Part 1: Morning

January 15th, 2010
7:53 AM
Cabin Six

Annabeth awoke to the sound of screaming.

For a second she thought she was still asleep. Her dreams had become increasingly vivid lately, so yelling didn't seem so far out of the norm. Then she realized she could feel her bed shaking and, with a sigh, resigned herself to the fact that she was awake.

She rolled into a sitting position and blinked a few times to unglue her eyelids. Malcolm was standing over her, already dressed, with a heavy-looking book under one arm and a thermos in his other hand.

"Claire, sweetheart, you can't go to archery without pants on! Morning, sunshine," he said to Annabeth. "Surprise head counselor meeting in five minutes. Chiron told me to wake you up."

Well, styx.

Annabeth climbed out of bed and looked around the cabin, dismayed by what she saw. Despite their smarts, her siblings were still unorganized on even the best of mornings. Papers and clothes flew everywhere, several people were still in bed despite it being almost time for breakfast, and even as Annabeth watched, a stray dagger whistled through the air and stuck, quivering, in one of the ancient war maps plastered to the wall.

"That is ENOUGH!" Annabeth shouted. Instantly all noise in the cabin ceased, save for the residual sounds of paper fluttering to the floor. Fourteen sets of wide gray eyes fixated on her. "You guys, I know I woke up late this morning, but that doesn't mean you have to go completely crazy because I'm not in charge. I want this cabin clean in three minutes or I'm going straight to Chiron and assigning us all to kitchen duty, cabin inspection be damned. Now get a move on, we've got archery first thing this morning and I don't want to have to tell Will why we're late!"

Her siblings scattered immediately at her words. Annabeth sat back down on her bunk and groaned; her head was pounding after her sudden outburst and all she really wanted to do was climb back into bed. She looked up at Malcolm, who was watching her sympathetically. "I don't doubt that you at least tried to get these hellions under control this morning, so thanks for that. But why didn't you wake me up? I never sleep in past seven-thirty."

Malcolm sat down next to her and laid his head on her shoulder. Even though she was a year older than him, Annabeth still thought of Malcolm as the big brother she'd never gotten to have. Even as she thought that, his arm wrapped around her back and she smiled automatically.

"You needed the rest," he said quietly, so the rest of their siblings wouldn't overhear the conversation. "Face it, you haven't been sleeping enough since Percy disappeared. You can try to hide it from everyone else if you want, but you're already sick and you're going to make it worse if you don't take a break."

Annabeth could feel the flush creeping up her neck. She was uncomfortable even admitting it to herself, but she knew Malcolm had a point—she'd been nursing a particularly stubborn cold on and off for two weeks with nothing but brief snatches of sleep and a less-than-stellar diet.

"I hate it when you're right," she mumbled.

Her brother only squeezed her more tightly. "You should be used to it by now. Come on, I'll lend you my jacket for the morning. You're about to be late."

. . .

Although the camp's weather was magically controlled, the barrier seemed to be weakening the longer Mr. D was away. Annabeth's shoes crunched in the frosty grass as she walked, and the damp wind blowing off the Sound sent an involuntary shiver down her back. She was grateful for Malcolm's warm, heavy jacket and the scarf he'd also insisted she wear—he could be overprotective that way.

She took the porch steps two at a time and ducked into the front hallway of the Big House, relieved to be out of the wind. As she stopped to catch her breath, Annabeth glanced at the bulletin board that dominated one wall—full of pictures, flyers, schedules for each cabin, and various other things left behind by campers over the years. A poster with the new Capture the Flag teams for Friday commanded the top corner of the board. Usually Chiron posted the counselors' assignments here as well, so Annabeth searched until she found the sheet covered in his familiar looping cursive.

Armory organization: Clarisse, Piper
Breakfast cleanup: Jason, Lou Ellen, Miranda
Cabin inspection: Annabeth
Mail call: Butch
***All other counselors are to report immediately back from breakfast for morning inspection

Inspection. Wonderful. Instead of getting some extra time to make sure the Athena cabin was spotless after this morning's wakeup fiasco, she got to chastise the Stolls for their under-the-bed cleanup job again. Annabeth couldn't hold it against Chiron—it was, after all, a point of pride for him that the cabins were neat and presentable—but she was beginning to think that today was just not her day.

