Chapter 1: Reunion
Annabeth

I paced back and forth on the Argo II. Will Percy remember me? What if he has a new girlfriend? I thought, tears starting to form in my eyes.
No. He'll remember me.

I sighed. "Jason! How much time until we're there?" I yelled.
"We are here! Leo land the ship!"

I began to hyperventilate. What? I get to see my Seaweed Brain? He better remember me!

We decided Jason was to go off the ship first. The Romans would recognize him, and hopefully not blast the ship to little bits.
Jason jumped off the side of the boat. Silence. Then, "JASON!"

I looked over the side. A girl was tackling Jason in a hug. I heard Piper growl quietly next to me.

That's when I saw him. Seaweed Brain.

I jumped off the side of the boat and walked cautiously up to him. My heart fell when I saw his arms around an African girl and a chubby baby-faced boy. Was this his new girlfriend? I thought, staring at the girl.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted, taking his arms off the other teens.
"PERSEUS JACKSON!" I shouted. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" I whispered the last part. He was standing right in front of me.
"I try not to, Wise Girl," Percy said, wrapping his arms around me. "And, I missed you."
"You...remembered me?" I asked, looking at him.
"Yeah, you were the only one."

I smiled bitterly, then looked into his sea-green eyes. "I love you," I whispered.
"I love you too," Percy said.

Happiness filled me. I stood up on my tip-toes and kissed him. Everything but him and me vanished. Until the moment was ruined.

"Praetor Jackson," a voice said. I unwillingly pulled away from Percy. A teenager about 18 stood next to us. I gasped.
No...he died...it can't be Luke, I thought. Besides, the scar isn't there...
"Octavian," Percy said, not bothering to hide the dislike in his voice.
"Praetor Reyna called a senate meeting," Octavian sneered. "Better not be late." With that, Octavian ran off.
Percy sighed. "We'd better go," he said, grabbing my hand.

Chapter 2: Who to pick?
Jason

I groaned as my head hit the hard ground. "Reyna," I said. "Please get off of me."
Reyna stood up. "How much do you remember?" she asked. Hope began to show in her eyes.
I felt guilty. "All of it, but...I'm in love with Piper McLean," I said, looking down.
"W-what?" Reyna asked. I looked up at her. She looked heart-broken.
"Reyna, I-"
"Save it! Why don't you go make-out with this Piper girl?" Reyna shouted, running away. "Senate meeting in five minutes! Do not be late!"
"J-Jason?" a voice said.
I turned around. Piper.
"Hey," I mumbled, looking down. It was obvious she'd seen the exchange I just had with Reyna.
"Jason, do you really love me?" Piper asked.
"Yeah...do you like me?" I asked carefully.
"Yes. I really do," Piper said. I looked up and hugged Piper.
"Thanks Pipes," I said, kissing her.
"We'd better get to the meeting," Piper said.
"Follow me."

Chapter 3: Sammy? Or Leo?
Hazel

I stared wide-eyed at the boy that looked like a Latino elf. Gaea said Sammy died! But then again, Gaea is always playing tricks on demigods...
I was jerked out of my thoughts by Frank. "Hazel! Reyna just called a senate meeting! We have to go," he said.
"Oh," was all I could say.

We weren't official yet, but you might as well call us a couple. We've had dinners together, everything a normal couple would do.
But now I felt guilty. Sammy was here...and he was my old boyfriend.

I didn't realize we'd reached the city borders until Terminus said, "Weapons, Levesque."
I looked at the little girl, Julia, and put my weapon on the tray she held. (what weapons do the characters have? I know Percy's, Annabeth's, Piper's and Leo's, but that's it. Frank has bow & arrow, right?)

...I'm skipping to the end of the meeting...


"The meeting is over," Reyna said.
I wonder what was wrong with her. Reyna kept shooting glares at Jason, unlike before, when they gave each other loving glances. I didn't have much time to ponder about this, because the boy that looked like Sammy was walking up to me.
"Hazel? What are you doing here?" he asked, hugging me tightly.
"Sammy?"


sorry for the short chapter...it looked bigger when I was typing it into the reply box.

Chapter 4: Who Am I?
Leo/Sammy

I don't know why I just called this girl Hazel. It just sounded right.
A memory was triggered in the back of my head when I saw her. I don't even know where it came from.

"Sammy?" Hazel said, bringing me out of my thoughts. Yeah, I know, you must be thinking, Leo Valdez is thinking? It's a miracle! Yes, I do think, mostly about jokes though.
"Sammy, uh, no...Leo Valdez, at your service," I said, mocking a solute.
"Valdez..." Hazel mumbled, getting a faraway look in her eyes.
I looked around Hazel and at the person behind her. A chubby baby-faced boy was glaring at me. Huh. What did I do?

"Hey, Hazel, uh want to see the Argo II?" I asked.
"The Argo II?"
"Yeah, you know, that ship we came on?"
"Oh. Sure, let's go."


Percy

I felt complete. Annabeth was with me. At last.
"Hey, want to go to my favorite place?" I asked, grabbing her hand.
"Sure," she said, leaning her head on my shoulder.
I grinned, then pulled her over to the cliff over looking the lake. I sat down and motioned for her to sit down next to me.
"I really really missed you," she said, resting her head on my lap and looking up at me.
I could tell. She had dark circles under her eyes and her eyes were tinted red from crying so much. I felt guilty. I'd made her cry.
The guilt must've shown on my face because Annabeth said, "Percy, it's not your fault. Hera took you from me. The next time I see her..."
I smiled crookedly at her. Annabeth's cheeks flushed bright red.
"I know, but I'll still feel guilty for making you cry because of me."
Annabeth shook her head, then kissed me. "You haven't changed a bit," she said, laying her head on my lap and falling asleep.

Chapter 5: Reyna; Friend or Enemy?
Piper

I looked over to the boy I was holding hands with. Blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and a scar on his lip. Jason.
I layed my head on his shoulder and sighed. What if one of us didn't make it through this war with Gaea?
"Piper," Jason said softly.
"Yeah?"
"I'll take you to where you're staying."
It took me a while to realize I was drifting off to sleep. "Ok."

Jason led me to an area full if small cabins. "This one you can stay in," he said, gesturing towards the fifth one.
"Thanks Jason," I said, lightly kissing his cheek.
"No problem Pipes."

Right after he said that, I heard a gagging sound, then sobs. I looked over his shoulder. Reyna.
I growled, then looked back at Jason. Gods, he could be slow at times. He was just now turning around.
"Reyna? What are you doing here?" he asked, accusation dripping into his voice.
"You-we were together...she took you from me!" Reyna shrieked, pointing a finger at me. Her hand moved towards the hilt of her sword.
"Reyna," Jason warned, moving protectively in front of me. "Don't. You hurt her, you hurt me too."
The tension in the atmosphere was unbearable. I noticed a small group of demigods watching us, but the small group got bigger and bigger. Soon the whole camp was watching us.
Reyna lunged at Jason, knocking him to the floor. His head hit the ground hard, knocking him out. She glared at me, and grabbed her sword. She swung it, making a large arc, and I rolled over.
Clang!
I looked up. Percy had his sword under Reyna's, which stopped it from hitting me.
"Reyna-don't," Percy said.
"Percy, this isn't your fight," Reyna growled.
"Don't."
Reyna glared at Percy. "Fine," she snapped, pulling her sword away. "This isn't over, Venus scum," she growled, glaring at me.

That's when I decided Reyna was definitely an enemy.

Chapter 6: Quest Time
Annabeth

I opened my eyes. I was in a nice comfy bed. How did I get here? I thought. Percy must've carried me here.

I smiled at the thought of being on a quest with him again. Seaweed Brain.
"What are you smiling about?" a voice asked. I jumped.
"Seaweed Brain, what are you doing in here?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing."
"Right.

I smiled and smacked the back of his head. "Ow!" he whined.
"Ow?" I asked puzzled. He had the Curse of Achilles. That wouldn't hurt.
"Fine...I lost my Achilles curse when I crossed the Little Tiber. Because, it's a Greek cures, and I'm on Roman grounds."
"Oh. Hey Percy, when's breakfast?"

A horn sounded in the distance.
"Right now," he said, grabbing my hand.
"Percy, I have to get dressed. I'm still in my pajamas!" It was my turn to whine now.
Percy got this mischievous glint in his eyes. "Nope, you're coming with me."

"Percy...no..." I whined as he pulled me into the mess hall.
"Too late," he murmured in my ear, releasing my hand.
I crossed my arms and followed him to a table.
"Hey, Annabeth," Piper said, obviously hiding her laughter.
I glared at Percy. He was going to get it.
Leo jumped up. "Annabeth, why are you wearing pajamas?"
"Shut up."
Leo looked at my expression and did exactly what I told him to do.

"Annabeth, I gotta go. Have to make a speech with Reyna," Percy whispered, making a face at the word 'speech'.
"One thing before you go," I muttered.
"What?"
I pulled my arm back and punched his arm. "Ow! Why'd you do that?" he whined.
"Don't make me come out and eat in my pajamas again," I said. I gave him a quick kiss, then he walked over and started talking to Reyna.

Extra: Octavian

"Praetor Jackson," I sneered, "Isn't it time for the speech?"
Percy turned around and glowered at me. "Octavian I was just getting to that."
I rolled my eyes and walked away. I knew exactly what the speech was about; the seven demigods. Three Romans, four Greeks. Filthy Greeks.
Why should we trust these Greeks? They lie, steal... I didn't finish the thought. I hated Greeks more than anything. It disturbed me that one was praetor. I am a Roman, a powerful one, and a Greek is praetor? Nonsense.
Not that the Graecus was going to be praetor any longer. Once he leaves, I will be praetor. He won't even live that long.
My mistress promised.

Chapter 7: Speech
Percy

"We will be leaving in...Leo! How much time do you need to update some things on the Argo II?" I shouted.
"Huh? Um...an hour! I think..."
"Good...good. Wait, you think?"
"I'm pretty sure it'll be an hour!"
"Ok, so we'll leave in an hour. You guys mind Reyna, especially you Octavian!" I shouted at the augur.
He lifted his head, a frustrated expression on his face. "What Praetor?"
"You are NOT going to be praetor when I leave. When we return, Jason will return his post as praetor. Agreed?" I asked, looking pointedly at Jason.
"No. I want to return to Camp Half-Blood," Jason said, glancing at a girl that was sitting next to him. She was looking down, not meeting his eyes. I'm pretty sure her name was Piper.
"Right," Reyna said, her voice tight. "So you'll stay with the graecus."
"Reyna," I hissed under my breath. "What are you doing? Don't call them that!"
She looked troubled. Jason stood up and said, "Reyna, please."
She turned away and ran off.
I looked at Jason. Apparently Reyna wasn't over what happened last night. I sighed, then continued my speech.


An hour later, after many fights with Octavian about the praetor issue, we were ready to go. I left to check on Reyna before we took off; I hadn't seen her since she ran away from the mess hall.
I walked calmly to the praetor house that said REYNA. I knocked on the door and waited a few minutes. "Come in," Reyna's voice croaked.
I walked in to see Reyna taking down every picture associated with Jason she had.
"Oh, hey Percy. Aren't you supposed to be leaving?" she asked, closing a box of photos.
"Yeah, just, uh, good luck keeping Octavian from being Praetor," I said.
"Yeah, I'm going to need it," Reyna said. She looked up. Her eyes were blood-shot red and puffy. Then, surprising me, Reyna ran up and hugged me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
"Sorry you had to see me like this," she muttered. She stood there for a few seconds, then kissed me.
I stood there, shocked, my arms limp by my sides. My lips weren't responding to the strange ones against them. When the shock finally went away, I shoved Reyna away.
"I already have a girlfriend!" I said angrily.
Reyna turned away and muttered, "Go away to your quest."

I turned around, slamming the door behind me. I ran to the Argo II, only to find an angry Piper standing on the deck.
"What is your problem?" she asked.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"You kissed Reyna! Did you even think about Annabeth?"
"I didn't kiss her! Reyna kissed me, for gods' sake! I didn't even respond to her!"
"Go tell Annabeth that then!"

I ran to the sword arena, knowing she would be there, taking out whatever emotion she was feeling out on dummies.

"What do you want Percy?" Annabeth asked, not turning away from the dummy she was busy destroying.
"What you saw...I didn't kiss Reyna," I said, taking careful steps towards Annabeth. I knew what she could do when she was this emotional.
"Really? Because what I saw was you kissing her!" Annabeth shouted, turning around and pointing her dagger at me.
"No, I didn't kiss her back! I swear on the River Styx! She kissed me! i would never, ever cheat on you!" I said, grabbing her wrist.
"You didn't shove her away!"
"Because I was shocked!"
"You still allowed her to kiss you!"

I was tired of fighting with her. If things continued this way, we would break up. So, I pulled her closer to me and kissed her passionately. Her dagger fell with a clatter as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"I'm sorry," I said, pulling away from her.
"No, Percy, I'm sorry," Annabeth said. A tear fell from her eyes. "I should have listened to you."
I leaned my head down and kissed her again. Annabeth was the only girl I would kiss like this.


"So, where do we go first? Greece or Rome?" Piper asked.
We were all gathered around a table, eating dinner. Leo was an amazing cook.
"Rome," Frank, Hazel, and me all said at the same time.
"Percy...What are you hiding from me?" Annabeth asked,watching me carefully.
"Ella, the harpy that's with us, memorized the Sybilline books," I said quickly. Jason turned pale.
"The Sybilline books?" he asked.
I nodded. "That's why we had to take her. We have to keep her away from Octavian."
"What is the Sybilline books?" Piper asked.
"A book of prophecies," Jason said, looking at Piper with a soft expression.
Piper leaned her head on Jason's chest, her expression thoughtful.
"Octavian is a power-hungry fool," Hazel told Annabeth. "He would do anything to have those prophecies."
Annabeth nodded, the grabbed my hand. "I want to talk to you. Now."
Uh oh. I'm in trouble. "We can talk right here," I murmured.
"Alone," Annabeth said, pulling me up. She pulled me into an empty room, then locked it. In the corner was a girl with blonde curls and gray eyes. Annabeth. Puzzled, I looked at the person that just pulled me into the room. It wasn't Annabeth anymore.

Chapter 8
Piper

I was just lying there, my head on Jason's chest, thinking, when I head a yell. Percy's yell to be precise.
"Jason, something's wrong with Percy and Annabeth," I whispered hurriedly.
"What do you mean?" he murmured, pushing some hair out of my eyes.
"They've sure been gone for a while," I muttered.
"Let's go check on them."
"We'll be back in few," I said, grabbing Jason's hand.
"Sure sure," Leo said, raising his eyebrows at us. I rolled my eyes and pulled Jason out of the room.

"EEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" Annabeth. I glanced at Jason and saw the same panic in his eyes as in mine. Something was definitely wrong. I ran to the door that the sound came from, and found it was locked.
I grabbed my knife and frantically tried to unlock the door. Click.
I opened the door quietly and peeked in. A huge, ugly cyclopes was standing over Percy and Annabeth.
I closed the door and turned to Jason. "Go get the others. Hurry," I whispered.
"What are you going to do?"
"Charge in," I said, throwing open the door and running in.

I stopped. Nothing was there. Only Percy and an unconscious Annabeth.

Chapter 9: Cyclopes and Twilight
Frank

Jason ran into the room, panting like crazy. "Percy...Annabeth...cyclopes," he gasped, putting his hands on his legs.
I jumped up and felt that tingling sensation I get when I changed into an animal. I pictured a big wolf, and growled, running towards the room Percy and Annabeth were in.
"Gods Frank, you're huge!" Percy yelped when he saw me.
I ignored him and looked around. Where is this...monster? I thought, looking at Piper and Jason, completely annoyed. I morphed back into my old self, and asked, "Why did we have to come in here?"
Before Piper could answer, Annabeth started muttering random stuff about cyclopes.
"O-k then...There was a cyclopes attack," Percy said, watching his girlfriend carefully. "And, I've been thinking...'Annabeth' at dinner, that wasn't Annabeth at all."
I stared at him. "What?!"
"It was the enemy."
"The cyclopes...acting like Annabeth? Wow, I didn't think they were that smart," Leo said.
I rolled my eyes at him while Percy said, "Leo? Shut up."

After a little bit, Piper asked me, "Frank, you watch Twilight?"
"Twilight? No!"
"Then why did you turn into a werewolf like Jacob and his pack?"
I barely knew what Twilight was, so now I didn't know what Piper was talking about.
"I just pictured a huge wolf..."
"Whatever."

I rolled my eyes and turned into a bird, flying away. I flew up to the top deck and landed on Hazel's shoulder.
"Frank!" she screeched. "You scared the living daylights out of me!"
I flew off her shoulder and turned back into myself. "Sorry," I muttered. "But my ears are ringing right now."
Hazel blushed bright red. "Sorry about that."
I smiled and stared out into the ocean. I was just thinking about the quest...and about the cyclopes.
Gaea had new information now. She could use it against us...we have to keep-no Percy has to keep an eye on Annabeth.

