Annabeth was, in fact, not at school on Monday. Nor was she present on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Brett didn't see Annabeth again until she finally came back to school, three weeks after the field trip incident. For someone who valued her education so much, Annabeth sure seemed to miss a lot of school.
He wouldn't have known she was back, except he caught a glimpse of her standing in the courtyard near the fountain. Brett had thought she looked bad the last few times she had disappeared, but those were nothing compared to how she looked now. The dark circles under her eyes were more prominent than he had ever seen them. Her hair looked less like well-defined curls and more like she'd lost a fight with a small animal that was now using her hair as a nest. The most concerning part about her disheveled appearance were the new scars. Brett was sure that they hadn't been there before. Some were so fresh that they still hadn't completely healed. What had Percy done to her?
First period was about to start, so the courtyard was empty, but Annabeth didn't seem to be in any hurry to get to class. Instead, Brett could see her talking to someone.
"Have there been any changes to his condition?" Annabeth asked, worried.
"I'm afraid not, my dear. He's stable, but still unresponsive. At this point we still have no way to tell when he might wake up," the man said.
"I need to be there, Chiron. There's still so much rebuilding we have to do, I can help. And Percy-"
"He's being taken care of by our best healers," the man, Chiron, interrupted. "There's nothing more you can do for him even if you did come back to Camp. The best thing you can do right now is go to school, my dear."
"How can you say that?" Annabeth protested. "After everything that has happened, school is the last thing on my mind right now. I need-"
"What you need right now is a break. You'll work yourself into the ground if I let you. I promise you we will manage without you. I know you're worried about Percy, but try to get some rest."
Annabeth sighed. "I don't like this,"
Chiron spoke with a quiet fondness. "I know, my dear. But you don't have to carry the weight of the world alone. You have people who can help lighten the load- let them."
After a short pause Annabeth nodded in acquiescence.
"I will let you know as soon as there are any updates," Chiron assured. "Be safe, Annabeth."
Annabeth didn't move for a long moment after she hung up. Finally, she wiped her eyes, as if she'd been crying, took a deep breath, and walked off in the direction of her first period class.
What had happened that left Annabeth so frazzled? She always seems so in control of everything, despite obvious worry over things that Brett wasn't privy to. But he had never seen her look so vulnerable. She looked young in a way that she never had before, and yet at the same time she still carried herself with the weariness of someone far older.
The warning bell rang and Brett scurried off to avoid being late to class, his mind still whirring with the possibilities of what Annabeth must have gone through to leave her like this.
"Maybe her parents are getting divorced," Randy suggested casually as he focused on the strings of cheese falling from his slice of pizza. "Or, who knows, maybe her dog died."
"No," Brett frowned, "it's something bigger than that. And besides, I'm pretty sure her parents are already divorced, and I don't think she has a dog."
Jake sat across the lunch table, listening to them speculate, but he hadn't added anything. When he finally did speak up he said, "I really don't think it's healthy for you to be this wrapped up in another person's business. If Annabeth wants to share something with you, she will. Until then, there's no point obsessing over it."
"I'm just worried about her," Brett insisted. "Whatever this is, it has something to do with Percy. I heard her talking about him. I think he did something and got himself hurt. He must have dragged Annabeth into whatever it was, and it can't have been anything good."
"That's her business, dude," Jake shrugged.
Brett groaned. He loved his friends, but they were no help when it came to Annabeth. They didn't seem to realize how much danger she was in. "I just wish she would talk to me, but every time I try she just shuts me down."
"Which is a pretty clear sign that she doesn't want you involved, if you ask me." Jake said flippantly, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Whatever, dude. I just want her to know that I'm there for her."
Jake rolled his eyes, "If you say so,"
Brett waved him off and returned to his food. Jake didn't understand. He didn't know Annabeth like Brett did. Brett would just have to help Annabeth on his own.
Or maybe he didn't. When Brett found Annabeth after school to talk to her, Jake had beaten him to it. They were both standing off to the side away from other students, near the edge of the school grounds. As Brett got closer to them, he realized that Annabeth was actually talking to Jake, in a way she never had with Brett. Maybe Jake had been the one to finally get through to her. Maybe now she would let Brett help her.
But then Brett noticed the look on their faces. Annabeth was serious and focused, which was not actually too far off from normal, but Jake was terrified. What had Annabeth told him that had him so spooked? Was it something to do with Percy?
Brett tried to get within earshot without alerting either Annabeth or Jake to his presence, but it was more difficult than normal because of their position away from everyone else. He had just gotten close enough when Annabeth grabbed Jake's wrist and began urgently dragging him away. Brett heard her say, "We need to go, now. I promise I'll explain everything to you later," then they were off.
Brett couldn't help but be even more concerned. What had made Jake look so scared? And what did Annabeth have to do with it? Why was Jake even talking to Annabeth? He'd thought Jake wanted nothing to do with her after what he had said that morning. What had changed to make him seek her out? Brett thought about following, but he had already lost sight of them in the crowd. He couldn't do anything but worry about Annabeth, and about what she might be dragging Jake into.
