I'm back, baby ٩(╬ʘ益ʘ╬)۶

It was 5:00 a.m and Annabeth did not have enough nerves in her body to play "Where's Percy".

She had nearly a year of experience under her belt, but she was far from an expert at it.

Currently her boyfriend's mother was lounged across one of the many couches in Reyna's office. She looked like she wanted to beat her son with a switch, and frankly, now, Annabeth was taking favors. Frank sat with Hazel's hand reclining on his thigh, his lips pressed in a thin line as he squirmed about the cushion. Hazel, ever the innocent one, failed to acknowledge that her boyfriends endocrine system had just snorted a whole bag of crack.

Jason and Piper had been on a date in a coffee shop in New Rome when they received the news (their hot chocolate probably wasn't the best place to send an Iris message but oh well she'll have to jot that reminder down later), and were on their way across town as they speak.

"Percy Jackson, Leo Valdez, and Grover Underwood", Reyna glanced at Annabeth, "I'm going to just put out there that I have no regrets that Percy gave up his position as Praetor"

Annabeth snorted, "You're good"

"Would you like more tea Mrs. Posi- I MEAN BLOFIS" Frank stuttered as he made his way over to the whistling tea kettle.

Sally smiled in his direction, "No thank you, darling", her eyebrows scrunched, "But I would like my son under house arrest"

"That will be arranged", Reyna's tone held no empty promises,"I'd like some, Frank, if you would? And Spike it. I'm sure I've got that naga chili vodka in the pantry-"

"Oh, yes. I'd like one too please"

"Okay. One for Mrs. Blofis as well-"

"Me three, Reyna-"

"Okay one for Me, Annabeth, Mrs. Blofis….Hazel?"

Hazel choked. "No!Frank! Sit down!", Frank sat back down next to his flustered girlfriend, "This is not the time for alcohol!"

Her boyfriend placed his hand over hers, a sweet gesture (Annabeth might add), "They were just kidding Haz"

"Were we?" Reyna quipped.

"Reyna", The Praetor headed Hazel's warning and cut the gig short.

In that moment Piper and Jason charged through the large double doors, seemingly dripping wet as a lighting bolt tore through the sky behind them. Most likely cause of a distressed son of Jupiter. Piper's feather, that had once shone a brilliant gold yesterday evening, weeped a muddy brown. But she looked put together as always, much better than Annabeth would have looked on her decent days. Jason's textured shirt somehow still found a way to cling around every muscle on, in, and around his body. His cropped muted hair hung low enough to conceal his eyebrows.

The daughter of Athena didn't even have to turn around to see the displeasure on Reyna's face. She had always preferred the conformed look on Jason anyways, but Annabeth knew she'd never let him know. Reyna stood much more jaded around him nowadays.

Piper strode in to where they all were seated.

Reyna leaned down to Annabeth's ear."Everyone dawn the popcorn, Pocahontas and John Smith are getting hitched"

Annabeth shushed her.

Piper's eyes now beamed a wild grey, much like venti swirling around in a small bottle, "Leo and Percy are what!?"

"Gone." Hazel answered.

"How!? Details please!"

It was Mrs. Blofis who relayed the events of the last 6 hours to the eager Mclean.

Jason's eyes, painted a colorless steel in the dim light of the living area, bored into Sally with alarming intensity. She didn't seem to mind it seemed, Annabeth guessed dealing with Percy's aquatic temper tantrums and having been to the underworld and back solidified her tolerance level. Annabeth on the other hand didn't like that stare one bit. She didn't know where the uneasiness came from whenever he was around, but it was salient enough that she would arrange for there to be two or three people between she and him whenever they gathered at the amphitheater. There was a beat of silence when Sally had wrapped up, the two demigods wrapping their heads around her words.

"Rave?"

"Grover?"

"Guard?"

"Kidnapped?"

The pair finished their thoughts like clockwork, which Annabeth would find annoying if she hadn't been guilty of doing it herself.

"Glad we got the ball rolling then" Reyna went on, "We need to find out who took those three and we need to count our witnesses"

"Witnesses?" Piper questioned, "Like…mortals off the streets?"

"No…" Reyna sighed (Maybe a but too loudly), "I meant like our kind…er…kinda our kind"

Hazel's voice fell low as she tried to piece two and two together, "Like…minor gods… who happened to be looking down while the kidnapping took place?"

"Exactly"

Frank, who had been fairly quiet throughout all of this, piped up.

"So a quest? Or a scavenger hunt, whatever. We'll have to consult the senate and the other legionaries at noon. That way the meeting might be over by at least eight o'clock-"

"-We're not consulting the senate"

All eyes turned to the elder Praetor, who was on a mission to sip her tea as slowly and cryptic-like as she possibly could.

Annabeth knew that Sally hadn't known a lot about Roman government, but she knew enough from her husband to know that you do not overule the senate. Yes, they were Praetors, not dictators.

"What do you mean? We have to-"

"No we don't, Hazel" Reyna took a hard sip from her mug (maybe she did spike it), "This isn't a huge thing. Merely a game of hide and go seek. Someone has hidden the boys and we will find them. I don't mean to undermine the disappearance of your son, Mrs. Blofis, but we cannot jump to conclusions. I am worried, too. Percy is my friend…"

"Yeah, and we have to get Leo back safe…he gets edgy in stressful situations", Jason's tone went up in a warning, but no one seemed to pay it any mind.

"Agreed. And Junipers' been Iris messaging me for the past 3 hours thinking that Grover's with another fawn in the forest"

"Oh" Hazel and Frank whisper in unison.

"Right. Added bonus that we don't have to hear Octavian rant about Greek's planning to overthrow the senate"

There was a mumbled consensus among the demigods.

"Alright, then its settled. We will rally the word nymphs and hopefully-"

"-Nico!"

The son of Hades materialized in the room on wobbling legs. Which were quickly steadied by Jason and Hazel on either side of him. He didn't look too beat up but he was in a horrible coughing fit. Hazel sat him down on the couch while he composed himself, and then went to fetch him some water and ambrosia.

"No…Hazel…" he coughed again before effectively clearing his throat, "I'm fine. I'm fine. Hazel"

He rejected her efforts to nurse him.

"Nico" Sally Blofis acknowledged him with fondness, "I haven't seen you in months"

She pulled him in a tight hold, noting and disregarding how he still tensed up.

"Nico, what's wrong" Annabeth knew the ghost king had a tendency to shadow travel on the bases of a single thought, so he rarely every got to his destination on the first trial, but why would he be thinking of the Reyna's office.

"I…Somethings wrong"

"What is it, Nico? Is our father okay? Is it something with Camp Half Blood?"

Nico brushed off his jacket and re-adjusted his sword before turning to his sister.

"Somebody escaped the underworld, Hazel"

Heh. Heh. My bad….

(God bless)

(thanks for sticking around)

(I love you guys)