V

Two years...and Percy was the most depressed eighteen year old you could actually meet. Despite the fact he still had friends and fun, it was just how sad he looked all the time. No one understood because no one really knew what had transpired between Arina and him the night her and her cousins left camp. People talked about it and said it was for the best since they caused too much trouble anyways.

When people talked about it like that, it's usually when Percy got in a foul mood, but he never snapped at people, just remove himself from the situation and go sit on his dock or even go to Arina's old cabin and sift through her things. The first time he went to her home he almost half expected her to jump out and scold him for rummaging through her things, but she didn't. She was gone and he was left with the weight of her memory locked tightly around his neck.

Right now he was laying back on her bed, sifting through one of her journals with her neat old fashion scrawl in blue pen. He never really read anything, he just looked at the pictures and movie tickets that were tucked away in there, a few leaves here and there from trees, and even a hair ribbon that smelled like her hair.

He was pining for the loss.

He shut the journal and slipped it back into her bedside drawer where he got it from and sat up looking around before taking the pennant out of his shirt and looking down at it, as every time he read the script in greek on the back he was brought back to the day, two years ago, where she was before him saying all the right things at the wrong time.

"Something intangible like a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean, it may be broken but it's still beautiful. Promise you'll wait?"

The words echoed in his thoughts as he closed his eyes and tried to remember her face, how smooth and petite it was, not a flaw. Her hair, her long trim body as lean and deadly as a jungle cat, but the calming eyes that offset everything else. Her eyes, the one's that haunted his dreams. As the days progressed into years his dreams of her would turn from pleasant to worse...often times featuring her beaten, with actual blood protruding from her form as she lay limp under the hand of her attackers.

But, he relied too much on the fact her skills were superior, her control of her water was superior, and she could not be pierced by a blade or any other weapon, man made or of the gods. But that weakness that she had that one small bit of human flesh, that human flesh he himself got the privilege to know about and touch, weighted heavily. One stroke and she would be gone from this world and into the next, where he could not reach her.

"Knew I'd find you in here man." Percy looked up quickly as he rose to his feet shoving his hand into his pocket gripping Riptide just in case but relaxed when he saw it was Grover.

"Yeah." Percy said licking his lips and looking around and then back to his friend.

"What happened between you two? We're best friends man, you can tell me."

Percy's throat tightened as his body became cold and not in a normal fashion but from the fear, the fear that the idea of him and Arina would be rejected. What if Grover or Annabeth didn't want to be friends with him anymore because of his...complicated feelings. They were neither love or friendship but somewhere painfully in-between.

He only hoped not, and Grover was his best friend and not only that but the one he counted on the most. If he couldn't trust Grover well, he couldn't trust anyone he supposed. So he braved a chance as he took a deep breath.

"I, fell in love, kinda." Percy said simply and shoved his other hand in his pocket as he adopted an awkward stance and he looked at the ground refusing to meet his best friends eyes. "I fell in love with her." he repeated a bit more sure.

"What! B-But you guys never hung out.

"We hung out a few times," Percy shrugged. "I just knew...I guess."

Percy sat down on her bed and put his face in his hands as he then stared at the ground for a while before Grover pulled up a chair and sat in front of him imitating his posture and staring at his best friend.

"Well I officially have no remark." he said and then spotted Percy fiddling with something in his hand as it hung from the chain from his neck. "Her pennant? I've never seen her take it off before." he said in awe and Percy looked down at it.

"She told me it was a promise, that she'd come back for me. She made me promise to wait."

"Wait, for her to come back?" Grover scoffed. "And how long might that take huh? Till you're both too old, and lived miserable lives because you couldn't get over each other. It's been two years man, and I know you' love' her, but it's not healthy."

"I have to wait." Percy said adamantly. "You don't understand Grover...and though I don't know what I would do if she came back, even if I'm angry, I can't be angry at her for doing the right thing."

That's when the camp alarm went off and this time Percy drew out Riptide in it's pen form and clicking the button on the end it shifted into his bronze sword and he ran out of the cabin with Grover behind pulling out his knife.

The both of them made to the designated meeting area as Chiron was gathering his herd to the safe location with the other protectors and instructors circling around everyone else.

"Chiron what's going on?" Percy asked approaching his mentor and Chiron looked down at Percy his face tense and alert.

"The barrier has been broken around camp. No attack yet–," but his words were cut short as a coming up over the hill was a large thunderous quake.

From up over the hill a large tidal wave came. Everyone stared up at it in mingled shock and fear as it then came thundering down the hill side. It was then that five figures emerged from the horizon and Arina was easily spotted defending off the twins whom did not look like themselves at all. Dea and Alcander appeared next as they where locked in sword battle. They all looked different, but there was easily a distinction.

Arina and Alcander were dressed like nomads, almost, as Arina's hair was longer than it had been and it was tied up messily as if she had no time to take care of it. Alcander's blond hair was no longer cut all clean and neatly, but he had simply let it grow out so now strands of it hung in his eyes and face. Their clothes were very worn and frayed as if those too did not have enough time for a good wash.

