A/N: So I convinced my best friend to read this...a few hours later, she calls and demands me to write the next chapter or suffer bodily harm...

SO, here you go! Instead of wasting the rest of the day away by working on anything else or reading fanfiction, I'm gonna write it!

But...it's an Annabeth chapter, and it has to be Annabeth chapter...and those are so hard to write in first!

And 50 reviews? You guys rock! I'm feeling like a giddy schoolgirl right now!

Oh wait...I AM a schoolgirl...and I'm pretty sure I'm giddy right now...

Hm. Enjoy!

Read & Review!

Last Time on Stolen:

A silent scream ripped from my throat.

Chapter 11

ANNABETH

I found myself thinking more and more of Percy after Nico's revelation. My nagging little hope, the one that lifted me up and exhilarated me and in equal parts poisoned me had been proven true, proven real. The love of my life, my Seaweed Brain, the boy who had risked his life- and whom I thought had given it- for us, was alive. And as much as that thought gave me happiness and hope, it also made me confused, angry, and surprisingly, sad.

Why hadn't Percy come back after escaping Tartarus...again? How had he ended up there? Why did all the gods hide him from us?

Why was River so panicked?

And what was that...power...that had flowed from me, from my heart, and had given me immense strength? How had my fist sunk through solid earth like it was nothing? An aura of Grey had apparently surrounded me, but that wasn't the aura of Athena. I knew that, because Malcolm had been bestowed with it once before, during the Titan War. Athena's blessing gave clarity of mind, and sped up the thought process.

That wasn't what I had experienced. At all. My fist had gone through solid earth. My mind had been clouded by pain and anger and emotion. There was no clarity there.

I had heard stories of mortals who had suddenly possessed superhuman strength when their loved ones were in danger, but I was fairly sure that wasn't what had happened with me.

I groaned, throwing my head against my pillow. Papers fluttered down from my bunk, and the Daedalus computer beeped. The bottom bunk suddenly squeaked, and I heard blankets being pushed back, then the sound of feet hitting the floor.

"Annabeth?" Malcolm asked. I turned my head to see my half-brother's concerned face bathed yellow in the weak light from the laptop.

I forced back a blush. "Nothing." I said quickly, rubbing my eyes. "Just having trouble with a theory." I pointed at my head. "Go to sleep."

Bad enough he had seen me pretty much break down at the news of Percy's survival. I needed to control myself better. Annabeth Chase was not weak.

Malcolm hesitated, then smiled. "You too, Annabeth." He bent down and gathered the fallen papers. "Here."

"Thanks." I whispered, tucking the papers away into their folder. I glanced out the window near my bed and put the folder in the little alcove there. The Daedalus computer soon followed. Malcolm laid back down.

I ran a hand through my hair and stared at the nearly full moon. Stars were sprinkled across a velvet sky, and I wondered if somewhere, Percy was staring at the same sky.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Someone was rapping at the door of Cabin 6. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and with practiced ease, slipped out of the top bunk. I quickly reached the door and pulled it open to see...

Leo. The Latino boy seemed exhausted and was still dressed in his day clothes...like me. His eyes for once weren't shining with mischievousness and were unreadable. He reached up to run a hand through his curly hair. "Chiron wants you."

I raised an eyebrow, glancing back at a clock. In glowing red numbers was 3:05 am. Leo shrugged, then peered inside the dark building. A tiny flame suddenly was birthed from his palm and danced, illuminating the cabin with a tiny glow.

"Pretty neat." Leo said, giving the cabin an appreciative nod. "But Hephaestus's cabin is better."

I rolled my eyes and quickly pulled on my shoes. Within seconds I was out the door. I shivered as a cold breeze slipped past my bared forearms. "Did Chiron say why?" I asked.

Leo shrugged. "River's still missing. And I think he wants to talk about something...he seemed really preoccupied when I left."

I nodded tersely and set off at a quick jog for the Big House.

Well, here goes nothing...

"I don't know." I finally said, spitting out the words that I hated the most to say. "One second I'm...upset...the next, my hand is punching through the dirt. And I'm glowing grey."

Chiron nodded. "So, you have no idea?"

I shook my head. "Do you?"
Chiron tapped a pen against the side of his chin. "Could it be a latent power of Athena?" he mused aloud. His eyes suddenly sharpened and he caught my eyes. "You said you felt stronger..."

"Yes." I said.

