WARNING: Heroes of Olympus saga spoilers. First spoiler right in the intro;)

I had this plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone about Paul being helpful and caring towards Annabeth and helping her with Percy being disappeared. Enjoy this non-romantic fanfiction.

I do not own the characters or the events and objects mentioned by them.

Annabeth's POV

The idea of winter hadn't actually arrived to New York that December, the wind was cold, yes, but skies were partially clear and it hadn't been raining in days. Were gods sending her their regards? No, impossible.

Walking down the city without a course was the ultimate and darkest shade of desperation and agony Annabeth could've ever experienced, before or after.

Her body felt heavy as if it was being pressed by all the last days stress. Her eyes just didn't held any other tear to spread, her mouth hadn't a single more wail and her dreams, if she could sleep, were as vague and meaningless as real life. Often, the dreams of demigods were turbulent glances of the past, present and future, terrifying glances. But waymore frightening were these being calm or, sometimes, non-existent.

She remembered her boyfriend's last words towards her, Good night, and that was all, from a day to the other Percy Jackson had disappeared taking with him Annabeth's sake. She looked everywhere in cabin 3 and its surroundings, she asked the water nymphs in the lake if they had seen him, she combed every single corner of Camp Half-Blood and the forest, from the Big House to Zeus' Fist without finding a trace of the son of Poseidon.

Annabeth hadn't noticed the directions she had been taking unconsciously when walking, she arrived to a place she didn't mean to. She was standing right in front of Sally Jackson's and Paul Blofis' apartment. She looked at the building with a bittersweet taste in her mouth. If she had been feeling miserable through all these days, even having the possibility to look for her boyfriend, what had Sally Jackson been feeling like? She could do less that Annabeth, and Sally was Percy's mother. Percy was the only thing Sally had in this world, she was married to Paul, but the loss of his child…Annabeth didn't even hesitate and went straight to the doorbell.

"Hello?" a man's voice answered through the speaker.

"Hello, Paul. It's me, Annabeth Chase" her voice echoed inside her head once she talked, she sounded tired, extremely desperate and angry, probably with the gods.

The door of the building opened and in a moment Annabeth was in front of the door, she didn't have to knock, from the inside Paul told her to get inside.

"How's it going, Annabeth?" she almost glared him, Like, really? Are you serious? But she had neither the energy nor Paul the fault. He was probably doing his best to keep Sally in hope.

"There are no news" her eyes started soaring, she knew she was going to cry, so she blinked and cleared her throat the best she could "May I ask for a glass of water?"

"Of course, dear. Sit down, I'll be right back" He jogged to the kitchen; Annabeth sat down but followed him with her eyes.

The kitchen and the living room were connected she could see him pouring the liquid inside a glass and, before coming back to where she was, stirring something in a pot on the burner. It wasn't until that moment she noticed how good the house smelled, like stew. He came back and gave her the glass of water.

"Much appreciated" she drunk and left the glass on the coffee table. He sat down on the other sofa, he made it seem as if he was waiting for the food to be done, but Annabeth knew he was concerned. He probably knew what her mental situation was and tried to be good company.

"Had you eaten something?" He asked. He knew the answer, probably Sally skipped meals too. Annabeth shook her head in response.

"It will take just a minute" he said. Not an 'Are you staying?' or a, 'would you like eating with us?' No, Annabeth realized how smart Paul was, he knew his words.

Annabeth managed a smile.

"Do you have an idea where could he be? Maybe a clue, something he said. These kind of things are important." He said.

"He was undoubtedly kidnaped, tree nymphs didn't see any monster, and neither did harps. The whole Camp is protected and Peleus doesn't seem to be uneasy, as if nothing had happened. Chiron is seriously concerned, not only because Percy is very close to him, but also because of the rest of the campers' well-being. Camp Half-Blood is supposed to be secure, and now a boy disappears from his cabin without a trace"

"Are there any sign of struggle?" Paul had leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees "A stain of blood, something broken? Because I'm sure as Hell Percy wouldn't surrender without putting up a good fight"

"You should have seen it, Paul; it was as if Percy had disappeared right from under his sheets!" in that moment she realized all her fears, anger and pain were accumulated, like a giant dam holding it, a dam that was starting to break. "On his mattress remained the shape of his body…" her voice lowered "…Do you remember what Riptide is?"

He nodded "Of course I do, Percy's sword. The pen that turns into a sword"

"Exactly. Anaklusmos, or, in English, Riptide has another characteristic…It always goes back to Percy's pocket, and during nights he leaves it on his night table…"

"Uh huh…"

"It is still there, on his table. And…Chiron and me are afraid that he might be…" she swallowed hardly, like she had something stuck up in her throat "…dead"

Annabeth thought Paul would stop talking, just nod or continue to his chores, but the man talked again. Here we go again, Annabeth thought, he's going to say the same stupid thing everyone says 'He's okay', but what he said surprised Annabeth.

"Then you're stupid" she looked at him with only a thought in her mind what? "If you're afraid Percy might be dead then you don't know him at all" he stood up from his seat "Hadn't Percy been Camp Half-Blood's almost only hope this last years?"

"Well, I'm not going to lie, we had received a lot of help, but without Percy everything would've been lost years ago…You're right"

"Now he needs all that hope to be shown towards him", he went back to the kitchen. She stared at the wooden planks floor, she realized she hadn't lost hope in any moment, but Paul's words opened her mind wide-open.

There was so much to do when she first went back to the camp her head almost exploded: 1-Ask for the Party Ponies help, 2-Wait for Nico di Angelo to come back from his trips and inform him, 3-talk to Grover, 4-send the Pegasus to look all over New York, 5-communicate with Poseidon, 6-communicate with Artemis' hunters, and last, and maybe the most important, 7-pray to every God of Olympus.

"Ah! Perfect! Dear, can you please enter the room and call Sally? This is ready!"