Chapter Ten: Wondering About the Other

Annabeth POV

I woke with a start. I was sure that I heard something. Then I realized it was still the middle of the night.

"Whatever," I sighed, and was about to go to sleep when something shiny caught my eye.

I turned to look. Turns out it was my flashlight keychain. What was it doing, turned on?... and why… was my diary next to it?

I slowly picked the diary up. It was open to my latest entry, and at the bottom, there were a few small words. Percy's handwriting. I read it, my hands trembling.

I'm sorry, Annabeth.

What did he mean by that anyway?

I got up on my knees and my foot landed on something. I picked it up. It was Riptide.

Riptide? What was Riptide doing there?

"Percy?" I whispered softly. There was no response.

"Percy?..." I called out again. Still nothing.

"Percy? Are you there?" I asked, turning around to my left, where he should've been sleeping.

Instead, I found myself staring into a pair of bright red eyes.

I jumped up with surprise. I took a few steps backwards, and saw a dark shape looming over me. With a jolt, I realized that the shape kind of looked like… me. I gave out a squeak and, in one quick second, grabbed my backpack, my diary, and all the rest of my stuff. I stuffed Riptide in my pocket and began to run. The shape gave chase. Thoughts flickered through my head, and once again I saw those three words he'd written, etched onto the page of my diary in celestial bronze ink.

I'm sorry, Annabeth.

Why was he sorry?

I'm sorry, Annabeth.

Was he sorry for this?

I'm sorry, Annabeth.

Was he sorry for me, running right now?

I'm sorry, Annabeth.

Or perhaps he was sorry about our past.

I'm sorry, Annabeth.

I must've run for minutes. Or maybe it was hours. Or it could've even been days. All I know is I ran for a long time before I stopped.

I'm sorry, Annabeth.

I curled up in a ball and a tear slowly ran down my cheek. Why was he sorry?

I'm sorry, Annabeth.

I looked to my side, where he should've been sitting next to me. Except, he wasn't, of course. He was gone.

I'm sorry, Annabeth…

Why was he sorry? Was he sorry for… leaving me alone?

Was he… even sorry at all?

Percy POV

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, but all I could see was white.

There was white everywhere. It was seriously like I was standing in a totally empty space. It had nothing inside. No floor, no sky, nothing. Just white.

"What the Hades?" I demanded. "What's going on? Where am I? Where's Annabeth?"

Far away, I could see something in the distance. It moved closer and closer, and I realized it was shooting at me with alarming speed.

I jumped to the side as it nearly rammed me in the side.

I stared curiously at it. It had fallen over. It slowly got up, brushing itself off. Then it turned to look at me.

I narrowed my eyes.

It was a dark shape with red eyes.

"Who the heck are you?" I asked it. It didn't really look very trustworthy.

The dark figure walked up to me, and I finally realized who it was.

Annabeth.

Wait, no. Not Annabeth.

This Annabeth had red eyes and a pair of sharp fangs. Her hair was twisted up in some sort of complicated updo with a flower pinning it together. She was still pretty, but I knew she wasn't my girlfriend.

"What do you mean, dear? It's me, Annabeth," she said.

"Annabeth—" I stopped myself. It's not Annabeth! I hissed at myself. She'd never call me "dear"! Plus, the real Annabeth doesn't have red eyes and fangs, you idiot!

The fake Annabeth nodded as if she could read my thoughts. "Correct, demigod, I'm not Annabeth. I'm Annabeth's Diary."

I froze.

"W-wha…" I managed to say.

"I'm Annabeth's Diary," she said.

"You're kidding, right? Annabeth's diary is a book," I said.

"Yes, but no. I am the spirit of Annabeth's diary, you know? Every diary has a spirit, did you not know that?"

"Um… er…" I stuttered. "So… uh… Miss Annabeth's Diary—"

"My actual name is Hikana Solette," she said, "but I prefer Kana."

"—Okay, Kana… are you the one who kidnapped me and brought me here?"

Kana grinned. "I would not say that I was the one who brought you here, but the answer to your question is classified information, something I cannot tell you."

I sighed. "Okay, then. What's up with all the possessed demigods around?"

"Also classified information."

"You suck," I groaned. "Why is everything classified?"

"Watch what you say to me," Kana warned. "I can easily zap the life out of you."

"I highly doubt that," I muttered under my breath, but she didn't hear me.

We stood in silence for a moment, then Kana spoke up. "Well, demigod… all these questions you've asked… you can easily figure them out. Just give it some time."

Her fangs contracted so that they looked like normal teeth. Then she gave me a slight wave, and disappeared into thin air, leaving only a few flower petals from her hair.

I stared at the flower petals on the ground. "Hikana Solette," I whispered under my breath. Questions flew through my mind, and I tried to answer them, but all I got was emptiness. As empty as the white world I was standing in.