United As The Ten- Part One Of The Conclusion To The United Series

Chapter Two

Annabeth's POV:

Piper, Hazel, and I got a car from Nine's garage. It's not as shiny or expensive as literally everything else he owns (except maybe his clothes), but it's still good.

Piper drives, seeing as she's the most experienced, and we head to New York. Maybe Max ended up at Camp.

Piper steers through highways, not too bad of a driver. I smile and look out the window, scanning the state of Pennsylvania. We're so close to New York and we're not stopping anytime soon. I turn back to Piper, who isn't saying a word. She's just blankly staring up ahead, focusing on the road, and I frown. Piper isn't usually the quiet one when it comes to quests. I know that she really misses Max, though, especially since she's been gone for a month.

I think about Percy and Leo. They must be more upset than anybody. Leo just started dating Max and Percy is Max's older brother. I can't even imagine what they're going through right now.

And yet, I can. Memories of when Percy went missing flood into my mind. I was upset for months and when I finally saw him again, I was the happiest girl in the world. Sure, I judo-flipped him, but then again, he did go missing for a few months.

"We're almost there," I hear Piper inform Hazel and I, which are the first words she said besides ordering food at places we've stopped along the way. I glance out the window and spot a large sign welcoming us to New York. We'll be at Camp Half-Blood in no time.

-Time Skip Brought to you by Piper's Nonexistent Makeup-

We finally made it. We parked the car in the woods and walked the rest of the way to camp. We spot the familiar strawberry fields and rush right through the border. The sight of camp again makes me want to cry tears of joy. The first thing I see is Thaila's pine tree with the golden fleece hanging on one of its branches and being protected by the metal dragon Peleus, who's fast asleep and snorting smoke from his nose, curled in the tree.

Piper, Hazel, and I walk down to camp where we're immediately welcomed by tons of Greek and Roman demigods hoarding us and dragging us to the lit campfire. It's dark outside and the whole camp is gathered around the campfire that now glows gold.

"Annabeth!" A familiar voice calls to me. I look that way and see Reyna rushing towards us.

"Reyna, what are you doing here?" I ask her, though I already know the answer.

"Same as you, most likely. We thought Max would be here," Reyna answers, looking slightly upset.

"And?" Piper asks hopefully, balling her fists in excitement. Reyna just shakes her head.

"She's not here. Wherever that explosion took her, it was obviously far," Reyna replies. Piper's shoulders slump and Hazel looks down. I bite my lip then remember who else came here with Reyna.

"Where are Leo and Percy?" I ask her, hoping that I can find them and comfort them the best I can.

"Mourning. Leo's in Bunker 9 and Percy's at the beach. Honestly, I've never seen them look so upset. Especially Leo," Reyna informs me. I give her a nod, thank her, then head down to the beach. Hazel and Piper stay behind, knowing that Percy and Leo will want their space.

I walk down the beach and spot Percy, wearing his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and jeans, sitting alone at the beach and watching the water. I walk up to him and sit down next to him. He doesn't look up until I wrap my arms around his waist.

"I'm so sorry about Max," is all I can think of to say to him. Percy stays silent for a few moments before looking down at me.

"I can't believe she's gone, and we have no way of finding her," Percy tells me, biting his lip. I sigh and silently watch the waves with him. I want to be with Percy, but when he's happy and his normal self, not when he's so upset and quiet.

"You should check on Leo. I have a feeling he needs someone right now," Percy tells me without looking at me.

"What about you?" I ask him, hugging him tighter. Percy shakes his head.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I kind of want to be alone right now," Percy replies. I nod my head, understanding. I stand up and walk towards the woods, where Bunker 9 is, until I stop and look back at Percy again.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain," I say to him, leaning down and giving him a kiss on the head. He gives me a small smile but still looks like the most upset person in the world.

"I love you, too, Wise Girl," is the last thing Percy says to me before I head to Bunker 9. I keep a hand on the hilt of my dagger as I pass through the woods, wary of any monster that might come by and attack as I make my way to Bunker 9. Before I know it, I'm in front of the doorway and I automatically knock on the wall. It opens up and the first thing I see is Leo, sitting down on a chair and playing around with things on the desk in front of him. I know that whenever Max came to Bunker 9 to help Leo with something, she'd always sit right next to him, on the chair Leo's sitting on now. I walk up to Leo and sit down next to him and see that he's fiddling with Max's sapphire he found on the ground after the explosion.

For awhile, Leo and I don't say anything until I finally speak up.

"You really love her, don't you?" I ask, though of course I already know the answer. I'm pretty sure everyone here knows the answer. Leo nods his head and I can spot dry tear stains on his cheeks.

"I didn't tell anyone here that I'm dating her yet. I don't want a pity party," Leo informs me, his voice bitter. I wonder how many times someone has asked him 'Are you and Max dating?' ever since he got here.

"We'll find her, I promise," I tell Leo. He bites his lip and sets the sapphire on the table in front of him.

"But what if we don't?" Leo whispers to me, his voice full with heartbreak. I shake my head.

"Look, if we don't find Max, then she'll find us. The Mog war is still going on and she'll see the news if there's another battle, then she'll come to us," I tell Leo, hoping that that'll make him a bit more hopeful. Leo nods his head, closing his eyes.

"I'll leave you alone," I tell him then walk out of Bunker 9 without another word. We will find her.

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