Hello Readers!

Next chapter is here. This is the last chapter of present. Next chapter is going to start the flashback that is all Percy and Annabeth's story. So let me warn you Percabeth shippers, it is going to be a treat for you all from next chapter onwards.

Let me thank all those who newly followed the story and special thanks to them who reviewed. I hope see more of reviews from this chapter. I would like to know what each of you thinks of the story as of now and what you expect of it.

Anyways, let me not delay you anymore.

Happy Reading!

Piper watched as Hazel lulled the baby to sleep. She observed as the boy's eyelids grew heavier and drooped, enveloping his big grey eyes that Piper knew so well. Instinctively, her hand rested on her stomach where soon a bump would be showing.

Piper was grateful to her missing best friend because of whom she had met her husband. Annabeth had been with her through all her tough times, small and big.

She was with her when Piper's grandpa died. She was with her when Piper fought with her father. And Piper? She hated herself for letting the one person that stood by her through thick and thin down at the time she needed her the most. She hated herself for letting Annabeth go through all the trauma alone.

Piper wished her best friend would be back, safe and sound. Of all people she knew, Annabeth was the one person who deserved all happiness she could find. The last time Piper had seen her, Annabeth was in a blue dress looking like a goddess and her eyes sparkled with happiness like Piper had never seen before and it seemed to her as though her Maid of Honour had found her oasis just as she walked down the aisle.

She had left for her honeymoon with a heart fluttering with joy as everything looked perfect. Little did she know she would return to the deadliest news of her best friend having just ...left.

Her son was a replica of her. She had concluded that after having watched him for two hours. He was curious as fish and scampered around the house taking in the marvellous new world.

They had fed him baby beef stew just as Reyna had instructed and now it was time to bed.

Hazel gently placed the boy on the bed in the guest room and placed pillows around him so that he doesn't roll.

Hazel looked at Piper and smirked, "You are going to have good practice with him."

"Not really. He is the best behaved infant I have seen. So curious yet careful and scrutinising. He is much mature for an eleven month old, when they just throw tantrums for everything. I expect a lot of trouble from mine considering my grandpa's words who described me as the most rebellious infant. Zale is an.. 'Annabeth product'"

"Yeah . True." Hazel gave a soft laugh.

Silence fell upon them as both of them stared at the little being on the bed sleeping peacefully.

Just then the bell rang and they tip toed out of the room, closing the door behind softly. Piper hoped something had been found that would lead them closer to finding Annabeth.

Hazel opened the door. It was Jason, Nico and Frank. Frank was carrying a carton full of stationery.

"Did you find anything?" Piper asked hopefully.

"No." Jason replied dejectedly.

"They had emptied her desk. One of her colleagues had put all her belongings into this carton and left it in the janitors closet if she ever returned. The security handed it over to us. We checked it thrice but nothing significant was there. Just a bunch of pencils, photos and files." Nico added as they walked to the sofa and settled.

Frank put the box beside the centre table.

Piper sat beside Jason as he tucked her in a sideways embrace and kissed her on top of her head.

"Let us wait for others to come. They must have found something." Hazel said.

"Yes. Let us hope so." Nico replied as silence took over again.

"Are you alright Pipes?" Jason asked her.

"I don't know. I feel so guilty. Annabeth was always there for me. But when she needed me the most, I wasn't. Maybe I could have prevented this all from happening, had I been here and stopped her from leaving."

"It isn't your fault Piper. What happened was not...acceptable, yes. But don't beat yourself up over something that you had no say in. It is past now and letting your spirit down would do no good. Now, we must find Annabeth and bring her back safe. " Jason said.

Piper nodded. He was right. Piper needed to let it go and stay strong. She might not have been there to prevent it but she is here to rescue her friend.

As if on cue, the bell rang signalling the arrival of search team from Annabeth's house. Piper's heart leaped with anticipation as she prayed they had found something, something that might take them a step closer to save her best friend.

Hazel opened the door and the three walked into the room as the already seated people looked at them hopefully.

Percy put a bunch of photos and notes on the centre table as everyone mustered around to look at them.

"These are the notes and photos she was blackmailed with."

Then he shuffled through the photos and held one out. It was worn out and looked old. He lifted it up with a note and said, " They got her freaking childhood pics. They dug up her past that no one knows about. They are the same people who are responsible for her mother and brother's deaths."

