CH. 2

Calypso

I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't. I tore from cabin to cabin, door to door, searching for Leo, refusing to cope with the idea that I had lost him again. At least he had come back for me before. Now, I was afraid I would never see him again, and I had only been at Camp Half-Blood for three weeks. So what if he was a little annoying? I still loved him.

Despair threatened to overtake me, but I blinked back my tears and headed for the stables. If I had to search the entire earth to find him, despite the trouble it would take, I would find him. I would go to the end of the Underworld and back if I had to. I was determined to get him back.

Buford

I sit in the workshop, wait for Leo. He does not come. I open the door and go to Camp Half-Blood to look for him, and to see Calypso. She may know where he is. And she is pretty. Leo loves Calypso, Calypso loves Leo. She says, I do not know where he is. I cannot find him. She looks sad.

I go to the home cabin, number nine. Not there. I search the big house. Not there. I look at the lake. Not there. I look at the stables. Not there. Chiron says, Leo is not on a quest, he is missing. Is he hiding? Is he playing a joke? Where is he? Percy says, We do not know where he is.

I am proud of Leo. He hides so no one can find him. Then Annabeth says, He has been taken, and I know why we cannot find him. Leo did not want to be taken, but someone took him away and did not tell us. Now I understand. He is stolen, by someone who does not like him. They will use him. I understand why Calypso is sad and scared. I am too.

Festus

Peleus! I creak in protest as he swings his tail at my head. It connects with a clang! and I stagger back. I return the fight and breath fire on his head. We tussle playfully and I get pinned down by the smaller dragon. How did that happen? I squeak with laughter, and Peleus does too, tendrils of smoke curling out of his nostrils.

We have just calmed down when Jason, Percy, and Annabeth come dashing up the hill, without Leo, which is unusual. Then I realize I have not seen Leo at all today, which is very strange. He always comes to check on me by this time, to make sure that I am operable and clean.

I sit as they approach me. Jason, all out of breath, asks me if I have seen Leo. I shake my head and creak no in response. This isn't good mutters Annabeth, and Percy shakes his head. I whir in confusion, and Percy says Leo has been kidnapped. My gears just about pop out of place, and I unfurl my wings. Festus, wait! cries Annabeth. We'll come with you, but we have to ask Chiron!

I squeak with forlorn then grunt for them to hurry. Even though they can't understand me, they rush off as fast as they can. I begin pacing, rumbling back and forth until they get back, with Clarisse and Calypso, and climb onto my back. The other two climb onto Peleus and we take flight, heading for Manhattan. Peleus goes to Brooklyn. We are determined to find Leo.

Clarisse

Not that I was going to admit it to anyone, except maybe Chris, but I considered myself a friend of Leo Valdez. So when he went missing, of course I was going to help look for him. After we got on Peleus, Calypso and I headed for Brooklyn and Queens.

If mortals weren't so gullible, the city would be in chaos once they saw the giant dragon flying over them. 12 years, and I still can't get over how stupid they are. We didn't see anything suspicious, just police at work, and Calypso pointed out an adult demigod wearing a police uniform who if anything would either belong in the Ares cabin or the Hades cabin.

We met back up by the Empire State Building, and Festus' riders hadn't seen anything either. We were discussing what to do next (I wanted to pound everyone in camp and see if they knew anything) when I noticed someone else approaching us on a white pegasus. Annabeth and Jason were arguing about mortals, and Percy looked bored. I turned my attention back to the rider. As they got closer, I saw it was Piper. Dang it. Since her boyfriend was here, I couldn't pulverize her. I didn't really want to, though. She reminded me too much of Silena.

Percy apparently noticed her, too, because he perked up and called, "Piper! Did you find anything?" Annabeth and Jason had been glaring at each other, but now they looked at Piper, eager for news. "I think I might have gotten us a lead."

Piper explained to us where we were going on the way there. "I found an adult demigod who works for the NYPD. I talked to him on his lunch break and he said he saw something strange last night. He should still be on his break."

We arrived at a pizza place on 59th and slipped inside, trying to look like normal pedestrians, which was pretty easy, considering the low intelligence level of the mortals. "There," whispered Piper, pointing to the back corner of the restaurant. A dark-skinned man with close-cut jet black hair and eyes as dark as Tartarus sat in the corner table. I realized he was the police officer Calypso and I had seen earlier.

He was eating with a friend, a guy with dusty dark brown hair and blue eyes. "The demigod is the Hispanic," whispered Piper. "I talked to him earlier, but he wasn't with his friend." She seemed scared. I had no idea why. The guy was laughing with his friend, and then his phone rang. "Hey, Lanie. Yeah, I'll be back soon." He spotted us, and his eyes focused on Piper. "Actually, Ryan'll probably get back before me. I have something I gotta take care of first. Yeah, bye."

The dude's friend followed his gaze and mumbled something to the Hispanic. The guy muttered something back, then said, "I'll meet you back at the precinct." The white guy nodded and headed for the door, giving us a suspicious look as he passed by. We made our way to the back table, and the demigod winked at us. "Sorry about that. My friend's a mortal, and he can't see through the Mist. It's so frustrating." "I can relate to that," I grumbled. Annabeth gave me a look, and I gave her my dagger eyes back. "Have a seat," the Hispanic said. "You can call me Javier. Now let me tell you about your friend Leo."