Chapter 10: Monsters, Monsters, and More Monsters
Percy

Annabeth finally just woke up.
"Percy..." she grumbled.
"Annabeth!"
"Don't yell!" Annabeth nearly shouted.
"Gee, someone's grumpy today," Leo yelled from the other room.
"SHUT UP LEO!"

I looked at Annabeth uncertainly. She never acted this way. Something was defiantly wrong.
"Annabeth, are you ok?"
"Yeah...I think..."
"You sure?"
"Yes Percy!" Annabeth said, exasperated. She threw up her arms, and I noticed something under her elbow.
"Annabeth, what's that?" I asked, pointing to the strange ink-like thing.
Annabeth lifted her elbow and glanced at it. Then paled. "No...it can't be...." she mumbled to herself.
"What is it Annabeth? Let me help you!"
"The-the mark of Athena...I thought it was fake!"
"Annabeth, the gods are real, for gods' sake! Monsters are real! Unicorns are real! I even think mermaids are real at this point!"
"Look at it! It's growing!"
Annabeth showed me her elbow. Sure enough, an owl-shaped tattoo was growing on her elbow. Finally, it stopped when her entire elbow was covered.
Annabeth looked up, frightened. "This can't be happening to me," she muttered.
"I won't let anything happen to you," I murmured.
"Percy, you can't stop this! It's in my blood!"
"What are the side-effects?"
"Mood-swings."
"Oh, great. So that means, one minute you'll be happy, then the next, murderously angry?"
"Exactly."
I sighed. This quest wasn't going to get any better, was it?
"Annabeth, Gaea has new information now," I muttered, not thinking.
"What? How?"
I explained about the cyclopes to her, watching her face. It changed so many times, I lost track (which wasn't surprising).
"Annabeth?" I asked, uncertainly.
"Percy?" she asked, mocking my tone. I rolled my eyes at her, then pulled her up.
"We'd better go tell them about the Mark," I muttered.

Surprisingly, Leo was the only one to know what the Mark was, other than Annabeth.
"You WHAT?" he shouted.
"SHUT UP LEO!" Annabeth shouted.
"Why don't you?" Leo grumbled, just barely quiet enough so Annabeth didn't hear it.
I rolled my eyes at Leo, then told them the side-effects of the Mark.
"That explains a lot," Piper mumbled.
"Exactly."
"Hey, I'm going to bed," Hazel said, yawning. "G'night."
"Good night."

Chapter 11: Mood Swings
Annabeth

I looked at Percy. He was staring out into ocean. It's been a week since we found the Mark, and we were sailing now. Jason's been spending a lot of time in his bed, with Piper comforting him.

I quietly made my way to Percy. I wasn't supposed to be up; it was nighttime and Percy's turn to guard.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, and sighed, laying my head on his shoulder. "Hey."
"Annabeth, you're supposed to be asleep," Percy said, turning around and wrapping his arms around me.
"I know."

We stood in silence for a while, just staring out into the sea. I glanced up at Percy's face. It was calm and peaceful. I rested my head back on his chest and closed my eyes, only to fall asleep and nightmares to find me.

Annabeth, we know what you have, a voice said.
Leave me alone, Gaea! You don't know anything!, I shouted into the darkness.
Really? I know that you have the Mark of Athena, and there's a prophecy about you, Gaea said.
I-I don't know what you're talking about, I said.
Lie. You know exactly what I'm talking about Annabeth. You could be very useful...You could help lure Jackson to me, Gaea mused. He's too loyal to let you die...
I shivered. No. I'm not joining you Gaea!
We'll see...

I jerked awake. Percy had brought me to my bed, and was asleep in the other.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The alarm clock went off. I watched in surprise as Percy rolled over, holding Riptide, and cut the alarm clock and en-table in half.
"Stupid...alarm clock..." he grumbled, falling back asleep. I chuckled, and quietly walked out of the room. No one was up, except Jason. He was hovering a foot over the deck, meditating.
"Jason?" I asked, rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things.
"Annabeth!" Jason yelped, falling onto the deck. "You scared me!"
"I try not to. Why were you meditating?"
"I'm in the air; it calms me down a bit."
"Huh...I'm going to the library," I said, walking away.

Dyslexia is a challenge for me that I'm glad to have. I love challenges.
I grabbed a book and started to read it. Eventually, I got
irritated and threw my dagger at it, then stared at the aftermath. Why did I just do that?
"Annabeth?" I turned around. Percy was watching me with wary eyes.
"Percy!" I shouted, running to him. "Why are you in the library?"
"Just, uh, checking on you," he murmured.
"Oh," I said, pulling away.
"No, Annabeth, it's ok!"
"I hate the Mark," I muttered.
"I love you," Percy said, wrapping his arms around me.
I smiled, then said, "I love you too, Percy."

Chapter 12: Back to the Sky
Jason

"Leo...how much longer until we stop sailing?" I groaned. My stomach was churning nonstop.
"Three days? Maybe two days," Leo said, taking a bite out of his pancake.
I groaned again and went back to my room. I haven't ate anything except a few gummy worms...Piper's been bugging me about it.
"Jason..."
I turned around. "Hey Pipes," I said, wrapping my arms around her waist.
"You're gonna have to eat sooner or later," Piper said, resting her head on my shoulder.
"Yeah, I'll eat when we're flying in the sky again," I mumbled.
"That's gonna be a few days Jason! You need to eat something!"

Before I could argue, music blasted from Leo's room, which was right next to me.

Party rock!
Yeah,
Whoo!
Let's go!
Party rock is in the house tonight,
Everybody just have a good time.
And we gon' make you loose your mind,
Everybody just have a good time.
Party rock is in the house tonight,
Everybody just have a good time.
And we gon' make you loose your minds,
We just wanna see you...
Shake that!

The walls shook to the beat from how loud he had the music. The door opened, and Percy shouted, "LEO! Turn that down! It's shaking the whole ship!"
The music turned down a lot. "FINE! Apparently, you do NOT like LMFAO!"
"Who?"
"You don't know who they are?! You've gone crazy!"
"Leo, I think that's just you."
"Whatever. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna resume listening to my music!" The music turned back up, but not as loud this time.
I looked down at Piper and shook my head. "Leo the goofball," she said.

I felt a jerk. The whole ship jerked. Leo screamed, running out of his room. "What is going on?!" he shouted, running to the top deck. I followed him, Piper right behind me.
All the queasiness left my stomach. Percy looked like he was going to barf. "We're in the air!" I shouted, happy. My days in my room were over.
"Now, you get to eat!" Piper said, dragging me to the kitchen.

Chapter 13: Ugh, Now I'm In Zeus' Territory
Percy

"LEO! Turn that down! It's shaking the whole ship!" I shouted, looking at Leo like he was crazy. He turned down the music, then shouted back, "FINE! Apparently, you do NOT like LMFAO!"
"Who?"
"You don't know who they are?! You've gone crazy!"
"Leo, I think that's just you."
"Whatever. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna resume listening to my music!" Leo turned back around and turned the music up. I shook my head, then walked back to the top deck.
Suddenly, the ship jerked. I ran into a wall, then ran to the deck, expecting a monster fight.
I was sooo wrong.
My stomach began doing flips. We were in the air. Zeus' territory. I'm not supposed to be here, but then again, Jason wasn't supposed to be in the water.
"We're in the air!" Jason shouted, sounding happy. Piper said something to him, then dragged him below deck. I groaned, then walked to my cabin.
"Percy, you alright?"
I lifted my arm from my eyes and looked at the door. Annabeth was staring at me.
"No," I muttered, putting my arm back down. I felt Annabeth sit down on my bed, then put a cold cloth to my forehead.
"That...feels...so...good," I mumbled.
"You're welcome," Annabeth said, kissing me lightly.
I nodded, then fell asleep. Once again, Gaea haunted my dreams.

Join me... her voice said sleepily.
"Never! Now leave me alone so I can dream peacefully!" I shouted.
As you wish, Gaea said, laughing evilly.

I did not dream peacefully. It was the exact opposite of peaceful.

All my friends were being tortured. Every. Single. One.
Annabeth was showed the most, as if Gaea knew she was the one I would do anything for.
Anything... Gaea mused.
"Leave her alone!" I shouted.
That's when I was woke up by an annoying alarm clock. Again.
I rolled over, then punched it. "Ow," I mumbled. That hurt way more than I thought it would.
I groaned, then got up. Then layed back down. I was dizzy. Every dizzy.
"Percy! Get up!" Annabeth shouted through the door. I groaned loudly. "No..."
"Perseus Jackson!" Even though she used my full name, her tone was playful.
"Nope!"
"Please?"
"Not until we're sailing again!"
"Fine!" Annabeth stomped away. I quietly jumped out of the bed, ignoring the dizziness. I pulled my door open and peeked out. Nobody was there.
"Yes!" I mumbled.
"Going somewhere Percy?"
"Annabeth!" I whined.
"You need to eat," she said, taking off her cap.
I groaned, but followed her to the kitchen. "Hey Percy!" Jason said, sounding way more happier than he did a day ago.
"Hey," I mumbled.
"Don't worry, Leo said we'll be sailing in three days!" Annabeth mumbled, sitting down next to me. All the food looked wonderful, but I just couldn't eat.
Poor Leo. All his food, gone to waste.

Chapter 14: ATTACK!
Percy

I groaned, trying to go to sleep. Rolling over, I fell off the bed.
Bang! "Ow..."
I jumped up, hearing another bang, this time not caused by me. I cautiously opened my door and peered outside. A cyclopes was standing there, about to open Annabeth's door. I growled quietly before slipping back into my room to grab Riptide. Just before I grabbed it, I was interrupted by Annabeth's scream.
"PERCYYYY!"
I grabbed Riptide and threw the door open. Uncapping the pen, I ran into Annabeth's room. No one was there.
Panicked, I ran to the top deck, just in time to see the cyclopes vanish with Annabeth.
"NO!" I shouted, throwing my sword where the cyclopes used to be. My heart stopped as I heard, "Percy, relax. I'm right behind you."
I turned around to see Annabeth taking off her cap.
"You...cyclopes-where?" I said, pointing to where my sword rested.
"Invisibility cap," she said, holding it up. "Anyways, don't you see the dust? I won't be taken that easily."
I looked. Sure enough, there was monster dust. I smiled, then wrapped an arm around her. "Love you," I murmured.
"Love you too Percy."


Several days later, I found myself in Leo's little 'workshop'. I was determined to ask him to make something for Annabeth.
"Knock knock," I said, opening the door.
"Who's there?" Leo said, not turning around.
"Leo."
"Leo who?"
"Gods Leo, you can be so dense at times."
"Whatever. What do you want?"
"A ring for Annabeth."

Chapter 16: Promise Ring
Annabeth

"Ok...What do you want to do?" I asked, not looking at the desk full of books that I'd ruined.
Before Percy could answer, Leo's voice blared on the speakers, "Your totally amazing and awesome Supreme Commander Leo here. Percy Jackson is wanted at the Work Shop. Now."
"See ya," Percy said, walking out of the library.
"Yeah, see ya," I muttered, walking to my room.
I hated the Mark. I absolutely hate it. Nothing in my life went right. The only good thing was-is-Percy. He lit up my world.

I heard a knock on my door, so I said, "Come in."
Percy came in. He sat next to me and handed me a back box. "I promise never to leave your side again."
I stared at the box. Then, opening it, I saw a gray diamond with green words Forever and Always.
"A promise ring. Thank you!" I said, throwing my arms around Percy.
"You're welcome," he said. "I will be with you forever. And always."
I didn't notice tears were falling off my cheeks as Percy put the ring on my middle finger until one fell on his hand.
"I love you Percy," I said, hugging his arm.
"I love you too, Annabeth," he said, kissing me.

"Everyone is wanted on the deck immediately!" Leo screamed into the microphone. "We're under attack!"
I flinched when I heard the shrill sound, but ran to the deck immediately.

Percy
The minute I heard the words 'under attack', I ran to the deck, following Annabeth.
"Hello Praetor."

Chapter 17: Traitor
Percy

"Hello Praetor."
Hatred filled me when I heard those words. What was Octavian doing here? He was supposed to be at Camp Jupiter.
"Octavian," I growled. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be defending camp."
"Not any more Jackson. Oh, and you aren't Praetor anymore. I am," Octavian sneered, holding up his cape. "Also, Gaea will rule all. The gods will be no more! Promises will be kept with Gaea, unlike the gods. They always lie to you. Once Gaea rules, the gods will be begging for forgiveness!"

I glanced at my friends. We all came upon a silent agreement. Octavian has lost his marbles.

"Do you really believe the crap Dirt-Lady tells you?!" Leo shouted.
Octavian turned to Leo. "Do you believe the crap the gods tell you?" he shouted back.
"YES!"
"Fine by me. You can listen to Gaea. Or die trying to fight against her," Octavian said, turning back to the tip of the boat and jumping off. A brown pegasus swooped up under him, catching him.

Octavian reminded me so much of Luke. Both were traitors. But Luke saved everyone in the end. Was it possible that Octavian would do the same?


Several hours later, we ate dinner in uncomfortable silence. Hazel broke it when she looked at Annabeth's finger and saw the promise ring.
"Oh my gods! Why are you two engaged?! You're only sixteen!" she gasped, causing Frank, Piper, and Jason to look at the ring.
"No-not getting married! Promise ring!" I said, still not wanting the 'You're only sixteen!' argument to happen.
"Good. Cuz it would be difficult to have a wedding with World War 3 going on," Piper said, taking a bite of her salad. "And you two are only sixteen."
I groaned. "I know!"
"Just checking."

I rolled my eyes and resumed eating. Nobody noticed her ring was on her middle finger.

Chapter 18
Annabeth

"Landing in two seconds," Leo's voice blared on the speakers. Percy perked up and ran to the top deck. With a soft thump we were back in the water.
"YES! WE'RE IN THE WATER!" Percy shouted, throwing his hands in the air. I faintly heard Jason shout, "NO! WE'RE IN THE WATER!"
I walked over to Percy and put my arms around him.
"Happy now?" I asked, putting my head on his shoulder.
"Very. But it's like the gods have let up their grudges. Poseidon's letting Zeus' kid said, and Zeus is letting Poseidon's kid fly. Also, Athena's letting me date her daughter," Percy said, whispering the last part.
I noticed all the same things. I sent a silent prayer to Athena. She'd finally accepted Percy.

I leaned against Percy and sighed. "Tired?" he asked.
"Yeah. See you later."
I walked to my room and fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillows.

Everything was perfect in my dream. Percy was with me, and we were in a colorful world. Percy looked at me and said, "Annabeth..." but it wasn't his voice. it was Gaea's. "Have you decided? Will you join me?"
"Never!" I shouted, yanking my hand out of his. Percy started melting into a mud-like substance until he disappeared completely.
"We will see. We will see," Gaea said. The dream-world disappeared, and I woke up to Percy shaking me awake.
"Annabeth..." he said softly. "Wake up."
"Percy...you're not Gaea are you?" I asked sleepily.
"Uh, no. 100% Percy Jackson," he said, his expression surprised.
"Nightmare," I muttered, throwing the bedding off of me.
"Ok...It's time for lunch."
"Thanks. I'll be there in a few," I muttered, kissing his cheek lightly.
I watched Percy walk out of my room, then looked at my elbow. The owl tattoo was darker. Nobody noticed so far. As I watched, an olive branch began to grow under the owl until it was in the owl's talons. I groaned. Percy was defiantly going to noticed this.
"Annabeth?" Percy's voice said through the door, concerned. "You ok?"
"Yes, Percy. I'm fine," I grumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Ok..."

I got up and grabbed a long-sleeve shirt. This would hide the tattoo.


Percy

I groaned, still sitting next to her door. How long did it take for a girl to get dressed?
Just as I thought that, Annabeth's door opened, but nobody walked out.
"Percy! What are you doing here?" her voice yelped. Suddenly, Annabeth was holding her Yankees cap, standing in front of me.
"Waiting for you," I muttered, standing up. All she'd done was change her shirt, and it took all that time?
I glanced at Annabeth, who was rubbing her elbow worriedly.
"What's wrong?" I murmured, taking a step closer to her.
"N-nothing Percy," she said, stepping away. I frowned.
"Annabeth...are you hiding something from me?" I asked carefully.
"Percy...please not right now...I'll tell you later, ok?" Annabeth said. She looked like she was near tears.
"Wise Girl, please tell me," I pleaded. I wanted to help her. But she wasn't letting me.
"Percy...no. Not right now."
It took a while before she finally gave in.
"It's my tattoo. It's growing!" she practically wailed. I wrapped my arms around her and letting her soak my shirt.
"Can I see it?" I asked gently. She rolled up her sleeve and showed me her elbow.
The first thing I notice was the olive branch. The second thing was it was getting darker. And darker. And darker.
"See it? What does this mean?" Annabeth asked, rolling her sleeve back down.
"Wise Girl, if you don't know, then how would I?" I asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she mumbled, resting her head on my shoulder.
"Let's go eat lunch," I said, pulling her to the top deck.

