AN: Did you miss us? We're back with another chapter! :D
Disclaimer: We don't own PJO or HoO
Will POV
I am an idiot.
That was the only thought going through my head. I am an idiot.
Why the Hades did I say that to Skylar?
I wasn't even paying attention to what I was saying. All I was worried about was my bow and arrow. After she'd started laughing, I'd just assumed it was her and I hadn't really realized what I was about to say until I did.
Her beautiful blue eyes had started to water up and it was me who did that to her.
I tried to fix it, but she never gave me the chance. Her last words to me stung the most.
I thought that you of all people knew me better than that.
I did know her better than that, but I was just being an ass.
So she just ran out of my cabin. I knew it was up to me to fix this.
As I was running out, I ran into my half sister, Hannah.
"Hey. I was just looking for you. Thanks for letting me borrow your bow and arrow. The Hephaestus cabin said they would fix mine by tomorrow." She said, holding out my missing bow and arrow.
Crap. I remembered now. I told her she could use it.
"Uh, put it on my bed. I have to go and take care of something else right now." I said, walking away.
She put her hand on my shoulder. "Is that something more important than your bow and arrow?" She asked, eyebrows raised.
Hannah as well as the rest of my cabin knew how important my bow and arrow were to me. Not all demigods got gifts from their parents, so this mattered a lot.
I looked her in the eye. "Yes, more important than anything in the world."
She looked shocked. But then she let go of me and said, "Ok, go get her."
I didn't even have to ask how she knew this was about Skylar. She was an Aphrodite child at heart.
I nodded and started walking to the places she might be at. Knowing my girlfriend, if she even was my girlfriend anymore, she would either be at her cabin, with Seph and McKenna, or… the beach!
I ran over to the beach. She wasn't there.
I stared out at the waves crashing along the shore. I loved this place. I'd finally told her how I felt here, at 2 in the morning.
I sighed and turned around.
There she was, standing and staring at me.
I felt my heart break in two as I looked at her. Her eyes were red and puffy, and there were tear tracks on her cheeks.
"Skylar…" I said softly.
Tears started welling up in her eyes again as she turned and ran towards the woods.
I ran after her, I couldn't lose her. She meant everything to me.
I kept yelling her name, but if she heard me, she showed no signs of it.
I kept running through the trees, trying to find her. I had no clue where I was going, but I had to find her if it was the last thing I did. And knowing the life of a demigod, it might as well be just that.
Suddenly, I heard a sound that made my blood run cold. The worst sound in the world, Skylar's scream.
I sprinted over to where I heard it. I looked around frantically but I couldn't see her.
I heard her laugh behind me and I spun around. Instead of Skylar though, I saw a pink shimmering note on the ground.
I walked over and picked it up, hoping it would give me a clue as to what happened.
Dear Will,
In case you haven't already figured this out, this is Aphrodite. I'm sorry, but you're a little bit too late. I have Skylar, as well as the others. Now you're probably wondering what I'm planning (don't lie, I can read your mind). Well, you broke her heart. Now you have to find her, and hope she forgives you. Go and find the others and then I'll give you the first clue.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite
I stared at the paper in my hand.
Gods, I am an idiot.
Percy POV
"ANNABETH!" I yelled, running towards the spot where she was abducted.
My eyes scanned the water, looking for her. But all I found was a pink note, sitting idly on the surface of the water.
I grabbed it up to read it.
Dear Percy,
In case you haven't already figured this out, this is Aphrodite. I'm sorry, but you're a little bit too late. I have Annabeth, as well as the others. So, while you're going to be going on a wild goose chase to look for her, she'll be having some girl time with her friends. Now you have to find her, and hope she forgives you. Go and find the others and then I'll give you the first clue.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite.
Damn… I really fucked up this time.
Leo POV
I went over to my cabin after Reyna had kicked me out of her cabin.
Of course, the moment I got there, Nyssa started reprimanding me for what I said to Reyna. She told me to either go fix it, or to never step foot in the cabin again. Even if I was technically the counselor of the cabin, she could be pretty damn scary when she wanted to be.
So I went back to see if she was still there, but she wasn't. I walked around camp looking for her, when I heard of a fiasco at the arena.