Here goes nothing, she thought, and headed down the hall to the rec room.

7:58 AM
Head Counselor Meeting

She arrived at the meeting with two whole minutes to spare. Despite it being almost time for the meeting to start, the room was nearly empty. Only a handful of people were scattered across the mismatched couches and armchairs—including Clarisse, damn it. Their "friendly" rivalry covered more than just arena fights.

"Trouble getting started this morning, Chase?" she asked, smirking. Annabeth merely rolled her eyes good-naturedly and skirted around the Ping-Pong table to take her usual seat. Someone (read: Miranda) had left a cup of hot chocolate on the table for her, with two giant marshmallows in it and everything. She sank into the couch next to Clarisse and took a long sip. Perfect.

She took advantage of the quiet moment to observe the room. Will was curled up on his favorite squishy beanbag by the door, staring off into space and responding to people who tried to talk to him with unhappy grumbling noises. (Apollo's kids were decidedly not morning people, contrary to popular belief.) Piper was lying across the other couch with her head in Jason's lap and her feet in Miranda's, doing what appeared to be a newspaper crossword. Next to Annabeth, Clarisse was nursing an extra-large and definitely contraband Red Bull while flipping through an issue of Guns & Ammo.

"Anybody know why Chiron called a meeting so early?" asked Brian, the head counselor of Hebe's cabin, through a wide yawn. "I could have used another half hour of sleep, personally."

"Something about the Argo II, I think," Jason said. He had taken over Piper's crossword, but she didn't seem to be complaining. "I don't know the details, but Leo can probably tell you more when he gets here."

Annabeth didn't understand Jason. Sure, he was disciplined and powerful and (dare she say it) handsome, but she still didn't feel like she could trust him. It was almost nonsensical on her part; Chiron trusted him, and the rest of the camp was accepting enough, so why did she have to worry? Yet every time she looked at Jason, she was starkly reminded of Percy's disappearance. She couldn't help but wonder if her boyfriend was even alive, if he had a place to sleep at night, if people were looking out for him too . . . if he remembered her and the family he'd left behind.

She forced down those thoughts immediately when she felt hot tears welling at the corners of her eyes. Now was not the time to get sappy or overemotional. She took another sip of her hot chocolate and tried to relax, and if anyone noticed her brief moment of emotion, they had the good sense not to say anything.

Most people were too tired to have any kind of meaningful conversation, so they sat in near silence save for the hum of the TV playing the morning news in the background. Clarisse leaned over at one point and asked, "You feeling any better, Chase? 'Cause you look dead beat."

"I'd like to beat you dead," replied Annabeth, elbowing Clarisse to let her know know she'd been kidding. When they'd been younger such a comment might have incensed Clarisse to the point of no return, but now the daughter of Ares only pulled her into a rough one-armed hug. (Everything Clarisse did was too rough; Annabeth had learned not to mind, that Clarisse really didn't mean it.)

"If you wanna crash for a few hours this afternoon, let me know. I'll deal with the questions."

First good news I've heard all day. Annabeth half-smiled, too tired to do much else. "I'll take you up on that. Thanks."

The door opened after a while; Annabeth looked up just in time to see Leo catch his foot on the carpet, narrowly miss landing on top of Will, and smack face-first into the Ping-Pong table.

"Smooth, Valdez," said Clarisse without missing a beat.

Leo groaned and dropped to the floor, his head cradled in his hands. "So much permanent pain, you guys. I am concussed."

"Leo? Bro, are you okay?" Jason asked, concerned.

"LEAVE ME HERE TO DIE."

Fortunately for Leo, Chiron had heard the commotion and rushed over with his tail still in curlers. He carted Leo out just to make sure nothing severe had happened while the rest of the counselors trickled in gradually.

