Chapter 2:
Percy's POV
Everything was going just great until Grover decided to scream in my head. I had come to the central park with Annabeth. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we had planned to spend the entire day roaming in the city. We had planned on hanging out in the park for some time, and then grab some lunch before heading to the New York Public Library where Annabeth wanted to see some books. We would go for some movie in the evening, and then have a nice romantic dinner before returning back to camp. It would be just Annabeth and me. Annabeth, I thought. Beside me, my Wise Girl looked beautiful, as usual. She wore the usual camp T-shirt and jeans, with converse. Her golden blond curls were pulled back in a ponytail. She was explaining how she was thinking of putting another statue of Zeus outside the throne room, as he had requested. Now that the war with Gaea was over, she had retaken the job of designing Olympus.
Just as she finished, and looked at me with those gorgeous grey eyes, a very familiar voice exploded in my head. Perrrcy! Grover bleated. I need your help! Ugh. I really wanted to spend some time with my girlfriend and Grover here thought it was the best time to scream in my head. My annoyed expression must've given something away because I saw Annabeth glancing questioningly at me. "It's Grover." I told her. She nodded, as I tried to listen to him through the empathy link.
What is it man? I asked him. Emergency. Hurry. North East of the park. He said. Of course. I get one date with Annabeth and the whole universe decides to ruin it. But G-Man sounded like he really did need help. I sighed and told Annabeth about it. "Well, we should get going then." Was the only thing she said. I nodded, and we set out for the place where Grover was.
On the way, I uncapped Riptide and saw Annabeth holding her dagger. We were ready to fight of an army of monsters. Five minutes ago, I was on a date with Annabeth and now I'm preparing for a fight. But that's what demigod life is all about. As we neared the place, I saw what was happening. I was definitely not prepared to see this. A small girl, 13 or 14, was on top of Grover, and was hitting him with a backpack. Grover was frantically trying to get away from her, but she just kept banging the backpack on his head. I started laughing. I knew it was a cruel thing to do, considering that Grover had saved me quite a lot of times, but I couldn't control myself. Annabeth elbowed me and ran towards them. I followed, still grinning.
On seeing us, Grover yelled, "Annabeth, Percy! Help me." The girl looked up at us, and her eyes widened. She jumped off Grover in a swift motion and looked ready to bolt out of here. We helped Grover to his feet (or hooves. Anyway you put it). The girl took a step back cautiously, trying to create distance between us. I wondered why she looked so scared. Our weapons! I realized. I felt a strong demigod aura around her. I capped riptide and it turned into a normal ballpoint pen. Then I looked back at the girl.
Up close, I could see the girl properly. She had big sea green eyes and straight hair. There were golden blond mixed with streaks of brown everywhere. They had to be dyed, but they looked exceptionally natural. Her eyes reflected her fear. Her clothes were greased with mud and dirt and she looked homeless. Her hands were clenched in fists, as if she was thinking of fighting. Annabeth sheathed her dagger took a step towards her. "Don't touch me." She said. She tried to turn and run but tripped.