Tell Me You Love Me

Piper's POV(Fifty-Six)

Edited 9/3/18

I guess, based on what Leo told us, we had similar reactions to the call from Chiron. We had just been sitting down for a meal when we got the call, packed up, got an almost two year old Riley in the car and drove off to the portal.

Once at Camp, I couldn't immediately tell anything was wrong. It was simply another day at camp. Their weren't necessarily as many campers as usual considering it was February 2nd and most of these half-bloods were year rounders.

When we walked into camp, Luke and Milo raced up to us and tugged on our arms. Luke looked distraught when he said. "They want you in the Big House."

Jason and I shared a look before heading that way. On the way, we ran into Hazel, Frank, and Emily, who would be turning one in seven days. Hazel and Frank knew about as much about the situation as we did, which isn't much.

Walking through the door, we were met by Leo and Calypso, who were trying to corral Milo, who had just run in, Sammy, who was chasing around Ariana, and Rosalie, who was trying her very best to light things on fire. I wonder when that happened? Last time I saw her, she was not at all able to do that.

Nico and Will stood in the corner watching the scene play out. Well, Will was trying to coax Maria into playing with the other kids and Nico stood laughing at every one else's struggles.

I did a quick head count and found that we were all here, Reyna had just walked in the door, except for Percy and Annabeth. Which was strange considering their kids were here.

Maybe it was Aphrodite intuition, but just then something felt horribly wrong. I might have been picking up on Luke's unease, or Ariana's halfhearted happiness, but I suddenly had to grab the wall to support myself.

"What is it?" Hazel asked, concerned. "Somethings not right," I muttered. Leo chuckled. "Well why do you think we were called here, Beauty Queen? Obviously somethings not right," Frank sent him a look, warning him now was not the time for jokes. 

Just then, a door opened at the end of the hall and everyone kind of caught on to the distress practically pouring from the halls. Chiron clomped down the hall and gave a curt nod before motioning for a more secure place to talk. Some trusted campers showed up for last minute babysitting and we headed off down the hall.

We settled down around the ping pong table in the Rec Room and Chiron took the head, settling into his magic wheelchair. Percy and Annabeth had yet to arrive. We waited in uneasy silence for about five more minutes before the door opened and Percy shuffled in. Where was Annabeth?

My eyes trailed him as I studied the way he trudged into the room, how he plopped down in his seat, not looking at anybody, and how his muscles tensed, emphasizing the cursive Wise Girl on the inside of his right bicep. His jaw clenched as he finally looked to Chiron to start off the emergency meeting.

Chiron opened his mouth to speak when Percy spoke. "Annabeth's gone," he said quite bluntly. "Um...what?" Leo asked. Always the elaborate one.

"She was taken this morning. Right in front of me. These monsters came for her and the kids, but she somehow convinced them to let them go. They took her instead. Just like that," he explained, ending with his head in his hands.

The table immediately erupted in argument. "How did they even get into your apartment?" Frank asked. "She'll be okay right?" Hazel asked hopefully.
"We'll find her," Reyna assured.

Percy groaned, "Her being taken isn't even the worst part," he said. "What's the worst part?" Nico dared to question.

"She just told me like, two weeks ago."

"What?" Jason asked.

"She's pregnant," Percy said, giving into his despair. He crossed his tattooed arms across the table and buried his face. His broad shoulders shook with silent sobs as disbelief made its course around our little council. We would learn only later that a very dedicated Milo snorted water out of his nose at the announcement. The tradition lives!

We went on to discuss strategies on where to start looking for Annabeth. We had decided that they probably wouldn't kill her. Not yet at least, because she means a lot to Percy. And because of that, from this point on, Percy has to walk on his tiptoes and be careful, for anything he does could reflect on Annabeth, who was sitting somewhere, in a cell, all alone.

Percy also decided him and the kids would stay at camp until they found her because he didn't feel safe in the apartment yet. He also vowed to never let the kids out of his sight. He couldn't afford to let anyone else get hurt. He was going to stay in the Poseidon cabin until we could come up with a better plan.

As for the rest of us, we were to be assigned search parties to find Annabeth. For some, that might entail returning home and looking from there. We all gave Percy hugs as we dispersed, promising that we'd help whenever he needed.

The reality of the situation hadn't quite set in yet. Annabeth had been kidnapped. Annabeth. And right from their home, too. In front of Percy; in front of the kids. I vowed something to myself as well.

We would find Annabeth no matter what. If it's the last thing we do, we will find Annabeth. Getting her and her child back safely is my only goal right now.