t have them.

“I don’t remember anything except my name, sorry.”

Or maybe he forgot them.

Drew frowns, missing completely the dialogue between Jason and Annabeth about roman names or whatever, not important.

It would seem he has amnesia, a severe one for even forgetting emotions. She’s not sure she can help with actual memories but she could try to charmspeak him at a subconscious level, trigger the emotions back.

Her gaze shifts ever so lightly, enough to meet Piper’s eyes looking at her with unhidden dislike, her hand tightening around Jason’s.

Drew rolls her eyes, typical of that kind of girl, to think that every women looking at their boyfriend are interested.

But fine, she’ll play the game.

She makes the sweetest smile she can and grabs Jason by the arm, the poor boy getting really confused at her actions.

“Come on, I’ll show you Camp while Will takes Leo and Annabeth guides Piper. I’m much better company.”

Jason, the oblivious type it would seems, nods and follows her. She smiles at him, winking at Piper behind them who’s looking absolutely furious.

She first takes him to the Big House, where Chiron wanted to meet him, then shows him all the different cabins. When he asks her about Percy Jackson, she tells him about his quests, the battle of Manhattan and his perfect love story with Annabeth.

She doesn’t make any flirtatious remarks, treating him like she would with a brother. Really she just wanted to piss off Piper, she has not romantic interest in Jason whatsoever.

When she finishes the tour, she leaves him alone with the Hermes Cabin and goes join Will in the infirmary.

“So, how’s Leo ? Seems like the hyperactive kind.”

“Spot on, poor Nyssa already had Harley to babysit and now him.”

“You don’t seem to like him that much.”

“It’s not that, he just asked questions about sensitive subjects. He had no idea about the battle of Manhattan, it was on national news how could he miss that ? And then, Jake gave him Beckendorf’s bed, did you know they had secret rooms, and he was really inventive about it. I know, he didn’t know it but come on, asking to specify how he died just to know it is wasn’t on his bed ?”

As he rants, he organises the infirmary’s shelves again and again, even though everything is already in order.

“Sup bitches !”

Connor strolls in, going to sit just next to Drew dodging easily the band aids coming his way.

“How’s Jason ?” she asks him.

“Poor dude really got his memory messed up. You’re interested in him ?”

“No, just wanted to mess with McLean.”

“I bet she’s your sister.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, she looks like she crawled out of a dumpster.”

“Remember that for tonight.”

“I’m siding with Connor on this one,” Will chimes in.

“You are both wrong.”

“Anyways, did you know that Piper passed out in Hera’s cabin ?”

“Why didn’t you start with that ?” panics Will, “does she need any help ?”

“Nah, Annabeth didn’t call any of your siblings playing basketball just next to them, I figure she’s fine.”

They stay together until campfire, Drew and Will shamelessly teasing Connor about Malcolm, the son of Hermes blushing and yet denying their claims.

“You do know that Travis complains to me about how your pining, right ?” reveals Will.

“He’s so dead next Capture the Flag.”

Campfire goes as usual until Jason summons a lightning bolt and a quest is issued.

“Son of Zeus and brother of Thalia Grace,” whistles Connor seated next to her, “I did not see that coming.”

Drew doesn’t pay him much mind, focusing on the prophecy announcing that a child of Aphrodite must go on the quest.

She’s the oldest in the cabin, the most experienced fighter and more importantly, the only one with charmspeak.

Bright young Lacy with the cutest smile.

Heloise dreaming about her creations on the runway.

Thomas’ aspiration to be a therapist, to help demigods deal with their feelings.

Mitchell who’s got a little mortal brother waiting for him when he’s old enough to survive in the mortal world.

What does she have ?

A father a little distant but who loves her dearly.

A letter of acceptation to Brooklyn Academy of the Gifted for next year.

She has everything to lose going on that quest, risking death.

“The dove obviously means Aphrodite. I volunteer to help Jason on his quest.”

She resists the urge of scoffing at the wide eyes looking at her.

Drew Tanaka, doing a selfless and heroic act ?

All of them forget she was in Manhattan, fighting for Olympus as much as them.

All of them forget the beads on her necklace, giving her seniority over many seated around the fire.

All of them forget that Drew has once been a loving sister, always cold but never one to back down from protecting those she loves.

It’s alright, she doesn’t mind.

Even children of Love need someone to love them back.

“I’m the one going !”

Of course, dumpster girl is going to make this complicated, she groans internally.

“Oh, and with what experience ?” she asks Piper sarcastically whose looking very embarrassed with the whole camp looking at her, “do you know how to kill specific monsters ? Do you know how to fight ? No answer ? You arrived this morning, McLean, you’re not qualified for a quest.”

And no matter how much you get on my nerves, you don’t deserve to die.

“But- Rachel spoke to me in Hera’s Cabin !”

By Aphrodite, stop trying to get killed !

“And what do the rest of you all think ? Who should go on this quest ? Piper, or me ? Don’t you think I’m more capable, I actually have training that will help me survive in the mortal world. I’m the best choice.”

Sweetness coats her voice, all the campers agreeing with her words, a pale pink halo glowing around her.

She smirks at Piper.

I win, honey.

“Stop listening to her ! Don’t you see she’s tricking you ? Don’t listen to her words.”

Her smile’s drops instantly, eyes narrowing on Piper.

Was that-

I can’t be.

But she cannot feel her charmspeak on the campers anymore, the spell broken somehow.

It was then.

Piper just charmspeaked the whole camp and didn’t even do it on purpose.

“I know I just got here the morning but I feel like I must go on this quest.”

How infuriating.

“You’re nor lightning nor forge sweetheart.” she snarls at Piper, “And you are certainly not a daughter of Aphrodite.”

At her mother’s name, Piper glows pink as a holographic dove appears above her. When the glow diminishes, she is now dressed in a white peplos, golden jewels adorning her arms. Her hair is no longer the disaster it was when she arrived, now long and silky.

Chiron bows, the whole camp following his gesture, even Drew.

“All hail Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite !”

“Still convinced she’s not your sister ?”

“Shut up Connor.”

Chapter Text

“Welcome to Cabin 10 McLean, hope you enjoy your stay.” Drew says sarcastically when she leads her siblings back after the campfire.

It’s funny to see Piper’s face when she discovers the pink walls, pink curtains and the various celebrities’ posters decorating the room.

“To your liking I presume ?”, she asks her, smiling.

Her sister’s face hardens, looking at her coldly, “Yes, thank you Drew.”

“Don’t mention it hun, we’re sisters.”

Piper scoffs and goes lock herself in the bathroom.

Ah, her smile grows.

Any moment now, she’s going to-

“Why isn’t this coming off ?” Piper barges out, gesturing wildly at her makeup .

“Mom’s blessing lasts minimum a week”, Lacy pipes in weakly, “but don’t worry, it looks great on you !”.

At their little sister’s compliment, even dumpster girl cannot say something mean. She mutters a thank you then get ready to sleep.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Drew interjects, “you’ve got some rules to learn before getting some beauty sleep.”

“What rules ?” Piper snaps.

She knows it isn’t right to get on the girl’s nerves purely out of spite but despite what the others say, Drew is human and flawed. Emotionally obviously, certainly not physically.

“I’m the counsellor honey, which means that you listen to me. If you don’t, you’ll have to wear the shoes of shame for a week and trust me, you don’t want that.”

“Is that all ?” Piper interrupts her mockingly.

“No darling, it’s not. There’s another rule, a tradition if you will, to prove yourself worthy of Aphrodite. You have to accomplish the Rite of Passage.”

“What’s that ?”

“It’s simple, choose a camper, make them fall in love with you and then break their little heart. See ? Easy.”

“Are you crazy ?”, her sister asks bewildered, “I’m not doing that.”

“You will do it because I’m not asking, I’m ordering you.”

Predictably, Piper isn’t affected by charmspeak, which sucks in Drew’s book.

“You are a horrible person Drew,” Piper says with disbelief, then look at Mitchell and Lacy, “don’t let her control you ! She doesn’t have that right !”

They fidget uncomfortably, pointedly looking anywhere else then the two sisters.

“I do, actually. I’m responsible for them and their security. The Rite of Passage is a reminder to Camp to not mess with us, to not forget the power love holds.”