Extra: Leo

"Does anybody know what this means?" Percy asked after he told us all what was happening with Annabeth.
I raised my hand. As usual, Percy's eyes went right after me.
"Fine," I said after a while. "If you're not going to let me tell you, this means her little 'condition' won't get any better. Soon, all the monsters will be able to smell her from half-way across the world. Right now, they can probably smell her in Canada."
"Leo, how do you know this?" Annabeth asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I, uh, learned it at school," I lied. Athena for some unknown reason decided to give me a dream-tutor. It was the worst dream for me.
Annabeth rolled her eyes, then went back to talking to Percy. Hazel and Frank were talking, and Piper and Jason were busy kissing. I sighed, then walked up deck to get some fresh air.

"HOLY ZEUS!" I shouted, running into another person just before I got to the deck.
"Hey! Oh, I'm so sorry!" a girl's voice said. Soft hands helped me stand back up, and I got a clear look at the girl who I'd ran into.
She had brown hair with dark, dark blue eyes. All I could say was, "Ub, duh, huh."
Real smooth, Leo! I mentally slapped myself. Finally, FINALLY, I meet a girl who's in my league, and all I can say is 'Ub, du, huh'?!
The girl giggled, stopping my self-argument.
"I'm Lexis," she said, holding out her hand.
"Oh, hey. I'm Leo," I said, shaking her hand. She smiled, but then frowned.
"Sorry, I shouldn't be here...am I interrupting a quest?" she asked, looking down.
"Yeah...but you don't have to go! Who's you're godly parent?" I asked, trying to keep a conversation up with her.
"Jupiter. But I, uh...don't like Camp Jupiter right now. It's bad there. Even though I just got there, like last week, I hated it immediately. According to Dakota, things were better when Praetor Jason, or Praetor Percy were there," Lexis said, groaning. "Who's your godly parent?" she added.
"Hephaestus. Vulcan in your terms," I said, looking around.
"Oh. You're a Greek?"
"Yeah. How's Reyna doing with Octavian?" I asked, concern clouding my thoughts.
"Who's Reyna?"
My blood ran cold. We've been on this quest for a week or two, and if Lexis went to Camp Jupiter last week, and Reyna wasn't there...
"Leo?" her voice sounded distant.
I shook my head to clear my head. Reyna was gone...
"LEO!"
I looked into Lexis' blue eyes and made one decision. I was in love with this girl.

Chapter 19: New Girl
Piper

I pulled away from Jason and looked around. I just felt something...the same feeling I get whenever someone falls in love.
"Piper?" Jason asked, concern coating his voice.
"Where's Leo?" I asked, still looking for Repair Boy.
"Uh..."
I jumped up and walked to the top deck to find Leo talking to a brown-haired girl.
"Hey," I said, scaring Leo.
"Beauty Queen! Hey!" Leo said, turning around.
I punched Leo's arm, muttering, "Don't call me Beauty Queen."
"Oh, hi, I'm Lexis," the girl said. I automatically liked her. We were gonna be best friends soon.
"I'm Piper. My mom's Aphrodite," I said. "And I am also a charm-speaker."
"My father's Jupiter," Lexis said. "But what's a charm-speaker?"
"I can make anyone do anything I want them to do. Like this; Leo, slap yourself."
There was a loud slap! and Leo had a red mark across his face.
"Piper!"
"Repair Boy!"
Leo groaned, then walked over to the railing. Lexis was rolling on the ground, laughing with me.
"Friends?" I asked.
"Defiantly," Alexis said, smiling.

"Ok, enough laughing," Leo groaned, glancing at Alexis. He blushed, quickly followed be her.
I noticed a small change in their emotions. Almost the same way as when Jason looks a me.
Oh! How can I be so blind! Leo's in love with this girl! I thought to myself.
"See you guys later," I said, walking back down to Jason.
Tension seemed to roll off of both of them. "See ya," they called back to me.

"Jason!" I said, running into him.
"Hey Pipes. So, where's Leo?"
"Talking to your new sister."
"Oh. Thalia's here?"
"No...you have another sister. Her name's Alexis, and she's a daughter of Jupiter."
"Alexis...I'm going to go see her," Jason said, trying to get past me.
"Nope, Leo and her are spending alone time. Come on, let's go practice," I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the training area Leo put in.

I glanced at Jason, trying to make my way to my dagger. Once again, he knocked it out of my hand.
"Jason, can I get to my dagger, please?" I asked in a sweet voice.
He hesitated for a second, then frowned. "Not happening Pipes. We're in a duel, remember?" he said, smiling triumphantly. He knew I charm-spoke, but wasn't effected.
I groaned. "Please?" I asked again.
Jason lunged at me. I yelped, completely taken by surprise, but jumped to my dagger. The minute I grabbed it, a scene played in my head, like a vision. I stood stiffly as I watched, not even noticing when Jason slammed into me.

Nico, how do you expect you're so called friends to save you? They don't know where you are! It was Gaea.
A boy about fourteen (did I get the age right?) was sitting in a dark corner. I knew immediately it was Nico DiAngelio, the son of Hades.
They'll find me, I know they will! Percy would never leave me to die! Nico shouted.
You never told him who he was when he lost all his memories... Gaea mused.
Juno told me not to!
Ahh, we have a listener. Piper, join me.

Before I could respond, I opened my eyes. Jason was frantically shaking me. "Piper...wake up," he kept muttering.
"Jason?" I mumbled, squinting. The room was way too bright.
"Pipes," he muttered, his voice relieved.
Jason crushed me in a hug, then let go. "Let's go see Leo," he said, grabbing my hand.
"Wait...I have to tell you what I just saw," I said, stopping him.

"Nico DiAngelio...Percy was mumbling something about him the other day..." Jason said, his face thoughtful.
"Well, let's go tell the others. Including Leo and Lexis," I said.

We ran into Leo and Lexis, both holding hands (which they dropped when we came into view), and told them we needed to hold a meeting in the kitchen.

"ANNABETH!" Percy's voice shouted. We ran to the voice, and was shocked at what we saw.
Annabeth was unconscious on the floor, her whole arm covered in the Mark.

"Crap, this is not good," Leo muttered.
"What do you mean?" I asked quietly.
"She can't go into battle now. The Mark holds so much power, and it's too much for her. She'll pass out anytime now."

Extra: Lexis

I liked this boy named Leo, but couldn't tell if he liked me back...That would be embarrassing of he didn't feel the same way for me.
Just as I thought that, Leo grabbed my hand, and looked relieved when I didn't pull it away.
"So your father's Zeus?" Leo asked, walking to the railing. I followed him, keeping our hands intertwined.
"Jupiter. But yeah. I can summon lightning, winds...." I said, letting my sentence trail off.
"That's cool. The only thing I can really do is build stuff," Leo said, pointing to the tool belt around his waist. "I can summon anything from this."
"That's cool too," I said. Leo's cheeks got a little pink, and breath mints started to pop out of his tool belt. I looked at the sunset, trying mot to stare at all the breath mints. Unfortunately, Leo had to take his hand away from mine.
"So, where's everybody? It's not just you and Piper, is it?" I asked anxiously. That would suck for me if Piper and Leo were dating.
It must've showed on my face, because Leo said, "No, Piper, Jason, who is your half-brother, Annabeth, Percy, Hazel, and Frank. Piper and Jason are together, Percy and Annabeth are together, and Hazel and Frank are semi-together."
Yes! Leo is available! I thought, grinning.
Leo grabbed my hand again, but we dropped out hands when Piper and another boy came into view. He had blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a scar on his lip. Piper was about to say something, but we heard a boy yell, "ANNABETH!"

Piper led the way to a small room with a table in the middle. There was a blond-haired girl, unconscious on the floor with a raven-black haired boy crouching over her. Her whole arm was covered in black ink; an owl with a olive branch?

"Crap, this is not good," Leo muttered.
"What do you mean?" Piper asked quietly.
"She can't go into battle now. The Mark holds so much power, and it's too much for her. She'll pass out anytime now."
"What's the Mark, Leo?" I whispered, putting my hand back into his.
"It's complicated," he said. "Basically, the Mark holds enough power to make whoever the 'host' is smell really good for monsters, and it will make the person pass out from the power. Side effects; mood swings."
I looked back at the girl. "That's Annabeth, Percy, Hazel, Frank, and Jason," Leo said, pointing them out.
"I hope Annabeth's ok," I said, slightly leaning against Leo.


After awhile, everybody but Percy relaxed. Percy was pacing back and forth. Annabeth still hadn't woken up.
I rested my head on Leo's shoulder, closing my eyes. Just before I fell asleep, Jason asked, "Who's this, Leo?"
I slightly jerked, but settled back down. I felt Leo move my head to his lap, careful not to disturb me.
"Lexis, daughter of Jupiter," Leo said, brushing some hair out of my face.
"Jupiter? I have another half-sister!" Jason said, sounding happy. We were back on the top deck, so I summoned some lightning and (with one eye half open) shocked Jason.
He jumped, and I had to suppress laughter. Leo, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically.

We heard a gasp, and everyone, including me, jumped up. Annabeth finally woke up.



Chapter 20
Percy

Come on, Annabeth...wake up, I thought, pacing. Please don't be dead...
After a few minutes, she gasped. I shot towards her and hugged her.
"Percy...have to go...now," she muttered in my ear.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I can't keep you guys in trouble. You'll be in the risk of being attacked everyday by monsters, because of me," Annabeth said, tears swelling in her eyes.
"No, Annabeth, please don't go," I said, grabbing her arm. "We need you. I need you. Please."
Annabeth looked down. "I have to Percy. You guys are in danger every second of the day because of me. Let me go." She whispered the last part, looking at me with pleading eyes.
"Annabeth, please don't go," I said, trying to wrap my arms around her.
"Percy, I have to!" she shouted. "It's my fate! You have to accept it!"
"Annabeth, please!" I pleaded, trying to change her mind. "I'm nothing without you...I need you."
"Percy...I don't want to go, but I have to. I don't want to leave you, but it is my fate," Annabeth said, pulling her arm away from me. Before I could recapture her arm, she put her Yankees cap on.
"I love you, Percy," she whispered, her voice next to my ear. I felt her kiss my neck, and I whispered, "I love you too, Annabeth."
I hear thumping, like she was running, then a splash. She was gone.


I stay in my bed all day now, listening to Far Away by Nickelback.

This time; this place,
Misused, mistakes!
Too long; too late,
Who was I to make you wait?
Just one chance,
Just one breath,
Just in case there is one left!

'Cause you know,
You know,
You know...

That I love you,
I have loved you all along...
And I miss you,
Been far away for far too long...
I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go,
Stop breathing if I don't see you...anymore!

On my knees,
I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance!

'Cause with you,
I'd withstand all of hell to hold your hand...

I'd give it all,
I'd give for us...
Give anything but I won't give up!

'Cause you know,
You know,
You know...

That I love you,
I have loved you all along...
And I miss you,
Been far away for far too long...
I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go,
Stop breathing if I don't see you...anymore!

So far away.
So far away.
Been far away for far too long...
So far away...
So far away...
Been far away for far too long...


'Cause you know,
You know,
You know...

I wanted...
I wanted you to stay!
'Cause I needed,
I need...to hear you say!

That I love you,
That I love you,
I have loved you all alond..
And I forgive you,
And I forgive you for being away for far too long...
So keep breathing,
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore!
Believe it!
Hold onto me and never let me go...

Keep breathing,
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore.
Believe it!
Hold on to me and,
Never let me go.
Keep breathing...
Hold on to me and,
Never let me go.
Keep breathing...

Hold on to me and never let me go.
Keep breathing...

I rolled over and felt some tears fall. I would never stop loving Annabeth.

Chapter 21
Annabeth

"I love you, Percy," I whispered in his ear. I kissed his neck, and heard Percy whisper, "I love you too, Annabeth."
I ran to the other side of the ship, then grabbed something that was light, but just about the size of me. I threw it off the side of the boat, then listened to it splash in the water.

I turned around to see Percy standing there, shaking. He ran to his room, closing the door behind him. I barely had time to slip in before the door closed behind him.
It felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest, seeing him like this. Percy sat on his bed and put his head in his hands. I got up and lightly stroked his hair, then sat back down. Percy looked back up, his eyes red.
"Annabeth, I miss you," he said, looking out the window.
I choked back a sob. I wanted to comfort him so bad. To let him know I was here.

I stayed in his room, watching him for a few days. All he did was lay in bed, listening to Nickelback. I silently cried when I saw how muck pain he was in. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I got up, opened the door, then made my way to the kitchen. To my surprise, it was deserted. A small plate of food was sitting on the table. It was still hot, so I picked it up and brought it to Percy's room.

Opening the door, I put the plate on the nightstand next to him. When Percy heard the clink, he turned around.
"Annabeth?"
"Percy, eat," I breathed, barely loud enough for him to hear.
Percy's eyes got wide, but he ate the food.
"I miss you," he said, sitting back on the bed. "I wish you'd never left."
"I'm sorry Percy," I whispered.
"Why? Why did you go?"
"Hera told me to leave you, that I needed to find my own path to Rome."
"Annabeth, why did you listen to her? She hates you!"
"I know Percy." She probably hates me more now that I didn't do it. But I couldn't leave Percy, no matter how hard I tried.
I realized Percy thought I was dead. He probably thought my ghost was talking to him.
"I'm not dead," I whispered. To prove my point, I sat down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
"Annabeth?" he reached over and I let him take my cap off. He looked at me shocked, then hugged me.
"You're alive," he whispered.
"Yes. It was hard to leave you, so I didn't go," I said.
"You never left?"
"I've been here, with you."
"Watching me."
"Nobody else."
Percy sighed, then kissed my forehead. "Don't leave me again," he murmured.
"I won't. Promise."

I looked into Percy's eyes. "We should go back up and let the others know I'm still here," I said, pulling him up.
"Yeah. Let's go."


"I have a surprise for you," Percy said. We were standing in front of six surprised demigods. "Annabeth's still here."
If it was possible for them to look even more surprised, they managed it. I pulled off my cap. "Hey."
"Annabeth!" Piper shouted, tackling me. Percy stood watching everyone dog-pile on top of me, an amused expression on his face.
"Percy, some help?" I asked.
"Nope."

Finally, everyone got up. After several questions, Leo finally called for a party.
"Tonight. After dinner," he said, helping Lexis up. I noticed they looked close together, like Piper and Jason. They're probably dating now.

"LEO!!!" Lexis squealed. Leo was twirling her in a circle. There was music, food, everything a party could have.
"May I have this dance?" Percy's voice asked behind me.
I turned around. "Of course Seaweed Brain," I said, grabbing his hand.
We danced for a few minutes before he said, "We should probably get some rest."
"I know," I muttered, resting my head on his chest. We were the only ones left.
"I'm sorry I left," I murmured.
"But you didn't," Percy said, bringing me to my room. He kissed me good-night, then left for his own room.
"Stupid Hera," I muttered. Thunder rumbled, and I said, "Whatever Zeus." I jumped into bed and fell asleep immediately.

Extra: Lexis

I opened my eyes. I was lying on a light blue couch, the one that used to be in my old home. It took me a few moments to realize I was dreaming.
I got up and walked around. My mother was nowhere to be seen. That was odd; she never worked.
I walked around until I got to the front door. She's probably planting a garden, I thought to myself. It was odd though, because it was February.
I opened the door. A grave was in the yard.
I ran to the grave, my heart pounding.
Faith Faye Schell,
Born on April 5, 1977
Died on February 17, 2012

Below that was some words I didn't read. My mother was dead. She's been dead for two days.
"Haunting, isn't it?" a man's voice said from behind me.
I turned around to face my father. "Jupiter," I said, bowing.
"Alexandra," he said. I flinched when he used my whole name.
"Lexis," I corrected.
"Ah, I should have remembered from the last time we met...you drilled it into my head," Jupiter said, stroking his beard.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Here. Your birthday gift," Jupiter said, giving me a small box. I opened it, and tucked inside was an MP3 player.
"Thanks Dad," I said, giving the god a hug.
"You're welcome. I have to go now," Jupiter said, vanishing.

I woke up, holding my MP3 player. Leo was sitting on the couch next to me, but I didn't want to talk. He knew I was awake the minute I sucked in a breath.
"Lexie?" he asked gently. He was the only one who could call me Lexie.
"Leo...can I have some time alone?" I asked, sitting up.
"Lexis, what's wrong?"
"My...my mom died two days ago," I said, resting my head on his shoulder. A few tears rolled off of my cheeks and onto his shirt.
"Yeah, of course," Leo said, kissing the top of my head.
"Thanks Leo."

A few minutes after he left, I broke down. How could she be gone? She was only 35.
I put in my headphones and turned my MP3 player on. I went to my music, and selected Miranda Lambert, then went to the first song; Over You.

Weather man said it's gonna snow,
By now I should be used to the cold.
Mid-February shouldn't be so scary,
It was only December,
I still remember the presents,
The tree,
You and me.

But you went away,
How dare you?
I miss you.
They say I'll be ok,
But I'm not going to ever get over you.

Living alone,
Here in this place,
I think of you,
And I'm not afraid.

Your favorite records,
Make me feel better,
Cause you sing along,
With every song.
I know you didn't mean,
To give them to me.