The twins and Dea where all clad and black armor and leather as they all had a strange circlet around their foreheads, their eyes glowing yellow, their faces set in malice.

Percy watched as Arina looked back at the campers and that simple distraction sent her flying backwards by Callus' fist. Another thunderous quake was felt beneath the campers feet as Arina hit the earth and came skidding to a halt in her own crater. She simply got up and holding her arms out she summoned water from the ground, causing another massive quake. With the might she possessed and the determination in her heart, she sent water pelting at Callus and Caius as they where thrown back and out of sight.

Alcander then took his sword as it started to glow and swiped it across Dea's chest. She shrieked like a unearthly banshee and jumped high up into the tree-tops and fled. All was silent then as Alcander and Arina turned to meet the line of campers and Arina took a steady breath and smiled.

"Sorry." she said. "We were a little late catching up to them."

Everyone lowered their weapons and looked on in shock.

Arina pulled from a tiny leather pouch at her side a small orb and crushed it in her hands. A blue aura then lifted up and spread out like a gunshot and she walked straight up to Chiron.

"We haven't much time before they double back and hit the camp again. The temporary barrier is in place but we must act now."

"You have a lot of explaining to do Arina." Chiron said as he eyed her and she nodded.

"Yes, sir." she said gracefully.

She then looked next to Chiron and caught Percy's glance. She smiled weakly and sheathed her sword as she turned and walked away, with Alcander and now Chiron following her. Annabeth and Grover came up next to him and he turned and looked at them. Annabeth took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and he nodded as he allowed her to pull him away in the other direction. The rest of the campers went back to their cabins for a lock down, until all the instructors deemed it safe.

Annabeth, Percy and Grover took shelter at Percy's cabin and sat there waiting, and worrying.

It was then that heavy footsteps where heard and around the pillars appeared Alcander and Arina.

Percy darted up from sitting in a chair and rushed over as he took Arina's face in his hands and she smiled up at him and soon the two of them where embracing.

"I missed you." she said pulling back and then looking to Annabeth and Grover. She pulled back from Percy and gave them hugs as well and they all looked at her expectantly.

"Where have you been?" Percy asked and Arina looked at Alcander and sighed.

"Tracking Dea and the twins across the world practically."

"What happened to them?" Annabeth asked and it was Alcander that answered in a wary voice.

"Our Uncle, Cronus has taken control of them, through these crowns. Hades forced Hephaestus to make them back in day and Cronus is putting them to good use."

"He tried to force us, but Al, and I escaped before they had the chance to do anything. We figured out then, through intercepting a message from Hermes to the gods that a war was planning on being started. Apparently Cronus didn't like how the last battle ended and he's regrouping the Titan's once more. We have been stopping them at every corner, trying to stop them from unlocking the Titan's from their binds but, so far, the Twins have managed to get their mother out. We then intercepted a message between Dea and Luke...they heading here. We just came a little too late I guess, since by the time we engaged them they had already broken the barrier."

Everyone stood gravely still and Grover gulped as he shakily asked the next question.

"So, the Titan's, want revenge?"

"In the worst possible way." Alcander responded. "Restoring to the use of their own offspring to bring about world destruction and the destruction of the Olympians and their demi-god children."

"I've suggested to Chiron a massive camp evacuation. Sending them to a secondary location since this one has been compromised." Arina said carefully.

"Where would that be?" Annabeth asked hurriedly. "There is no such place."

"There's one." Alcander said hardly as he looked at Annabeth like she was stupid. Annabeth caught the look and glared at Alcander as she folded her arms as if asking him to try and challenge her superior mind. "It's in the pass near Mount St. Helens. A Temple of the Titan's resides there, moved from Greece centuries ago. It's large enough to house the entire camp, giving it enough room also to defend. It wont be ideal since it's snowing right now, but it's safe and there's a barrier that's set up so that evil may not pass through it. It will shield everyone from Titan's and the twins and Dea. It will also mask any scent so hell hounds can't track through the snow."

"It's not far?" Percy asked and Arina shook her head.

"No. But you wont go with everyone else Percy. Nor Annabeth or Grover. You'll be going with us." Arina said carefully and Percy's brow knit together.

"Why us?"

"Because you three are the most in danger. They know of my attachment, and to break me, they'll kill you all. I can't have that. So wherever I go, you come with me so I can keep an eye on you three."

"We can handle ourselves." Annabeth scoffed and Arina walked up to her and looked her dead in the eye.

"Say that to me, once you've fought against a Titan...then we'll talk." Arina then placed a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Understand, your survival is the key to mine. You're my friends, I wont have anything happen to you."

"So pack your things. We leave tonight." Alcander said as he stood and gestured for Arina to come.

Arina went and stood next to her cousin and she looked at them all.

"We'll be back in an hour, we meet here. Then we make for Washington."

"Wait DC?" Grover asked following her out as Arina turned to leave and Annabeth followed too since her cabin was a distance aways.

"No, state."