“That’s a ridiculous way of thinking ! You don’t have to break hearts for them to respect you. Silena-”

It’s more a reflex than a true action for Drew’s part.

She didn’t have in her plans to punch Piper’s jaw, effectively shutting her up before she can utter another word.

Lacy and Mitchell gasp, looking at Piper like they want to help her.

“Listen to me McLean”, Drew hisses from when she stands, looking at Piper on the floor, “you don’t know a single thing about Silena Beauregard, understood ?”

Piper gets up from the floor and swings furiously at Drew. She sidesteps then slams Piper against the wall.

“Understood ?”, she presses the girl harder, twisting lightly her arm.

“Fine, fine, I understand !”

She lets her go and turn around to face Lacy and Mitchell.

“Now, everybody to sleep. You, Piper, take this bed right there, it’s free. Try to have a good sleep, you’ll need it for the quest.”

She doesn’t answer her, making a beeline for the bed and covers herself with the blanket.

Drew sighs, she really didn’t mean to hit her.

She is mean, not cruel or violent. At least not against the campers and especially not against her siblings.

But the audacity to mention Silena like she knew her ! Like she had any idea what Silena Beauregard was like.

She got charmspeak and refuses to do the Rite

Could she be Silena’s reincarnation ?

No idiot, she insults herself, Silena died a year ago and Piper is fifteen.

She’s a just a girl thinking she’s better than them, nothing more.

It doesn’t stop her from dreaming of Silena again, just when she had stopped a week before. This time, Silena morphs into Piper, screaming in her ears “I’m back ! Did you miss me darling ?” and then laughing, a harmonious sound Drew hates more than anything.

When she wakes up in the morning, she feels her heart pumping too fast, her airway constricting. Her eyes get watery and she will not cry in front of her siblings. She prohibits it.

Unfortunately, she’s the last one to wake up and Mitchell is already in the bathroom.

She can feel Piper and Lacy looking at her curiously, her hands gripping the handle of the bathroom’s door tightly, like she is going to rip it out.

“Mitchell ! Get out of there now !”

First tears drop.

Mitchell opens the door, hair wet and dressed in a towel, eyes shadowed by a heavy pink shimmer.

She pushes him out the way and locks herself in the bathroom.

Quickly, she turns on the shower, the water dropping at high pressure covering her muffled cries.

She’ll have to apologise to Mitchell but right now, she is more occupied with preventing a full mental breakdown.

Piper isn’t Silena.

Piper isn’t Silena.

She repeats the mantra over and over until it sounds like the truth.

Piper isn’t Silena, she’s her own insufferable person with her own melodious laugh.

To maintain appearance, she takes a quick shower, applies her makeup flawlessly and leaves the bathroom.

“Hurry up everybody ! We’ve got a schedule to respect and an amazing breakfast to eat !” , she orders at Mitchell and Lacy when she sees Piper is still there.

“Why are you still here McLean ? Don’t you have a quest to be on ?”

“Didn’t you pay attention last night ? We don’t have any means of transport until Leo finds us one.”

Oh, maybe she missed that info.

“If you say so dumpster girl, now come on to breakfast. It’s the perfect time to see whose heart you want to break.”

She ignores Piper’s answer and leads them to the Pavillon.

“Look at him, isn’t he worth your time ?”

“No”

“What about her then ?”

“Still no. And I’m not lesbian.”

“Mmmh, if you say so… ooooh what about him ?”

“Oh my god-”

“Gods, darling.”

“-Drew, how can you be so happy to break someone’s heart ? What is wrong with you ?”

Piper’s outburst radically brings down Drew’s mood, returning her attention to her half finished plate.

Because it reminded me about how I used to gossip with Silena.

“Because, for the last time, the Rite of Passage is an exciting thing !”

“It’s a sick thing ! No wonder Silena didn’t do it.”

“Piper, ” Drew forces a strained smile, “stop talking about Silena like you fucking knew her.”

“I-”

“Stop.”

She puts all her willpower in that single word and miraculously, her sister keeps her mouth shut until the end of breakfast.

“Here how it works, ” she explains to her once they that are at the archery field, “our day is divided in multiple activities and we’re usually pair with another cabin. For example, we have now archery with Hermes Cabin. Obviously, we have free times, one hour after dinner and two hours in the afternoon. You can still use it to train if you want, a lot of-”

“It’s fine Drew, I got it,” Piper cuts her, “I’ve been at summer camps before.” and then leaves her to join Lacy and Mitchell.

“I have the feeling you kinda deserved that one.”

“You are supposed to be on my side, Connor.”

“And I am ! But we both know you can be a bitch.”

“Get moving.”

“Why ?”

“You’re my target for today Stoll.”

“Like you can touch me, your aim is shit.”

Drew laughs and draws her bow, sending Connor running to take cover behind Chris and Travis.

“Get back here Connor !”, she screams, smiling at her friend whose two brothers just abandoned to her mercy.

“No, I choose to live ! Travis and Chris you two are going to regret this !”

“Why don’t you ask Malcolm to help you ?” she teases him, carefully aiming at him, “I’m sure he’ll gladly take the arrow for you.”

Connor goes red but with the shameless attitude of a son of Hermes, screams Malcolm’s name.

“Mal ! Come be my knight in shining armour and I will reward you with a kiss !”

She rolls her eyes at his antics, releasing the arrow. He has the arrogance to catch it mid air, winking at her.

“Hermes’ speed darling, can’t beat that.”

An arrow hits him in the shoulder, making him curse and sending Drew to the ground laughing.

“Will ! You son of a-”

“Language !”, warns Travis, who seems unconcerned by his brother’s injuries.

“Yes Connor,” taunts Will who just reached them, quiver strapped to his hip, “there are children here.”

“I can’t believe you shot me !”, he dramatically falls on the floor next to Drew, clutching his heart, “I will never recover from this.”

When she thought it couldn’t get any better, Malcolm arrives panting.

“By Athena, what happened Connor ?”

“Isn’t it obvious Mal ?”, the son of Hermes smiles, “I fell for you !”

Malcolm facepalms, to hide his growing blush Drew is sure, and Will openly laughs at Connor’s terrible flirt.

There, on the ground with her three best friends, Drew forgets about Silena and Piper and laughs with them, her laugh a melodious sound she loves.

Chapter Text

Her afternoon is rudely interrupted by a fire breathing mechanical dragon landing right in the middle of the cabins.

While Clarisse orders her siblings in a battle formation, Drew makes sure Lacy and Mitchell are nowhere near the beast.

“DON’T SHOOT, WE COME IN PEACE.” Someone yells from the dragon.

“LEO VALDEZ,” Nyssa screams furiously, lowering her hammer, “ What were you thinking bringing him here, on Camp’s grounds ?!”

“I fixed him ! He’s not a threat anymore,” Leo proudly proclaims, “and I find our way of transportation !”

Hesitantly, all campers lower their weapons, still eyeing warily the dragon.

“What’s his name ?” Jason asks.

“Festus ! His name is Festus.”

“Sooo, we are going on quest on Happy the dragon ?” He arches an eyebrow, amused.

Leo nods and gestures him and Piper to climb.

“Come on guys, we need to go. We have a deadline to respect.”

Jason’s demeanour grows serious and Piper and he rush to get their bags before joining Leo on top of Festus.

“Good luck heroes, may you come back to us in one piece and with your quest accomplished !” Chiron wishes to them.

“Woah, that’s not creepy at all. ” Leo grumbles, “ Come on Festus, vamonos !”

Under the campers’s applauses and cheers, they soar in the sky.

Good luck McLean

“If they don’t die, it’s a miracle.” Connor says next to her, “they have no training and no critical thinking it would seem. Who the fuck brings the dragon that almost paralysed your brother in the middle of Camp, where it could had kill us all ?”

“"Don’t jinx them Stoll, they don’t need your bad luck.”

“Eeeh, you’re right. Got a cabin to save from burning down, see you later.”

Drew goes back to her daily activities, Piper’s absence not really noticeable.

Well, mostly.

It would seem her dear sister managed to convince Mitchell and Lacy not to listen to her anymore, something Drew would be quite proud of if her authority wasn’t being contested.

“Why do you mean you want to stop archery ? You can’t do that Lacy.”

