Author's Note: Wow…I'm actually updating this story again! I'm sorry; I know it's been a while. But I'm writing Secrets and Sleepovers at the same time. I can manage that. I figured out a way to do that: alternate. So, for those of you on author alert, the next update will be for Secrets and Sleepovers. I literally ignore the story I'm not about to update, so I focus on the one I am about to update. I get more done that way, and I don't get the plots confused.

Seriously, thank you so much for the love. I love you all too!

Chapter 3: I (Almost) Fall to My Death

"Percy!"

A girl's voice seemed to come from far away. Someone was shaking me.

I woke from my dream slowly. My eyelashes parted gradually, and I saw Annabeth's face right above me, her expression changing from concern to relief when she saw me open my eyes. "Thank the gods you're alright," she sighed.

"I don't feel like it," I said in a choked voice, and I started coughing. Each cough resulted in a jabbing pain in my ribcage, like someone was thrusting a knife in my lungs. I tried to sit up, but my chest was throbbing. Annabeth gripped my hands and pulled me to my feet. I swayed on the spot, but Paul steadied me.

"What happened, Percy?" he asked. "I got outside and saw Annabeth. She asked where you were, and I thought you were right behind me, but when I looked back, you weren't there. We came back inside and—"

"—And found you unconscious on the floor, shivering like crazy," Annabeth finished, frowning. "What happened to you?"

"Mr. Price got me," I stammered through chattering teeth. I was freezing cold and shaking violently. I was pretty sure I was going to bite my tongue off if I opened my mouth again, but I managed to tell them about how I was almost to the exit when Mr. Price breathed on my neck, the icy mist, and what he'd said about freezing the sea. I left out the part about eliminating me, though. That had confused me a lot, and I wasn't really sure what he'd meant. I also left out my dream about the silver Athena shroud.

"Percy, you're still shivering," Annabeth said, placing a warm hand on my forehead, then the back of her hand on my left cheek. "You're a little warm, Percy," she whispered.

I waved dismissively. "How'd you get here?" I asked her. "What's going on at camp?"

"I took a taxi here," she answered, "though I don't think I'd be able to afford another one. I only have one drachma left." Her frown deepened. "As for what's going on at camp, I have no clue. Chiron just told me it was important that we get there right away. Got any transportation ideas?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I replied. I turned to Paul. "Will you tell my mom that—"

Paul nodded in understanding. "Taken care of," he assured me.

"Thanks," I said. I took Annabeth's hand and led her outside.

As soon as we were in the parking lot, I started to cough fitfully. My body was again racked with pain—not as bad as before, but pretty close. When I was able to breathe again, my throat stung fiercely.

Annabeth stared at me, her eyes full of worry. "You sure you're okay?" she asked.

I managed a half-smile. "Yeah," I said. My voice sounded terrible, like I was coming down with laryngitis or something. But I was able to give my best taxi-cab whistle. Two minutes later, a winged, black horse was landing on the pavement in front of us.

Yo, boss! Blackjack said in my mind.

"Blackjack," I told him, "We need a ride to camp, quick."

He whinnied, shaking his dark mane. Yeah, you do. Something freaky's going on over there, boss.

I frowned. "What do you mean 'freaky'?"

I can't explain it, he told me in my mind. You just have to come see for yourself.

I looked over at Annabeth. She stared back with concern.

Sighing, I said, "We better go now."

Blackjack soared over the city of Manhattan fast and high. Annabeth had her arms around my waist. As we got closer to Camp Half-Blood, I felt a change in the temperature. I was freezing cold; there were goose bumps on my arms. The wind whipped Annabeth's long curls forward into my face.

Suddenly, it felt hard to breathe. All I could think about was how much it hurt to breathe. The cold air stung my throat badly, and I began to cough painfully again.

"Percy, you okay?" Annabeth asked.

I couldn't answer; I couldn't breathe. My eyes were squeezed shut from the pain. I felt that drowning feeling again, like it was impossible to get any air in my lungs. My head was spinning.

"Percy, hang in there! We're almost there!" Annabeth's voice seemed to come from a thousand miles away. But I could see the ocean, some of the cabins, the central green.

Then, something stranger occurred. A young woman's face seemed to take shape in the dark clouds over the sea. It wasn't a face I recognized. I squinted to see it more clearly.

That's right, Perseus Jackson. The cloud-face was talking to me. Come. Soon you'll be destroyed. And I will finally have my eternal winter. There will be nothing you can do about it.

My eyes widened. I leaned back to Annabeth and yelled over the wind, "Did you see that?"