"Annabeth, are you still sending your kids over after breakfast?" asked Will over the low murmur of conversation that now filled the room.

"I was going to, why?"

"Don't. I have to cancel all my classes today because some smarmy Ares jerk—sorry, Clarisse—decided to take a few liberties with the phrase 'fire at will'." He held up his arm to show a heavily bandaged elbow. "Sorry for the late notice, but—"

Clarisse nearly spewed her sip of Red Bull all over her magazine and demanded, "Who was it? I swear to gods, I told Marshall that if he tried any more funny business I'd kick his ass into—"

They were spared from having to listen to Clarisse explain, in agonizing detail, where and how she would kick Marshall's ass by the arrival of Chiron.

"Let's come to order, please," he said. "Clarisse, your face is a disturbing shade of red; please calm down. Lou Ellen, do I even want to know why that stack of toast is on fire? And if someone could please separate Dwight and Eva before they stab each other, it would save me quite a bit of paperwork later."

Annabeth drained her hot chocolate and set the mug aside with a sigh. Today was going to be a long day.

8:45 AM
Cabin Inspection

Loath as she was to leave her half-finished omelet behind, when Chiron dismissed the campers from breakfast to prepare for morning inspection, Annabeth dutifully picked up her notebook and a pen and set off toward the cabins. At least it didn't take too much effort to figure out if a cabin was clean or not.

As usual, the Zeus cabin was impeccable. Hera's never got inspected anyway.

Annabeth didn't even bother going into cabin three.

Demeter got a five, as usual. So did Ares; Clarisse never stood for a dirty cabin.

Athena got a three and probably should have gotten lower, but Annabeth refused to blame her siblings for what was mostly her own mess.

The Apollo cabin was less of a disaster than usual; their "secret" famous poets poster ("secret" only because their dad wasn't on it) was at least hanging straight this morning, and the only other thing amiss was the pink bra hanging over the bust of Apollo on a shelf at the back of the cabin. Annabeth decided not to ask, marked down four out of five, and moved on.

She wound her way through the rest of the cabins and was eyeing a pile of unwashed boxers on the floor of Hebe's cabin with distaste when the door opened and someone called her name.

"Yo, Annabeth?"

Annabeth scribbled down a two next to Hebe's name on the inspection list. Unless Tyche or Hecate's kids had developed a really bad clutter problem in the last twenty-four hours, it looked like cabin eighteen was going to get stuck with kitchen duty that night.

She turned around to see who had called her and was confronted with a shifty-looking Connor Stoll standing in the doorway. Instantly suspicious, Annabeth said goodbye to Brian and the rest of the Hebe kids before following Connor back outside.

"What do you need, Connor? I've got to get this turned into Chiron and then I have class to teach at eleven—"

"Not here!" Connor hissed, moving to clap his hand over her mouth. Annabeth caught his wrist before he could touch her and squeezed just hard enough for it to hurt a little. He got the hint and dropped his hand at once, but the nervous look on his face remained.

"What is it?" she asked, slightly concerned now. "Do you need help hiding a body or something?"

"I might soon, if you can't help me and Travis solve something." His expression darkened. "Come with me."

9:12 AM
Twenty-seven minutes (and a lot of arguing) later
The Stoll Brothers' Secret Club House

". . . And so we need help," Travis finished. "Annie—"

"Don't call me Annie."

"—Anna Banana, we don't ask for favors often, but we need this one thing from you. Please."

Travis and Connor leaned over their desk, both wearing the same imploring expression. Annabeth wondered (not for the first time) when they had gotten a secret hideout or the stuff to furnish it. The desk alone looked like it belonged in a museum, not the dusty basement of the Hermes cabin.

She heaved a sigh and said, "Okay, let me get this straight. You're telling me that you melted down all of Drew's jewelry. For fun?"

