Note: Hello, people! :D Finally found the time to scratch my head and upload this chapter! You can all thank my studies for delaying me! :P I hope you enjoy this, and I apologize in advance if there are any typos or spelling mistakes! It's 2 AM in here and I am sleepy! :D

Special thanks: to all who reviewed, favored, followed, or simply read the story! I love you all! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, sadly! :(

-.-

Chapter 7

"Luke Castellan?"

He stood a few feet away from where she sat on the smooth sand, looking impassive. Annabeth felt a shiver travel down her spine. What was he doing here? Did he—was he the one to—?

He took a couple of steps towards her and extended a stick that she just now realized he was holding. She raised an eyebrow.

"It will help you walk," he said, shortly, laying it down beside her. He looked up at her, his blue eyes unnerving. "We should get going. If night falls before we reach our destination, it might be hard to retrieve what you're looking for."

"We?" Annabeth asked, sharply, her gray eyes hard. "I am not going anywhere with you! You practically kidnapped me! What were you doing in the Underworld, anyway?"

Luke looked amused. The scar on his face gave it a rugged look. "Ms. Chase, I did not kidnap you, and I was not in the Underworld. However, I did find you lying here, unconscious and hurt, and it was only because of the pure kindness of my heart that I have treated you."

Annabeth stared. Was this guy for real? The last time she saw him, he was trying to keep The Gates opened so that monsters would roam the mortal world and awaken Gaea, the goddess of earth. Percy and she and the rest of the Sea Pearl crew had stopped his plans. She hadn't seen him since then, because he had locked himself up in one of the various rooms of the Big House.

Now, here he was, seemingly on an island, as far away from Camp Half-Blood as she dared to imagine.

"Does Chiron know you're here?" she asked, suspiciously.

Luke was patient. "Yes, Ms. Chase. He does."

"Why are you here?"

He looked away now, burying his hands in his pockets. "As I said, we should get going. It's a long way ahead of us." He marched away from her.

Annabeth sat there, staring after him, contemplating her options. Well, she didn't see many options, really. Her leg wasn't bleeding anymore, but it was dully aching. She looked out to the sea before her, her mind racing.

Percy, what should I do?

The waves lapped against the sand, but otherwise, gave no other indication. She sighed.

Using the stick he left, Annabeth managed to get to her feet and limbed her way after him, praying to her mother that she wasn't doing the stupidest mistake of her life by partially trusting Luke Castellan.

-.-

Piper McLean stared at the statue of Zeus in the Cabin One.

"He's scary," she frowned, looking at Jason, who was watching her with an amused expression. "How do you sleep at night with him looking at you?"

He laughed. "I turn my back on him and think of you."

She looked at him incredulously. Jason laughed at her expression. "You don't believe me."

"You're not exactly the sappy type for me to believe you! Seriously, Jason!" she huffed, smiling as he laughed louder, clutching his sides.

She slid over towards him so that she was lying on her side. Jason stopped laughing, and grinned down at her, reaching out to twirl a random braid over his finger.

"How long are you going to stay?" she whispered, watching his face intently. His eyes were focused on his finger's movement, his mouth smiling slightly, allowing the scar at the corner of his lips to curl. She loved that scar. It was her favorite feature of him—after his eyes, of course!

"Two weeks," he replied.

"Hmm…" she hummed, nodding to herself.

He looked at her, teasingly. "Going to miss me?"

Piper's eyes danced from color to color playfully, as a small smile stretched her lips. "Nope. I'll probably take that Hebe camper for his offer or something…"

His eyes went blank. "Oh, really?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you'll be gone for two weeks, and I'll be bored out of my mind. I'd need something to create an atmosphere, you know…" she said, trying to keep a straight face; she was failing miserably, she was sure, because Jason's serious expression was cracking her up.

He looked so adorable: not that she was going to tell him that! Never in a million years.

"An atmosphere, huh?"

Piper nodded, suppressing her laughter.

Suddenly, his lips twisted into a grin. She shrieked in surprise when she found herself laying flat on her back, and Jason Grace straddling her, pinning her hands on either side of her face.

She blushed hotly. "Jason Grace!"

"Well then, Piper McLean," he whispered, slowly, ignoring her weak attempts to push him off her, "we'll just have to make sure you won't be running off with anyone while I am away, hmm?"

Her cheeks had invented a new shade of red. "And how will you do that?"

"Easy. I will make you remember me every second of the day."

