The Stories of Our Heroes

The Voicemail

This takes place during the time of The Son of Neptune, so while Percy is missing. I always imagined Annabeth would be there when Percy left that voicemail from Alaska...

Annabeth's POV

"Leo says it should be ready soon and then we can head to Camp Jup-"

Ring, ring.

I was telling Sally about how the Argo ll was almost finished, and how Leo, Piper, Jason, Coach Hedge, and I would be going to Camp Jupiter, the Roman camp, to look for Percy, when the phone cut me off. I had been spending a lot of time at Sally and Paul's the past few months. They were the only ones that missed Percy as much as me, besides Grover, but I hardly have time to see him anymore.

"Who is calling at this hour?" Sally wondered and stood up to go check the number. It was almost midnight here in New York, but the two of us were still up. It went like this a lot: I would sit with Sally and Paul and we would talk, sometimes cry, for a long time. Then Paul would go to bed for work the next day, and Sally and I would stay up for hours more, just talking about anything and everything. 

She frowned at the phone and sat back down by me. "No idea who it is," she muttered. Paul's static-y voice on the answering machine filled the room as the call ended.

"Okay, so anyway, we'll be able to..." but my voice died in my throat when Paul's voice was replaced by one even more familiar.

"Mom," Percy said. "Hey, I'm alive."

Those four words about stopped my heart. My eyes were locked with Sally's. I was filled with so many emotions, I went numb.

"Hera put me to sleep for a while, and then she took my memory, and..." He sounded so lost. By this point, tears were streaming down both of our faces, but we were frozen in place. We didn't want to miss any word he said. "Anyway, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I'm on a quest-" his voice broke. A horrible, broken noise escaped me. I knew one of us should've rushed to the phone, should've picked up and talked to Percy, had an actual conversation and asked where he was. But neither of us could move. Only one thing went through my mind: Percy was alive."I'll make it home. I promise." Now Sally let out a terrible sound. "I love you," was the last thing Percy said. Then he hung up.

"I love you too, baby," Sally whispered with a watery half-smile. I just leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her shakily. She did the same to me and sobbed in my ear, "He's alive."

Percy was alive. That's all that mattered. He might be in danger, and I have no idea where he is, but he's alive. That means I can still find him. And I will.