A/N: Hey! I'm back from a whole week of vacation during which I had no wifi, so I couldn't update, but I've finally managed to get back on a computer! Now without further ado, the next chapter.

POV: Bella, Annabeth

Disclaimer (okay, so I lied about the "without further ado", but this is necessary): I don't own PJO, HoO, or Twilight.

Chapter 14: The Quest Begins

I wasn't in the mood to do anything but pace around my bedroom all night; I couldn't believe that we were sending my three-year old daughter off on a quest with people - no, scratch that: demigods - we barely even knew. Even though Renesmee looked thirteen and had the mind of a high school student, she was still only three years old. And my entire family had decided to send her off on a journey with a seventeen-year old and some other demigod that we knew even less than Percy Jackson.

You shall send three half-bloods, one not a spawn of the gods,

You shall find a new race of people, who exist against all odds,

You shall endure the conflicts between water and fire

But lose the one you greatly admire.

The prophecy given by the Oracle, whose name I had learned was Rachel Elizabeth Dare, repeated itself over and over and over in my mind. I was trying to decipher it, though the half-bloods had already told me it was nearly impossible to understand a prophecy before it was actually fulfilled. But they'd already seemingly interpreted the first line with ease - or at least Edward had.

Three half-bloods, one not a spawn of the gods.

What if they were wrong, and there was another half-blood who wasn't half Greek god? What if it was a mistake to send Renesmee on a quest far from home with people we didn't know? Even though Alice had told me that she'd had a vision where Nessie came home safely, my nerves were far from calmed.

"Bella. Would you please stop pacing? Not only is it irritating me, but Jasper is overwhelmed by all the emotions he is receiving from you, and it's killing my own mind to listen to him!" Edward protested calmly. I stopped walking back and forth at incredible speed and instead stood as still as stone. It wasn't too difficult. "Now, what are you thinking about that is making you so nervous? What in specific?" he asked me. I lifted my shield for him to read my thoughts.

What if there's another half-blood who's not a demigod? What if sending Nessie is a mistake?

"Bella, there is no reason for you to worry. Alice already showed me her vision of Nessie returning safely." I nodded to him, giving in, but closed my shield so he couldn't see that I was lying.

I woke up at dawn with only one thought in my mind. Oh, Hades, this isn't good. Dammit. Percy and I had fallen asleep on the beach together - again. I clearly remembered Coach Hedge's reaction when we'd done this on the Argo II. And Frank. Oh gods, Frank. That had been so awkward. I instantly hoped that no one would find us, and shook Percy awake.

"Percy, wake up!" I hissed in his ear, shaking his shoulders. He opened his eyes and jumped up, drawing Riptide out, and slashed the air defensively.

"Monster attack? Where?!" he shouted, and I clamped a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"Percy! There's no monster attack. We just fell asleep on the beach. We have to get back before they find us gone!" His eyes widened as I said this, and he clicked Riptide back into its pen form.

"Come on, then, Wise Girl!" He grabbed my hand and tugged me back in the direction of Camp Half-Blood. We both broke into a run, and sprinted to the cabins. We rushed into the U-shaped area just as Chiron walked up to the Poseidon cabin door and knocked on it. "Oh gods," Percy muttered under his breath. "You go back to your cabin, and try to prevent him from seeing you!" I nodded wordlessly and ran off to my cabin. I slipped in quietly through the door and sneaked to my bunk bed, making sure to wake none of my siblings. Thankfully, no one stirred. I silently changed clothes, putting on a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and some shorts, hanging my drakon bone dagger at my side.

After a while, I heard a knock at the Athena cabin door. Since none of my siblings woke up, I hurried to the door and opened it. Standing there was Chiron. What a surprise.

"Annabeth, would you like to come to the Big House to give the group luck on their quest?" he asked me kindly, choosing to ignore my most likely sweaty, red face. Percy wasn't behind him; he must have already gone to the Big House. I could sense that Chiron didn't just want me there to wish the threesome luck on their quest, but also to see Percy. "Umm… sure." I closed the door quietly behind me and set off towards the Big House with Chiron.

I could see a silver Volvo parked in the back of the Big House, but couldn't figure out how it had gotten there. It probably belonged to the Cullens.

Once inside, I rushed over to Percy and hugged him, breathing in the scent of the sea that he always carried with him. Only Bella, Edward, Carlisle, and Renesmee Cullen were inside. Dionysus was also there, lounging lazily against one of the walls with a Diet Coke in his hand. Rachel stood by the table, wearing her paint-streaked jeans, her frizzy red hair in a messy bun and purplish circles under her now-dismal blue eyes. The last person in the room was Jason, whose blond hair was spiked in strange directions, like he'd been tossing and turning all night.

"Now, Percy. Who was the final demigod you chose to accompany you and Nessie on the quest?" Chiron asked Percy, a hint of warning in there, as if to remind him that I wasn't allowed to go.

"Well, I thought about it, and finally decided to bring along Jason here. There weren't that many options, I suppose." Jason walked over to stand next to Percy, and clapped him on the back.

"Well, I suppose this is it. Rachel, where are the three half-bloods supposed to go?"

"East," was all the Oracle said. It must have been some part of the prophecy, maybe not mentioned, but I didn't doubt the certainty in her voice.

Percy, though, didn't understand. "East? But all that's east of here is the ocean!"

"I know," Rachel started tiredly, running a slim hand through her red blob of hair. "That's why I had Leo up all night, fixing Festus." Just as she said this, Leo popped in through the door, bouncing happily.

"I thought that was the end of Festus! After all, he was just a heap of melted metal. But you can do anything if you ask for a little help from the gods… Hephaestus helped me out last night." Percy simply grunted. "Festus is waiting outside."

"Excuse me, but if you don't mind explaining… who is Festus?" Renesmee asked curiously.

"Oh, right. Festus is that metal dragon that you saw us crash in the fields yesterday. You'll be riding him over the ocean. But don't tire him out, okay?"

"Alright," Nessie mumbled uncertainly, shrinking back from Leo a bit.

"Now, Peter-" Dionysus began.

"Percy," Percy interrupted, clearly annoyed.

"Percy, whatever. You are the leader of this quest. Are you ready to depart?" the god of wine asked formally.

"Yes," Percy responded, though he looked a little nervous. I understood him - I didn't want to be away from him as much as he didn't want to be separated from me. Why wouldn't Chiron simply see that and let us go together on the quest? We had been through so much, from the first quest to the Underworld to defeating Kronos and Gaea, and hiking through the depths of Tartarus for weeks. We'd been through too much together to be ripped apart now.

But Chiron was still separating us.

"Let's go outside." All of us walked outside, where we saw Festus the dragon standing, internal mechanisms whirring and clicking. His red eyes glowed with excitement.

Percy turned around to me and grabbed my shoulders. "I will come back to you, Wise Girl. I promise I'll come back." I didn't realize that tears had begun to slip down my face until I felt salty water on my lips. Percy rubbed his thumb over my cheek to wipe away the tear, and then kissed me gently. It seemed like forever passed before we finally broke apart. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it fiercely.

"Bye, Seaweed Brain. Please come back to me," I whispered, finally letting go of his hand.

"I will, Wise Girl."

Renesmee said goodbye to her parents and Carlisle, hugging them each in turn. Then Jason, Percy and Nessie all hopped onto the metal dragon's back and took off, soaring into the sky to places unknown.

A/N: I am so excited to write this quest! I'll update as soon as I can, so please leave me a review! Questions, complaints, suggestions, criticism, whatever!