Thank you so much to everybody who sent me reviews! I'm glad you guys like the story. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, including this story. Don't worry! Not yet! I've still got two more chapters! You ain't getting' rid of me that easy!

P.S Have you all read the preview for The Son Of Neptune? It is thoroughly awesome! October can't come soon enough!

Chapter 10

Ever Heard of Murphy's Law?

Annabeth

BRINNG!

"No..."

BRINNG!

"Go away..."

BRINNNNNG!

"Fine."

I sat up blearily and rubbed my eyes, then slapped my alarm clock. The bells stopped ringing. Fighting the immense desire to go back to sleep, I got up and stretched. Around the cabin, people were feebly stirring, rubbing sleep dust out of their eyes, and squinting against the sunlight.I hopped out of bed, and padded over to the showers to get ready for the day.

I came out toweling my hair dry fifteen minutes later. Everybody else was almost ready, except for Malcolm and Austin. They were still zonked out in their bunks. Malcolm was drooling like a bloodhound, and Austin was sucking his thumb. I looked over at Kiley and Reagan, who were armed with video cameras. Tara was sneaking over to Malcolm's bunk. She looked over at me, and I nodded. In one swift move, she snatched Malcolm drool-soaked pillow out from under his head and smacked it onto Austin's. Both boys started, and Malcolm fell out of his bunk, while everybody else started cracking up. Tara handed Malcolm back his pillow while he and Austin stumbled to the showers, completely red in the face.

Another fifteen minutes passed before I was leading Cabin Six to breakfast. Everybody was pouring out of their cabins and trudging up the hill wearily. Everybody looked wiped, and had the crazed faces associated with caffeine-addicted workers. I gulped a little. Maybe a party wasn't the best idea in retrospect. Oh well. Too late now.

And speaking of the party...I craned my neck, looking around for Percy. I didn't see him, but I assumed he was just in the mass of tired demigods. I focused on not tripping on a little eight-year old Apollo kid, and sat down at the Athena table in my usual place. The food appeared on the plates, and everybody got up to scrape offerings into the braziers. I scraped a couple of sausages and a waffle into the flames, and sat down again. As we dug in, I looked over at the Poseidon table. Empty. A gnawing feeling developed in my gut. Something wasn't right.

Apparently Chiron was having the same thought, because he leaned over to a satyr and whispered in his ear. The satyr nodded and trotted off towards the cabins. I looked over at my siblings, who were stuffing their faces full of scrambled eggs, and not paying attention. I got up quietly, slipped out of the pavilion, and slipped my Yankee cap on. As fast as I could, I crept towards the cabins.

The Poseidon cabin was just over the hill from the dining pavilion. As I approached, I noticed that the door was thrown wide open. Breathing quietly, I peeked my head in. The cabin looked the same. The bed looked slept in, and clothes were strewn everywhere. Still, it felt cold and empty. I listened intently. I heard a couple of voices, not belonging to Percy. I carefully stepped over the threshold and looked around. Over in the corner, the satyr from the mess hall was talking to a slightly taller figure. It turned, and I saw it was Grover. His eyes were slitted, they way they go when he's seriously freaked. The gnawing feeling in my gut grew worse.

Grover closed his eyes in concentration, murmuring words I couldn't catch. Then, he opened his eyes. He looked really upset.

"No good, Chester. I can't get through. Its like... a cut phone line."

"What does it mean?" Chester asked.

"I don't know. This isn't normal. Its like..."

"Like he disappeared."

I took off my cap as I spoke. My heart was racing, and most of my brain was praying to every god I knew of that this wasn't happening.

Grover nodded. "Yeah. Just like that."

I felt my skin flash hot, then ice cold. I felt every ounce of blood drain out of my face.

"Oh, gods, Annabeth." Grover walked over to me, tried to support me. I shook him off.

"Try again."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Annabeth. I've tried. It's no good."

Oh gods oh gods oh gods...No. I couldn't afford to go to pieces. I set my jaw and walked out of the cabin. I heard the camp alarm go up, and a rush of campers flowed over the hill, chattering confusedly. Chiron stamped his hoof for order. The mass of demigods spread out over every inch of the camp...

()()()()()()()

I sat on the steps of the steps of the Big House, utterly drained. The sun was hanging low in the sky, spreading the beautiful colors everywhere, which seemed like a cruel joke, after the day we'd had. Everybody had combed every inch of the camp, looking for Percy. We'd sent tons of Iris-Messages, trying to reach them. They never got through. We called his mom, trying to get through. Nothing. No sign. The Hephaestus cabin had even braved the woods to look for him. Jake Mason was in a body cast, and half of the Hephaestus cabin were sporting broken legs and third degree burns.

There was no sign. He was gone.

The thought was too much for me to bear. I broke down crying. Where could he possibly be? What had happened. Why? Was it possible that he had been here only yesterday, holding my hand and dancing with me?

Why had I ignored the signs? This was all my fault. The dreams, the visions. They made more sense now. Why hadn't I done something?

I sat there for a while, too upset to move. I felt like the world had been pulled out from underneath me. I sobbed for three more seconds. Four. Five. Then I breathed deeply, and stood. I walked towards the beach. I needed to clear my head.

I walked aimlessly on the sand, trying to forget, wishing I could disappear, too. I walked for a long time, until the sun was gone. I thought back to last night. The stars had been beautiful, and everything had been so fun. I thought about our last conversation, the way he'd been so panicked, like he'd lost something important. What was he trying to tell me? I didn't understand.

I felt the ground change from sand to hard rock. I picked my head up and looked around. It was the same jetty we'd sat on last night, watching the meteor shower. It seemed like a dream now. I picked my way over to the rock that seemed to be stuck straight up in the jetty, like a chair. I sat, watching the waves.

My hands brushed against something soft, and I started. I turned to my right, and saw a white object lodged in the rocks. Curious, I carefully wedged it out. When it was freed, I saw it was a small box, wrapped in tissue paper. On a piece of tape, my name was written, in familiar, messy handwriting. I was confused, but I carefully peeled the tissue away, and opened the box.

I breathed sharply. Nestled on some more tissue paper, on a simple silver chain, was a silver locket, carved in the shape of a rose. My favorite flower. There was no note, but I knew. This is what Percy had been trying to give to me last night. It must've fallen out of his pocket. It was a miracle that it was still her, undamaged from the salt water. I gently lifted it out of the box, and looked at it, tears running down my face. I gently opened the locket. There, in the frame, was a picture of me and Percy, grinning happily at the camera. I remembered taking this picture. I'd gone over to his apartment one day in November, and his stepfather, Paul, had taken the candid. I looked down at my smiling image, and had trouble believing that that was me. That Annabeth was happy and confident. This Annabeth desperately needed a plan, and for once in my life, that ability had deserted me.

A sudden surge of anger went through me. I was not going to let this crisis push me around, and shatter my confidence. I wasn't going to sit on my butt and take it. I carefully undid the clasp of the necklace, and put it around my neck. I closed the clasp, stood up, and climbed down to the edge of the jetty, where the sea met the rocks, sending up a spray. I pulled a flashlight out of my pocket, and a handful of golden drachmas. I shone the light on the spray, and tossed the coin through the mist. I made my request, and an old friend appeared in the mist.

"Thalia. We've got a problem."

()()()()()()(()()()()

Just a couple more chapters! :( Thank you all for being so fabulous!