A/N

GUYS I'M BACK! i am so so so sorry i know, it's been five months, but i have not abandoned you! today i got it in my head, "I will write Ch5 and post it, TODAY" well, here i am! i did it! i wrote this all today, i added some stuff in that i'd never previously considered, and i plan to continue to write! i still have a lot of writing to do to make up for me being gone. i may post again tomorrow, i may post next week. i don't really know. but, i will not abandon you guys again!... and now i've bored you with a long intro. without further ado, enjoy.

The Loss of a Hero: Chapter Five

Annabeth's POV

We'd searched for days. I hadn't slept one wink, and I was on the verge of collapse. We had searched the entire underworld. Nothing. No Percy. We'd checked at Elysium, but he wasn't there. One of the spirits there had told us that several had just been reborn into new lives, including a few newcomers. We'd gone everywhere else, there's no place he could have been, so he must have chosen to be reborn. But why? He wouldn't… unless he wanted to get away from me.

No. that couldn't be, that's not the Percy I know. He must have been unable to bear being away from me, I guess…

I rubbed my temples. It didn't make sense. I hate when things don't make sense. But, there was no other option. Gods, I need sleep. I won't cry. I won't accept that he's gone. I'll just keep looking. But... I need to go home for now. Back to camp Half-Blood.

Kairi, Nico, and I rode out of the Underworld on Mrs. O' Leary's back, emerging in Central Park. They all had sad looks on their faces. Mrs. O' Leary whined, longing for Percy. As soon as we were out, the gateway (which Kairi had re-opened) shut behind us, leaving no trace that it had ever existed. The three of us slid off of Mrs. O' Leary's back.

Nico turned to me. "What now?" he asked.

I took a shaky breath. "He's not gone. He-he can't be. We just haven't found him. He's out there somewhere, and I'm going to find him."

Nico and Kairi looked at me sadly. "He isn't!" I shouted at them. "He's not gone! That's not what Percy would do! He wouldn't... wouldn't leave me." I shakily sat down on a nearby rock. "I just need time to think," I mumbled wearily. Then a sudden thought struck me, and I turned pale.

"What? What's wrong?" Kairi asked.

I stared straight ahead. "Sally…" I said, and Nico looked up, also realizing what was wrong.

"Sally?" Kairi asked, "Who's Sally?"

I looked at her. "Sally is Percy's mom… and she doesn't know yet."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, no…"

I stood up. "We have to tell her. You coming, Nico?"

He shook his head. "No thanks, I've... got something to do. I'll see you later," he said, and ran toward the trees, disappearing into the shadows with a whoosh.

I turned to Kairi. "Do you want to come?"

"Sure," she nodded, and we climbed up onto Mrs. O' Leary's back once again. "Sally's place, girl. Can you take us there, please?" I whispered in her ear. She bounded into a shadow and in a second, we were just outside the apartment.

Telling Sally the news was not a fun experience. She'd happily ushered us in at once, but once she realized Percy was gone, her smile faded quickly. We talked a while, telling her what had happened, and she sat numbly in her chair. When there was nothing left to say, we left, but not before Kairi gave Sally a gift, a restful sleep, courtesy of her musical magic. We left, locking the door behind us.

Mrs. O' Leary was still waiting for us outside. We climbed on, and I turned to Kairi. "You want to come with me to camp, or do you want to go? It's okay if you do."

She looked up. "I'd like to go with you, if that's alright."

"Sure," I nodded, and asked Mrs. O' Leary to take us to camp. My home.

When we got there, I thanked Mrs. O' Leary and told her she could go wherever she liked. I led Kairi to Cabin Three. Percy's cabin. I silently prayed to Poseidon, saying I was sorry to trespass. But, I needed to be here.

Walking in, the room was a little messy. But, the air smelled of the sea. Of him. It was relaxing, but sad at the same time. The fountain in the corner (which had been replaced from the time Percy killed it) gurgled softly. I walked over to it and leaned against it. Careful not to touch anything, Kairi made her way to the far wall, where a picture of Percy and me was hanging. "This must be Percy," she said, and I nodded. I walked over and stood next to her, putting my hand on his image as if I could touch him.

