Hey guys, long time, no see. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.
Disclaimer, I am not the author of the Percy Jackson or Maximum Ride series TnT
Percy was up to something stupid.
How did I know? Call it girlfriend's intuition, or a sixth sense, or just years of dealing with his antics, but I know when my boyfriend is getting himself into some sort of mess. I could feel it in my gut. After almost losing him a couple of times, I wanted to be by his side as often as possible. I knew that was unreasonable. Percy didn't need a babysitter.
And I wasn't dating a child…..even if he sometimes acted like one.
Regardless of this fact, I felt myself wanting to go to the beach to check on him and Max. They were supposed to be training. But it would not be the first time they get distracted from their training. Percy was good at getting off track. One time he convinced her that climbing the lava wall would be fun. Then, Max had brought water guns. Mistake on her part, but I must admit, it was fun watching Percy jam her shots, or he'd make them rebound back to her.
"No fair with the water works, Perce!" Max protested numerous times. "You're supposed to be working on your aim, not messing with mine."
"Annabeth!" Gazzy's voice brought me from my thoughts. The blond bird boy came in for a frantic landing. The manic look on his face made me think of my little brothers when they were trying to show off a frog they had caught. "Look what Iggy, Leo, and I made!"
Gazzy had grown a bit taller since I met him, that was saying a lot considering all of the flock members were already taller than average. When I had first met him he came to the middle of my bicep, now he was practically at my shoulders It didn't make him look any less like a little kid as he ran up swinging some random device through the air. Probably some kind of explosive stink bomb or something.
"I can only assume it will cause destruction." I smirked as he placed it in my hands. It was probably no bigger then a cell phone. The wires and buttons jutting out from it were a concern, but as long as I could hold onto this thing without losing any fingers, toes, or my eyebrows I wasn't going to worry.
"Yes." Gazzy nodded proudly, a shiny glint forming in his eyes. "We're trying to work on making the range large enough to kill big groups of monsters. But we also want it to kill only monsters."
"How do you plan on doing that?" I asked.
His smile fell and his blue eyes clouded in thought. "Uh, I'm not exactly sure. Me and Iggy are only good at destruction of the mass kind."
"I'm sure the three of you can figure it out." I ruffled his blond hair.
"You should come and see us test this sometime!" Gazzy told me before taking the device back. "Well I gotta get back. Leo kind of doesn't know I took this. Bye Annabeth!"
He took off running before whipping out his wings and taking to the sky. Kid was cute, but crazy as Hades. I shook my head and decided to get back to checking on my crazy boyfriend. Knowing him, I'd be the perfect excuse for the two to get off track once again.
….
Of course, my girlfriend intuition didn't account for the fact that my boyfriend's stupidity might not be happening where I expect him to be. I stood dumbfounded at the lakes edge. There was a lot of shifted sand where their spar took place, but no bird kids flapping about. My eyes wandered to the water. Part of me knew they must have gone there to test some more of Percy's abilities. It'd be a safe space where the collateral would be limited.
So long as Percy kept himself in control.
I gave a groan but figured they would be back when they were done. Now it was up to me to find something to pass the time. As much as it pained me, I couldn't really think of anything. There was a whole lava wall to climb, but nope, training didn't interest me at the moment. Peleus probably could use some food. That way he's not trying to munch on any campers that walk by. Leo tried to convince us an automatic feeder may be a good idea, but Chiron insisted that it'd be best to keep him familiar with some of the campers.
I headed to the kitchen where we kept some of the raw goat meat that the dragon loved so much. The wind spirits were in a flutter when I arrived, they seemed to be cleaning the kitchen before lunch and weren't happy about my presence. I could tell because the occasional damp rag would hit me or I'd get a buffer of warm air to the face.
"Sorry, I need to feed Peleus." I told them as I shuffled my way towards the large fridge.
Typically, we kept Strawberries in there. The fridge was actually very large, it had to be to store all the fruit that was picked from the fields. It almost seemed never ending, but I supposed that was the magic of it. If enough thought was put into it, the fridge could probably also summon whatever food came to mind. Luckily, we decided early on that Peleus's treats needed prime real-estate at the front. We also had a leather pouch that sat waiting by the immaculate pile of meat.
While I liked a good burger or steak, it was a less than pleasant task to stuff the pouch with a bunch of raw meat before heading out of the kitchen. I hoped that Peleus would appreciate how gross of a chore it was to bring him his meals, but he didn't care as long as he was fed. Once the bag was loaded down I went about my business, giving the wind spirits one last apology before slipping out of the kitchen.
