OH MY GODS GUYS THIS IS AMAZING! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE FOLLOWS AND FAVORITES! REALLY APPRECIATED! SO TO PAY YOU GUYS BACK…HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER, EARLY! (Note that posts won't be this often normally. ALSO EXPECT SOME X-TREME CHEDDAR GOLDFISH JOKES) Okay, special thanks to MasterTrident13 for the first follow and WhynotkeepitaSecret for the first favorite! Also, I would like to thank DarkAngelAlice13 for adding me to her Favorite Authors List! Thank you Guest for the first review! Glad to know that you guys liked it!
Guest: I originally read the one before by stargazer2100 and really wanted to see what happened after! Thanks for carrying on! cant wait for the update! :) / Yeah of course, no problem! Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad that you enjoyed it!
*deep breath* Hello everyone, here's chapter one. This will stray a little from stargazer2100's original plot but that's okay 'cause it's mine now *evil laughter*
Disclaimer: Percy and his peeps aren't my property. That's all Mr. Riordan's.
Uncle Rick, in Boston: GET OFF MY LAWN YOU PUNY, DISGRACEFUL MORTALS
See what I did there? Haha. Wow, such a long intro. Okay here's the actual chapter:
Annabeth was getting worried. She hadn't seen Percy all morning and he hadn't come to breakfast either. Being a daughter of Athena, she contemplated different reasons for his absence. She decided to check his cabin first before assuming anything.
Annabeth made her way over to Cabin Three, hoping Percy was alright. Her heart raced at the thought of Percy in extreme (A/N: CHEDDAR GOLDFISH! Okay sorry I just had to) danger. But trouble had always followed Percy around, so it had to strike once more. The door was slightly ajar and the lights were off. Annabeth hesitantly crept in, not wanting to disturb Percy if he was still asleep. When she saw his peaceful form, she smiled and shook her head. "Seaweed Brain," she whispered fondly. At this, Percy sleepily opened his eyes, grinning lopsidedly at her. Annabeth smiled back, happy to see that her Seaweed Brain wasn't taken away from her once more.
But wait…something was wrong.
His eyes, normally a warm shade of sea-green, seemed colder than usual, like he had just been to a funeral.
"Percy? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Percy merely stared at the concerned look on her face. His expression didn't change.
"Percy?" Annabeth cautiously approached her boyfriend. "Percy?" She tried to cup his face in her hands. Instead of her hand meeting his cheek, it passed straight through him, and his image rippled. Annabeth gasped, and took a step back.
She couldn't believe it. Standing in front of her was not, in fact, her boyfriend, but a hologram.
How could have she not figured it out sooner? The questions swam in her mind, but her gaze stayed fixed on the image.
She wanted to believe her Seaweed Brain had gotten the Hephaestus cabin to play this prank on her. She wanted to believe he was hiding behind the bed, watching to see how she reacted.
But no. Annabeth had a gut feeling that this was real. Percy was gone and someone had planted a crude hologram of him to deceive her.
This person must have been incredibly stupid, trying to outsmart an Athena kid. Annabeth watched as Percy's image rippled once more, and disappeared with a flash of golden light.
The only thing left on his bed was the ballpoint pen he never left without.
Annabeth clutched the pen in her shaking hand. "Where are you, Percy?" she muttered.
...
Annabeth contacted Piper via Iris-Message shortly after her encounter with the hologram. When she saw the image of her friend sitting on her bed, reading a book (A/N: Annabeth got Piper into reading, if you were wondering), she sighed with relief.
"Piper, there's something serious going on. I need your help," Annabeth said, drawing Piper's attention. Her voice shook, and it took all her strength to hide her extreme (A/N: CHEDDAR GOLDFISH! Okay sorry again I can't help it) fear.
"Okay. I'm here for you. What's wrong?"
Annabeth recounted her morning for Piper, her fists clenching more and more while talking. By the time she was done, Annabeth's knuckles were as white as bone. "I already lost him once, I don't want to lose him again," she sobbed.
"It's okay, Annabeth. Maybe he's running an errand for his father or something," Piper said, trying her best to comfort her friend.