"Could it be a battle aura?" Chiron asked. "I believe I heard stories of George Washington suddenly gaining strength, and a glow. It was said that he..." Chiron reached up to grab a book and began to ruffle through it. Finally he stopped, and a finger touched a black line on the page. "General Washington suddenly yelled, and it was as if a wind of God had rushed through our ranks. Strength flooded from the general, and a gray aura seemed to envelop him. With his yell, the ranks of reds suddenly acted as if they were terrified. I remember back to other times, when the general suddenly disappeared only to appear in the midst of enemies. No mortal man..." Chiron broke off. "George Washington was a son of-"

"Athena, I know." I cut in, leaning back in the chair, my head swirling. "But Chiron, are you saying-"

"That you may have powers such as the ones described?" Chiron finished. "Possibly. No Athenian camper I have ever taught has showed such talents. But I have heard of this once before, even before Mr. Washington."

"What does this mean?" I asked breathlessly. I had long accepted that my only 'superpowers' as Percy had once put it, was my intelligence and natural demigod skills. During the Giant War, I had shown that intelligence can overpower any special ability.

And now, I finally show a special power?

The Fates had a sense of irony.

"You accessed this power under extreme emotion, correct?" Chiron asked. I nodded. "Then it is possible to access it again. You must train it and learn to use it, Annabeth."

I nodded. "Leo mentioned River..."

Chiron's eyes suddenly flashed with something I couldn't identify. "Yes...I believe our wayward camper is perched in a tree near the edge of the forest."

"He still hasn't returned to his cabin?" I exclaimed. The last time I had seen him was when Leo and the others had chased him away around noon.

Chiron shook his head tiredly. "Apparently, Leo and his friends had scared him away..." He looked at me. "I need to talk to him. It is very important."

I studied my mentor's face and then nodded, unable to gleam anything from his face. "Bye, Chiron."

"Night, Annabeth." Chiron said tiredly. I turned and left the room, setting off to search for the sea-weed brained River.

Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't even noticed what I had mentally labeled River with, until much later.

"You can't keep hiding like this, River." I said, peering up into the branches that I was certain River was hiding in. I hid a smirk of amusement as River swore and fell through the branches. I stepped back as the boy managed to catch himself on a thick branch. He winced and glared at me.

"The crap?" he asked roughly, swinging so that he was sitting upright.

"Chiron wants you. And it's three in the morning." I said, crossing my arms and looking up to the ruffled boy. "And...what are you doing up in a tree?"

River scowled. "If it's three in the morning, then why does Horse-Man want me?"
I hid my annoyance at River's nickname for my mentor and shrugged. "Maybe the fact that you disappeared around noon and never returned?"
River swung down so that he was hanging by his arms off the tree. His eyes were filled with confusion and curiosity. "And...he cares why?"
I fought the urge to let my mouth drop like an idiot. Surely River knew that Chiron would want to know where his campers were, to make sure they were safe? "You're not serious, right?"
River stared back blankly, obviously confused. Then he dropped to the ground. "Never mind. I'll go."

I hesitated, trying to see what River was thinking, but gave up. I shrugged, but still examined River with worry.

I was reminded of the time before I ran away from my home. I was neglected there and often the subject of many glares and hushed insults from my stepmother. But even then, I knew that they would notice my disappearance, and that they would care, even just a little bit.

"You okay?" River blurted. I stopped and turned to stare at him. It sounded like he cared!

"Yeah...why?" I asked and began to walk again. Behind me I heard River quickly following me.

"Dunno." River softly replied. I glanced at him, but he was looking away with a determined air.

Leafs crackled underfoot as we walked, and I was glad that I had stopped by Cabin 6 for a sweatshirt before getting River. I checked back on River to see him shivering. "Cold?"

River flinched and dropped his hands. I knew what he was going to say before he said it. "No."

I sighed. When was River going to learn it was okay not to be a tough guy all the time? "Whatever, River."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw River flinch again. Was he hurt by what I had just said?

As we walked, River was strangely quiet, as if he was lost in his own little world. We had reached the edge of the woods and he hadn't even noticed.

"River." I said quietly. River looked up, blinking.

"Bye, Annabeth." he said, setting off for the Big House. I blinked, replaying what he had just said in my mind.

He had called me Annabeth- not Chase, not Princess, Annabeth. I smiled.

"River!"

He turned. "What?"