She blinked. His lips trailed a soft, growing fire against her jaw, slowly, tantalizingly. Piper, against her will, relaxed and closed her eyes. This is where she wanted to stay, forever, wrapped up in his arms, relishing his touch.

His lips were demanding when they finally met hers, and she made an odd sound at the back of her throat. Something was changing—something was burning between them. It was exciting, yet terrifying. If he continued—if he didn't stop right now…

"Jason…" she whispered, breathily, opening her eyes to see him staring at her, his expression unreadable. Maybe…he was feeling it too…?

His blue eyes sought out her ever-changing ones, asking a silent question. Piper bit her lip. Was this…the right thing? They were twenty, they were both adults, and they both loved each other…was this wrong?

Something that felt this good couldn't possibly be wrong, right?

She nodded her head slowly, and Jason knelt down to kiss her again as the clouds crawled towards the moon, blocking its light, and enveloped Cabin One in darkness.

-.-

Piper's eyes flew open at the loud knock. She pushed the memory of that night to the back of her mind and called out, "Come in."

She had been expecting Leo. She has been expecting Jason (although she dreaded that conversation; she wasn't sure how to act around him after that perfume fiasco and he had been avoiding her). However, it was Reyna who was on her door.

Piper blinked.

"May I come in?" the Roman praetor asked.

"Of course." Piper answered.

Reyna entered. The two girls stood, looking at anything but each other. Piper wasn't sure how she should act around Reyna. She had always admired her sense of justice and her strong personality that made her an excellent praetor, and her loyalty. However, Piper also felt guilty whenever Reyna looked at her. The daughter of Aphrodite knew that it was her fault Reyna had to shoulder Camp Jupiter all by herself. It was her fault Jason wasn't there with Reyna… Jason was never home…

If Piper had never met Jason… if Jason had never stumbled into her life…

But she couldn't think like that. Piper was thankful that Jason was in her life. She was thankful that she had fallen in love with someone as great as him. Again, she questioned, was love worth it if it caused a lot of people pain? Was it worth it when it only brought guilt? Of course, it brought a lot of different, intense emotions as well, but right now with Reyna in front of her, being in love with Jason only made her feel guilty and ashamed.

Finally, Reyna broke the ice. "You don't have to feel guilty."

Piper's head snapped up. Reyna walked over and sat beside her, looking straight ahead, a small smile curling her lips. "It's written all over your face, Piper. Anyone could notice."

Piper blushed. "Um…"

"I know that you have listened to my conversation with Jason yesterday."

"Yes." Piper didn't bother denying it.

"And…?"

"I am sorry." She voiced.

Reyna sighed. "I said you don't have to feel guilty."

"But how can I not?" Piper asked, looking at Reyna with sad brown eyes. "It's my fault, Reyna. You're shouldering the whole camp because Jason is always at Camp Half-Blood with me. You feel lonely and alone because of me…"

She trailed off. It was obvious that Reyna had feelings for Jason, even if the latter was not aware of them. Piper knew that it hurt Reyna to see her and Jason yesterday, when he kissed her, when he declared his love for her, all because he had inhaled her mother's perfume.

All because he was manipulated by it…

"Jason loves you."

Piper's head shot up, shocked. Reyna looked at her, her face closed off. The daughter of Aphrodite shook her head. "No, that was just the perfume talking—"

"Piper." Reyna cut her off, her voice sharp. "Jason loves you. Whenever he's home, all he talks about is you. "Piper did this…" and "Piper did that…" or when he's going to practice with some campers, I would always hear him mumbling, "Piper wouldn't approve of this…" and "Piper would certainly block that one no sweat…' and it's driving the whole camp crazy that they want to meet you now!"

Piper's eyes widened, and unconsciously, changed into stormy gray. "What…?"

"And at other times, we would be sitting the hills viewing New Rome, and he would wonder if you would ever accept to move over to Camp Jupiter so that you two can start your lives safely in New Rome."

Piper's heart plummeted to her feet, rose to her throat, and then hammered away n her chest. Jason thought about a future with her…? A future in New Rome…? And maybe even a…family?

Subconsciously, her hand moved towards her stomach. Reyna didn't miss the gesture. She smiled lightly. "Are you sure?"

Piper blushed. "No. I don't know. I mean, I don't have anything to determine it. But there were signs, you know. And I—I am late, and…"

Reyna surprised Piper by laughing. "You're ranting."

