Revenge of the Wraith

Chapter Four

The Hunt had been on the trail for months now. Annabeth had grown close to nearly all of the hunters, even Artemis herself. Despite the goddess's hints about joining the Hunt, Annabeth had politely declined. Her heart still belonged to Percy.

They had traversed nearly all of the United States, from Maine to the southern tip of Florida, then up to Washington, and even a few locations in Alaska. They had fought against countless monsters in their time away, and yet, no sign of Percy.

The Hunt had just reached their camping spot for the day. When Annabeth had first started to travel with them, she slept in Thalia's tent, but when it became clear that this would be a prolonged stay, she was given one of her own. Annabeth still slept in Thalia's tent from time to time, but only on certain occasions.

Annabeth sat down on a rock and sighed, "Another day. Nothing. Not even a clue about Percy's whereabouts. No messages, no random footprints in the wild. Hell, not even a god can find him."

Samantha, one of the "younger" hunters, saw her on the ground and walked over. The 10-year-old was really around 74, but you could not tell that based on her attitude. She was a bubbly and giddy little kid who loved to play with her sisters. Yet, she could still kick your ass in a heartbeat if needed.

Samantha sat down next to her and asked, "Thinking about him again?"

Annabeth chuckled, "Of course I am. I have thought about him every day for the 7 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days we have been at this." She took a moment to prevent the tears from falling. "I'm starting to lose hope. We have scoured almost all of the land of the gods, and absolutely nothing has turned up."

"Hey, while I may be a hunter with no knowledge about love, I know this: if he feels the way about you that you do about him, I know wherever he is, he is trying to find you. He is the most powerful demigod alive. No captor could hold him for long."

Annabeth smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Sam. That means everything to me."

Samantha nodded and hugged her. They made a bit more small talk before going their separate ways. Annabeth made it back to her cabin and plopped down onto her bed. She tried to think of a way that she could find him.

She had thought of Iris messaging him again, but something had it blocked. It would not reach him. It had been so much of a problem for the goddess that she actually flashed to Athena to ask for her input. Though while the goddess of wisdom knew many things, the intricacies of IMs were not something she knew about.

Annabeth sighed and rolled over on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She needed to clear her mind, find a new angle. Maybe there was something she was missing. She decided to take a walk around the camp, hoping the fresh air might help.

As she wandered, she found herself near Thalia's tent. Thalia was sharpening her spear, a focused look on her face. Annabeth approached her friend quietly, not wanting to disturb her.

"Hey, Thals," she said softly.

Thalia looked up and smiled. "Hey, Wise Girl. How are you holding up?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I've been better. Just trying to think of a new plan. I feel like we're running out of options."

Thalia put down her spear and stood up, walking over to Annabeth. "I know it's hard. But we can't give up. Percy wouldn't give up on us."

Annabeth nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I know. It's just... it's been so long. What if we never find him?"

Thalia pulled her into a hug. "We will find him. We have to. He's out there somewhere, and we'll bring him back."