Percy sat at the edge of the amphitheater, distant from everyone else. He was in no mood for conversation. The selection had hit him like a truck on a freeway. He had prayed to his father to not go on this mission. Either Poseidon was too busy to care, or just didn't. As his prayer was left unanswered.
Sitting outside allowed him time to clear his head. One positive was that he'd be spending more time with Annabeth. She would make the trip tolerable. Even then Percy was fuming. Coach Hedge didn't even put the recommendations up for a vote! He thought there was a chance he could slip by. Hedge must have sniffed out his fear. Maybe it was his eyes. They had been darting from place to place during the meeting. Typically, that was caused by his ADHD. None would have paid too much attention with the entire camp being diagnosed with the disorder. No, Hedge must have seen something else. His eye movements were not calculated like if he were in a battle. His eyes were too random. Floating about without a sense of purpose. Percy looked back inside.
Mostly everyone had left already. Annabeth and Nico were talking to Hedge. Nico was taking a back seat to what was a very heated discussion between the others. Percy could hear his girlfriend clear as day. It must have been intense. He couldn't make out everything she was saying, but it was obvious she wasn't happy either. She threw her hands in the air, and stormed off in a huff, letting out every insult and swear word she knew. Percy couldn't help but crack a smile. He motioned to Annabeth, and met her by the steps.
"What was that about?" He asked.
"Well." She took a deep breath. Percy braced for impact. "Hedge thinks it's alright to send two damn ten year olds into the heart of the Deep South! And one of them is black! I can't believe the gaul of that man. Why does he think it's okay?"
"Babe, you ran away when you were seven years old being chased by worse things than your racist uncle. They'll be fine."
"Fine?" Annabeth yelled. "Everything is so not fine! We lived in a different time Perseus! We are in a position to where we can prevent that happening to future generations! Demigods should be able to lead normal lives now that we've killed both Kronos and Gaea."
"Look, Annabeth I want to agree with you, but that will never be the case. No matter how much you want it to be. Once a demigod is born, their fate is already sealed. All we do is provide them a home and as normal of a life as we can make it."
"There is still room for change. There's always room for change." Annabeth retorted. Percy fell silent. He knew she was right. Change could be made. He had no idea how to do it. He felt somewhere deep down, Annabeth didn't know either.
Annabeth left in a hurry after being called by Nico. Percy took a walk along the commons. He needed to be alone for a while.
After clearing his head, Percy headed down towards the main hall. He just realized he forgot to eat all morning. The council meeting had occupied his mind more than anything. Maybe some food would help him think clearer.
The mess hall was filled to the brim. They had a new influx of demigods over the summer. Percy could barely squeeze through the door it was so bad. He thought about posting a sign that read 'sitting room only.' He began to grow agitated. Annabeth nor any of his friends were anywhere close to the entrance. He scanned the crowd. At the far left corner he found them sitting at a round table by the food line.
He flashed a smile towards Ananbeth. They locked eyes, and she nodded. Percy thanked the gods there was an open seat. Surely with how his day was going he figured he'd have been booted out soon after getting lunch.
After Percy grabbed his trey, he sat down. Leo and Tyson were engaged in conversation. Percy was lost after the first few words. Engineering jargon was not his forte. Sure, he knew some basic words, but anything more advanced flew over his head.
"Babe, what are they talking about?"
"Some new gadget that Leo's tinkering with. We should stop by the Hephaestus cabin later to see it."
"I'm down. Anything to bring the mood up."
"Is everything alright?" Annabeth asked.
Percy felt about lying, but took one look in her eyes. She had her infamous mom stare. The stare reminded him of his own mother whenever he tried to hide his feelings. He gave in.
"I've just been having a rough day ever since the meeting." He lowered his voice. There was no need for him to be a downer.
"I understand hun." Annabeth quickly flashed a soft smile, and gave him a small back rub. "You just want a little bit of a break don't you?"
"Exactly. After the whole Gaea fiasco I thought I'd be able to settle you know? Maybe actually go to college or something I dunno. Now with the new mission, who knows how long it'll be before things go back to normal?"
"I've been thinking about similar things myself. Multiple times over the past few months I've been so close to retiring."
She shocked Percy with the statement like he had just watched a bad car wreck. He guessed that was why she was so upset earlier. He must have been staring too long, as she gently nudged him.
