Chapter 13
Percy paced the floor, trying to figure out his next step, Hades had the Baetylus and with that he could unleash Tityus and lay waste to anything he wanted to. His mind drew a blank, he turned to Grover who looked as worried as Percy felt, he was no good at creating a plan, Annabeth was, where was she? They had gone to the Athena cabin, but her siblings hadn't seen her since she left to visit Markos in the healers camp, Percy had no idea what happened to her after he left the Big house, he had a uncomfortable feeling in the back of his mind saying that she was with Markos, the thought darkened his mind
"Where could she be?" he asked Grover impatiently, not wanting to think of her with Markos any longer, the Satyr shook his head
"Maybe she wanted to clear her head or went training in the woods" he suggested
Percy continued to pace time was running out, they needed to move. A group of heavily armed teens dressed in camo stalked towards them, the leader had her light brown hair pulled back with her signature red bandana, Clarisse La Rue, back from her own quest
"You guys just can't survive five minutes without me" a small smile touched her lips, she couldn't help but enjoy the fact that Percy and Camp Half-Blood needed her help
Within the next 30 minutes Clarisse's team were geared up and ready to move out, Percy and Grover stood off to one side as they watched the team pack countless weapons into their trucks, all they needed now was a location, Chiron had sent out the nature spirits to keep an eye out for anything
"This doesn't feel right without Annabeth" Grover muttered to Percy, Percy kept his eyes straight ahead watching Clarisse as she barked order at the Ares kids, but he knew Grover was right they were a team, with a sigh he looked back towards the camp, seeing the strawberry fields and the big house where Chiron stood, he met Percy's gaze and shook his head
"No sign" the son of Poseidon grumbled
"Hey Jackson!" both boys turned to see Clarisse sitting in the lead jeep "We got word, are you two coming?"
Percy turned to Grover "We can't wait any longer" he jumped into the back of the jeep, Grover took one last look around hoping to see Annabeth but nothing, Where was she? But he got into the suv too and they took off into the night
The next morning Markos awoke to a low rumbling, slowly he opened his eyes, the early sunrise illuminated the living space. He could hear movement, it was slow and almost inaudible, like someone was walking in are feet across the wooden floor.
He lifted himself slowly off of the couch when he saw a four legged silhouette on the wall… hell hound. Markos's sword was leaning against the table between him and the beast, the panting hell hound rounded the corner looking for it's prey, Markos made a decision… Fight.
He bolted forwards taking the beast by surprise, he grabbed the hilt of his sword, crashing into the beast, pushing it backwards into the wall while slitting it's throat swiftly. It writhed for a moment before Markos plunged his sword into it's chest, Markos felt his own chest tighten, his wounds aching at his movements.
He sat back on the floor looking at the now dead hell hound as it crumbled into dust, getting caught up in the slight breeze. Something caught his eye, there was something in the dust pile, partially covered. Markos took the glittering item into his hands, wiping off the excess so he could see what it was, it was a dagger, etched into the blade was the symbol of Athena, he had seen it before, the rage inside of him bubbled, this was Annabeth's blade. The message was loud and clear. Enyo had taken Annabeth and was now waiting for Markos to try and rescue her, this was the Goddess's idea of entertainment, Markos didn't understand why she had such a fascination with him, but at this point he didn't care, she had gone too far.
The rage burned inside of him like a wildfire, the stinging behind his eyes almost more than he could bear, he grabbed his weapon and his leather chest guard, before sprinting down the mountain at full speed, leaping over the boulders and skidding down the slopes, feeling his skin tear a little, but he did not care
He bolted through the camp not even noticing the stares of the other Demi-Gods as they moved from his path, they knew well enough to keep clear of him. He launched himself into his truck slamming it into drive and flooring it. It had taken them just over a day to travel to the Rocky Mountains, he knew Annabeth didn't have that much time, so now he was pushing his truck to the limit, he needed to get to her, he would not allow any harm to come to her, not while there was still life left in him.