Both brothers shrugged. "It had to be done," said Connor. "Remember how she was insulting Melanie at the campfire last night? I'm not going to let anyone treat our sister that way. Plus—"

"I know, I know. She's a callous bitch and her bullying behavior is unacceptable. Or have you forgotten that I've lived here with her for longer than you have?" Annabeth sat back in her chair. "Guys, you might have messed up big time on this one. Chiron would definitely have sided with you if you'd brought the Melanie situation to him earlier, but given what you just told me . . ."

"Oh my gods. We know we're in trouble, man," said Travis, clearly ashamed. "Please. We just need this one favor to make sure we don't end up dead. You don't want us dead, right, Anna Banana?"

Connor and Travis looked at her. Annabeth glared back. She had, in fact, never wanted them dead more than she did right now.

The silence stretched on for a very long time.

At last she relented and pulled her legs up to her chest, settling deeper into the chair. "Okay, boys. Tell me what I have to do."

9:43 AM
Bunker Nine

"All the cool kids traded Pokemon cards at lunch and collected Lisa Frank crap," said Malcolm matter-of-factly. "I'm sorry, but that's how you cut it in the fourth grade."

Leo only snorted in response.

"Can somebody back me up here?"

Annabeth didn't look up from the line of celestial bronze bolts she was drilling into the hull of the Argo II."He's right; I still have a box of those glittery erasers and fluffy pens under my bed. I think Rose used to bribe me with them when I asked too many questions."

A few people laughed, but she only smiled and went back to work as the conversation went on over her head. She found working on the giant warship oddly therapeutic. Every moment she spent in the bunker was a moment closer to finding Percy and (hopefully) forging an alliance with these Romans.

Unfortunately, she also had to share the bunker with the two or three cabins roped into helping Leo for the day. Today there were several of her own half-siblings helping out, but that helpfulness was tempered by the constant bickering of Dwight and Eva.

Eva was the head counselor of the Nemesis cabin, with a sharp tongue and an even sharper dagger. Dwight was the head counselor for Tyche and one of the most sincere people at camp. They were both nice enough on their own, but put them or their cabinmates in the same room and the results were not pretty.

"We totally would have had that drakon under control if you and your siblings" —Eva pronounced the word as if it were dirty— "hadn't decided to meddle in our fight!"

Dwight snorted. "Who said it was y'all's fight?" he demanded. "We were just trying to back you up! For crying out loud, the thing almost decapitated you!"

"Are you insinuating that I can't cover my own ass in battle, Culpepper?"

"Maybe I am! Why can't you suck it up and accept help?"

"We're plenty capable on our own!"

"Really? Because I seem to remember an incident with a fork and a pissed-off Cyclops that would suggest otherwise . . ."

"Oh my gods, that was three years ago! Just give it up already, Dwight!"

"Let me explain you a thing, Bitchzilla—"

"Concussed harpy—"

"Rabid shrew—"

"Both of you, shut up," snapped Annabeth at last. Both Dwight and Eva complied, expressions shifting from anger to chagrin. "Gods, it's exhausting just listening to you arguing. You can go antagonize each other somewhere else for all I care, but—"

She couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence, not wanting to say something too harsh for which to apologize. They were going to war again; everyone had about eighteen things that should have been done yesterday, and yet these two couldn't hold off their petty bickering longer than five minutes?

"Annabeth, we're really sorry," Dwight said. Eva opened her mouth as if to argue with him again, saw Annabeth's expression, and closed it again at once.

"It's fine. I had to go get some other things done anyway." She tightened her last bolt and tossed the drill to Malcolm, who was watching her almost sadly, before climbing down from the scaffolding and leaving Bunker Nine.

10:50 AM
The Big House

For the fifth time in as many minutes, Annabeth had to set aside the paper she was grading and stifle yet another sneeze. Gods, this cold was ridiculous. If she was going to be sick, the least she expected was that it not be annoying. Malcolm had been right—she would have to start taking better care of herself.

She debated just turning her classes over to a free counselor for the day and going back to bed, but decided against it when she saw the pile of papers still waiting for her to grade. It wouldn't be fair to any replacement of hers to make them grade old work while covering new material. She tugged the next paper off the stack, swiped at her itchy nose, and began to read.