But you went away,
How dare you?
I miss you.
They say I'll be ok,
But I'm not going to ever get over you.


It really sinks in,
Ya know,
When I see you,
In stone.

Cause you went away,
How dare you?
I miss you.
They say I'll be ok,
But I'm not going to ever get over you.

I cried harder after listening to this song. It fit my situation perfectly.
"Lexie?"
I looked up. "Leo," I sighed in relief. I got up and walked over to him.
Leo wrapped his arms around me. I put my head onto his shoulder, and let the tears fall.
"I know how you feel, Lexie," he whispered.
"How?" I asked.
"My mom died when I was younger. In a fire," Leo said, rubbing my back.
"She did?"
"Yeah."

Poor Leo. We were both orphans, if you didn't count our fathers.
The door opened, and Piper walked in. "Repair Boy,-" when she saw us, she stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"
"My mom's dead. She died two days ago," I said, tears swelling up in my eyes again.
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Piper said, rubbing my arm a bit.
I nodded, and she walked back out.

My stomach rumbled a while after the dream, but I ignored it. I didn't want to eat.
"Lexie, you should eat," Leo said, rubbing my hand.
"I can't Leo. I just can't," I said, looking at his hand. I was too depressed to do much of anything. All I did all day was talk to Leo.
"Lexie, please eat something!" Leo said, begging now.
"Leo," I groaned.
"Please Lexie!"
"Fine...something small though," I muttered. Leo's face relaxed, and he kissed me lightly on the cheek.
"Come on," he said, grabbing my hand. I got up and followed him to the kitchen. Nobody was there.
I settled for a cup of hot cocoa, but nothing else. Leo tried to get me to eat something, but gave up after a while.

Chapter 21
Annabeth

I was walking hand-in-hand with Percy past Leo's room when we heard crying.
I looked at Percy. "You think they're fighting?" I asked quietly.
"They can't be; they just started dating," Percy whispered back.
I sighed and knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked on the door three more times.

"Leo, I'm coming in if you don't open this door!" I shouted, knowing he was in there.
"Fine," I heard. Leo opened the door, blocking our way.
"What's going on in there?" I asked, trying to get around him.
"Annabeth, Lexis' mom died...she probably wants to be left alone," Leo said, sighing and looking back.
"Oh. Come on Percy," I said, dragging Percy away.


Leo

"Lexie, I have to go see if everything's going good on the top deck," I said, brushing some hair out of her face.
"Hurry back," she murmured, turning her head away from me. Her hair fell back over her face.
I sighed, then kissed the top of her head. "Love you Lexie," I said, walking out of the door.
Just before I got out of the door, I heard, "Love you too, Leo."

I smiled, then jogged up to the top deck. Everything was fine.
I ran back to my room to comfort Lexis. I was starting to get worried about her. She hasn't ate anything since last night...
I walked into the room. She was sitting still, listening to her MP3 player, singing softly.

"You'll be the prince,
And I'll be the princess,
It's a love story,
Baby just say yes."

I walked up behind her and murmured, "Yes."
Lexis jumped. "Leo, you heard that?" she asked, blushing like crazy now.
"Sure," I said, shrugging. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around her waist. "But, you are an amazing singer."
When I said that, her blush got brighter. "Leo, you're too sweet," Lexis said, resting her head on my chest.
I smiled. "Sing more?" I asked, giving her my puppy dog face. Lexie shook her head. "Please?" I asked.
"Fine," she mumbled, looking through her music.

Elevator buttons and morning air.
Strangers' silence makes me want to take the stairs.
If you were here we'd laugh about their vacant stares,
But right now my time is theirs.
Seems like there's always someone who disapproves.
They'll judge it like they know about me and you.
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do,
The jury's out, my choice is you.

So don't you worry your pretty little mind,
People throw rocks at things that shine,
And life makes love look hard.
The stakes are high,
The water's rough,
But this love is ours.

You never know what people have up their sleeves.
Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me.
Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles,
But I don't care,
'Cause right now you're mine.

And you'll say:
So don't you worry your pretty little mind,
People throw rocks at things that shine,
And life makes love look hard.
The stakes are high,
The water's rough,
But this love is ours.

And it's not theirs to speculate if it's wrong,
And your hands are tough,
But they are where mine belong,
And I'll fight their doubt and give you faith,
With this song for you...

'Cause I love the gap between your teeth.
And I love the riddles that you speak.
And any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored,
'Cause my heart is yours...


So don't you worry your pretty little mind,
People throw rocks at things that shine,
And life makes love look hard..

Don't you worry your pretty little mind,
People throw rocks at things that shine,
But they can't take what's ours,
They can't take what's ours.


The stakes are high,
The water's rough,
But this love is ours."

The minute she finished, I kissed her. On the lips. For the first time.
"One more?" I asked.
Lexie sighed, and I grabbed her MP3 player, searching through her music.
She had every singer I knew. LMFAO...Lady Gaga...even Justin Beiber.
"Never sing him to me," I said, pointing to his name.
Lexis smiled. "He sounds like a girl. I don't like him either," she said.
"How about...Carrie Underwood?" I asked.
"Not right now Leo," she said, grabbing the MP3 player from me.
I sighed, then leaned back into the couch. After a few moments of silence, Lexie curled up next to me and fell asleep.
I watched her sleep for fifteen minutes. Her face was so peaceful.
"Leo, when will we land in Rome?" Jason asked through the door.
Lexie jerked, then opened her eyes sleepily.
"In about three, four days," I said, glancing at the door. Jason had it partially open.
He nodded, then closed the door.
"Leo?" I looked back at Lexie. Her eyes were half open, and she was trying not to yawn.
"Yeah?"
"Where are we?"
"On the Argo II." I wasn't panicked. She asked that question a lot when she woke up.
"Ok." With that, Lexie curled back up and fell asleep.
I kissed the top of her head, then went for a walk around the ship.

"Look who we have here," a familiar voice sneered.

Extra: Octavian

"Look who we have here," I sneered. I'd been sneaking around the ship for two hours. Bor-ing.
I stopped at this door when I heard the talking. Two people. One for hostage, the other to tell others about the disappearance.
I'd hoped it was Jackson and his snobby little girlfriend. Of course not.
"What do you want Octopus?" Leo said, glaring at me.
"Octavian," I growled. "And what I want-you'll have to find out the hard way."
I grabbed my dagger off my belt and threw it at him. It hit him on the leg, and he grunted in pain.
"INTRUDER! OCTOPUS IS HERE!" Leo shrieked.
"Octavian," I growled. I ran into the room Leo came out of, and a girl was sleeping on the couch. I put a gag over her mouth, and she woke up, screaming.
"PHEO!"
"Leave her alone Octavian," Percy's voice said. I tied the girl's hands behind her back and her feet together, then flung her over my shoulder.
"Make me," I growled. I shoved past them and ran to the top deck. Just before I jumped off the boat, I got a kick to the gut.
I dropped the girl, making her yelp in pain. "Leave now," a voice said. It was Percy's snobby girlfriend.
I glared in the direction of the voice. Before I could do anything, Percy tackled me from behind, knocking me off the boat. What he didn't count on was me pulling him down with me.


Chapter 22
Percy

I ran at Octavian, tackling him off the boat. He brought me down with him, and I heard Annabeth's scream.
"PERCY!"
Lucky for me, we were flying over the sea.
Splash!
I punched Octavian full in the face, breaking his nose. His face went from panic to absolute hate.
"See ya Octopus," I said, swimming away. Dad, take care of him for me please, I thought. I willed the water to form a pillar under me and push me up.
Annabeth was waiting at the railing. The second my feet touched the deck, she threw her arms around me.
"Perseus Jackson! You're lucky you're alive!" Annabeth said, tears forming in her eyes.
"Hey, hey, don't cry," I said, wiping one off her cheek. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she muttered, burying her face into my chest.
I looked up and counted everyone. Lexis...Piper...Jason...Annabeth...me...Fr­ank­...­Haz­el.
"Where's Leo?" I asked.
"I have a freaking dagger in my leg, and you expect me to run up to the top deck? You've gone crazy!" His voice was coming from the doorway.
I pulled away from Annabeth and ran to Leo. The dagger was hilt-deep in his thigh.
"Annabeth?" I called. She came up running behind me.
"Oh gods," she muttered, looking away. I swear I saw her face turn pale.
"Leo, this is gonna hurt a tiny bit," I said, grabbing the hilt. I yanked the dagger out of his thigh, and you could probably hear his yell all the way in China.
"A LITTLE BIT?!" he yelled.
"Or a lot," I muttered.
"Leo? Where is he?!" Lexis said, trying to get through everyone.
"Lexie? Are you alright?" Despite the pain he was obviously feeling, Leo's face showed worry.
After a few minutes, we finally got Leo to the infirmary. Annabeth dealt with the wound, and I gave him the ambrosia and nectar.
"Feel better?" I asked.
"Much," Leo said, trying to stand up. He took a step on his bad leg and collapsed right then and there.
"Ow..." he muttered.
I looked at Annabeth. He was probably going to have to use crutches for a few days.
"Leo, you have to use these," I said, grabbing the only set of crutches we had.
"What?! No way!" Leo said, scooting away from us.
Lexis went over to him and muttered something in his ear. "Fine," Leo grumbled.
I smiled gratefully at Lexis, then gave Leo the crutches. "One week only," I said.
"Only one?"
"Yep."
"Good. Cuz I hate using these things."
I rolled my eyes, then told everyone to go back to whatever they were doing.


Leo

I grunted as I tried to get up. Stupid Octopus...Octavian...whatever his name was.
"Need some help?" I looked up to see Lexie holding out her hand. I grabbed it, and she helped me back up. She already had my crutches. I grabbed them from her, then put them under my arms. "Thanks Lexie," I said, kissing her. She didn't pull away; she just wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back. After a little bit, she stopped kissing me.
"Lexie, why'd you stop?" I whined. I probably sounded like a three year old.
"Because you need your sleep," she said, walking out of the infirmary. I followed her, not sure of what else to do.

Gods I hate these stupid crutches. By the time we got to our room, my arms were aching.
I collapsed onto the couch, exhausted. Lexie was sitting on my bed, messing with her MP3 player.
"Sing?" I asked, begging with my eyes.
She sighed. "One song, Leo," she said, walking over and sitting next to me. Lexie handed me the MP3 player, and I started scrolling down on her music.
She had rock, country, pop, everything in this thing! "How about...Wake Me Up Inside?" I asked.
"Ok, play it," Lexie said, kissing my cheek.

"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core,
Where I've become so numb.
Without a soul,
My spirits sleeping somewhere cold.
Until you find it there and lead it back home.

Wake me up,
Wake me up inside,
I can't wake up,
Wake me up inside,
Save me,
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Wake me up,
Bid my blood to run,
I can't wake up,
Before I come undone,
Save me,
Save me from the nothing I've become.

Now that I know what I'm without,
You can't just leave me.
Breathe into me and make me real.
Bring me to life.


Wake me up,
Wake me up inside,
I can't wake up,
Wake me up inside,
Save me,
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Wake me up,
Bid my blood to run,
I can't wake up,
Before I come undone,
Save me,
Save me from the nothing I've become.

Bring me to life,
I've been living in lie,
There's nothing inside,
Bring me to life.

Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love, darling.
Only you are the life among the dead.

All of this sight,
I can't believe couldn't see,
Kept in the dark,
But you were there in front of me,
I've been sleeping a 1000 years it seems.
I've got to open my eyes to everything.

Without a thought,
Without a voice,
Without a soul,
Don't let me die here,
There must be something more.
Bring me to life.


Wake me up,
Wake me up inside,
I can't wake up,
Wake me up inside,
Save me,
Call my name and save me from the dark.
Wake me up,
Bid my blood to run,
I can't wake up,
Before I come undone,
Save me,
Save me from the nothing I've become.

Bring me to life,
I've been living a lie,
There's nothing inside.
Bring me to life."

"Happy?" Lexie asked, kissing me lightly.
"Yes," I said, smiling.
"Good. Now go to sleep." I didn't need any persuasion.

Extra: Lexis

I sighed as I watched Leo fall asleep. His face was so peaceful...
I finally looked away from him and went back to the bed I was sitting on a few moments ago.

Five minutes later...
"Ugh!" I shouted, throwing my MP3 player. It was like it was rebelling against me!
"Lexie?" Leo groaned from the couch. He rolled over, and with a thump! he fell off the couch.
"Ow! Lexie, you still here?"
"Yeah, I'm still here Leo," I said softly, all my anger for my MP3 player gone.
"Ok..."
I walked over to him and kissed him softly. Leo grabbed my hand, holding it there so I wouldn't go anywhere. Slowly, his grip on my hand loosened, and he fell back asleep.
I layed my head next to his, then closed my eyes. I didn't mean to fall asleep though.

Do you really think he cares for you? a woman's voice asked. The voice was so convincing...but who was it?
I am Gaea, Mother Earth. You know I don't want to hurt anyone, Alexis. Think of your mother. I could bring her back easily, but only if you join me, Gaea said.
"Yeah, right. And I'm going to believe you?" I said sarcastically. "You hate demigods!"
Now, now Lexie, don't be like that. I flinched. Leo's voice replaced Gaea's.
Don't listen to her... I thought desperately.
Join me, and Leo Valdez will be your king. You will be his queen. Isn't that what you want?
Of course I did, but Gaea was lying. She wants me to betray my friends, and my boyfriend.
"No! Go away!" I shouted.
You will pay dearly, Alexis, Gaea's voice threatened.

Everything faded away, and I woke up. Leo was awake, but I wasn't focusing on him. I had a headache and I felt feverish.
"Leo, I don't feel good," I moaned, resting my head on his arm.
"Want some ambrosia and nectar?" he asked, his voice sounding concerned.
Something told me it wouldn't be very good if I had those. "No..."
"You sure?"
"Not really..."
"Let's have Annabeth take a look at you," Leo said, pulling me up with him.

"She's sick, Leo," Annabeth said, sighing. "She has the flu. Nectar should fix her up."
I groaned. Stupid flu.

Five minutes later, I was still feeling sick, but better than before.
I was sitting on the couch, curled up against Leo. He always seemed to make my worries disappear.
I sighed.
"Leo?" I asked, wanting to break the annoying silence.
"Yeah?"
"What would you do if I was really taken?" It felt like the world was lifted off my shoulders; that question has been bothering my since Octavian tried to take me. He'd come pretty darn close to it too.
"Find you. I'd do anything to find you," Leo said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.
"But you would jeopardize the quest," I said, resting his hand on my cheek.
"What choice would I have? You can't be tortured to insanity by Gaea! I won't allow it."


Chapter 23
Percy

"Annabeth, where are you?" I asked, trying to get her to talk. We were in the training room, and Annabeth had her invisibility cap on.
I felt cold metal on my throat. "Hey Percy," she muttered, taking her cap off.
"Not fair," I groaned, pulling her dagger off my throat.
Annabeth shrugged. Before I could say anything else, the ship jerked.
I looked up at Annabeth. "When do we get to Rome again?" I asked. I was pretty sure it wasn't for another four days.
"Four days...Monsters," she said, running to the top deck.

Sure enough, when we got up to the deck, there were two griffins.
"Frank! Try to shoot them with your arrows!" I shouted. He notched an arrow and tried to aim. The griffins seemed to know what we were trying to do though. Piper even tried charm-speaking, and that didn't work. It just made the griffins angrier.

After half an hour of dodging the arrows Frank shot at them, I finally just soaked the griffins in water. They dropped like a stone, making a huge splash in the water.

Chapter 24
Annabeth

Right after he soaked the griffins, Percy passed out cold. He used too much power.
Shaking my head, I dragged him down the stairs to his room. I set him on his bed, then layed down next to him, closing my eyes.

Stupid dreams. I hate them.
"Annabeth! Where are you?" It was my father, the day I ran away from home. I was hiding in the bushes near by, scared of what I would face. A hellhound already attacked, and those things were scary.
"Annabeth!"
I turned, then bolted, careful not to make a sound. My father's cries became fainter and fainter, until I couldn't hear them any more.
I looked around, realizing I didn't know where I was. 'You're somewhere in the woods,' was all I could think. 'Alone.'
The word alone echoed in my head. I ran, terrified of being alone, until I couldn't run any more. How was I going to live in the woods? Nobody could help me, because nobody knew where I was.

All I heard was silence. I faintly heard two set of footsteps. I hide behind a bush, unsuccessfully. A boy about fourteen (is Luke's age right?) was standing in front of me, and a girl who looked a little younger was next to him.
I flung myself at them, waving my hammer. They backed away, holding their hands up to show me they were unarmed. I calmed down.
"Hey, I'm Luke, and this is Thalia," the boy says.
"Annabeth," I say stiffly. Why would people just give their names to others?
"Are you a demigod?" Thalia asks, looking around like she was expecting a monster to jump out of a bush.
"Yes," I say cautiously. How did they know about demigods? Were they one themselves?
Luke handed me a dagger. "This will keep you safe. It's better than the hammer," he said. I blushed lightly, gripping my hammer tightly. Slowly, I let it fall.
"We have to get her to Camp Half-Blood," Thalia whispers in Luke's ear. He nods, then tells me to come with them, they'll get me to a safe place. He also tells me we're a family. I'll be safe.

