Ugh, I know. I don't need a lecture. I can't believe I forgot to tell you guys I was going on a VEERRRYYYY long hiatus. But I'm back and I have another chapter of this already written and coming soon. And another chapter of Annabeth Says. So, just . . . here you go.

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Third Person

The five teenagers trudged through the never-ending cave, the only sound being the tiny water drips and Percy playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with Grover. They were sweating, tired, achy, and just a little bit dazed. They had been on this quest for two weeks, and with each passing day, their hopes of finding their fellow camper fell.

"Rock, paper, scissors," Percy and Grover chanted in unison. "Rock, paper, scissors." Percy grinned for about the seventieth time that day.

"Ha," he said, hitting Grover's scissors with his own rock. "Grover, you suck at this."

Grover shrugged. "Always have."

After two more days of walking aimlessly through the cave, looking for any sign of Katie, the fivewere just about ready to give up and head backto camp. They were prepared totell everyone that Katie had died and she couldn't be found. They had done everything they could, and now they were all set to announce to the whole camp that they had failed.

Nico groaned. "Okay, look! It's obvious we're never going to find her! I think we should just go to camp." Nico's crestfallen face showed he was being dead serious (no pun intended :D).

"What?" Thalia blurted, getting angrier by the second. "We are not going to give up now! We've gotten too far to quitnow!"

Annabeth looked between the two of them. "Nico, Thalia's right. We can't, not with how much is at stake."

Nico laughed, trying not to strangle the two girls. "Psh, of course you would side with her!"

Grover put a hand on Nico's shoulder. "Dude, calm down." Grover turned to the girls. "Maybe he's right. I mean, we've walked far enough to know that there is nothing here but rocks."

"No there isn't!" Thalia said. "What about that Hydra! The Hellhound! That clearly shows that something is here!"

Nico stepped forward, frustrated. "Yeah well, if you haven't noticed, we have been walking for two weeks! We've done nothing but fight off monsters! We're not making any progress. We're just getting deeper and deeper into the cave."

"Guys . . ." Percy started, not even paying attention to the fighting.

"Well, we have to at least find out what happened to Katie!" Annabeth yelled, trying to be heard over Thalia and Nico's bickering. "We can't just tell everyone we got tired! People are counting on us! Did you see Travis? He was heartbroken! Do you want him to be like that for the next seven years? Not pranking or joking? Just sulking around? Do you want to be responsible for killing the joy of him? And what about Katie's family? They deserve to know!"

"She's dead!" Nico insisted.

"We don't know that! What about you, huh? How would you feel if you never found out what happened to your mom? Or Bianca?"

"Guys . . ." Percy said, urgently. He was staring at the blackness in front of them.

Nico shook his head. "Don't bring my family into this! And some people don't like knowing things! We're not all stupid children of Athena!"

Annabeth pursed her lips. "You did not just go there." She pulled her knife out of her back pocket. "Let's see who's stupid once I cut your tongue off!"

Nico pulled out his Stygian Iron sword. "Bring it on, Blondie!"

Thalia and Grover frantically pulled the two apart to prevent any injuries.

"Guys!" Percy yelled, his voice boomed and echoed against the cave walls. The four immediately stopped, remembering their water-obsessed friend was still there. "Do you hear that?" Percy asked them, fear in his voice.

"Percy," Grover started. "There's nothing there."

Percy bit his lip. "Exactly…"

Suddenly, fifteen demigods dressed in black and gold dropped from the ceiling, greatly armed. A hellhound walked in from either side, blocking any escape. Dracaena filled the area with hisses and permeated the area with the smell of poison.

The five instinctively started to fight. They had successfully killed seven dracaenas and injured several demigods. However, they soon had Nico, Thalia, and Grover hostage with swords to all of their throats. Annabeth and Percy fought back to back as usual and looked at their helpless friends. As one lizard woman fought with Percy, one demigod grabbed Annabeth by the neck and held the point of her poisonous Annabeth's temple. Annabeth whimpered as she felt the cold sword against her skin, the poison making her vision blurred.

"S-s-stop!" the Dracaena hissed, a sly look in her eyes. "Or Little Miss-s-s-s Athena girl here will be dead before you can blink," she finished.

Not fully able to find his voice, he whispered, "Don't hurt her," as though it would bring his girlfriend to safety. He looked at Annabeth with desperation.

"Oh, we wouldn't hurt her," a familiar voice said. Luke emerged from the shadows. "As long as you cooperate."

Percy's grip on Riptide tightened as he took a step forward.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Luke warned. "Janet here isn't known for taking mercy on people." He gestured to the dracaena. "But like I just said, all you have to do is cooperate and we won't hurt anyone." Luke walked up to Annabeth and stroked her cheek. Annabeth cringed as his skin came in contact with hers. Hatred flashed across Percy's face.

Luke turned back around to face Percy. "Now, don't move or we'll send you to base camp, dragging the dead bodies of your friends."

"Don't listen to him!" Nico yelled. His captor squeezed his grip on Nico's neck and he began to sputter and wheeze, unable to breathe.

"Get your dirty hands off him!" Percy yelled. He threw Riptide like a javelin and it dug into the half-blood's shoulder. He fell to the floor, grasping his arm. Nico ran to Percy and hung on to Percy's arm. "Don't touch my cousin," Percy growled, making sure Nico, who caught his breath, was behind him.

"That's not cooperation, Jackson," Luke pointed out. "Don't forget that we still have three more." That shut Percy right up. Three demigods marched up. They took his sword without him protesting. One of them patted him down for any more weapons while another got rope out.

Percy raised his eyebrows. "What's the ro-"

"Don't talk," he said, no emotion in his voice. As roughly and brutally as he could, the man yanked Percy's arms behind his back and tied the rope around them. Percy took a sharp breath in as it burned his skin, skinning his wrists. His four friends said nothing as they watched Percy bound by the think cord.

Luke nodded approvingly, setting off into the black again. He motioned for the ones holding Percy to follow him.

"What do we do with thes-s-se ones-s-s-s?" one dracaena asked.

"Base camp," Luke ordered. "I'm taking Percy here straight to the boss."

One half-blood still looked confused, his eyebrows knit together. "Then shouldn't you take them too?" he asked, jabbing a thumb at the four.

"I said no!" Luke bellowed, his deep voice echoing throughout the barren cave. He took three long, deep breaths to calm himself. "Just Jackson."

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….Yeah, I rewrote this like ten times. I couldn't bring myself to post something crappy. Especially since you guys have been waiting like a whole year for this. I REALLY tried to make this chapter as good as it could be. Please no flames saying things like 'Where the *beep* have you been?'