Reunited

A Fourth Chapter

What if the battle at Camp Jupiter hadn't gone well?

"Oh Hades." Jason breathed under his breath. 

That was the last thing Annabeth wanted to hear. 

The Argo II slowly sailed into the unknown territory of New Rome. 

Annabeth had heard Jason's numerous tales of New Rome. A city hidden by the mist. Coffee shops. Colleges. Homes for demi-gods to raise their kids and not die as a teenager. Sneaking off to the Golden Gate Bridge to see who was "truly Roman". Being raised by Lupa the she-wolf and how that enhanced his senses. 

How Lupa raised many young cubs. 

Annabeth had imagined New Rome to be filled with rainbows, sunshine, and ponies. With so much joy that Annabeth would choke on it. Maybe not that much, but the idea of living a demi-god life, even having the potential for going to college. One day being married and having kids. Having a career. 

It was too good to be true. So yes, maybe in it's own way she envisioned New Rome with sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns. In Annabeth's own special way it was a dream come true to her and she couldn't wait to see it. 

Not just because it was where Percy was. 

Because it was the first future she could see the two of them actually fulfilling. 

The lump in Annabeth's throat grew. 

6 months ago he disappeared. 

Bippity-boppity booed away by Queen Hera herself. Or maybe it was Juno. Either way, Hera was involved, torn between her Greek and Roman sides. A divine form of bipolar. 

Annabeth didn't think that comparison was fair to those who struggled with bipolar. 

Annabeth was ready to see the land filled with milk and honey, and to be reunited with her Seaweed Brain. 

She was going to kill him. That was a promise. 

All those excitements dropped though when Jason's eyebrows scrunched together, and he crossed the ship quickly. 

Annabeth followed him, wondering what the matter was. 

"Oh Hades."

Two words.

How strange two words can set fire to the image of unicorns and rainbows. Turn them into carcasses and thunderstorms. Slice her hopes and dreams with a single swipe of a sword. 

"Are we here?" Annabeth barely heard her words. She was only sure she spoke because she could feel her lips move apart and join together again. 

"We should be, but this," Jason weakly put a hand out, jestering to the ground several hundred feet below them "this isn't my New Rome." 

Jason looked like a deflated balloon. Annabeth felt as if she had just watched someone poke him with a needle and all the air whooshed out of his lungs. His mouth hung open slightly, his blue eyes seemed like a kid confused on where their mom went in the store, the way the wind blew his blonde hair into his eyes seemed to provide Jason some kindness of not knowing what had become of his home. Blocking out the terrible sight before them. 

Smoke columns grew more apparent as the ship advanced onward. 

Annabeth could faintly see orange lights glittering down below. 

She knew better than to believe those were lights.

"What happened?" Jason breathed out. 

Percy. Annabeth thought, her breath catching.