Walking through the camp with a twenty-pound bag of meat always drew a bunch of eyes. Not many people were brave enough to feed Peleus, it was almost like watching that one kid in class walk up to the whiteboard to solve an equation. Gods speed, their gazes would say. Truth be told, while Peleus could tear a whole monster to shreds, he was not as scary as he seemed. He only truly became vicious when someone got near the fleece.
It didn't help his reputation any that campers would try to swipe the fleece for a "quick-fix" on minor injuries. The action typically resulted in burns and singed hair.
I was barely nearing the hill when I heard Peleus giving trills of excitement. Scaley boy was hungry. While I couldn't see the top of the hill, Peleus's horned head rose up at the peak, sniffing the air with intense interest. With a haste in my step, I began to walk up the hill. While he was a good dragon, he was also inpatient.
"Another one?" I heard Grover's voice as I neared the top of the hill.
I saw him standing at Thalia's tree with two other satyrs. Both looking pitifully mournful and flinching away as if they had just been kicked. They reminded me of Grover all those years ago. Shy and nervous and weighed down by immense guilt. Grover on the other hand looked like he was going to be sick, a trembling hand hovered over his mouth in horror.
The three of them were unaware of the dragon pacing around them.
"How can they just be gone?" Grover spoke a little softer. "Did you guys come off as too creepy? Were you avoiding saying anything that might freak them out? That's the mistake I made with Percy. Never mumble about death around these kids."
The shorter satyr, who looked, about twelve seemed like he was about to burst into tears, his chest-nut colored skin taking on a slightly sickly tone. I knew how seriously Satyrs took their jobs, and how hard they took failure to bring demigods in safely.
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Underwood." He cried as he pitifully tried to stem the flow of tears. "I…I...don't know what happened. She just didn't come into school today. When I tried to check with her Mom….it's all my fault."
I felt bad for the Satyr. He looked just as guilty as Grover did when he was twenty-six. I mean goat-boy managed to save three demigods, and even though Thalia is alive and well, he still mourns the fourth that hadn't made it all the way. It didn't help that one of the three demigods, was the most trouble prone out of all of us. Grover placed a hand on the younger satyr's shoulders.
"Look, I'm not mad." Grover assured him. "Many things can happen while we are trying to bring them home. These kids are special and there are many things out there that know that. I'm not sure what is going on, or why they are going missing, but I will bring this to Chiron's attention."
The tall satyr, a pudgy one with curly orange hair, chimed in. "And what are we supposed to do if another demigod goes missing? How are we supposed to earn our status when they go missing before we can bring them in?"
Grover frowned. I knew he was not too sure of the answer himself. "Let me talk to Chiron, see what he feels would be the best."
Both younger sayters trudged off with their heads held low, looking as if they had just lost their jobs. Grover carefully ran a hand through his hair, almost deflating into a shriveled mess on the ground. He looked stressed, and for a creature that didn't age fast, Grover suddenly looked years older. At first I was hesitant to approach him. Percy, surprisingly, was more adept at making people feel better than I was.
But Grover and I had bonded in a way when Percy went missing. He was there for me when I was at my worst. I should be there for him when he needs it.
"Hey, Goat-boy." I called gently as I forced myself to approach.
"Hey eavesdropper." He gave me a weak, trembling grin. Even the freckles on his nose had gone pale. "I'm guessing you want to know what that was all about."
Of course I did.
"And, to check on my easily stressed and entirely overworking best friend too." I reminded him, I was very much aware of the golden eyes peaking at me from behind Grover. "You look like you haven't been eating much, should I take you to Taco bell for an emergency Enchilada run?"
Tears made their way down Grover's face as he laughed. "Still an old mamma goat, Annie."
"Well between you and Percy both being head strong numb-skulls, someone has to be." I smiled, my face burning slightly with embarrassment. I didn't mean to nanny them. "Now how about you tell 'momma-beth' what's going on?"
Grover gave another chuckle, "Percy's rubbed off on you."
There was a beat, a sigh from the satyr, and then a spew of thoughts and worries Grover rambled on about. "You know, Pan, the ever-amazing god he is, decided to make me, me, the guardian of the wild. On top of all that, I am now in charge of the satyrs and making sure we are still safely bringing in demigods to the camp. On top of that, training the Roman Fawns how to bring demigods to the camp. They still have a hard time gasping the concept. Then there is Percy, even when I should not worry, I worry. He's a trouble magnet and I can't help but get scared we're going to lose him whenever our connection so much as wavers. And now Demigods are going missing left and right. I have no idea what I am doing, Annie."
