This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―ii. the great prophecy

THREE HOURS, FIFTY-ONE MINUTES, AND SIXTEEN SECONDS after Beckendorf left camp, Naomi knew he was dead.

She'd just started her shift on lookout duty, perched on a tree branch twenty feet in the air with Hemlock resting in her lap when her stomach dropped in that increasingly familiar way. She had to steady herself on the tree trunk, her heart stopping as the feeling washed over her.

She choked on a sob. She had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from making a sound. There wasn't even anyone around to hear her, but she didn't dare make a noise.

If she started crying now, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to stop.

Her chest felt tight with grief. She kept picturing Beckendorf's face—how he smiled whenever he looked at Silena, never even meaning to; how his eyes lit up when someone asked about his latest project in the forges. He was supposed to start college in the fall—him and Silena. They were supposed to go together.

They were supposed to get a happy ending.

When Percy walked out of the ocean onto the shore a few hours later, she hardly had enough breath to blow the conch horn to alert the rest of camp of his arrival.

Even without her death-sense, she would've known something had gone wrong, just from the look on Percy's face. She didn't have to ask, and he didn't have to explain.

She hugged him as tightly as she could, and he buried his face in her neck, his breathing shuddered.

Together, they climbed the sand dunes. A few hundred yards away, the campers were already streaming toward them, smiling and excited.

Percy and Naomi stopped at the dining pavilion, waiting for them.

Chiron galloped into the pavilion first. His beard had gotten wilder over the course of the summer. He looked as worn as the rest of them—more, even. This wasn't the first war he'd gone through, not by a long shot.

"Percy!" he said. "Thank the gods. But where..."

Annabeth ran in right behind him. "What happened?" She grabbed Percy's arm. "Is Luke—"

"The ship blew up," Percy said. "He wasn't destroyed. I don't know where—"

Silena pushed through the crowd. She looked as disheveled as she had that morning, her hair uncombed and her face clear of any makeup. Drew was right behind her, only looking slightly more put together.

"Where's Charlie?" Silena demanded, looking around like he might be hiding.

Percy glanced at Chiron helplessly, and understanding flickered across the teacher's face.

The old centaur cleared his throat. "Silena, my dear, let's talk about this at the Big House—"

"No,"  she whispered. "No. No."

She started to cry, and the rest of the campers were too stunned to move. They'd already lost so many people, but this was the worst. With Beckendorf gone, it felt like someone had stolen the anchor for the entire camp.

Clarisse came forward, wrapping an arm around Silena. "Come on, girl," she said gently. "Let's get to the Big House. I'll make you some hot chocolate."

Everyone turned and wandered off in twos and threes, heading back to the cabins. Drew wrapped her arm around Lacy, who was crying. Drew's eyes were glassy, but Naomi knew she wouldn't let herself cry until there was no one around to see. For now, she'd take over for Silena while her older sister mourned, and make sure their siblings were okay.

When it was only Naomi, Annabeth, Chiron, and Percy, Annabeth wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm glad you're not dead, Seaweed Brain."

"Thanks," Percy said. "Me too."