"He broke his promise to you," Gaea's voice interrupts my dream. The image of Thalia, Luke, and I walking away fades slowly, until I'm standing in front of a dirt throne. A woman in dirt robes was sitting in it.
"Bow to me," Gaea's voice said. Her voice was so powerful, it took all my will power not to.
"Never," I said, gritting my teeth.
"You will pay Annabeth." On that happy note, I woke up shivering.

"Wise Girl," Percy said, his voice right next to my ear.
"Seaweed Brain," I muttered, shutting my eyes. I wanted the image of Gaea out of my head now.
"Bad dreams?" Percy asked, stoking my arm.
"Very. How'd you know?"
"You were twitching."
I groaned, then got up. I realized we were in Percy's room, which was a mess. Just like his cabin. I remembered one day clearly:

"Percy, when will you clean your room completely?" I ask, pushing his boxers away with my foot, wrinkling my nose. It's been two weeks since we started dating, but that didn't stop me from giving him a 3 when I was on cleaning duty.
"Annabeth!" Percy said, his face red. "I usually have Tyson to clean up for me!"
"You still get a 3," I said, writing it down on my clip board.
Percy groaned, then walked out of the cabin to finish whatever chore he had from Chiron.

I looked over my list to make sure nobody was missed:
Poseidon; 3
Demeter; 5
Athena; 5
Apollo; 5
Ares; 3
Aphrodite; 5
Hephaestus; 4
Hermes; 4

I sighed, then went back to what I was doing.

"Annabeth," Percy said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "How did I get here?"
"I dragged you here."
"Explains my hurting head."
I rolled my eyes, then went to the top deck. It was sunset, and the sun reflected off the sea beautifully. If Percy was here, the moment would be perfect.
Invisible arms wrapped around me. I assumed it was Percy, and leaned against his chest. Only, the chest I was leaning against wasn't familiar. I tried to pull away, but the arms were wrapped around me too tightly. The last thing I remember was a cloth being forced into my mouth and everything going black.




I made up most of Annabeth's past (her first dream, before Gaea comes in), and the Percabeth in her memory.

Chapter 25
Percy

I looked around, confused. Everyone was eating dinner, except Annabeth. This was a first. She's never late.
"I'm gonna go look for Annabeth," I said, getting up. Hazel nodded, then went back to eating.
I walked to her room, knocking on the door. No answer.
"Annabeth?" I asked through the door uncertainly. No answer.
"I'm coming in," I said, opening the door. Nobody was in the room.
I cursed in Ancient Greek, running to my room. Maybe she'd put her cap on and stayed in there?
"Annabeth?" I asked, my eyes searching the room. No answer.

I was starting to panic. Where was she? The last time I saw her, she was walking to the top deck...I mentally face-palmed myself. Of course, she's probably watching the sunset. Why didn't I think of that before?
I ran to the top deck, then stood at the doorway, watching Annabeth. She seemed to lean back against something...
Suddenly, Annabeth went limp. I shouted, running towards her. Just before I got to her, I slammed into something. More specifically, someone.
"Praetor," the person hissed.
I stiffened. "You're supposed to be dead," I said, punching the air where the voice came from. All I hit was thin air.
"Remember, Gaea's in control of The Doors of Death," Octavian's voice hissed back.
I grabbed Riptide and uncapped it. Swinging my sword an inch above the ground, I hit something, and red poured from the wound.
"You filthy graecus!" Octavian screamed.
I swung my sword again, getting better aim because of the blood.
Clang!
Riptide hit Octavian's dagger, flinging it out of his hand. A cap fell off his head, and I noticed it was Annabeth's. This traitor was in her room?
My vision went red. Before I knew what was happening, Octavian was being thrown over the side of the boat again.

When I calmed down, I noticed an unconscious Annabeth. I rushed to her and picked her up, bringing her to the infirmary.
I set her on the bed, then racked my brain for something to heal her. If Apollo was here...
"Gee, I wonder what would happen if I were here," a voice said behind me.
I turned around. "Apollo! Can you, uh, fix her?" I asked, begging with my eyes.
Apollo snorted. "That's what I'm here for, Percy," he said, grabbing a small tube filled with purple liquid.
"Mix this with her nectar," Apollo said, giving me the tube.
"Okay," I said, looking up. Apollo wasn't there anymore.

I grabbed a flask of nectar and poured a glass, then added the purple liquid. The nectar turned to a strange pink color. That was good, right?
I lifted Annabeth into a sitting position and carefully poured the nectar into her mouth. It took me a while to figure out how to get her to swallow.

When the glass was empty, her eyes fluttered open. "Attacker!" she screeched, looking around her.
"Annabeth, we're in the infirmary," I said gently.
She calmed down, then layed back into the bed she was in. "Who?" she asked, looking at me.
"Octavian," I said bitterly.
"But he's dead," Annabeth said, confused.
"Gaea has control of the Doors of Death, remember?" I said, grabbing her hand.
Annabeth frowned. "I forgot about that."
"Oh. Do you think you'll be able to eat?" I asked gently.
"No. I just want to think."
"You sure?"
"Positive Percy." Her voice had an edge to it, warning me her mood swings were about to kick in.
"Got it," I muttered, walking away.


Lexis

"Octavian's back," Percy said, sitting back down. I felt the blood drain from my face.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my eyes wide with fear.
"Gaea has a good grip on the Doors of Death right now. She can bring back anyone from the dead," Percy said, his face serious.
I felt Leo squeeze my hand, but was too numb to squeeze back. The boy who tried to kidnap me could come back anytime.
"Lexie, you're pale. You alright?" Leo whispered in my ear.
"No...he can't be back," I muttered, staring at my plate.
"It's alright, he won't get you," Leo said, wrapping a protective arm around me.

I nod, then get up and go to his room. Maybe music would wash away my worries.

"Lexie, you shouldn't sleep like that." I opened my eyes. Leo was gently shaking me awake.
I sat up. My MP3 player had a dead battery now. I stretched, then layed down on the couch. By the look on Leo's face, he didn't approve of me sleeping on the couch, but I was too tired to move. Soon enough, I was asleep.

Chapter 26
Jason

"Octavian's back," Percy said as he sat down at the table.
"What do you mean?" Lexis asked, her face pale.
"Gaea has a good grip on the Doors of Death right now. She can bring back anyone from the dead," Percy said, his face serious.
Leo whispered something to her, and she whispered something back. After a few seconds, Lexis got up and left.

I groaned, then thought, This does not get any better, does it?
After a while, Leo left to go talk to Lexis. I was starting to get used to their relationship, but still found myself gritting my teeth over the thought of Leo kissing my sister.
Stop it! I chided myself. You and Piper kiss, and I bet some of her siblings don't like it!
I thought about it, and still couldn't get over the fact that Lexis was dating Leo. But they looked so perfect together...
Wait, did I just think that? I cursed under my breath, and Piper looked at me.
"Something wrong Jason?" she asked innocently.
"No, nothing wrong," I muttered. I could tell Piper didn't believe me, but she didn't press the issue.


I groaned as I sat down on my bed. I just got back from training with Piper, and she kicked my butt.
"Jason?"
"Piper? I thought you were in bed."
"Can I just come in? I don't like to talk to you through the door."
"Sure. What do you want to talk about?" I asked as Piper sat down next to me.
Piper leaned against my shoulder. "Your sister and Leo are perfect together. Don't break them up."
I put an arm around her. "I know. I'm just jealous."
"Don't be."
"I try not to."

Piper looked at me, then kissed me. I wrapped both my arms around her, leaning back against my pillow.
Piper sighed, then fell asleep.


Annabeth

I tossed and turned the whole night. Eventually, I got up and walked to the top deck. Nobody was there.
I sat down, thanking the gods I was alone. But it didn't last long.
"Annabeth?"
I turned around. "Hey Lexis. I thought you were asleep," I said, patting the spot next to me. She sat down, and I noticed her eyes were brimmed with red.
"You ok?" I asked. "You look like you've been crying."
"I had a small fight with Leo," Lexis said, looking down. "I don't know what to do. He's my boyfriend. I'm hopeless."
"No, you're not hopeless," I said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Give him some time to calm down, then go talk to him."
"But what if he doesn't want us to be together anymore?" Lexis asked, her voice trembling.
"Trust me, that won't happen. I've seen how he looks at you," I said.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"Thanks Annabeth," Lexis said, getting up. "I'm gonna go talk to him."
I nodded, then looked out into the ocean.


Lexis

When I left, Leo was really mad. I have no idea what he was mad about, but we got into an argument, and I stalked out of the room. I ran all the way to the top deck, and found Annabeth there.

So here I was, taking Annabeth's advice and talking to Leo.
"How come you're so mad?" I asked, grabbing his hand. Leo's hand began to get warmer and warmer, until I had to drop it.
"Ow!" I muttered, rubbing my hand.
"I'm sorry Lexie," Leo said. It was obvious he wanted to comfort me, but didn't want to burn me. His arms moved up, then immediately snapped back down to his sides.

I knew he could summon fire. I've seen him do it. But I never thought he would loose control like this and accidentally burn me.
I nodded to let him know it was ok. My hand was turning a light shade of pink.
"I'm so sorry Lexie," Leo said, this time wrapping his arms around me. His arms were warm, but a comforting warm. I felt a tear start to slide down my cheek.
"It's fine Leo," I said, resting my head on his chest.
"No, it's not! I burned you!" Leo said, taking his arms away.
"Leo! I'm fine! It doesn't even hurt!" I groaned, crossing my arms.
"Lexie, don't do this! I know it's hurting!" Leo said, grabbing my hand. He lightly pressed his hand against mine, and I winced.

He was right, it did hurt, but Leo didn't need to beat himself up about it.
"You need some ambrosia," he said, dragging me to the infirmary. I ate the square quietly, then walked back to his room. Leo was following me, his hand stuffed into his pockets, looking down.
I grabbed a blanket off the couch and layed on his bed, curled up. I moved to the farthest side of the bed.
Silently cursing Aphrodite in my head, I fell asleep. The last thought I had before I was haunted by nightmares was, I hate fighting with Leo.


Leo


I looked at Lexie, curled up on my bed. Whatever made me so mad earlier was making me regret it now. She was probably angry at me. I was mad about her trying to brush off the fact that I burned her, like it was no big deal.
I put my head in my hands. Why did I loose control of my emotions like that? I could've burned her worse than I did.
I groaned, then walked over to where her MP3 player was. It still had a dead battery, so I brought it to the control room and plugged it in. Just before I walked out, music started to play.

The way you move is like a full on rainstorm,
And I'm a house of cards.
You're the kind of reckless that should send me running,
But I kinda know that I won't get far.
And you stood there in front of me just,
Close enough to touch.
Close enough to hope you couldn't hear what I was thinking of.

Drop everything now,
Meet me in the pouring rain,
Kiss me on the sidewalk,
Take away the pain,
'Cause I see,
Sparks fly,
Whenever you smile.
Get me with those green eyes baby,
As the lights go down.
Give me something that'll haunt me,
When you're not around.
'Cause I see,
Sparks fly,
Whenever you smile.

My mind forgets to remind me,
That you're a bad idea.
You touch me once and,
It's really something,
You find I'm even better than you,
Imagined I would be.

I'm on my guard for the rest of the world,
But with you,
I know it's no good.
And I could wait patiently,
But I really wish you would,


Drop everything now,
Meet me in the pouring rain,
Kiss me on the sidewalk,
Take away the pain,
'Cause I see,
Sparks fly,
Whenever you smile.
Get me with those green eyes baby,
As the lights go down.
Give me something that'll haunt me,
When you're not around.
'Cause I see,
Sparks fly,
Whenever you smile.

I run my fingers through your hair,
And watch the lights go wild.
Just keep on keeping your eyes on me,
It's just wrong enough to make it feel right.
And lead me up the staircase,
Won't you whisper soft and slow.
I'm captivated by you baby,
Like a firework show.


Drop everything now,
Meet me in the pouring rain,
Kiss me on the sidewalk,
Take away the pain,
'Cause I see,
Sparks fly,
Whenever you smile.
Get me with those green eyes baby,
As the lights go down.
Give me something that'll haunt me,
When you're not around.
'Cause I see,
Sparks fly,
Whenever you smile.

When the sparks fly,
Oh, baby smile.
When the sparks fly...

I ran to my room. Lexis was sitting on the couch, waiting.
"Where's my MP3 player Leo?" she asked carefully.
"I'm charging it. I love you Lexie. Sorry about last night," I said, sitting down next to her.
Lexie looked confused for a second, then smiled. "It's fine," she said, putting her head on my chest.
I smiled, then got up for breakfast.

Chapter 27
Percy

I groaned as my alarm clock went off. Leo just had to install another one, didn't he?
I rolled over and hit the snooze button, then tried to fall back to sleep.
"Percy! Get up!"
"Annabeth, I want to sleep in," I groaned.
"Percy, we're in Rome!"
"Rome?! Already?" I asked, suddenly wide-awake.
"Yes, Percy! Come on!"

I jumped up and ran to the top deck. The scene I was looking at was devastating. One side of Rome was destroyed, while the other side was getting destroyed.

I looked to the left, the side that was destroyed. Waste land was all I saw. Brown grass replaced the green. Buildings were destroyed, and people were mourning over the large amount of people who were dead.
I looked at the other side; the right. Hundreds of monsters were attacking nonstop. Giants, empousa, hellhounds, everything.
I turned around and looked at Annabeth. Her face showed grief. I turned back to the scene in front of me. Storm spirits were arriving, and the humans were shouting something in Latin that I couldn't understand.

"They think it's a huge storm," Jason said. He'd just came up.
"We have to find a way to stop this," I said, resting my hands on the railing.
"I know, but how?" Annabeth asked, putting her hand on mine.
"Not a clue."

Third Person POV

Percy stood at the railing, thinking of a way to help the mortals that were running in terror, shouting. Annabeth stood next to him, thinking about the unfinished prophecy. Wisdom's daughter walks alone, The mark of Athena burs through Rome...
It was obviously only part of the prophecy. But what was the rest?

Annabeth hated not knowing things. Everyone knew that.

Leo was staring at the table. Nobody was here except him and Lexie, and they sat in uncomfortable silence. Very uncomfortable silence.

Hazel and Frank were bored half out of their minds. There was nothing to do at all. Suddenly, they heard a scream, then a yell, and dashed to the kitchen.

Leo was kneeling at a huge hole on the side of the boat, alone. Lexis was in the hands of one big giant.

Chapter 28
Jason

I heard a scream, then a yell and looked at Percy and Annabeth. We all seemed to be thinking the same thing; Who was that?
We ran to the kitchen; the scream seemed to come from there. Leo was kneeling down, fire dancing on his hair. Frank and Hazel just arrived, and Lexis was trying to get away from a huge giant.

Electricity shot down my spine. That was my sister. Nobody messes with my sister.
I felt someone grab my arm tightly. I looked down and saw Piper.
"Jason, we need to get the others to the Iris Message room. Now," she said, fear in her eyes.
"But Lexis-" I said, pointing to the girl dangling fifty feet in the air.
"Jason, we can't! Not right now!" Piper said. Something in her voice told me she wasn't lying.

Once everyone was in the Iris Messaging room, Rachel Elizabeth Dare sprouted a prophecy;
"The earth takes what the seven hold,
Daughter of skies held in the land of ice and cold.
The son of fire brings light to the prison,
And within the walls another enemy risen.
Although both sides will lose,
Love's mercy make sky and fire choose.
Wisdom's daughter walks alone,
The mark of Athena burns through Rome."

With that, Rachel fainted and two Apollo campers dragged her to the infirmary. The message was ended, and we all looked at each other.
"It's obviously about Lexis, Leo, Piper, and Annabeth," I said. "But what does this mean 'The earth takes what the seven hold'?"
"We'll have to find out, won't we?" Percy said, grabbing Riptide and uncapping it. "But first, let's find out what giant is holding Lexis."

Third Person's POV:

The seven demigods ran out to see the giant still holding Lexis.
"Who are you?" Leo shouted, fire dancing on his hair and hands.
"I am..."

Chapter 29
Jason

I heard a scream, then a yell and looked at Percy and Annabeth. We all seemed to be thinking the same thing; Who was that?
We ran to the kitchen; the scream seemed to come from there. Leo was kneeling down, fire dancing on his hair. Frank and Hazel just arrived, and Lexis was trying to get away from a huge giant.

Electricity shot down my spine. That was my sister. Nobody messes with my sister.
I felt someone grab my arm tightly. I looked down and saw Piper.
"Jason, we need to get the others to the Iris Message room. Now," she said, fear in her eyes.
"But Lexis-" I said, pointing to the girl dangling fifty feet in the air.
"Jason, we can't! Not right now!" Piper said. Something in her voice told me she wasn't lying.