“But I suck at it ! My arrows don’t even touch the target !” her sister whines, “Nyssa lets Harley skip archery, why can’t I do it ?”

“Because Nyssa has a curse to deal with, I do not. So as long as I’m counsellor, you’re not stopping archery.”

“But-”

“No, no point in discussing this.” She firmly says, daring Lacy to contradict once again.

Instead, her little sister’s eyes shine.

“I hate you ! You’re the meanest sister ever ! Silena was always kind with me.”

“Silena tried to kill you,” Drew says with a strained voice, restraining herself from screaming at a twelve years old girl, “That’s not what I would call kind.”

“Silena wouldn’t ever hurt me ! But you did ! Making me wear the shoes of shame and always forcing me to do things I don’t want to do.”

“I’m protecting you-”

“You’re hurting me !”

The pain in Lacy’s voice makes her falter and she truly sees her little sister for the first time in long while.

The way her eyes are wet with tears, when was the last time she saw them sparkling ?

Or smiling, showing those horrid braces of hers ?

Who braided her hair ? It’s bad work, strands of hair falling out from everywhere. Drew could make a better one with her eyes closed.

So why didn’t she ?

“Lacy, I-”

what ?

I’m sorry ?

“I’m going back to Hermes Cabin and you can’t stop me.”

Without letting her answer, Lacy runs out of the cabin, probably to beg Connor and Travis to let her sleep in theirs.

You’re hurting me !

No, no, no, she doesn’t understand.

She’s shielding her from the future pain.

Right ?

You’re hurting me !

You’re hurting me !

You’re hurting me !

You’re hurting me !

Stop, make it stop.

“I’m helping you !” she screams to no one, in the empty cabin.

“I’m…”

protecting

“myself.”

The realisation, the truth she had buried deep down, comes out, ugly and sharp.

Pushing Mitchell and Lacy away, Heloise and Thomas too, all of that to prevent another Silena.

She wanted everyone to not like her so that when they leave her, she would not feel the pain.

She knows she’s been mean but-

Had she been cruel ?

To her siblings ? The ones she loves deeply ?

Surely not

Making Lacy wear the shoes of shame.

Throwing out Mitchell’s clothes.

Even Piper, who didn’t really did anything to deserve that greeting.

Had she become what she hears ?

A cruel and heartless bitch ?

“Hum, Drew ?”

Connor is standing awkwardly at the door, looking very nervous.

“Lacy just asked me to, hum, sleep in my cabin tonight ? So, I wanted to ask, is everything okay ?”

“No, I’ve just come to the realisation that I’m a poison, rotting everything I touch.” She says drily.

Immediately Connor rushes to her side, gently seating her on her bed before seating next to her.

“That’s not true, look at me, Malcolm and Will ! No poison for us !”

That makes her laugh a little but the weight of Lacy’s words did not lift that easily.

“I’ve been a true nightmare to my siblings, Connor. I treated them badly because I’m selfish, maybe I should give up my position as counsellor.” She says bitterly, “Clearly I’m not up to the task.”

“Drew,” Connor’s voice is serious, a rare occasion, “you are allowed to make mistakes and you are allowed to be selfish. We went through a war and we all have a way of coping. And the others, they don’t understand our pain. It’s not their older brother or sister that stabbed them in the back after promises of never hurting us.”

“But Lacy and Mitchell don’t hate Silena the way I do.” she says miserably, hugging her knees closer,“ I think there’s something wrong with me.”

“Nothing is wrong with you, Drew. You haven’t been allowed to grief like you should have, that’s all. Nobody allowed you to hate Silena when you have the right to. It’s not the same for me. Even though Luke is seen as a hero, he is still despised for his acts whereas your sister isn’t.”

Slowly, the burden on her shoulders becomes lighter.

“You’re good at this, Stoll.”

“I had time to practice,” he gives her a lopsided smile, laughing when she nudges him.

“Come on, I’ll lead you to Lacy, you two need to talk.”

“She hates me.”

“No, she just doesn’t understand why you treated her like this. And she’s right, you made a complete 360° after the war. And while it’s clear for me why, Lacy is young and had arrived just one year before the battle of Manhattan. She doesn’t have the full picture.”

Drew sighs but allows Connor to bring her to Lacy.

Her little sister is at the beach, half heartedly drawing in the sand.

“Go on, apologise.”

“Okay, Isabella, I’m going.”

Connor rolls his eyes but dutifully leaves her alone with Lacy who only registers her presence when she seats next to her.

“Go away.”

Drew flinches at her sister’s firm voice but doesn’t let it deter her.

“I want to tell you a story.”

She smiles softly when she sees her sister perks up.

“Remember when I told you bedtimes stories ?”

“Yeah, those were nice.”

“Do you want to hear another one ?”

“Does it end happily ?” Lacy asks, still hesitating.

“I hope so.”

When her sister turns to face her, Drew takes it as a cue to begin.

“It’s a story about two sisters named Celine and Maria. Maria was the youngest and she loved with all her heart Celine. But see, she discovered that Celine was working with the enemy-”

“Who is the enemy ?”

“-Lucas, and was feeding him informations about Maria’s friends that lead to their death.”

“Drew”, Lacy frowns, “that story looks a lot like-”

“Let me finish, please. It’s important you hear it entirely.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“When Celine died and the truth was exposed, no one put the blame on her except for Maria, who felt betrayed and deeply hurt. And so, she made a promise. To never let anyone get as close as Celine was to her, so that she would never feel that kind of pain again.”

“Oh, Drew…” Lacy whispers shakily, “does Maria have other siblings ?”

“Yes, she does and-”, her own voice breaks, “she loves them so much. But she was too selfish and in order to keep them away, she hurt them. It’s something she regrets and will never forgive herself.”

“Is that the end ?”

“Yes, but who knows ? It can change.”

“Can I change it ?”

“Go ahead.”

“Maria doesn’t forgive herself but her sibling does, at least her little sister.” Lacy tells her firmly, looking at her in the eyes. “Because she loves Maria a lot and despite the hurt she caused, she just wants her big sister back.”

As soon as Lacy finishes, Drew hugs her tightly, allowing for the first time in long period to cry in front of someone else.

“I’m sorry Lacy, I’m so sorry sweetheart,” she sobs, cradling Lacy in her arms.

“I forgive you, Drew but please, don’t ever be mean like this again.” her sister quietly asks.

“I won’t, honey. I won’t.” She says, softly kissing her sister’s hair.

“Now, let’s go back to the cabin. Mitchell must be searching us and I won’t tolerate sand much longer.”

On the way back, she sees Connor from afar who raises an eyebrow questioningly.

His beaming smile when she picks up Lacy to give her a piggy ride, her little sister laughing loudly, settles a sense of calm in her heart.

Maybe she isn’t a so bad big sister after all.

Chapter Text

Healing.

Letting her heart vulnerable again, at the mercy of the world.

“It’s worth it” Will assured with a kind smile.

“I can’t imagine a world where I don’t love my brother.” Connor thought at loud next to her.

“The heart is not my domain, Drew. But I suppose that living without love is not the answer.” Malcolm said mindlessly, all his attention directed on a book about chess strategies.

A splash of water brings her back and the naiad gets back into the water before Drew manages to whack her.

It’s been a week since she talked with Lacy and began her “redemption journey” as Connor likes to call it.

And while Drew is willing to present excuses to those she slightly offended, she is not willing to receive their contempt and snarky remarks.

Especially when she’s trying to say sorry and they are just standing there, with the most disgusting arrogant smile, one that screams She finally realised she was wrong and that we were right all along.

If those idiots think she forgave Silena, they are dead wrong. Their dear little victim will forever stay a traitor in Drew’s mind.

She is trying to apologise for her bitchy attitude towards them, even though she still thinks they deserved it, but if they don’t wan’t her “redemption journey”, Drew isn’t going to make it easy for them either.

She can feel Will facepalming at her attitude and snickers when she imagines Connor giving her thumbs up and “you go girl !”.

How did Will and the Stoll ever became friends, she’ll never know.

What she will begrudgingly do is apologise to Piper when if she comes back. Maybe she had been a little too hard on her, and Lacy wants her to be nice with her siblings.

But the nerve to talk as if she knew Silena…

Bring it down, bring it all the way down

She wonders if the boiling inferno churning in her stomach when she thinks of her sister will one day stop.

