Sailing Solo

6

Previously:
"We've received word that the naiads could have switched sides, Percy's going to work on a barrier from the ocean so that no sea spirits come in that way to attack camp."

...

"You mean Lynn could be joining forces with Pontus and not visiting old friends?"

"Yeah, sorry, buddy. Everyone needs to stay away from the lake and the beach unless on patrol."

"Oh, no."

Percy threw on a grey sweater just as he left his cabin. His turn for watch at the lake was coming up and he would rather be there early. The sun still hadn't come up all the way and a fog had settled on the grounds. Not a lot was going on once again, which could only mean one thing.

Annabeth was planning something big. That was the pattern he'd noticed lately. She would wait a certain amount of time—enough to make them start slacking—and then throw a curveball. Like the attack on Camp Jupiter. She'd also waited for them to get used to using the tunnels out of New Rome before she started attacking the exits. Both times, they'd felt safe in their routine. It was working, so why not get distracted every once in a while?

Hopefully, the campers had learned their lesson by now. They couldn't afford another loss like that. She would always wait until their defenses were at the lowest and her attack would take out so many of their numbers.

The fawns from New Rome were training with the saytrs here in Camp Half-Blood. Well, the few that had survived the attacks were training. The ghostly ancestors from the Roman camp were acting as guides for the few still lost demigods and legacies trying to make their way to Camp on Long Island. Most felt as though they finally had a purpose for staying in the land of the living other than annoying their descendants.

Percy made sure that every mythical being was doing their part no matter what. The dryads were guarding the boarders on land along with the demigods that would rotate on watch. The ghosts would rotate around the camp since they didn't sleep and would be on watch 24/7. He made sure that any demigods who had a proficiency with fighting in the water would be watching the lake. He vetted them out personally.

As Percy walked along the path to the lake, he met with Grover who had his head halfway down a trash can.

"Grover?"

The saytr jerked in surprise and flailed around until he could get his head to peek over the rim.

"What the Hades are you doing?"

Grover ducked his head back in the trash sheepishly. "Looking for stuff I can reuse."

"Reuse?" Percy repeated, confused.

Grover held up an apple core triumphantly to show him. "I'm going to plant anything like this so we can get more hands on deck!" He said. "I've also contacted some trees and bushes in Central Park and a few of them agreed to travel here in the next week to help out. I sent out Coach Hedge and a few fawns to pick them up."

"Nice, Grover," Percy said, smiling a little. "Don't let me keep you. I'm on duty at the lake for the next couple hours."

He then left Grover to his garbage digging and took over for the child of Hecate that had been on watch before him. She looked tired but said she would head to the kitchens to grab a bite before heading to bed.

His gaze traveled passed the lake and into the ocean beyond it. His favorite place in the world, now tainted by their enemy and the battle they had with them on the beach not too far from where he was standing.

Any water naiads left in the lake were asked to prepare for war and were warned that they could be fighting their sisters. He had told them he'd wished he could make sure they were safe besides putting a wall of coral between them and the ocean. The reef he and the saytrs had worked together to build had all the defenses they could think of but Percy knew that it might not be enough.

The silence of the morning weighed on him heavily; the water lapping at the shore he stood on calmed him some but his mind wandered. The moment reminded him of a certain child of Athena for some reason.

- - -

"Annabeth, why did you just walk away from our training?" Percy demanded as he followed her to a more secluded part of camp. "Was it something I said?"

"No, Percy, it wasn't anything you said." Annabeth sighed. "You did amazing, as usual. Though, you could work on keeping your guard up on your right."

"Then why...?" He didn't finish the thought but knew she knew what he was talking about.

Annabeth bit her lip before straightening her back and looking him in the eye. "I didn't see any point to me staying there today."

"Annabeth," Percy said softly, pleadingly. "What is happening? Please tell me. Are you alright? Do you need me to—"

"No." She cut him off almost coldly. "I am fine, I don't need you to do anything. I can manage on my own."

"Then just talk to me," Percy was still pleading. Whatever Annabeth was going through, he knew she was going to handle it in a way that would likely not be healthy. "I'll listen, I won't do anything. Just talk to me." He paused, debating on whether or not to say the next thing that came to mind. Eventually, he just went for it. "I miss you." Annabeth blinked in surprise. "I love you, but I miss you."

"I haven't gone anywhere."

"But you have." Percy protested, his voice soft and broken. "Please, Annabeth. You are further away from me now than if you were on the other side of the country."

A long pause followed Percy's words. Annabeth looked like she was debating something in her mind and Percy looked at her hopefully. Silence surrounded them, a suspense that seemed to come from the very trees around them.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Annabeth finally said, before turning around to walk away.

Percy watched her go, unable to stop the tears that trailed down his face. A flash of moments from the last few days ran through his mind. He had no idea when she started pulling away but he realized it had been for a while now. He wish he knew the events leading up to it. Maybe things would have been different. Maybe he could have stopped it.

Nobody would think about the gossiping dryads in the woods by the camp. They assumed that it was a good place for private conversations but the trees were always listening. And those that listened were even worse at keeping secrets.

- - -

By the waters of the lake, Percy's face was again lined with tears even as he stared stoically at the horizon. Now the camp was starting to wake up. People moving off to breakfast passed him on their way to the pavilion. If anyone saw the tears in his eyes, they said nothing. No one had a right to feel more sorrow about the events of the last few months than Percy Jackson.

AN: what do you think guys? How am I doing?