She was just putting the last grade (a dismal one) on top of Marshall Sanders's paper when the door opened and Annabeth looked up, expecting to see the first of her late morning Ancient Greek class trickling in from their various activities. She was not expecting Piper, dressed nicely despite the gloomy weather, to bounce into the room and sit on the table where Annabeth was currently working.

"We're going out," Piper announced. "You, me, and Rachel. No arguments, no excuses. Eva is covering the rest of your classes today and I already cleared everything with Chiron."

Annabeth blinked. "But I—"

"I just said no arguments." Piper's tone was kind, but firm. "You need a break, and Rachel and I have been planning a girls' day out for a while, so you're coming with us."

Maybe she hadn't meant to use it, but the hint of charmspeak in Piper's words took all the fight out of Annabeth. She collapsed against her chair and sighed. "I really don't have a choice, do I?"

"Nope," said Piper sympathetically. "Come on, it'll be fun. You can even pick where we go for lunch if you want."

". . . Alright, you win. I'll be ready in five minutes."

Annabeth swung by her cabin to pick up her jacket (she was cold today, gods damn it) and tracked down Eva, who was still slightly wary-looking after the earlier incident in Bunker Nine. She apologized profusely for all the paperwork she had left for the daughter of Nemesis to finish. Eva shouted down her apologies, telling her to "go have fun and relax already, good gods," and sent her on her way to the stables.

She was greeted by the sounds of rustling wings and the movements of pegasi in their stalls. The aisles were softly lit and the whole building smelled like leather and saddle soap . . . Annabeth could see why Demeter's kids liked spending time in here. The hayloft alone looked like a perfect place to read or study in peace. Perhaps she'd have to investigate later.

She didn't know what led her to Blackjack's stall—he was, as an unspoken rule, Percy's pegasus alone. But he poked his head out in interest when Annabeth arrived, prompting her to let herself into his stall and give him a few pats. He nudged her pockets hopefully, looking at her with imploring brown eyes. The look was so funny that she couldn't resist cracking a smile.

"No sugar cubes today, bud," she said, scratching his shoulder. "Sorry, I've had a lot of things on my mind."

His tail twitched several times. If a horse could look eager, Blackjack definitely did.

"Want to go for a ride?" Annabeth asked. "We can bring Guido and Porkpie, too. I've got some errands to run in the city."

Blackjack nickered and headbutted her shoulder, which Annabeth took as a definite yes. She led him through the barn and out into the watery winter sunlight, wound her hands into the base of his mane, and boosted herself up and onto his back (tucking her knees in behind the wing joints—Pegasus Safety Rule #1).

Then she looked up at the sky and gave her best taxi whistle. Within minutes she spotted two familiar shapes descending from the sky: the winged forms of Guido and Porkpie.

"Hi, guys," she said as Piper and Rachel arrived. "You're just in time. Our rides are here."

. . .

They landed the pegasi in a secluded corner of Central Park, safely hidden from mortals.

Blackjack gave Annabeth that imploring look again. This time she actually laughed. "Okay, you win. I'll bring you back a donut if I can."

The pegasus whinnied appreciatively, but his expression was serious—well, as serious as a horse's expression could get—as he bumped her with his nose one last time before they left. Annabeth couldn't speak Horse like her boyfriend, but she could almost imagine what Blackjack was trying to say.

Be safe.

12:17 PM
Midtown

They ran errands for the first hour or so. While Rachel (the least likely to attract monster attention) went off down Fifth Avenue, armed with her credit card to fulfill Annabeth's cryptic request, the other girls headed for the nearby Duane Reade to stock up on toiletries for their cabinmates. It was the counselors' job to provide their siblings with basic necessities as needed; these little shopping trips also gave them a chance for unchaperoned excursions into the city, a privilege of which every counselor took full advantage.

"What's next on the list?" Piper asked, tossing a few packs of makeup wipes into the basket she was carrying. " . . . Annabeth?"