The distant sound of a horn makes her sigh and row towards shore as fast as she can. She has never been late at dinner before and isn’t going to start now.

“Why do they suck at being nice ?” She complains to Mitchell and Lacy, her hands making grand gestures in the air, “I want to apologise and they won’t let me.”

“Give them time, they’ll forgive you eventually.” Mitchell shrugs, carefully picking you every single olive on his pizza’s slice.

“You forgave me easily !”

“Yes,” he drawls, “but I knew you from before. Most of them forgot that era of you. All they remember is you being a-”

“Careful young man.”

“a, hum, bad person.” he finishes lamely.

“I have my reasons.” She defends herself but doesn’t elaborate. While her siblings now understand her grief, they still view Silena as a saint. She doesn’t the energy nor the envy to fight with them again.

“We know,” Lacy says hastily, “but don’t worry about them, okay ? First, we have to get Piper to like you.”

“She’s going to be insufferable about it.”

“As if you don’t deserve it.” Mitchell says snickering.

Drew narrows her eyes at her little brother, her hand reaching for the discarded olives on his plate, and manage to throw one of them is his mouth while he’s laughing.

It’s her turn to laugh at his disgusted face and pale horror when the olive falls on his clothes after he spat it out.

“You’re a demon, Drew.”

“So are you but you just hide it better.”

Her little brother can be a true brat when he wants. Drew couldn’t be more proud.

“Anyways, gossip time. What’s the tea ?”

“Sherman and Miranda are totally in love.” Lacy says excitedly, “He let her beat him in combat training today !”

“Woah” Mitchell whistles, “he really loves her.”

“Those two don’t need our help then, they managed fine.”

“We have to do something about Connor and Malcolm.”

“No, we don’t.” Drew says, conjuring her own pizza’s slice on her plate, “they have to figure it out alone.”

Mitchell rolls his eyes but doesn’t press it.

“I think Will and Nathan from Demeter would make a cute couple.” Lacy suggests.

“Nah, Will already likes someone else.”

“Really ? Who ?”

“It’s a secret.”

Both her siblings groan and whine but Drew keeps her mouth shut.

They don’t need to know now about the dashing, stunning, brave, and Italian son of Hades Will keeps gushing about.

His words, not hers.

Though for his sake, Nico Di Angelo should visit them more. She can’t stand the sad look on her friend’s face when he leaves Camp for his father’s errands or whatever he has to do.

“What about Damian White and, what’s her name again ? Clara ?”

“Chiara from Tyche ?” Lacy suggests

“Yes, that one” Drew snaps her fingers, “those two are a match.”

“They are always screaming at each other.”

“Clearly you weren’t here when Travis and Katie figured out they liked each other. It was glorious.”

“I heard he gifted her a goat ?”

“Oh yes !” Drew cackles gleefully, “Huguette the goat ! She ate the whole roof of Demeter cabin, Katie was red with rage. Poor Travis just wanted to give her a fluffy animal.”

“He was a terrible flirt.” Mitchell says with disbelief.

“Mmmh”, she agrees with a smile.

She wonders if Katie told him that every time she had a nightmare, petting Huguette would always comfort her.

For a moment, everything goes white.

Then she sees someone’s foot on her pizza.

“Hey guys, we’re back.”

Of course, only Piper McLean would land her delicious pizza’s slice.

“Piper !” Lacy screeches, getting on the table to hug the girl, “you’re alive !”

“Yes, yes, good job McLean” Drew says drily, “Now get off the table.”

Piper obliges with a roll of her eyes and sits next to Lacy who is looking at Drew pointedly.

Making friends, right.

“So, Piper, I hope your quest wasn’t too hard.”

“It was.”

“Near death experiences ? I know those can be-”

“A lot, yeah.” Piper answers again, shortly and curly.

Drew grips her glass tightly.

Lacy looks at her with pleading eyes.

“You must be tired,” she says with a strained voice, “you can skip campfire if you wish.”

“It’s alright,” Piper dismisses her offer with her hand, “I’m fine.”

“Okay, then let’s go. Every one wants to know about your quest.”

She gets up brusquely, not looking back to see if they followed.

“How is your "redemption journey” going ?“ Connor asks her, appearing next to her.

"Badly, even Piper is giving a hard time.”

“Ouch,” he winces, “you really managed to piss her off the two days she was here ?”

“I am full of talents, Connor.”

“I can see that, but try again tomorrow morning okay ? Give her the night to cool off.”

He pats her shoulder before going join his cabin and Drew has no other choice than look for her siblings too.

As Piper, Leo and Jason tell their quest, Drew has to admit that McLean is tougher than she looks.

Maybe they really just started on bad terms and they could be great sisters.

Connor’s advice doesn’t sound too bad, she’ll apologise to Piper first thing in the morning.

Piper is the last one to wake up, which gave Drew the opportunity to well prepare her speech.

Sorry for being a bitch even though you didn’t deserve it.

Now she knows it’s not the most eloquent but at least it is heartfelt.

“Good morning, everyone ! Nice day, right ?” Piper says happily, getting up from her bed.

“You’re in a good mood.”

Well that’s going to make things easier.

But for the good old times, she’ll allow herself one last jab.

“But you are going to make us late for breakfast, which means you get to make sure the cabin is clean and tidy before inspection.”

She expects Piper to roll her eyes, to ignore her.

The girl just face monsters and divine beings, she shouldn’t be bothered by some stupid remark like that one.

“I’m challenging you.” takes her completely off guard, forcing an awkward laugh out of her.

“You can’t challenge me-”

“But I can though,” Piper smiles, “I’ve been on one quest, which more than you, and that means I’m eligible for the head counsellor position. Right Mitchell ?”

Drew glares at her little brother who nods shakily his head, mumbling a “right” before disappearing behind Lacy.

“I’m not stepping down McLean.” She scoffs, crossing her arms.

“Not a problem.”

She doesn’t expect Piper to pull Katoptris out of her waist and point it at her throat.

“What-”

“A duel then,” her sisters says cheerfully, “We can even do it now. Your reign of terror is over, Drew. Silena knew better than you and so do I. Love is about…”

Everything whites out.

Silena knew better than you and so do I

She feels the fury, the scorching inferno burning her throat, begging to be released.

You promised Lacy to be better.

Be better.

“That’s why she has a hero in the end. Because she stood up for her friends…”

She crosses Lacy’s eyes, her little sister looking at the scene horrified.

I’m sorry Lacy.

She lets the inferno consumes her, let all her rage and grief overpower any other emotions or rational thinking.

“So, what do you say ?” Piper finishes, a confident smile on her face as if she already won.

It’s funny, really.

She thinks that now that she’s been on a quest, she knows everything ?

Drew may have never been on one, that’s true.

But she was there when Thalia’s magic failed and they had to protect camp.

She was there when an army of monsters invaded her home and killed her best friend.

She was there when it was time to fight for Olympus, to fight for her life and the fate of the world.

Drew has never been on a quest, no.

She fought a war.

She punches Piper in the gut and disarms her, throwing the knife out of reach.

She takes her sister’s head and smash it on the counter.

A sick crunch and then a scream.

“Duel in two hours,” she calms says, “and go fix that broken nose, I don’t want blood on the carpet, honey.”

She takes her own daggers and leave the cabin in direction to the arena.

she was a hero

She angrily slashes the dummy’s head off.

she stood up for her friends

She takes a spear and throw it with all her strength, the weapon piercing another dummy in the stomach area.

She’s sweating, ruining all her makeup but she doesn’t care.

Nothing get past the roar of the fire burning inside her.

She screams, screams until her throat is soar and all camp heard her.

Let them hear, let them know how much I hate their precious little victim turned martyr.

How ?

How can Piper dare talk of someone she doesn’t know ?

She doesn’t know the hurt Silena wrecked.

The people she got killed.

What does it matter that in the end, she finally understood she was in the wrong ?

It doesn’t bring back Castor or Lee.

It doesn’t patch up the broken pieces of her heart.

All it does is give Silena a glory she doesn’t deserve.

Even in death, her sister wins.

Not this time, sister.

She waits on a bench for Piper to arrive, covered in dust and sweat.

Gone is her amour of makeup and remarks.

