"The Missing Pieces."

Mystic25

Summary: Annabeth Chase misses Percy Jackson. And, there's nothing simple about that. Post The Lost Hero, so there are some spoilers. Percy/Annabeth. (Percabeth)

Rating: T for language, and "Camp Half Blood" levels of violence.

Disclaimer: Percy, Annabeth and the crew of "Camp Half Blood" belong to Rick Riordian. I don't have any money to give in a law suit, so do your worse!

A/N: This is my first attempt at a PJO story. But, having just finished The Lost Hero, and waiting with baited breath until the next book release (which I preordered already). I couldn't help my internal muse, she wanted to get this out, and she tends to scream when she does so. And, if I mess up any facts about the books, it wasn't intentional. I tried to look up as much as I could, because 6 books of stuff is a lot to just memorize and have ready at your finger tips.

A/N#2: According to a few websites, and my own reading, The Lost Hero was set a few months after The Last Olympian. So, I'm guessing it's mid December. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry.

xxxxxXxxxx

"She's been looking for one of our campers who's been missing for three days. She's going out of her mind with worry. She hoped he'd be here…her boyfriend, a guy named Percy Jackson."

-"Butch" The Lost Hero

"To the world you may be one person; but, to one person, you may be the world."

-Heather Cortez

xxxxxXxxxxx

The camp's bonfire was hot enough to melt gold. Which was exactly what Travis Stoll was doing –holding out over a dozen gold earring, and toe rings in a long handled wooden smelting spoon. All of these things stolen from Aphrodite's Cabin while said cabin was busy flat ironing, painting toe nails and coordinating clothing for dinner that night.

Snowflakes fell around the amphitheatre like delicate lace, collecting in the folds of jacket and pants and eyelashes.

There was a screech as the preened and petticured form of Drew – recently demoted head councilor of Aphrodite charged at Travis an angry Minotaur in four inch sling back heels.

"Travis, what. are. you. doing?" Drew's voice was high and shrill on the best of days. Today, it sounded like a Hades scraping his Helm of Darkness across a blackboard. "You have three seconds to give me back what you stole, Stoll. Or I swear to gods!-"

"Don't you have mascara to over apply Drew?" Travis countered around observing his cache of stolen jewelry which had begun to melt into a heated bubbling mass of vicious golden liquid. Beside him was an empty RPG shell (Where Travis Stoll got an empty RPG shell, everyone was too scared to ask). He poured the molten gold into the shell, blowing on it to get it to cool faster. He was creating a gold bullion, for no other reason than he was bored, and he could.

Drew's eyes were murderous, watching 5 years worth of Christmas presents to herself dissolve into goo. "You are a pathetic waste of space for a demigod!"

"And you're just a pathetic waste of space," Travis threw back, not once taking his eyes off his cooling mass of gold.

Connor Stoll, looked over at his twin brother from where he was sitting right beside him. "Gold bullion?" he guessed.

"They're useful currency," Travis said, beaming a mischievous smile at his brother.

"Travis!"

This time Travis looked up – into the eyes of Piper McClean as she stomped her way over to him, in well worn cross trainers, understanding how to dress for a campfire much better than her cabin mate. Unlike, Drew, Travis did have a fear of Piper. Because, ever since she had gotten back from her first quest, she had lost that 'Oh my god, Greek gods are REAL!'glazed look, and had replaced it with a 'I've told monsters what to do, I can take you, so don't tick me off.' one.

Travis gave her his best 'innocent little demigod at Camp Half Blood' smile. "Pipes! Sup girl?"

"Save it Stoll," Piper snapped. "You can't just melt down all of Drew's jewelry into foreign exchange! That's so no equal payback for her tacking up that Hanna Montana poster over your bunk!" Piper didn't have any love loss towards Drew. Frankly, she'd be happy if she woke with a permanent case of acne and watched as her entire designer wardrobe caught fire in front of her eyes. But, still as newly elected Head Councilor of Aphrodite, she just couldn't let it slide.

"What do you want me to do Piper?" Travis asked, still so innocently it was almost nauseating. "I can't take it back."

"You could if you asked your dad!" Piper said.

"Hermes is the God of Travel, not the God of Unmelting Gold!"

