Chapter 16 (Percy) The Start
"We have to send a team to rescue him!"
"My dear girl, we can't just take off randomly! We don't even know where he is!"
I stood there shocked at Annabeth and Chiron arguing. Grover was whimpering next to me.
Annabeth fumed. "If he dies because you didn't send someone to get him, then I'll never, ever think of you as a father figure."
I still couldn't get the image of Adrian out of my head. Annabeth sobbed and ran away. Chiron looked after her. "She is still young. Even if I decided to send people to rescue Adrian, I wouldn't send her." He turned to look at me. "We will get him back Percy."
I nodded numbly. Chiron sighed and went back into the Big House. I wasn't sure what to do so I went to go see Annabeth. I found her crying on Half-Blood Hill. I walked over.
"Hey, we'll find him."
She glared at me. Yep, off to a promising start. "Will you come with me to go find him even if Chiron won't let us?" she asked.
I nodded. "He's a friend and I won't desert him and leave him in the hands of the enemy."
Annabeth wrapped her arms around me. I awkwardly patted her on the back. "Thanks Percy, I needed that." She smiled faintly. She fingered her necklace. "When do you plan to rescue him?"
"In a year." I replied.
She stared at me. "A year?!" she asked incredulously.
"Yeah. We'll need all the training we can."
She nodded. "You're right. We'll rescue Adrian and bring Andrea home. While we're at it, we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off anyway. Agreed?"
I smiled. "A plan worthy of Athena."
She hesitated before hugging me. "Take care, Seaweed Brain."
"You too, Wise Girl."
She turned around and walked back down the hill towards the Big House. She turned back to look at me, a faint smile on her lips. I waved. She nodded and left for the arena. I stood there, lonely. I wondered, if my dad was watching, would he approve of my choice?
I'll be back next summer," I promised him. "I'll survive until then. After all, I am you son." I walked towards the Big House and asked Argus to take me down to my cabin, so I could pack my bags for home.
