Alone for Two Weeks

I stumbled out through the rocks that concealed the entrance to the labyrinth. I heard the sound of arrows being nocked. "No!" I cried. "It's me! Annabeth!" The Apollo kids lowered their arrows. I half slid half fell down Zeus' Fist.

Shadows swarmed around me. My brothers dashed forward first and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. "Did you find Daedalus' workshop?" they chattered. "Did you see Luke?" It was like hearing them through water. Only one thing was on my mind. "D-do you know if someone can survive an explosion in a volcano?" I stammered. Everyone was silent. "Where's Percy, Annabeth?" asked someone. I just bowed my head and put my face in my hand. There was a murmur that grew louder and louder until Beckendorf cried, "Quiet! He could come back. He was probably away from the explosion by the time you got away. He'll be here sometime. We just have to wait."

I was ushered into a tent where the Apollo kids were treating injuries. Phoebe, an Apollo girl, was rolling bandages. "Sit down," she said. "You need to rest. You've had a shock." I sat there while she checked my pulse and mixed something in a bowl. She gave me a glass of orange juice. It had medicine in it so it tasted bitter, but I barely registered it. All night I waited for Percy to come staggering out of Zeus' fist. He had to come out. He just had to.

The sky turned gray. The birds in the woods started to make their bird noises. Percy still hadn't come. Phoebe patted my back. "He might be a little lost. He'll get here eventually." I wasn't sure I believed her. I shivered. I knew he wouldn't be here today. Maybe not even tomorrow. I stood up and went to my cabin. I had been up all night and needed my sleep.

When I woke up again, it was midday. I jogged down to the training arena and exercised with the Ares kids. I climbed the rock wall three times and went down to the beach to relax. Relaxing put me in mind of Percy so I went and trained some more. I talked to my brothers and sisters and designed new buildings. I did everything to chase Percy out of my head. Then Clarisse came to me. "You're working way too hard Annabeth. Just relax for once. The runt'll be back soon. Don't sweat."

I went down to the beach again and began making a sandcastle. I was good with sandcastles. I could make towers and drawbridges and secret tunnels. As I started the base for it, I thought about Percy. Over the winter, he had believed I was alive. He knew it. He had kept going because he is my best friend. I remembered before I was taken by Dr. Thorn and we danced for about half of a Jesse McCartney song. I didn't really like the music and was longing for something like the Beatles. Percy stepped on my toes and blushed. I knew he had been one of the loners that hung around in the back during dances. Maybe I had started to have a tiny crush on him. But that was silly! Though whenever I remembered when we were in Siren Bay I got shivers down my back. I put my head on his shoulder and cried. It had felt so nice just to be close like that, and not worry what he might think of me if I just sobbed like that. He understood. We were that close of friends to share that. What was I thinking? Percy obviously liked Rachel. I had wasted my first kiss on him, even if had felt as though everything didn't matter when I kissed him. Even if he held my hand for just a moment and then squeezed it. Even if I couldn't stop touching my lips to try and remember what it felt like. I knew he liked her. Rachel. Ugh, I hated her. They would probably be boyfriend and girlfriend by the end of the school year. They would walk around and be friends for months and then at one awkward moment would kiss and-. I was upsetting myself. Stuff like that only happened in movies that were too mushy to watch without groaning. Yet I still couldn't forget how she had written her number on his hand.

I kicked over my sandcastle.

Finally, after two weeks of trying to drive Percy from my mind, Chiron approached me. "Annabeth," he started. "It has been two weeks since...it happened. We must assume that he didn't make it." I nodded. "I guess we should go ahead with the ceremony. I'll do the honors since…Grover and Tyson aren't here." We had left them behind too. How could I forget? I felt instantly awful. I didn't want to cry yet. I wanted to cry when nobody was watching. I wanted to sob to myself, maybe on the beach. Percy always went to the beach when he had problems.

The shroud woven for him was so beautiful. I held it, just remembering. What would Percy be like, actually wrapped in this shroud? I was taken back to our first quest. We returned to camp in high spirits. The Ares campers made Percy his shroud. Percy hated it, probably because it was ugly and had 'loser' printed all over it. He had chuckled as he burned it. My shroud was nice. I wasn't surprised. Athena invented the loom. Percy said it was a shame I wouldn't be buried in it. I punched him in the arm. Now I thought about it, it was more of a compliment. That was right before Luke had betrayed us.

Chiron nudged me, bringing me back to the task at hand. I carried the shroud over to the fire and dropped it in. I started to cry. Everyone looked sympathetic. I managed to speak clearly. "He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. He…" I broke off. I saw him. Was it a mirage? It couldn't be the real Percy. But he looked at me and I knew it had to be him. "He's right there!" I shrieked. The crowd ran toward him. I stood there, frozen. He was alive! I ran forward, pushing my way through the crowd. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" I cried. I hugged him tightly. Then I realized. I pushed him away. "I-we thought you were dead Seaweed Brain!"

"I'm sorry. I got lost."

"Lost? Two weeks, Percy? Where in the world-."

Chiron interrupted me. He said we needed to talk it over. All I could think of was that Percy was back. My friend was alive!