"You are infuriating!" Drew snarled at Travis, stamping her foot so hard that her the spiked heel of her right shoe broke in half, leaving her to stand off kilter. "I'm going to make you so ugly not even Tartarus will take you!"

Travis stood up from his seat, his stance looming, no jokes on his face. "Bring it, Malibu Barbie!"

"Stop!" Piper stepped in between them, physically lowering Drew's arms who was about to call down a curse from their mom Aphrodite that would no doubt have had Travis resembling the back end of a gorilla in record time. "I mean it, that's enough!"

"You know, just because you're head councilor now McClean, don't think you can Charmspeak me!" Drew glared hatefully at Piper, like she was imagining her face sunburned from a trip to the actual sun. She sneered, plucking at Piper, plucking at her orange Camp Half Blood shirt, comparing it to her sleeveless plum Antonio Meleni a-line dress and and open tan trench coat. "In fact, wearing that you couldn't Charmspeak anyone."

"Maybe you should back off Drew," Jason Grace stood up from his seat on the other side of the fire. His eyes were hard, lit like electricity. He stood by Piper like a body guard. The two of them had been trough too much together in such a short amount of time for him to let her be insulted by one of her own siblings.

Drew's smile grew coy. She batted her eyelashes; a gesture that would normally turn any male past puberty into a mass of wobbly Jello. But, Jason's eyes were firm, his stance anything but swooning. "I said back off."

Drew sighed a pout. "Fine, have it your way." She traced a hand down Jason's bicep, circling him like a dealer appraising a car. "But you won't be able to resist all this-" she scanned herself and smiled. "-forever. No one here has. But then again, no one here has your charisma." Her smile widened, lips painted with coral lip stain pulled back to reveal gleaming white teeth. "But I love a challenge Jason, I've been so bored lately because I haven't had one – I mean, not since Percy-" Drew's words stalled, then died.

The camp fire went quiet, only the crackling fire itself continued. The dozens of demigods all stop in their various activities: card tricks, scamming first time campers with enchanted Roulette Dice, reading battle scroll reports. Clarisse, head councilor of Ares Cabin was stopped mid spear throw at an Apollo Camper.

All eyes shifted around the fire, to one solitary sight, one single person.

She was sitting near the head of a fire, next to a pile of Greek Battle armor. Her mass of curly blonde hair was pulled into an up do that had resembled a pony tail a week ago. Her well worn jeans and equally well worn orange camp shirt underneath a black hoodie were dotted with mud and dirt from three separate regions of America, and they reeked of dried rain and forest rot because she had neither changed nor showered in days.

She had been worrying at a ring on the second finger of her left hand. But, after Drew's outburst, her head snapped up, and storm gray eyes pierced the night.

Annabeth Chase stood up from her seat and rounded the fire. Wherever she walked campers parted for her like Zeus at the Winter Solstice Council. They all watched in silence as Annabeth stepped over to Drew, her gray Converse squelching through the mud.

And Drew's eyes widened more with each squelching step. "Annabeth," Drew took a breath that turned into a shrugging laugh as the other girl's face finally broke into the firelight. "I didn't – I mean, I never- love the hairdo!"

"It's okay Drew." Annabeth's voice would have been reassuring had it not been so eerily quiet. Her eyes were ringed with puffy redness and black bags, the face of someone who hadn't slept in days. Her gray eyes themselves were weary, but right now, they glinted like steel.

A smile tugged at Annabeth's lips, but, it was fractured, forced. "We're in the middle of a war bigger than the Titan War that nearly ended the world five months ago, and you're talking about how you tried to be with Percy-" another laugh, but her voice trembled at the sound of Percy's name. "I totally get it," Annabeth swept her eyes around the group of campers who all eyed her warily. Many in concern, including Rachel Dare, Oracle, and one of Annabeth's closest friends. But, there were also those who looked at her in fear, because Annabeth had been slowly unraveling ever since Percy's disappearance.

"Don't you all get it?" Annabeth leveled her eyes back to Drew. "She's shallow." She pulled the ring off her finger and held it up in the fire light. It was made of three inches of silver, hammered flat, but polished as reflective as a mirror. Resting in its center was a square cut of Turquoise, but not a cleat cut on the top part of the setting. The end result of this was that the facets caught the light and made the stone refract a dozen varying shades of greens and blues, like the depths of the sea.

