A.N I should have waited to publish this. I should have been a good little writer and taken the time to go over it again and again. Re-write it a thousand different ways. Well it seems I'm not a well behaved writer because I am too excited to let this cook any longer. Sorry if it's a bit raw, there will definitely be more to follow. Disclaimer: I don't own them - duh.

Piper struggled to make it back to the ship. Her head was bleeding and her dislocated shoulder throbbed. The cold air whipped her hair, she was shivering. Freezing. Coming to the top of the hill she could see the Argo II in the harbor below. She sobbed with relief and jogged as fast as she could down the slope. Her body was stiff and sore. Her lip was split and her eyes tearing up. She reached the boardwalk. The sound of the light waves was music to her ears. Her toe caught on a loose board and she tripped falling and scraping her palms.

"Piper?" She looked up when she heard her name. Jason stood at the railing looking down at her. Her heart jumped. Jason ran down the dock, Piper pulled herself to her feet. He collided with her, his arms wrapped around her. He held her so tight. Piper started laughing, relief, pain, everything she was feeling and all she could do was laugh. "What happened to you?" Jason said softly in her ear. Her knees went weak and she slid down onto the ground. Jason kneeled next to her. She felt tears running down her face. Her laughter turned to sobbing, heart breaking sounds ripped through her. Jason pulled her into his chest. With her good hand she gripped his shirt.

"I tried," her voice was almost inaudible.

"Where's Annabeth?" Jason asked. A pit had formed in his stomach.

"I couldn't hold on. I tried," she choked on tears. "She made me leave her. She made me." She wrapped her arm around Jason's neck clinging for dear life. "Jason," she sobbed. "He's going to kill me. Percy's going to kill me." Jason's brain was buzzing, his insides felt like jello.

"It's going to be ok. We'll figure it out, we always do." Jason wrapped his arms under Piper and scooped her up. He carried her onto the ship. Leo walked out of the engine room, bumping right into them.

"Piper?" He looked at her limp body in Jason's arms. "Wha-" He stammered, his eyes wide.

"Shh," Jason looked around. "Where's Percy?"

"Still underwater, said something about water nymphs."

"Ok. Come on I'm going to need your help." Jason turned and continued walking toward the medbay. Leo followed,

"Wait! What's going on? Where's Annabeth?" Jason sent him a look that made his stomach drop through the floor. "Oh. Oh man…" He muttered realizing the severity of the situation.

"No one finds out. Not yet," Jason said.

"Are you crazy? We can't keep this a secret!" They entered the med bay. Jason laid Piper down gently on a bed. She groaned softly but her eyes stayed closed. Leo grabbed his shoulder turning him around, "when the others find out… This is beyond not good. Percy, he's going to freak!"

"You don't think I know that!" Jason hissed. Leo flinched. "Sorry. I just need a minute to figure this out." Leo swallowed,

"What about Annabeth? Are we preparing a search party, or a burial ceremony?" Jason rubbed his eyes,

"gods… I don't know." Leo's legs were wobbly. His hands started to heat up, like they did when he was scared.

"It's Annabeth," he said. "She can't be… Can she?" He asked quietly.

"We won't know anything until Piper wakes up." Jason got a damp cloth and a glass of nectar. "One problem at a time." Leo collapsed in a chair against the wall. His whole body felt shaky. They must have sat like that, in silence, for hours. Piper groaned softly; Both boys looked up at her. "Pipes?" Jason asked. She turned her face and slowly opened her eyes. She looked at the wall a dazed expression on her face. Once she recognized where she was she gasped and sat straight up. "Easy," Jason murmured. The color had returned to her face and her head and shoulder were almost completely healed. "Piper we need to know what happened." Piper took a deep breath,

"Everything was ok. We found the temple and were in the middle of packing up the scrolls when we were ambushed. We weren't expecting them, horrible, creatures. They were huge, I don't even know what to call them. They didn't have eyes only gaping mouths full of teeth. They burrowed up through the ground like worms. We held them off but more and more were coming. We were going to run, we had to," she paused. "One of them grabbed Annabeth's leg. It started dragging her down its burrow. I managed to grab her arm, that's how I dislocated my shoulder, but the thing wouldn't let go." Her voice cracked. " I tried to hold on, but it was so strong. It was going to pull both of us in. She told me to let go, she said I had to get the scrolls back. I wasn't going to, but she was convinced it was the only option. She said it would be ok."

