Chapter 4

Annabeth

So, yah, I was missing Percy, and everyone could tell. Not that it was the most horrible thing I'd endured. Nevertheless, I was starting to act like a jerk to everyone now that I was under so much pressure and especially to Leo.

The afternoon after I threw a knife at him he came up and hugged me and apologized. He apologized! After I threw the knife at him, even, and I told him I didn't mean it, even though I did at the time. It was the nicest thing I could do.

After the campfire, which I was dismally absent from Piper came and tracked me down in my cabin and she looked ticked.

"Annabeth!" she cried, "Where have you been?"
"Here," I said, looking up from my laptop, "Is there a problem?"
"Yes…" she drew it out like there was something I should know.
" What?"
"They picked the quest group at the campfire tonight and you weren't there to volunteer! So now Drew got your spot."

"What?" I repeated, this time like I'd been hit with an arrow.

"Yep," Piper shook her head at me, "Why weren't you there?"

"I… I… I…" My only explanation was that I'd been reading things off of Daedalus' laptop, and Piper didn't need to know anything about that story.

I slammed the laptop lid closed and bolted out the door, Piper on my heels, "How could you be so stupid?"

"Shut up. I'm going on this quest whether Drew likes it or not."

"Okay, but I thought Chiron was under the impression…"
"Screw Chiron."

I practically fell into the fire I was running so fast and Chiron steadied me.

"Annabeth…" he paused and looked down at me sadly, "What is the meaning of this?"
"Drew can't go, Chiron! She's only doing this to torment Piper. You know I'm going on this quest! You know it!"

"Annabeth," he held up a hand to stop me, "I was the one who decided you should not go on the quest. Your absence at the campfire did not do that to you, though I do insist you come and eat after this."

Piper whispered in my ear, "Told you."

"What?" I stared at him my mouth agape, "You promised, Chiron! Please! I'm 17!"

"Annabeth, I promised that to a very different girl. The girl I knew was strong, poised, and pulled together. Right now you are extremely fragile, something I don't blame you for, but to have Percy see you first, would be the worst possible thing to do."

I glared at him, "We'll see about that," and stormed away.

"Annabeth Chase! If you leave camp under any circumstances I will send someone to track you down and kill you. Do you understand me? I do not want to do this.
I turned back to him, "I don't want to have to do this either, Chiron," there were tears in my eyes, "But I'm wasting my life here and this is a matter of life or death. Percy needs me, and I'm coming to him."

I walked away with my head held high, but inside I was sobbing.

…

I ran back to my cabin, a light rain wetting down my frizzy hair and slammed inside. My sisters were staring at me curiously and my brothers were averting their eyes. Joanna walked up to me. Her eyes looked tired. She'd been up reading late into the night.

"Hey Annabeth…"
"Yah?"
"I want to talk to you."
"I'm not really in the mood to talk right now."
"Please?"
I sighed, "Ok, for a second."
We walked out onto the front porch. The rain was pouring. The conditions were horrible for the people going on the quest tomorrow.

"Annabeth, we've been thinking that maybe… you should try to forget about Percy for a little while."
"What?"
"Well, it's just your so focused on him all the time. We think it would be better if you got to know some other people."
"Well you thought wrong. What are you saying I don't have any friends?"
"Let's put it this way," She paused, "Percy doesn't remember anything. Everyone knows that, so you've got to start bracing yourself for when he doesn't remember you."

"And you think I haven't already?"
"All I'm saying is I think you depend on him a little too much."
I opened my mouth angrily, and she held up a hand.

"And I understand, Annabeth. You've told us haven't you? How you and Percy have been through everything together and…"
"Joanna," I stopped her, "It's not just that. I, well, I've had quite a few failed relationships. Not like boyfriends or anything, but just… I couldn't depend on my parents, Luke turned, and Thalia got turned into a pine tree. For a long time I had no one I can count on. Luke promised me that we'd be a family, him, Thalia, and me. And," I looked down at my feet, "I believed him."
"I…" she interrupted, but this time it was my turn to hold up a hand.
"I know it was stupid, but I was seven. And so here I am without anyone and Percy comes a long just the typical, idiotic boy that you see in all the typical, idiotic romance novels, but he was different. He kept his promise. He didn't leave me. When everything else failed he was the only one who stayed. Or at least… that's how it seemed to an also idiotic, fantasizing girl like me. And now he's gone."

"Hmm…" Joanna nodded, "So all you want is something stable? Is that right Annabeth?"
I nodded. Finally someone got it.

"So… just get a mortal boyfriend. They've had something stable all their life. Perfection, right? Right? Annabeth?"

I was staring at her, my eyes narrowed to slits, "I just tell you all of that and you tell me to get a mortal boyfriend?"

She smiled, "That's the logical answer isn't it."

I felt my blood turn to ice, "Joanna. I want to get one thing straight. I cannot stand mortals. They think they have the worst lives ever, when they don't know what true suffering is. Because of this dull notion they make the worst possible decisions. I would never kill one of them, but not one mortal has ever understood me. I have no pity for them."
"Annabeth…"
"Stay away from me!" I yelled at her and I ran backwards tripping over the roots of a fallen tree. I felt insane. My whole mind seemed to be pulling different directions. I flew in the door of the Poseidon cabin and slammed it shut behind me.

I collapsed onto Percy's bed and stared at the minotaur horn on the wall. I'd never been in the cabin much and not at all at night. It freaked me out laying where Percy had lain for the last six years I'd known him. It was almost like sleeping in a dead man's bed.

I knew Percy would laugh if I ever told him that. He had a philosophy about using everything, even if something bad happened to the thing in the past. It always made me laugh to hear him talk about it. It made him sound like a college professor.

I didn't even know I went to sleep when it happened. The next thing I knew someone was standing by my bedside. It was Leo. At first I thought he was back for revenge for the knife-throwing incident, but he put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey! I was just coming to get you. The quest leaves today remember?"
"I'm not going on the quest," I whispered, rubbing my eyes and pulling myself out of bed.

"Yah, I know. But I thought, that if you were going to sneak out, you might as well have some help."