Annabeth twirled the ring around her fingers. "Percy gave this to me last week," A real smile came to her face at the memory. "He got permission from Poseidon to take the Turquoise from an ancient underground mine from an undersea volcano. Poseidon gave his Immortal wife a necklace from the exact same stones," Annabeth was stroking the ring, caressing it like it was alive. "And Tyson forged the band." She slipped the ring back on her finger. "We were at the bond fire, and he gave it to me – he dropped it like five times before he managed to find by finger on time number six. And, do you want to know what he told me right after; like right after?"

Everyone around the fire nodded their heads. Even Drew. Annabeth was no daughter of Aphrodite; she could not Charmspeak. But, her presence itself commanded their attention. Because, she was a living breathing link to Percy Jackson .

"He told me he loved me." Annabeth's words were spoken so low and quietly that it made the silence around the campfire echo like its own noise. This time when Annabeth laughed, there was a hitch in her voice. But, she swallowed it down the sound that wanted to be born before it could come out. "He told me he loved me – and then he disappeared." Her hand went unconsciously to the leather scabbard at her belt, and in the flash of a second she had unsheathed her knife. Three and a half inches of Celestial Bronze sharpened so acutely that the edges of the double blade weren't even visible to the naked eye.

Annabeth palmed the flat of the blade, closing her hand around it hard.

Drew watched as small drops of blood fell from Annabeth's closed hand. "Annabeth-" Drew's sneering tone was gone, replaced with an uneasy nervousness that she felt on her like a badly fitting dress. Her eyes grew wide as Annabeth released the blade, and gripped the hit of the knife, ignoring the gash that had opened up in her palm.

"Percy's gone-" the tip of Annabeth's knife hovered mere centimeters from Drew's chin. "He's gone Drew, and you're making bad jokes?"

"I'm sorry," Drew's panicked face was enough to crack lines in her waterproof foundation. She actually took a step back from Annabeth, but found herself trapped between the other girl and the roaring heat of the fire.

"Because he bathed in the Styx, and because he's physically invulnerable we should stop caring about his safety?"

Drew was so flustered that she couldn't speak normally, let alone Charmspeak. The knife in Annabeth's hand hung so closely to her that she could see her reflection in the bronze blade. A sight that, for once her life she wished that she couldn't see.

"They took away his memory, his family, ME, Gods know what they're doing to him at that Roman Camp, what they're making him do. What they're doing to him, to try and break him-" Annabeth's heavy breathing became a whimper before she could stop it, cracking through her mask enough to let them all see just how wounded she really was.

"I'm really sorry," Drew repeated her new mantra. She kept her eyes on the blade, afraid of where it might go next.

Jason took a step closer to Annabeth and held up his hands like he was trying to soothe a caged animal. "Annabeth-" the older girl neither took her eyes of Drew, nor lowered her blade. "Hey," Jason placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the muscles there taught, battle ready. "You're bleeding." As Jason said this more drops blood fell from her hand and landed silently into the stone of the Amphitheatre. "Will could take a look at your hand."

Will Solace, Senior Counselor of Apollo Cabin stood up. "Jason's right Annabeth. I'll fix you up in like half a second. It will be a much faster fix this time then your shoulder wound when you took that hit for Percy-" Will's words fell away. "Holy Zeus girl, I'm sorry." Will looked at her with fear, not for him, but for her. Because, Annabeth seemed to crumble just a bit more when she heard Will's words.

Her eyes washed out their grey intensity, leaving them dull like a piece of old concrete. Her shoulders fell; her whole aura fell.

Percy Jackson had become a part of Annabeth Chase's world a long time ago. Since that first snide remark she made: "You drool in your sleep." they were linked. Everyone at camp knew this. They were two pieces of the same thing.

"It's okay Will," this time Annabeth's words weren't quiet; they were almost nonexistent, lost beneath the trembling.

"Let me have a look at your hand," Will said in a coaxing, soft voice. "Can't have our best strategist down a fighting arm."

Annabeth finally lowered her knife, and Drew let out the biggest breath of relief after the knife came away from her.