"But if he was, then why would there be a hologram of him?" Annabeth was starting to lose hope.
"Annabeth, it's going to be alright. I'll get Jason to fly me over there and we can tell Chiron." Piper poured some charmspeak in her words to reassure her.
Annabeth started to calm down. "Hurry up, okay?"
Piper nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
Annabeth ran her hand through the image of her best friend, and she faded away, just like Percy's hologram. She shut her eyes as a tear trickled down her cheek.
...
Annabeth waited outside on a bench, tapping her foot as she waited impatiently for Piper to return. When she finally saw the familiar figure of Jason flying in the distance with Piper in his arms, she sighed in relief and waved her arms around to get his attention. Jason spotted her and set Piper down in front of her. The trio walked together in silence to where Chiron was. As they neared the Big House, Annabeth lost patience and ran up to the centaur. She hurriedly told him the story, and he knitted his brows together more and more over the course of the time she was talking. After she finished, he sat there in silence, musing at the sudden turn of events. At last, he spoke, his voice grave.
"A golden light, you say?" he asked. Annabeth nodded, fear lacing her form. Chiron wore a nervous look, which was very unlike the kind, strong centaur Annabeth knew. "If what you say is true, we are in grave danger. I fear that my father has risen once more."
"Your father? But that would mean Kr –," Annabeth started.
Chiron interrupted her before she could finish. "Careful, Annabeth. Names have power."
"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot," she mumbled sheepishly.
"Anyway, we need to start a search party. If my father has come back, we will have a war on our hands. The campers need to be informed." Chiron put on a mask of calm to hide his clear paranoia, something Annabeth did all the time.
"Campers!" Chiron's voice boomed across the hill. "Please listen! I am afraid that I have some bad news." The campers waited in anticipation, wondering what it could be. Whispers and mutters washed over the camp.
"Percy Jackson has gone missing once more," Chiron stated, preparing for an outrage. As he expected, the camp let out a collective gasp, and riotous campers shared looks of, surprise, anger, and downright disbelief. More mutters and whispers. "Now, now, demigods. Settle down," the kindly centaur said. "On behalf of Annabeth and her sanity, we request a search party for our hero. Does anyone volunteer to lead it?"
"I'll do it." Piper spoke up for the first time, her words loud and clear, heard by the whole camp. "Annabeth needs him. I will stay committed and will not back down until every inch of the world has been searched for Perseus Jackson."
"Very well, Piper McLean. Lead it you shall. Anyone who wished to join will be able to. Try to keep the numbers down though. You may leave tomorrow at dawn. Argus will take you as far as the city, but then you are on your own. Best of luck to you all," Chiron said. With that, he galloped off to the Big House to Iris-Message Sally, the hunters, Camp Jupiter, and the gods.
That night during dinner, the usual chatter wasn't there. Instead, there was the occasional mumble of, "Pass the salt," or "Please let Percy be okay." When it was time to send an offering of food for the gods, Annabeth knew that everyone was praying for Percy. It didn't need to be said. They cared for him almost as much as she did. Annabeth didn't eat much, ignoring the pitiful looks thrown her way. She knew that she probably looked as miserable as she felt, but she didn't care anymore.
Annabeth went to bed early that night. We're staying together. You're not getting away from me, never again. The words rang in her ears. She shuddered as tears started to push past the barriers she had built up to look strong. She let them flow freely. Annabeth clenched the blankets and pulled them tightly across herself. She dreaded the long nights ahead that she would have to spend, the nightmares she would have to endure, and most of all, the pain of losing Percy. Annabeth would go through all that alone, without Percy there beside her. For the first time in a long time, she cried herself to sleep, feeling alone.
And that's a wrap! Ahhh, the feels are really getting to me now. I'll try to make chapters long. I'll make it my goal to post as often as possible. Thanks for waiting an X-TREME-CHEDDAR-GOLDFISH-LY long time! Sorry that I really suck at conversations between characters. Again, rates, reviews, follows, favs and everything in between are all appreciated! Thanks so much guys!
Virtual hugs, blue cookies, and, as always, X-TREME CHEDDAR Goldfish!
– Lily