"Oh, sorry." Percy rubbed his neck. "Annabeth Chase of all people considering retirement?" Percy tried to hold back a laugh. "I thought you loved it here."
Annabeth shook her head. "Don't get me wrong babe, I love Camp. A new change in scenery sounds nice once in a while you know?"
"You want to go talk to Hedge about the mission?" Percy asked.
"I'm good. After this we can tell him and Chiron that we're retiring. One more round won't hurt us, Percy."
He simply nodded. Somewhere, he had hoped that Annabeth was willing to let someone else go. Were they really ready to throw their lives on the line one last time? A camp in the middle of nowhere was not worth the risk, Percy thought. He tapped a finger on the table. If they went out again, there was the possibility of one of them dying. He wouldn't know what to do if he lost the love of his life to some racist hillbillies who did not matter in the grand scheme of things.
"So, Percy how was your meeting?" Tyson asked in between large bites of mashed potatoes.
"It turned out well. We found out what's happened to Grover."
The other conversations grinded to a halt. Percy began to feel his heart race with all eyes on him.
"You guys found him!" Hazel said, her eyes were brimmed with excitement. "I've been so worried for Grover."
"No, not exactly." Hazel's sparkle fizzled out like a candle to the wind. "He hasn't sent in a report in almost a month. We speculate that he's somewhere in the Deep South. His last known location was somewhere by Mobile." Percy explained. "We've formed a small search party to try and recover him."
"A search party eh?" Leo repeated. "I bet whoever took our buddy is gonna run for the hills when I get a hold of 'em!" Leo threw some punches.
Percy chuckled. "Leo, I appreciate the enthusiasm bud, but we've already picked out who's all going."
Leo looked crestfallen. "Ah well. Tell Hedge if you guys have anymore spots open, I'd be glad to help!"
"I'll run that by next time I see him." Percy said, smiling.
"So who's going then?" Asked Hazel.
"It's going to be myself, Annabeth, Michael Crist, and Abby Eisten."
Hazel gasped. "Why would they send Micael down there? Doesn't Hedge know that's a death sentence?"
Percy shook his head. "That's what Annabeth and I thought. But, he seems fit for the job."
"We'll take good care of him." Annabeth chimed in. "Not one of those sleazy men will lay a single hand on the boy."
"So Percy, what do you think about going?" Leo asked. Percy contemplated for a moment.
Should he say what he really feels about the mission? The million dollar question had finally reared its ugly head, and Percy still didn't know what to say. He had prepared himself during his walk. As it turned out, thinking about what he was going to say, and actually saying it were two completely separate things. Everyone was eagerly awaiting his answer. If he answered truthfully, then that burden would be lifted. On the other hand, it could worsen moral and call his leadership into question. It would be better to just save face and deal with everything later.
"Dude, I'm totally pumped to go on another mission!" Percy said with all of the fake enthusiasm he could muster.
"Yeah!" Tyson chimed in. "He's going to kick their tails!" He patted Percy on the back so hard, he nearly choked on his food.
Percy caught Annabeth's eye. She must have felt how uncomfortable he was, as she quickly changed topics. Percy excused him. He needed some water after that slap on the back. Composing himself was his second goal. He mustn't show his complete unwillingness to be thrown back into the line of fire.
"Hey, Percy can I speak to you in private for a moment?" The voice came from Hedge. Percy couldn't immediately spot him in the endless sea of people. He felt a sense of despair wash over him. Hedge was nearly out of breath pushing his wheelchair.
Percy thought about what news Hedge might give. All of the worst possible outcomes went through rapidly in Percy's mind. The possibility even cross his mind that Grover was found dead. He began to feel dizzy. As if all the weight on his shoulders began to crash down.
"Yeah, sure what do you need?" Said Percy as he was being whisked away into a back room. Percy felt like he was about to throw up. The dizziness manifesting itself through pangs of agony pounding against his stomach like a drum.
"Due to recent developments, we need you and Annabeth to come down to the pantheon immediately. Michael and Abby are already waiting" said Hedge.
One look at Hedge's face, and Percy knew there was something serious going on. It was the unknown that was making him sick. He ran out of the room to grab Annabeth. He did not want to throw up in front of the entire camp.