They will see her raw, a rabid animal snarling at a dead person, haunted by a ghost.

When she finally shows up, her nose is fixed, courtesy of Will no doubt, and she looks furious.

“How’s the nose, McLean ?” Drew taunts, relishing in the familiar feeling of being mean, “didn’t expect me to fight back, right ?”

Her sister doesn’t answer because she doesn’t need to.

In Piper’s eyes, Drew is a mean girl with all bark but no bite. Or at least, that’s what she was.

“Here are the rules,” they circle each other in the arena, “it’s single match until one of us surrenders or” Drew smiles with all her teeth,“ until one of us cannot physically continue fighting.”

To her credit, Piper doesn’t show any kind of fear.

“Annabeth, over there,” she points to the daughter of Athena observing them from the benches, “will make sure we don’t kill each other and be the referee. Understood ?”

Piper nods.

“Then let’s begin.”

“At the count of three, the fight will begin.” Annabeth screams from her place.

“One !”

Drew grips her knees tightly, Piper doing the same.

“Two !”

Her sister’s stance is sloppy, her feet too close, her side not protected.

“Three !”

Drew smiles, this is going to be easy.

“Fight !”

Piper lunges, aiming for her shoulder but Drew diverts the attack with one knife and slash her in the back with the other.

The white sand turns red as her sister hisses in pain.

“You should surrender now, no need to embarrass yourself.” Drew calmly says, returning to a defensive stance.

“Why don’t you attack instead of talking ? Afraid you’re not good enough.” Piper snarls.

“If that is your wish.”

She fakes a jab at her left side before punching her with the hilt on her right knee.

She hears a crunch and Piper’s leg gives out, her sister shakily standing on her good leg.

“See ? Be careful what you ask for.” Drew snickers.

She hisses in pain when Piper strikes too fast for her to dodge, Katoptris slicing open her right forearm.

She quickly puts distance between them, fury rising at Piper’s smug smile and at herself.

She should know better than being that arrogant.

“As fun as this is, I really want to take a shower.”

Drew gets closer to Piper.

“Surrender.”

“No.”

“Your loss.” She shrugs.

She closes the distance quick as a viper and plunges her knife into Piper’s right thigh, carefully avoiding the blood vessel.

She doesn’t want her to bleed to death, just beat her to the ground.

A hard punch to head leaves Piper unconscious.

“I win.” She announces to the public, which means Annabeth and the few campers interested in the fight.

She hears Connor whistling in the crowd and Will groaning at the prospect of spending yet another two hours in healing Piper.

Sorry, Will. She thinks apologetically.

“Well, no chance in leadership then.” Annabeth shrugs, “Fight is over, go back to your activities.”

The campers evacuees the arena, except for Austin and Kayla that pick up Piper to bring her to the infirmary.

“Tell Will I’m sorry !” She yells in their direction, a quick thumbs up form Kayla following soon after.

See, Sil ? You don’t always win. I’ll make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Lunch couldn’t be more awkward.

Piper refuses to meet her glaze, only talking if Lacy or Mitchell asked her something, like salt and pepper.

“McLean.”

Her sister doesn’t give any indications she heard her but since Drew is literally sitting in front her, she’ll dare make the guess that she’s just ignoring her.

“Piper, stop being such a bad loser and listen to me.” she says a little more irritated and oh, nothing works more than a snappy remark.

“What ?”

“We need to talk.”

“I’m all ears.”

“The both of us, it doesn’t concern Mitchell and Lacy.”

“Oookay,” Piper looks at her suspiciously and yet intrigued, “We’re free after lunch right ?”

Drew nods, a little surprised with Piper’s attitude.

She expected her to be a little more bratty, daughter of big super star Drew has only ever seen a poster of, but it seems that she had been a bad judge of character, for once.

When lunch is over, Drew puts Connor in charge of her siblings and leads Piper to the stables, known place to be alone at Camp.

“So,” her sister takes an apple and feed it to Guido,“ what do you want to talk about ? How you swept the floor with me earlier ?” She smiles bitterly, her hand mindlessly rubbing her thigh, where Drew stabbed her a few hours ago.

“Not exactly, though it has a link with why I went so hard on you.”

Drew takes a big breath, trying her best to start this conversation with calm and patience.

“I want to tell me everything you know about Silena Beauregard.”

Piper freezes, looking at her with uncertainty.

“Why do you want to talk about our dead sister ?”

“My dead sister, and I want to know what you think Silena was before exposing you the whole picture.”

“Drew,” Piper frowns, “I already know what you think of Silena, you made it quite clear.”

“Indeed, but have you wondered why ?”

“Because you think she’s a traitor.”

“I don’t think she was one Piper, I know, everybody knows.”

“But they forgave her, you-”

“didn’t, and never will.”

“Then why do you want to talk with me about it ? If you think you are going to make me change my mind, you’re wrong.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, sit will you ? It’s a long story.”

Piper sits on the ground and Drew on a haystack.

“Okay, I know Silena was a daughter of Aphrodite who dated a guy from Hephaestus, don’t remember his name though.”

“Charles Beckendorf,” Drew smiles sadly, “only Silena could call him Charlie, for everybody else it was Beckendorf.”

“Yeah, and then he died and when you guys had to fight in Manhattan, Silena revealed she was the spy after dying trying to fight a dragon.”

“It was a drakon actually, there’s a difference.”

“That’s I all know, that she died a hero, knowing she made a mistake and trying to make amends.”

“Do you think you know Silena Beauregard then ?”

“In the grand lines, yes.” Piper answers from the floor, twirling a twig in her hands.

“In the grand lines,” Drew repeats, “what a dignified way to say I don’t know shit.”

“I do-”

“Ah, ah” she stops her with her hand, “my turn to speak now. Let me tell you everything I know about Silena Beauregard.”

Where, on the grand painting of Silena’s life should she begin ?

“I met her when I was only a child,” she twirls her leather necklace, “I arrived two years before Percy Jackson did and everything went wrong.”

She inhales some air, it’s been a while since she dared explore her happy memories with Silena.

“She was an amazing older sister, braiding my hair, gossiping with me, teaching me makeup and horse riding. It was scary, you know ? To be a 8 years old girl and find out there are monsters trying to kill you. But Silena, she made all the fears go away.”

“She sounds really great,” Piper says softly.

“She was,” Drew says as softly.

“But anyways, big jump towards six years : Luke went crazy against the gods, waging war on us and Olympus. During that summer, he tried to invade Camp using the Labyrinth to bypass the frontier.” Drew’s voice breaks at for a moment, all she hears are the monster’s screams as they erupted from the maze, “it was the first true battle and they were many casualties.”

“Lee Fletcher from Apollo, Will’s older brother, Castor from Dioynsus, I think you met Pollux ? They were twins, Sasha from Demeter was also killed during that battle. He was my best friend, even more.”

“Oh my gods, Drew, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she shrugs, “been a while now. Thing is, I had just broke his heart for the Rite of Passage, only two weeks before it happened. And I was so excited to tell him that I liked him, I spent days squealing about all the date we would go on to Silena, and we would laugh together at my crazy ideas.” Drew chuckles, “Once, I wanted to have a picnic on clouds, watching the sunset from the sky.”

“That’s sweet.” Piper smiles.

“But the battle happened and I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye, Sasha died thinking I didn’t liked him.”

She can feel tears gathering in her eyes and does her best to hold them.

“Later,” she continues with a wobbly voice, “Silena chose Beckendorf for her rite of Passage. Usually, it lasts one week, two if you’re feeling really cruel but their relationship went on and on until they were celebrating monthly anniversaries. When I confronted her about it, she told me she wasn’t going to break things off with him. It made me furious, I had just lot Sasha and there she was, thinking herself superior ?” Old, familiar, anger makes its way up before Drew squashes it down. “In the end, she did what she always did, say a few words with her pretty smile and sweet voice and everything was forgotten or forgiven.”

“Wait,” Piper frowns,“ are you saying she charmspoke you ?”

“Maybe, I’m not sure. She did about other things though, but don’t worry, you’ll know everything soon.”

