Author's Note: It took a while to write this chapter, which has an action scene. Please excuse the blandly written prophecy. I hoped this chapter seemed more like something from the books, with Percy's sarcasm and such. Please read and review. (:

CHAPTER FIVE: ANNABETH GETS KIDNAPPED

Percy's POV

It was early morning, and a few rays of sunlight streamed past the surface of the water, illuminating the breathtaking view of the underwater sea life.

"This is actually pretty comfortable," Annabeth commented as she sat down, laptop in hand. The three of us were in a gigantic air bubble – about the size of a small bedroom – heading towards California. We whizzed past small fish and the occasional shark, past tangles of seaweed and beautiful marble-like coral colonies.

I sat down next to her, watching as she booted up the computer. Last night, Annabeth had reluctantly agreed to having a little vacation while we were on the quest.

"Please?" I begged her, doing my best to give a her the puppy eyed look.

Her eyes narrowed before she burst out in laughter. "You are really bad at acting."

I groaned. "Is that a yes or no?"

"C'mon, Annabeth. The quest isn't a matter of life or death, so we can take it slow," Adam said.

Annabeth looked at both of us carefully and sighed. "Fine. But not too long."

So, we each packed a suitcase of clothes and belongings. I really needed a vacation, to be honest. The last offer I'd had was going to the Caribbean with Rachel. Sadly, I had to turn it down.

"Percy." Annabeth had opened a file on the laptop. A little gray bar showed it was loading. After a few seconds, I saw a computerized model of… me. Well, a white marble statue of me. The statue me was standing up straight, with Riptide in hand. His eyes looked fierce, but there was a smile on his face, like the way dentists look before pulling out your teeth. I'm gonna kill you now! But don't worry, it's not going to hurt at all.

I looked at Annabeth, at a loss for words. I managed to say, "It's me."

She rolled her eyes and punched me in the shoulder lightly. "Of course it's you, Seaweed Brain."

I smiled and remembered what she had told me. Slowly, I pieced together everything. "Thanks for the present, Annabeth."

Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the water that surrounded us. "Your dad insisted there be a statue of you in the Hall of Heroes, so I designed it. I would've showed you earlier, but –"

I silenced her by placing my hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Thank the gods it wasn't another blue deformed lump."

Adam cleared his throat. I almost forgot he was here, sitting on the other side of Annabeth. "Sorry to spoil the romantic moment" – Annabeth and I blushed – "but Percy, you should be glad it didn't turn out to be one of those naked statues." He grinned wickedly.

Annabeth and I were embarrassed at first, but we both laughed our heads off while Adam kept teasing us. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so carefree and just plain happy. It was one of the best feelings in the world.

–––– x ––––

We spent the rest of the trip just relaxing and catching up on sleep. (Sleeping in an air bubble underwater is more comfortable than it seems.) Adam and I switched turns transporting our huge air bubble so the other could rest. Hey, using our powers to zip through underwater at dizzying speeds is pretty tiring.

Annabeth stayed awake the whole time, working on designing some temples and courts for Olympus. I didn't dare disturb her while she was busy with her architecture.

"We're almost there, only about ten more minutes," I announced, waking Adam up.

He looked at me groggily. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Almost one o'clock," Annabeth said, her eyes still focused on the laptop. She finished doing whatever she was doing, pressed a glowing blue button, and closed her laptop. She stuffed it into her suitcase and looked at me, like she was expecting me to say something.

Adam sat up, looking at the Annabeth and me curiously.

"Percy, what about the prophecy?" she asked, staring at me with such intensity that made my eyes hurt.

Oh, that. Annabeth reminded me to Iris message Rachel for a prophecy last night, which I did right before bed. The prophecy itself wasn't all too bad, but the nightmares I had about it were. Most of them involved death, torture, and heartbreak – you know, happy stuff you see in TV shows like Barney or Sesame Street.

I shivered at the thought of one of them that involved Adam being chained to a tree by some monster and Annabeth drowning in the water while I was slowly dissolving into sand. Fun.

"Oh yeah, that. Let me remember.

You shall fulfill your quest – there is no doubt,

So long as you select the correct route.

