Author's Note: I realize that things went a little fast in the last chapter. This chapter will answer some of the questions you may have because of the cliffhanger. The point of view in this chapter changes once.

CHAPTER SEVEN: MY FRIENDS DISAPPEAR

Percy's POV

"You cannot leave."

Those desperate words escaped from the mouth of a pretty woman with flowing black hair and striking teal eyes. She looked like she had just cried, because her eyes were red and swollen, although I'm not sure where the tears go when you're underwater.

Her son, who was a merman, swished his two fish tails back and forth nervously. His normally green skin turned a sickly pale color. He nodded in agreement with his mother.

"Father, please… You are needed to help rebuild Atlantis," he begged.

My father looked at the two of them regretfully. He rubbed his chin, as if contemplating whether to stay or not. He looked more stressed than when I saw him at Long Island Sound weeks ago. His normally jet black hair was looking more like salt and pepper, he had more wrinkles on his face, and his lips were pursed in a frown. What could possibly be so wrong?

"No," Poseidon said firmly. "I must attend these meetings with the other Olympians. There is much to be done, and as you know, it is never easy to reach a decision on something. For now, our realm must wait."

With that, he disappeared in a beam of light, leaving tiny bubbles in his wake. Amphitrite burst out crying hysterically, while Triton tried to calm her.

"First he reveals he had an affair with yet another mortal woman, which he has kept quiet about for seventeen years! Then he leaves for a week, with Atlantis in near ruins. And now he tells us he needs to spend another month in Olympus!" she sobbed.

Triton sighed, like he was used to all of this. "He will come back, Mother."

She stopped crying for a second, her bloodshot eyes wide. "I should have taken my father's offer," she whispered.

Triton stepped back quickly, his mouth open in shock. He dropped his trident. "No! How could you say such a thing?"

Then the scene changed, going forward in time. Amphitrite was standing next to a mermaid, a scroll of paper clutched in her hand.

"Thalassa, how is the plan coming along?" Amphitrite asked her servant.

The mermaid nodded. "It has been executed perfectly thus far."

Amphitrite looked pleased and her lips crooked up into a sly smile. "Good. Now, deliver this scroll to our associate." She said the last word in a different tone of voice, and it seemed like her servant understood who she was talking about.

"Yes, my lady." The mermaid swam away.

Amphitrite was left staring down at a small garden of glowing sea plants. She sighed after a moment and turned to her side. There was an enormous sunken ship in the distance. It looked ancient and creepy. There were numerous missing chunks from the hull and the body. Yet there was something eerie and mysterious about it – a stronger presence.

"Soon, my father. Soon…" she whispered. She lightly touched a glowing seashell bracelet on her wrist, one identical to Adam's.

. . . . . . . . .

I sat up in my bed and yawned, facing towards the glass window and the spectacular view of the beach. My brain felt numb, as if someone had injected anesthesia into it, while I tried to think about my puzzling dream.

After taking a look at the fancy wall clock, I discovered it was 11 o'clock in the morning. Oh my gods.

I stood up from the bed quickly, stretching and groaning at the same time. Strangely, I was dressed in the same clothes as the previous day – a t-shirt and shorts. Hmmm, why didn't I change into pajamas? I thought. I racked through my brain, trying to remember what happened last night.

My mind blanked.

I couldn't remember anything that happened last night.

The closest thing that I remembered was saving Annabeth from the monsters and drinking the smoothie. Everything that happened after that was completely wiped out of my brain. This quest was getting weirder and weirder.

After a few minutes of trying to piece together last night's occurrences, I finally gave up and returned to the matter at hand.

I turned my gaze from the window back to our enormous hotel room. It was totally empty.

"Annabeth? Adam?" I bellowed, walking around the room and looking for them. I swear, if this was another joke, I was gonna hurt them. I looked under the desk, in the closet, in the bathroom, and every possible hiding place, but to no avail. They weren't here. At all.

It was at that moment that I felt a lump of something in my shorts pocket. I dug in my pocket to find a digital camera. I recognized it as Annabeth's – she had brought it along to take pictures of the new Camp Half-Blood location and while we were sightseeing. My ADHD got the best of me, and I turned on the camera to look through what pictures she had taken so far.