Once everyone was in the Iris Messaging room, Rachel Elizabeth Dare sprouted a prophecy;
"The earth takes what the seven hold,
Daughter of skies held in the land of ice and cold.
The son of fire brings light to the prison,
And within the walls another enemy risen.
Although both sides will lose,
Love's mercy make sky and fire choose.
Wisdom's daughter walks alone,
The mark of Athena burns through Rome."

With that, Rachel fainted and two Apollo campers dragged her to the infirmary. The message was ended, and we all looked at each other.
"It's obviously about Lexis, Leo, Piper, and Annabeth," I said. "But what does this mean 'The earth takes what the seven hold'?"
"We'll have to find out, won't we?" Percy said, grabbing Riptide and uncapping it. "But first, let's find out what giant is holding Lexis."

Third Person's POV:

The seven demigods ran out to see the giant still holding Lexis.
"Who are you?" Leo shouted, fire dancing on his hair and hands.
(A/N using the Hyporborean giant from my other story. The giant is made up!)
"I am Jacques," the giant said, swinging a screaming Lexis back and forth until she looked green. "The king Hyporborean giant."

Annabeth groaned. Hyporborean? Seriously? she thought, trying to figure out the prophecy.

Leo on the other hand was busy trying to figure out how to get the giant to drop Lexis, but not kill her. Jacques had to be at least fifty feet high.
But the drop would kill Lexis. Jacques wouldn't just put her down, although that would be nice. Stupid giant.

Suddenly, the giant disappeared. "We'll see you in Alaska," was the last words the demigods heard before Jacques and Lexis were gone.

"We need a plan," Annabeth said, looking around. "The control room should be fine. Everyone meet there."
Leo was the last one to get there. Jacques took Lexis right after they fought.

Leo

I felt numb. Lexie was taken. Held as a hostage for Gaea to pick off each and every one of us.
But the prophecy had nothing to do with Piper, like we all originally thought. Love's mercy make sky and fire choose. Lexie and me choose what?

Chapter 30
Annabeth

I droned on and on for the battle plans, looming over a huge map of the area we were in. "Everybody got it?" I asked.
Six demigods nodded their heads, and we set out. Piper and Jason were to distract the monsters while the rest of us killed them. Soon enough, we would get to Alaska, then on to Greece to stop Gaea from taking out the gods there.

Percy and I crouched down and slowly made our way to the monster Piper and Jason were behind; a cyclopes.
"Hey, you big, ugly oaf!" Jason shouted. He threw a rock at the cyclopes and hit it in the back of the head.
"Grah?" The cyclopes turned around, a confused and angry expression on his face. "Gason Grace! Piper McLeeen! You pay! You hit me on head! You pay!" The cyclopes shouted. He lifted his club and ran at them, Piper screaming in absolute terror. Jason wrapped his arms around her and willed the air currents to lift them twenty feet into the air.
"No fair! I can't hit you up there!" the cyclopes shouted. He kept his eyes on Jason and Piper while Percy and I snuck up behind him.
Crunch.
I looked at Percy, who looked at the crumpled leaf under his foot.
"Grah?" Again, the cyclopes turned around. Before the cyclopes could react, Percy stabbed it in the middle. But as we watched, the cyclopes was already re-forming.
Percy cursed in a mixture of Ancient Greek and Latin. He waited until a hand was re-formed, then stabbed it. Percy kicked the remains of the cyclopes, scattering it.
"One down, five thousand to go," Percy said, glancing around.
Frank was a huge wolf again, attacking the monsters, taking five down at once. Hazel was busy throwing gems at the enemy, who foolishly thought she was giving them presents. In a matter of minutes, there was dust all over. The monsters Hazel killed stayed dead because her father was Pluto.
Leo was literally a fire storm. He had flames all over him, and was shooting the monsters with handfuls of fireballs.
Suddenly, everyone heard a scream. We all stopped what we were doing to see a strange monster behind Hazel, a sword in her stomach.
"HAZEL!" Frank yelled, running to her. He threw a dagger at the monster, then tried desperately to get Hazel to hang on to her lifeline. When it was obvious she wasn't going to make it, Frank was as bad as Leo.


By the time all the monsters were gone, it was a day later. We were exhausted. The Argo II was partially destroyed, and Leo was stressed to no end, pacing back and forth.

"How do we get to Alaska?" Piper asked, her face thoughtful. "It took us nearly a year to build this."
"Apollo could help us," Percy grumbled. "He has a freaking sun chariot."
Jason was deep in thought, looking almost as stressed as Leo.
Frank was in the corner, his eyes brimmed with red, looking devastated. He was muttering things like, "Hazel...gone..." and other things in Latin that were probably better left untranslated.

After an hour, the sun began to set. We heard a whispering noise outside, so we went out, our weapons ready. Nobody was there.
"Annabeth, look up," Percy said cautiously. I looked up, but saw nothing. Then, a star appeared, and another. When a hundred stars were there, I saw the silhouette of a woman.
"Nyx," I muttered. I barely saw the head turn towards us.
"Demigods, what do you need?" Her voice was like silk; soothing. The tension in the air left immediately.
"We need to get to Alaska now," I said. "To find our friend, Lexis Schell."
"Absolutely." The next thing we knew, we were standing in front of an ice/mud cage.
"LEO!"
Even though the cage muffled her voice, we could hear Lexis shouting. But her shouting sounded like a warning; run.
"Leo, no!" Lexis said, pounding on the cage.

Leo

I ran to the cage that was holding Lexie.
"Lexie!" I murmured, putting my hands on the cage. The ice began to melt, and Lexie was shouting frantically. Finally, a hand-shaped hole was formed, and Lexie shouted, "Behind you! Run, it's a trap!"
I turned around. Jacques was smiling evilly. Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Frank were the first ones to run. I quickly followed them, looking back at Lexie. She had a sad expression on her face, mixed with love.
I will save her. Stupid Jacques is not gonna kill her.


_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­__


Chapter 31

Leo

I groaned as I sat down on the cold, icy ground. I was seconds from getting Lexis back, mere seconds. But I couldn't.
I started cursing Jacques' name in my head. I hated him. He took Lexie from me.
The minute I was done cursing the giant, the temperature seemed to drop about twenty degrees. I felt my body temperature heat up and soon enough my hands had miniature flames on them.
Everyone huddled around me in attempt to keep warm. I lazily sat there, thinking about what to do about this prophecy. What was going to happen? Prophecies always had to be unclear, don't they?

I groaned, shoving my head into my hands. How much worse could this quest be?


Piper

I wanted to cheer Leo up. He was like my brother, and it hurt to see him like that. But the problem was, I couldn't cheer him up without charm speaking him, and I hated charm speaking people.
"Leo..." I muttered, glancing at him. He looked up, but his eyes were like black holes; there was nothing there except pain.
"Yeah?" he croaked. Even his voice was painful to listen to. That was bad.
"We'll get her back; promise," I said.
Leo nodded, then looked up into the sky. I think he muttered, "Jupiter, help me."
I leaned back against Jason's chest and started to close my eyes. Soon enough, I fell asleep.

Chapter 32
Lexis

I hate this giant, Jacques. He was sitting next to me, snoring all night. By the time I finally fell asleep, he shook the whole cage.
"You think your little 'boyfriend' will save you," Jacques sneered. "He ran away from you, the little coward."
"Leo is not a coward!" I shouted. "I told him to run!"
"You told him, eh? Then I bet he wouldn't mind not seeing you again," Jacques said, picking up the cage. I screamed, falling to the other side.
Crack.
My left arm was burning worse than my hand did when Leo burned it. I heard a scream, and it took me a second to realize it was me.
"You stupid giant! You broke my arm!" I screamed. The giant tossed the cage and I hit my head on the ice. Everything went black.


Leo

The sun peeked up from behind a hill. I glanced at the other five. Still asleep.
I groaned, thinking about Lexis. What was the giant doing to her? Torturing her?
I growled. The stupid giant better not hurt her...

Four hours later...

"Everyone ready?" Annabeth asked, looking around. We all nodded our heads, and we set back out the way we'd come.

The first thing I saw was the cage on it's side. With an unconscious Lexie lying on the bottom.
Her arm was bent at an unnatural angle. Her hair covered her face, and she was barely moving.
No, no, no, no, no...please move! I thought, looking at the unmoving figure. Lexie stayed still, her skin paling.
I glowered at the smirking giant.

"The coward comes back? Pity you'll die here," Jacques sneered.
"Pity you'll die here!" I shouted back. I was beyond angry. This giant hurt Lexie.
"Leo..." Piper's voice warned.
I ignored her and tried to run to the cage. Biggest mistake of my life.
A huge force slapped me backwards, and I hit my head on ice. "Uh ba da..." I muttered, taking in my surroundings groggily.
I looked around, then groaned. Piper was sitting next to me trying to get me to eat a square of ambrosia. I gladly took it, then stood up and went into battle.

Percy and Annabeth were already fighting the giant. Frank, Jason and Piper were try to distract the giant, and failing miserably. My only goal was to get Lexis back.
I ran to the cage and tried to get the ice to melt like I did yesterday. In fifteen minutes, the cage had a tiny hole in it. I gritted my teeth and tried harder. Same result.
Stupid giant...

I turned around and ran into battle. There was nothing I could do with this giant still here. He was deliberately keeping the cage frozen.
I grabbed a hammer out of my tool belt and lit it on fire. I threw it at the giant, making sure it hit his knee.
The giant stumbled, then sneered at me. I glowered at him, grabbing another hammer, lighting it on fire.
"So, the coward comes back?" Jacques sneered.
"Coward? Me? Not today buddy," I said, throwing my hammer at the giant. It hit his other knee, and the giant threw the biggest snowball in my life at me.

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­_


Chapter 33
Lexis

I groaned as I sat up. Then, feeling a sharp pain in my arm, I layed back down.
My arm was bent backwards. Seeing it, I felt puny. My stomach lurched, and I looked up.
Leo.
He was shouting something at Jacques, then threw something flaming at his knee.
I screamed when Jacques threw the snowball. Leo stood still, and at the last minute burst into flames.
I screamed louder, forgetting about his fire powers. When I calmed down, I was mad. Beyond that. The stupid giant was trying to kill my friends.
The temperature dropped. Leo's flames flickered, but other than that, nothing happened.
Except the huge, dark cloud looming over Jacques. A lightning bolt that was too big to be mine hit Jacques over the head as a smaller one barely shocked him.
Thank Jupiter! I thought. He'd helped me! A giant can only die when a god and a demigod are working together...

Leo turned around and made a beeline to me. He pressed his hands against my cage, slowly melting it. Too slow.

"Leo, Leo, Leo," a woman's voice chided. He turned around and hissed one name:
"Khione."


Piper

I knew things were going to go downhill from here. We could beat a giant, but a goddess?
I glared at the snow goddess. We'd had a hard enough time getting her to go away before, and now she was back.

An ice dagger slowly formed in Khione's hand. "It's a pity you'll die here Leo Valdez," she purred, slowly making her way to Leo. "You could join us and leave your friends. Little Lexie can come with you. Once Gaea rules, you two can be her king and queen!"
Leo cringed when Khione used Lexis' nickname. His eyes seemed to blare, and a flame of fire burst to life in his hand.
"I don't think we want that, do we Lexie?" he said, melting a hole into the cage.
"Never in my life! The most Gaea is going to do is-"
Khione chose to ice over the hole Leo made at that minute.
"Ignorant children!" she shrieked. "What have the gods done for you? Nothing! They ignored you until you were 'important'! You will never be ignored once Gaea rules!"
"Right. And I'll believe that why?" Leo asked, sarcasm dripping in his voice.
"You can have your mother back," Khione murmured, now standing behind Leo. Her ice dagger was held tightly against his throat, daring him to reject the offer.
Leo stiffened. Tension was rolling off everybody's shoulders.
Suddenly, the dagger melted. But just as quickly, another one formed. The pattern went on and on like that until the cage behind Leo was half melted.
Leo glanced at us. Annabeth nodded, then whispered, "Get. Her. Out. Of. The. Cage," slowly and quietly.
I looked at Jason, showing my fear in my eyes. What if Khione knew what we were doing, but decided to let us in the cage only to trick us and trap us in?
Jason's face seemed determined. He held up three fingers and muttered, "Three...two...NOW!"
Leo glanced up, then bust into flames, burning Khione.
"You little-" she cried, covering herself in show. Steam rolled off her, covering her eyes as we helped Lexis out of the cage.

"Arm, broken," she gasped as soon as we got her to a place far enough from Khione, but close enough that one of us could get her at a moment's notice.
I grabbed for the ambrosia, but Leo beat me to it.
"Here, eat this," he said softly, handing her the godly food.
Lexis took it and her arm slowly fixed itself. A bruise above her eye disappeared, and she looked like she was ready to take on an overly drama goddess.
"Let's get Khione," Lexis hissed, getting up. She grabbed an extra dagger that seemed to appear out of nowhere and ran at the goddess, Leo close behind her.


Third Person's POV:

Percy looked like a tiny wave compared to Leo and Lexis. They attacked from every way, using both Roman and Greek fighting styles, overwhelming the goddess. Soon enough, all the demigods were attacking her.
Khione threw a dagger blindly, then disappeared. The demigods looked over to the victim; Frank.
It was in his shoulder. But that didn't stop the pain he felt. Frank cursed the snow goddess in his head, ripping the ice out of his arm. First Hazel dies, now this?
Frank howled in pain, then let Piper take over. She gave him some ambrosia, seeing as the nectar was frozen, then wrapped his wound up in gauze.
"Keep that on for about fifteen minutes," Piper said, patting the arm a little.
Frank winced, then sat up. "Where to now?"
Percy looked up around, knowing the answer, but dreading it. "Rome. We go to Rome."

Before anybody could react, a large shape swooped out of the sky and grabbed a screaming Lexis.
"MY ARM, YOU STUPID BIRD! LET ME GO!"
The griffin snorted, but continued to carry Lexis. Leo wanted to do something so bad to the monster, but the chance of hitting Lexie was too big. More questions bugged him; what would happen to Lexie once the bird was dead? Could she fly like Jason and not die?

Piper stood next to Leo, watching him carefully. She couldn't let Lexis die on him; they were too perfect together. But how to save her?

Suddenly, she got an idea. "Bob! Bob the Griffin!" she shouted, using her charm speak.
The others looked at Piper like she was crazy, but she didn't care. Bob the Griffin was watching her.
"Bring the girl you're carrying back!" Piper shouted, still charm speaking the monster.

Chapter 34
Third Person POV:

Surprisingly, Bob the Griffin brought Lexis back to the group of demigods. As soon as Lexis was on the ice, Leo rushed forward. He lobbed a fireball at the griffin, then kissed Lexis.

Percy

Watching Leo kiss Lexis was...uncomfortable. I cleared my throat and Leo looked up, his expression annoyed.
"What?"
"We have a world to save. But how do we get back to Rome?" I asked, glancing at Annabeth.
A plan seemed to be in her eyes. "Jason, have you ever tried to travel by lightning?" she asked, her face serious.
"Um, no. Why?" Jason asked cautiously.
"Take everyone but me and Percy with you, back to Rome and the Argo II. Percy and I have our own way to get there."
"Fine. I'll try."

After a minute, Piper, Jason, Frank, Lexis, and Leo were all gone.
"So, how do we get there?" I asked, amused.
"Have you forgotten about Mrs. O'Leary already?" Annabeth asked.
My eyes widened. Oh crap. She's probably going to tackle me.

None the less, I put my fingers to my mouth and whistled. I waited a few minutes, and was about to whistle again when something huge and black slammed into me.
"Mrs. O'Leary," I groaned. In minutes, I was covered in monster drool.
"HEEL! HEEL!" I was shouting, trying to get her off of me. "HEEL MRS. O'LEARY, HEEL!"
I looked at Annabeth for help. She stood, smirking.

By the time Mrs. O'Leary calmed down, I was soaked in hellhound drool.
"Ready to shadow-travel to Rome?" I asked her. Mrs. O'Leary howled, not liking the idea.
"Oh, come on, Nico will be there, somewhere," I said. The minute I said Nico's name, Mrs. O'Leary's head perked up. She was wagging her tail and jumping up and down, causing a tiny earthquake.
Don't ask; Mrs. O'Leary has a weird little friendship with Nico.

Once she calmed down again, I helped Annabeth climb on top of her, then climbed in front Annabeth and said, "We need to get to Rome, where the Argo II is."

I think Annabeth screamed the whole time. When we finally arrived at the Argo II, her grip on me was practically cracking my ribs.
"Can't breathe," I murmured.
She unwrapped her arms from around my waist and jumped off of Mrs. O'Leary.
"Sorry."
I grinned and climbed off of the hellhound.
"Ella found friends for Tyson."

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­__

Chapter 35
Leo

"Ella found friends for Tyson."

I looked at Lexie, who looked at me, wide-eyed.
"Ella? Is Ella a harpy?" she asked panicky.
"Yeah, but how do you...?" I asked, letting my sentence trail off.
"Octavian wants her so bad, he ordered us to bring her to him immediately, the second we find her," Lexis said, gripping my arm.

I groaned. Octavian.
"Octavian won't get her. Period," I said, looking strait ahead.

I could only hope.

