Puke: Left to Wither Alone

4: Annabeth

4: Annabeth

That night, when all were gathered by the campfire, Annabeth waited impatiently for Chiron to begin his speech.

She sat beside Percy, Grover on his left, the wooden bench slightly uncomfortable. Looking around, she realized curiously that both Ares and Hephaestus cabin were almost completely missing from the boisterous crowd.

"Campers!" Chiron's booming voice cast around the crowd as all chatter was silenced.

"As some of you already know, something important has happened." He took a deep breath, the camp deathly silent. "Nico has come bearing news. There is another demigod camp-"

The camp took a collective gasp, some of the newer campers' eyes quarter wide.

"Another demigod camp. One for Roman Demigods. And they've- they've, declared war on us. We have less than a week to prepare. Head councilors, make preparations for your cabins. We have no time to worry!"

Annabeth studied the faces of her peers, the Aphrodite girls were crying, hysterically throwing their heads back. The Apollo campers were staring at one another in terror, appearing to speak in hushed tones about the preparations to be had.

One by one, everyone began to speak to those around them in disbelief and fear.

The volume rose, the group beginning to lean collectively toward hysteria when all of a sudden....

BOOM!!

Annabeth's head snapped toward the sound, and saw a giant chasm cut in the side of the Big House, a fire beginning to brew.

With a sinking feeling in her gut, Annabeth realized it was too late.

"Everybody!! They've come!! WAR!" She screamed with all of the strength she could muster. The camp was already in shambles, and there was no doubt in her mind that little had heard her desperate screech.

As Annabeth ran towards her cabin to get her dagger, she heard several screams. The camp was in complete chaos, no doubt in anyone's mind that they were doomed.

In the distance through the clean, pearl-white moonlight, she saw rows of silhouettes stomping evenly, each deafening step bringing another wave of dread and panic over Annabeth.

She sprinted to her cabin, and got her Yankees cap, along with her trustworthy knife, clipping it onto her belt. Even through the chaos and the pure terror in the air, that soft click gave her a sort of small comfort. Similar to the way a ray of sunshine would on a gloomy day.

As she ran out, she saw several of the Apollo campers already shooting arrows into the sky, trying themselves to arrange into those immaculate rows that they were being challenged with. While Annabeth saw each face scrunched up with determination and resolution to come up to and defeat this sudden challenge, she could see each eye widened in fright.

Annabeth had never felt so terrible in her life. If only Chiron had announced this earlier! If only that stupid Clarisse would have brains and accept this sooner! If only that conversation hadn't lasted so long and they would've been able to inform everybody of this upcoming calamity! If only....

Annabeth shook herself. Filling her mind with more if onlys wouldn't do any good. She should be out on the field, defending her fellow campmates. She ran towards the scrambled rows as the Camp Jupiter army advanced yet closer, with another cannon appearing to gear up to shoot towards Camp Half-Blood.

As the thumping of the boots was coming uncomfortably close, the army seemed to slow.

They surrounded Camp Half-Blood's miscellaneous array, making a huge, neat circle around Half Blood Hill, their thick, sturdy armor clanking as loud as twenty elephants trumpeting.