"This was taken about a month ago. We started dating a few months before that was taken."

Kairi nodded. "He really loved you, I can tell just by looking at this," she said.

"Yeah… he really did. But he's not gone. I know it."

Kairi nodded. I walked over to Percy's unmade bed and sat down. Kairi started to sit with her back against the wall, but I said "No, you can use one of the other beds. It's much better than a wall."

She looked uneasy, but when she slid into the soft blankets, that faded away like a vapor in the wind. She smiled.

I got into Percy's bed, breathing in his scent. "Comfy?" I asked Kairi.

"Yes, very." She smiled. "This is... really nice. It's been such a long time…" she trailed off. "Thank you, Annabeth."

I rolled over and looked at her. "A long time since what? A sleepover?" I asked. She shook her head. "A night surrounded by the ocean air?" she shook her head again. Puzzled, I asked, "What do you mean, then?"

"A long time since I last slept in a bed," she replied.

"Oh." I said. "You're welcome at Camp Half-Blood anytime, if you need a place to go."

She smiled. "Thank you, Annabeth." She turned over and within minutes, she fell asleep. I took a while longer, but eventually my eyes grew heavy and closed, ushering me into the murky confines of sleep.

Nico's POV (Yeah! First In-story POV switch!)

I stood in front of a small pit, bubbling with brown liquid, chanting in Ancient Greek. The night air grew cold, but I didn't pay it any attention. Wisps of blue, the spirits of the dead, began to gather. They made for the pit, but I drew my black sword of pure Stygian iron, and they retreated. "Percy Jackson, show yourself!" I shouted.

I waited. And I waited. Nothing happened. I cursed in Ancient Greek. Suddenly, a silvery spirit came to the edge of the pit, and drank. It stood up, and, expecting Percy, I was disappointed. Before me stood a girl with olive skin, and a green cap on her head. My sister. "Bianca," I said. "Where is Percy?"

She shook her head sadly. "He's not here, Nico. He isn't anywhere. I don't know what happened to him, I'm sorry." She put her hand on my shoulder-or tried to, as she was made of mist- and disappeared. The other spirits faded too, and I was left in the night, alone. I screamed in despair, and it echoed once, then silence fell once again. I began shaking with rage. A twig snapped behind me and I turned, sword raised, to strike the intruder down, but stopped as I stared into the young, terrified face of a nymph.

I lowered my sword and fell to my knees. The nymph carefully approached me. "Are… are you okay?" she asked, with a gentle voice.

I sighed. "Not really. My best friend… is gone."

She tentatively stepped closer, then got down on her knees and wrapped her arms around me. I flinched. She drew her arms back. "Sorry, sorry, do you not want me to do that? I can go…"

"No, it's fine, I just… nobody has hugged me in a long time." I said.

"Why's that?" the nymph asked, tilting her head a bit to the side.

"Well… I'm a son of Hades. I radiate death. Nobody ever wants to get close."

The nymph looked into my eyes, then hugged me again. "I don't mind," she promised.

I hesitated, then sank into her embrace. "Thank you."

She nodded, then sat back. "My name's Evelina. You can call me Eve, though. What's yours?"

"I'm Nico."

She smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Nico." She stood up, and offered her hand. I took it, and pulled myself up. We stood, looking into each other's faces. She stood about five inches shorter than me, with deep blue eyes. She had long, chocolatey brown hair that went to the small of her back, and her skin was pale. Something about her…

I looked away, and backed up. What was I thinking? She was a nymph. I was a half blood. And a son of Hades, no less. But… the way she looked at me, nobody else ever looked at me like that. Still…

"I have to go," I said to her, and she looked down at the ground.

"Oh, okay. That's fine. You have places to go. I understand," she said, though I could see sadness in her face.

I turned to go, then looked back at her. "Would you like to come with me?" I asked.

She looked up. "M-me? Why would you want me to go with you?"

I shrugged. "Well, I think it might be kind of fun, traveling with someone, rather than being all alone," I replied, and offered my hand.

Eve smiled. "Then, I'd love to go!" she said, and took my hand. We ran into the shadows and disappeared in a whoosh.

End of Chapter 5