Betrayed But Never Forgotten

What juat happened?

Percy Jackson pov

Annabeth and I were walking peacefully to dinner, our hands brushing occasionally, when we heard Piper calling out behind us.

"Jason, wait!"

Before I could turn to see what was wrong, something – someone – slammed into my shoulder hard enough to make me stumble.

"Watch where you're going," Jason snarled, his electric blue eyes crackling with barely contained anger. He stormed off toward the Zeus table without another word, leaving a heavy silence in his wake.

Piper caught up to us, leaning against my shoulder as she caught her breath. Her usual confident demeanor was replaced with something I rarely saw in her – uncertainty.

"What was that about?" I asked, rubbing my shoulder where Jason had hit me.

"Haven't you noticed?" Piper straightened up, her kaleidoscope eyes troubled. "Jason's been different lately. Always angry, especially when someone mentions you two. I think... I think he's jealous."

"Jealous?" Annabeth's gray eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "What did we do to make him jealous?"

I glanced at her in surprise – Annabeth Chase, actually asking someone else for answers? That was new.

"I can talk to him tonight," Piper offered, though she didn't sound particularly optimistic about the prospect.

Annabeth nodded, kissed my cheek, and headed to the Athena table. After Piper left for her own table, I ran my hands through my hair, my appetite suddenly diminishing. Jason and I were supposed to be friends – good friends. We'd fought together, bled together. When had things changed?

I pushed the thoughts aside and made my way to my table, where Grover was already seated, methodically chewing on a tin can. Something was off about him too – his shoulders were slumped, and he wasn't even enjoying his meal.

"Hey, G-man," I said, sliding onto the bench.

"Hi, Percy," he replied miserably, the can dropping from his hands.

I ordered my usual blue cheeseburger and blue Coke, watching him with growing concern. Even during the wars, Grover had managed to keep some of his cheerful nature. This wasn't like him at all.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

He sniffled, wiping away a tear with the back of his hand. "Juniper's missing. I went to check on her today, and she was just... gone. I've looked everywhere, Percy. Her tree is still there, but she's not answering my calls. Something's wrong – I can feel it."

My heart sank. Juniper never left her tree for long. "We'll find her, G-man," I promised, squeezing his shoulder. "I'll help you look, and you know Annabeth will too. We'll figure this out."

He managed a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks, Percy."I tried to focus on my food, but my mind was racing. First Jason's strange behavior, and now Juniper's disappearance? Something didn't feel right. As I picked at my burger, I caught Annabeth's eye across the pavilion. She gave me a subtle nod – she was thinking the same thing.

The normal dinner chatter seemed muted tonight, as if the whole camp could sense the tension in the air. As I watched Jason sitting alone at his table, barely touching his food, I couldn't shake the feeling that these events were somehow connected. And knowing our luck as demigods, this was just the beginning of our troubles.

The sun was setting over Long Island Sound, casting long shadows across the dining pavilion. In the dying light, I could have sworn I saw something move in the woods – just for a moment – but when I looked again, there was nothing there but darkness.