Caution! DO NOT READ if you have not read The Son of Neptune!
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO. This is true for all chapters.
The Mark of Athena
Prologue: Annabeth (these are some things that happened during SON in Annabeth's POV)
Annabeth looked up at the amazing ship Leo Valdez had managed to build (with the whole camp's help, of course) and thought about Percy. He would remember her, he had to. After six months? Jason remembered a lot, so Annabeth was sure Percy would too.
"Annabeth!" a familiar voice called. "Time for the counselor's meeting!"
Annabeth turned and walked away from the beach where the Argo II was almost complete (they had moved the ship there so that there wouldn't be trouble moving it out of Bunker Nine once it was finished) and followed Grover to the Big House.
Annabeth walked in to see that she was the last counselor in. Rachel was there too, which surprised Annabeth. She had thought that Rachel was still in school. Oh wait. It's June 20th. She's on summer break. Annabeth took her seat and faced Chiron, but Grover spoke.
"You all know I have an empathy link with Percy." he said, glancing at Annabeth, who had narrowed her eyes. Had Grover finally gotten through to Percy? "Its been blocked all this time, but today in the morning, I don't know, it's like it was unblocked- partially. I want to try getting through to him."
"Have you tried yet?" Annabeth asked.
Grover shook his head. "I didn't notice until fifteen minutes ago." he paused. "I may be able to get through, but just in case he doesn't recognize me, I think I can take something, or someone, along to help.
Grover looked to Annabeth, who stared back. How was that going to work?
"Let us try." Chiron said. "Go ahead Grover."
Grover walked around and put one of his hands on Annabeth's shoulder. She immediately began wondering what he would say to her, and what could she say to him? Well, Tyson was somewhere around San Francisco. If Percy stayed put, maybe Tyson could track him.
"Grover, tell him to stay put. Tyson is closest to him, isn't he?" Rachel asked. Chiron had obviously told her.
Grover nodded and closed his eyes. For a moment Annabeth thought that it hadn't worked, then, suddenly, she was thrust out of the room. She was in the middle of nowhere, fog swirling at her ankles. She looked up and saw Percy ahead of her, a shape disappearing into the fog in front of him. Knowing she had only seconds, Annabeth ran towards Percy and reached out her hand. "Thank the gods!" she called to him. "For months and months we couldn't see you! Are you all right?"
Percy didn't say anything for a moment. Then he said the only thing Annabeth hadn't expected.
"Are you real?"
Annabeth could feel the connection breaking. Percy's face was dissolving into fog. "Stay put! It'll be easier for Tyson to find you! Stay where you are!" Then all she saw was darkness, and suddenly Annabeth felt Grover's hand release her shoulder and she saw all the head counselors staring at her.
"What?" Annabeth asked uneasily.
"So?" Clarisse asked. "What'd the punk say?"
"He thought I needed spare change." Grover said, smiling a little. Then his expression turned more serious. "I told him about Tyson, but I'm not sure he even remembers Tyson. He didn't seem to remember me."
Chiron's eyes traveled from Grover down to Annabeth. "I-" Annabeth began. "I- he asked me if I was real." Annabeth mumbled.
"That's good!" Piper said. "It means he remembers you, doesn't it?"
"I guess. I told him that it would be easier for Tyson to find him if he stays put." Annabeth said.
"Well, hopefully he will." Chiron said, sighing slightly. "Even if he is protected by the borders of the Roman camp, he will be easier to find if he stays put."
With that, the meeting was adjourned.
A day later, Tyson Iris-messaged Chiron and Annabeth (and all of Hephaestus cabin and Jason and Piper, since they were working on the ship), to tell them that Percy had told him to find some harpy named Ella, that he was flying to Alaska, and to meet him above the Caldecott Tunnel in the Oakland Hills at Camp Jupiter.
Annabeth didn't know what she felt at that point, but that was when Jason said, "Caldecott Tunnel. Oakland. That's- that's where camp is. The entrance is in the tunnel- I remember now."
"Did he say anything else, Tyson?" Annabeth asked hopefully.
"Said he was ok. Brother said to tell you. Said, 'Tell Annabeth.'" Tyson replied. "Maybe wanted to say something else, but left."
Annabeth stared at the Iris message. So Percy really did remember her. She felt more confident now they knew where the camp was, where Percy was, and that he remembered her. She felt happier. Plus, the Argo II was almost finished.
"Thanks Tyson." Annabeth said, smiling.
The day they were supposed to leave, the Argo II's engines broke down. Or not the engines, but something that was essential to them leaving camp. It was the summer solstice, and something important always happened on the summer solstice. They had to leave now.
"Leo, what's wrong?" Annabeth called up to him as he opened a hatch in the deck. Smoke poured out of it. Jason and Piper climbed up beside Leo.
"I'm not sure, let me get a look at it!" Leo called back.
