Chapter 15 (Annabeth) The Perished
We were given medals of honour as we returned. Percy arrived an hour later. Even Dionysus looked slightly happier. On the Fourth of July, Grover joined me and Percy when we were spreading a picnic blanket. "I'm off… I just came to say, you know, goodbye."
I gave him a hug. I told him to keep his fake feet on. "Did you bring any tin cans for your trip?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"And your reed pipes?"
Grover grumbled. "Jeez, Annabeth. You're like an old mama goat."
I laughed and gave him one more hug. "Good luck."
"Yeah Grover." Percy added.
Grover grinned as he turned around and walked off into the woods. I looked at Percy. "Hey, we'll see him again."
He nodded.
The Prophecy was pretty much complete:
You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.
It was Ares, not Hades.
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.
The master bolt and the helmet returned to their respective owners.
You shall be betrayed by one that who calls you a friend.
Ares had pretended to be our friend.
And another shall go perish when you see the end.
This line still bothered me. Who perished? I didn't think more about it when Percy grabbed my hand and kissed me. I blushed and kissed him back. We spent the night together under the stars, occasionally interrupted by our friends but more or less at peace.
The next day, Chiron held a meeting of the head counsellors. Something was off with his expression. It was worried.
"Everyone, come to order please." He announced. Everyone stopped talking and every eye was on Chiron. "We have had a few issues with the Ares and Athena cabin before Percy and Annabeth came back," A few eyes flitted towards us. "but a larger problem is at hand. Adrian, Andrea and Luke are missing. Adrian suspected Luke of working for the enemy and I suspect that he is right. He should have come back this morning but he has not. Andrea was with him until they disappeared." A few people gasped and looked nervously around. I was shocked. My brother was missing and I didn't even notice when we got back.
Chiron held up his hand. "Quiet down." He ordered. "We need to be on the alert and if anyone sees any sign of him, we must act immedia-" He was interrupted by an Iris message. It appeared in the middle of the room and Adrian appeared. I screamed. His face was bloody and his nose looked like it was broken. He looked behind him and turned back around.
He opened his mouth to speak. "Luke is a traitor. He killed Andrea. I've been taken. Kronos is rising. Tell Percy and Annab-"Before he could say finish speaking, someone punched him in the face and he fell back. Everyone except Chiron screamed. Someone appeared in the background. It was Luke. He smiled. "Long live Kronos."