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Thalia was the one who found me first. My hands were sticky by the time the last tear fell. I stood in the hall, swaying slightly. The ground seemed much further away than usual, a part of the dark blue carpet stained with my tears. Sunlight filtered through the window at the top of the stairs, illuminating the pale blue walls.

I tried to think, sort out the facts in a logical way, but the instant I thought of the unmade bed and the reason that came with it, hysteria took over. I collapsed back down, the wall against my back as the sobs and ragged breaths ripped up my windpipe and exploded out of my mouth and I found out I did have more water left in my body to cry out. Yay.

I can't do it. I can't, I thought, trying to draw a breath. A horrible image of those wicked purple eyes forced its way into my vision. I choked, a strangled sob erupting from my chest that sounded, to me, the most pitiful thing I had ever heard. Still, I was too distraught to care.

"Hello?" I jumped at the voice.

"Annabeth?" the voice asked. "Percy?"

Hearing his name, out loud and not from my mouth, was the final straw. I clawed at the ground, the sobs intensifying until I couldn't hear anything apart from my own hoarse breathing and the moans and odd small sounds of unhappiness that were coming from my mouth.

The door opened, downstairs, and I flinched away from the sound, curling into a ball. 'Gone to pieces' at this point didn't cover exactly what I was feeling. I knew it was stupid. I just couldn't help it.

The stairs creaked, and then someone walked warily up them. I sort of crawled away from the stairs, back towards the room.

"What was—Annabeth!" A black haired girl stood on the last step, electric blue eyes alarmed.

"Annabeth!" Thalia started towards me, bending down as she neared. "What happened? Where's Percy?"

Hearing his name again certainly didn't help. She crouched beside me, putting her arm around my shoulder. She got me into a sitting position, and sat beside me, pulling me into her. Knowing I was probably ruining her shirt, but not really caring, I sobbed into her as she held me and rocked us back and forth.

Finally, the last tear fell.

"Annabeth," Thalia said, looking at me. "I need you to tell me what's wrong. I can't help you fix it if I don't know what the problem is."

"He's...he's..." I swallowed painfully. "I need...water."

She nodded, and gently pulled me up. Together, her arm still around my shoulder, she half carried, half pulled me to the bathroom, where I turned on the tap, cupping my hands underneath and bringing the water to my lips.

It soothed my throat and made me feel stronger. I think that was just mental, but it helped, either way.

I looked at Thalia, who was staring concernedly at me. It had been three years since Thalia had started aging again. The Hunters weren't really for her, and as soon as she was sure the prophesy wasn't about her, she had asked to be released from her role. Artemis was none too happy, but Thalia had somehow got what she wished. In return, she had to give up her shield, which Thalia was none too happy about, but with happiness comes sacrifices. I was learning that right now.

"He's gone," I whispered, turning away.

"Percy." It wasn't a question, but I nodded anyway.

Her hand shot into my field of vision. I took it, and she shoved me upright.

"C'mon Wise Girl," she said. "You're stronger than this. If we're going to find him, we'll need your help."

"We?" I asked.

Thalia smiled for the first time, and I smiled a small smile in return. All of a sudden, I was feeling hopeful. What the hell was with my emotions? They were all over the place.

Thalia pulled an iPhone out of her pocket. The new one, I noted. I liked to be ahead of technology.

"I thought that wasn't released to the public yet."

"It isn't."

She walked down the hall, touching the phone before putting it to her ear. I followed her, descending down the steps slowly.

She had plugged the phone into the speaker system in the kitchen when I entered. It projected the other persons' or peoples' voices around the kitchen, it also had a sensitive speaker.

"Thalia?" asked a voice. Nico. "What's wrong?" He sounded sleepy. "Do you know how early it is?"

"Yeah," Thalia said, matter-of-factly. "It's ten in the morning. Get your lazy ass out of bed."

There was some grumbling on the other end, and the sound of banging. I flinched at the sound.

Then Nico's voice picked up again.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," he said. "Now, what's wrong?"

Thalia explained the situation to him as I tried not to cry again. It was hard, but only a few tears dripped.

"I'm going to get Rachel and Grover," Thalia said, bending over to touch the phone again.

A dialling tone started through the speakers, until one of them picked up. The other went to voicemail.

I shuddered. I'd had enough of voicemail.

"Hello?" said Rachel, voice booming from the speakers. I winced and Thalia touched the volume control at the base of the cradle.

"Hey, Rachel." Unlike me, Thalia had had no problem with Rachel. Although, lately, neither did I. And I needed all the help I could get. "We have a situation..."

Thalia explained what happened, while thumping and banging could be heard from Nico's end.

Finally, his voice crackled through the speakers.

"So," he said, voice muffled. He was probably eating something. Nico was always eating something. "Do you want me to come over?"

"Absolutely," Thalia said. "Rachel, can you see anything, you know, related to him?"

Rachel sighed, a rush of static through the speakers. "It doesn't work like that. I wish it did, but I can't simply access the future. It comes to me in flashes and bursts. And sometimes I spout things I don't even understand! How crazy does that sound?"

"Well, you better come over here too." Thalia told them the address, before switching the phone off. I sat in a chair, and put my head in my hands. The spark of hope had died as quickly as it came.

"Don't worry," Thalia said, staring in my eyes. "We'll find him. Even if it's the last thing we do."

And I started to hope again. It was a small hope, but a hope all the same.

Percy, if you can somehow here me, I'm coming. Just like you came for me, that time...

Yes, I know Annabeth is OOC. I know she shouldn't fall to pieces like that. There is a reason, believe me.

Anyway, this is chapter two. Maybe I will update again, maybe I won't.