"It's a wicked blade Annabeth," Leo Valdez spoke up from his cluster of Hephaestus siblings. He wore his tattered army jacket over his camp shirt, dark eyes finding hers through the night and the dancing flames of the bonfire. Leo got major crushes on girls just about every five seconds, but he wasn't crushing on Annabeth this time. He could see how torn she was. He would wait until after her boyfriend Percy was saved to crush on her properly. So, he would be forced to keep his crushing to a minimum to keep the Son of Poseidon from shoving a trident through his innards for hitting on his girl.

"Don't let Drew get to you," Leo added. "She's just stupid."

"Yeah," there was a round of approved mummers through the demigods.

"Yeah-" Drew herself added, willing to say anything to keep Annabeth's knife away from her face. "I'm stupid."

"Yeah you are!" Connor Stoll shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.

Katie Gardner from Demeter stifled a laugh in her hands.

So did Piper. Though, hers was replaced with a 'right on' that was masked as a hacking cough.

"I'm fine guys," Annabeth said, though her words lacked any real conviction. "I'm just- I mean, stupid Percy had to go missing again- dumb Seaweed Brain never learns to stay out of trouble," she sniffed wiping quickly at her eyes before anything could fall.

It was a rarity that Annabeth broke down in front of anyone. Forever the strategist, she kept her emotions in constant check in public, kept up the 'strength is a virtue' act, Because, weakness was not something that the enemy would overlook.

Only Percy had ever seen her break down completely. No, Percy and Luke.

Luke was dead.

And Percy was missing.

And Annabeth was breaking down alone.

Everyone was looking at her either in worry, or like she was crazy. But, maybe she was, because, she was numb except for one feeling.

She ached. She ached every day since Percy disappeared. Her father had tried to reassure her when she called him collect from a payphone in Philadelphia that Percy would be okay. But, that she was also barely 17, and it wasn't healthy for someone her age to be so emotionally attached to one boy. He had also told her that he was worried about her. But, she had hung up on him mid "I'm concerned about you Annabeth"

She loved her father, but he didn't understand about Percy. This wasn't a 'school girl' or 'high school sweetheart crush.'

She loved him. She loved him down to the very marrow of her bones. She had taken a knife for him. He had anchored his lifeline, his very soul to her. It wasn't unhealthy. It was, He was, her life. It was why it felt like this to be without him, why it hurt like this.

Percy may not even remember her, but him being gone was what hurt the most, Because she was his memory – if he could only see her.

"Annabeth?" Jason braved placing a hand on her shoulder again.

Annabeth's name spoken in question again made her blink. She turned to the hand on her shoulder, looking at it like it was something foreign. "What?"

"Drew's gonna hyperventilate if you don't sheath your blade," Leo put in.

Drew cut Leo a death look. Leo, in turn, made a hot orange flame erupt from his hand, and mimed throwing it at her hair. Drew stopped looking.

The handle of Annabeth's knife was slick with her own blood. She wiped it on her shirt, leaving a trail of crimson on the orange fabric, before replacing the knife back in the scabbard on her belt.

Will Solace didn't like at all the blood he saw still leaking from Annabeth's hand. "Seriously Annabeth; I needed to dress that would. It shouldn't still be bleeding like this," he took her hand and opened the fingers. A jagged three inch gash ran diagonally down her palm. Will cursed in Ancient Greek. "You must've hit a vein or something." He took out a small vial of nectar from the black leather pouch he wore around his waist. (Though he would swear on his Immortal Father's throne that it wasn't a fanny pack, it was a medicine bag; because what was this? 1989?) He poured the godly drink directly into the cut to flush it out.

This time Annabeth cursed – very liberally – in Ancient Greek as the nectar seared her skin like alcohol.

"Damn," Leo whistled under his breath. "She's got quite a grasp on those Grecian swears; I'm impressed."

Will took out a roll of white bandages still left over from when Connor and Travis Stoll "bought" their first aid supplies from that Duane Reed during the Titan War. He wrapped almost half of the roll around Annabeth's hand before he could no longer see speckles of blood oozing through the whiteness. After he tucked in the end to secure it, he dug out a clay brown Ambrosia square, and handed it to her. "Here."

Annabeth pushed the tiny, squishy thing away. "Will, I don't need-"

"You cut yourself on Celestial Bronze Annabeth." Will placed the Ambrosia square in her uninjured palm. "Eat it."

