"What does it feel like?" Clarisse asks, watching her friend smooth out the sleeves of her dress. Really, it was already wrinkle free, but Annabeth was paranoid. She can't risk walking down the aisle with wrinkles in her dress. It's unheard of. Besides, her mother would have an even bigger fit than she's already throwing.
"It feels…right. Sort of like being claimed." Annabeth says, turning to look at the back of her dress in the mirror. It, too, looked perfect. "And sort of scary, like being chased by monsters."
"I'm glad." Clarisse says. "I think I'll go make sure the boys are ready."
"And that Grover hasn't eaten any of the decorations yet?"
"That, too." Clarisse says, smiling. Annabeth grins.
"And if you see Piper, tell her to come here. I think my hair's falling out of place again." Annabeth says, turning her head. Clarisse rolls her eyes, and steps out into the hallway. It took her a while to reach the boy's changing room, since everything was absolutely a mess, and she had to stop and talk to Piper, but when she did get there, she didn't like what she heard.
"He wouldn't just leave. He left a reason, didn't he?" Nico's worried voice asks.
"He didn't leave anything. He just said…he couldn't do it." Grover's voice says, trembling a bit. Someone –that sort of seems like Jason – sighs.
"he just…left?"
"He said he needed some alone time, so I left, and when I came back he was gone." Grover's voice says again.
"Percy loves her! He wouldn't do that." Nico's voice, now frantic, says.
"Percy left?" Clarisse asks, through the door. The boys immediately shut up, before Jason – probably the only one with enough courage – opens the door. "He's actually gone?"
"Yeah." Grover says, after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. "He's gone."
"Who's gone?" Annabeth's sudden voice asks. She had a robe over her dress – she was probably planning to talk to Percy – and her hair was filled with bobby pins. "Who's gone?" Annabeth asks, this time more demanding after no one answered.
"Annabeth, lis—
"Who's gone?" She asks, almos yelling. Clarisse reaches out for Annabeth's hand.
"Percy." Nico says, his voice trembling.
Annabeth stood there, silent, looking as if her whole world had been torn apart, the very same look she'd had when Percy went missing, before she suddenly fell to the ground, sobbing.