The most recent picture was one of me and Annabeth holding hands and smiling. It was nighttime, and we were standing in front of the ocean somewhere… but I couldn't remember taking this picture. I went through a few more pictures, but I couldn't remember anything about them either.

I decided to take a shower first (to wake myself up) and wait to see if they came back. Who knows, they might have gone sightseeing or eating while I was still sleeping. I went to the luggage stand to open my suitcase. I grabbed a few personal items and some clothes from the closet.

Entering the spacious bathroom, I placed my clean clothes on the smooth granite counter and began to strip for the shower. It was while I was taking off my shirt that I noticed a piece of paper had been taped to my back. I pulled the note from my shirt and read it. The handwriting didn't look a lot like Annabeth's, but I guess she was in a rush or something.

Percy, we're going to eat breakfast and go to the beach. I didn't want to wake you up. Sorry if our absence scared you. We'll be back in a few hours.

- Annabeth

I snorted. Of course Annabeth would choose to tape the note to my back instead of somewhere normal – say, a table. (I sleep on my stomach, so I guess it must've been easy for her.)

Although the note took me a while to read, my worries vanished instantly. I dropped the note into the trash can and gave a sigh of relief as I stepped into the glass shower stall. I turned on the warm water and willed myself to get soaked by the water. The rhythmic pounding of the water helped me relax.

I started thinking about my strange dream again. My dad left his immortal wife and son so he could sort things out with the other gods. They most likely involved precautions for future wars and peacemaking with the minor gods and Titans. Though it was pretty depressing to just leave his kingdom behind in ruins… I could understand the pain Amphitrite is going through. But who was her father she was talking about? I couldn't remember…

I squinted my eyes, looking for the little bottles of soap that hotels give you. My eyes rested upon a bottle of a greenish liquid with navy beads. Apparently it was "Green Tea Soap with exfoliating microbeads for luxuriously soft, healthy skin". Yeah, because every guy wants super soft skin that smells like tea. That'll make the girls go crazy for us.

I washed my hair with their "volumizing shampoo with four vitamins clinically proven to make hair three times shinier" and finished my shower. I dried my hair with a towel and put on clean clothes. The hotel was nice enough to give us free combs, so I tried (but probably failed) at taming my messy hair. After brushing my teeth, I left the bathroom feeling energetic and clean.

An empty room welcomed me. By now, the sun was bright and our room was amply lit, courtesy of Apollo. I frowned while looking at the clock. It was noon now, and Annabeth and Adam still weren't back yet. Worried, I took my phone from the nightstand and turned it on. The battery was running low, and I forgot to bring my charger. Damn it.

I sent both of them a text asking them how they were doing. When I was done, I quickly turned off my phone to save the battery. I'm not that stupid, okay?

To pass the time, I turned on the flat screen TV. The default channel was local news station. I was about to switch to another channel when the words "BREAKING NEWS" flashed and dramatic music played. A news reporter lady was holding a microphone and standing on the beach.

"This just in. The world famous Huntington Beach pier, which currently holds the world record for the longest structure built on the ocean, collapsed yesterday night at about 10 P.M. The cause of the incident is currently unknown…"

I stared at the background. In the distance, I saw huge beams of wood floating in the water.

"…there were a number of tourists and residents on the pier, but the amount of survivors or deaths remains a mystery. The mayor of the city has this to say."

The screen flickered to a woman probably in her fifties. "We are unsure of why this has happened. The pier is inspected every week, and gets regular maintenance to ensure its safety. The city spends thousands of dollars each year…"

The mayor went on blabbering about how shocking it was and stuff. Blah, blah, blah. Uninterested, I flipped through the channels until I found something interesting to watch.

An hour later, I began to get worried and hungry. I checked my phone for any texts or missed calls. There were none. I lay down on the plush bed, resting my head on the fluffy pillow, and thought of what to do.

Should I go looking for them? Nah, I didn't even know where they ate or what stretch of the beach they were at. Were they in danger? Not likely. Adam would be there to – oh wait, didn't Annabeth say something about him being a traitor?

I tried grasping the memory from my brain, but lost it. It was frustrating. Why did half of my memories from the other day just disappear?

I gave it a little more thought, and decided to go down to the hotel restaurant for lunch. I brought my phone, Riptide, and some cash along, just in case.

. . . . . . . . .

