Ch. 11

Annabeth was not enjoying her time at camp. Camp was in turmoil ever since Clarisse returned to camp. She just teleported on the top of the hill near Thalia's tree, covered in blood and mumbling about random things. She stayed in the Big House until she got better. She had been in there for a few days before being deemed healthy again by the Apollo cabin. The camp was divided in its views on Percy. Some viewed him as a hero, others a powerful monster, and even some believed he was a minor god sent down to test the campers, and they had failed. Chiron neither confirmed nor denied any of the theories.

The tense atmosphere was not helped by the decision to close down Olympus. Interactions with the gods had been rare, but now, there was nothing. Even Mr. D had left. The hunters had arrived soon after Clarisse's arrival. They claimed Artemis had also left for Olympus.

Campers randomly leaving had become more frequent. There was a force growing in the west. No one knew where exactly, and who was the leader, but it was unspoken knowledge that the force existed, and it opposed Olympus. Many of the unclaimed demigods would randomly disappear with all their belongings. No one knew for sure, but it was widely believed that these disappearances were people joining the other side. Campers had voiced their suspicions about a rival force growing in power, but the gods turned a deaf ear. It was common knowledge that many of the older campers were angry at the gods. Their hatred had seeped into the younger campers, the entire camp becoming hostile and angry. Many believed the gods didn't care for their children, and they were right. Instead of unifying together in protest against Olympus, they turned their backs on one another, forgetting that they were family.

Annabeth had been placed in the Hermes cabin for all of one night before being claimed the morning after at breakfast. She was then moved into the much less crowded Athena cabin. She had been a resident there for about a week and was starting to get accustom to the way of life at camp.

Annabeth had just finished her sword training at the arena. There were a dozen other people but because she was new, she got a one-on-one with her instructor. Her instructor was Luke, he was apparently the best sword fighter in centuries. Annabeth had let it slip that Percy was probably better, and Luke gave her a dark look. The mood of the practice had changed after that, his swings becoming much more violent and aggressive. Annabeth made a mental note not to mention Percy to any of the campers, it seemed to be a touchy subject.

She was dressed in the traditional orange Camp Half-blood shirt and athletic shorts with running shoes. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail, her hair cascading down her back to just above her shoulder blades. The day was warm and Annabeth's skin shined with sweat. She was walking back towards her cabin when she noticed commotion at the boarder of camp. Curious, Annabeth walked over. When what looked like a fight started, Annabeth quickened her pace. Annabeth was running at full pace, pulling out the golden dagger she had been given by the children of Hephaestus. Suddenly, midstride, Annabeth was launched in the air. Annabeth had a moment of confusion before she crash landed into the dirt. Annabeth put her hands out in front of her to stop her fall, and heard something snap. Her head also slammed against the ground. Annabeth didn't have time to look at her wrist because unconsciousness had started to take a hold of her mind. Enveloping it in darkness. Annabeth fought unconsciousness, but ultimately lost, slumping back and letting the darkness surround her.

Line Break

Percy's relations with Athena only got worse. The little amount of compassion that Athena had for Percy was replaced with anger. It was seldom to not hear Athena in the middle of yelling at Percy for one thing or another. She pushed him harder, harder than she ever pushed him before. Percy searched fervently for the identity of his father, but with his limited progress, he gave up. The extended use of his powers on Camp Half-blood Hill had taken its toll. Percy had slipped in and out of consciousness for about a week. After his strength and energy returned, his training returned as well. Percy had always carried a dislike for Athena, he had since he first met her, but now his dislike was turning into deep burning hatred. She yelled at him, called him names, mentally and physically beat him. This training had taken its toll on young Perseus. He no longer carried himself with that confidence and happiness that usually added an extra pep in his step. He walked with a blank face, his shoulders slumped, his neck bent and his eyes downcast. He often caught himself mentally killing Athena, and he no longer stopped himself from such thoughts. As deep as his hatred ran, Percy was no idiot. He knew he couldn't just attack a goddess, Athena no less. Instead, he planned to do something else. He needed to do something. Staying here was slowly killing him, piece by piece. He finally found the courage to start his grand escape. Percy was in the middle of searching for an ideal place to flee to when Athena walked in.

"You waste your time searching for answers that you will not find." Athena preached. "You could be spending your time doing much more productive things."

"Like what? Being your punching bag at the area? Oh, I know, I could go to the classroom and have you constantly tell me that I'm stupid." Percy spat.

"You will not take that tone with me. My methods may seem cruel to your mortal mind, but it is making you stronger, and more powerful, and-" Athena didn't get to finish before a loud rumble of thunder shook the library. Athena muttered about idiotic fathers and immature family members before flashing away. She gave no warning as she flashed away, forcing Percy to shield his eyes behind the book he was reading to prevent himself form turning into a pile of ash. Percy knew he wouldn't get another opportunity like this for a while. Out of the blue council meetings tended to take a while, but Percy didn't want to test his luck. He shot out of the library and into his room, hastily throwing all of his belongings into a backpack. Percy ran down the stairs and out the front doors. Athena had placed a ward that stopped Percy from using his manipulation over time to teleport within the temple. As soon as Percy stepped out of the temple, Percy focused on his desired destination.