Two allies shall be held prisoner,

A third shall emerge a traitor.

The captor is working in the name of jealousy,

Miles and miles beneath the sea."

I looked at them nervously. Our quest was gonna turn out a whole lot more dangerous than I thought.

Annabeth squirmed a little and pursed her lips. "Well, on the bright side, it doesn't sound as bad as our other quests."

Adam just stared at me incredulously, his mouth open in shock. "I – Are you sure you guys want me along?" he asked hesitantly. "I've never done any of this stuff. I suck at fighting."

I sighed as Annabeth pretended to be adjusting her ponytail. "Look, I've been doing this stuff since I was twelve. I know you'll do great. Don't worry about it."

He hugged his knees which were touching his chest. He had a faraway look in his eyes, like he was thinking about something that had happened in the past. He was silent for a while before nodding slowly. "Okay," he whispered.

–––– x ––––

Getting on land again was a bit difficult. The three of us casually walked out of the water, fully clothed and completely dry, carrying suitcases. A few tourists just stared at us, like we were aliens from Mars. At least we didn't blow anything up.

"We look like idiots," Annabeth muttered as we started walking in the direction of the tall hotel with glass windows covering almost the entire exterior. The California sunshine reflected on the glass, making it pretty blinding.

"Yes, we do," I joked. She kicked me in the shin. Adam just rolled his eyes.

The automatic glass doors of the hotel opened as we got within a foot of the entrance. We stepped inside, taking refuge from the warm, sunny weather outside. I approached the receptionist, who looked startled to see three high schoolers on vacation during the beginning of the school year.

She studied Annabeth and Adam over my shoulder and looked at me disgustedly, as if to say Who is this person? He's not from California. I glared at her and she got back to the nice reception lady act.

She smiled sweetly. "Welcome to Hilton Hotel, Huntington Beach. How can I be of service today?"

Shut up and give us our key, I thought. "Yeah, I think we have a reservation under the name of Jackson?"

She searched through a stack of folders on the desk for a while. "Mr. Jackson, here is the key to your room. Your room number is 608." She handed me two keys. "Thanks," I mumbled, picking up my suitcase and gesturing for Annabeth and Adam to follow me.

We rode the elevator up to the sixth floor and trudged down a small corridor lined with potted plants and fancy wall lamps until we reached our room. I clumsily stuck the key in the keyhole and unlocked the door.

The room was sweet. It was big, probably three times the size of my bedroom. We had a full view of the bustling city below us, with the beautiful beach in the distance, thanks to an enormous glass window taking up an entire wall. There were three comfortable twin-sized beds across from a writing desk, a caramel sofa, and a wall-mounted flat screen TV. The bathroom and closet were near the entrance of the room.

We stepped inside slowly, taking in every detail. Adam whistled while Annabeth just looked around in amazement.

"The gods were generous this time," Annabeth commented, setting down her suitcase on the center bed.

"They sure were," I agreed, lying down on the far right bed, closest to the window. I closed my eyes for a second. I could get used to this.

I heard Annabeth and Adam whispering, so I opened my eyes again. Too late. They whacked me with their pillows. I shielded my head and reached for my own. The pillow fight was on. After ten minutes of nonstop craziness, we stopped to catch our breath and unpack.

I didn't pack too much – just a few sets of clothes, my toothbrush, money, and sunscreen (my mom insisted I bring some)… you know, the bare basics. Annabeth, on the other hand, brought a bunch of stuff along – she claimed they would be needed so she could design the new camp perfectly. She even brought a camera to take pictures of the state park to show Chiron.

By the time we were done, it was close to three o'clock. Adam suggested that we grab a snack and head over to Huntington State Park afterwards. Annabeth and I happily agreed, so we changed into shorts and headed to Jamba Juice for smoothies.

"You know this place pretty well, huh?" Annabeth asked Adam. We were walking on the sidewalk, which was lined with tall palm trees and tourists – a typical Californian beach city. Annabeth was standing unusually close to me and subtly touched my hand. I laced our fingers together and looked up to see her smiling.