The latter blushed. The former smiled gently. "If things go smoothly enough, we'll be able retrieve that pot of barley tonight, and be on our way to meet the rest tomorrow morning. It'll give us plenty of time to return the items to the gods, and then, we'll go check if it's really happening or not, eh?"

Piper nodded. "I am not getting my hopes up on everything going smoothly, though."

"Yeah, we shouldn't…"

The girls laughed, and for the first time since she had met Reyna, Piper felt at ease with herself. She had just earned a new friend.

Knock. Knock.

"Come in." Piper called.

Jason opened the door. He looked surprised to see Reyna there, sitting close to Piper, and smiling. He gave an uncomfortable smile, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, is it a bad time?"

Reyna chuckled, standing up. "No. I was just leaving." She smiled at Piper. "Good luck." And she walked out of the room, leaving both of them in silence.

Piper stared at her hands, cheeks burning. Jason stood there, staring at the wall. They both raised their heads; their eyes met and held.

Piper patted the space beside her. He sat down, and unconsciously—like he did every time—reached out and took her hand in his.

She smiled. "Something on your mind?"

He nodded slowly. "Let me start from the beginning—"

"If it's about what you and Reyna were talking about yesterday before the whole incident—" she blushed again, and cleared her throat, "I already know."

"You do?!" he asked, surprised. "Did Reyna tell you?"

"No. I…kind of was walking by, and heard you…"

"Oh…"

Silence.

"Why didn't you tell me? We could have discussed it. Reyna is right, you know. Your camp needs you. She can't go on holding that responsibility alone forever." Piper whispered.

Jason gazed at her. "And I told you—I need you."

She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "No. I know what you're thinking, and it's not that way, Pipes. I am not going to deny—I was under the perfume's influence—"

She nodded. "That's why—"

"No. Let me finish. I was under the perfume's influence, but what I said—all of it—was true. It just gave me the boost I needed to say it. To tell you…" Jason's cheeks flushed, and he looked down at their hands. His thumb was running along her knuckles.

Piper's breathing caught. "Jason…"

"And, I know that my camp needs me, but I am not going there if that means I can't see you every day. Those past two weeks were torture, and it's just…" he trailed off, not knowing how to say his next words.

But Piper understood. Because he was as much a part of her as she was a part of him.

A comfortable silence stretched between them, until Piper broke it, squeezing his hand. "I…wouldn't mind."

Jason blinked. "Huh?"

"Going back to Camp Jupiter with you." She blushed and didn't dare look at him in the eye. "I mean, Drew can take my place as counselor—she isn't as bad as she used to be. And I can visit Camp Half-Blood anytime I want."

"But Pipes—"

"It's okay," she smiled at him.

Jason swallowed. "You really…want to do this? No regrets?"

"As long as you're there, I don't think I can regret anything." She gave him a playful smile.

Jason let out a relieved laugh and gathered her into his arms. She sighed, burying her face into his neck.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"I love you," she answered.

His arms tightened around her frame. "And I love you."

She smiled. It was the first time he had said it to her without his eyes, without his lips, and without a perfume influencing him. This time, he said it with his voice.

Piper pulled away, and looked at him. He smiled at her. The scar at the side of his lip curved. Should she tell him? What if she wasn't actually pregnant? What if it was only her imagination? But shouldn't he have a heads up just in case?

She took hold of his hand. "Jason, there is something I have to tell you."

"Yes?" he asked, confused.

"I might—"

The ship jerked violently. Piper yelled in surprise as Jason and she were thrown back towards the bed. He grunted as he slammed into the hard mattress and Piper slammed into him.

"Oh, Jason, are you okay?" she asked, frantically.

Before he could give an answer, the ship was, yet again, thrown off balance.

"I had better days." He replied, finally, helping her up. Carefully, they made their way out of the room and into the main deck.

"What's happening?" Jason demanded.

Leo looked back at him, his eyes wide. "Remember how Percy wanted to know how could a pot of barley be dangerous?"

"Yes, what of it?" his best friend replied.

Leo pointed forward. Jason's and Piper's eyes widened at the sight of the green tentacles trying to wrap themselves around the Rome.

-.-

Nico did not usually appreciate beautiful things. There was nothing beautiful in the Underworld anyway. But the hippocampus he was riding on was very, very beautiful. Nico decided that he really needed to go out to the living world more often.

Percy wasn't very talkative and Nico did not bother him. The son of Hades knew that Percy was worried about Annabeth. He was still beating himself up for being so careless.

The hippocampus that Percy was riding on whinnied and stopped suddenly. Nico's own hippocampus came into a stop.

