Fate (PIPABETH FF) ✔️

Who's the Hero's Hero?

let me just warn you about this goofy chapter. i have no idea how dear jason's coin sword thing works and i'm 90% sure he lost that thing a long time ago anyways. but for the sake of the #plot just... y'know. pretend that the way i wrote it is how it works. thanks, and good luck reading . . .

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A N N A B E T H

I tried my hardest to ignore the way my heart raced as we ran through camp, blindly tailing Malcolm as we sprinted towards the center of the commotion. Exhale when the left foot hits the ground. Run. Faster.

When we arrived, it was like I had walked into another camp entirely. It had fallen silent when we walked in– so eerily silent that even the rustle of leaves could not be heard. Faces looked either wary or desperate, but some seemed just uncomfortable at the strange energy shrouding the camp.

"Are you sure they're not hiding away in their cabins?" Piper asked. I bit my tongue, and let Malcolm speak instead. 

"That's one of the first places we looked," he said incredulously. "We've searched far and wide– camp wise, anyway. If they've wandered out of camp boundaries, then, well..." he trailed off.

"Well, why didn't you inform us earlier?" I asked. I mentally scolded myself for falling asleep– I should have stayed diligent and alert. Maybe then I could have noticed that something was off.

Malcolm fell silent for a moment before speaking up. "I was going to find you, honestly, but was advised against it by the..." His ears reddened. "By the children of Aphrodite," he finished sheepishly.

I stiffened. "Why...?"

He turned away, scratching the back of his neck. "That's not important. What matters now is the matter at hand," he said quickly.

"Malcolm. I swear, this is the only time I'll let you off. You should be lucky there's a crisis," I warned, aware that my face was burning. 

Piper placed a hand on my shoulder. "I don't think now is the time to argue." Her voice was flustered, but serious nonetheless. I took a deep breath and Piper slid her hand off of my shoulder.

I turned to a group of campers, who were huddled amongst themselves with quiet whispers. "Do you know what happened?" I asked quietly. One kid shrugged. 

"Honestly? I'm worried because of the lack of incentive. Hades, even Mr. C is acting strange." One of the boy's friends nodded along. "Yeah. It's weird, since I'm not worried about those two– they're more than capable of handling themselves, that's for sure, I'm just worried about why nobody's really doing anything. I think I heard someone say something about him mourning in the Big House, too."

I took a moment to let it sink in. "So, he's not even helping search?" I asked. I received a nod in return, and I felt worry begin to flood in again.

Malcolm turned to me. He must've sensed my dread, since he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder for a split second and gave it a firm squeeze. "They're right. They'll be fine, Annabeth, we just need to find out where they've gone."

I sighed frustratedly. "I know, Piper. I'm just worried that Percy and Jason won't have a smooth time figuring out a plan to escape on what's got them. You know them, they're both pretty competitive and quite dominant. We don't know what they'll get themselves into," I said.

"Look. I understand your worry, but the best we can do right now is... y'know, not worry."

"Thanks. Very helpful, McLean."

In the corner of my eye, someone was shuffling towards us. I turned around and saw Leo and Calypso rushing towards us. "Well, there are some faces I wasn't expecting..." I muttered. Seriously, where have they been?