"You could say that. I used to hang around the whole city with my friend Chelsea, so I know the streets pretty well," he replied, sighing.

"Didn't you say she wanted to visit New York?" I questioned, staring at a seagull flying overhead.

"Yeah. Turn right here, guys."

Right around the corner was Jamba Juice. There were a few people in line already, so Adam took our orders and headed inside while Annabeth and I sat down on an outdoor table. An umbrella was blocking the sunlight from burning our faces. We watched the cars drive past on the street in silence.

I turned my body and looked inside the store. Adam was ordering our drinks and seemed to be talking a lot with the cashier. She had long black hair and green eyes. Her figure was slender and her nails were painted silver. She was giggling while Adam pulled out his wallet. I guess they knew each other.

My train of thought was cut off when I heard a scream. I whipped around and caught a flicker of blonde hair before it disappeared into a shiny black limousine. It zoomed past me at about seventy miles per hour.

I stood up in a flash and chased after the car, pushing past crowds of people in the process. Luckily, the sidewalk was pretty wide and there was an intersection up ahead. I ran as fast as I could, worried about Annabeth.

Movies make it look easy, but chasing a car in real life is almost impossible. With every step I took, the car only seemed get farther and farther away. Adrenaline was pumping through my blood and everything around me seemed to fade away. I only had one thought – save Annabeth.

I kept running up the sidewalk, still way behind the car. Then I heard a shatter of glass. The right side passenger window was broken. I pushed my feet even harder against the pavement and swung my arms back and forth like an idiot. I looked at the traffic light up ahead. It was yellow.

Beads of sweat were dripping down my forehead and I felt exhausted already. My breathing came in quick huffs, and I felt insanely thirsty. The two cars ahead of the limo stopped at the intersection. This could be my chance. I slowed down a bit to regain my energy. I didn't have a clue who kidnapped Annabeth, or why, for that matter, but I pulled out Riptide just in case. I was about to close in on the car – it was maybe fifty yards away now.

And I tripped. On an empty soda can. I crashed down and my chin hit the hot cement. Though my invincibility stopped any bleeding, it felt like I had numerous bruises. I cursed to myself. If I didn't get to the car soon, the light would turn green. I felt like acid was boiling in my stomach.

I stumbled up from the sidewalk and ran to the car. Through the shattered window, I could hear a muffled scream and snarling noises. I finally caught up to the car and saw three dracanae, two of whom were wrapping their serpent tails around Annabeth's body. The other was holding a spear to her throat.

I decided it would be better to be hidden, so I ran on to the road and jumped on the trunk of the limousine, using the bumper as leverage. I clung onto the sides of the car, hoping I wouldn't fall off once the car started moving. I made my way up to the ceiling of the car. Just as I got up there, the light flashed green, and the car zoomed forward. The wind was hitting my face and my body felt numb. My heart was beating so quickly that I couldn't even feel it.

I wanted to give up. I was tired, sweaty, and bruised. I was having a severe headache. But I couldn't.

Still hanging on for dear life, I cut a hole in the roof of the car with Riptide. People were starting to take notice of me now, and many of them stopped whatever they were doing to stare. I was about to look down inside the car when an angry dracanae popped its head out and hissed at me.

I quickly sliced my sword through its head, and it disappeared into dust. The other dracanae realized I was a threat, as they began looking up at me and pointing their weapons dangerously.

"Don't get any clossssser, or the girl getssss hurt," one of them hissed.

"Try me," I muttered as I jumped through the hole, into the car. Being invincible, I figured I could probably handle two of these monsters. I landed on my feet into the luxurious limo, although it wasn't the time to admire the nice interior.

I snarled at the closest dracanae and stabbed it, just before it managed to suffocate me to death. I glanced over at Annabeth, who looked close to passing out from lack of blood flow and air. Her mouth was gagged. The final dracanae laughed pitifully.

"Drop your weapon, or ssssshe will die." To prove its point, it tightened its tail around Annabeth, resulting in a small gasp.

I took one look at Annabeth's pained look and dropped Riptide on the ground. The dracanae snared. I heard a police siren behind us.

Then I had an idea. I took off my shoe and dumped its contents on the floor.