Jason took the note from him and all of them read it.

"We never even knew that Annabeth had a brother. Or that he and her mother were killed." Hazel said.

"Because Annabeth never wanted anyone to. She didn't want anyone's 'sympathy points' as she put it." Piper said.

She was the centre of attention now. Percy walked towards the pics as he picked up one more pic from the bunch as Piper continued,

"When I said she had gone through a lot, I meant from even before the accident. She had a very...troublesome childhood that she never told anyone about. Except for me."

Percy cut her off and said,

"And me." Now everyone's attention turned to him as Piper stared at him wide eyed. He flipped the photo showing to everyone. It was of Percy and Annabeth kissing on bed. Anyone looking at it could see how much in love they looked.

Percy looked dazed. His face shone with pure bliss and passion as they both smiled into the kiss. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the woman he was kissing who had her eyes closed. He looked at her like she was the most precious and delicate thing in the world. His hair was messed up as usual and his blue T-shirt was wet.

Annabeth looked happiest anyone had ever seen her. Her face had tear streaks which were evident in the closely taken photo but her face was glowing with pride as though she had achieved all she could think of in the world and she looked content.

No one could really believe that the Percy in the photo was same as the man who had been hating or trying to hate the woman in the photo.

"The night this picture was taken, she had told me everything" He continued.

"Yes. She told you and you..." Piper ever colour changing eyes had darkened as her pupil contracted . She looked like a red hot kettle ready to burst.

Percy looked down ashamed. Annabeth had opened her heart out to him and he had rewarded her with resentment and blamed her for everything that had gone wrong in her life. Words wouldn't begin to descirbe how much crappy he felt. He felt guilty and angry. He hated himself for doing such an awful thing. He pledged he would not let anything happen to her. If anything did, it would kill him.

Piper stared at him and her face slowly turned to pitiful as she gave a sympathetic smile and said, "Remorse is the worst punishment. But you know what? You have been punishing yourself all these months too, trying to convince yourself and others that you hated her which you certainly didn't. You never can. And you know that now."

Percy glanced back up, his eyes brimming with tears as truth smacked him right in the face. He could say nothing and just nodded.

"Okay. But what did happen to her mom and brother?" Nico asked and Piper narrated the whole excerpt to them.

As she finished, everyone was shaken up having heard now what actually the girl had gone through. It was as though life had been specially unfair to her.

"She had a pretty messed up life, didn't she?" Thalia said.

"Yes. But she worked relentlessly to move on and establish herself better. And when she did, it all came crashing down all over again." Reyna said.

"Okay. Now to know where Annabeth is, we should first know everything about her mom's murder and about her brother and hers kidnap." Jason said.

"Yes. But how? None of us even knew about any of that till now. Who can tell us about it?" Thalia said. Everyone looked at Piper in hope of some more withstood information but she had nothing too.

Piper said, "Apart from Percy and me, Chiron also knew about Annabeth. Longer than both of us. He had been her guardian after she refused to go stay with her father. He mentioned once, or more like slipped his tongue that he knew her mother. Other than him, only Annabeth's father must be knowing about her mom."

"Okay then. Let's go talk to him." Reyna said and she started getting up but Piper pulled her back down and said,

"Woah. Wait girl. It is quite late now. Also her father doesn't live here. He lives in San Francisco, that is on the other side of the country."

"Yes. Everyone, let us all rest for tonight and tomorrow we'll fly to California." Jason said.

"Not everyone needs to. We should keep the number low. Percy, Jason and I would fly there tomorrow. You people should check old news paper reports and Nico maybe you can find something about the murder and kidnap from the police records." Piper said.

"Yes I'll try" Nico said.

Everyone returned to their places as they had planned their next step.

Next morning Percy leaned back in his seat in Jason's private jet. Piper and Jason sat at the other side giving him space to think about everything.

So much had happened in the past twenty four hours. Of everything, the one good thing to happen to him was he didn't have to hate Annabeth anymore as had been trying to all along. He never knew how much he had tortured himself trying to do that and nor does he now.

He closed his eyes as his thoughts drifted to when everything began.

Two and a half years ago...

That's all for today folks. Flashback begins next chapter. So get ready for the Percabeth story.

Don't forget to review what your thoughts are. It would mean a lot to me and help me in building the story further.

See ya!