Chapter 2! Annabeth's feelings when she thought Percy was dead.

Authors Note: Please no flames and thanks to all who reviewed. Sry I was so long to repost, we went on a family vacation, and it's been boiling hot so I haven't felt up to it =D Please read and review, and if possible could you give me some ideas on what else I should do from Annabeth's POV? Thx all ~ Maddy may be a bit OOC…

"Nothing, nothing at all, Silena." Good old Chiron. I thought sarcastically. Of course he would send Silena. The daughter of Aphrodite the goddess of love. How ironic is that?

Neigh!

I turned to see Silena riding P . . . Percy's horse, Blackjack. I felt my lower lip tremble a bit before I stopped it. Be tough Annabeth! Percy had saved him by causing a diversion on the Princess Andromeda. Luke's ship. I sighed.

Silena rushed off her Pegasus and gave me a hug. I tried to push her away, but she clung on. "I'm so sorry, Annabeth! You must be devastated! I know he meant a-lot to you."

"Ya, I guess . . ." I mumbled. Didn't she realize she was making me feel worse? And why did she have to bring Blackjack, not any other Pegasi?

"Come on Annabeth, let's get you back to camp." Silena said, and as I stumbled she kept encouraging me. It made me want to puke. "Let's go, come on. You can do it."

She kept mumbling words that sounded incoherent to me. I couldn't tune it out either. It was a faint buzzing in my head that was really starting to bug me.

"Silena?" I growled.

"Hmm?"

"Will you please stop talking?" I was gaining a new PMS attitude. She sounded so cheerful. Didn't she realize Percy Jackson was dead?

She looked hurt, but stopped. I automatically felt bad. "Silena I'm sor . . ." I tried to say, but she cut me off.

"No, Annabeth, it's OK, I understand, completely." Blackjack knelt down to let me on his back.

It was hard to look at his face because it was like his eyes were asking me what had happened, where the "boss" was, as Percy had told me he called him. Neigh!

"I know big guy, I'm going to miss him to." A big, fat horse tear trickled down his muzzle, making me feel worse. I knew somehow, he knew what had happened. He had a connection or something.

I didn't feel the slightest inkling of curiosity on how he did. Normally I would have jumped on the idea of new information. I just didn't care anymore.

Flying on Blackjack used to be scary, but I didn't mind. It made me feel closer to him in some ways. I knew that he shared a small portion of the pain I'm feeling.

"Silena?" I knew where I wanted to go now. She looked at me. "Can you take me to Sally Jackson's house? I need to tell her what happened." I need to be strong, for Sally's sake, at the least.

"Ya, Annabeth. That's fine." We flew over the middle of Manhattan to a small cluster of apartments.

When we landed I walked up to the one that I knew was the Jackson's, and knocked on the door.

A cheerful looking woman opened the door. When she saw me the smile slid off her face. "Annabeth. What's happened? Where's Percy?" I sighed internally before I told her.

"Look Ms. Jackson. He did it for me, please remember that. And don't get mad. Please, I already feel bad enough." I was practically begging. She was one person I looked up to, and I didn't want her to resent me.

And secretly, though I would never admit it. I wanted her to comfort me, to tell me it's ok. To not blame me. That she accepted me, still like me even though her son wasn't there anymore.

And I told her what had happened.

I watched her as I told her. I watched her eyes grow wide with horror. I watched different emotions flicker over her face; disbelief, pain, betrayal, sympathy, pity, grief and more horror. That was the most common, horror. But, never, did I see the one I was looking for, dreading; blame, hate, or resentment.

When I finished, she threw her arms around me, in a consoling hug. It made my insides tingle sweetly. Sally was like the mother I had always wished for. One that was there for me when I was in pain.

But, right now, we were sharing the same pain. I lost my best friend, and she lost her son. I hoped I was soothing her as much as she was me. I knew she must be in terrible woe.

"Ms. Jackson, I need to get back to Camp Half-Blood, to tell Chiron what happened." She let me go, but the warm feeling was still there. It made me feel better. I noticed that she hadn't shed a single tear, while I had shed many. She was a stronger woman than I had thought.

"Annabeth, remember that you one of the most precious people to Percy. He was always wondering how you were, if you were okay, and things like that. He cared about you. And if, somehow, he's still alive, he'll find a way to come back, to you, to me, to Grover. He was always too loyal to his friends. I know you loved him." She shushed my feeble protests. "Even if it was just like a brother." She said. I really liked Sally. She never pushed you when you didn't want to tell anything, she was just like that.

"Sally, I think I was in love with your son. . ." Holy Athena, did I really just say that? Oh my gods.

"It's Ok, Annabeth, I knew that don't worry." Her eyes were full of pain and grief but I knew that Paul would help her get through it. I knew he was more special than she said he was.

"Thank you, Ms. Jackson. I need to go now." She pulled me into one more motherly hug, and let me go.

