Okay, school is starting next week (God dammit NOO PLEEEASSSEEEE!) and it's my final year and our teachers promised us a few years ago that they would bomb us with lots of work. What I'm trying to say is that updates will be slow. Maybe once a month or so, but I don't want to make any promises.

God, I don't want to start school again... Okay I have to stop thinking about it or I might just cry.

Please enjoy!

Chapter 7

A week passed since Clarisse accidentally found the two outcasts. She had successfully fulfilled the stupid quest and was now on her way to Olympus. She ignored the curious looks she got from tourists as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the 600th floor-button.

The sight of the place always left the daughter of Ares speech- and breathless. Annabeth had really outdone herself. She passed by statues of the Olympians that looked like they were real. Fountains sparkled under the sunlight, the temples looked invitingly and the doors to the throne room were the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. It simply looked godly.

Her father was waiting for her in the throne room. He was sitting on his throne and chatting with Aphrodite, goddess of love and his not-so-secret lover. They didn't notice her at first something that irritated and angered Clarisse. After all, she'd risked her life for that stupid present. The least her father could do was to acknowledge her presence! She cleared her throat and the gods turned to the sound. Ares grunted at the interruption and stood up. He was still in his tall form and didn't bother to transform himself into human size. He reached out his hand that was the size of Clarisse's body.

"Do you have it?", he asked.
Clarisse repressed a snort and handed him the present. Ares grinned and ruffled her hair.
"Well done girl!", he said loudly and, for a moment Clarisse felt proud.

The god of war turned to Aphrodite and handed her the present.
"To the most beautiful", he said as the goddess opened the present with glowing eyes. It was a mirror of the 19th century. Its frame was covered with emeralds and silver. It was the perfect gift for the goddess of love and beauty.

Aphrodite smiled and looked at herself. Her smile grew and she threw herself in her lover's arms, kissing his face and saying how much she liked the mirror.

Clarisse felt uncomfortable and… a little betrayed. It was hard to know that your father was a god and –she admitted this- not even a nice god. It was difficult to look at her siblings, whom she loved with all her heart, knowing that their father had had so many children with different women. This scene between Aphrodite and Ares made her angry because her father was kissing another woman in front of her eyes. She couldn't but feel that he was betraying her mother.

Clarisse licked her lower lip and nodded to herself. She wasn't needed anymore. She bowed to the two gods, who didn't notice her, and she left the throne room. She walked through Olympus, barely noticing the beauty of the place that had been designed by a demigod. The gods hadn't helped with the building. They had watched as demigods and Cyclops worked their asses off. None of them even offered a hand.

She drove back to camp, where she was welcomed and celebrated like a hero. Chris kissed and whispered into her ear how much he had missed her. Rachel teased her, Leo was being Leo and her cabin threw a party in the Big House. But Clarisse could only think about Annabeth. She asked Malcolm where his sister was and he shrugged, saying that she had to be in her study.

Clarisse didn't like the study but she went there, as she shook hands with demigods. Finally she found the room.

It was a large room with big windows on the roof. The place was full of desks, and papers and blueprints lay everywhere. Clarisse found the person she was looking for, sitting alone at her desk and scribbling something on a piece of paper.

Annabeth smiled weakly. Her grey eyes were emotionless, empty, and Clarisse felt bad for her. She made her decision when the architect of Olympus focused again on the blueprints and her eyes didn't sparkle at the sight of a drawn building. Nico and Percy would kill Clarisse, but she would fight them off. But now she just had to tell the poor girl where her stupid boyfriend was.

Annabeth looked up and frowned at the sight of the drakon slayer. She turned her face back to the blueprints.

"I'm busy, Clarisse", Annabeth said tiredly.
Clarisse nodded. "I know, but it's important and I think you deserve to know"
This caught Annabeth's attention. She put aside her pencils and looked at the warrior. "What did you find out?". Her voice sounded hesitant, almost careful, but Clarisse couldn't be fooled. She saw hope sparkling in her grey eyes.

Her mouth felt dry. She was about to break her promise, but girls had to stick together when it came to stupid boys. And Annabeth deserved more than anyone to know about Percy 'stupid' Jackson. She cleared her throat again and took a deep breath.

"I'm not supposed to talk about this to anyone. I'm breaking a promise here-"
"Then why are you telling me?"
"Because I think you deserve to know"
Annabeth leaned back, wiping her mouth. She eyed Clarisse. Her eyes were stormy. "You-you know something about… about Percy, don't you?". Her voice was shaking.
"Yes", she answered. "He-he's alive.". She cleared her throat again. "The idiot is alive"
Annabeth let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She buried her face in her hands. Clarisse chose this moment to tell her everything. Well, almost everything. There was no way in Hades that she would even think about telling her about the curse.