Lunch was alright. The restaurant served lunch in a buffet style. The food was pretty good, but I felt kind of lonely eating all by myself. The upside was that the cost was charged into our "account", so the gods would be paying for it. Right before I left the restaurant, I checked my phone again. No texts or phone calls.

I decided to go looking for them at the beach, so I left the hotel and walked across the street. It was Saturday, so the beach was packed with hoards of people having barbeques and sun tanning. I took off my flip-flops and walked along the shore, with the waves of water gently splashing against my toes.

Something felt strange about the water though. It didn't feel at ease anymore – the water felt restless. Did it have anything to do with my dream? Maybe.

The Pacific Ocean is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, where my dad's main palace is. And since he's not in his realm at the moment, there's no one to keep things under control.

I stopped walking for a while to look around the beach for any signs of Annabeth or Adam. It was much too crowded, and the fact that people kept moving around didn't help make things easier. I kept walking along the shoreline, looking for them, until I reached the site of the collapsed pier.

Okay, more like within a hundred yards of it.

The area of beach around the pier was roped off from the public, and police officers were guarding the perimeter, not allowing anyone to get close. I shrugged and walked around the area, still keeping an eye out for my friends.

I was getting really, really nervous now. They were gone for two hours since I woke up, not counting how long they woke up before me. They didn't answer any of my texts and I couldn't find them anywhere.

By now, I had walked for forty-five minutes and covered a couple miles of beach. I thought about sending them an Iris message, but all the drachmas were in the hotel room, so I headed back to the hotel.

Halfway there, I saw a dark haired girl with neon green eyes and nails painted a shiny silver approaching me. She was wearing a tank top and shorts. Why did she look familiar?

"Hi!" she said brightly to me.

I looked at her carefully and hesitated before asking, "Um, do I know you?"

She giggled. "I'm Adam's friend – Chelsea. Nice to meet you." She stuck out her hand.

Memories started flooding back into my mind: images of our visit to Huntington State Park, the sand war, and dinner… I blinked at Chelsea. Had she triggered something inside my mind?

I shook her hand awkwardly after seeing her confused expression. I looked behind for her any signs of Annabeth or Adam. "I'm Percy," I muttered.

"Percy," she repeated. I nodded my head.

"So, uh, have you by any chance seen Adam today?" I pressed.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah, I saw him with a blonde girl earlier today."

Then I remembered what happened last night at the pier. Annabeth and I took a picture, and she talked about her progression of feelings towards me. We kissed and went looking for Chelsea and Adam. We found them hugging each other. Right when their lips met in a heated kiss…

Chelsea pointed in the direction I just came from. "They were wading in the water over there. Let me take you there and see if they're still there." I nodded and followed her.

It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

. . . . . . . . .

Third Person POV

Annabeth stirred slightly in her sleep. She buried her face deeper into the pillow on her bed, which was extremely cool for some odd reason. She felt exhausted – every muscle in her body was aching and she felt drained of energy. Her half conscious body screamed at her to wake up, but she had no intention of doing anything besides sleeping for at least another half hour. Her eyelids felt like they were glued to her eyeballs, and sleep felt so comforting.

It took a few moments for Annabeth to comprehend the chilling state of the room. She shivered, instinctively reaching for a blanket to throw over herself. She groped her slender fingers around before grasping a piece of velvety thin fabric. Oh well, it's better than nothing, she thought.

She tugged on it, but stopped when she realized it wouldn't move. Something was weighing it down or it was stuck in between something. After a few more moments of desperate pulling, she still couldn't get it free, so she gave up and returned to sleeping.

But the coldness was unbearable. Her body kept shivering, and her heart pounded in quick, short thumps. Though she wanted nothing to do but rest in peace and warmth, she didn't want to be stupid and have to put up with a cold later. She moved her legs around the bare bed, trying to feel something to throw over herself.

Her legs brushed against something warm and incredibly silky soft. She slowly moved her leg back to that location, and pressed against it. The warmth felt heavenly. In fact, it felt like the warmth from that object was seeping into Annabeth's body, for she felt energized and the stress on her muscles disappeared. Her mind cleared significantly.

Unfortunately, that was when Annabeth began to think a little too much. She realized that whatever she had pressed her leg against felt… bony.