"You let go?" Jason asked. Piper nodded,

"I didn't know what else I could do." Leo spoke up for the first time,

"So Annabeth's in the tunnels?" Piper's eyes watered.

"That's good, that we can work with!" Leo said gaining excitement. "I'll gather the search party." He disappeared up the stairs. Jason knew he should be more hopeful, but looking at Piper something held him back from relief.

"Do you think we'll find anything if we go down in those tunnels?"

"She didn't have a weapon and those things, Jason, I don't know how anyone could survive down there." Jason felt it again, the ice water being poured down his throat. His eyes stung it felt like something was gnawing through his stomach. Leo's voice came over the intercom,

"Everyone upstairs now!"

Jason and Piper met Leo upstairs. Piper sat down quietly. Jason pulled Leo over to the side,

"No Percy yet?" Leo shook his head. Hazel and Frank wandered in. When Hazel saw Piper she smiled,

"You're back!" She ran and wrapped her arms around Piper. Piper hugged her back meekly.

"Where's Annabeth?" Frank asked. Jason set his jaw,

"That's what we need to talk about." the tone he used conveyed destruction.

"We were ambushed," Piper said weakly. "I tried to save her, but…"

"Oh gods, no," Hazel covered her mouth and sank into the chair next to Piper. Frank looked at them stunned.

"She's gone?" Jason didn't quite meet his eye. Silent tears ran down Hazel's cheeks.

"No guys it's ok!" Leo said, hope dripping in his voice. "We can find her, save her!" He looked around at their faces, fear, sadness. "We can save her," he said again quietly. Why weren't they backing him up? He could feel doubt creep in the back of his mind.

"Percy doesn't know." Hazel said. "How are we going to tell him?" Her words hit the room like a brick.

"I'll tell him," Jason said.

"No," Piper said. "I have to."

"Pipes…"

"I promised." They were interrupted by the sound of something hitting the deck. Jason walked out to greet a very exhausted looking Percy.

"How'd it go?" He asked, trying to sound normal. Percy smiled at him,

"It took forever but I managed to get at least directions out of them. Lets just say those nymphs were not in a helping mood." He walked across the deck stopping, he bent down and whipped somethings off the floor with his fingers.

"Blood?" He asked. "What happened? Was someone hurt?" He turned to Jason.

"Must have been Piper. She was pretty banged up when she came in."

"They're back?" Percy asked. His eyes lit up, all traces of fatigue gone. He took off toward the mess hall.

"Percy wait!" Jason called after him. Percy strolled to the doorway practically glowing. Jason caught up to him.

"When did they get in? Someone should have signaled me or…" His voice trailed off as he entered the room. He looked at each of them. Frank crumpled in a corner, Hazel's tears, pipers dead expression, Leo's furrowed brow. His eyes kept looking but Annabeth wasn't here. His stomach dropped. No, he thought. His breath became shallow, panic setting in. He turned on Jason, " where is she," he growled. Jason flailed for words.

"Percy…" Jason started.

"No. Stop talking," Percy felt like his insides were twisting. He took a step and another his brain wasn't working. He braced against the back of a chair. She's ok, she's ok. He desperately tried to convince himself. The others looked at each other, all unsure of what to say.

"I'm so sorry," Piper said. His head snapped up. He glared at her, the room dropped 10 degrees. She wouldn't meet his eyes. The ship rumbled, pipes straining. Leo looked at the walls, oh boy, he thought, here we go again.

"What exactly are you telling me," his voice was quiet, but Piper wanted to flee. She took a shaky breath and retold the events of their mission. Percy didn't move, he didn't say anything. Nothing exploded, Jason took that as a good sign. Piper got up from her seat, a tear ran down her cheek. She walked over next to him,

"There wasn't anything I could do." Anger swelled off him.

"Nothing you could do?" he said quietly. "Nothing you could do?" His voice rose, shouting. He lunged pinning her against the wall, she gasped. "You were her partner! It was your job to keep her safe!"

"Hey!" Jason pulled on Percy's shoulder, yanking him off Piper. Jason struggled to keep Percy restrained.

"You abandoned her! This is all your fault!" Piper stood there a deer in headlights. All at once every pipe in the ship burst. Water ran down the walls, puddled at their feet.