"He didn't want to leave you", she said. "He was- is desperate but he didn't think there was another way"
Annabeth jumped from her chair and walked up and down her room. "Then why the fuck did he leave me?"
"He- didn't see another way"
"And?!", Annabeth cut her off. "Was there another way? Did he even try?"
Clarisse sighed. Maybe she shouldn't have told her. "He tried, Annabeth. Believe me. I'm the last person that would defend him, but…". Her voice faded. She looked at Annabeth, who was sitting on her chair again, her face on her hands again. Her shoulders were slightly shaking. "But believe me, Annabeth. He- he… he can't come back."
"Why?". Her voice sounded muffled. "Why doesn't he come back to me? He- he knows I love him!"
Clarisse repressed a groan. She was not good with these things. "Well…if it helps he loves you too.". Annabeth let out a sob. "He really does. But…". She sighed. "Sometimes it's better to give in when it comes to a higher power"
Annabeth stopped sobbing and looked up. Her eyes were calculating and Clarisse knew that she'd chosen her words wisely. Annabeth had an idea now why her boyfriend couldn't return to her.
"Is he okay? Where is he now?"
Clarisse grimaced uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, but I swore not to tell anybody. Believe me, I'm trying very hard to forget what he told me"

She decided to disappear before the daughter of Athena could question her further. She heard Annabeth sobbing and rustling through the papers as she opened the door. She hesitated.

"I can't tell you, but… if you find Nico then you'll find your boyfriend"

Annabeth's back jerked up and her whole body tensed.

"Thank you", she said as she reached for her cell phone and dialed a number. She put her phone to her ear and waited. Then- "Hello Reyna?". Pause. "Yes. Thank you. I need a favor." Pause. "It's important and-". The daughter of Athena sighed and rubbed her eyes. "You owe me. The least you could do would-". Annabeth nodded. "Thank you.- yes. You have to find Nico", she explained. "He'll pass by your camp eventually. He has a sister after all. If he's there please hold him. I need to talk to him urgently.". There was a pause again. "Yes. Thank you. Goodbye.". She hung up and sighed. Then Annabeth turned her head to Clarisse and smiled weakly. The warrior returned the gesture and walked out of the room.

- Percy and Nico -

Meanwhile Percy and Nico were currently sitting in front of the camp fire in the middle of a valley. The son of the sea was smoking his pipe, his whole body relaxed as his friend talked.

It was a beautiful, clear night. The stars were bright and the breeze caressed their skin.

"You know this reminds me of this romantic movies", Nico said as he gazed at the sky.
Percy mumbled something incoherently.
"Yes. The fire, the stars…the ridiculously amazing weather...". The son of Hades nodded to himself. "Yep. I'm right"
His friend let out a puff of smoke. "Hm.. if you say so…"
"Yeah you know… that's the perfect atmosphere for a romantic night… I mean the tent over there and the clear night…. In almost every movie with a similar scenario the two characters start making out and... you know..."

There was a silence and Nico realized what he had just said. He face palmed.

"Way to ruin the moment, Nico", Percy teased as Nico groaned. "How do you know all this?", he asked his friend. "I thought you were more of a horror, action movie kinda guy…"
The son of Hades blushed at the memory. "Gods!". He groaned embarrassedly. "I was bored!", he cried out into the night.
Percy laughed and choked on the smoke. "When people are bored they go out and drink a lot. They don't watch romantic movies... I think..."
Nico groaned again and covered his eyes. "I was in the Underworld, bored and alone okay?!.", he explained quietly, as if he was afraid someone could hear him and tell everybody. "And I kinda stumbled into the Fields of Punishment… there was a guy, whose punishment was watching these type of movies. And you know… what started as a onetime thing turned into an addiction". He shook his head at the memory. "And there was a point where I just couldn't stand up from the couch. This went on until my dad caught me."
Percy chuckled at his dramatic tone. "How did he react?"
Nico ran a hand through his face. "He yelled at me for fifteen minutes. Saying that he'd never seen such an embarrassing thing and that his children are too good for this kind of shi, that I was bringing shame to the family and blah, blah, blah"
"Wow…"
"Yeah", he scoffed. "It even came out in the news"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah seriously, but in the Underworld news. The guys in Elysium made fun of me. It was so embarrassing", he said, covering his face with his hands.
Percy laughed loudly. Nico grabbed his shoulder and shook him. He stared at him with wide eyes.
"Don't tell anyone about it, okay?", he said intently. "You have to swear that-"
Percy waved. "Okay, okay. I won't tell anyone. I swear on the river Styx".

The sky rumbled and Nico lay down on his back and relaxed. They fell in silence, just enjoying the beautiful night and thinking about what the future had prepared for them.

The ending is bad, but I didn't know what else to write. Please REVIEW