Hey Guys...
Its only been two weeks... + four more...
Sorry.
I wrote this a while ago, but just didn't have any time to post it. I feel pretty bad, and I'm so sorry. I guess I'm just a slow writer.
Well, maybe a slow updater.
The story! You guys want the story!
I'll quickly answer reviews, then read on...
PEOPLE WHO COMMENTATED ON PERCY PERHAPS BEING IN SLYTHERIN: Haha, suckers! You have to wait for next chapter! Although, I might give you a preview at the end of this chapter. We'll see...
FateofChaos: You, my friend, are very creative. I will keep that in mind. :)
percyjacksonfan135: Why is he? Well he isn't...yet. Bwhahaha! You shall only know next chapter.
Reyna Potter: In year six, they can choose their own subjects. I have enough for Percy to do, and he shouldn't have to do any magic. If I do, well... I'll get to that.
Darkening: I was just filling it in, to be evil. Now that I think of it though, it could be an interesting storyline...
So guys, here it is. The (hopefully) anticipated chapter 7!
Disclaimer: I just don't own anything you recognise. Geez. I'm not that good a writer.
Chapter 7: The Hunters
Annabeth
The days at camp were both exciting and agonising.
Exciting, because of the new cabins and campers that were arriving every day, and agony because I wanted to have Percy beside me, seeing this, and he wasn't here.
I tried to distract myself from thoughts of him by planning the cabins and Olympus – part of my reward had been becoming the official architect for the new Olympus, since so much had been destroyed by Kronos.
Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Everywhere, no matter what I was doing, I was reminded of him. It might be when I would pass the archery range, and have to duck as an arrow came whizzing over my head, shot by some poor camper with as much skill as Percy had. Or when I was pouring over blueprints, I half expected him to come up and drag me outside to the beach. He was just there, always on my mind.
At least this time, I knew where he was. I could hope that he was safe – for now. Percy was a magnet for trouble. It would be too much to hope for that he would stay completely safe, particularly during a war. But he was – moderately – safe, and alive. I knew that as soon as he could, he would come back.
When it was time for me to sleep, I would lie asleep and replay the short conversation I'd had with him, courtesy of Hecate. I focused especially on his last words; 'I love you.'
I love you.
The gods knew how long I'd been waiting to hear those words from him. They made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside whenever I thought of them.
So I thought of them a lot. Those three words kept me going day after day. I treasured them more than any other words I had ever heard.
I'd just returned from Olympus, when I saw a group of teenage girls hanging around the Big House. At the head of the crowd stood a girl with short, spiky hair and a silver circlet sitting on her brow. She looked about 16 years old.
"Thalia!" I ran forward with a cry and a big grin plastered across my face. She turned, and a matching smile sprung up when she saw me.
"Hey Annabeth. How's things?" Thalia asked after a quick hug.
I thought about it. Despite Percy being gone, it was good being at camp without the threat of invasion or a war.
"Good," I said after a brief hesitation. " Oh, and Thalia, I had this brilliant idea for Olympus! You see, I think that maybe a –"
Thalia cut me off with a laugh. "Save it 'Beth, I don't need to know about your master plan. If you came up with it, it'll be amazing."
Part of me was annoyed that she hadn't wanted to hear about my idea, but most of me was touched by her faith in me.
Then I realised that I didn't know why the Hunters were at Camp. As a general rule, campers and Hunters didn't get along too well. Of course, that might be different now that Thalia was Lieutenant, but I doubted it would make much of a difference. The dislike had been in place for decades, perhaps even centuries.
"So, um… Thalia. Why are you here?" I asked.
Thalia pulled a face. "Lady Artemis declared that we need to be. No details. She basically ordered us to come here. Said she had 'something' that needed sorting out."
"Sounds like before – that winter." I said. Thalia's face darkened at the mention, but nodded.
"Yeah. So anyway, we're bunking out here. Maybe help with the new cabins or something. Be useful."
I glanced at the rest of the Hunters. Some seemed downright angry to be here, whereas others just appeared faintly annoyed. Most simply looked bored. I took that as a good sign.
Thalia looked behind at them as well. "I guess we had better get settled into the Artemis cabin. I'll see you later, Annabeth."
I smiled. "For Capture the Flag?"