"She wanted me to tell you she loved you," Piper said meekly.

"What are we going to do without her? What am I going to do-" Percy's voice broke. He shook Jason off his shoulders. His eyes were a storm, the ship groaned. Outside the waves picked up, smashing against them. Wind whipped against the the Windows, they shook threatening to break.

"It should have been you," he growled before storming out of the room. Everyone sat there in a daze. The window cracked, a small stream of water squirted through. Leo jumped to his feet,

"He's going to capsize us!" He ran to the control room. Jason turned and ran up to the deck. Percy was standing in the middle, hands clenched at his sides. His eyes were closed tightly, the storm growing ever powerful. A wave crashed over the side of the ship and threatened to take Jason out to sea.

"Percy!" He yelled. The wind whipped up around him, a crack of thunder sounded overhead. Jason's heart skipped. This was the making of something bigger than a storm. He made his way slowly to his friend, fighting the rain and wind. "Please!" He shouted. "I know how you must feel, but this is out of control!" Percy's eyes snapped open, they were unrecognizable. He looked like something Jason would never want to face.

"You know how I feel? You could never understand! I can't breath!" Pain filled his voice.

"You're right, I don't know what you're feeling but I do know one thing. This!" He gestured to the storm, "isn't going to bring her back."

"Just get out of here!" Percy screamed. "Leave me alone!" Percy shook his head, the rainwater doused his hair, he wasn't even attempting to stay dry.

"She wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want you falling apart like this."

"I said leave me alone!" Percy bellowed, he thrust out his hand and a gust of rain knocked Jason fourteen feet through the air. Percy collapsed onto his knees. He turned his face to the sky and screamed. Waves crashed into each other, random whirlpools formed alongside them, a twister of water swirled around the ship. The crew bunkered down below deck. Jason looked at him, he saw him crumbling. Tears freely trailed down Percy's face. This, watching Percy break, was more terrifying than any storm could ever be. "You can't take her from me!" He screamed at the sky, "you've taken everything from me!" He fell on to his arms, "you can't have her too, please." He pleaded.

Percy eventually exhausted himself. He passed out, the storm slowly receded. Leo did his best to save the ship, the others helped out where they could. Percy was moved to his bunk and he slept the whole day. His dreams were a jumble of thoughts before something came through clear.

He saw Annabeth. She was holding up the sky, hunched under its weight. It looked like the dream he had years ago.

"Seaweed brain," she said. "Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?" Percy's heart thumped in his chest.

"Really I'm offended! What was all that you said about 'never betting against annabeth?'" Percy looked at her stunned. She rolled her eyes, "I'm not dead you idiot!" She said. She stepped out from under the weight of the sky. She glided over to him. "Percy..." She trailed off. Suddenly her eyes widened she grabbed his arms clawing at him. "Help me! Find me!" The background melted and they were underground. Annabeth was dirty, bleeding. Her eyes were wide with panic. "Find me!" She screamed at him, "find me!" Blood poured down her face from an invisible wound it ran in her eyes and mouth but she just kept shouting find me, find me. Percy tried to pull away but he couldn't move. Her fingernails trailed long gashed down his arms. In the background he saw the monsters approaching, towering over the two of them. "Find me!" The beast opened its mouth and swallowed them whole.

Percy gasped awake. He sat up realizing he was in his bunk. "She's alive," he muttered. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. "She's alive!" A warmth spread through his chest. He jumped to his feet and almost immediately fell on his face. His legs felt like soft serve. He stood, using the wall for support. He inched his way out of his room. His whole body was trembling, he was beyond exhausted. It was dark out, the moon cast a faint light over the ship. He heard voices and followed them to the mess hall. Jason and Hazel were sitting at the table, Hazel had a warm drink. They both jumped when they noticed him,

"Gods Percy," Jason mumbled. He regained his composer and looked closer at his friend. "Didn't think you'd be up so soon."

"How are you feeling?" Hazel asked timidly. Percy mouth twitched.

"She's not dead," he said, matter of factly. Hazel's face seemed to melt, depression settling over her features, "She's not."

"Percy…" Jason trailed off.

"No listen," Percy took a step closer. "I saw her. She told me herself." Jason looked at him sadly. Percy's eyes were excited and completely crazy looking.

"You've been asleep. It was just a dream."