I smiled. Reyna.
I ran over to the arena.
A crowd had formed around Reyna, watching her tear apart everything in sight.
"What're you looking at?" she snarled, and they all backed away and started doing their own thing. Except for me that is.
Her hand clenched tight around her sword and she looked around. Finding nothing, she chucked the sword at a wall. It lodged itself nicely there, and everybody left the arena all together.
I smiled sadly at her. "Hey Rey."
She turned to me, her eyes blazing with fury. "Do not call me that, Valdez." She warned, threateningly.
I felt my eyes turn steel cold. "Or what Rey? What are you going to do? I came here to apologize for before, but you know, maybe I won't."
She looked at me. "Then don't." She said softly. "My dad didn't either. He just left us."
I stared at her. Shock was written all over my face.
She slumped down against the wall. "Just leave. Please. Just go."
But I didn't want to. I don't know what the feeling was bubbling around inside of me, but it was stronger than anything I'd ever felt before. I couldn't leave her.
But seeing her eyes, so full of pain and sadness, I knew I had to. For her.
I turned around reluctantly and began to walk away.
The feeling only got heavier.
"Rey…" I began, turning back around. I froze. She wasn't there. She had been there like two seconds ago… where did she go?
Instead, there was a pink slip of paper where she had been sitting. I walked over and picked it up.
Dear Leo,
In case you didn't know already, this is Aphrodite. I'm sorry, but you're a little bit too late. I have Reyna, as well as the others. The thing is, she's heartbroken. You should know already that Reyna never cries. But that's what you made her do… Now you have to find her, and hope she forgives you. Go and find the others and then I'll give you the first clue.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite
Oh shit. Love?
Connor POV
Gods, I have no clue why the Hades I said that…
Oh, why the Hades did I say that!?
I stopped internally fighting with myself after seeing some of the weird looks people were giving me. I sprinted off in the direction I saw Lou Ellen go.
I ran into the forest, completely ignoring the fact that they were filled with monsters and traps and I had no weapons or backup.
After looked around frantically, shouting her name.
After a few minutes of nothing, I leaned back against a tree and put my head in my hands.
Suddenly, I heard a shout. "Stoll!" My head snapped up. That was Lou Ellen!
I jumped up and dashed over to where I heard her shout.
Looking around, I saw nothing except for a bunch of trees, dirt, a glittery pink note, a few bushes-
Wait.
My head turned back to the glittery pink note.
I ran over and picked it up. Maybe this would tell me where Lou Ellen was. My eyes scanned over the paper.
Dear Connor,
This is Aphrodite and the gods (but mainly Aphrodite). Anyways, I've got Lou Ellen and the others hidden away. Long story short, you have to find her, and hope she forgives you. That comment you made was quite snarky. So anyways, go and find the others, and I'll give you the first clue.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite.
Oh damn.
Travis POV
I have no clue why I did that.
After Skylar left the cabin, after surprisingly not slapping me, I crashed back onto my bed.
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't backing out. I mean, this was Katie freaking Gardner.
Also known as the girl I've been in love with ever since I saw her when we were seven. And after all these years, she still thought of me as the annoying boy who pranked her and teased her… even though that was what I did.
Ahhhh! Screw this. I'll do what I do best. I'll wing it.
Knowing Katie, she'd probably go to her safe place, the little clearing past the strawberry fields.
Of course, she didn't know that I knew about that…
I'd been stalking… I mean, watching her out of plain curiosity… yea. So I was watching her out of plain curiosity one day, and I saw her sneak off in the direction of the fields.
Now normally I wouldn't think of it as that big of a deal, considering she was a daughter of Demeter, but she had specifically made sure nobody saw her.
But I did. So I followed her to the place and watched her as she sat down against a tree. A few tears fell down her face, and my heart broke.
This happened 3 years ago. Before then, I thought it was just an everlasting crush I had on Katie, but at that moment, I knew it. I knew that I loved Katie Gardner.
I ran towards the spot, and slowed down the last few steps. I peered through the strawberry plants and looked for her. But she wasn't there.
I sighed and turned back around.
I heard Katie laugh behind me and I spun around. Instead of Katie though, I saw a bright pink note against the tree.
