.||Subject Five||.

~*Chapter One*~

- - Annabeth's POV - -

Percy invited me out on a date tonight, by the beach. He said we'll have a late-night picnic. I am so excited!

When I got there around 5 o'clock, there was a picnic blanket spread out neatly as well as Chinese food takeout sitting on the blanket. I sat down and looked for Percy. Where has Seaweed Brain run off to now? I thought with a laugh.

I was watching the waves crash onto the shore when I saw a familiar face pop out of the waves, and onto the beach. I blushed when I realized he didn't have his shirt on. He noticed me staring and said "Like what you see?" I gulped and glared at him playfully. I threw a shirt at him and he laughed as he pulled it on. He used his powers to dry off.

He sat down next to me and kissed me tenderly. As we pulled away, he smiled and I smiled back. He glanced at the food. "Ah, I was going to cook tonight but it kind of backfired. So takeout it is!" he exclaimed opening the Chinese bag. "So that's why there was so much smoke in the kitchen!" I replied, giving him a gentle peck on the cheek. He blushed and handed me my food.

After we ate, we layed down next to each other, gazing at the stars. I pointed out constellations and Percy made a few quirky comments, making me laugh. As we were about to pack it up, Percy grasped my hands and then used one to push a hair out of my face. He chuckled as he watched me blush at how close he was to my face. He wrapped the other hand around my waist and pulled me into a kiss. I was so distracted that I didn't notice that someone had been watching us.

There was a faint shwoop sound as a dart penetrated Percy's neck. He pulled out of the kiss and stared at the dart blankly. "Oh shit." he said, before collapsing onto the sand, unconscious. "Percy..? PERCY?!" I shouted. Why does this always happen to him? I thought.

Someone is watching us... We have to get out of here! I thought frantically. I was about to pick Percy's limp body up when another shwoop sound was heard. I also collapsed onto the ground, but was not fully unconscious. I watched as two people dressed in black suits with bulletproof vests come and drag Percy away. I tried to move my limbs, scream, shout... do anything! I felt numb all over. I felt a tear glide down my face as I watched the mysterious figures take my boyfriend away.

~*T I M E S K I P*~

It was around 5 in the morning when I was able to move again. I groggily sat back up, and remembered what had happened the night before. I brushed sand out of my face and hair and glared up at the sky. That's when I spotted Jason, doing his daily rounds overhead. I shouted and waved my arms to signal him to come down. I tried to stand, but my knees buckled and I fell back on the ground.

When Jason landed, he looked at me worriedly. "What happened to your date?" he questioned. I explained to him what had happened last night. He rubbed his temples and muttered, "What has Kelp Head gotten into this time..." I stared at my feet and started to fear the worst.

What if we lost him again? Who knows who those people were! What could be happening to Percy...?

Jason glanced at me and noticed something sticking out of my neck. He reached and plucked it out. "This is a sedative, and there is a logo on it..." he said, eyes widening. "W-What is it?" I asked. He showed me the dart, which had a feathered end and a long needle as a point. On it, there were initials embroidered onto it. "I don't recognize this logo, but I know someone who might!" exclaimed Jason, jumping to his feet. He held out a hand for me to grab, and hoisted me up onto my feet. He then shot us off the ground and into the sky.

As we were flying, Jason flinched as I screamed into his ear. I was holding onto him for dear life as the winds whipped around us, carrying us to Olympus. When we finally landed, I wobbled around dizzily until I steadied myself. Jason pushed his glasses back onto his head, and then lead me towards the throne room to tell the gods what has just happened.

After I was done talking, Poseidon was full of rage. "I get my son back after 2 years, and now he goes missing again?! I can't take it with this boy." he grumbled. Jason handed Zeus the dart, who examined it closely. "Do you happen to know what it means? Perhaps we could know who has captured Percy and who they work for!" said Jason, eyes full of hope.

Zeus squinted his eyes at the dart, then paled. He looked to Athena and Poseidon sadly, showing them the dart. They also paled, as their eyes widened. "W-What? What's wrong?" I said. I hated not knowing. Zeus glanced down at me and sighed as he explained, "This is the logo of a high-tech research group, Maverick Research Laboratory or MRL. They mess with our DNA and specialize in biology and mutations. They've probably taken Percy as a test subject, since he is very powerful and can undergo huge amounts of pain. I don't know where they are located unfortunately. They must have someone there that is able to manipulate the mist, blocking us from being able to find them. I'm sorry, but there isn't anything we can do..."

Poseidon got up from his seat and left the throne room. We could hear furious shouting in the hallway as he left and closed the door behind him. I started shaking. "So that means... that there is no way that we can save him?" I asked, feeling my heart drop in my chest. Athena nodded her head solemnly. "The best thing we could do is wait. If he manages to use his empathy link with you guys, or if you have a dream about him, contact us immediately. Anything could give us a clue about where he is." said Athena, who also got up to leave.

Jason walked over to me and gave me a tight hug. "Don't worry Annabeth. Percy is strong. He can get through this. He might even find a way to escape!" said Jason, who released me from the hug. Tears sprang from my eyes as I imagined what he could be going through right now. "C'mon, let's go find everyone else."