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­_

Chapter 36
Lexis

"Octavian won't get her. Period," Leo said, looking at me in the eye.
I swallowed hard and nodded. Something moved behind Leo. "Hold still," I breathed, just barely loud enough for him to hear. Leo watched me from the corner of his eye, puzzled, as I slowly made my way around him. I saw one person, the one person I absolutely hated. My cousin, Josie, daughter of Neptune. Well, I didn't hate her, we just never, ever got along.

"Josie," I hissed. "How did you get here?"
"Same way you got here. Pegasus."

I groaned. Of course she saw me. I backed up until I reached Leo and grabbed his hand. Josie sneered at our intertwined fingers.
"Got a boyfriend now, do you?" she snarled.

I flinched, then glared at her. "Yes. Why does it matter to you?"
Josie rolled her eyes. "Don't you think he's like the other boys? The two that left you for some other pretty girl, then try to come back to you? I'm surprised you still trust boys," she said venomously. "Remember Jake? And Gabe?"

Leo isn't like them...he won't leave me... I thought, gripping his hand. But even then, my confidence was crumbling. But what if he will? Once this war is over, and he doesn't want me anymore?
"I remember them," I growled, glaring at my cousin. "Why?"
"Just remember what boys can do," Josie growled back. She ran to the other side of the boat and jumped off. There was a splash, but I knew she was still alive. She's Neptune's child, for Zeus' sake.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, but I ignored it and ran to the closest room; mine and Leo's. I could hear Leo trying to catch up with me, but not making it.
I ran into our room and locked the door. I slid down, shaking. Leo pounded on the door, but I didn't unlock it. I had only two other boyfriends; Gabe and Jake. And I regretted trusting them.

"Leo, I need some time alone," I said, putting my hand on the door that separated us. I could almost feel his hand on the other side.
"Lexie, whatever Josie said about those other two boys, I won't hurt you. I'll be on the top deck."
"Ok. Love you."
"Love you too Lexie."

Chapter 37
Lexie

I listened to Leo's footsteps as he walked down the hall. Suddenly, I got an idea.

"LEO!" I shouted, running after him, my MP3 player in my hand. "LEO!"
He turned around, an amused expression on his face. "Yeah?"
"I want to sing a song to you," I gasped, holding up my MP3 player.
"What song?"
"Perfect by Pink."

Leo smiled. He led me to the sword arena, and luckily, nobody was there. Leo locked the door, then led me to a chair.

Sitting across his lap, I started the song.


Made a wrong turn,
Once or twice,
Dug my way out blood and fire.
Bad decisions,
That's alright.
Welcome to my,
Silly life.

Mistreated,
Misplaced,
Misunderstood,
Miss, no way it's all good.
It didn't slow me down.
Mistaken,
Always second guessing,
Underestimated,
Look, I'm still around.

Pretty, pretty please,
Don't you ever, ever feel,
Like you're less than,
Less than perfect.
Pretty, pretty please,
If you ever, ever feel,
Like you're nothing,
You are perfect,
To me.

You're so mean,
When you talk
About yourself,
You are wrong.
Change the voices,
In your head,
Make them like you
Instead.

So complicated,
Look how big you'll make it,
Filled with so much hatred,
Such a tired game.
It's enough,
I've done all I can think of,
Chase down all my demons,
See you do the same,


Pretty, pretty please,
Don't you ever, ever feel,
Like you're less than,
Less than perfect.
Pretty pretty please,
If you ever, ever feel,
Like you're nothing,
You are perfect,
To me.

The whole world stares while I swallow the fear,
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer.

"Is not," Leo muttered, kissing my cheek lightly. I smiled and continued to sing.

So cool in lying,
And we tried, tried tried,
But we tried too hard,
It's a wast of my time.
Done looking for the critics,
Cuz they're everywhere,
They don't like my genes,
They don't get my hair,
Strange ourselves,
And we do it all the time.

Why do we do that?
Why do I do that?
Why do I do that?

Yeahhh.
Ooh, pretty, pretty, pretty,
Pretty pretty please,
Don't you ever ever feel,
Like you're less than,
Less than perfect.
Pretty pretty please,
If you ever ever feel,
Like you're nothing,
You are perfect,
To me.

Yeahhh.
You're perfect.
You're perfect to me.
Pretty pretty please,
If you ever ever feel,
Like you're less than,
You are perfect,
To me.


I looked right at Leo when I said that last verse. He was smiling at me.
"Thanks Lexie," he said, kissing me. I smiled into the kiss and felt him smile too.
"I meant it."


When we came out of the arena, Percy was waiting impatiently.

"Why was it locked?" he shouted.
I looked at Leo and smiled. "'Cuz."
Percy rolled his eyes and walked in, slamming the door behind him. I looked at Leo and we both laughed. We could hear Percy slicing through the dummies.

"Race you to the top deck," Leo said, smiling.
"Ok. I'm gonna win."
"Are not."
"Are too!"
"Three...two...one...GO!"

I was winning until Leo barely ran ahead of me. We were just about to get too the top deck...

"OOF!"

Four kids were sprawled out on the top deck. Two were laughing hysterically while the other two were glaring at them.
In other words, me and Leo were in hysterics while Piper and Annabeth were glaring at us.

"Why were you two running?" Annabeth growled.
"We were racing!" I said, grabbing Leo's hand.
"On the ship?"
"Exactly!"

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "Why are you two so happy all of a sudden?"
"What are you taking about?"
"You two were so gloomy earlier, and now you're...happy. I'm getting suspicious."

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing to get 'suspicious' about, Annie," I muttered. I pulled Leo up and ran away from Annabeth, who was giving me a death glare that could be worthy of Hades.

"What do you want to do?" Leo asked as we collapsed onto the couch.
I curled up next to him. "Nothing really. We could listen to music."
Leo smiled and grabbed my MP3 player, searching through my music. After a while, he tossed it on the table. I could see the boredom in his eyes.
"There's nothing to do!" he complained after about two seconds of silence.

I grinned. "We could dance," I murmured.
"One problem - I can't dance."
"We could wrestle."
"You would lose in three seconds."
"Really, you think so?"
"Yep."
"Let's do it."

Five minutes later....

I laughed, sitting on top of Leo's chest, pinning his arms down with my hands.
"I win," I mused.
"Not fair," he muttered.

I smirked and got off of him. "Was totally fair," I said, offering him my hand.
"Whatever." Leo grabbed my hand and I pulled him up. I looked into his brown eyes and was about to kiss him when the ship jerked sideways with a big BANG!

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___

Chapter 38
Lexis

I screeched as I slammed into the wall. What was going on? Why did the ship just jerk to the side like that?
Leo helped me stand back up and we ran to the top deck.

It was covered in monsters. Frank was unconscious, Percy was covered in scratches, and Annabeth was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Annabeth?" I asked Leo, looking around frantically.
"Remember the Mark? She can't battle anymore, she'll pass out!" Leo shouted over the racket.
"Oh yeah...We should help them..." I muttered, running off.

In five minutes, all the monsters were gone. The deck was covered in dust, and Frank was being carried to the infirmary.

Percy went somewhere below deck to find Annabeth. That left me and Leo.
"This was an...eventful day," I muttered, grabbing his hand. "I wish we could have a chance at having a normal life. No monsters...No gods...just a normal life."
"But if there were no gods, then we wouldn't have met."
"Okay, but just the exception of the gods. No monsters."
"Yeah, I wish. I've gotta go make dinner," Leo said, kissing me lightly.
I sighed, then let go of his hand. "Ok..."

I wandered around the ship aimlessly. What to do...
I was starting to get bored. I walked to Jason's room and knocked on the door lightly.
"Jase?"
He opened the door. "Oh, hey Lexis."
"I'm bored."
He chuckled, then gestured for me to come in. Piper was sitting on one of the two beds, looking as bored as I was.
"Hi Piper."
"Hi Lexis."

There was silence after that. Jason was sitting next to Piper, fiddling with his thumbs.
"So...what do you want to do?" he asked, looking between me and Piper.
We both rolled our eyes. "If we knew what we were going to do, we'd be doing it!" Piper said, shoving Jason slightly.
He smiled a little bit, then ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm guess you're right..." he muttered.

More uncomfortable silence. I looked out the window and started to feel nauseous. We were in the water.
I turned my head back to Piper and Jason. My brother was a light shade of green.

"This is your captain speaking. Dinner is ready."
Piper stood up, then literally dragged Jason out. "You better come out too, Lexis!" she shouted.
I stood up and followed them. Jason was arguing with Piper about not needing to be dragged, and I had to use the wall for support.

I finally stopped trying to get to dinner and slid down the wall. I felt weak and puny, and I hated it.
I put my head in between my knees. The room seemed to be spinning.

After a few moments, I heard footsteps. "Lexie?"
Leo sat down next to me. "You ok?"
"No. I don't want dinner. It might not stay down," I muttered, leaning against Leo's side. He wrapped his arm around me, and we sat there in silence.
"LEO! LEXIS! GET UP HERE AND EAT SOMETHING!" Percy's voice blared.

I flinched. Why did he have to yell?
"NO!" I shouted back.
"DON'T MAKE ANNABETH COME DOWN THERE AND GET YOU!"

I looked at Leo questionably. "Annabeth's not in a very good mood right now," he muttered.
"Well, if that's the case, we should probably go then."
"That would be a good idea."

By the time we got to the kitchen, Annabeth was about to come get us.
I sat down, but didn't eat anything. The soup Leo made looked delicious, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat it.

I helped Leo clean the dishes, then went to our room and layed down. After a while, Leo came in. I was shivering, even though it was hot.
"I h-hate the water," I muttered, before falling asleep.

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­__

Chapter 39
Annabeth

I shoved my spoon into my soup. There was nothing to do. I was bored, and my mood-swings were kicking in. Lexis and Leo were already gone to who-knows-where, and it was waaaaay to quiet.

Finally, I just got up. Nobody protested as I walked out of the room and ran to mine. I'd made one decision. It could be fatal, or it could be helpful. But I had to do this alone.


Percy

I watched as Annabeth walked out. Something told me to stop her, but I felt as if I couldn't move. Finally, I stood up and ran to her room to find her packing a camp backpack.
"Annabeth?"

She turned around. "Percy, don't stop me. Please. I have to do this."
Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "What?"
"Remember the prophecy? Wisdom's daughter walks alone, The mark of Athena burns through Rome. I'm wisdom's daughter. I have to go!"
I stared at her in shock. "No...No, Annabeth not now!" I muttered, running to her. I grabbed her shoulders, trying not to except her choice.
"I have to Percy! You can't stop prophecies, remember? I'll see you as soon as I can." With that, she closed up her backpack, slung it on her shoulder and kissed me lightly. I watched as Annabeth ran out of the room and followed her to the top deck.

She whistled loudly, and I realized what she was doing the second before it happened.

THUMP!

"You're not doing this. Please," I murmured, keeping her pinned to the deck.
Hey Boss.
"Percy, let me go," Annabeth growled, glaring at me.
"No, please," I pleaded, a small tear falling off my cheek and landing on hers.
"I have to go," Annabeth muttered, turning her head away from me.

I finally got off her. Annabeth got up and walked over to Blackjack, easily getting on him.
I watched as they flew off, and made one decision.

This was not going to be the last time we went to Rome.

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­___

Chapter 40
Annabeth

I wiped a tear from my cheek as I told Blackjack where to go. He neighed, and I assumed he was listening. He'd better be listening.

Percy

I walked back to the others numbly. She was gone. Again.
I stared at Piper and Jason, jealousy pounding through my veins. Why did they get a perfect relationship? Couldn't me and Annabeth have one too, or was that to much to ask for?

I cursed Aphrodite in my head. She'd said she'd make our relationship hard.
Gritting my teeth, I walked to my room. I fell onto my bed and rolled over. What was I going to tell everyone? Hey, guys, we have to go to Rome again...

I grunted, then looked out of my window. Where was she now? Was she being attacked? Was she safe?
What if...

I glared at the ceiling. Making my final choice, I ran up to the top deck where everyone was.

"We have to get to Rome. Now," I said, glaring at Leo.
"But my ship! We spent half a year building this! NOOOO!" Leo shouted, waking a not-so-happy Lexis.
"Leo, my girlfriend just went to Rome because of this stupid prophecy. We. Are. Going," I growled, glaring at him more.
"Fine, fine. No need to be a crab-apple about it!" Leo said, getting up.

I followed Leo as he ran to the control room. "Seriously dude? You have a GPS?" I asked, looking at the machine.
"Sure," he shrugged, like it was no big deal.
"WE CAN'T BE NEAR TECHNOLOGY YOU MORON!" I shouted, making him flinch.
"NO NEED TO SHOUT, YOU MORON!"
I rolled my eyes. "Why is there technology anyway?" I asked, looking at it cautiously.
"No need to worry. Celestial bronze surrounds this whooooole room," Leo said, turning in a full circle.

Just as he said that, the something landed on the top deck with an audible thump.
"Not again," Leo groaned.
We ran to the top deck. What we saw surprised us more than anything.

Chapter 41
Annabeth

"Chiron, you need to send as many campers to the Argo II ASAP!" I said, frantically trying to convince him.
Chiron sighed. "Fine. Where is it?"
I thought for a second. "Over the Atlantic Ocean? Somewhere in that area."
Sighing, Chiron looked at the fountain used for Iris Messaging. "Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean?" he mused. He grabbed a drachma and tossed it in. "Oh, Iris goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering and show me Percy Jackson," Chiron muttered. (A/N - did I do the IM thingy right?)
The water shimmered. Percy was glaring at a stubborn-looking Leo, practically yelling.
"-stupid prophecy. We. Are. Going," he growled, glaring at Leo more.
"Fine, fine. No need to be a crab-apple about it!" Leo said, getting up.

Percy followed him down the stairs and out of sight. "Jason!" Chiron yelled, getting his attention. Luckily, I was out of his sight.
"Oh, hey Chiron!"
"Where are you guys?"
"You set up an Iris Message. You would know, right?"
"Not exactly, my boy. Just tell me where you are exactly."
"Uh...the middle of the Atlantic."
Chiron sighed. "I'll try to have them find you quick enough. Be prepared for some company."
"Good company, right?"
"Yes."

With that, Chiron waved his hand through the IM. Jason's face faded and I walked out of the shadows.
"Thank you Chiron. I have to go now," I said, turning around.
"Annabeth, one more thing," Chiron said.
"What?" I asked, turning to face him.
"Stay safe."
"I will. Promise."


Percy

I looked at Leo and we raced to the top deck. But instead of seeing monsters, I was greeted by a very familiar, "Hey Prissy."

"Clarisse. What are you guys doing here?" I asked, glancing around. About ten campers were here; Clarisse, the Stoll brothers, Chris Rodriguez, Jake Mason, Katie Gardener, Mitchell from the Aphrodite cabin, Will, Grover, and a girl I didn't know.

I looked at the girl. I assumed she was an Aphrodite kid because she was undoubtedly pretty. But I still preferred my Wise Girl.
"Hey, I'm Percy Jackson," I said, holding out my hand.
"I'm Krissie," the girl said. "Daughter of Hades."

My hand dropped then and there. DAUGHTER OF HADES?!?!
I looked at her again, my expression blank. Her hair was black. She wore a black shirt, black jeans, and black boots. Krissie looked just like Nico when it came to her clothes.
The only thing different was her eyes.

They were the same kind of eyes Siberian huskies sometimes have; a strange blue-ish color.



Here's a picture of a Siberian husky: look at the eyes and you'll see the color of Krissie's eyes!

Chapter 42
Annabeth

I jumped onto Blackjack. "Hey boy," I said, rubbing his neck. "I know you're probably getting tired, but we need to get to Rome. Really fast."
Blackjack neighed and started running. In minutes, we were flying.

I looked at the lake. Just seeing it made my heart break into a million pieces. Percy.


Jason

"I'm Krissie, daughter of Hades."
My jaw dropped the same time Percy's hand fell. HADES? DAUGHTER OF HADES?

I looked at Piper. "Do you believe her?" I whispered.
"I don't know...It just seems suspicious. Her eyes aren't black," Piper whispered back, glaring at Krissie.
"But if Chiron sent her..."
"Still. Don't trust her."

I nodded, then turned my attention back to the group. This was going to be interesting.


Percy

I didn't feel like trusting Krissie. Something told me not to...but Chiron sent her, so she must be alright...

I sighed and looked at her again. Blue eyes...

Everything about her appearance were Hades-like. The things children of Hades would wear. Black.
Everything but her eyes. They seemed...mysterious.

I glanced at Frank. He looked just as wary as I felt. I tilted my head slightly towards Krissie as if to ask, Trust her or not?
He shook his head. I looked at Jason and Piper. They were whispering just loud enough for me to hear them.

"But if Chiron sent her..."
"Still. Don't trust her."
Jason nodded. I looked at him in the eye and tilted my head towards Krissie. Trust?
Jason shook his head.
Leo seemed to see the whole thing and shook his head, too.
Nobody trusted her. That was obvious. So how do we get her off the ship?

"I'll show you guys around," I said, motioning for them to follow me.

Two hours later...