Percy appeared in the middle of a dense forest. His gut twisted painfully and his mind became clouded in pain from his powers, but he didn't hesitate and continued to walk forward into the forest. He kept walking until he arrived at the edge of the forest. The forest cleared into a grassy field. In the field was a set of cabin, shockingly different from one another. Percy knew this to be Camp Half-blood. He also knew that the camp boundary was just a few feet in front of him. Percy was interrupted by the sound of voices off to his left. Out of instinct, Percy dove into the nearby bushes. The voices grew louder and louder until Percy knew that they stood right in front of his bush. Percy peeked over the bushes to see 3 demigods standing in the clearing. Percy didn't recognize any of them, there was two boys and one girl. One of the boys looked to be of Asian descent. He had short black hair and reddish brown eyes. He wore jeans and a leather aviator jacket. The other boy and the girl both looked very similar. It didn't take a detective to know that they were siblings. From the same mortal parent, Percy wasn't sure. They both had light brown hair and multicolored eyes, like that of a rainbow.

"Ethan, I don't think this is a good idea." The girl said.

"Don't worry Stephanie, it'll be fine." The now identified Ethan assured. He looked at the siblings with a hard face, "Aren't you tired of being mistreated, underappreciated? Because our parents aren't 'major gods' we're forced to live in an overcrowded Hermes cabin and become the laughing stock of the camp. Your mother is Iris, everyone relies on her to transport their messages, yet all they see her as, is a simple messenger girl. And my mother, the 'evil' Nemesis. They label her as evil because they don't understand, none of them do. But my mother has talked to me. I will extract revenge on the gods, and their narcissistic children."

"Ethan, you're crazy." The other boy replied, before turning around to walk away.

"Michael, wait." Stephanie called out to her brother. "You know as well as I do that we're not respected here. Why serve the people that hate us. Besides, maybe this way, we can finally see our mother again."

Michael hesitated, finally he spoke without turning around, "I'll go, but not for some crazy idea of revenge and justice. I'm going for you Steph."

"Do we even know where we're going?" Michael asked Ethan after fully turning around again.

"Well, a general sense. My mother told me that the titans are forming in San Francisco." Ethan supplied.

Percy was interested, he had originally planned to see Annabeth one more time and explain to her everything, but now he realizes that his goal was a fool's errand. He wanted to escape Athena, this was the best solution. He looked down at his wrist, where the mark from Athena was still engraved in his skin. This was like a GPS tracker for Athena. He needed to get it off immediately, and he figured the titans could do that for him. He had learned about the titans extensively with Athena. It wasn't a huge surprise that they were forming again. Athena had often ranted about the council not listening to her argument that the titans were rising. Percy had the brilliant idea to follow these demigods to San Francisco.

A few hours later, Percy found himself sitting in a freight train, one car behind the demigods. It seemed that Nemesis was helping her son reach the titans. Percy leaned back into one of the many boxes inside the train. He was drifting off when a searing pain flared up from his wrist. He gasped out it pain and hunched over. Words filled his mind as if someone had imprinted them on his brain.

'I don't know what you think you're doing, but you cannot escape me. Come back now and your punishment will be reasonable. If you don't comply, and you continue your silly escape, you will beg for death, and I will not grant it."

Line Break

Annabeth woke up to a massive headache and a throat as dry as the Sahara desert. She looked around to find herself laying on a bed in the camp infirmary. She saw the hulking form of Chiron standing over her bed.

"Wh-what happened?" Annabeth asked, hating how raspy he voiced sounded.

"You suffered a severe concussion, Annabeth." Chiron said.

"From what?" Annabeth asked, attempting to sit up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Someone warned from off to the left. Annabeth recognized him as Lee Fletcher, head consoler of the Apollo cabin. "You took a nasty fall and got banged up pretty bad."

"From what?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, a daughter of Demeter saw you run towards Thalia's tree when Jared got here. He was the one to cause the earthquake." Chiron answered.

"Who's Jared?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, he's the new camper. Was chased by the Minotaur on his way here, accidentally caused an earthquake during the fight." Chiron said.

"He, he killed the Minotaur? Without any training?" Annabeth asked, bewildered.

"Yep." Lee said, popping the p. Annabeth snapped her head towards Chiron.

"Is he a child of Poseidon?" Annabeth asked in a whisper, afraid of others hearing.

"Children of Athena." Lee muttered, loud enough for Annabeth to hear, but she pointedly ignored him.

"I'm not sure, but-" Annabeth did not let Chiron finish as she launched into interrogation mode.

"Does that mean he's the child of the prophecy? Will there be a war soon then? Has he been claimed?" Annabeth rapid fired questions faster than Chiron could answer them.

