Annabeth's POV

It was early in the morning at Camp Half- Blood. The sun's golden rays shone through the window like blazing fire. Outside, early risers were enjoying the summer breeze and delighted sounds of laughter ran through the camp. Unfortunately, Annabeth was curled up tight in a ball still half- asleep. That was a big surprise for Annabeth's half siblings because Annabeth was one of the earliest risers.

"You must… must… must…" muttered Annabeth still in a sleepy daze.

She was remembering yesterday night's dream. It didn't turn out right, like something was missing. Well, demigod's dreams never turned out right. It wasn't fair that she couldn't dream of all the happy times she spent with Percy. Instead she had dreamed of her argument with her mother, Athena at the New York Museum of Civilization. Every night since a few weeks ago, she had the same dream over and over and over. The so-called words of encouragement stung her, harsh on her pride and ego.

"You must avenge me and bring me back who I used to be. If you fail, then you are no child of mine. An outcast, the seventh wheel. Nike will be disappointed and so will I. You won't fit in and your boyfriend will turn away from you. Be prepared." snarled Athena. And on that note, Athena turned and disappeared into thin air.

What would Percy have said if he was here? Thinking of him made Annabeth all sad again. She longed to see his piercing green eyes, and his smiling face. She didn't want him to leave her like how Luke did to her last year. Tears welled up through her eyes and jolted her awake.

"Leanne, what time is it?" asked Annabeth sleepily.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake. It's almost time for breakfast. I had so many of your friends asking for you. They were so agitated that they even started to Iris- Message me. What a waste of drachmas don't you think? They could have used it in dire times like when we are in war or something. "replied Leanne.

Annabeth almost smiled. She could always count on Leanne to make her feel better. Leanne was a bit different from all the other Athena campers. She was money-wise and super smart in general, but the real difference was that she had a sense of humor like the Stoll's brothers. That was super rare among the Athena campers, but you could tell that they enjoyed Leanne's company. They could even pass for twins on the first glance but once you get to know them it was easy telling them apart. Just see who acts the craziest. Annabeth felt a bit guilty having to leave one of her favorite half siblings back home but she knew it in her gut that it would benefit everyone.

"I guess we better get going. Don't want to be late for breakfast." suggested Annabeth.

"Ok. Let's go." said Leanne.

As they walked down the path to the open air dining room, Annabeth felt very unsure of what might happen. Already in her head she was making plans on how to get rid of the two paranoid feelings inside of her. Why was someone suggesting or possibly commanding her to stay? Could it be her biggest enemy Gaea? Probably wants to stop her efforts of defeating her. But doesn't Gaea also want her dead? So the two possible reasons doesn't sum up. In the end none of the reasons led up to each other, even the past battles on quests.

The bustling sound of people chatting happily and eating a content meal finally snapped her back to reality. Despite this, she kept on glancing back at Poseidon's table where Percy usually sat. It seemed foreign now even though Tyson sat there a week ago. Without Percy nothing felt familiar. She would do anything to reunite with him right now. She couldn't wait another day let alone five. She could give up the world right now if it meant seeing Percy exactly like before Hera stole him. She would give up anything, her dreams, her hopes, her home, her quest. Just name a price. But she knew that it was impossible because the only person that will actually do this is Gaea. It was a way of leading her into another one of her obnoxious traps. She pushed this thought aside quickly not wanting to ruin her forced thoughts about reuniting with Percy. She took a bite of her cold toast half-heartedly.

Once she was done breakfast she quietly slipped to Percy and her secret hiding spot on the beach where they met Hermes four years ago. She was flooded of thoughts that ranged from happiness to worry to scared, so secretive only that she shared with Percy. She glanced around to see it there was anyone nearby looking. The only two people nearby were Piper Maclean and Jason Grace. Those two were laughing and enjoying good moments like as if no one was there.

"Which was technically true" Annabeth thought. But that made her feel more jealous of them the longer she stared at them.

All of the sudden, she heard the trotting of hooves. "Dang it" she thought. "Every time I tried to think it was always interrupted by someone or something. "she muttered.
She turned her head around just in time to see the camp director coming towards her.

"What is it Chiron?" Annabeth asked with a little edge in her voice. She was a bit mad that he had been keeping secrets about the Roman camp from her which made her feel useless. What's the point of a child of Athena if they didn't know the basic evidence needed to solve a case? But of course in the end she figured it all by herself which made her proud.

"I just wanted to talk. Let's go take a walk." suggested Chiron.

"All right." answered Annabeth. She stood up reluctantly and followed Chiron.

"So, what's wrong?" questioned Chiron once they were a safe distance away from others.

They were at Zeus's Fist, the heart of the camp, the ex-entrance to the Labyrinth. Chiron looked shabby and tired as there were dark spots under his eyes. But in his eyes the same alertness and intense look still remained. Annabeth sucked in her breath, her stormy eyes quavering and spilled out everything she carefully kept hidden.
When she finished, Annabeth's knees buckled and without any further warning her head hit the concrete ground. Then everything turned black.