Annabeth pulled out the top book and something slipped from under the flap and spiraled to the floor. It was an envelope; she bent down and picked it up from where it lay on her shoes. It wasn't sealed and she slipped out the paper that was inside.

It was a letter and whoever wrote it seemed to be in a hurry because their handwriting took over multiple lines and was all scribbly. She could barely even read it, apart from her dyslexia.

Annabeth,

You have to listen, you have no choice. Everyone is in danger if you don't follow exactly what happens in these books. Whether you think it's crazy or not, you absolutely have to. Don't tell anyone else; just you. READ THE BOOKS CAREFULLLY.

Also, on this letter, there was no return address. Annabeth figured that maybe it was her mother. Last time she'd had a gift from her mom, it was a Yankees hat that could make her turn invisible whenever atop her head. She always loved it when she gave her gifts because that was when Annabeth felt the most connected to Athena.

Annabeth laid down the letter and looked at the cover of The Lightning Thief. It looked interesting enough with the boy in the sea and the lightning crackling around the Empire State Building.

Her camp just went there last week, for a field trip, to Olympus. It was magnificent, but ever since then, the weather has been acting strangely.

She opened the book and to the first page on chapter one. Her eyebrows knitted together at the title.

"I accidentally vaporize my pre-algebra teacher?" She whispered to herself. "What?"

"Hey, Annabeth," A voice said. She turned and found Malcolm standing at her door. "You up for archery this time?"

Annabeth set the book and letter back into the box. "Definitely," she said.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. My stomach doesn't hurt." She walked to him and they walked to their class together.

They were talking when suddenly Annabeth saw a flash of sandy blonde hair. She looked closer and found that it was Luke. He caught her eye and waved. She waved back and he jogged over.

"I'll see you at class, Annabeth," Malcolm sang tauntingly.

Annabeth shot him a glare and could feel her ears burning.

"Hey, Annabeth!" Luke hollered and stopped right in front of her.

"Hey, Luke,"

"I heard you got sick at archery the other day. Are you okay?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone keep thinking I'm going to die? I'm not; it's not like I fell into Tartarus."

Luke laughed and his scar curved at his grin.

Annabeth felt her heart thump louder in her chest and she continued, "I'm fine, my stomach was just hurting a little bit."

"Really, 'cuz I heard you almost passed out."

Annabeth punched him in the arm. "Shut up," she said but couldn't stop from smiling…or blushing.

"Right, well good luck with archery class," Luke said and he jogged away.

Annabeth kept walking to archery and Chiron kept a wary eye on her. She prayed to the gods that whatever happened wouldn't happen again. It didn't as she fired the first arrow without any trouble. The rest came just as easily.

Everything was fine except she couldn't keep the thought of those books off her mind.

Annabeth walked back into her cabin later that day. She had finished all of her activities and now was the time to do something about those books. She tried to ignore it at first, but it felt like it just kept staring at her, talking to her. That letter was repeating its words over and over again in her head.

She sighed and walked over to the box and took out the first book. She took out the letter and read it over again. She wasn't sure if this was supposed to be some kind of joke or not. She decided that she needed help. She picked up the first book and wanted to tell Chiron about this.

Annabeth made her way across the camp to the Big House with the letter and book in hand. There wasn't anyone on the porch so she knew that Chiron and Mr. D were inside. She was about to open the door, but she heard voices inside.

"—by the Summer solstice," she heard Chiron say.

"Zeus is getting angry…I guess old thunderhead doesn't like getting toys taken away," Mr. D said, in which a thunderclap followed it. He apologized to the sky.

"Yes, but how it was stolen, nobody knows. And nobody knows who did it either. I suspect this may be the start of the prophecy, Dionysus,"

Annabeth's eyebrows wrinkled together. What prophecy? What was stolen? She looked down at the book and found a summary on the back. It was about a boy named—

"Oh, posh! That prophecy is probably just a fake, Chiron! There are no children of the Big Three here. It's not possible. It's more like the start of the gods' temper tantrum." Another thunderclap and blast of lightning. Mr. D apologized again.

"I was at Yancy for a couple days and Grover thinks he's found a very, very powerful half-blood."

"Grover's probably just desperate, seeing how he failed last time," Mr. D snapped. This made Annabeth mad. "There can't be another child of the Big Three, they made a pact."

"Dionysus, you know very well the gods never keep their promises."

"Oh, whatever, Chiron. Believe whatever you want to believe."

Children of the Big Three? What happened? Annabeth thought this to herself. She looked down at the cover again. Something in her stomach stirred and her heart tickled her chest. Somehow she knew that this had something to do with what was going on.

