Percy Jackson's Last Breath

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C O N F R O N T A T I O N
PART 1

Annabeth gasped as she very narrowly dodged a chunk of cement that was going to fall on top of her. Beside her, Grover screeched, "Percy's HERE?!" Clarisse, still grasping onto the door frame, shouted back, "Yes! Now everyone come outside!"

Grover gulped and glanced at Annabeth. She looked back at him and they both had the same emotions running through their minds; terror and confusion. Everyone in the room scrambled to exit the building while shielding their heads from any falling objects. Annabeth grabbed Grover's hand and pulled him with her as she ran toward the door. Clarisse stood there, helping people escape. "Go, go, go, go!" She yelled at them as she pushed them to the safety of outside. Grover was the last to exit the building and Clarisse ran outside after him.

Despite being out in the open, the ground was relentless with its shaking. Everyone panted as they tried to catch their breaths and stay balanced on their feet. Annabeth leaned toward Clarisse, "Where is he?"

Clarisse glanced at her with a sad look and sighed, "I saw him right over th—" she stopped short as she pointed toward the ocean. Her face dropped instantly and paled. Annabeth followed her line of sight but found nothing, leaving her more confused than ever. "What? What is it Clarisse?" She went to stand in front of her to try and catch Clarisse's eye but to no avail. Clarisse scanned the camp, wide eyed, as she opened and closed her mouth.

Desperate to find answers, Annabeth held onto Clarisse's shoulders and shook her. "Clarisse?! Where did you see him?" But her questions fell to deaf ears because Clarisse didn't seem to be in her right mind.

Without warning, the ground jerked violently, causing everyone to fall on their sides. Annabeth groaned as she hit her head against the concrete floor and gently touched a tender spot on her head. When she looked at her fingers, all she could see was her blood. She slowly blinked her eyes to try to focus them again and was left staring at the floor. Annabeth realized then that the floor had stopped moving. The earthquake stopped.

Clarisse yelped as she got on her knees and dusted off the tiny pebbles that stuck onto her skin. Annabeth glanced at her as she sat back up. "Clarisse, you need to explain."

But she didn't say anything. Instead, Clarisse got on her feet and searched the perimeter. She stumbled as she twirled around to get a good look at the camp. "Shit." Jason stood up too and asked her, "Clarisse. Hey. Calm down. Breathe. Come on. What's wrong?" Clarisse hyperventilated as she stared, glossy-eyed at him. "I saw him." She glanced at everyone. "I saw him, by himself. Right there," she pointed toward the path that led to the sea.

Piper grunted as she rolled back up, "But, Clarisse, there's no one there." Clarisse gave her a look with fear in her eyes as she mumbled, "Exactly. There's no one there."

She spun to face Annabeth. A tear rolling down her face, she asked, "So where is he? Where did he go? I saw him!" Her voice shook from anxiety.

Annabeth stayed silent as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Clarisse has clearly seen Percy here in the camp, so how come he disappeared? Was it an illusion? If it was, how and why? Was it some tactical plan to distract us or was it simply to mess around with us?

"Guys..." Everyone looked at Leo. He licked his lips and gulped nervously as he glanced around the camp. "How come we're the only ones here? Where is everybody?"