A New Goddess (Sequel to The Child Of The Dead Sea)

27. Not Her

Percy

We crossed the camp border and were greeted by campers rushing around.

"Hey what's going on?" Kate grabbed one of the passing campers. I think he is a son of Demeter.

"Um I uh-" he stuttered then took one look at me and ran away.

I exchanged a look with Kate and we ran towards the big house and into the meeting room. There, around the ping pong table was a dwindling number of campers. There were only three around the table, Clarisse, Chiron, and Jason.

When we walked in they all at us with fear in their eyes. "What is going on?" Kate asked.

The others got a worried look on their faces and I suddenly got a sickening feeling in my gut. "Where's Annabeth?" I asked.

Jason walked behind and and closed the door, blocking it. "Don't tell me." Kate gasped.

Chiron nodded and Kate's face turned to steel. She turned to me. "Percy, Annabeth has, well right now she's like, Will."

I felt my face reset once her words registered. I turned to the door. "Jason, move." I growled.

"Bro, we have bigger problems than Annabeth right now." Jason calmed.

"She needs me."

"She can wait for a moment right now all she wants to see is Reyna and Nico, so she can kill them."

"He's right, Percy." Chiron spoke. "Since your sister is connected to Annabeth-"

"It could happen to me." Kate finished and my gut fell. I could lose both of them.

"Percy, are you okay?" Clarisse asked, she looked concerned that was new. "You look sick."

My movements felt dim, like I was moving in water and everything sounded submerged like when Annabeth calls me from the surface.

Annabeth.

Kate

That's when he passed out.

"Percy!" I gasped as Jason caught him.

"I got this." Clarisse smirked and left, returning a moment later with a glass of water, which she splashed on Percy's face.

He gasped awake. "How long?" He asked.

"We don't know. Annabeth went down about five hours ago so it could be anytime now. Assuming it will transfer to Kate, or course." Chiron answered.

When he said that, something deep inside me started to boil. "Are you saying I'm weak?" I seethed but that wasn't me.

"Kate what's wrong?" Jason eyed me.

"What do you think is wrong, Lightning Boy? Are you asking for a fight?" I asked and landed a punch right on his nose.

As he turned back, his eyes red, my vision turned to the same crimson color. Before it went black, I was pulled backwards, as if someone was dragging me away.

Percy

"Leo, Nico, Will, Reyna, Piper, Hazel, Annabeth, Gunner, Lily, Rose, Max and now, Kate and Jason." Chiron told me.

"What about Frank?" I asked.

"He is currently fine and is helping the other campers try to keep a somewhat normal routine. But god's knows how long that will last." He answered.

We were walking along the path towards my cabin and I had to wrap my shirt tighter around me. Since Kate was confined, the temperature in the camp had dropped rapidly and it was starting to snow.

Chiron had just told me that, by default, I was camp director. If it were any other occasion or reason, I would have been thrilled and happy. But now, it just made my heart heavier. I wish Chiron would have taken the role, but he said that wasn't his rightful position, whatever that meant.

We arrived at my cabin and walked inside. Funny thing about the Poseidon cabin, it held horses and centaurs. I'd have to ask Dad why but I had a feeling I already knew.

"What have you tried?" I asked.

"Everything from simple tonics to the physician's cure. Nothing worked save for Kate's temporary remedy but no one else can replicate it." Chiron answered.

"She said it was just smelling salts. We have those don't we?"

"Yes but they didn't work so I believe that that was a little more than smells in that vial."