82Assassin's Creed: Unbroken
By NinjaxSketcheartx
Chapter I: Seeing in Blue and Red
"Dad?"
"Yeah Pipes?" Tristan McLean took his eyes off the road and noticed the wary glint in her kaleidoscope eyes. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Piper swallowed the lump in her throat. She fiddled with the hem of her Aeropostle white sweater, the fabric wrinkling under her curled fingers. She looked back up and refrained from gasping.
There it was again. Her dad's figure shimmered bright blue rimmed with white streaks of light. Everything else changed, too; the inside of the car, the row of trees outside, the road, the cars passing by. Their color was replaced by a bleak dark blue and Piper could barely make out the outline of every dark shape.
Ever since she transfered to Camp Jupiter it had been like that but the minute she blinked, it disappeared and all color would return. Sometimes, she saw other people like that noteably, Jason, Reyna, Hazel, and Frank and pretty much everyone in Camp Jupiter. Some people, however, didn't even have a color. They were just shades of dark blue. These were people she saw on the streets or at a crowd. In other words, people she didn't know.
Her eyes fell back to her lap and she shook her head as all color returned. "Never mind."
Her dad's eyebrows furrowed, his lips forming into a frown. "What's wrong?"
Piper avoided his eyes by looking out the window. With her hand on her chin and the other on her lap, she heaved a long sigh and closed her eyes. Even a whole day with her dad couldn't help ease the distress she was feeling. She had planned on telling him about her strange vision but the last thing she wanted to do was ruin her sevententh birthday. Her dad had ditched filming for a new movie just so they could spend time together and she didn't want that to go to waste.
"Alright, three questions," her dad said, holding up three fingers to exaggerate his point. Piper's lips tilted up in a small smile at the mention of their little game. "Is it about Mom?"
"No," Piper drawled, saying it like it was the most obvious thing. "Now you just wasted a question."
Her dad chuckled. His one hand was on the steering wheel and the other was thoughtfully tapping his chin. "Okay, is it about camp?"
Piper puffed out her cheeks and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."
Her dad scrutinized her. He took the next exit, smoothly switching lanes and going slightly over the speed limit. Piper wasn't really into cars but she liked the silver Porsche. It gave her sort of a rush. She liked the leather seats, the tinted windows, and the engine that purred like a cat.
"Okay, boy problems?" her dad asked.
At the mention, her eyes drooped and her heart ached. Her mind wandered to Jason, her sort-of boyfriend. His clean cut blonde hair, the cute scar on his lip, and his sky blue eyes that seemed to take Piper into another world. His strong arms wrapping around her, comforting her and protecting her almost seemed an illusion.
After the war with Gaea, all Jason focused on was his duties in Camp Jupiter. He didn't spend time with her, too busy with his praetor business. But when he did have the chance to spare her a moment, his smiles were forced and his shoulders were tense. Whenever they made eye contact, he was always the first to look away. This act didn't lessen Piper's anguish especially when she spotted him enjoying quality time with Reyna.
"Yeah," she admitted, one part of her hoping that her dad would just drop it, the other part begging him to ask more.
Her dad shifted uncomfortably in his seat. She felt bad for him. He was still new to this parenting and raising her all on his own must have been hard.
"You want to talk about it?" She shook her head. Fortunately, her dad didn't delve deeper and instead changed the subject. "Wanna hear something about your great grandmother?"
Genuinely curious, Piper nodded. She didn't know much about her family. Her life as a demigod seemed to occupy most of her family knowledge. Part of that was her dad's fault; for not being so open about his family's origins.
"What was her name?"
Her dad's eyes seemed to grow more pained and Piper regretted asking. "Her name was Aribelle. She was killed long before I was even born."
Piper's eyes widened as a sinking feeling hit the pit of her stomach. Some reason, her dad looked… disturbed with this piece of information. That didn't make sense. If Great Grandma Aribelle died then why did her dad looked like he personally knew her? Piper knew better than to press on for more details so she silently urged him to continue or allow the silence to engulf them.
"From what my mother told me, Aribelle was beautiful," his tone was distant, his eyes deep and dark like Tartarus. What he said sounded like something that anybody would say but aren't all mothers beautiful to begin with? "When I was a kid, your grandmother told me stories of Aribelle's youth," her dad continued, smiling at the memory. "but they were all fairy tales."
Piper's forehead creased. "What were they about?"
Her dad hummed deeply in his throat. "You see, Grandma Aribelle was rebellious and from what I've been told; bold. Not that it's a bad thing," he added hastily. "Back then, not many women were given rights because of the whole gender role issue. Your great grandma fought for women rights. Literally."
Piper's chest rose up in anticipation. "And how does this have to do with the stories?"
Her dad scratched his stubble chin. "Well, to make Grandma Aribelle's stories more interesting, my mother envisioned her as a vigilante."
Piper raised her eyebrows, her lips curling into a smile. "Really?" she asked.
"Yup," he said, grinning. "She had on this white hood, kept her identity a secret and she would run around on rooftops at night, punishing the men who did women wrong."
"Sounds like fun." Piper said, admiring her great grandmother. Then a thought struck her and she asked, "But how did she not get caught?"