"You realize it's the solstice." Piper said. "We're supposed to leave today."
"I know that!" Leo retaliated. "Could be the fizzrockets. Could be the samophlange. Could be Gaea messing with us again. I'm not sure!"
Annabeth, down on the ground, was about to ask how long this was going to take, when Jason asked for her. "How long?"
"Two, three days?" Leo said, sounding unsure.
"They may not have long." Piper warned. Annabeth silently agreed with Piper. They had reason to suspect that a giant or two, plus their armies, was going to attack Camp Jupiter today, according to recent dreams certain demigods had been having.
And then about an hour later, Sally Jackson called camp to tell them that Percy had left a voice mail explaining the Hera switching Percy and Jason thing, and that he was on a quest. Annabeth knew they had to leave today.
"Leo, get some of your siblings to help! We need to leave today!" Annabeth yelled to him. She wondered if Percy had thought of contacting her, but had tried and failed. She tried Iris-messaging Percy every once in a while, knowing that it wouldn't work, but still, she wanted to talk to her boyfriend who she hadn't seen in six or seven months.
The Argo II was repaired by the following morning, so Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Leo quickly ate breakfast and boarded the ship. As Leo raised it off the ground, the other campers waved at them, calling out things like, "Don't get eaten by monsters!" or "Say hi to Percy for me!"
As soon as camp was out of view, the four of them went down to the kitchen, a dark room with walls made of timber and oil lamps as lights. Jason got out a scroll of parchment that Chiron had given them, to send as a message to the Roman camp. Leo sat down on one of the benches.
Jason opened the scroll so that one side was facing Leo, who began speaking at the paper.
"Hey! Greeting from your friends at Camp Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo. I'm the…" Leo stopped and looked sideways at Piper, who was standing next to the door. "What's my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or-"
"Repair boy!" Piper said back to him, smiling.
"Very funny, Piper," Leo muttered, turning back to the parchment. Both Annabeth and Jason were laughing silently. Leo ignored them and said, "So yeah, I'm…ah… supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that! Anyway, we're gonna be sailing toward you in about, I dunno, an hour in this big mother warship. We'd appreciate it if you'd not, like, blow us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you could tell the Romans that. See you soon. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out."
Jason rolled up the scroll again. Piper looked at Leo. "Demigodishness?"
"What was I supposed to say?" Leo argued back. Piper just shrugged.
Turning to Annabeth and Jason, Piper asked, "How are we going to send it to them?"
"With a little help from the gods." Jason replied. Annabeth, Piper, and Leo followed Jason up to the deck of the ship.
Pouring some water on a bronze part of the ship and using a prism, they were able to make a rainbow. On the fifth try.
"Tyson at Camp Jupiter." Annabeth said. They all knew that if they tried to contact Percy, the message wouldn't get through.
Tyson appeared in front of them, a red-feathered harpy fluttering around him. Before any of them could say anything, the harpy landed next to Tyson and said, "Friends? Friends are good. Yep yep yep."
Leo stifled a laugh. "Tyson, who is that?"
"Ella the harpy." Tyson replied. "Leo has a message?"
Annabeth nodded. "We want you to give something to Percy." she took the scroll from Jason. "This."
"I don't think you can pass things through Iris-messages though." Piper said, looking uncertainly from Annabeth to Tyson.
"With help from Iris and Jupiter, maybe we can." Jason replied. Piper looked doubtful even as Jason held the scroll up to the Iris message and began muttering under his breath, praying to Iris and Jupiter. Or Zeus. Annabeth wasn't sure which one.
Suddenly, the rainbow seemed to glow brighter, and the scroll was sucked out of Jason's hand and caught by Tyson. Annabeth had had her doubts too. She had never heard of something like this being done before, but now that she saw it was possible, she had to admit, it was pretty cool.
"I will give to Percy!" Tyson said. "See you soon, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Jason! Bye!" he swiped his hand through the Iris-message, and they were alone once again.
About an hour later, Leo announced that they were approaching Camp Jupiter. Annabeth looked over the side of the ship. Below them was a city. Off in the distance were a few temples, and the other way in the distance was what looked like a military camp. Below them was a Senate House with the roof blasted off. Annabeth could see tiny specks that she knew were people moving around inside it. There were houses, a Coliseum, an arena a lake and some sort of bridge that went halfway into the city before ending. Annabeth stared at it for a moment, then realized it was an aqueduct.
There were streets full of people, and as they got closer, Annabeth saw whole families sitting at tables and looking into shop windows. The ship was now just descending straight down into something that looked suspiciously like a Roman Forum. There were people in togas and armor walking to the edges of the Forum, waiting for them. Nobody seemed to have any weapons.
Annabeth stepped back from the edge a little as the ship descended over a large patch of grass. And then it landed. Landed in Jason's home, landed in a place Annabeth knew she could be killed, but most importantly, landed in the place where Percy Jackson was waiting for her.
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