Annabeth eyed the Ambrosia warily, like the was moldy cheese.

"Maybe it'll taste like Percy!" Leo offered, then blushed up to his dark hairline at his double entendre.

A few younger Aphrodite girls giggled; Drew gave a dry laugh; Piper did not.

Annabeth finally relented and bit into the Ambrosia square. Every other time when she had eaten this it tasted like Almond Lemon Squares. A confection Thalia had bought for her a bakery just outside of Queens when she was 7. It had been a special treat for her back then. To sit there between Thalia and Luke and eat something that she would normally only get at Christmas, and only if she were really good.

Almond Lemon Squares; that's what Annabeth always associated with Ambrosia.

But the taste that exploded on her tongue this time -

It tasted like a slightly burnt homemade cupcake with blue icing, like falling ash from Mt. St. Helens, like warm water as they kissed beneath an air bubble. Like mint toothpaste she snuck a kiss from in his cabin after lights out. Like the warmth of his breath when he kissed her goodnight after sliding a turquoise band on her finger.

Annabeth's knees dropped out from under her.

"Annabeth!" Jason was the first one to reach her, grabbing at her arm. He pulled her up as the other campers began to shoot forward to help.

Katie Gardner and Rachael Dare broke from the crowd just as Annabeth struggled to pull free from Jason's hold.

"Let me go Jason." Annabeth's voice sounded annoyed; but there was also a bone weariness to it. "I'm fine."

"Annabeth, you fainted!" Piper exclaimed.

Annabeth glared at the other girl like Piper had just told her that Hera was her real mom. "I didn't faint, I tripped!"

"Yeah, and I'm one of my father's Holy Cows," Will said. He felt Annabeth's forehead with the back of his hand, frowning.

Annabeth snapped her head out of his reach. "I don't have a fever Solace. So, unless you want me to show you how I can 'strategically alter' your face; stop touching me!"

"You're exhausted girl," Will stated. "When was the last time you slept?" Seeing the almost guilty look on her face he went on. " That's what I thought. I know it's rough Annabeth, I know it- but, Percy wouldn't want you to fall apart like this."

A stinging retort was on Annabeth's lips, but Will cut it off before she could speak. "Jason and Piper are going to take you back to your cabin; and you're going to sleep. You're going to sleep Annabeth. So help me gods, I'll shackle you down with Celestial Bronze if I have to; but you can't keep going on like this."

Everyone around the campfire held their breaths. No one told Annabeth Chase what to do. Not even Percy. He still had that scar on his hairline from the last he tried during one of their Capture the Flag games.

"Fine, Will, okay?"

Annabeth's word's diffused the bomb that had been created by the tension, and everyone started breathing again.

Connor dropped 10 gold Drachma's in his brother's hand.

"Told you she wouldn't gut anybody here," Travis whispered. "Too many witnesses."

"Shut up," Connor whispered back, watching his money disappear into Travis' pocket.

"But I don't need an escort Will!" Annabeth argued.

"I do," Will argued back. "I need proof that you actually stayed in your cabin."

"You know it's against camp policies to post a sentry without Chiron's approval."

"Annabeth-" Will said her name so tiredly, tired of fighting with her an 'I'm worried about you' look clearly on his face.

"Piper can come with me," Annabeth finally agreed to the arrangement. Because, she could she just how concerned her friends were for her. "But, Jason stays. I don't need an entourage."

"Deal," Will agreed. He glanced over to Piper who looked just a bit nervous at having to be the one to force Annabeth into her cabin.

Piper watched as Rachel Dare hugged Annabeth tightly; and saw Will give her shoulder a squeeze. Even Jason touched her arm briefly.

Annabeth returned to her spot by the fire to collect her armor. But, she was stopped by Leo and several of his cabin mates who offered to repair the dents and dings in the bronze metal and clean and oil the armor, promising to return it to her in the morning.

Annabeth said a string of Ancient Greek that made Leo laugh. He didn't know much Ancient Greek, but he knew enough to understand her. "On my honor My Lady."

Piper leaned in towards Jason. "What'd she say?"

"It doesn't translate exactly," Jason replied. "But, basically she told Leo he'd better return her armor by sunrise, or she'd throw him into the Hudson."

"So, why's Leo laughing then?" Piper asked, confused.