I walked over and picked it up.
Dear Travis,
As you probably already know from the pinkness of this note, this is Aphrodite. I'm sorry, but you're too late. I have Katie and the others hidden away. You're going to have to find her. Go and get the others, and then I'll give you the first clue.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite
Gods, I was going to hurt those freaking meddling Olympians. But first things first.
Find Katie.
James POV
Well, there were many words for how I felt.
And to be honest, none of them were even close to being strong enough. I was being an insensitive bastard, and a complete dumbass. I let my mouth run and say terrible things about her, then I go and let her leave… just go, and stand there like… well a dumbass.
McKenna slapped me and that sent a feeling of sharp reality through me. I'd just hurt the one girl that I'd ever been truly crazy about, and the one person that I'd ever truly cared about, and then let her run away! So I did what any good boyfriend would do: I ran after her.
One slight problem: Seph could breathe under water, and I couldn't, so you do the math and tell me where she was headed.
After feeling a nasty tremor under my feet, I saw McKenna dive underwater, and I figured that she would get her to come back to her cabin… that would be where I was, on my knees begging for her to forgive me for being an idiot.
The very thought revolted me… I was a son of Jupiter after all, but Seph was everything to me, I couldn't lose her!
Just the thought of having her hate me for a second longer, made me dash to her cabin, and just in time to see McKenna run in, tears streaming out of red eyes.
Figuring that two upset girls were too much for me to handle by myself, especially considering that both of them are ticked off at me, I leaned against a tree waiting for Seph to walk out… she was never one to stay in her room and cry.
Sure enough, about ten minutes later (which felt like ten hours, thanks to ADHD) she walked out, and I thought one thing that a guy should never tell his girlfriend: she looked awful! A cold feeling of guilt squeezed at my heart.
She looked at me for a moment, before snapping her head forward and marching off, not so much as acknowledging me. I wanted to march up to the person that put her through this and cause them the most pain that they'd ever witnessed, but I couldn't because I don't think that there is more pain than watching her being hurt and upset. I sighed, and didn't try to follow; I knew that would be a bad move.
A few minutes later, I decided that I had to talk to her, if I didn't it would be bad for my own mental health. Removing myself from the tree, I marched toward the one spot that I was sure to find her.
While I was walking, I let myself think about how she was bound to scream at me, and demand that I leave her alone, not that I would, I was filled with the same amount of resolve that I had the first time I kissed her, that was saying a lot.
I'd made it to the forest, and walking around distracted and alone was not a good tactic for staying alive, but I couldn't help it. Every time I thought of a monster attacking her, or her sitting down and sobbing, I put on an extra spurt of speed.
When I was about ten feet from the clearing, I heard her… she was singing the song that I sang to her after our last battle in the forest. I ran as fast as I could, reaching the clearing by Zeus' fist in record time.
One slight problem: Seph was nowhere to be found, I looked all over, even took to the air a couple of times. And just when I was on the edge of flipping out, I saw something glowing dull pink. I ran over to it, and saw that it was a sheet of paper. Snatching it up, I managed to decipher it. It said:
Dear James,
In case you haven't figured it out, this is Aphrodite. Sorry sweetie, but you're a little late. I have Persephone as well as the others. You're probably wondering what I'm up to. You seriously hurt her (though I imagine that you knew that), and now it's up to you to find her and hope that she's still in love with you and ready to forgive you. Go and find the others and I'll give you the first clue.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite.
What the Hell had I done?
And that was when I started flipping out.
Jason POV
Wow, I was a major idiot! Had I just accused her of cheating on me? Piper was the best person that I knew, why would she want to. And she just walked, not that I could blame her, oh gods!
I was still for all of ten seconds before I set off. I didn't know how, but I was going to explain, and hopefully by some miracle, she was going to take me back. I don't know how long I searched, racking my brain for possible spots that she could be. I remembered a few people yelling, but none of them were Piper. I was about to give up and go and beg one of her friends to spill the information, when it hit me. I knew exactly where she was.
I walked with a purpose to the clearing where we first kissed. As much as she hated it, she did have an Aphrodite side to her. When the part of the forest came into view, I started to sprint, figuring that the sooner that I found her and begged for forgiveness, the better.