"Dear, please, allow me to talk. The prophecy wasn't exactly clear, it only refers to 'a child of things unspoken.' That can be open to interpretation. I do not know if a war is coming, but never the less, we will be prepared. And no, he had not been claimed yet, but I suspect he will be soon." Chiron spoke, forcefully enough so that Annabeth wouldn't interrupt again.

"Now, if that is all, I will be on my way." When no one said anything, Chiron left. Against Lee's commands, Annabeth forced herself into a sitting position. From there, she drank a glass of nectar and a square of ambrosia. She was taking her first steps when someone almost knocked into her.

"Whoa, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Annabeth mumbled as she looked down to stabilize herself again.

"No, it's my fault. I ran in here like an idiot." The person who almost ran into Annabeth said. Annabeth looked up and got a good look at the person. He was tall, slightly taller than Annabeth. He was slim, with light brown hair and murky green eyes. He was slightly tan and had a camp shirt that looked 3 sizes too big. He flashed her an easy grin.

"You don't happen to know where Annabeth Chase is, do you?" The boy asked, "I accidentally gave her a concussion earlier and came in to apologize."

"Oh, well I'm Annabeth." She replied.

"I give you a concussion and then almost knock you over, goodness gracious. I'm so sorry." The boy said as he ran a hand over his face.

"It's okay, I was a mess too when I first got here." Annabeth assured. "Now, that would mean you're Jared, right?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Jared asked.

"Chiron told me." Annabeth supplied.

"The horse dude?" Jared asked, unsure of himself.

Annabeth threw her head back and laughed, "Yes, the horse dude." Annabeth could already tell, she was going to get along well with Jared.

Line Break

The searing pain in Percy's wrist from the marking of Athena had subsided, leaving an aching feeling that lingered. Percy knew that this wouldn't last long, and the immense pain would return, and he wasn't too keen on allowing that to happen. Turns out that the train went from New York all the way to New Mexico. Percy wasn't sure what the demigods were planning on doing after their ride ended, but Percy planned to just follow them.

Percy found that the boxes in his train car was filled with paper. It wasn't ideal for a bed, but it was better than sleeping on the hard metal floor. From the sounds of the train car the demigods were in, they didn't have Percy's luck. Their boxes were filled with hard-cover books, not too great to make beds out of.

When Percy wasn't sleeping, he was either doing various workouts to pass the time, or he was lazily swinging his sword around. He had packed some non-perishable food with him in his backpack, and survived off that plus the occasional chunk of ambrosia or sip of nectar.

It took about 3 three days to reach their destination, but finally, they made it. Percy waited until the demigods were a safe distance away before opening his train door and jumping out. The harsh light stung Percy's eyes, but he needed to move before the train operators noticed the extra personal they carried with them. Percy quickly surveyed his surroundings to find himself in an open plain. A warehouse was the destination of the train and there seemed to be civilization off in the distance, probably a couple of miles. Percy didn't want to risk depleting all of his energy by teleporting into the city, so instead, he started walking at a brisk pace.

After a few hours and Percy was just outside the city limits, Percy took a quick break. He was about to take a bite into a granola bar when he heard unhuman voices in the distance. Percy jogged over to the noise and found a cyclops, two dracaena and one empousa. A loud beating sound could be heard over head. Percy looked up to see a sleek, black helicopter sink down from the sky. Percy hid in the limited shrubbery, but was not well hidden. As the helicopter landed, the sound was deafening. The rotors kicked up dirt and dust from the dry ground and threw it everywhere, including Percy's face. He started coughing involuntarily as some of the dust got in his mouth. The rotors slowed and his coughing could be heard by the monsters. They all turned their attention towards the bushes Percy was hiding in. They surrounded the bush and Percy sprung into action. He transformed Eternity into its sword form and slashed at the throat of one of the dracaena. It loudly chocked on its own blood as it fell to its knees, slowly disintegrating. Percy stabbed Eternity into the stomach of the cyclops when a searing, red hot pain tore through this shoulder. Percy looked down to see mangled flesh and blood, lots of blood. Percy felt very light headed as the world around him spun. On his way down, he saw the cause of his pain. What looked like mortals dressed in black combat attire were holding automatic weapons, all pointed at Percy. As Percy crumpled to the ground, his delirious mind, coupled with his ADD, thought about, out of all the ways to die, it was by some stupid gun held by a stupid mortal who probably had no idea what was happening. Percy laughed as he bled out on the dry earth. His vision was blurring, but he could hear the muffled sound of voices. They sounded miles away, and Percy struggled to hear them. Percy strained to hear the words;

"You think that's the one." The 's' very drawn out.

"Yes, he looks just like his father." That voiced laughed, "He will be very pleased to know that we found him"

Percy couldn't make sense of what they were saying, but he didn't have much time to think about it before he drifted off into unconsciousness.

A.N.- Don't know if it actually takes three days to travel from NY to New Mexico, but I couldn't find an estimated time unless I bought the ticket, so…

Anyways, thanks for reading and I'll hopefully see you next week.

-Ink