Percy Jackson: Right Hand Man of Chaos

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I opened the folder again and started to spread the document out around me like a sun based on type, report, video transcript, or photo. Once completed, I started with the video transcripts. I picked up the first one that happened to be the one from my last day at camp, and started to read.

June 10th- The subject, Annabeth eats breakfast which is oatmeal. How bland. She then goes through her cabins assigned activities, always checking her watch as if she was waiting for something to happen. She is in the arena fighting and she goes over to get a drink of water. The boy, Jerome, comes over and starts to flirt with her, leading her to the Dining Pavilion. Percy Jackson appears and hides, listening to the conversation between Annabeth and Jerome. Annabeth says something and Percy gets mad. He summons a wave of water that douses the pair. The boy shouts something and Percy snickers and runs off.

I flipped the paper over a couple times. “That can’t possibly be all that happened.” I thought aloud. “Something else must have happened.”

I picked up a second document. This one was from a couple days before I arrived at camp. Hmm interesting, I thought, and read.

Annabeth is sitting in her cabin. She’s folding clothes and placing them in her chest at the foot of the bed. She then walk to the back of the cabin and starts organizing her desk, clearing off blueprints and scraps of random paper. She finds a photo under a big pile of papers and holds it up, smiling. She whispers something and places the picture down. She walks out and runs into the boy called Jerome. He says something, leaning up against the wall of her cabin. She replies angrily and glares at him. He says something else and leans in to kiss her. She slaps him and pushes past him, storming up a path.

I read and reread the transcript, shaking my head in disbelief. Why was Annabeth all over Jerome when I came to camp, when just a few days ago she was slapping him for trying to kiss her? The facts just didn’t add up. I reached for a stack of photos and looked at the time stamp; the day I left camp.

The first one showed Jerome making moves on Annabeth and I cringed at that. I took out a small device from my pocket and activated it. The small machine whirred to life and buzzed over all the documents and scanned them one by one, quickly. It then flew over to a port hooked up to my big screen and plugged itself in, the pictures appearing on the screen.

Standing up, I walked over and tapped a photo, opening a new window. I spread my hands and the image enlarged. I stepped back and studied the image closely.

“Zoom in on her face.” I told the screen. Once completed, I observed the photo. This time, I could definitely see the glassy look in Annabeth’s eyes. Strange.

I selected a different image of the same event, just taken at a different angle. This time, I could see Jerome’s face. Something wasn’t quite right. His facial expression seemed off, like his mind wasn’t completely focused on Annabeth. I redirected my focus to opening and analyzing each document or image; Athena would be proud.

Finally, after a couple hours, I finished going though each piece of evidence. By this time, it was morning and I hadn’t slept at all. I picked up my phone and tapped in Silena’s name, calling her. She picked up after the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey Silena, it’s me. Percy.”

I could hear her yawn on the other end. “Percy? It’s eight in the morning. What do you need?”

“I think I found something on Annabeth.”

Suddenly she didn’t seem so sleepy. “Really, what?”