Annabeth jumped and turned. She had been too preoccupied with keeping watch through the window, her hands itching for her knife. "I wasn't listening, sorry. What did you say?"

"What's next on the list?" her friend repeated.

It took Annabeth a moment to decipher Piper's hastily scrawled cursive—not very conducive to reading with dyslexia—but eventually she figured it out. "Shampoo and conditioner for Mitchell."

"Oh yeah, he mentioned he'd been needing that." Piper turned down the appropriate aisle and stopped before a brightly colored display of hair products. "Brand?"

The brand name was very long and written in either German or French. Annabeth didn't even try deciphering beyond that; she just showed the list to Piper, who frowned. She scanned the shelves, picked up a likely-looking bright purple bottle, and flipped it over to read the label. "Seventeen dollars? He can buy his own freaking shampoo."

They headed for the register to pay for their haul. Annabeth tossed a few bags of gummy bears into her basket on the way back through the store. She fervently hoped that Piper wouldn't notice, but as they unloaded their baskets in front of the surly-looking cashier, her friend saw the candy and burst out laughing.

"I'm convinced you're still ten years old underneath all that genius," she teased, and Annabeth grinned sheepishly.

It had started snowing while they were inside—fat, wet flakes that were already sticking to the ground and clinging to the girls' coats. Piper shivered as she looked up the street towards Midtown. "Where to next?"

"Rachel said she'd meet us for lunch at this place I've got in mind. We could head there now if you're cold." Annabeth always had a hard time adjusting to the New York climate after she came home from California; she could only imagine how it felt for Piper, who'd grown up with sixty-degree winters her whole life.

"Yes, p-please," said Piper, grinning despite her chattering teeth, and the two of them headed up the street arm in arm.

. . .

The snow had worsened significantly by the time they reached the Lemnos Bar a few blocks away. Annabeth all but shoved Piper through the door and tugged it shut against the driving wind, heaving a sigh of relief at being out of the cold at last.

"Annabeth! Oh my gods, I thought you were still at camp!"

Her half-sister Rose came hurrying out from behind the counter to sweep her up into a hug, which she accepted gratefully. Rose had been the previous head counselor for cabin six, but left two years later when an injury had rendered her unable to defend the camp any longer. She'd moved in here with the intention of opening a bar that catered to mortals, gods, and demigods alike—and, judging from the look of the place, Tyche had been kind to her.

Rose pulled back and studied Annabeth intently. "I heard all about the drama from Chiron. You holding up okay?"

"Yeah," said Annabeth. "Piper here is doing a great job of distracting me."

Her half-sister grinned and turned to Piper with her hand outstretched. "Anyone who can distract Annabeth impresses the Hades out of me. Nice to meet you, kid. I'm Rose."

Piper returned the introduction and the handshake with a smile.

While Rose went back to her spot behind the counter, the girls greeted Rachel as she arrived just behind them. They all shrugged out of their wet coats and hung them by the door to dry. There were the requisite few minutes of polite small talk; Annabeth found it slightly inane and therefore didn't participate while Rachel made a few remarks about the weather and Piper asked how business was going these days.

Rose laughed derisively and tossed the rag she had been using into a plastic bucket, half-hidden under the counter. "Ever since the big man closed Olympus, I've lost almost half my regulars. The mortals are still coming, of course, but then again they don't tip as well." She propped her elbows on the bar and sighed. "But enough about my problems, I know you have plenty of your own. What can I get you, ladies?"

"The usual," said Annabeth, sliding onto a stool between Rachel and Piper. "And can you put a shot of nectar in it, please? My back is killing me."

"Maybe you should sleep in a real bed for once, instead of passing out at your desk all the time," Rachel suggested mildly as soon as she and Piper had ordered.

Annabeth tried to ignore the concern in Rachel's tone, wanting to seem nonchalant. "I never mean to; there's just so much work I have to get done."

Piper raised an eyebrow, but she and Rachel let the subject drop. Rose returned with their drinks: a cup of black tea (with nectar, as promised) for Annabeth, a latte for Piper, and Sprite for Rachel.

