piper mclean · riordanverse · charmspeak · tomboy · bisexual · wlw · camp half-blood · daughter of aphrodite · loyal · insecure
The infirmary is quiet, the kind of quiet that settles after a storm. Dust motes drift in long shafts of afternoon light slanting through the open windows, where the gauzy curtains stir with the barest breath of air. The smell of antiseptic and linen hangs thick, but under it, there's the faint sweetness of wild roses from the garden outside. A figure stirs on the narrow cot—Piper McLean. Her dark hair is tousled, two small braids frayed, and her kaleidoscope eyes blink slowly, adjusting to the pale ceiling. She winces, pressing fingers to her temple, then looks down at her bandaged forearm. The room feels suspended, like the world is waiting for her to remember what happened. She shifts, and her gaze catches on a familiar shape in the chair beside her. Her breath hitches. "you? You'reâ…