“The next summer, we were all tensed up. Percy’s birthday was getting closer and closer and sabotaging missions we’re issued by the counsellors almost every week. Beckendorf and Percy were ordered to blow up Princess Andromeda, Luke’s yatch, but something went wrong.” Drew grips the hay she’s sitting on, “somebody warn Luke they were coming. Only Percy made it back alive, Beckendorf blew himself up with the ship.”

“Oh my gods.” Piper says breathless. “But they were-”

“Ssssh, let me speak, it’s the best part. When Percy comes back alone, Silena breaks down, muttering nonsense when she enters the cabin and then she drops the bomb,” Drew leans as if she was sharing a secret “there’s a spy amongst us.”

“A spy,” she continues “that has been feeding information to Luke for gods know how many time. Someone that has been heartlessly stabbing them in the back while we ate together, laughed together, trained to together. Someone I hated with a burning passion for making my beloved sister cry.”

“Do you know why Silena fighting the drakon in the first place ? No ? Well, Apollo and Ares had a feud concerning the flying chariot you arrived at Camp on and Clarisse decided that she and her cabinmates wouldn’t fight in the war anymore. Her pride was too wounded. Long story short, only an Ares child can kill a drakon and with them absent, there was no way to win. So, Silena went to rally Ares’ children, posing as Clarisse. They were best friends and knew each other well, nobody suspected a thing. Until she died, at least.”

“I wasn’t there when it happened, busy fighting and saving my siblings’ life so I don’t know what she did exactly but in the grand lines she revealed she was the traitor.”

“I-” Drew stops herself, trying to think what to say next, “When I found out, my brain just short circuited. I couldn’t understand why she would do that until memories started to come back, memories Silena had charmspoke me into forgetting that showed Luke and her together, whispering behind the cabins. She liked him, before Beckendorf, she liked Luke.”

“And it was so confusing, to love and hate the same person with such intensity ? The urge to grieve while being happy the traitor got what she deserved ? I almost went mad and the only way I found to protect myself was making sure nobody would get as close that Silena did. That’s why I was so harsh on you, because you reminded too much of her.”

“Me ?” Piper says shocked, and was that a little nervous ? “How ?”

“You refused to the Rite, and your vibe wasn’t good either.”

“My vibe ?” her sister asks a little amused.

“Yes, your vibe. The one saying I’m not like other girls, I don’t care about makeup and all that.”

“Oh,” Piper puts her hands in her jacket, not looking at Drew, “it wasn’t against you, I swear.”

“Then what made you like that ?” Drew asks, genuinely curious.

“My dad,” Piper sighs, “is a famous actor and he’s always busy. I guess that over time, I tried to get his attention by a lot of ways and I didn’t want to be the cliche of a star’s daughter, all dolled up and just a pretty thing to look at. In addition to that, the girls mocking me at my last school were all always wearing makeup and whatever. I suppose I just made a connection between the two.”

“And I certainly didn’t help with that, did I ?” Drew winces when Piper gives her a nod, “sorry about that.”

“Well,” Piper offers her a smile, “I can understand you now so, water under the bridge ?”

“As long as you don’t go preaching about how heroic and brave Silena was, it’s a deal.”

“Mmmh,” her sister makes a show of thinking, “yeah I can do that, not like I knew her anyways.”

“Oh, now you don’t know her ?”

“Are you going to stay bitchy like that ?”

“What can I say, it’s one of my best talents.”

“Oh yeah, what are the others ? Managing to fashionably wear camp’s t-shirt ?” Piper teases her.

“First of all, it is one of them. But no, I was more thinking about how I kicked your ass.”

“Wait until I get better,” Piper threatens her with her twig, “I have months to beat you.”

“Maybe if you ask your roman boyfriend to train you, you’ll succeed.”

“Talking about Jason, I still have a bone to pick with you,” Piper looks at her scowling, “do you still have a crush on him ?”

“Oh honey,” Drew cackles, “I never had, I just wanted to piss you off. And by Aphrodite, it worked !” Her cackles transforms into full demonic laughter when Piper groans and rolls her eyes, mumbling something about “bitchy sister” and “wait until I train with Jason, you’ll see”.

“Peace at last ?”

“I wouldn’t say peace,” Drew says as she struggles to put reins on Porky, “it’s more like a truce.”

A long truce admittedly, since four months passed after their discussion, and Drew can say they are on friendly grounds. However, there is still something bugging her and she cannot shake it off. 

“Why’s that ?” Connor asks her, leaning on Porky’s stable.

“Well,” she grunts as the pegasus moves his head again, “You know how I talked to her about Silena and she understood, but she seemed kinda nervous about the whole thing.”

“You think she’s hiding something ?”

“I don’t know-stop moving your damn head- no, not you Connor, the horse.”

“It’s unlikely, though.” Connor says as he hands her the saddle pad, “she’s too new to this world to be involved in something.”

“Thanks, I wouldn’t so sure about that. Remember her quest, a giant kidnapped her father ? It’s the first time monsters use our mortal links to threaten us.”

“Maybe she’s got a really good relationship with her dad,” Connor shrugs, “and we, a whole generation with parental issues, don’t get how someone could use our mortal parents to blackmail us.” He snorts, “If someone told me they had my mother, I would offer them a gift.”

“Give me the saddle. Piper didn’t seem on good terms with her dad. Famous actor, Tristan Mclean ?”

“I’ve been at camp since I was a child Drew, I have no idea who that is.”

“Anyway, she told me they didn’t speak a lot.” She adjusts the saddle, give Porky an apple to distract him while she mounts him. “I think the whole story is fishy.”

“Are you sure you like Piper ? Because you sure seems to try to find her problems.”

“I’m not trying” she rolls her eyes, “but one disaster was enough, I don’t need another Silena.”

“Drew,” Connor says softly, “Silena is dead, the war is over. Don’t you think you’re searching with something that isn’t there ?”

“What ?” She snaps, “you think I’m crazy ?”

“I’m not saying that, but you’ve been so obsessed with "Piper being a new Silena” thing-“

"I wasn’t obsessed, Stoll,” she grits, “Piper thinks like Silena, she has charmspeak just like Silena, what else does she have in common with her too ?”

“What ? You think she’s traitor ?” Connor cackles, “please, Drew, it’s ridiculous.”

“Listen, Stoll,” she hisses, gripping Porky’s mane tightly, “if all you are going to do is laugh at me, you can go. There is something weird with the whole quest. Piper insisted on going despite having no training whatsoever, and oh ! Her dad is kidnapped !”

“Coincidence !” Connor says with an infuriating flippancy, “they wanted leverage, and Jason’s mom and Leo’s weren’t exactly available were they ?”

“Why ?” Drew frowns.

“They’re dead.”

“How the fuck do you know that ?”

“Annabeth told me about it after Thalia told her last summer and Leo talks a lot.”

“Fine, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s weird.”

“Drew,” Connor sighs tiredly, his smile a bit more strained, “I thought you wanted people to like you. You are not going to achieve that by accusing your new sister with no proof at all.”

“Oh please, they’ll get over it !”

“Accusing someone is big deal,” Connor says bitterly, “trust me, it’s no fun.”

“Connor, it’s not the same situation-”

“Except your own suspicions, do you have any concrete proof ?”

“No, but I can find-”

“Did she told you anything that might make her a traitor ?”

“I told you, she looked nervous-”

“Drew !” Connor snaps, “you can’t go around telling people Piper is a traitor just because you think she is one !”

“Why not ?” She refutes hotly, “you turned out fine in the end !”

It’s not right and she knows it.

She knows the nights Connor spent awake, cursing the campers who accused him, cursing Luke for being his brother.

She knows he doesn’t trust people like he used to, not after the Titan war.

“I didn’t mean it. Connor, I’m sorry.”

But he’s leaving.

“Connor !” She yells as he leaves the stables, “I’m sorry !”

Cursing, she dismounts Porky, and runs after the son of Hermes.

“Connor, don’t you dare run !”

He runs, fast as a dryad.

“Oh for the love of gods.” She groans, picking up speed, “Stoll !”.

“Catch me and we’ll talk !” He screams, going even faster.

“And no charmspeak !” He adds.

As if she could speak after chasing him for a good solid hour.

She’s panting, her legs are aching and burning and they are probably the main show of the afternoon but she keeps running.

She has to apologise because she can’t lose her best friend.

