Missing

Searching Manhattan

Disclaimer: PJO IS MINE! MWWAHAHAHAHA I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN SOMEDAY! YESS!

-In case you didn't notice, ^ that is a complete lie. Unfortunately I don't own PJO/HOO. Stupid Uncle Rick. The only person I own is Ronald, the desk guy (don't worry you'll get it later).

Annabeth POV

Argus dropped us off around the outskirts of New York and let us know that he would be back to pick us up in around dinner time at camp, which would be in around five hours.

As soon as the van was out of sight, the Stolls – both wearing very mischievous and suspicious expressions – told us, "We're just going to raid— no! visit a candy store downtown."

They sped off around the corner before the remaining three of us could protest.

"And then there were three." Jake said, breaking the silence.

Will laughed and I cracked a smile, but the happiness was short lived – for me anyway – when I remembered the seriousness of the situation.

"Okay, where to first?" Will asked after he and Jake had stopped laughing.

"Central Park?" Jake offered.

My throat went tight. Central Park brought back memories. Memories of the months after the second Titan War. When Percy and I were both living in New York and we'd go to Central Park on the weekends to unwind.

Annabeth, STOP IT. Stay strong. I thought to myself. My conscience was right. I focused on the present and not the memories.

"Sure, that's a good place to start. But wherever we search, we have to leave in a bit of time later to go visit Olympus."

"Olympus? Why?"

I quickly explained to them what I had told Chiron earlier. They both nodded in understanding and then we set off on foot to Central Park.

The only thing that search accomplished was a greater heart-ache for me, especially when we searched the Great Lawn. I thought back to when Percy and I were relaxing there the month after the Titan War.*

Again I forced my emotions down, but I knew that it wasn't wise to keep bottling everything up.

Just a little while longer. I told myself.

We continued our search and looked pretty much everywhere actually, including Goode.

After gaining nothing from our searching, we decided to check in on Sally.

As we entered the apartment, we saw she wasn't doing so well. Her usually twinkling eyes had no sparkle and were red and puffy as if she had been crying…A LOT. She looked a lot more stressed than usual. As we arrived her face lightened up a bit, but the longing and sadness in her attitude was obvious. She still smelt of chocolate chip cookies though, and I saw tray of her infamous blue cookies sitting on the kitchen counter.

It was as if she had baked them especially for Percy, hoping that the smell of the fresh cookies would bring him home.

We talked with her for a while and explained what we had gathered from the other Iris Messages (which was pretty much nothing). She suggested we check their usual cabin at Montauk. Why Percy would be there, we had no idea, but Sally knew he absolutely LOVED the place.

After eating a couple of her cookies, we promised we'd check Montauk and then left a wretched mother sitting on a couch staring out the window with a distant look in her eyes.