She smirked in return. "Of course. We'll whip your butts."
"Keep dreaming Thalia. This time we'll win." I retorted. Thalia flashed me a sure, sure look, before leading the way to Cabin 8. I watched them go, my heart feeling lighter than before.
Surprisingly, dinner wasn't the strained meal I'd anticipated. Then again, we'd just fought a war together. That sort of thing would create bonds that wouldn't fade easily. Both groups' opinion of each other had probably risen a fair bit. The Hunters even got on okay with Tyson and the rest of his Cyclops siblings.
During the meal, I couldn't help glancing over at the empty Poseidon table, and wished Percy could see this.
Predictably, after everyone had finished eating Chiron stood and announced the game of Capture the Flag. We all rushed back to our cabins to prepare.
I had been unofficially nominated captain, so I organised the campers into two forces – defence and attack. I, of course was attacking. My invisibility cap would be perfect for sneaking around any Hunters I might run into.
I heard the horn that signalled the start of the game, and sent off the attacking groups. I did a quick survey of our defences. Satisfied, I put on my cap and headed towards the Hunters side.
I moved quickly and quietly through the woods. So far, I hadn't encountered any Hunters – which could be both a good and bad sign. On one hand, it made my work a lot easier not having to dodge people. On the other, it could mean that I was nowhere near their flag. I hoped that wasn't true.
There. A flash of movement that disappeared into the trees on my right. I stealthily made my way over and saw to my joy the flag! It was jammed into a fork in a branch of an oak tree. It looked undefended, but I knew that the Hunters would never do such a thing. Plus, the trees around it provided plenty of cover for anyone who wished to remain unseen. I didn't doubt that if someone stepped toward the flag they would be attacked as soon as they were seen.
Lucky for me, I couldn't be seen.
Just then, a group of campers burst into the small clearing, led by Clarisse. She grabbed the flag and made to run back with it, but was stopped by a bunch of Hunters blocking her way. With a yell, she grabbed her spear, Maimer, and started attacking the leader. Soon, there was a mini battle going on.
In the confusion, I picked up the flag that had been dropped and slipped away. I was counting on the fact that Clarisse would be keeping the Hunters busy for enough time for me to get the flag across the river.
With the flag under my arm, I started heading back to our side of the river. This time I didn't take as much care with the noise I was making. Speed mattered more now.
I was nearly at the river when Thalia caught me.
An arrow sprouted in the ground, right before me. I stumbled briefly, caught by surprise. My cap fell off my head. Thalia appeared in my peripheral vision, sprinting towards me with Aegis out and her spear in her other hand. I put on extra speed, hoping to cross the river before she caught up. Of course, luck wasn't on my side.
About 10 metres from the river, I was forced to block her spear with my knife. I couldn't help thinking unfair this fight was going to be – knife against spear.
"Not so fast Annabeth. That's my flag there." Thalia said as she jabbed her spear towards me.
"Yeah? Well it'll be mine as soon as you let me win." I flashed back jokingly.
Thalia grinned wolfishly. "Why would I do that?" And she struck again, attempting to disarm me. We traded lightning fast blows, each trying to overwhelm the other without causing too much injury. We were friends after all.
My mind was racing. I wasn't confident that I could win this fight, not armed as I was. A knife isn't much use against a long reaching weapon such as a spear.
All I needed was to get the flag past Thalia and across the river. Didn't sound too hard, but unfortunately it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
A sharp pain and warm liquid trickling down my left leg brought me back to the fight. I suddenly knew how to win.
"Owww!"
I collapsed to the ground cradling my injured leg. In reality, it was just a graze, but with a little acting and some carefully smeared blood, I might be able to convince Thalia that she had hurt me badly. I summoned some fake 'pain filled' tears and looked up at Thalia. She looked taken aback.
"Hey, Annabeth, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"
I shook my head. "Do I look alright?" I asked bitterly, showing her the blood seeping through my fingers.
"I'm sorry." Thalia repeated. She knelt beside me. "Look, you'll be fine. Can I see?" She gestured toward my leg which was doing its part in the charade by bleeding slowly.
