Thank you for all the reviews last time and I'm sorry I was so late to post this. I was quite busy and stuff (actually not really, I was just lazy). So here is the next chapter! :D
By the way, I guess I'll reply to a couple of comments I got.
Well, it actually, it turns out most of you just wrote "more". So there really isn't much to reply to that except to give you the next chapter. Well, guys, if you want to ask questions, go ahead and I'll try to reply to all of them next time!
So here goes the next chapter
There were 57 yellow dots on his polka dot socks. Percy Jackson counted them all as he lay silently on his bed. He remembered that Annabeth had given it to him for his birthday. Other guys receive shirts or maybe even x-boxes from their girlfriends. He was given a pair of socks. Annabeth was just special like that.
Percy was pretty good at multi-tasking, so he could easily count and think about his dream at the same time. He now had one goal, and it was to protect Annabeth no matter what. If she doesn't get hurt in the first place, then he wouldn't even have to make a choice. Prevent Annabeth from injury, that's all he needed to do.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a girl screaming outside his cabin, and Percy jumped out of his bed in alarm. He cursed and bolted out of his room. Could the yell possibly be from Annabeth? His heart was filled with dread as he searched wildly around the campus for the source of the noise. He didn't even notice that Grover was behind him until he bumped into him.
"Whoa, there," Gorver said, "Chill down a little."
"Grover," Percy demanded, "That scream. Who was it?"
"Oh, just some random satyr who claimed that she found something horrifying. I took her to Chiron to solve the problem."
Percy felt relieved, "Thanks. Do you know where Annabeth is?"
"I don't know," Grover said, frowning, "Where'd you leave her at?"
"Percy!"
Percy whirled his head around and saw a camper calling out to him.
"You're Percy Jackson, right?" The boy asked as he accosted him.
"Yeah," Percy replied.
"Chiron wants you in his office immediately," The boy panted, he seemed out of breathe from trying to find him, "He said this is dead serious."
Percy's heart sank once again. Things were starting to get even worse.
"And you're Grover?" The boy asked the satyr
Grover nodded.
"You need to go to," The boy said and walked away, still trying to catch his breathe.
"I guess we better go then," Grover mumbled. And the two both ran to see what the grave news is
Clarisse was already in the office when Percy and Grover arrived, and for once she didn't aim an insult at Percy.
"Ah, Percy!" said a male voice.
Percy turned and saw Chiron trotting his way towards him.
"I hope you've had a good night's sleep last night," The centaur said.
Percy almost laughed. Chiron should seriously join Comedy Central.
"What do you want with me, sir?" Percy asked.
"We have a problem."
"Oh, really?" Percy asked sarcastically, sounding rather rude when he said it.
Chiron stared into Percy's eyes with shock from his outburst and said, "We have a Craner running loose."
"No way!" Clarisse cried out.
"How old?" Gorver asked.
Percy frowned from lack of understanding.
"You see, the satyr you guys probably heard screaming earlier came and told me this. She said that she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it. It was-"
"Excuse me, sir," Percy interrupted, "What's a Craner?"
"Are you serious?" Clarisse asked in disbelief, "You don't know what a legendary Craner is?"
"Clarisse, no need to make others feel bad for their lack of knowledge," Chiron said, sounding a bit bitter, "A Craner is a monster that looks like a human. It has a purple crusted shell surrounding its body and yellow eyes."
"How strong is it?" Percy asked.
"That's the thing," Chiron answered, "It varies by their age. A newborn Craner is unbelievable weak. But each month, its powers increases dramatically. If it survives up to 6 months, it should be about as strong as a regular demigod. That is why we try and destroy Craners before they ever grow to be that old, because they are potentially dangerous."
"So how old is this one?" Percy asked.
"That's the problem," Chiron answered worriedly, "We, which is Dionysus and I, couldn't believe it when we heard the age. Apparently, this Craner is five years old!"
Grover's mouth hung open, "Five years?"
Chiron nodded gravely.
"What's wrong with that?" Percy asked, "Doesn't sound that old."
"Percy," Grover said," Do your math. If a Craner is already as strong as a demigod at the age of six months, think about how strong they are if they're five years old."
"Then," Percy said, thinking, "Oh my God. If that's the case, then this Craner should be-"
"-at least ten times stronger than a regular demigod," Grover finished, "That much power should match Kronos!"
Percy's heart seemed to sink even lower as the math sank in.
"Where is it?" He asked.
"Right now, it is rather close. It's in Maryland." Chiron answered.
"That's not that far," Percy answered, "So I'm guessing we're going to have a mission to exterminate this Craner?"
"Correct," Chiron answered.
"Then I'll go," Clarisse said, "I'm much stronger than most of the other campers here. I'll stand a chance against this Craner."
"I'm going too," Grover said, "I'm sure I can detect this Craner wherever it's hiding."
"I'm in it as well," Percy said, "There's no way you're leaving me behind on this one."
"Then it's decided then," Chiron said, "You guys will-"
"And me!" A voice called out.
Four heads turned around and saw Annabeth standing at the doorway.
"I'm going too," Annabeth said, grinning.
"No!" Percy exclaimed, shocking everyone including himself.
"What?" Annabeth cried, sounding hurt, "Why not?"
"Annabeth, please," Percy begged, "Don't go on this mission with us."
"How come?"
"Well, I can't really explain," Percy stuttered, "Just don't."
"Are you sure you're feeling okay today, Percy?"
"You know," Grover said, "I really think Annabeth should go."
"And for once," Clarisse added, "I'm going to agree. We're going to need some help for this mission."
"But guys," Percy said, "Don't you remember our mission with the Hunters for rescuing Annabeth and defeating Atlas? There were five of us. Only three survived. Three is like the maximum for a mission. Any more and someone will die!"
"Percy," Chiron said softly, "I don't think you know how serious this mission actually is. A Craner of this ability has never existed in the entire history of mankind. This will not be an easy battle. It's better to send in someone extra and have one person lost but complete the mission than it is to send in only three, get them all killed, and fail the mission anyways."
Percy began, "But-"
"Percy, are you worried about me getting killed?" Annabeth asked, "Don't worry, I'll outlive you by decades."
Percy scowled but knew his battle has lost.
"Fine," he replied, not telling Annabeth how much those words actually hurt, "Whatever."
"Well then" Chiron said, "Looks like the mission has been made. Let's bring in the Oracle and then get started!"
ANnabeth, Grover, and Clarisse ran to get Racheal, but Percy miserable stayed behind. Someone was going to die. And he knew that it will either be him or Annabeth.
So what'd you guys think? Please comment and ask me stuff! Remember, I'll try and reply to them next time!