The monster laughed even harder now, probably thinking I was insane, but I knew better. I could sense the saltwater running through my veins. Focusing on the grains of sand that had been trapped in my tennis shoes, I shot a blast of cold seawater at its face. Just as it was spitting out the salt, I grabbed Riptide and stabbed it. It vanished.

I dried all the displaced water and focused on Annabeth. She had fallen limp on the seat. I sat on the edge of the large seat and removed the gag from Annabeth's mouth.

I felt her pulse. She was still alive. I shook her gently, not wanting to hurt her. She stirred, groaning a little. I examined her for any scratches or bruises. She didn't look too bad.

Her eyes flashed open and she whispered, "Percy?"

"Are you okay?" I asked softly.

She looked around her, realizing the monsters were gone. "I'm fine. I think I just passed out from being numb and lack of oxygen."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you sure?"

Annabeth glared at me, but her look softened when she heard the concern in my voice. She told me what had happened. A nice looking woman and her chauffeur stepped out of the limo while we were waiting outside for Adam. Annabeth didn't pay much attention to them, until the lady grabbed her while he chauffeur taped her mouth and took away her invisibility cap and dagger. (My ADHD must have been really bad then, because I didn't notice anything.) She was dragged into the car and the two transformed back into their monster form. They said something about bringing her for revenge.

"What in Hades is going on?" Annabeth muttered. "They know everything – that you're invincible, about my weapons, even where we are..."

"We're just going to have to be more careful," I answered.

Suddenly, the car swerved forcefully and I realized how much trouble we were in. We were in a moving car driven by a monster, headed towards who knows where. Crap.

–––– x ––––

It turned out that escaping from the car was easier than I thought. The limo had a divider separating the driver's section from the passenger section, so we made a smooth escape when the car stopped at a red light.

By the time Annabeth and I got back on the sidewalk, I noticed my phone had five texts and two missed calls from Adam. Considering the danger we were in, I texted him back instead of calling.

He had been looking for us for about twenty minutes now and was worried. I told him our location and that I would explain what happened later.

After about ten minutes, Adam found us sitting on a bench. In his hands were three cups of half melted smoothies. He was sweaty and his face was flushed from jogging nearly half a mile to find us.

"There you are," he gasped, sitting down next to me. He handed me my blueberry smoothie and Annabeth her orange citrus smoothie.

After a few satisfying sips of blueberry goodness, Adam asked me to explain what happened, and I told him. He seemed to be genuinely shocked about the attack. While he was listening, I noticed a seashell bracelet on his wrist. It was emitting an aura of water. I could feel it.

"Where'd you get that bracelet from?" I questioned, pointing to his arm.

He looked down where I was pointing. "This? I got it in the mail a few days ago. I think it was from dad, because the letter smelled like the ocean, but the letter wasn't signed and there was no return address."

He wrinkled his eyebrows thoughtfully. The sunlight reflected on his glasses.

"Who were you talking to in the store?" I asked him after finishing half my smoothie.

His cheeks turned a little red, but it disappeared quickly. "Oh, that was Chelsea. She got a job working there after I moved to Manhattan. Her shift ends in a few hours, and she invited us for dinner at my favorite restaurant." He paused and raised his eyebrow. "Is that okay with you guys?"

I turned to Annabeth, who looked suspicious. "Is she a mortal?" Annabeth asked.

Adam nodded his head silently.

She thought about it for a while. For a minute, I thought she would refuse. Annabeth never really liked mortals – whenever she said the word 'mortal', it sounded like some incurable, contagious disease. But then she shrugged and said, "Sure, after we check out the new camp location."

And that settled it. I stood up from the bench, with Annabeth and Adam following suit.

"Where to?" I asked Adam.

He pointed forward. "We just need to keep walking down Beach Boulevard, then turn left into Seapoint Avenue. There's an entrance to the park there, but we need to hurry. It's almost four thirty."

I groaned. "Aren't there any taxis here?"

Adam chuckled. "Nope. We'll have to stick to walking."

Well, that was my first attempt at writing an action scene. Please review so I know what to improve on! Thank you. Expect another update in a five days or so.