I nodded my head shakily and lifted my hands off the cut. As Thalia leaned forward to take a closer look I pushed her aside, grabbed the discarded flag and pelted for the river. Behind me I heard Thalia yelling curses, but it was too late. I'd crossed the river.
We'd won.
We'd actually won!
Thalia came up to me as I stood in triumphant disbelief, shaking her head. "I should have known you were faking."
"Yes. You should have." I replied, too proud of my victory to stop grinning.
"Modest Annabeth. You're so modest." was Thalia's dry response.
"Of course I am. I'm always modest." I said with mock sincerity. Thalia just rolled her eyes and joined the rest of her Hunters who were gathering at the edge of the trees.
I, meanwhile, was surrounded by campers celebrating and congratulating me. I looked around to share the victory with Percy, then remembered belatedly that he wasn't there. Suddenly, I didn't feel so happy.
I slipped away from the celebrations, finding a quiet place by the river. I sat on a rock and thought about Percy. I found tears coming on. Why? I thought. Why now?
But I knew why. It was because Percy should been here to help. To contribute to this win. It felt like he wasn't needed anymore. But people did need him. I needed him.
I stiffened when I heard someone sit down next to me. Looking sideways, I was surprised to see Grover settling beside me.
"Thinking about Percy?" he asked quietly. I nodded.
"Me too." We sat silently for a few minutes lost in our thoughts, Suddenly I couldn't bear the silence.
"I just feel like he should have been here. I miss him." I blurted out. Grover nodded sadly.
"I know. I miss him as well. He was such a good friend."
"It always has to be him, doesn't it?" I said with a touch of bitterness. "Its like the world always needs him to save it. And the rest of us can only wait and hope for the best." I was surprising myself with how much I was revealing. Then again, Grover was one of the only people who really understood both me and Percy.
Grover nodded again. We spent more moments in silence. Then I turned to him again.
"Do you think he'll be alright?"
"What do you mean?"
I hesitated. "I can't stop worrying about him. Whether he'll be safe." I paused again, not sure if I could tell Grover about what had really been bothering me. "Do…do you think he'll miss us?"
Grover looked at me. For the first time, I realised how much he had grown. Not just in terms of height, but in maturity.
"Of course he would! This is Percy we're talking about. His fatal flaw is loyalty. We are his friends. He definitely misses us as much as we miss him."
"But what if he makes other friends?" I burst out. I knew it was ridiculous, but I couldn't help worrying about Percy replacing us with new friends.
"Then he has more friends. Listen Annabeth," Grover leaned forward. "Percy will never replace you. He loves you. Anyone could see that."
Once again I was struck by Grover's maturity. He was a different goat than the one that Percy had dragged across the borders half-conscious 4 years ago.
"Get it into your head. Percy will never forget you, no matter what happens. In fact, I bet that if he forgot anything else, he would still remember you."
I looked away, across the running water. "Do you really think so?" I asked quietly.
"I know so. Cheer up Annabeth. He'll be back soon." Grover gave me a smile, then got up and left me on my own.
I sat there for a while longer, thinking over Grover's words. Was it true? It seemed to come from a fairytale. Then again, my life might be called a fable by some.
I sighed, but it was a happy sigh. I could believe what Grover had told me. And he was right – Percy would be back before long, so I shouldn't worry.
I got to my feet. It was nearly curfew and I didn't want to get caught by the harpies.
I walked back towards the cabins. As I passed Cabin 8, I saw Thalia out the front. She gave me a questioning look that said, You alright? I nodded, and continued onto my cabin.
That night, I fell asleep thinking of Percy. This time though, it was happy thoughts.
Vala! Done. Don't worry, things will be getting interesting back at Camp Half-Blood soon. This chapter was just setting things up, and making sure that all the characters were there.
Now, do you want the preview?
What's that?
Yes?
OK. Enjoy...
"SLYTHERIN!"
I watched as the tall black haired boy sat down at the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy and his cronies went up to him, no doubt going to congratulate him on getting into 'the best house at Hogwarts'. I snorted in disgust and turned away.
Oh, you're going to kill me now. Especially when I say that the next update will be in three weeks. My editor is going away, and so I'm spacing out updates in her absence.
I think I'll leave before one of you kills me.
But then you wouldn't get an update.
I have blackmail over you guys!
Anyway, see ya!
NightSand
