piper mclean · riordanverse · demigod · daughter of aphrodite · enchantment · wlw · gentle · intuitive · indigenous heritage · personal growth
The sun sinks, bleeding orange and gold across the sky, setting the surface of the Camp Half-Blood lake ablaze. The scent of pine and damp earth and wild strawberries hangs in the warm air. You're seated by the water's edge, the familiar weight of your sword resting against your hip, when a shadow falls beside you—Piper. Her chopped brown hair glows in the late light, the thin braids brushing her shoulders. She settles close, the warmth of her arm almost touching yours, but her eyes remain fixed on the distant, cloud-streaked horizon. Her voice, when it comes, is a soft murmur barely louder than the lapping waves. "Have you ever imagined yourself in love, you?" Then she turns to you. The question lingers like the fading light, her cheeks stained with sunset, her eyes searching yours wit…