Author's Notes

Hey Guys!

Thank you so much for the reviews! It's seriously great to hear your thoughts! I've decided that I'm going to answer any reviews I get in the Author's Notes at the beginning of the chapters from now on.

DownElliot:I know I told you I didn't want to reveal too much but the Golden Fleece is a problem, along with other stuff that will be revealed as the story unfurls. Hopefully I'll have cleared up any confusion about the fleece by the end of this chapter, so keep on reading! Thank you again for reviewing.

MeridaAtMidnight:Thank you so much for that review, it put a big smile on my face! I definitely won't be abandoning this story, although I am writing others simultaneously for different fandoms so progress may be slower than I would like. My Mum used to work in journalism so watching her proof read and pick out grammatical and punctuation errors has really helped my writing, it's definitely not perfect, but it's getting there. Also thanks for the tip, I generally do that anyway but I'll definitely keep it in mind.

Ships:Thank you, I hope you like the way the story's going and everything will make a bit more sense after this chapter so hang in there.

Ivyvinex:I know, I have a particular liking for cliff-hangers so you can expect a lot of those! Like I said, all will be revealed soon, so hold on.

Thanks for reading and reviewing Guys, I love hearing feedback from you all, it makes the writing process all the more worthwhile!

Hattie x

Percy's mind was reeling, the Golden Fleece? Of course he remembered it! It had been his, well technically not his, second quest; one he had taken with Annabeth and Grover. They'd helped retrieve it and had taken it back to Camp Half Blood to save Thalia's tree, protecting the barrier that surrounded the camp, keeping all demigods safe from harm. As far as Percy knew, the fleece still resided on Half Blood Hill today, guarded by the mighty dragon Peleus. However, it had been some years since he'd visited his old home and who knows what had changed since.

"Yeah, of course I remember it, it's still hanging in Thalia's tree back on Half Blood Hill isn't it?" he asked, glancing at Will, who was leaning against the wall by the window, from his seat near the door. They'd moved location as Percy had been gathering a little crowd of sympathizers out in the corridor, and frankly neither of them wished their conversation to be overheard. Will had suggested his office, three floors down, but there was no way in Hades that Percy was moving further than 50 meters from Annabeth's room; so they compromised with an empty consultation room a little way down the hall.

"Um, well you see, that's the thing." Will began, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "After the whole 'Gaia raging war against the world' thing, there were a few artefacts that went missing from Camp Half Blood." Percy's blood stiffened, he really hoped Will wasn't going where he thought he was going with this.

"Let me guess," Percy said sarcastically, "the Golden Fleece was one of those artefacts?" Will nodded solemnly, and Percy cursed under his breath. He'd nearly died retrieving that damned fleece! And now it was missing again? Great, just great. "But Peleus was guarding it! How the hell does anyone slip past a freaking dragon? Especially one as dutiful and vigilant as Peleus?"

"That's what Chiron and Mr D said, well, more or less, maybe not in that exact wording but you get the picture." Will said as he strode from his position by the window and sagged into the seat opposite, "But the Golden Fleece is the only thing that can save Annabeth now. Even if I could get my hands on some Nectar or Ambrosia, it would only sustain her life enough for her to be consciously aware she's in pain without being actually conscious, thus she would just suffer more. Is this making any sense?" Percy looked up from staring at his interlocked fingers.

"Huh?" truthfully, he hadn't even been listening to his friend; his brain was still trying to process the fact that the fleece was missing.

"Were you even listening Percy?" Will asked in exasperation, dragging his hand down his face. Percy tried his best to look apologetic but the doctor could tell he wasn't really in the room. He'd seen many demigods with the same expression Percy was wearing now: eyebrows furrowed deep in thought, trying to figure out their next move and comprehend their situation. He'd treated too many of his friends and allies who wore that exact look when they lost someone in battle.

"Sorry man, I'm still trying to get my head around the fleece thing." Percy admitted, standing and pacing the width of the small room. "I just can't see how it could have gone missing. I mean, it's a fleece, an inanimate object, it's not like it just grew legs and wandered of is it?"

"I know, it's kind of confusing and nobody, not even Chiron and Mr D, has any idea as to where it could have gone." Will confessed, Percy paused before asking,

"How long has it been missing exactly?"

"Honestly, probably a few years now. The war was what, nearly 5 years ago?" Percy nodded, anger boiling in his blood. The fleece had been missing for years?! And nobody had bothered to tell him?! Wow, he'd never felt so loved. "Well, probably about a year after the war, once most of the chaos and grief had subsided, we noticed that Peleus was acting very differently, he seemed pretty distressed. One day, he started lashing out at anyone and everyone who came near him, it took nearly half of the entire camp to tie him down and prevent him trashing the place. Once he was restrained he let out this horribly empty and hollow roar, like he'd just given up. It was only then that one of the more observant Athena kids noticed the Golden Fleece wasn't there; he reckoned that Peleus had noticed the fleece was gone and thought he had failed in his duty, failed the camp." Will watched as Percy slowed his pacing, eventually slumping back into his original seat and placing his head in his hands. The son of Apollo sighed and carried on, "It took a while, but eventually we managed to get Peleus back on track; he's still guarding the tree, but to protect the barrier rather than the fleece."

"Well, at least he didn't go wreaking havoc in the forest like Festus did." Percy muttered, nodding his head to the side slightly. Will threw him a look that said 'Who-in-Apollo's-name-is-Festus?' to which Percy responded like it was obvious, "The celestial bronze dragon that used to occasionally show up to burn cabins or kill a few campers until Beckendorf managed to control it a little. His head now functions as the figure head of the Argo II, courtesy of Leo Valdez."

"Ah right, yeah I remember now. That's a fair point there." Percy nodded going straight back to thinking about the fleece. He still couldn't believe he hadn't been told the fleece had been missing for nearly 4 years.

"So you're absolutely positive that nobody, not one single person, has any clue what so ever as to where the fleece might be?" he asked, looking across at his friend. Will hesitated, his face clouding over like he knew something but was debating whether to voice it. "Will? You got something to say?" Percy asked expectantly, his stare hardening, "Because if you've got information, I suggest you spill it. Annabeth's life is on the line here and I don't plan on letting anything getting in my way to save her." He hissed. Will wrung his hands nervously, but it only took one look at Percy's serious face to clear his throat and say,

"There's been another prophecy." Suddenly, all anger slipped from Percy's face, and his eyes widened in shock.