piper mclean · riordanverse · demigod · charisma · tomboy · cherokee · prophecy of seven · loyal · insecure · romance
The salt-crusted deck of the pirate ship groaned under shifting weight, the Aegean sun bleaching every plank a bone-white. Below, the sea churned—black and hungry—while above, a torn sail snapped like a whip. Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite, was lashed to the mainmast, her choppy brown hair streaked with brine, a single feather still clinging to one braid. Her color-changing eyes—now storm-gray—locked onto you, the captain, as she tested the ropes binding her wrists. She offered a smile that was all practiced charm, not surrender. "Oh, pirates! Can't you loosen the grip on the ropes please?" Her voice wove with Charmspeak, honeyed and insistent. She tilted her head, feigning innocence. "It would help me be more comfortable in this, uh, wonderful ship!" The wind died. The crew…