Annabeth instantly opened her eyes and pulled her leg away.

She almost had a heart attack right then and there. How was this possible? How could she still be alive? No. This had to be a dream of some sort. Or an illusion? As stupid as the act was, Annabeth pinched herself anyway and realized it wasn't a dream nor an illusion. It was all real. But it shouldn't be possible for her, a daughter of Athena, to be here of all places –

"How in Hades am I underwater and not drowning?" Annabeth yelled out loud, unable to control her curiosity and growing suspicions.

She bolted up from what she thought was a bed, but was actually a slab of porous coral that looked like it had been pounded flat. Annabeth wrinkled her eyebrows. She had read that coral could either be soft or hard, but soft coral was rare, and mostly used for commercial purposes. Nonetheless, it seemed pretty comfortable to sleep on. The pillow cover appeared to be woven from tiny threads of seaweed, while the pillow itself was stuffed with the clear translucent balloon-like part of jellyfish.

Wherever she was, it was somewhat dark, but she could see her surroundings. After a quick survey, Annabeth learned with shock that she was stuck inside a small room with walls made of solid rock and a high ceiling. Hanging from the ceiling was a large pearl emitting light – most likely something created by Poseidon to provide some light underwater.

The "bed" took up nearly the entire room, and there was no door or opening to be found anywhere. With a quiet gasp, Annabeth understood. She was in some sort of cell.

She heard something stir behind her in the bed.

She whipped her head around, expecting a fish or monster. But it was Adam. He was looking extremely sleepy. He was in a wrinkled navy t-shirt - Annabeth blushed furiously when she realized she had mistaken it for a blanket – and a pair of plaid shorts. Annabeth cursed at herself for being an idiot and touching his leg before just because it was warm. Wait, wasn't it soft too? Guys aren't supposed to have skin that soft… and did she just sleep with Percy's half brother?

"Annabeth?" he murmured, looking around incredulously.

Annabeth looked at him curiously. What had happened yesterday that made them end up here?

"GODS DAMN IT! Why are we underwater inside a rock house?" Adam yelled, bolting from the slab of coral and pounding his hand on the rock walls.

The magical spell faded away from Annabeth's mind. Everything that had happened the other day spilled back into her mind with extreme clarity. It didn't take long for the intelligent girl to piece things together. Anger started to boil inside her body. She didn't feel tired anymore thanks to Adam's touch, and she didn't really care where she was or how she wasn't drowning right now. She just wanted to hurt that little pathetic traitor who called himself Percy's brother.

When Adam realized he couldn't break the wall, he turned back to Annabeth. A word started forming on his lips, but he was utterly shocked when Annabeth drew her hand and slapped him on the face, nearly knocking off his glasses. He recoiled in pain. He knew Annabeth could pack a punch, but the searing pain on his cheek along with the feeling that he had been hit by a girl made him furious.

The pain on his cheek was short lived, because the water healed it quickly, but the dent in his pride remained. Right before Annabeth could reach in her pocket for her dagger, Adam forcefully grabbed her wrist and twisted it. He didn't want to hurt Annabeth, but he had no other choice.

"What in Hades do you think you're doing?" he snarled at Annabeth.

Her gray eyes showed no mercy – just plain, cruel hatred. "I could be asking you the same question," Annabeth replied coldly, squirming to get out of his grasp.

"W-what?" Adam stuttered.

"You know what you did. Don't even lie about it. I knew it all this time. You're the traitor from the prophecy, Adam. You were the one who told the dracanae to kidnap me the other day. N-now you've separated me from Percy! WHERE IS HE?" she shot back, her face flushed from the emotion.

Adam loosened his grip from Annabeth's wrist. He looked startled at her sudden outburst.

She seized the chance to grab the dagger out of her pocket. In a single swift movement, she had Adam pinned to the cold stone wall with the dagger inches from his throat.

"Call it off," she demanded. "I don't know who you work for, but get me back to safety. Don't you dare hurt Percy."

Adam was gasping from Annabeth's grip on his throat. "A-Annabeth, you have got to believe me… I don't know what you're talking about," he choked.

Annabeth menacingly put the dagger on his neck. Adam winced at the contact between metal and skin.

Please review! (: Expect another update this week, as I already have half of the next chapter written so far – I couldn't stop writing. xD