A/N: Hey! By the way, I love you reviewers. And also, for newcomers, this is the sequel to A Frosty Winter. (Crap, I should've put that in the summary, huh?) Well, back to the story.

Now, normally I don't think of myself as a reckless person. Adventurous, sure, but I plan things out.

However, when Thalia called me at three thirty in the morning, I didn't really have a choice but to call a taxi and head for San Francisco International. Why does it always start in an airport?

"Gate thirteen...gate thirteen..." I muttered as I strode down the moving sidewalk. A few lazy people next to me stood still, letting the floor move them along. But it was still dark outside, and there weren't that many people around. "Where the hell's gate thirteen?!"

My eyes flicked across the gates in front of me. Gate 9...gate 11...there it was.

"Paris?!" I hissed out loud in the line to check-in. Sure enough, there was marquee with DESTINATION: PARIS, FRANCE flashing across it before my eyes. "Oh, thanks, Thalia."

Paris. That was just incredibly random. It didn't occur to me that I could have the wrong gate, because this was just like Thalia: give me meaningless instructions and promise to explain in the end. I sighed as I signed in and received my boarding pass, courtesy of a small company called Hunters, Inc. You'd better have a good explanation, I thought with annoyance as I snatched up the boarding pass and flopped down into a seat. The only reason I'd come is to see him again.

I looked bored, I'm sure, while I was sitting there. But I was anything except bored. For example, I was thinking, Why Europe? And what's the emergency?

But more truthfully, I was being tortured by little happy remembrances. Grover's reaction to seeing me and Percy together when camp began. Percy's "good morning" kisses that he rarely forgot to give. His insistence that I go with him on his favorite black pegasus, a scary but amazing experience. The time he snuck into the Athena cabin at midnight to calm me down during a thunderstorm, even when I hadn't told him how much they frightened me. How we'd gone down to the shore to talk the day before they took him away.

I yanked my iPod from my backpack and cranked it up as high as it would go to drown out the stupid memories. Besides, I forced myself to admit, Thalia's probably just wanted you to meet her in Paris to tell you Percy's...dead.

"Now boarding seats ten through thirty," a calm female voice called over the intercom.

I shivered and grabbed my luggage.

--

"We have reached our final destination at Paris, France."

"Nous avons atteint notre destination finale à Paris, France."

"Thank you for choosing to fly United."

"Merci du choix Uni."

I groaned as I woke up slowly. "I don't even speak French," I yawned. "Why me?"

As a cherry on top of this extremely weird morning -- which wasn't even morning anymore, it was four o'clock in the afternoon, thanks to the insanely long flight and time difference -- I couldn't speak the local language. Great.

I unlocked the compartment above my head and was welcomed by a bonk from my bags. "Dumb suitcase," I said, hitching my backpack over my shoulder and dragging my other bag along. I tried to inconspicuously rush to out of the airplane, hoping to see Thalia and question her a bit.

Sure enough...

"There you are," a girl with a crisp black bob and silver jacket said. Thalia wasn't the only one, though: a crowd of maybe fifteen others gathered around her. "We've only been waiting half an hour."

"My flight was on time," I told her, confused.

She waved her hand. "Regardless," she said. "We need to get going. Did you check any bags? No? Good."

"Who are all these people?" I whispered as we started down the escalators, trying not to be rude. "I mean, you didn't exactly give details over the phone."

"Oh, right," she smacked her head. "Okay, the other Hunters: Grace, Elizabeth, Leslie, and Rose," she pointed to each silver-jacketed girl in turn. They looked four years younger than me, about twelve; harmless enough. I smiled and got a smile bxnack from everyone except Rose. "And there are other half-bloods, too," she gestured to the remainder of kids, girls and boys.

"Oh, yeah," I nodded in understanding while we headed out the French airport doors. "We know each other, right?"

Thalia agreed, "Yep. But just so we're clear...this is Amanda," she pointed to a grinning blonde.

"Duh," I laughed. "We're in the same cabin."

"Whatever. That's Sholeh," Thalia showed me a pretty girl with blue eyes I'd probably seen before.

"Keira," she pointed to a friendly-looking redhead.

"Ariel," a girl with a sleek black ponytail.

"Meridith," a brunette with a sweet smile.

"Allegra, Miranda, Drake, Jon, Candy," she showed me each one in turn. I hoped I could remember them all.

"Nice to see you guys again," I tried to force a smile. It didn't help, obviously. Our camp, our only haven, was dead. Of course we couldn't be all right.

I threw my bags on a bench while Thalia turned to Candy. "Hey, could you guys pick up the car, s'il vouz plet?" she asked, dropping her a set of keys. "We'll stay right here."

"No problem," Candy said. "Allons-y, guys, bring your bags." She jingled the keys in her hands and set off toward the parking lot, the other half-bloods in tow.

Thalia waited until they were safely out of sight to turn to me again. "Ah, French. So fun to speak."

"I have a feeling I won't be doing much of that," I grumbled.

She laughed quietly. "Annabeth," she began seriously. "There's still one more person I have to introduce."

My heart skipped a beat. Where is he, I tried to say, but my vocal chords weren't cooperating.

She turned her head so she could see around the corner. "Hey, Seaweed Brain," she called softly. "Guess who's here?"

I heard the soft sound of quick footsteps before I saw the most wonderful sight I'd ever seen.

"Oh, my gods, Percy!" I laugh-cried as I ran to him.

He was a little taller. His black hair had grown out a little too long, his skin a little too tan, but he looked absolutely perfect to me. I had no idea how he could get so much older in only a little time. The best part about seeing him again, aside from the assurance that he was alive -- and he was alive! Praise God! -- was his smile. I knew I looked just as crazily happy right then.

He threw his arms around me and kissed me longer than Thalia probably could stand.

"I've...missed..you," he said, hugging me way too tight. I didn't mind, though, because I was hugging him just as fiercely. His circulation wouldn't thank me for that. "I've missed you so much."

I breathed in his scent, salty and familiar. "I've missed you too," I whispered. "So don't ever leave me like that again!"

"It's only been, what, three months?" Thalia's voice drifted from behind us.

"Four," we both corrected at the same time.

He looked down at me with a dumb smile. "C'mon," he said. "We're going to a cafe. Even if Thalia won't tell you, I'll explain everything."