"Because he has a twisted sense of humor," Jason responded.

Rachel came back over to Annabeth and hugged her one last time; and Piper couldn't help but notice how tightly Annabeth hugged her back. Despite all of her heated anger, Piper could see just how weak Annabeth's spirit truly was.

Piper had no idea how the whole amnesia thing would affect a bond this deep. But, if Percy Jackson needed Annabeth as much as she needed him, then Piper doubted memory loss would take away such a hollow feeling. Which meant that they would have to reunite these two, fast, or neither one of them would last most longer.

Annabeth pulled away from Rachel. Piper heard snatches of their conversation.

"No," Annabeth said.

"But-" Rachel protested.

"I mean it Dare." Despite the harshness of Annabeth's words, there was a caring in them. These two had chosen to become friends for a reason. "I just need to be alone tonight."

Rachel nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."

Annabeth nodded in return and turned to walk back to Piper and Jason. The flames cast long shadows of over all three of their faces.

"Guess I'm ready to turn in."

Annabeth sounded so defeated that Jason wanted to hug her. But, something about Piper standing right there, and Annabeth so torn over Percy, made him place a hand on her arm and squeeze it again instead. "We'll get him back Annabeth – I promise." Jason did not know Percy Jackson. But, he could see just how much Annabeth did. And it made him swear to his promise; because, he never wanted to see that kind of pain on her face again.

Annabeth gave the smallest of smiles; but, it was swallowed up by a tiring sadness. She retreated away from the fire, leaving Piper to follow her.

The campers all watched her go. Even Travis stopped, mid snatch, for Drew's gold watch to see Annabeth disappear into the dark night.

A solitary, lost-looking figure.

xxxxxxxXxxxxxx

Piper had been given a tour of Camp Half Blood by Annabeth on her first day, and it still awed her to see all those huge majestic cabins housing children of the Greek Gods. Her own cabin, Cabin Ten, Aphrodite, glowed hot pink in the sparkling pink torch light. (Piper still had no idea how to remove the "Pepto Bismol" color enchantment that Drew had placed on the flames.) Givenchy perfume wafted through white lace curtained windows.

They passed by Apollo Cabin, who's torches were lit, thank the gods, with regular fire. And Ares cabin on fire from an Apollo Campers' flaming arrow. Two Ares campers were up on the roof throwing buckets of water on it to douse the flames.

Finally Annabeth and Piper stopped at Cabin Six, Athena's. A stone owl stood guard over the doorway that Annabeth pushed open. The interior of the cabin was lit by the glow of over 10 computers, all running complex data schematics.

Annabeth's own silver laptop with the Delta symbol on the front – her gift from the Daldeus, creator of the Labyrinth – sat open on her bunk.

Piper stepped into the cabin, assaulted by the hum of machines, and their outrageously bright and blinking lights. She fixed Annabeth with a look. "You can sleep in all this?"

"I'm used to it," Annabeth's reassurance was anything but reassuring. She glanced at the whirring machines. "Their running cross coordinates on demigod sightings in the continental U.S. So far, I've only mapped out the Eastern Seaboard. But, if I could break this one stupid algorithm, then I could increase the capacity of the server to 10 hits an hour."

"That's great," Piper didn't understand half of what Annabeth had just said.

But, Annabeth obviously did. She picked up a map of the United States from the mess of papers on her bed. One where a large part of the Eastern Coast of the country was shaded in yellow highlighter. "If I can find more demigods Piper, then maybe I'll can find some of these Roman ones, and question them about Percy's whereabouts." Annabeth had grasped the hilt of her sheathed knife when she said 'question.'

All these computers, all these searches; they were all for Percy.

There was a picture on Annabeth's small nightstand. Framed in a homemade frame of Popsicle sticks and seashells (Demigods did arts and crafts and camp too apparently.) Except, that many of the shells were from creatures thought to be extinct eons ago; but in reality still lived and died in Poseidon's domain.

That framed picture was of Annabeth standing beside a guy with dark hair and piercing green eyes at the Camp Lake. Both were dressed in jackets over their orange camp shirts. His was gray corduroy, and hers denim, a white scarf wrapped around her neck. It must've been taken at the start of the winter camping session, because small flecks of snow could be seen falling behind them.