Nico looked up. "What is it?"

Percy sighed. "They are tired."

"Oh."

He looked around. Water stretched on either direction. Waves lapped playfully. The sun was nearing the middle of the sky and at this rate; they won't be able to get to Victoria's town until sunset at most.

Nico opened his mouth to ask something, but thought better of it. Percy noticed.

"What?" the latter questioned.

The son of Hades shook his head. "Nothing. When do you think the hippocampi will be okay to move again?"

"In fifteen minutes tops," Percy shrugged. "Unless you have some seaweed in your bag. They like it."

"No, I don't." Nico patted his hippocampus' neck.

The beautiful creature whinnied.

Percy glanced at the dark-haired guy. "Nico…"

"Yes?"

"I am sorry for dosing you in water."

The son of Hades blinked. He shook his head. "It's understandable, Perce. I know you're worried about Annabeth. I am too. But, she's a tough woman, man. She can take care of herself."

Percy looked at him, allowing a small smile. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"We'll find her, man. You'll see."

-.-

Annabeth felt weak. Her leg was killing her—she didn't risk taking any more ambrosia. Luke Castellan was leading her away from the small town she had noticed before. The trees around them were thick and the smell of the moist grass under their feet assaulted her senses.

"Where are we going?" she questioned, stumbling a bit.

"To find what you're looking for." He answered.

Annabeth glared at his back. "How would you know about that? Why are you here? And don't give me any elusive answers, either."

His steps didn't flatter. "I know because Chiron told me. And I am here to inspect something that Chiron finds suspicious."

She raised an eyebrow. "He trusted you?"

Luke turned to her and gave a scornful smile. "As hard as it is to believe, Ms. Chase, yes he did."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "And what does Chiron find suspicious exactly? Does he have an idea of who the thief is?"

"That's what we are trying to find out, isn't it?"

The sun blazed above their heads. Mosquitoes found opportunities to bite them every now and then. Branches seemed to appear out of nowhere and tangle in their clothing. Annabeth was so irritated by the heat; the insects, the plants, and the guy in front of her that she just wanted to run her dagger into something.

But she knew she couldn't do that. She had to keep a calm head.

"Here."

Luke thrust a canteen of nectar towards her. "Drink a bit. It'll refresh you and help your leg heal."

She accepted the canteen and took a sip. As always, the nectar tasted like grape juice—her favorite.

Briefly, she wondered how the rest were doing. Were Jason, Piper, and Leo okay? Where the Sea Pearl crew pursuing their search as they should? Was Percy alive? Did he make it back?

"He'll be here before the sun sets, at most," Luke said.

She blinked. "Who?"

"Jackson."

"How would you know?"

"Because loyalty is his fatal flaw." Luke answered, simply. "And obviously, he cares about you a lot. He'll come looking for you."

"I hope not. He has to think logically and retrieve the rest of the items." Annabeth answered, scowling.

Luke looked amused. "Logical? Don't you know Jackson at all, Ms. Chase? He's the total opposite of logic. How you two got together is a mystery to me, and always will be."

Annabeth felt her cheeks flush. She knew Percy more than anyone else. She knew he was the most impulsive man she had ever met. But, surely, even he knew better than to come look for her in the middle of nowhere, right? He knew that they had less than two days to complete the search!

"What's your history with Percy?"

Luke blinked, surprised by the question.

Annabeth wasn't sure why she asked that. But something in her mind had turned. An old comment made by Nico the first time she met him—when he and Jason and a dozen men from the Sea Pearl crew invaded her father's party.

"Well, our captain gives you his regards then, Castellan. And tells you, he hasn't forgotten your act three years ago."

"And neither have I."

"Let's just say, Ms. Chase, that I wasn't a good guy at that time, either. And Percy Jackson was there to witness it and stop me."

"Captain…" she murmured, absent-minded. "Is it that bad?"

Luke shrugged. "I wasn't in my senses. Maybe I'm still not in my senses. But it doesn't matter. I don't like the gods. I never have and never will. They are selfish and we are only chess pieces in their huge board. They play us as they wish, and we have nothing to say about it."

"That's not true," Annabeth said, but then, she remembered how Zeus called them to Olympus and asked them to find the items. If they were gods, couldn't they just retrieve the items themselves? Couldn't they have stopped the thief in the first place? Why did they have to throw them into this wild goose chase?

"We should get going before it gets too dark." Luke said.

