I'm sorry, Annabeth

Hazel XI

Hazel blinked.

"Eh?"

Piper's mouth formed a small 'o' shape.

"Before Piper came, I tried Iris messaging Percy, and finally succeeded after, like, about ten attempts."

"Then?" Piper urged.

Hazel nodded.

"Then... While I was talking to him... Luke came in." Annabeth stopped uncomfortably. "It's just that- I'll get to the point. The Iris message was cut and then when I fell asleep on Piper's shoulder, I saw Percy... You know how demigod dreams are… I just want to find Chi-"

Hazel let go of Annabeth's shoulders.

"Go find Chiron. Quick!"

As they watched Annabeth run into the big house, a voice whispered behind Hazel.

"Hey."

Hazel jumped and turned around, holding her knife up.

"Oh Nico. You startled me." She lowered her knife.

Piper watched Annabeth walk into the Big House.

"So I heard Percy's...uh... Gone?" Nico sounded abnormally calm.

Hazel nodded sadly.

Piper looked at the two children of Hades and sighed.

"I really want to know what did Annabeth saw. She looked so frightened just then, I never saw her that freaked out."

Hazel nodded, but Nico eyed Piper cautiously.

"You mean you want to go in?"

Piper looked flustered and shook her head in panic.

"It was just-uh-thinking. Nothing, really."

"No, no. I was just asking if you want to go in to know what Annabeth saw." Nico insisted.

"Um… I suppose so, but... How?"

"Shadow travel?" Hazel guessed.

Nico's face looked even darker.

"It wouldn't take too much energy, because it is so near, but you all have to keep quiet and do not make a sound."

Hazel nodded and held out her hand.

Nico held hers and Piper's and shadow travelled to the Big House.

They arrived inside behind a pillar. Piper clasping her mouth to prevent herself from shrieking in fright.

Nico put his index finger on his mouth, motioning them to keep quiet, and walked to the other pillar, closer to Annabeth and Chiron. His footsteps were so quiet nobody really noticed anything.

Piper tiptoed quietly to hide behind the nearest screen.

Hazel took a deep silent breath and tiptoed to the small sofa. It wasn't a really good choice but it was the last nearest thing she could reach.

While she was walking, a floorboard creaked. 

Styx, not now! Hazel cursed silently. She crouched down low in the shadows. Chiron turned his head. 

"Anyone there?" He asked suspiciously.

Hazel held her breath. 

"Chiron…? You heard something?" Annabeth asked, worried. 

"No… I-I think it's just my imagination. Keep going, Annabeth."

Hazel let out a small breath of relief and crawled behind the sofa. She began to pay attention to what Annabeth was saying. 

"-a room. Luke was talking to him. And… and then Kronos possessed him a-and told Percy that they would…"

Annabeth stopped. 

"Go on." Chiron said with sympathy.

"They would extract information from him. And then, Luke forced Percy's head onto the wall. It was so horrible and-I.. I was so scared, Chiron. Percy was in so much pain that his eyes changed color… And the blood… Chiron… what can we do?" Annabeth was trembling again.

Hazel put her hands over her mouth. She glanced at Piper and saw her face was as white as a sheet. Nico's eyes were wide with shock.

Chiron sighed. 

"I guess… We'll just have to wait until you get any information about Percy's location. Then, we'll go save him. Don't worry, Annabeth." 

Then Annabeth got offended.

"Wait? We'll just wait?" she spat. "So what'll happen? What if he died? He's the hero of Olympus, for Athena's sake!"

Chiron said nothing. 

Then Nico emerged from the shadows. 

"Chiron, you can't just sit there and let him die, can you?" he shouted. It was the first time Hazel has seen Nico so aggressive.

Annabeth stared in shock while Chiron sighed, obviously annoyed. 

"I hate shadow travel." he muttered. "Any more companions, Nico?"

Piper and Hazel walked out shamefully. 

"After all he's done for the camp and you are just leaving him to rot, huh?" Nico looked at Chiron bitterly.

Chiron sighed.

"Well then, do YOU have any solutions?" Chiron asked, folding his arms across his chest. 

Annabeth raised her hand as if to say something, but stopped herself. 

"Tell the gods." Nico said simply. "Ask if they will help." 

"Nico, you know how the gods are-"

"Their no.1 hero is in the hands of their no.1 enemy! What would you do?" Nico hollered back. 

Hazel blinked. Nico was so enraged she felt uncomfortable. She could even feel the skeletons crawling up from the underworld.

Hazel shivered.

"Nico, please calm down…" Chiron started.

Nico sucked in a deep breath and put his hands into his pockets. 

"Sorry." Nico murmured. Then he plodded into the shadows.