They guy had his arm slung over her shoulder, and his other hand was flipping down the visor of a New York Yankee's cap that was resting on head, and she was laughing at him. And, his face echoed that laughter. Behind them was the lake's dock, and standing on it was a young looking Satyr in jeans and a camp shirt holding up huge cardboard sign over his head that said: 'Winter of Love 2009.'

Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson. They looked so happy. Annabeth looked so vibrant standing next to the handsome guy with eyes like the ocean. Their eyes weren't even on the camera when the picture was taken. They were on each other, the other their sole focus.

Piper flicked her eyes over to Annabeth. Compared to that picture, she looked like she had gone to seed. She was thinner, her jeans and shirt hung off her frame in places, and she did not smile. Instead, she was biting at her bottom lip as she meticulously studied the map in her hands.

Annabeth raised her eyes from the map, and saw Piper's eyes on her. She had been a strategist too long to not notice when she was being studied. A loose tendril of blond hair fell from behind her ear; and, when she brushed it back she could feel how oily it was. She couldn't even remember the last time she had bothered to shower. And, she knew that smell like a field of Apollo Sacred Cow dung. But, lately everything had come down to a matter of need.

She needed to eat, or she would suffer malnourishment. She needed to sleep, at least once every couple of days, or her brain would start short circuiting. Sharpening her knife, oiling her armor, checking coordinates. Checking it with Sally Jackson and Percy's stepfather Paul Bloffis' for any news – all needs.

But, showering and constantly changing clothes – it was a waste of time and energy that could be vitally used on something else.

Annabeth set the map back down on her bunk. She had slept three hours last night, and was already planning to use tonight to go over recon notes that Grover and other Satyrs had sent her.

But, Piper stood there watching her, fully taking on her responsibility as Annabeth's chaperone. Piper would be lying if she said that she didn't feel just a little worried about Annabeth's reaction to her playing babysitter. She doubted that the Second-In-Command of the Titan War, who just recently found out that the love of her life was an amnesiac in a hostile camp of Roman demigods would take kindly to suggestions of bubble baths and warm tea.

But, Piper had to try; Annabeth couldn't keep going on like this. "Annabeth, I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through-" Great start McClean; why don't you also mention how the Roman campers probably tried to torture Percy when they first met him. "But, you can't keep living like – I mean-"

"Spit it out McClean," Annabeth said, her voice not hard, just tired.

"You need to sleep," Piper blurted this out before she could think of something else, perhaps something smarter. But, she was being honest. She didn't even try to Charmspeak Annabeth. She simply told her the truth, which held its own form of power. "Not just that, you need to shower, and maybe change your clothes because – I'm sorry Annabeth, but you smell like a herd of wet buffalo. And, I've smelled a herd of wet buffalo before – and Will is right, Percy would want you to take care of yourself-"

"Piper."Annabeth cut off Piper's rant. A flicker of life sparkled in her gray eyes at the same time a hint of a smile ghosted her lips.

"What?" Piper said.

"You're rambling."

This made Piper laugh a bit. "My dad used to say that I was born with a mouth that could swallow the whole world." Piper's heart constricted just a bit at the mention of her dad, about what she had to make him forget. She still hadn't forgiven herself for putting him in danger. She didn't think she ever could.

"Percy told me that if I talked as fast as my brain thought I would successfully invent Super Sonic Language." Annabeth's smile hung on for just a fraction of a second, then faded out completely. She picked up the framed picture from off her nightstand, and just stared at it, a long unblinking look, her fingers tight on the frame.

"Annabeth?"

When Annabeth turned at Piper calling her name there was such a sadness reflected in her eyes, like looking into the mirrored image of a damaged soul searching desperately for home.

Piper didn't know what to say anymore. Annabeth looked so sad. Like she wanted to crawl into that picture, and be back in that moment. To feel Percy so close to her again, instead of not being able to feel anything but the hole where he had been.

"Get some sleep okay?" Piper said softly. She squeezed the other girl's shoulder like Jason had done, feeling stupid as she did so because it she knew that it wouldn't be enough of a comfort.

"Sure," Annabeth held to the picture. Her eyes shifted over to Piper, gray meeting brown. "Thanks for trying to help, and uh- telling me that I smell. I guess I could try for a shower. Athena might disown me if I peel the paint of Cabin Six."

