I'm back! It's been a while, friends. My hair is pulled back and I'm in my favorite writing spot. It's time to get down to business, guys. I don't own, and so we go.

Chapter 10

My hands flew to my mouth. "How many people know?" It was all I could manage in my shock. The dreams that I had had… what if they were true?

"I was on my way to the forge when I heard someone whimpering in here, so I came in," Jason replied steadily.

"Okay," I said. "Okay. What happened?"

"He left on one of the smaller boats; one was missing this morning. He took a small supply of food and water from storage and some of his belongings are missing. We've determined that he must have left out of fear of the impending war."

"When do we start looking for him?" I asked.

Jason looked grim. "That's the thing we haven't exactly made clear with you. When someone leaves or goes missing, they left of their own choice. We don't follow them. To answer your question more precisely… we don't."

It was a few weeks after Luke had… left. It still felt wrong when I said it like that. No one talked about his disappearance. Jason hadn't named a new second mate yet, and that gave me hope. Hope that Luke would return.

I don't know why I hoped.

Maybe it was because I missed my best friend, maybe it was because I had once liked him… you know… liked him.

Now, I was out on a walk through the woods to help clear my mind. There was so much spinning through it. So many questions…

So many questions, so little answers. I almost walked into a tree before I shook myself out of my thoughts. I was here to clear my head, not confuse it.

And then I heard the voice.

Luke's voice.

"Help," he yelled shakily. His voice seemed to be coming from the clearing up ahead.

"Luke?" I asked incredulously, walking closer so that I was hidden only behind a tree.

"Annie," he said. "Help me, please. I'm hurt; it's my leg."

All of the sudden, rage boiled inside of me. Who did he think he was? I knew, I alone, knew what he had done. "Why should I?" I spat.

"You said," he said breathed. "You said back in Crete that you were all about second chances. Give me a second chance."

I thought for a minute, but I knew what I was going to do even before I did it. "This better not be a trick," I whispered.

"It's not," Luke croaked.

I stepped out from behind the tree. There was no one in the clearing. No bloodied demigod, no sprawling form. No one.

And for the second time in my life, his hand clamped over my mouth and a black bag was thrown over my head.

"You're so naive, Annie. I can't believe you fell for it twice."

When he let go of my mouth I tried to scream but there was no air, and I fell unconscious.

I woke up in a cell.

It was a small, compact room with a small window on one side and the outline of a door on the other. There was a barred window on the door. Only blueish blackish sea was visible from the window. I was on a thin straw bed pushed into a corner. At the side of the room without my bed or the window or the door to occupy it was a hole. I suppose that is my… toilet.

I stood tiredly, quietly noting that I was still in the tight black pants and white shirt from the day of my second kidnapping. Was that today, or yesterday, or a week ago? I had no idea.

Then I realized something. I always tucked my dagger into my sleeve or pant leg… what of it was still there? Patting down my sleeves, I stopped on a hard lump. Thanks the gods that my kidnappers were messy and forgot to check me for weapons. I pull the dagger out before coming to a realization.

I can't use it.

I'm in a room made of metal that I can't cut with my dagger. I could break the window, but that would do nothing but drown me and sink the ship.

Sink the ship… it would come at the cost of my life, but it's an idea, albeit a desperate one.

Only if it comes to that, I decide.

I'm about to put my dagger back in my sleeve when I remember. Lock picking…. Maybe it would work.

I go to work on the door, maneuvering my dagger around, trying to unlock the door to no avail.

It looks like I'm really trapped. Stuck, a damsel in distress. All I need is to be rescued by a hero and I'll really be a legend. The girl who couldn't save herself.

The lock clicks open.

Swinging the door open slightly, I take a look around me. I'm in the dungeons of a boat, a large one. I quickly scan my surroundings. No guards. All clear.

I tiptoe out of the cell, guided by the light of my dagger. Finally, I emerge on deck. It's night; almost no one is present. I'm able to sneak by most of the guards, monsters and crew. I have to send a few monsters to Tartarus before I'm at the edge of the huge trireme.

The water glitters below me, a daunting jump. The moon reflects in the water below, and I bend my knees, sending a hasty prayer to Poseidon before my feet leave the ground.

An arm wraps around my waist, bringing me back to the deck. "Going somewhere?" it hisses.

It's the voice from the pit in my dreams. I squirm around to face the stranger, but it's not a stranger. It's Luke.

His eyes are gold.

Understanding flashes through my mind.

"Kronos," I growl.

He laughs, a laugh of nails scraping down a chalkboard. "Good, little girl. Good. Now, I believe I'll take this," he plucks the dagger out of my clenched fist. "And you should go to bed, miss. There's a cell with your name on it; I'm sure you'll find it just fine."

I build up my courage. "What if I don't want to?" I ask haughtily.

Lu-Kronos smiles evilly. "Why, I'll send you some help. Guards!"

I was dragged back to my cell by two burly monsters and thrown haphazardly to the floor before they locked the door.

Now what?

My mind decided for me and I fell asleep on the cold floor of the cell half an hour later.

Dreams, as always, haunted my mind.

I was back on the island.

Percy was talking to Jason, but by his expression and hand motions, he wasn't happy. There were two bags slung over Percy's shoulder. Dream me drifted closer so I could make out their words.

"I'll go with or without your permission, Captain," Percy growled.

"You. Are. Not. Allowed. To. Go!" Jason huffed angrily.

"Look, I'm going to find her and I will get her back no matter what the price!" Percy yelled.

"Percy, we've already lost our second mate and Annabeth! We can't lose you too!"

"You leave me no choice, Jason. I'm sorry."

Percy took off, sprinting towards the beach where the small boats were resting. Once he was close enough, he grabbed a paddle and jumped in the boat, pushing off the shore with his paddle. Jason called after Percy desperately.

Percy didn't look back.

The dream changed.

Now I was in the island's forge. My vision was warped with heat and flecks of ash. Leo stood over in a corner, talking to a misshapen man, whom I guessed was Hephaestus. They were discussing something. I drifted closer to hear what they were saying.

"Your ship is good, my boy, but not good enough," Hephaestus warned Leo.

Leo glared at him, the ends of his fingers catching fire. "And why is that?" He quickly patted out the flames when he noticed them.

"Leo, you must make your ship fly."

This time, the dream dissolved and I was left in a peaceful blackness.

When I woke up, I was expecting to be in the Athena hut, sunlight gently streaming through the window, but instead I was on the cold, hard floor of the cell, darkness consuming the place except for the torchlight coming from the halls. I couldn't tell if it was night or day, and my view of the water didn't help.

And then I remembered my dreams.

Percy was coming to save me… but did I really want that? Here, I had a chance of bringing down the ship with a knock of my elbow at the cost of my life, but on the island… I had no chance at all.

One day. I would wait one day for Percy, but if he didn't make it by then, this ship was coming down.

And I would go down with it.

Do you like it? I'm trying to finish this off in the next two months; we are coming closer and closer to the end! This was about 100 words longer than normal because I wanted to make up for not updating soon. I'm desperately trying to finish before school starts again; my writing schedule gets out of whack and the space between updates is longer. I'm also going to start on a sequel to this called Ocean, but I can't tell you about that without spoiling the ending for this one. THERE WILL BE NO GIANT WAR, just a heads up about that. PM or review any questions or concerns! Goodbye for now, and I will see you soon!

PandaBearPotter