IM SO SORRY GUYSSSS

I FORGOT TO POST NEW CHAPTERSSSSSS AND I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE SO HERES

CHAPTER 6.5(dont ask why its .5)

also if any reactions seem watered down just remember they are completely exhausted

Chapter 6 - Annabeth

The camp buzzed with anxiety, each face mirroring my own turmoil as I moved through the throng. Three weeks had stretched into a suffocating haze since Percy disappeared, each day heavy with guilt and regret. I replayed our last argument over and over, the cruel words I'd hurled at him echoing in my mind.

Then Rachel emerged from the woods, her face pale and streaked with tears. My heart sank. *What had happened?*

"Rachel!" I rushed to her side, my pulse racing. "What's going on?"

She took a shaky breath, glancing around as if she could still feel him lingering in the shadows. "He… he came to me," she said, her voice trembling. "But he was different this time—like smoke. He was hurt Annabeth. Really hurt."

My stomach twisted. "Hurt? What do you mean?"

"Cuts all over him. Blood everywhere," Rachel continued, her voice breaking. "He said he didn't have much time, and then he told me he loved me."

The words struck me like a punch to the gut. *He loved her.* My heart sank deeper, anger and sorrow intertwining. "He said he loved you?" I echoed, trying to keep my voice steady but failing miserably I was his girl friend not her was i just the second choice.

Rachel nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. "But he was so scared. He told me not to send you."

"Not send me?" I repeated, disbelief turning to fury. "Why wouldn't he want me to come?"

"I don't know!" Rachel exclaimed, her hands shaking. "He just looked so terrified, like he was fighting against something dark. I couldn't hold onto him; he just… vanished. Annabeth, I'm so sorry!"

The despair clawed at me, threatening to swallow me whole. *He loved her.* My heart shattered at the realization. What did that mean for us? Why would he reach out to her, not me?

"Did he say where he was?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain composed, even as my insides churned. "What's happening to him?"

Rachel shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. "He couldn't explain. It felt like he was trapped in some nightmare. I don't understand it, but he needs us."

"Of course he needs us!" I snapped, frustration boiling over. "But why would he turn to you first? Why would he say that to you?"

Rachel looked hurt, and guilt washed over me for snapping at her. But the anger inside me simmered. *I should've been the one he reached out to.*

"We need to gather everyone," I said, my voice hardening. "If he's in danger, we can't wait. We have to find him."

"Do you think we should tell Chiron?" Rachel asked, her brow furrowing.

"Yes," I replied, my heart pounding. "He'll know what to do. We need to organize a search party." My mind raced with questions. *Why wouldn't he want me there? Did he think I'd be a burden? Or that I would fail him again?*

As we approached the Big House, I felt an uneasy tension in the air. Grover and Piper were waiting, their expressions etched with concern. "What's going on?" Piper asked, her eyes darting between us. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Rachel saw Percy," I said, trying to hold it together. "He was hurt—made of smoke. He told her he loved her and not to send me."

"He was in so much pain," Rachel explained, her voice trembling. "He just wanted to see me, but he was terrified of what was happening. And then… he said he loved me."

The room fell silent, the weight of her words crushing me. *He loved her.* I felt anger flare up inside me, mixing with the guilt that gnawed at my insides. How could he tell her that? Why wasn't it me?

Piper's face paled, her eyes darting between Rachel and me. "We have to act fast then. If he's hurt, we can't waste time."

Chiron appeared from inside the Big House, his expression serious. "What's this about Percy?"

I stepped forward, my voice shaky but firm. "Rachel saw him. He was injured—made of smoke. He told her he loved her and not to send me."

Chiron's gaze darkened, and he nodded slowly. "We need to gather all the campers and prepare for a search. If he's truly in danger, we can't hesitate."

Hope flickered within me, twisted by the sting of betrayal and anger. *He loved her.* I had to bring him back, no matter the cost, but the thought of him with her twisted the knife deeper.

With a renewed sense of purpose, I turned to Rachel and the others. "We'll find him," I vowed, my voice steadier now, fueled by anger and determination. "Together, we'll bring him home."

But in the back of my mind, the ache of his words lingered, a painful reminder of what I might have lost.