We landed in the middle of camp where satyrs were playing volleyball and campers were leisurely milling around or practicing shooting bows and arrows. One camper stood out among them all, a burly African-American 17 year old. Beckendorf. He was sitting on a bench outside the Hephaestus cabin, shoulders hunched, in obvious sadness. He must know already.

Silena automatically went to tell him. It was so obvious that she liked him. But, didn't I do that to Percy before... Before ... It happened.

I muttered a garbled thanks to Silena, and Beckendorf looked at me with sympathy. Ugh! I didn't want sympathy or pity. I wanted Percy back.

Why couldn't they tell that I wanted to be alone? I stalked off to my cabin.

I was lucky enough to find that no one was there. I didn't think I could handle another pitiful gaze or sympathetic glance. I needed time to get everything straight.

I walked to my bunk bed and climbed onto the top bunk, above Malcolm's half, and curled up into a ball to sort out my life.

Understand, Annabeth. Percy's gone. He's not coming back. His face filled my minds eye, taking up all space. He was the only thing I could think of; his intense, sea green eyes, his hair that always stood up in a black mess in the back, the way he would never intentionally get into trouble, how it found him, his lips so soft against mine moving in perfect synch, like they were made to fit together….. I trailed off at that thought. It hurt too much to think of what could have been.

I heard a soft galloping outside my cabin, and knew it was time. The time I had dreaded. It was time for the funeral

The door opened with a soft creak, and the man I had come to think of as a father cantered in.

"Annabeth." I could tell he had a whirlwind of emotion going through him. I knew he had come to think of Percy as a son, too. He had cared deeply for him.

He slowly walked up to me and put his arms around me in a comforting embrace. "I know it hurts, but I know Percy would have liked you to be there." He knew I knew what he wanted. He wanted me to be there, to stand there and watch Percy's shroud burn. "But I want you to burn his shroud. You were his closest friend; he would have liked it to be you. Will you?"

I was shocked. For some reason, I hadn't expected to be the one to do it. I had thought that Grover or . . . I couldn't think of anyone else. We had been on a quest every year. He hadn't had time to form closer friendships than with his friends on his quests.

But you have never led one. Now's your chance, Percy's not here to steal all the glory. A small voice in the back of my head said. No! That's not fair. He was a natural leader!

"Annabeth?" Chiron asked, distracting me from my internal turmoil. "Will you? Please?"

"Ya . . . Yes, Chiron, I will. Can I have some time to . . . to figure out what to say?" I pleaded.

"Of course. Annabeth, of course. The ceremony's in two weeks. I think that's enough time. I'll leave you to your thoughts, now."

"Thank you…"

A few minutes after he left, I walked out of my cabin. Everyone must have been avoiding me, because no one had come to my cabin and it had been morning when I got back. Now it was a little before noon. Lunch is in an hour . . .

I slowly walked over to the canoe lake.

Time went by in a blur. No Percy. 1 more week till the ceremony. 4 more days. 3 more days. The ceremony's tomorrow.

Sometime during the ceremony, I had started crying again. I felt terrible. I couldn't even pay attention to what Chiron was saying. But I did hear my queue to attempt to start talking. "I've asked his best surviving friend to do the final honors.

I took the stunning green shroud, the color of his eyes. Looking at its graceful movements, the beautiful trident on it I couldn't help thinking that it was right for him to be represented by something like this.

I turned away from the fire, towards the audience and choked out, "He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had." Not really knowing what to say I started, "He . . ." I trailed off when I saw the face I thought I would never see again, Percy Jackson was standing at the back of the audience listening as we have his funeral. "He's right there!" I felt like screaming in ecstasy, but I was frozen in shock.

I saw some of the older kids near the back clap him on the back and greet him warmly.

I didn't know how long I was standing there until I heard Chiron say, ". . . Ever been happier to see a camper return. But you must tell me . . ." I cut him off by racing through the crowd and screaming.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" I shoved another camper out of the way and hugged him fiercely and felt like I never wanted to let go. I wasn't going to, because if he did, I would lose him. For real this time. I was two seconds away from kissing him again when I realized the scene I was making. "I – We thought you were dead, Seaweed Brain!" I noticed all the campers get silent.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "I got lost."

"LOST?" I almost started yelling again. "Two weeks, Percy? Where in the world?" But when Chiron cut me off and told us to go to the Big House. I realized I didn't even care where he had been. The important thing was that he was here now, with me. Safe.

Author's note!

Thanks to all my reviewers you r the reason I keep righting. So people will read. And I'm so sorry that I haven't' posted in forever! I should be posting sooner but hey It's summer and schools going to get back in on the 18th of August! 7th grade baby! What should I do next? I'm thinking of the time in the Siren Bay, Any other ideas? Please review. If you give me an idea I'll give you a shout out in the next chapter. How's that.

Thanks to all ~ Maddy Rigby