"Hmm, well, " her dad paused. "she wore this necklace; a good luck charm, you can say, and she had it on all the time."
"So, it magically helped her from being captured?"
Instead of answering her, he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a white rectangular box. He placed it on her lap, and resumed driving. "Open it. It's a present for you."
Completely baffled at the turn of events, she obeyed. Her eyes blinked in curiosity once they set sight on a necklace that was presented before her. It was carved by a strong piece of wood, and shaped into some sort of bird with square-like wings and wide tail feathers, and circle eyes.
"This is it? Aribelle's necklace?" Piper asked, touching the necklace with delicate fingers.
"Yup, it's a thunderbird," he explained. "My mother told me that it stood for many things; power, glory, but mainly it symbolized good omen, hence why Aribelle wore it."
"Your… your just going to give it to me?" Piper asked, suddenly overwhelmed. She looked at him, unsure yet touched by his thoughtful gift. "I don't know dad…"
"I thought about it, and I think you should have it," he insisted earnestly, giving her a small smile. "Besides, I didn't know what to get you and you didn't ask for anything."
Spending time with you is all that I can ask, Piper thought, her heart squeezing. No amount of wealth or items could compare to the moments they shared together. She tugged at the thick thread and adjusted the strap before placing it around her neck. The patch of wood tickled her collarbone.
"Thanks dad," she smiled. "This means a lot to me."
They rode on in silence, the hum of the car enveloping them. Piper was about to suggest turning on the radio but turned back on it.
The car crossed an intersection and slowed to a stop as the streetlight turned red when her dad broke the silence.
"Piper," his tone made Piper frown. She looked at him and blinked in confusion. An expression of pain, and maybe rage—an emotion she rarely saw—crossed his face. His fingers around the steering wheel seemed to tighten like he was holding on for dear life. His dark eyes looked forward, hardening like cold steel, his lips set in a stern, firm line.
"D-Dad?" A chill ran up Piper's spine as her heartbeat quickened. She never saw him like this, not even when she stole that BMW.
"I need to tell you something," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Something important."
Warning bells rang off in her head. Another wave of chills rippled through her body, making her shiver and wonder if they were in California, and not Antarctica.
The streetlight turned green and her dad accelerated, switching lanes to get in front of the line.
"Your great grandmother…" he started, trailing off. He took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose and continued, "Aribelle… she was a—"
A deafening sound cutted her dad off just as a great force hit Piper. She slammed against the car door, her right shoulder screaming in agony and her head bashing against the window. Pieces of shards sprinkled the air, landed on her lap and caused blobs of blood to spill on her white sweater. The car toppled over, rolling numerous times until it was back on its wheels.
A streak of blood ran down the side of Piper's throbbing head. Pounding ringed in her ears as white pain erupted in her shoulder. Instinctively, she held up her hands to guard her face just as the pressure of the airbag forced her backwards. With whatever strength she had left, she pushed the flattened airbag away.
She blinked, her peripheral vision blurring as dizziness settled in her beating body. Why was it that the good things in her life always had to end up like this? It was like the Fates were bored messing with the heroes and now it was time to screw up some random demigod's life simply because they felt like it.
Noticing the black bruises on her arms she unbuckled her seatbelt and grasped the door handle with trembling hands. Her whole body shook from shock and her mind scrambled at the notion that she almost died. The feeling was so familiar to her that she found herself climbing out of the car. The perks of being a demigod, Piper thought.
Wait a minute. I'm missing something.
"Dad!"
People were getting out of their cars, calling for help, and sprinted towards Piper but she paid them no mind. She had to get to her dad.
She limped around the damaged Porsche, examining the huge dent on the side. But even that paled in comparison once she saw the real damage.
Her dad, Tristan McLean, famous movie star, and Piper's most favorite person in the entire world, he was…
"Dad?"
She yanked the door which fell off its hinges and onto the floor. She was on her knees, glass prickling her calves but she didn't care.
"Dad?"
Tears clouded her vision but she blinked them away. This could not be happening. She touched his arm, her hands getting soaked with blood. His blood. His eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open, a rivulet of blood running down his shirt. And his hand… it was cold. Lost of any warmth or life.
"Dad?"
She knew her efforts were pointless but she shook him violently, hoping to arouse him. She was responded with only silence.
Piper looked over shoulder, and her blood ran cold. The van that hit them was backing up, its headlights blinking until going out. A sickening feeling overwhelmed her and she was afraid that the van would accelerate and smash her like some insignificant insect. But then the van made a U-turn, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.
Staring at the van, something inside Piper snapped. She screamed, her words incomprehensive as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Past all the tears, the world around her was coated in a bloody red. Heat permeated her body, the intense feeling sending spasms of disbelief and rage. She screamed an expletive, banged her bloody fists on the car. Her chest ached with pain, the hollow feeling in her heart twisting and digging deeper until it shattered like glass.
Arms grabbed at her, pulling her away but she kicked and screamed, her charmspeak coming into full force. Something sharp injected into her upper arm and her movements slowed, every muscle in her system breaking down.
The last thing she saw was her dead dad being taken away.
A/N: I only ask one thing from those who read: review.