I held my breath, that was a lot to carry by one's self. Especially for someone who hadn't even thought himself worthy of the ground he stood on four years ago. Sometimes we demigods got so caught up in our own things that we forget how much the satyrs took on to keep us safe. The Greek world knows that without satyrs, monsters would banquet on demigod-al la mode.
"Yeah…" I began carefully. I overheard that demigods were going missing. Part of me was afraid to bring it up. What if Grover had a massive panic attack or something? "What is going on with that? The demigods going missing?"
My friend looked exasperated, running his tanned hands down his face as if he were trying to rip it off. "I have no clue. When Percy ran off on me, I was able to track his sent, but with these demigods there is just nothing…not even a whiff. They are just…gone."
The two of us plopped down on the grassy hill. Peleus gave an impatient whine. I quickly hefted the bag off of my shoulder and quickly tossed him a couple of large meat hunks which seemed to make the dragon happy. Though, I could feel Grover cringe at the action. I let my eyes wander to where the beach met the lowest point of the hill, the waves were lapping calmly at the sand. Occasionally the water nymphs would surface to playfully splash each other with water, wave at campers on the beach and dive back in.
Terrible flirts.
"What do you think, Annie?" Grover asked me. "We can't keep losing potential campers like this."
"Maybe…for the time being, we should try to expedite the process." I told him. "Get the hunter's involved. We may not know exactly what's happening, but they are excellent marksmen and could easily beat any monster that comes for the demigods."
The satyr blinked. "Do you actually think Artemis would sacrifice her hunt, for who knows how long, to protect a bunch of demigods?"
I frowned. "Maybe not, but it doesn't hurt to ask, especially since her general is practically my big sister. How many demigods have gone missing so far?"
"Three hundred." Grover dead panned. I was about to say that did not sound like too many. "Just in the United States. Around the world? Three thousand and that number is still rising."
My stomach turned into knots. I knew that not every demigod made it to camp, but for it to be that many in that short amount of time. I could only imagine how the satyrs were handling it. What was causing the mass disappearances?
"Look, you just tell you're satyrs to keep up their efforts. Tell them to be a bit more forward." I told him. "If they suspect that the parents are aware of whom their partner actually was, use that as well. I'll IM Thalia and see if they can help. Maybe we can try to pair experienced demigods with satyrs for some of these missions."
Grover leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and began chewing on the end of his sleeve. "I'll suggest it when I talk to Chiron, but I'm not sure he's going to like the idea of sending other demigods out right now. If things keep going the way they are, it might become even stricter than it was before Percy came."
"You mean, no quest?" I asked.
"I mean, no leaving camp. No seeing your mortal family. No contact with anything mortal related, actually." He muttered. "Last time it happened was back in 2001. You probably don't remember that time too much, because you had no plans on going back to your father. Took almost a year before Chiron felt it was safe for demigods to go home."
Percy would hate that. I thought to myself. Not seeing his mom for a full year would drive him up the wall. On top of that, going to a normal school was a normal thing he and his mom insisted on despite numerous recommendations otherwise. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Percy spent twelve years as a relatively normal kid. Well, as normal as a naïve demigod could be.
"That is a definite, Screw that idea." I protested. "I'd rather figure out what's going on, make a plan, and fight it, rather than live my life hiding."
Grover closed his eyes as if bracing to say something profound or devastating. The wind tussled his curly hair a bit. He was still like a statue. "Annabeth, after what happened to Perce, he's worried. If mortals weaponize demigods, it really will be World War III."
I felt my heart sink, Grover gave me the saddest look, as if this was something, he was waiting to get off his chest, but he had been sworn to secrecy. How long ago had Chiron expressed this fear to Grover. Why didn't he tell me about these concerns? Is that why he insisted Percy try to spend more weekends at camp? Was he working behind the scenes to try and make it so Percy was home less and less.
Was that why my dad suddenly stopped IM'ing me?
"Grover, it'd be madness to try and make all of us stay at Camp. Even the Roman Campers like to leave Camp Jupiter every once in a while." I gave a vehement shake of my head. "Has he talked to Reyna and Frank about this?"
"Calm down, Annabeth. It was just a thought." Grover assured me. "Just a thought."
I stood and threw the last of the meat to Peleus. The dragon gave a squeal of happiness and chowed down on his meal. Now like fifty-pounds lighter, I looked at the goat boy. "And we're going to make sure it remains just a thought, let's give Chiron an actual solution to the disappearing demigods."
A fond smile came to my old friend's face as he stood. "Some things never change."
"Nope." I told him. "I always have a plan."
I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. I know it's slow compared to the other ones :)
