The Chaotic Life of Percy Jackson

Chapter 2:The Missing Chase

Percy POV
I wake up sweating, feeling the lingering effects of panic. I wipe the sweat off my brow and turn to the alarm clock. It was almost six. Too early. I stood up and ran a hand through my hair, pulling on a faded Camp-Halfblood T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
I slipped out quietly. Outside, a few early morning stragglers were heading for the dining pavilion. The thought of seeing Annabeth again made me smile. But there's something at the back of my mind, making my smile falter. Something nagging me........
"Percy!"
I turned, smiling, expecting Annabeth. Instead I saw Calypso running towards me.
"Calypso? What's up?"
Her eyes were wide, and she looked pale, paler than I've ever seen her. And her eyes, the expression in them was almost.....
"Per-Percy. You need to-to come now-"
Panic clawed its way up my throat, making me remember the feeling I had had earlier. The look in her eyes, it was...oh.
It was fear.
"It's Annabeth. She's gone"
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The Athena cabin was destroyed. The door had been ripped off, the windows were shattered and the roof had collapsed. Medics rushed around, dragging Athena kids out of the rubble. Campers rushed around, silent, tense, but most of all- they were scared.
Someone had sneaked inside the camp borders and obliterated an entire cabin without anyone else noticing. Calypso had been the first to notice the ruined cabin. I should have been worried, of course I should have.
But I only felt numb.
Campers rushed in front of me, grabbing my shoulders, patting my back and talking, always talking. But I heard nothing. The only thing I'd heard were the words:
"It's Annabeth. She's gone"
Someone slapped me. Hard. I blinked and got out of my daze. It was Piper. Her eyes were filled with tears, but her voice was urgent. She was holding herself together. For me.
For Annabeth.
"Pull yourself together Percy. For Annabeth. Please."
After a millennia, I nodded. I felt distanced, like someone else was watching me nod, watching Piper wipe off tears and rush off to Jason. Watching myself watch the Athena cabin crumble.
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"We have to get her back."
"Percy, I know what you're-"
"We have to get her back."
"Percy, please-"
"We have to get her back."
"Percy, I understand what you're going through-"
I turned on Jason so fast, I didn't even realize I had drawn Riptide till it was pressed against his neck.
"No. No, you don't know what I'm going through. We can't survive Tartarus together to have her kidnapped. We can't go through all that to have her taken away from me. She can't do this to me. As long as we are together. Right? RIGHT?"
I backed away from Jason, dropping Riptide and sinking to the floor.
I could hear the deathly silence. I don't think any council meeting had ever been so silent since Conner and Travis had become head councilors. But right now, the only sound you could hear was my ragged breathing. I couldn't cry here. I couldn't waste my time on tears. I pushed myself up, feeling an almost physical pain in my chest.
I stood up shakily, taking a deep breath.
"I'm going to find her. I'm going to find her, and then I'm going to cut up the people who took her into tiny pieces and throw them into the Phlegethon so they can heal again. And then I'll do it all over again"
I looked up and met Piper's eyes. There was something burning brighter than fire there, something so angry, anyone else would've run. But I stood my ground.
She nodded.
"And we'll help you do it."
Chiron stepped forward
"I think a quest is in need".
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Piper, Leo, and I stepped forward. We looked at each other, understanding passing through our eyes. "Any objections ?" I said. No one replied.
No one dared to.
Or wanted to.
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"Where will you start?"
I turned around. It was Malcolm. He had a bandage wrapped around his head that was stained with blood, but he had insisted on attending on behalf of Annabeth. I could respect that. It was something Annabeth would've done.
I closed my eyes, pressing two fingers to my forehead.
"Let's start at the Athena cabin. Maybe we can find something there"
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Turns out, we didn't have to.
I turned to the campers assembled behind me.
"When did this happen?"
Two Ares campers stepped forward. Clarisse
looked grim.
"We have no idea. One moment there was nothing there, the next time we looked, this was there. We had a watch on the cabin the whole time."
Scrawled on the ground were the words:
"We have her in Maine. Come, or she dies."
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