"And this is the kitchen. Hey, look, it's dinner time!" I said, running to my chair.
Nobody sat next to me. I wouldn't let them take Annabeth's chair, whether she was here or not.

"I'll be in the sword arena if anyone needs me," I said, getting up.

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­__

Chapter 43
Chiron

I made my way to the Hermes cabin, just to make sure Connor and Travis were gone with the rest of them.
"Connor? Travis?" I called into the cabin.
"Chiron?" Connor.
"What are you two still doing here?!"
"We were never told we had to leave..." Travis.
"Then who's with..." I wandered aloud, quickly galloping out.


Krissie

I smiled as I watched the old centaur gallop out of the Hermes cabin. I was watching through an IM, making sure Chiron never knew who took the Stoll's place.
That would be me.

I slashed through the IM as I heard footsteps make their way down the stairs and hastily hide in an old closet.
I gently pushed the door to the closet open, careful not to make a sound. Percy and Jason were talking in hushed voices.

"-get rid of her. Now," Percy said, looking around warily.
"But how?" Jason asked.
"I don't know yet..."

With that, they trudged back up the stairs.

They were planning on getting rid of me. I wasn't going away that easily.
They were going to have to try a lot harder if they wanted me to go away.

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­_

Chapter 44

Annabeth

I gazed over the familiar land of a destroyed city. Rome. But this wasn't going to be the only city destroyed. We were supposed to hold the main war in Greece.
"You can set me down there, Blackjack. We're gonna take a few hours before we start flying again," I said, pointing to an area that had somehow managed to survive the fight. It was a large area full of trees.

Blackjack neighed nervously. I had a feeling that we shouldn't really go down there, but we had to stop soon, and that was the only covered area that would protect us. Blackjack was getting tired. I started to feel bad for making him fly this long, but we had to get to Rome...


Percy

I walked around with boredom. Since Annabeth was gone, there was nothing to do. Frank was still mourning Hazel's death, and once we found Nico, he was probably going to kill me a thousand times...

Sighing, I looked around, subconsciously aware of someone watching me. Stalking me, even.
But I didn't see anyone. Frowning, I turned back to walking down the hall. Just when I got to my room, I grabbed the doorknob. Before I could walk into the room though, something slammed into me.

"HOLY ZEU-!" I yelled. Something was stuffed into my mouth, and everything went black.


Leo

"HOLY ZEU-!"
I looked up from Lexis' sleeping face. I was positive that was Percy's yell.
"L-L-Leo?"
I looked down. Lexis was trying to stifle a yawn, and was failing.
"Hmm?"
"Who yelled?"
"Let's go find out."

I grabbed her hand and we ran out to the top deck. It was deserted.
I looked at Lexie. The only time the top deck was deserted was when it was night. And it was definitely not night.

We raced to the second floor. Once again, deserted. I looked at Lexie and we made a silent agreement.

Someone who wasn't supposed to be on the ship was.
"Krissie," we whispered at the same time.


We ran back to my room. "Stay in here," I muttered.
"No," Lexis said stubbornly.
"Lexie...please?"
"Leo..."
"Lexie. Please."
"Fine. But if you're not back in five minutes, I'm coming to get you."
I gave her a half-smile. "I'll be back. Don't worry."

With that, I raced off to find Krissie.

"Where's Percy?" I snarled, slamming her against the wall. She looked at me with wide, innocent eyes.
"What do you mean?" she asked, blinking.
"Percy's gone!" I yelled, glaring her down. She didn't even flinch.
"When did this happen?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
"Just a minute ago!"
"Well, why are you yelling at me and not looking for him?!" Krissie shouted, glaring at me.

I growled, but ran off to find him. Maybe Krissie didn't take him after all...
I ran back to my room. Lexis was pacing, looking stressed. "She didn't take him," I said, dropping to my knees. I was out of breath from running all the way here.
"Then who did?" Lexie asked, rubbing small,soothing circles on my back.
"I don't know."

And that was only the beginning of the chaos that was soon to begin.

Chapter 45
Annabeth

I sighed as we landed on the green grass. Why was this the only area with grass?
Looking around, I noticed something out of place. It was a small, child's doll. What was it doing here?
I walked over to it and just as I reached down, something caught on my foot.

I screamed as I felt myself fly up. Great, now I'm upside-down.

"Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth. I thought you were smarter than that," a voice from the shadows said.
"Octavian," I spit out, glaring in the direction of the voice.


Percy

I groggily opened my eyes. Everything was blurry for a few seconds, then my vision cleared up. I was in a bright room that was white. I was chained to the wall. There was a key just out of my reach, and it was right in front of me. More importantly, there was a girl standing to my left.

"Annabeth?" I asked, trying to see who it was. She was standing right in front of a light bulb, so I couldn't see her.
"Nope. Guess again Percy."
I gritted my teeth. "Krissie."
"Correct! Wow, Perseus Jackson finally got something right!"

I growled, then tried harder to get the stupid key. "So...close..." I groaned.
"But yet so far away," Krissie said, moving the key back and forth with her foot.
"Go...to...TARTARUS!" I yelled, still trying to get the key.
Krissie leaned down until her face was inches from mine. "Make me," she growled.
"It won't work," a voice said from my right.

Nico

I watched as Percy tried to get the key from Krissie. I'd already tried, and there was no way he was going to get it.
"It's not going to work," I said.

Percy stopped, then slowly turned his head turn his head to me.
"YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!" he yelled, glaring at me. "YOU KNEW WHO I WAS! AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!"
"Try not to bust my ear drums," I muttered, putting my hand over the ear that was closest to him.
"I'LL BUST YOUR EAR DRUMS IF I WANT!"
"Jeez, someone isn't happy."
"SHUT UP!"
"Fine, if you insist."
"SHUT THE HADES UP!"
"USE YOUR OWN FREAKING PARENT!"

At that point, Percy rolled his eyes. I looked around. "Where's everyone else?" I asked, staring at Percy.
"Nico, Hazel...didn't make it through the war in Rome," Percy said, looking down.
"No...no...not Hazel too," I muttered. It felt like my whole world just collapsed. First Bianca, now Hazel?
"What about everyone else?"
"Hopefully on the Argo II" Percy said, looking up. "But Annabeth's in Rome again. Because of a prophecy."
"Oh."

That was pretty much the end of our conversation.


_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­_

Chapter 46
Annabeth

"What do you want from me?" I growled, trying to pinpoint Octavian's position.
"You have the Mark of Athena," he mused, his voice behind me. I whipped around, but still couldn't see him.
"Yeah?"
"It's very valuable to us." Now his voice was on my right.
"You're point?"
"We need you."
"Who's 'we'?" I snarled.
"You know."
"No, I don't! Who is WE?" I shouted, losing my patience.
"We is Gaea's army."


Piper

I groaned as I sat up. The last thing I remember was someone shouting "HOLY Z-!" before everything went black.
I looked to a lump next to me. "Jason?" I whispered, prodding him with my finger.

"Whaz happening?" he muttered, groggily looking around. "Where iz we?"
"Control room I think," I muttered, standing up.

"PIIIIPERRRRR! JAAAAASOOOONNN! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?!"
I looked at Jason. "It sounds like Leo's trying to find us," I muttered, helping him up.
"Obviously."
"DOWN HERE!" I shouted back.
"WHERE?"
"HERE!"
"WHERE THE HECK IS HERE PIPER?!"
"Um...I DON'T KNOW! HERE IS HERE!"
"YOU ARE NOT HELPING!"
"SORRY REPAIR BOY!"
"WHATEVER BEAUTY QUEEN!"
"LEO!"
"YES MA'AM!"

I rolled my eyes at his remark. "We should probably get going Jason and find Krissie," I said, trying to find the exit.

After five minutes of trying to find it, we finally did. I opened the door quickly, and was not expecting Leo to be right there.

"OOOOWWWWW!"
"Oops! Sorry Leo!"
"THAT WAS MY HEAD!"
"Sorry! Um, do you know where Krissie is?" I asked, looking around.
"Nope, haven't seen her since the day Percy disappeared. She said she didn't take him, which I doubt," Leo said, rubbing the back of his head. "Cuz an hour later, she was gone."
"I see..." I muttered. "Where's Annabeth when you need her?"


Percy

I glanced at Nico again. He was asleep, so that was good.
He looked like he'd lost ten to fifteen pounds since his stay here at our stupid prison. We got very little food from Gaea's guards. It was terrible here.

My vision was getting fuzzy. My hands began to shake. I was getting extremely hungry again.
This sucked.

I waited an hour before the guard finally shoved the food in by an unknown window.
I ran over to the food and shoveled it into my mouth, then woke Nico.
He ate his share quicker than me. After, it was just an awkward silence.

Once again, I checked my pockets for Riptide, knowing it was useless. Krissie had taken my weapon. I grabbed a nearby rock and started carving what I had Leo put on Annabeth's promise ring so long ago.

Forever and Always

_________________________________________­___­___­___­___­___­___­___­___

Chapter 47
Annabeth

I growled as I realized there was no point in trying to find Octavian. He had my cap.

"How did you get it from my pocket?" I snapped, turning my head in the direction of several twigs snapping.
"I train hard," was the only response I got.

I narrowed my eyes. "I train hard too, Octopus."
"MY NAME IS OCTAVIAN, YOU FILTHY GREEK!" Octavian screamed. I flinched, then rolled my eyes.
"Can't you think of any more insults? It's irritating to listen to a Roman trying to insult me when he's using the same things over and over and over again. I thought Romans were supposed to be intelligent. As far as I can tell, this one isn't."

I could tell Octavian was glaring at me. "Glaring doesn't scare me," I said, rolling my eyes.
"W-w-what?" Octavian stuttered, taking off the cap. He was standing right in front of me, his ceremonial dagger in his hand. I spat in his face, and he flinched, then put his dagger to my throat.
"Do it again, and you won't see your precious boyfriend again," he growled.
I felt like a dozen needles stabbed my heart at that point.
"D-don't do it," I whimpered, fear finally sinking into my gut.

Octavian smiled cruelly. "Do what?" he asked, lightly tracing the dagger along my collar bone.
"You know what," I said, flinching at the cold metal.

Octavian smirked. "You're lucky Gaea wants you alive," he sneered. He brought his fist back, and the next thing I knew, everything went black.


Percy

I sat back into the white wall as I watched Nico sleep. His eyes flickered open, and he looked at me, wide-eyed.
"Are you a stalker?" he asked, backing up.
"No," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
"Just checking..."

A loud creaking noise ended our conversation. My head snapped to my right and I watched as an unknown door opened, then a girl with blonde, curly hair was thrown in. She hit the floor with a sickening crack!

I looked at Nico, who looked at me and pointed to the unmoving girl. "Do you think that's...?" he whispered, looking back at the girl.
I shakily stood up and walked over to her. I checked her pulse, and did everything I had to. No broken bones, and her heart was still beating. She might have a fractured bone, but nothing ambrosia couldn't fix. If we could get a hold of some.

Finally I turned the girl over. My blood ran cold at who she was.
The girl was Annabeth.

She had a huge bruise over her eye, and it was suspiciously shaped as a fist. I looked at her throat, noticing long, white marks. I concentrated on them and somehow managed to make out a name: OCTAVIAN.

I growled. He hurt her. And he was going to pay.
Even if it was the last thing I did.

Annabeth coughed. "Annabeth?" I whispered, stroking her hair lightly.
"Percy?" she answered weakly. "Why is it so bright? Where are we?"
"We're in a white room that Gaea uses as a prison for us. And Death Breath is right over there," I murmured, jerking my head towards Nico.
"HEY!" Nico yelled. Apparently he'd heard me.
"Yes?" I said, annoyance coating my voice.
"I AM NOT DEATH BREATH!"
"Says the boy who rises skeletons."
"Shuddup Percy."
"If you insist," I said, bending down and kissing Annabeth.
"PERCY! STOP IT!"
"No..." I muttered, not breaking away from her.
"PERSEUS!"
"Only my mom can call me that," I growled, finally pulling away from Annabeth.
"Uh oh..."

Chapter 48
Nico

"H-h-hey Percy? You know how I called you Perseus? Uh, yeah, I was just joking....Percy?" I said, backing up. Percy was looking at me murderously.
"Mmmhmmm...Sure," Percy said, sarcasm dripping in his voice.
"Annabeth? Help? Please!" I pleaded. She was sitting against the wall watching Percy corner me with amusement.
"Fine," she said, sighing. "Percy, I don't think it would be a good idea to murder Death Breath."

I gritted my teeth. Who came up with the name Death Breath?
"Fine. Call me that name again, and see what happens," Percy growled, walking back to his girlfriend.
"Thanks Percy," I muttered, leaning against the wall. Who knew Percy could get so mad over a name?

My thoughts were interrupted when Krissie walked in through the unknown door.

"Hello, filthy Greeks," were the first thing she said.
"You say it like you're not Greek," Percy snarled, glaring at her.
"I'm not," Krissie sneered back, smirking. "I'm Roman, and proud of it."
"Then your father isn't Hades."

Krissie face-palmed. "No, I thought my father was Zeus," she said sarcastically. "DUH my father isn't Hades. Why don't you figure this out, while remembering I'm a Roman, graecus." She held out her hand, and flames danced along her palm. Purple flames.


Percy

I started at the flames in shock. Purple? What the heck? I thought, glancing at Annabeth.
"Bacchus," she muttered. "Your father is Bacchus, the Roman version of Dionysus," she said, louder this time.

I looked back at the flames in Krissie's hand. Then I remembered when Mr. D had those purple flames in his eyes because of how mad I'd made him.

Greaaat. We have a daughter of Bacchus trying to kill us now.



Piper

I turned around, looking for Percy. I was sleeping, but it felt so real.
"PERCY!" I screamed, running into a forest. "PERCY!"

Where was he? I looked into the darkness of the forest. Squinting, I could see a figure. I ran to it, expecting Percy.

"Percy, I am so glad I found you, we-" I stopped mid-sentence. It wasn't Percy. It was Krissie.

"You won't find him," Krissie said, sneering.
"What have you done to him?" I growled, glaring at her.
"Oh, you'll find out soon," Krissie said, turning around. "If you ever see him again."

I jerked awake. Jason was still asleep, and Leo had his arms wrapped around Lexis.

I carefully got up and walked to the top deck. Nobody was there.

Turning around, I nearly ran into a middle-aged guy wearing a dark purple toga. He had cold, blue beady eyes that seemed to change to purple every so often. He had black hair that almost looked blue.

"Who are you?" I asked, staring at the strange man.
"Bacchus, the Roman god of wine," he said, staring coldly at me.

I flinched under his stare. "Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite," I squeaked, sounding like a mouse.

Bacchus rolled his eyes. "Can't you sound more...mature?" he asked, venom coating his voice.
I glared at the god. Who did he think he was?

"Excuse me?" I said, raising my eyebrow.
Bacchus stared at me, looking strait into my eyes. "Can't. You. Sound. More. Mature," he said slowly as if he were talking to a toddler.

I felt my eye twitch. He just said I was immature.

"PIPER?!"
I turned my head to Jason's voice. He sounded worried and concerned. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

I turned back to Bacchus. "I came to warn you. My daughter is keeping the one you seek," he said, turning to purple dust.

I felt lightheaded. 'My daughter is holding the one you seek'? As far as we knew, Krissie had Percy, and she was a daughter of Hades. How could she be a daughter of Bacchus?
But then again, they both had the same color of eyes...

Suddenly, the truth dawned on me. Krissie wasn't a daughter of Hades.
She was a daughter of Bacchus.

Why did we trust her? I thought as I ran back to the room everyone else were.

I slammed into something hard, then looked up. Jason was looking down at me, shock written all over his face.
"There you are," he muttered as he helped me stand back up.

"Jason, Krissie isn't a daughter of Hades," I said, looking behind me. I suddenly felt like we were being watched.
"Then who is her father?"
"Bacchus."

Are you still continuing it Aphrodite??

nope, I need someone else to continue this. I just moved the chappies here so Jojo could change da summary. But, if y'all want, I'll attempt to write 2 more chappies, so then I'll have 50 done :)

yah 2 more chapter before you leave

hehehe

i love u aphrodite1000
so nice

Yay!! You should do two more, Aphrodite :D just before you leave. Please? *puppy dog eyes*
^ Wait you love her? Haha I love her too :P 'Cause she's awesome like that xD and she's incredibly nice. :D
My gosh!!! Off topic!! Post two more, just two more! I will have somethig new to read and hold on to ;)
Post soon (if you are going to)!!! :D <333

so cool and i will cowrite this story with someone eles but someone needs to help me

ps will you mail me what you had in mind for the story so i dont mess it up and will happen the way you want it to

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE write 2 more chapters! Please! <33

THANK YOU SOO MUCH GUYS!!! <3 Y'ALL TOO! ok, so I'm gonna have a few more days to stay, depending on how long it takes Holli to post on her Forever forum -.- jk XD
so posting tomorrow maybe? ;)

LLN yeah I'm not gonna post on that until like, THE WEEKEND HEHE :D
Thank you for staying longer! <333333

^-.- jk XD LOL np, Holli XD <33 ya guys :D