I brushed my hair back, basking in the firelight. "You called me Annabeth. You've never done that before. Not like that."

River shrugged, his stance revealing how shy and uncomfortable he was. "Whatever..." he said quietly. He turned, but glanced back at me. I stared back. River continued towards the Big House, oblivious to how my emotions were swirling inside of me.

I slowly made my way through the camp, letting my feet carry me. I stared up at the sky I had been admiring earlier and tried to make sense of what was going on inside of me.

River.

The boy drew me to him. As the weeks went by, his defenses were slowly falling, and I saw a sweet, scared, and shy boy behind his walls. He was also seeming more and more like Percy, except for his shyness and skittishness.

I found myself wanting to be near him. To speak with him. To touch him and let him know he could trust me. My annoyance with him was fading. And I was confused.

The ground beneath me suddenly changed and I looked down to see sand.

My feet had carried me to the beach.

Waves were slowly lapping at the shore, and storm clouds were being pushed away by the camp wards. I slowly sat on the cool sand, and peered out at the water.

"Percy used to sit out here all the time..." I whispered to myself, tracing a 'P' in the sand. As I looked out at the water and big sky, I suddenly understood why. The sky was open and free, and the water was quietly wild and unpredictable beneath it. I felt at once both small and important sitting in this incredible view. I was only one small human, barely a speck in things, yet still so important. Because if I wasn't here, one small part of that universe would be gone. One is all, all is one...

A wave splashed me in the face and I sputtered, eyes wide with shock. A large wave had suddenly appeared and smacked me in the face.

I swore loudly in ancient Greek, and I swore I saw a dolphin jump out in the waves and wave a flipper at me. It smirked just like River would, or Percy.

Then I began to cry. Tears streamed down my face like a waterfall, and I didn't know why. It was like all the tears I had held back for the last year were suddenly being released. My breakdown at Sally's house had only been the beginning.

I curled up into a ball, my shoulders heaving. I missed him. Dammit, I missed Percy. I needed him. Not River, no matter how much I was beginning to feel for him. Percy.

Finally, when my tears had ended, and I felt like I wasn't going to turn back into a human waterspout again, I looked back out at the ocean.

It was peaceful.

I needed to talk to Chiron.

The air inside the Big House was cold and dry. I could hear shouting coming from Chiron's office, down the hall. I hurried over just in time to a roaring scream, like a wild animal, and the sound of something hitting a wall and shattering. Someone dropped into a seat. I raised an eyebrow. Had River riled the old centaur up so much?

I pulled open the door. Water dripped down my face, and I struggled to keep my composure, my thoughts bouncing around in my head like pinballs. "Chiron? What was that noise?" I hiccuped, and scowled. "Can I talk to-"

I then noticed River. The boy was shaking and very pale, but his eyes burned equally with fear and anger. Tears were on his cheeks. "River?"
He glared at me, wiping his eyes, but I noticed it wasn't with his normal fire. He unsteadily got to his feet.

"Princess." he snarled, his voice tinged with pain and exhaustion. I watched as he stumbled out.

"River." Chiron said. River glanced back. "You can sleep in the infirmary tonight. I daresay you are exhausted enough. I doubt you would make it back to your cabin without collapsing."

River scowled but didn't argue. He quickly left.

"What was that?" I asked, closing the door. Chiron shook his head.

"He got some very shocking news tonight." he said heavily. "The poor boy..."

"What was it?" I asked, but Chiron gave me a stern look and I sighed.

"What is it, Annabeth?" Chiron asked kindly. I sat in River's vacated seat.

"I love Percy." I said simply. "But...I'm feeling something for River. I miss Percy, Chiron."

"My dear..." Chiron said sadly. I looked up at him with confused eyes that reflected my mind. "There is a reason for that...but River will have to tell you himself."

"I don't understand." I said.

"You don't have to, Annabeth." Chiron replied gently.

"Any news about Percy?" I suddenly asked. Chiron's eyes grew distant and he didn't speak for several moments.

"Possibly," he said. "We don't know for certain."

I wanted to ask what it was, but Chiron didn't seem to want to say more. I sighed and left the office, sending a farewell to my old mentor behind me.

But as I walked back to my cabin, with Chiron's words playing in my head, something grew clearer and clearer, the same thing, idea, theory my mind had been playing with since River's arrival. One I had refused to believe.

I couldn't hide the truth from myself any longer. River was Percy.