Suddenly, the door opened and she looked right up at the pudgy face of Mr. D. She gasped and stepped back and murmured an apology.

"Were you eavesdropping?" He questioned.

Before Annabeth could respond, Chiron stepped out as well and his face brightened. "Ah, Annabeth! How are you?"

"What's that you've got in your hand?" Mr. D asked as he eyed the book and the letter.

"Um…" Annabeth looked down at what was in her hands. Should she tell now? She remembered that the letter said not to tell anyone because it was just her. She looked back up at their skeptical faces and she quickly hid them behind her back. "No-nothing." She said with a smile.

Mr. D gave her a look but she said, "Okay, bye!" And hurried away from the Big House.

She still didn't know what was happening, but she knew she had the things to find out how.

Annabeth locked the door to her room and sat down on her bed. She read the summary fully this time and her breath was knocked out of her when she read that Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen.

"That's not possible," She said and she put the book back down. "That's so not possible."

Annabeth paced her room and she took back her bad habit of biting nails. She scolded herself and then stared at the book with a hand on her hip. She read the letter again, even though she knew every word that it said. She had no choice; she had to do this.

She left her cabin and went up to the Stoll brothers. She tried to mention the name of the book, The Lightning Thief, just to see if they'd trip up or confess or something.

But, no. They gave her looks and then Connor said, "What are you talking about? You can't steal lightning."

"But that would be so cool," Travis said and he had a dreamy and mischievous look in his eye.

That affected on Connor. He developed the look as well and said, "Yeah, it would,"

Annabeth could see that they had absolutely nothing to do with this. She went back to her cabin feeling more confused than ever. She wasn't sure if she should read the books or not. The letter seemed like it was all a matter of life and death—and it probably was. Annabeth wasn't sure if she could hold all the vital information to herself.

There was a knock on her door.

"Annabeth?" Malcolm's voice asked. "Hey, it's time for dinner."

"Coming!" she called. "Uh, just give me a couple seconds,"

"Alright. Everything okay in there?"

"Yes, Malcolm," she said. "I'm fine."

"Okay…" and she heard retreating footsteps.

Annabeth looked at the books one last time. She picked up The Lightning Thief again and hid it under her shirt and she walked out to dinner.

She read the first couple of chapters during dinner. Annabeth knew something was going on because Grover was in the book. She almost did a spit take when she saw his name in there. And then there was the appearance of the man in the wheel chair and she knew immediately that that was Chiron.

The other campers in her cabin began to bug her about the book, demanding to see it. She just put it where nobody would try to get it—back under her shirt. Then they looked away and continued a conversation with someone else.

She tried to continue reading it during the camp fire, but everyone was in such a happy and uproaring mood that the bonfire was churning with bright colors and seemed to be reaching the sky. Nobody would let her mind go to something boring like books and they wouldn't let her escape to her cabin. So she had to keep hiding the book under her shirt.

Finally, in her cabin, there was a chance for her to read a little more of it. But she didn't take it. Throughout the rest of dinner and then the campfire, something unnerved her about this. Chiron and Grover were in it and it was about something big happening with this boy, Percy. Annabeth figured that it was something Chiron had to know about—or at least something she had to ask him about.

But Annabeth left the book in her cabin and went to the Big House again. She hesitated to walk up to Chiron, but she did anyways as she stepped into his office.

"Chiron,"

He looked up and his face brightened again, but he still had a troubled look. "Annabeth. Why are you here so late at night? You should be in your cabin or else—"

"Harpies. I know." Annabeth said and her heart was pounding in her chest. "I just really needed to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong?"

"A couple nights ago, I—"

She was interrupted by a moaning and screaming noise. They sounded helpless and terrified.

Annabeth stopped and her brows furrowed. "What's that noise?"

"I'm not quite sure. I'll go look." He wheeled himself from behind the desk and turned into centaur form and clopped out of his office. "Stay here, Annabeth,"

Nevertheless, Annabeth followed him out of the Big House.

What she saw made her eyes widen and her heart stop. It was a boy with black hair carrying a satyr—Grover. The other boy looked about Annabeth's age and like he was just about to collapse. Finally, he did collapse on the steps of the Big House right in front of Annabeth and Chiron.

Annabeth knelt beside him and she found that he looked vaguely familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but he stared up at the ceiling, his sea green eyes looking disoriented and unfocused. He was mumbling incoherent things and finally, he passed out with Grover.

Chiron looked down at the boy with shock. "Percy," he mumbled.

Annabeth's head snapped up at the name. "What?"

He didn't answer and it made Annabeth worry.

But what worried her even more was that that was the name from the books.

I hope you liked! Please review!

I do not own PJO.