"See what?" she yelled back.

"That face in the clouds."

"Are you sure you weren't imagining it, Percy?" she asked.

"No! I swear it's right—" But when I looked back, the face was gone. In its place was a swirling mass of dark clouds.

Blackjack started to descend. There was a fog hanging low over the beach at camp. But something seemed different. The sand was whiter than usual. The sea was grayer than usual. And the air was much colder than usual.

Annabeth gasped behind me. "Is that…snow?"

That's impossible, I thought. It was the middle of June. It was summer time. Before I had time to think much about it, a sudden gust of cold wind blow over us. I ducked my head down to avoid the stinging sensation in my eyes.

Man, it's worse than when I left, Blackjack spoke in my mind again.

What's going on? I thought to him.

I don't know, boss. It just got really cold all of a sudden. And then…

His voice faded in my mind. I felt like my insides were being freezer-burned. I felt so overwhelmingly dizzy, and cold, and shaky…

I didn't remember letting go of Blackjack's mane, but I did remember comprehending that fact that I was no longer holding on, that I was falling toward the ocean, and I could hear Annabeth's voice screaming my name…

Then the world faded to black.

I was standing in a dimly lit forest. Snow surrounded me on all sides. Icicles hung from the branches above me. Crouching behind a tree was a young girl, younger than me by several years. Her hair was sandy blonde, with a single blue streak on one side. She held a turquoise bow in her hands, an arrow notched, ready to shoot. Her green eyes were watery, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Her hands shook as she aimed at an unseen target. She obviously didn't want to shoot whatever…or whoever…it was she was aiming for. As if to prove my point, the girl whispered, "I'm sorry…I'm really sorry." She hesitated, and then continued, "I love you." Finally, she released the arrow.

I woke up with every inch of my body aching. Someone was calling my name, running their fingers through my hair, shaking me gently. I tried to sit up, but every bone in my body felt broken. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.

"Percy, can you hear me? Say something, please," Annabeth's voice said.

I opened my eyes. Annabeth's face hovered over me. She held a canteen of nectar in her hand.

"Here, drink this. You're hurt."

She helped me sit up and handed me the canteen. I took a small sip and felt its warmth spread through me. The pain in my body subsided. "What happened?" I asked Annabeth.

She frowned with concern. "You just fainted and fell. Blackjack and I tried to catch you, but we couldn't. You hit the ground pretty hard. If it weren't for the Achilles curse, you probably wouldn't be alive right now."

Something about that bothered me. I distinctly remember being over the beach when I fell. Usually I didn't worry about falling in the water. I mean, I'm the son of Poseidon. The water protected me. It should've cushioned my fall. "What happened to the ocean?" I asked. "Why didn't it catch me?"

Annabeth's worried expression didn't change at all. "I don't know who did it, or why," she started, "but the sea…it's frozen."

My heart skipped a beat. Frozen? That didn't make any sense. That wasn't even possible. "What do you mean frozen?"

"See for yourself," she said.

But even before she moved aside to let me have a better look, I felt dread in my heart. Normally I would be able to hear the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore, then pulling back. Now, I heard nothing but silence. Then I noticed the thin layer of snow covering the sand, and the cold fog that hung right over the water. I caught my breath. It was just like my dream. What had that girl said? The first step, done. He'll be even more vulnerable now that he doesn't have his precious ocean protecting him.

Annabeth wrapped her arms around my neck from behind me, bringing me back to the present. I can't believe someone out there is powerful enough to do that," she whispered. She looked at me, her gray eyes stormy, and I knew she was figuring out the possibilities in her head.

"I just hope it's not another Titan," I muttered.

'Oh, don't even mention it," Annabeth said with a shudder. She rested her cheek on mine for a few seconds, then pulled back. "Percy, you still feel kind of warm."

I shrugged. I felt pretty normal, aside from the slight sting in my throat and chest. "Probably the nectar," I guessed. But part of me knew that wasn't the most likely reason. I started to cough again, the pain escalating from before, to the point where breathing hurt.

I saw Annabeth's expression, and said, "I'm fine, Annabeth. Stop worrying."

Her face didn't show any sign of stopping her worry, but she said "Fine." The she offered me her hand and I took it. "Come on, it's almost dinnertime. And we've got a bunch of new campers now." Then she added with a small smile, "Thanks to you."

Reviews are always appreciated. I don't own PJO or the characters from PJO. I do own my OCs. That's why they're OCs.

Thanks again, ~Mandi2341