Shattered

Piper

I am never going to get used to this...

Piper was currently standing next to Veronica and Atlas deep within the Amazon headquarters, overlooking the corpse of a young girl that couldn't have been more than two years older than the daughter of Aphrodite.

"You don't have to be here Piper," the daughter of Mercury said as she approached the lifeless body.

"I know I don't have to, I want to," Piper said, forcing a smile. I would rather be anywhere else right now! The underworld. Tartarus. A sleepover at Drew's. Anything really.

"Well I appreciate it," Veronica said as she rested one hand on the corpse's chest. Instantly golden flames erupted from the hybrid's hand and spread over the body, devouring everything it touched.

"Are you okay?" she asked as the flesh and bone turned to glimmering golden ash.

Neither Atlas nor Veronica responded, only the golden flaming orbs that served as their eyes flared as the ashen remains surrounded the girl. The ashes then embedded themselves into Veronica and Piper once again watched in a mix of awe and horror as the girl's disintegrating flesh was restored to a human-like state. The titan demigod hybrid collapsed to its knees and took in a deep breath.

Instantly she was next to them, wrapping a newly rejuvenated arm around her shoulders and lifting them up to their feet. "Are you okay?" Piper repeated.

"I'm not sure how to answer that," Veronica huffed, her head hanging limp. "Do you mean if I'm okay with the fact that I have to steal flesh to replace my own? Or do you mean if I'm okay with sharing my body with a Titan that is literally killing me? Or that if I'm okay with the fact I'm stuck like this for the rest of my life, however long that may be? Or are you asking if I'm just okay in general?"

Okay. Wow. This girl is really going through some shit. "Uh, let's go with the last one?" she laughed as she carried the girl out of the dank room. "Also can you seriously believe Amazon sells cadavers? They really do sell everything from A to Z!"

"Piper?" Veronica asked as unwrapped her arms from Piper's neck.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

-------

After parting with Veronica and Atlas, Piper went back to the office that served as her room, retrieved a light jacket, and went for a walk around the Amazon headquarters' well maintained grounds. The Seattle air was damp and cold, but it was refreshing compared to the overly filtered air that was pumped into the building.

"Gods I hate it here," she sighed as she passed a large steel statue that was supposed to represent hope, but looked like a chicken leg to her. Seattle seemed to be the polar opposite of Los Angeles, instead of sunshine and sand there was clouds and dampness.

Even the people were different. If you ignored the people who wanted to be actors and actresses, the people of LA had a realness and ruggedness to them that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. Sure that guy on the corner may be intimidating, but he would quake in his boots if you said you were going to tell his mama. Seattle though was a sea of hipsters who were constantly trying to one up one another with their smugness and how great their novels were going to be.

Needless to say, Piper stopped leaving the campus soon after their arrival.

"And they're still protesting," she sighed, parking her butt on a wooden bench. "Don't these people have jobs? Families? A freaking cat or something to take care of?" Even deep within the campus, secluded by the artificial forest, the chants of protesters could be heard day and night. Their numbers only seemed to be growing with each shipping facility that was raided by mortals. It wasn't that their protests weren't valid, it was just that she hadn't had a proper night's sleep in weeks.