Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO, even though I do own paperback copies of The Son of Neputne, TBotL, and TLO.

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A/N: I swear by the river Styx that I will update this story at least once a week if possible. If it isn't, then I will do my best to get it updated ASAP to that date that I was supposed to update.

Annabeth

Annabeth looked out over the horizon and sighed. She had a feeling that this would be the last time she'd see camp for quite a while.

It's been seven months, she thought sadly. Seven months since Percy had disappeared. Seven months of Percy's life taken away, and it felt like seven months of Annabeth's life had been torn away from her. When She saw Hera next, someone was going to get a huge punch in her face. Ever since Percy had called his mom and Paul, Annabeth couldn't decide how she felt. Anger towards Hera? Confusion about everything? Anxiety about Percy? Scared because it was becoming slightly harder to remember every pore on Percy's face? She didn't know. The only thing she cared about right now was finding Percy.

Annabeth turned around and climbed up the Argo II's ladder. Once she was up, she heard Leo yelling, "What's my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or-"

"Repair boy," a certain daughter of Aphrodite shouted back.

"Very funny, Piper," Leo grumbled. Then he turned back to a spread out scroll of parchment. "So yeah, I'm...ah...supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that! Anyway, we're gonna be sailing toward you in about, I dunno, an hour in this big warship. We'd appreciate it if you'd not, like, blow us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you could tell the Romans that. See you soon. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out." Then he yelled, "Okay, Jason! It's ready!"

Jason grabbed the scroll and threw it over the edge of he boat, into the air.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked, walking up behind Piper.

"It was a message for Percy. We figured you wouldn't want to be the one to do the talking."

"Yeah. Thanks, Piper. So I guess we'll be leaving in about five minutes?"

"That's about how long it'll take for the message to get to he Romans. So I guess so."

Annabeth nodded and headed down to the room she'd be staying in during the quest. They had three rooms. One had three beds, another had four, and he last had two beds. Annabeth was betting that one new girl and one new boy would be coming from the Roman camp along with Percy, so she dumped her duffel bag, backpack, and laptop off on the bed farthest from the door in the three-bedded room.

When Annabeth got back on the deck of the Argo II, she found that a crowd had gathered beneath the warship to send them off. Chiron was one of them. His eyes seemed to say, "I will miss you, child. Find Percy and do what's right. I know you will." Annabeth smiled at him.

There was a huge lurch, and the ship began to rise. There were cheers from both on the deck of the ship and below. The sails billowed, filling with air. Annabeth looked up at them, remembering the ship when she and Percy were in the Sea of Monsters. Sure this ship was newer, but if only Percy would be there, it would have seemed exactly the same.

When Annabeth looked down, one more face had appeared, but it wasn't any regular face. Gaea's features seemed to be carved into the rock. No one, on the ground or on the ship seemed to notice it except for her and Jason.

You won't save anyone in the end you know. Give up and follow me. You will live and I will protect the ones you love.

"Never," bother her and Jason said at the same time.

Gaea chuckled. But in the end you will. When you find the Daughter of Zeus, you will give up.

"That's why Thalia never came!" Jason murmured.

"What have you done with her, Gaea?" Annabeth growled. The boat had traveled a ways, but Gaea's huge face was still visible. In response, the Earth goddess laughed again. Everything turned back to normal and Annabeth turned to see Piper and Leo staring at her and Jason.

"What were you guys saying about Thalia?" Piper asked.

"Yeah! Hey, Jason, is she coming?" Leo asked, a spark of hope in his voice.

"No. She's apparently been captured or something." Jason briefly explained their exchange with Gaia.

"I think old dirty is getting restless. She knows we'll start the quest soon, but she doesn't seem to be trying to stop us. She's using us as her tools, not as her enemies," Leo said. Since when had he become so wise?

"Yeah. I'll admit it's weird that she's not stopping us," Annabeth admitted.

During the next fifteen minutes Annabeth read an architecture book while Leo went around the boat checking the mechanics and so forth and Piper and Jason stood at the stern of the boat in silence.

"Okay guys. The supreme commander of the Argo II says that the boats going into override mode in three…two…one…now!" On the last word, Leo and Jason used both their powers –mechanics and air respectively–to push the flying boat to its maximum speed. After half an hour of blurred landscape passing by, the boat slowed down. The quartet of demigods had reached the border of California. Camp Jupiter was only a few minutes away.

"It's a bit further north, Leo. No, that's south! Yeah, now go about fifty kilometers that way." Jason was now directing Leo to the Roman Camp.

Annabeth stared out at the wide expanse of cities stretched out before her. Her mind was a knot of emotions, ideas, and actions. It was like a single piece of string that couldn't be untied by anyone, much less herself. Piper walked up from behind her and stood next to her. They watched the hills roll by.

"It's been months since I've seen my family. A whole year," Annabeth said. She didn't know why she said it. Maybe it was because they were flying over San Francisco city line.

"Why a whole year?"

"I was working on rebuilding Olympus after the Titan war, and I didn't have any time to come back to California."

"Your dad lives in San Francisco?"

Annabeth nodded. "And my stepmother and half brothers." Piper stayed silent next to Annabeth. "You see that house with the red roof and a plane in the extra lot nearby? That's my house."

"You're just trying to keep your mind off Percy." Annabeth could tell that it wasn't a question but a statement. It felt good to have those words spoken out loud.

"Thanks Piper. Really."

"Yeah."

Leo and Jason walked up to them just then. "Piper, Annabeth, we're heading to detention," Leo said.

"What?" Annabeth asked, weirded out a bit.

"It's where all roads lead," Leo sighed in a this-should-be-so-obvious way. "Or at least it is foe demigods. In other words, we're just about at Rome."