Annabeth was content to let their conversation float over her head as she sipped her tea and watched the snow thicken outside, feeling the effects of the nectar as the pounding ache in her head and back began to ease off. Piper had been right—just being away from her responsibilities for a while made her feel like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. At camp she could never show weakness or take a day to relax, especially with Percy gone. Everybody was counting on her to be the leader, to guide them through these upcoming negotiations with the Romans; besides, at the moment she only trusted Jason as far as she could throw him. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was until she'd taken a step back.

Making a vow then and there to start taking more time for herself, Annabeth was snapped out of her thoughts by the door opening again. The resulting gust of wind cut through her like glass and she instinctively moved closer to Piper for warmth.

The newcomer was so wrapped up in heavy outerwear that Annabeth couldn't make out any features other than a few long strands of curly hair. But as she began to remove her wet clothes (dripping melting slush all over the floor in the process) Rose answered their unspoken questions for them by hurrying out from behind the bar and enfolding the stranger in a tight hug, saying "Thank the gods, I thought you'd never get home in this weather."

Said stranger laughed—a pleasant, happy sound. She pulled off her hat and scarf to reveal lovely dark skin and bright brown eyes. "The train was a nightmare, but I got here just fine."

She pulled Rose in for a kiss; it was only then that Annabeth finally recognized the new arrival.

"Jill?"

The two women broke apart. Jill looked over and grinned. "Well, if it isn't Annabeth Chase, looking all grown up. How's it going, kiddo?"

She handed her hat and scarf to Rose, who was looking on fondly, and rushed over to enfold Annabeth in a hug.

"We have a lot to catch up on, you and I. Starting with these lovely ladies," she said, motioning to Rachel and Piper.

Annabeth drained the last of her tea and set it back on the counter. "Well," she said, "I was at the Grand Canyon last month..."

. . .

"We should probably head back to Camp," said Rachel. "I promised I'd help Kayla with a project she's working on and it'll take a while to get there with all this snow."

Murmuring agreement, Piper rose from her seat and gathered up their coats while Rachel settled their tab. Rose came out from behind the bar and hugged them all; if the hug Annabeth got was longer than everyone else's, no one said a word.

"Iris-message us sometimes, okay?" murmured Rose when Annabeth finally pulled away. "Every time you go back to camp, it's as if you've dropped off the face of the planet."

Jill shook Rachel's hand, ruffled Piper's hair, and gave Annabeth a one-armed squeeze. "Agreed. Don't be strangers to family."

They said goodbye to Rose and Jill, who held hands in the doorway and watched them as they headed out into what was now a full-blown snowstorm.

"Gods, it's freezing," said Rachel, hunching her shoulders against the wind. "I feel bad for the pegasi."

"I wonder what we did to make Khione mad today," Annabeth added. "Normally the mortal weathermen can tell us something about possible blizzards, but this is pretty unexpected."

"Annabeth?" asked Piper after a while of walking in silence. Her friend's voice was tinged with apprehension, but Annabeth was too caught up in her own thoughts to pay it much thought. "Don't look now, but is that woman behind us . . . supposed to be glowing green?"

She risked a glance over her shoulder and immediately suppressed the urge to do a double-take. About a hundred feet behind them was a woman, her pace unhurried and her coat hanging open despite the weather. And, just as Piper had said, she was surrounded by a flickering green aura—too bright to be anything but a goddess or a Titan. She locked eyes with Annabeth and grinned widely.

Annabeth didn't even stop to consider her next move. She seized Piper and Rachel by the wrists, turned, and ran for her life.

A/N: Sorry this took me so long! I've had it written for AGES but the editing also took me AGES, so here we are. I wanted to make sure this was really good for you guys and I think I've finally gotten it to where I want it!

There will be two more chapters, for the afternoon and night. I don't know when I'll have them finished, but they're my priority right now. Be patient and I'll have them up as soon as I can!

Writing this has really cemented my love for Annabeth. Oh, the crap she puts up with...

Reviews are like getting As on all my finals ;)

EPC