“Still there ?” He taunts her, the bastard still breathing perfectly, “Because I can keep going for a long- SOLACE PUT ME DOWN !”

As they pass in front of the infirmary, Will catches Connor and picks him up, bridal style.

“Will, you’re the best !” She says when she arrives at their level.

“Don’t listen to her, you’re the worst.” Connor pouts in Will’s arms.

“What’s been going on between you two ?” The son of Apollo asks sternly.

Drew’s sure he would cross his arms if it wasn’t for Connor.

“I messed up.” She admits.

“She thinks Piper is a traitor.” Connor says.

“That’s not where I messed up.” Drew clarifies.

“Oh yeah, she basically said that you can go around calling people traitors.”

“And I’m wrong, I know.”

Will sighs, obliged to free Connor to pinch his nose.

“First of all, apologise to Connor.”

“Already did.”

Will looks at Connor for confirmation and the son of Hermes nods.

“Great, second of all, what the fuck Drew ?”

“See ? It’s ridiculous !” Connor exclaims.

“It’s not !” She argues, “I have reasons !”

“What are they ?” Will sighs.

She tells me the same thing she told Connor, Piper’s weird attitude and the mystery of her dad being kidnapped.

“Nonsense.” Connor rolls his eyes.

She’s ready to throttle him when Will talks.

“No, there’s something weird about Piper’s dad.”

While Connor’s jaw drops to the floor, Drew whoops.

“See, Stoll ? I’m not crazy.”

“Wait, I’m not saying she’s a traitor.” Will warns, “but if her dad was kidnapped, then the giants knew about her.”

“But she’s new to this world !” Connor protests, “they certainly didn’t get the information from here.”

“Then it was from before.”

“I don’t know, Drew, even if the giants knew about her dad, what does it change ? They still saved Hera in the end and nobody died.” Will points out.

“Yeah,” Connor presses on, “if she was a traitor, she would have sabotaged the quest.”

“That ends your theory, Drew.” Will smiles, “congrats, your sister is not a traitor !”

“Yeah,” she sighs, “I guess so…”

“The normal reaction would to be happy.” Connor states.

“I know but you guys didn’t see her when we talked about Silena, she looked uncomfortable when I told her she reminded me of her.”

“As would anybody when you tell them you remind me of my dead sister.” Connor mimics her voice.

“Shut up,” Will hits Connor, “you almost had a panic attack when you saw Jason.”

“Really ?”

“It wasn’t a panic attack,” Connor rolls his eyes, “I just freaked out a little when I saw blonde hair and glacial blue eyes.”

“He stayed in the infirmary for two hours.” Will adds.

“What happened to doctor-patient privacy ?” Connor complains.

“You didn’t told me that.” Drew frowns.

“Sorry,” the son of Hermes says, “I just thought you had enough with your plate with Piper.”

“Now that all the skeletons are out of the closet, come in.” Will cheerfully push them in the infirmary.

“Why ?” They both ask.

“I need help classing the files.”

They both groan.

Turns out the three of them have very diverse manners to sort things. While Will does it by alphabetical order, Drew tries to create the best colour pattern and Connor ranks it from younger to older.

Will kicks them out rather quickly, as they messed up more his files than actually help him, and Drew wanders back to the archery range, for once empty from any Apollo’s children. It's been a while since she came here. 

Since the Titan war actually, because holding her bow brought here back on that tunnel, surrounded by monsters and enemies. Her weapon is still bloodied, the red liquid had stained the wood and Drew never took the time to clean it properly. 

But the standard bows are clean, resting neatly in a wood cottage, along with quivers and arrows. She can manage that. 

She grabs a bow and a quiver, sets the moving targets and begins her training.

Look. String. Shoot.

Black circle.

Both her friends agree, Piper is not a threat. She's a good sister even, playing with Lacy, getting along with Heloise and Thomas when they come visit, and always training with Mitchell when he asks her. 

Patience, follow the target’s path.

Shoot, blue circle.

She’s a fairly new demigod, a new sister with who Drew got off on the wrong foot. But they good now, they're good. Scratch that, they're not. 

Two arrows at once, two different targets.

They could be if it wasn't for that fear on Piper's face when they talked. 

String the bow, bowstring cutting her fingers because she forget her gloves.

Black circle, miss the other.

Too long since she practiced, too long since anyone bothered teaching her.

They relaxed and Percy disappeared.

They thought the war was over and a new one fell upon them, catching them by surprise.

Drew, as the others, knows what come with war. 

Death, pain, grief, faith in your family, hatred for the enemy, swaying loyalties, traitors. 

Traitor. 

Last arrow, make it count.

Farthest target, moving between trees.

She can’t have another Silena, and maybe Connor is right, maybe she’s just a lunatic broken by war, a paranoid girl seeing Silena where she isn’t.

Breathe, in and out.

Bowstring next to the ear, arrow ready to fly.

Wait for the target.

But Piper was nervous, and she needs to be sure, otherwise the worm of doubt will rot her from inside until it consumed her entirely.

Breathe, steady the arms, don’t let them shake.

One last despicable act, one last sister under charmspeak.

Are you a traitor ?

Piper will say no, as Connor and Will say, and Drew will be free from Silena.

No more nightmares.

No more seeing her where she doesn’t belong.

Target in front of her, shoot.

Red circle, not yellow.

Drew sighs as she lets down the weapon.

She really needs to practice more.

Chapter Text

She doesn’t put her friends in the confidence on her intentions.

Malcolm, Will, Connor and by extent Travis and Katie, they would call her crazy.

And, perhaps, they would be right. 

Don’t dwell, honey, and get over it.

Far easier do say than do, since catching Piper alone is not an easy feat. Training with her boyfriend, helping building the Argo II or simply strolling around camp, surrounded by their siblings.

It’s Capture the Flag that gives her the opportunity to act, when Aphrodite has teamed up with Athena and that Annabeth put them both on guard duty, much to her sister’s dismay.

“This is boring.” Piper complains, seated by the flag. Why did she chose the wet, muddy ground over the nice wood trunk, Drew has no idea. To each their own, she guesses. “I would be much more valuable on offense.”

“Hun, if Annabeth put you here, she has a reason to do so.” Drew replies, observing idly a snail on the grass next to her. What a slimy little thing, he better not smudges her shoes. “If anyone makes it across our defense team, they have no chance against our charmspeak.”

A sound plan, one worthy of Annabeth, and Piper sighs but does not complain any further.

“Piper ?” Drew asks, trying to be as nonchalant as she can. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” Piper shrugs, wholly laid-back, trusting. Her sister flashes her a small smile. “Ask away.”

Drew musters all her strength, all the authority she possesses, her desire, craving, to know and cast it in her voice. Every ounce of charmspeak she has, every little bit of magic her godly blood offers her, she pours it right there and now.  “Did you work with the giants ?”

Her sisters’ eyes widen, glazed over by a pink veil.

She opens her mouth and-

An ally comes rushing through the trees, flag turning from the bright green of Demeter to the silver of Athena.

“Forget it.” She says to her sister and Piper snaps back, her mouth parting into a winning smile before joining the demigods in celebration.

Drew watches her slips in the crowd, finding Jason who was on the other team and playfully taunt him. Leo Valdez joins them, covered in oil and whatever other tainting liquids they used in the forges.

“Yes.”

***

She’s not sure and it’s maddening.

She’s not certain and everything is coming loose.

Sil-Piper is warming up to her day by day, weeks by weeks.

“Come on Drew, let’s go to Arts & Crafts.” She invites her, [“It’s going to be so much fun !” Silena squealed, dragging her towards the tables. “Let’s do matching bracelets.”] and by Aphrodite, she feels like throwing up.

“Go ahead. I’ll join you later.” Short sentences, no sugary nickname. She’s lying through her teeth, bold and blatant. But Piper shrugs and leaves her be.

On that aspect, Piper is nothing like Silena.

Except the fucking traitor part of course.

By the time she makes it to the Arts & Crafts facility, most of her siblings are almost done.

“I waited for you, we can do them together.” Sweet, caring, and so young, little Lacy says with a toothy smile, showing her braces, holding in her hands some strings and charms. “Matching bracelets ! Piper gave me the idea.”

Behind her, Piper gives her a thump-up, clearly proud of the idea.

