A Little Pain Couldn't Hurt

To Kidnap a King

Piper

Chapter Four

A Little Pain Couldn’t Hurt

''“I demand you release me! I am a praetor of Rome! No filthy graecus can bind me up!”''

“I think you can take him to the room now…”

“Francesca, Piper. Could you two deal with him?” Percy asked, his green eyes looking into each girls eyes.

Piper nodded and she was sure Francesca did too. She glanced towards the younger girl and noticed her steely glare at the Roman praetor. Piper reached down to pick Jason up by the back of his toga and dragged him to his feet, still violently struggling against the rope that held his arms behind his back and his legs only allowing a little movement.

Piper noticed that Francesca had advanced slowly towards Jason with a scowl on her young face. Sometimes Piper couldn’t really believe that the daughter of Achelois was only 15, she seemed older. Perhaps that was because of her family being taken away from her by the Roman Army when she was only 5 years old and her brother was 11.

Francesca, still scowling at the blue eyed boy, “Come on,” she said, turning the struggling boy around and grasping her arm around his upper left arm, “The sooner we get him away the better.” Piper only nodded in agreement as she continued to drag a still shouting person through the hall they were just about to exit. As they went through the door, Piper noticed that Jason was attempting to grab on to the smooth surface of the door and said, “That’s useless, you won’t be able to get away that easily.”

Piper watched as Jason dropped his head and stopped struggling, she looked over to Francesca who had her eyes fixed firmly onto the hall in front of them, out of the window and to the darkening sky. She surveyed the Roman, what was he planning?

Suddenly his head picked up, like he had an idea, well he must have thought pretty hard about it. “So there is a way to escape?” Piper tilted her head as if to say ''really? Your asking that?'' She was pretty sure that he couldn’t see it, but it was the thought anyway…

“No.” Piper picked her own head up at Francesca’s cold and hard response. This was unusual and out of character for the usually happy and bubbly daughter of Achelois. Maybe she had an argument with Tom or something….

Soon the two girls neared the entrance to the cells. The walls changed colour, from a happy and pure white colour to a dulling and decaying grey, the paint was flaking off the walls, falling to the grey flagstone floor. The happy atmosphere that was once there vanished and was replaced by a more sombre one. The one lit hallway darkened until it was like the Earth on a stormy day.

Piper shivered as a chill swept through her spine, she had been here before, yes, but that was for errands, not for what she was about to do, or rather what she was about to submit the blonde still held between her and Francesca to. She had heard…stories of what happened to people when they reached here.

The Greeks were known for being a peaceful people and only needing to attack when there was a threat. That much was true. But one thing not many people knew about, the Greeks, peaceful as they were could have a rough side. Headed by Clarisse la Rue, daughter of Ares, that there was a squad of Greeks, dedicated to getting information out of people the Greeks had taken hostage. It would be painful.

Piper stumbled when they made a turn to the left, her eyes still roaming about the stone walls. Up ahead, standing in the shadows was a figure, standing tall and formidable, leaning against the wall. Clarisse la Rue stepped forward and smirked at the approaching trio.

“Punks,” she greeted, still smirking, she took one look at the Roman praetor strung between the two greeks and nodded in his direction. “Annabeth told me about him, said we were to take care of him,” She eyed up Jason and took him by the scruff of his neck, but Jason, as if feeling that he would be too much for Clarisse to handle somehow squirmed out of Clarisse’s grasp and punched her in the gut. But Clarisse didn’t react except laugh and slam Jason up against the wall, “Now listen here punk,” she snarled, “you may be a hotshot and all mighty son of Jupiter in Rome, but here, you respect us. Got it?”

Jason nodded vigorously and Piper thought she saw a flicker of fear in his eyes, but it was gone as quick as it came. Clarisse sent a glare in Jason’s direction as she dropped him to the floor. Picking him up by the scruff of his toga, which he was still wearing, she steamed off and almost threw him into a room. She whirled around and yelled out, causing the two girl to cover up their ears in a attempt to dull down Clarisse’s loud voice. “SHERMAN! MARK! BRING THE BOX!”

 Piper didn’t know what the box was but she was sure that it was nothing good. She looked on as two large and bulky men, Clarisse’s half-brother’s, Mark and Sherman walked past, carrying a box that clinked and shook with every step the pair took. Both girls watched as they walked into the cell and grinned at Jason.

“You two punks better go, blondie here won't be done for a while." Clarisse said, smiling, with dark shadows flickering across her face, with one last look at the duo she turned around and the slam of the wooden door echoed around the grey area.

When they were walking Piper noticed that Francesca was walking along with a distant expression on her face, when a few minutes came her expression had not changed she thought it was time to do something. Okay.” Piper said, once they were back into the white and brighter hallway, she rounded on Francesca. “What’s up? What’s the matter?”

“Nothing…” Francesca said, shaking her head, “Its nothing Pipes, I swear it. I-Its just seeing the Roman all broken up like that. Its-Its in my nature to heal, that’s all.” Piper nodded and swung her arm over the smaller girl’s shoulders.

“We’re going to be alright,” She said, looking down to the other girl, “Once this whole problem is over, we’ll be alright.” they both smiled as they continued to walk down the corridor…away from the room which still stuck in Piper’s memory, but one thing she thought, even though she knew she shouldn’t be thinking, after all, he is the enemy.

''Is he going to be alright? ''