So, I think I'm gonna keep you waiting on a Percy POV since we need to check back in on our friends at Camp Half Blood…and because a lot of reviewers don't want a Perna relationship or whatever you wanna call it, and guess you'll just have to wait to see how Percy feels. (: Thanks for all the great reviews, and sorry it takes me so long to update!

Also, I hope none of you will mind, but I'm changing the POV on this to first person. I think I'm a better writer that way, and I'm also more comfortable. I know the real Son of Neptune will be in third person, so sorry, and I hope none of you mind (:

Chapter 8

Annabeth

Camp Half Blood, New York

After we finished talking to Chiron, we went back to our cabins to get our things together. Of course, the whole Athena cabin was waiting for me to tell them everything.

I was greeted by the youngest girl in our cabin, Kayleigh, who is only six. She came to us only a few weeks ago, and so far she'd been like the little sister I had never had. Her long dark hair was braided, and her gray eyes questioned me. "Are you leaving Annabeth?" she asked.

I smiled. "Yeah, for a little while."

She frowned. "I don't want you to leave…" she said, "but you need to find your friend I guess." All of the other campers were either staring at their feet or sitting and staring at Kayleigh and me.

"Yeah, I do have to find him," I said with a sad smile. "Hey Kayleigh, it's late. Maybe you should go to bed…" I needed to tell the older kids about the prophecy, but I didn't want Kayleigh knowing it. She was smarter than the average six year old, but she didn't need to know that the quest could be dangerous.

Kayleigh pouted. "But I wanna stay up!" she said.

"And I really don't care. It's almost ten o'clock, now go to sleep. You still have training tomorrow," I said. She pouted some more then walked off behind the curtain that separated the bunk beds from the little sitting area.

I looked around at who was left. Six kids were left, and a few of them were too young to be listening to the prophecy. "Matthew and Alaina, you need to go too," I said. Matthew was nine and Alaina was eleven, so I guess I had decided twelve was old enough. After those too walked off to bed, I was left with four campers. Malcolm, Aria, Cassidy, and Tryston. They stared intently at me, waiting for orders.

"Okay, I'm leaving tomorrow morning," I said. "Malcolm, you'll be the counselor while I'm gone. Unless you guys think he's being immature, as usual, then Aria is the counselor," I looked at the younger three. Since Malcolm was the oldest, he was automatically the counselor while I was gone, but he was still only fifteen, and very immature. Aria is only a year younger, but she's much more mature. Cassidy and Tryston are both thirteen, so they are the youngest. Aria nodded.

"You guys all know the rules for the younger kids. And you know the rules you have to follow yourselves. I don't know when I'll be back…after we go to San Francisco, we're going to Greece," I say.

"What? Greece? Why?" Malcolm asks.

I sigh. "Long, irrelevant story."

"So what's the deal with the seven of the prophecy?" Tryston asks me.

"The first four are me, Jason, Piper, and Leo. Percy is of course one, and then two Roman kids. A child of Apollo and a child of Athena," I say.

Cassidy looks at me, her almost silver eyes filled with concern. "Will you be okay, Annabeth?"

I laugh and say, "Since when does being a demigod have guarantees?"

The next morning, I wake up early. Careful not to wake any of the other kids, I check through my bag. The night before I had decided I was going to pack and extra change of clothes, mortal money, a few drachmas, Daedalus's laptop, my Yankees hat, and the ambrosia and nectar I have leftover from the last quest. I check my bag one last time then head out the door. I find Piper waiting for me.

She had obviously tried not to look good, and she had failed. She hated people telling her she was pretty. Her dark hair wasn't brushed, and she was wearing the baggiest pair of jeans she could find. He mother, however, had intervened, and Piper still looked like she had spent hours on her hair and was wearing hundred dollar designer jeans.

"Hey," I said, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. "Are the guys not awake yet?"

"Nope," she said, "still they're both lazy as ever."

I grinned. "Figures. Well who should we wake up first?" I asked.

She checks her watch. "Um, Jason's cabin is closest. Might as well get him up first."

We walk over to the Zeus cabin together. It isn't too long of a walk, and we're there within a minute or so.

Technically camp rules state that we aren't allowed to go into a cabin that isn't our own, but it isn't a huge rule to break for us. Besides, we wouldn't even have to go into them if the boys had decided to actually wake up.

We walk through the marble doors of the Zeus cabin and are greeted by a large marble statue of Zeus himself. I walk over to the bunks, but Jason isn't there. "Hey Piper," I ask, "do you know where he might be sleeping?" Then I notice a dark lump in an alcove in the corner. "Never mind. Found him," I say.

I walk over to the sleeping Jason in the alcove and prod him with my foot. "Jason. Get up. Now."

Jason just moans and rolls over. I roll my eyes and spot a bottle of water in the corner. Piper notices the bottle and says, "No," even though she's smiling.

I reach for the bottle and unscrew the cap. Piper smiles and says, "He is so gonna kill you."

I start to trickle the water on Jason's head. Then I dump the whole bottle on his face. He sits up fast, dripping in water.

"What the hell was that for?" he shouts. Piper and I just die laughing.

"ANNABETH!" he yells.

"I gave you your chance," I say, still laughing. He checks his watch.

"I'll be out in five minutes," he sighs. Piper and I leave his cabin, and he comes out in less than five minutes.

"Okay," Piper says, "On to the next one…"

We all walk over to the Hephaestus cabin together. Of course, he isn't waiting outside. The three of us walk into the cabin together. "Wait," I whisper, stopping them, "This is the Hephaestus cabin. There's bound to be some sort of trap…"

Piper and Jason nod in agreement. "I'll go grab him real quick. There can't be anything to kill me…" Jason says. I kind of doubt that there's nothing that can kill you in this cabin, but I let him go anyway. Then I notice a line on the floor.

"Jason, wait!" I yell, but I was too late. He steps over the line and an alarm goes off. The whole cabin wakes up, and Jason freezes. A few campers I recognize rush up, looking alert. Leo follows, obviously still half asleep.

"Er…hi there," Jason says. A few kids glare at him, and grumbling, they all walk back into bed. Leo walks up to us, yawning.

"Hey guys…what are you doing he-never mind. The quest…oh yeah…it's this morning…" The three of us glare at him. "I, uh, I'll be out in a few minutes," he says. I roll my eyes and walk out with Piper and Jason.

Considering this weekend is Easter weekend, and that I have exam-like tests this week it might be a while until I put out another chapter, but I'll try to get it out as soon as possible.