Drew swallows back the bile and sits with Lacy. “What a great idea, hun. What about those starts, hum ? They’re so pretty…”

She spends the next thirty minutes controlling her trembling hands, mind flashing back to the hidden bracelet under her bed.

[“This ? Oh it’s something my dad got me last time I visited.” Silena said, showing her her new bracelet. “I love the charms on it, especially that heart.”]

“There, all done.” She puts on her new accessory, matching in color and charms with Lacy. “See ? We didn’t need to add that silver heart, sweetie. It’s perfect like this.”

Behind her, out of the corner of her eye, Piper fiddles with something on her wrist. It’s just a braided bracelet, nothing special.

It’s enough to add another crack to the dam.

Traitor

She doesn’t know for sure.

Traitor

But another war is coming. War means death, despair, grief, disloyalty.

She cannot have another Silena.

Ask her.  

She’ll do it. She won’t make the same mistake.

Tear it out of her throat.

And yet.

Don’t go soft now.

Her siblings are warming up to her. And wouldn’t it be shame to lose them again, because of Silena fucking Beauregard ? Hadn’t she taken enough already ?

Don’t be weak.

And Piper, so much like Silena and still so different.

Slowly, the Argo II comes to life and Drew doesn’t push.

Pry her open. Don’t be fucking stupid.

Maybe it’s selfish. Or maybe Silena finally stopped winning.

She’s leaving.

Indeed, she is. They boarding up the flying ship, saying their goodbyes.

“Piper, honey.” Don’t let her go. Her sister turns to her, all misty-eyed from Lacy’s rib-crushing hug. Ask her.Honestly, she doesn’t need to. If Piper is truly like Silena, then she already knows what happen next. She gives her a sweet, honeyed smile. “Come back alive.”

---

“You never learn.” Her older sister muses that night, carefully applying gel polish on her nails. “Really, Drew, I’m disappointed.”

She’s sitting by her old vanity, humming a soft melody as she looks at herself in the mirror. Still as beautiful as ever.

“You should know it by now.” She turns to face her, and there she appears in all her glory. “You’ve walked this road before.”

Silena, all sizzling and melted flesh, blows on her kiss, the scythe charm dangling from her arm.

“She’s not like you. She’ll be back, alive.” Drew replies, and Silena giggles.

“Oh, well” Her older sister grins, flashing her pearl white teeth. “We’ll just have to wait and find out, won’t we ?”

Chapter Text

For weeks she expects the other shoe to drop.

For monsters invading Camp, for the earth to swallow them.

But nothing, except the usual lurking.

Rien. Nada.

The weight of her shoulders, the doubt rotting her from inside. That burden she’s been carrying since Silena’s death, finally gone.

It’s exhilarating.

“You look happier.” Connor notes as they sat together by the lake, enjoying their free time. “Like… before the war.” Before Silena’s death goes unsaid.

“I figured it was time to let go of everything. Silena, Piper, traitors and war…” She trails off. “I was just so tired of it.”

“Well, I think you made the right choice, trusting Piper.” Connor smiles.

“Yeah, I think so too.” She softly replies.

***

She still dreams about Silena some nights.

But there’s no acid or burnt flesh or even a gleaming scythe taunting her. Instead, they’re the happy memories she had forgotten about.

Silena offering chocolate, braiding her hair, teaching her charmspeak.

Somewhere along the way, she had forgotten.

Before being a traitor, Silena had been her sister.

***

In the middle of May, a young girl crosses the border. The same night, Drew welcomes a new sister amongst them.

It’s admittedly a bad time for newcomers, especially a young one like Alicia is, barely ten years old. The Romans were closing up on them, it was only a matter of time before they managed to locate Camp.

But all the counselors, all those who had been through the Titan War make their best to keep the mood up and light. And so, instead of spending hours in the arena, sweating and bleeding, Drew takes her siblings to Arts & Crafts, to tend the strawberries’ fields, to lazy afternoons on the beach. Of course, it does not they are exempt from archery, rock climbing and sword fighting, but it’s a far cry from what Camp was liked during the first war.

Alicia warms up to her well enough, but her favorite is clearly Lacy. It’s cute, really, to see her little sister squeal in joy, realizing it’s her turn to play big sister.

She overhears them one night, from her bed.

“Right here, this is Heloise.” Lacy whispers, a soft light casting her shadow and Alicia’s against the light blue blanket they are hiding under. “Next to her is Thomas. They left Camp before you arrived.”

She really should scold them off, send them back to bed. They’ve got wrestling scheduled with Ares first thing in the morning. Sighing, she gets up.

“What about her ?” Alicia asks. “She’s so pretty.”

Aw, thank you sweetie.

She knows what picture Lacy is showing to Alicia. It’s her sister’s favorite. The winter right after Thalia came back to life. All of them are there, Lacy, Mitchell, Heloise, Thomas, herself and-

“It’s Silena.” Lacy says very softly, but Drew can still hear her. “Silena Beauregard.”

“What happened to her ?” Alicia asks with such unbridled, innocent, curiosity. “Who was she ?”

So many things.

Hero, traitor, murderer, martyr, victim.

Really, Silena Beauregard isn’t someone one word could sum up.

“Our sister.” Drew says, taking away the blanket hiding the two girls. Lacy’s eyes widen in terror while Alicia turns her eyes to her. “Silena was our sister. That’s all you need to know. Now come on, off to bed. Tomorrow is a long day.”

It’s the best word, she thinks going back to her own bed.

In the end, all Silena ever tried to be was her sister.

She scoffs.

What a shit job you did, sis.

***

Summer, as always, brings battle.

But they are ready, they’ve been training and few are lost. None from her cabin, obviously.

They welcome the Romans into Camp, something that bristles her since they were hell-bent on wiping them off the map two days ago, but hey, it’s not up to her to make the decision.

“For the demigods !” Annabeth cheers and each of them roar back, basking in their victory. They did do a pretty good job, taking down the literal Earth.

Not only that, Piper came back.

It settles something right in her heart, for good.

***

“Do you forgive me ?”

They’re at the beach, facing the sea.

“Do you forgive me ?” Silena repeats, twisting her bracelet.

“No.” She answers simply. “I can’t.”

There’s no forgetting or forgiving all the deaths she caused.

“But I don’t hate you anymore.”

She can’t spend the rest of her short life rotting away because of it. It’s best to let go.

Silena smiles. It’s a nice smile, a soft and kind thing.

As if it could embody what kind of person she was.

***

It takes the rest of the summer to finally reach a decision.

On August 27^th, she knows what’s best for her.

“I get it, really, you don’t need to explain it to me.” Connor says, taking a break from helping Travis packing. “I’ll tell Will and Malcolm.”

“Really ? Just like that ?” Piper looks at her a little bewildered. She nods. “Okay then, sure.”

The hardest is Lacy.

“But you’ll be back right ?” Lacy sniffs. “You’ll come visit ?”

“Of course, honey.” She says, soothing her little sister. “But I need to do it for me, okay ? You say goodbye to Mitchell and Alicia for me, mmmh ?”

On August 31^st, Drew leaves Camp Half-Blood and goes to Brooklyn, to attend Brooklyn Academy of the Gifted, leaving Piper as the official head counsellor of Cabin 10.

She doesn’t bring much with her. Her weapon of course, pictures of her friends and siblings, her camp necklace and some clothes. She’ll have to do a big shopping spree before school starts. There’s no way she’s staying in those horrid bright orange shirts now that they aren’t mandatory. Pink always suited her more.

***

“Hey ! I love your bracelet !” A girl says next to her in algebra. “Where did you get it ?”

It’s silver bracelet, with a small heart charm on it. Nothing more.

“My sister, she gave it to me.” She flashes the mortal girl a smile. “Don’t ask me her name.”

“Cool.” The girl, eyes hazed pink, nods.

She wonders how Piper is doing back at Camp. Last time she heard, from Connor, more siblings had showed up.

Maybe she’ll pay them a visit this week-end. She doesn’t trust her enough to make sure Connor and Malcolm finally got together. She’s tired of the endless pining.

She could bring some chocolate too.

[“Look what I got !” Silena sang, showing her with flourish the chocolate box in her hands. “My dad made them, just for us !” She winked at her, leaning to whisper. “Just for the two of us.”]