Loved by No One

7

Annabeth POV
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I'm sitting in the Athena cabin messing with my ring. The one Percy was supposed to propose to me with. Instead I kept my pride and broke up with him. He had kept leaving for long periods saying "It was a secret." At the time it had looked like he could have been cheating on me. But looking back I should've looked harder. Percy's fatal flaw was loyalty for gods sakes, he wasn't cheating on you he was proving to Mom he was worthy of marrying you!

You wanted to keep your pride, now you've ruined the best thing you will ever have. And let that dumb sea spawn manipulate you.

I heard a war is brewing, and someone keeps bringing demigods to camp. We only know he's a man with a white mask on. The younger ones say he gives them three choices. Coming to camp, joining the hunters, or joining a group called the Helpers. In my experience, someone saying they're gonna help you is not a good thing.

Why would the man hide his face? And why does he want a bunch of young children to join his group? I head out of my cabin and head to the dining pavilion, Sam walks up to me. "What?" I say, I just left my cabin and I'm so done with today.

"I wanted to check up in my girlfriend? Is that so wrong?" He asks innocently. "One, we are not dating. I don't know what delusion you're living in but we have never been dating. And stop talking to me. Don't want anything to do with you." I snap at him. I walk over to my group of friends and ask them to meet down by the beach. Everyone agrees. I head to the Athena table and sit to eat.

After breakfast I head down to the beach. I look out to the ocean. It's clear and picturesque today. If I didn't know any better, I would have believed the lie of calm and peacefulness. I had been on the receiving end of a few bad storms over the ocean. I turn and see my friends behind me.

They haven't really changed since the Great War. Pipers hair is longer, and less choppy, Leo's a bit taller, Frank and hazel got engaged, Jason stopped cutting his hair so close. They've stayed the same. Though there is a sad air around them.

I turn back to the ocean, "Supposedly a man is helping demigods come to camp. He also runs a group called the Helpers. It seems rather suspicious. And a war is brewing, do we have any idea about who this group serves?" I ask. Silence. No one knows who this guy serves. "I have an idea." Say a small high pitched voice. I spin around and see a small girl. With mousy brown hair, a scarf around her neck and fire in her eyes. But a more cozy one compared to Aries. She's also wearing a brown dress and winter gloves.

"Lady Hestia, what can we do for you?" Jason asks. Hestia looks at him and tightens her scarf around her neck. "I want to talk to you, annabeth, about something. It will only take a few minutes. Whenever you have time will be alright." She says it like we're going by to talk now. My friends look towards me. Piper and hazel nod, others follow suit.

"Now would be fine, lady Hestia." She starts to fume but more at herself. "Stop calling me that. I'm in the form of an 8 year old child! Call me Hestia if you absolutely must." She whines. I chuckle to myself. She then grabs my hand and leads me to a small cabin behind the others. It's a simple log cabin, with several chimneys with smoke coming out. The foundation sinks into the floor. I had completely forgotten about this one. It's Hestia cabin.

The insides have fireplaces and ovens all over the place. It sinks into the ground with the largest fireplace at the back. A large dinner table sits on the left wall. Something clicks, Hestia is an eternal virgin. That's why she has no beds in here.

I sit down I one of the couches next to the fireplace. Hestia comes over with a plate of cookies. She grabs one and sits down next to me.

"So, you want to know why I brought you to my cabin. And what I have to do with the masked man. Well, I am the patron of the masked man." I gasp a little at this revelation. "He... has a troubled past. And what it did to him mentally is still not fully known. I have found when in uncomfortable situations he only listens to me." She takes a minute to eat a cookie. "And he has a strong dependency on me. And near constantly prays to me." She pulls out a pad and paper and begins to write. "His mother was taken from him at a really bad time. I've written a list of things about him. The War is going to bring him here and I want him to be situated here. Also at the bottom of the page is something I really want you to know." She abruptly stands up and hands me a folded sheet of paper. It's strange cause the height difference from her sitting and standing wasn't very big.

I watch her leave and open the note. It has very fancy yet childish writing. It has a list of mental illnesses. And several things that happens in certain instances. The guy has aggressive tendencies when Hestia is slandered. He also has anxiety.

I've had the strangest few minutes. Why would Hestia give me a list of mental illnesses a guy I don't even know has? And why me specifically, then I remember what she said about something important at the bottom of the paper. Skimming through the rest of the paper, I find a short little message. The message said:

Hey, be careful around him. The No One is a dangerous guy. Always watch your back, he knows you and you know him.

Love from the hearth

- Hestia

It has to be one of the strangest notes I've ever been given. (It's also one of the only notes I've been given). And by a goddess no less. I know him. I put the note in my pocket and head back to the beach and my friends. I don't know anyone, whose mother was taken, gone, and has severe dependency issues. But there is one exception.

Percy Achilles Jackson. The traitor of Olympus.

I miss him.

Cheater

I want to see his face again.

Liar

I wonder where he is.

Dead

I abruptly turn to my cabin. Once I get there, I hide under the sheets, and begin to ugly cry. I want my boyfriend back. I don't care what he did, I just want him back!

Why'd he go?