I didn't even give Clarisse time to tell me where on the ship she was. I ran as I've never had before, I barely felt the ground against my feet how fast it was going.
"Percy wait!" I heard Leo yelled behind me.
"You don't even know where she is!"
"Useless fish head, wait!" Clarisse's voice sounded close but I didn't care, the only thing I had my eyes on was the Argo. The door ramp was down so I ran but halfway there my sneakers slipped on the wood and I rolled down at the feet of Clarisse and all who had run with her.
"You idiot, what were you planning to do? Open all doors?" She said as I stood up.
"Well...
"Percy, do you think we haven't done it already?"
"We just checked the boat looking for you," Calypso explained shaking my dirt-filled shoulder.
Chris had me by the arm and was preventing me from running again, I knew he understood what I was feeling but I couldn't wait any longer.
"Where is she?!".
"She is not in any stateroom or engine room or stable, it will be useless to check."
"What?"
"Then where is she?"
"Where?!" I couldn't say anything else, I just looked desperately at Clarisse but she was taking her time to tell me what I wanted to know.
"In the dining room"
"Impossible, I was just there," Leo said taking a step towards the boat.
"Did you look behind the painting?"
"Holy Hephaestus! What a fool I am!"
"That is not discussed."
"What are you talking about?"
"How could I forget it?"
"Forget what?". I was starting to panic.
"Annabeth designed a secret room behind the camp's painting".
"And how come we didn't know about that?"
"Because it was just for her, we designed it for her personal use only."
"And what was she doing there?"
"That's her thing, I know it's filled with books but I don't know what else she has put in there."
"What are we waiting for?". I said trying to run inside.
"You can't go in without me, fish boy." Leo made Chris release me and ran with me to the boat, practically shoving him into the dining room. It was like the first time I saw it, a rectangular table with eight chairs around it, the murals on the walls representing the camp made me feel strange.
Clarisse, Chris, and Calypso came running after us, all holstered, it seemed strange to me that a bow and arrows were in Calypso's hands but I surprised myself by unsheathing Riptide. Leo patted the far wall until his hand reached what looked like a small square panel.
"So... you just put your hand there?" Chris said without lowering his sword.
"It's not that simple, only Annabeth and I can open it. If you try to do it... well let's just say you would wake up in a few days". When he removed his hand the symbols of Athena and Hephaestus glowed through the painting and a door-sized rectangle opened in front of him.
I lunged for the door but Leo blocked my way.
"Percy wait!"
"Annabeth!"
"Wait, something is not right," he said taking a step inside, a white glow made us cover our eyes but I still didn't care. I advanced close to Leo as I got used to the light.
"What is this?".
I forced myself to look and I found a huge room, totally white, absolutely everything was white, the bed, the desk, a small table in the center. But Annabeth was not there.
"Impossible".
"What is this place?" Calypso asked as she touched the walls covered by what looked like pillows.
"Leo?"
"This was not here before, the original design was blue and ...
"Who cares about the stupid design ?! Annabeth's not here! "I grabbed Clarisse by the shirt collar and shook her hard.
"You said she was here! WHERE IS SHE?!".
"Let her go, Percy!" Chris was pointing his sword at me but I wasn't going to leave Clarisse until she explained.
"Percy". The girl said lowering her head, her tone made me drop her immediately I had never heard Clarisse speak like that. Her eyes filled with tears and she looked at me with so much guilt that a lump formed in my throat.
"She was here, I swear, maybe someone got here first ...
"Maybe what? Athena? Aphrodite? Jason?
"I do not know. But I assure you, she was here".
"How can you say that?".
"What do you think this is? A hotel? This is a prison".
"And this is her handwriting," Leo said leaning over the desk. We all approached him and saw on the white painted wood a carved word from Annabeth's handwriting.
PERCY.
"She was here".
"That does not matter anymore". I said stroking the place where she had written my name.
"What?"
"Where she is NOW, that's what matters." I left the dining room without looking at the others. Frank was waiting for me outside, something was wrong but I was too overwhelmed and furious to ask.
"Percy"
"Not now Frank."
"But...
"I need to be alone." I got out of the boat as fast as I could as tears filled my eyes and struggled to get out.
"Percy, don't do something crazy," Frank said before I dived into the lake.
...
"I'm worried, Piper, Percy went into the water hours ago and it's almost dark". Frank said looking at the lake from the new dock (recently rebuilt by Leo).
"I'm worried too, I'm just not Piper." That voice startled him, it was the only voice in the entire camp he didn't expect to hear.
Calypso.