When I got to the clearing, there was no one there. I looked all around, knowing that she would have went there, I'd never been so sure about something. But as I was looking, I realized that she wasn't there. A feeling of hopelessness settled in. I would have probably screamed out in pure utter despair if I wouldn't have seen the pink note.
I picked it up, and quickly read through it.
Dear Jason,
I thought that you should know that this is Aphrodite. I have my daughter as well as the other girls. Don't worry they're safe, your love life is the object that is in jeopardy. You really did hurt her, and she's really angry (I'm pretty sure that wasn't news to you). It's your job to find her and hope that she is in love with you enough to take you back. Go and find the others, and I will give you your first clue!
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite.
Frank POV
I grabbed my jacket, I had to find Hazel and hope against hope that she would decide to forgive me. Out of habit I patted my chest, and with a sinking feeling, I felt a small lump. Oh gods.
"HAZEL!" I shouted, running out of the cabin, the people within hearing distance, turned to look at me, but I didn't pay them any attention. With a start, I saw gems that were sticking out of the ground. Guess she wouldn't be that hard to find after all.
I took off at full speed, refusing to stop until I found her. She'd ran pretty far into the forest, if it hadn't been for the jewels, I would have gotten lost and been eaten by monsters. I'd have to thank her for that if she didn't try to drown me in priceless gems when I found her.
I was considering turning into something smaller, that way I could fit through the narrow trees better, but it turned out I didn't need to. The trail of jewels stopped abruptly at a large tree. But there was no Hazel at the end, instead there was a note.
Dear Frank,
Accusing her of stealing your stick, tsk, tsk. I would have thought better of you! But I'm not here for scolding. I have Hazel, and not to worry, she is completely safe! You need to find her and hope that she forgives you. Go to the others and I will give you your first clue.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite.
What had I done?
Zach POV
"STUPID!" I shouted, adding another hole to my wall. How in the world could that have happened? I should've known. Lindsay hated McKenna. No wonder she came and talked to me out of nowhere.
I had no intention of hurting McKenna. Not one bit.
Falling onto my bed, I felt paper crumple under me, and I jerked up. Lifting the covers, a pink note caught my eye.
Grabbing the note, I scanned through the cursive writing, my eyes widening.
Dear Zachary,
In case you haven't already figured this out, this is Aphrodite. I'm sorry, but you're a little bit too late. I have McKenna, as well as the others. Now you're probably wondering what I'm planning (don't lie, I can read your mind). Well, you broke her heart. Now you have to find her, and hope she forgives you. Go and find the others and then I'll give you the first clue.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite
Shit.
Nico POV
What did I do? How could I have been so stupid?
Forgetting her birthday, shit.
I actually had remembered, and I'd even gotten her a gift, but I wasn't exactly the sharpest person after being woken up.
She probably thought I took her for granted now. But I didn't. I didn't know why in the world she would ever go out with me of all people, but she did. I was the luckiest guy in the world, and I just ruined that.
Well sitting around wasn't going to help anything. I got up and walked out the door.
I did a loop of the entire camp, growing more and more frantic by the minute. The last place I checked was her cabin.
Crossing my fingers, I walked in hoping to see my girlfriend hopefully throwing something at the wall or blasting Green Day.
Instead, I saw messy bed sheets, teardrops on her pillow, and a pink glittery note.
Which one seemed out of place? Oh yeah, the note. Quickly grabbing it, I scanned over the writing.
Dear Nico,
This is Aphrodite in case you didn't know. I have Thalia and the other girls. Now you should know that she is one word right now: broken. Her own family never cared (except for her brother that she thought was dead), and now her boyfriend forgot her birthday? Not ok. So go find the others if you want your girlfriend back.
Love will lead the way.
Yours truly,
Aphrodite
I crumbled up the paper in my hands and threw it at the wall. I slid down against the wall next to her bed and put my head in my hands.
What had I done?
AN: Ok, so I can already tell you that the next update will be next weekend :) It'll prob be an update per week now that school's up and running. Thank you for all the reviews! They mean the world! :D
~McKenna, Nessa, Kayla