"I know it was a dream but she was there! She's just in the tunnels! We have to start searching-"

"Percy," Jason cut him off. "Annabeth's gone."

"You're not hearing me," Percy was getting frustrated. "She kept saying find me, find me. She's trapped down there, but she's alive!" He looked at them hope radiated off him.

"Maybe you should sit down," Hazel suggested. "Get something to eat?"

"I don't need food, what I need is Annabeth!" Percy's legs were shaking, threatening to give out.

"We can't just leave her down there, we have to do something!"

"Percy," Jason said. "Annabeth is gone. She didn't speak to you, you didn't see her. You were dreaming. It wasn't real. I know you miss her, and I'm sorry, I really am. But you can't rescue her from the tunnels, she's not coming back. She's dead." Jason's words were harsher than he meant them to be. His voice was raised. Percy blinked he fumbled for words.

"You don't understand," he pleaded. His knees gave out, he grabbed the back of a chair. Jason shot to his feet to steady him. Percy sat down,

"I would know if she was dead. I would feel it."

Jason's eyes stung. Percy's breathing became shallow, his brow furrowed. His heart was pounding. "No, no. This isn't real. This isn't happening," he stammered. He pulled at his hair, "she's not dead. She's not!" He reached out and grabbed Jason's arm, "please! You have to help me find her!" Percy tried to stand but fell back in his seat. Jason's stomach clenched with anger and sadness. He ground his teeth,

"No Percy! Annabeth is dead. She's dead!" His own voice broke. Percy's face pailed. Tears gathered in his eyes,

"She can't be. She can't be." He was trembling. "We had plans. We stay together it's what we do, always." Jason felt a tear slid down his face. He looked at the table in front of him. Percy sobbed, "I have to find her. I can't live without her." Jason knew there was no getting through to him. A voice spoke from the doorway,

"We better start looking then, huh?" Piper said gently. Percy looked at her his eyes vulnerable. Piper walked in, "but not tonight. Right Jason?" Jason looked at her like she was crazy, her eyes told him to play along.

"Pipers right. You need to rest first." Percy's eyes dried.

"We'll get her back," Piper's voice dripped in charm speak. Percy's face slid into a relaxed, tired expression. "Don't worry, why don't you go lie down? You must be exhausted." With Jason's help she pulled him to his feet. They helped him to his room. He relaxed into the pillows, "there you go. Just sleep." Percy drifted off. Jason dragged Piper out of the room and I to the hallway.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said.

"He was on the verge of a panic attack. Did you really want a repeat of this afternoon?"

"He thinks she's really out there Piper. Thanks to you he's never going to accept the truth."

"He never was going to to begin with. You saw it on his face Jason, he's too far down the rabbit hole. The only way to calm him down was to tell him what he wanted to hear." Piper said. Jason exhaled.

"He's delusional Piper."

"Maybe not," Piper said quietly, glancing at sleeping Percy. "Maybe she is out there somewhere."

"Do you hear yourself," Jason snapped. "He's going to waste the rest of his life looking for her. Tear himself apart, you want to help him do it?"

"I know it's my fault Annabeth's gone. If I can help him find closure, ease his pain in any way, you can bet I'm going to do it."

"This isn't your fault," Jason said softly, touching her arm.

"We have to look Jason. We have to try," she said. Looking into her eyes Jason knew there was no convincing her otherwise.

"Pipes," he started.

"She would do it for one of us. If it were Annabeth in our position she wouldn't blindly accept an answer. She wouldn't give up on any of us." Jason looked at Piper and swallowed.

"We have a mission," he said. "We can't stop now, Gaea is getting stronger everyday."

"I'll go alone if that's what it takes. Percy's not the only one who needs answers," Piper finished. jason sighed,

"There's no changing your mind is there. We're going to have to talk to the others in the morning."

Piper reached up and kissed his cheek,

"Thank you for understanding."

"Piper, be careful getting their hopes up. If you don't find what you're looking for, it's going to be more damaging than it was to begin with."

I want to hear your thoughts. Go ahead tear it apart, pick and poke until your heart's content. I want to get better. I want to write something that you enjoy reading. I know some of you are questioning Jason's role as bad cop. Well truth is I always pegged him as the type to turn grief into anger- like Percy, but without all the heartbreak. It will all make sense eventually ( I hope) The next chapter is already in progress so the wait shouldn't be too long. Until next time, I can never tell