And they did. Their walk was still long and the mosquitoes did not take a rest in biting them, but Annabeth was thankful for the slight gust of cool wind that started blowing all of a sudden. The trees were lessening now, and she wondered what was waiting for them at the end of the path. The sun was making its way towards the west.

What if it was a trap? Her mind whispered. What if Luke was leading her to her death? Why was she trusting him? He had given her no reason whatsoever to trust him!

But he was the only one here with her now, and frankly she didn't want to be alone.

Eventually, they stopped. Annabeth looked at the huge clearing in front of them. The trees created a perimeter of sort around the shrine that stood in the middle of the patch of land. The building looked old and haggard. It seemed that it was long since forgotten. Green vines grew at the sides and curved around the broken doors.

Luke took the lead again and pushed the door to the side. He stepped in. Annabeth followed. And in the middle of the debris and vines and stones, her mother's blueprint lay innocently, completely unharmed by the destruction around it.

Luke's eyebrow rose. "Is this what you're looking for?"

Annabeth ignored him and hopped towards the print. She picked it up; making sure it was completely secure. She wasn't tempted to look into it. She valued her life too much, and she definitely didn't want her mother to blast her off. She wanted to see Percy again.

Luke looked around the shrine. "We better get out of here. The place looks like it can barely hold itself up."

Annabeth agreed. They walked towards the threshold when, out of nowhere, a huge bark slammed at the far east side of the building—it shook. Annabeth stumbled. Luke reached out to steady her, and looked over towards the source of the damage.

His eyes widened. "Run!"

"Easier said than done," she grumbled, pushing her leg to work faster.

They had barely made it out of the building when the bark slammed into the center of the shrine. The building crumbled under the pressure, and in shock, Annabeth realized that the bark was a tail.

Her gray eyes traveled upwards and met the sight of a five-headed hydra, looking down at her angrily.

-.-

Grover was panicking.

They had found the bow and the lyre exactly where the map told them they would—The Canary Islands. However, the map failed to mention that an enormous lion was kind of safe keeping the items.

Why, oh why did he have to act all brave and courageous in front of Thalia? He could have stayed on the ship!

The Hunters of Artemis pulled arrows after arrows from their quivers and sent them flying towards the lion. However, the lion's skin was as hard as rocks and nothing penetrated it. The lion roared and charged. The girls, including Grover and Tyson, scattered.

Thalia grunted. "It looks like it'll be harder than we thought."

The bow and lyre rested on a podium a couple of feet away from where the fight was taking place. The lion kept its position in front of it, snarling viciously and snapping its teeth.

"Bad kitty!" Tyson yelled, throwing a huge rock into the lion's face.

Grover's knees shook as the lion roared at them. "Can we not anger the bad kitty, please?"

"Can't you distract it?" Thalia inquired, nocking her arrow.

"I am sorry, but I don't wish to be a goat meal to the lion any time soon!" Grover yelled, shaking his head. "I still want to explore nature more, and take Juniper to those beautiful falls, and eat more tin cans and—"

"Grover, I never said you should distract him by your body or whatever!" Thalia yelled. "Just irritate him so I can find an opening!"

The lion was swinging its paw wildly now, sending a couple of girls slamming into nearby boulders. Thalia gritted her teeth.

"Just an opening… Just an opening…"

Grover took out his pipes and started playing the most horrible song he knew. Vines crept through the earth, responding to the music, and slowly wrapped themselves on the monster's legs. They tightened as Grover's music changed.

The lion opened his mouth and roared.

"Now!" Thalia yelled.

Tyson threw the largest rock he found. It sailed through the air and entered the beast's mouth—it choked.

Dozens of arrows zipped through the air and settled themselves in the lion's mouth. It roared once, tried to back away only to trip because of Grover's vines, and then collapsed and laid still.

Grover stopped playing.

Tyson blinked. "Bad kitty dead?"

The beast began to melt. When it was completely disintegrated, it left behind a thick coat—its skin. Thalia advanced towards it and picked the coat up. "Well, how very kind of it. It left us a souvenir. Lady Artemis would be glad."

Grover's knees were shaking. "Can we grab the items and go now?"

Thalia nodded, and stepped towards the podium. She carefully handled the lyre and the bow and stowed them away into the bag they brought with them.

"Let's get back before it gets dark. We still have to find Hermes's sandles."

-.-

Note: I love Grover! :D So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Rushed? Let me know! Your opinion matters the most, after all! :)

Keep a weather eye on the horizon! :D

Take care!