Piper smiled a small amused smile. "No problem." Annabeth had such a sharp wit, that Piper would have loved to seen it when it wasn't so deluded with pain. Piper turned to walk back out the front door. She got hung up in the doorway, literally, when her gray blue scarf snagged on a nail on the doorpost. She tugged at it, but the nail was relentless, and started to unravel part of her scarf.

I defeat monsters with just my VOICE, but loose nails are my downfall? She finally managed to pull the scarf free – with some ripping and cursing (Not Greek; just the tried and tested English ones that she knew.)

Her tugging spun her back around to face the inside of the cabin, and the "sorry" hovering on her lips was swallowed when she saw Annabeth still standing in the exact same spot, tracing the edges of Percy's image with her fingers.

The sadness that Piper had seen in Annabeth's eyes all night was huge. But this look wasn't sad, it was so very, very lonely.

"Annabeth-" Piper tried once more to say something comforting. "I-" Piper watched as a single, heavy tear fell from Annabeth's eyes and hit the glass of the picture frame with a pattering 'splash'.

All of Piper's thoughts to find words of comfort died, flying away like a Pegasus, leaving her abandoned to offer the other girl anything but –

"Goodnight."

Annabeth didn't respond. The hum of the computers were lost to her focus, Piper's voice was lost to her focus. Everything was lost to her focus – except the solitary picture that she held in her hands.

Piper left Cabin Six and stepped back out into the softly falling snow.

xxxxxxxXxxxxxx

The sounds of the campfire broke free from the night as Piper drew closer to it. Lacey, Piper's young cabin mate was leading a sing-a-long of: "Zeus May Be Your Father, But Hera Is Not You Mom."

The Stoll brothers' were very loud with their part of the singing, almost drowning out the others in a sea of off key chanting.

Jason broke away from the group and stepped across the flickering shadows to Piper. Piper began to walk towards Jason too. She had to duck to avoid Clarisse's spear as it sailed over her head.

"Get out of the way McClean!" Clarisse snarled as the spear imbedded itself in the trunk of a Spruce Tree with a 'thwack.'

A wood nymph popped out from beside the tree and started yelling obscenities at Clarisse in an ancient nymph language at the same time an Apollo camper shouted: "Miss!" at Clarisse.

Jason leaned down towards her."How's Annabeth?"

His whisper was warm by Piper's ear, and she turned away from that warmth to look at him with sad eyes. She leaned across the small void and hugged him.

Jason took her soft weight in his arms without protest, hugging her back.

"No secrets you two, we want to know how she is too." Rachel Dare said. She stood by the outskirts of the fire, the flames making her red hair glow like lit embers.

Piper pulled away from Jason to face the redheaded Oracle. "How do you think she is?" the retort was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She could still see Annabeth standing all alone in her cabin, holding to Percy's picture.

The campfire fell to a hush again. Clarisse broke away from all the smacking noises that she was making with Chris Rodriguez, and stared at Piper in stunned amusement. Stunned, but also with an impressed look.

Rachel's eyebrows rose at the sting of Piper's retort, but she didn't counter it with an angry one of her own. She had seen Annabeth hurt too many times over Percy. Some of those times, she was the cause of it. But, this was different, this wasn't Percy and Annabeth fighting about stupid stuff- they were together now – and what had happened was completely and utterly wrong. She couldn't even get a sign of Percy's location at the Roman Camp. Her channeling of the Oracle was being blocked. No doubt the spirit of Delphi was getting a little angry at being called on for every problem, and was giving Rachel the biggest 'screw you' ever.

"I think she's hurt Piper, and I can't even do anything about it." Rachel said, her answer so honest that it burned. Rachel felt so helpless. She couldn't find Percy, and it not finding Percy she couldn't help Annabeth. Some Oracle she was.

"We just need to find Percy!" one of the Hermes campers, 13-years-old, newly come to camp, shouted up in offering, like it was something so easy.

"Great deduction there,Levi," Connor said to his half brother. "You seriously should've been Oracle instead of Rachel."

Levi glared at his brother, calculating which fallen branch in his vicinity would be the sharpest one to shove into Connor's eyes. "I was just trying to help dude."

"You don't even know Percy!" Connor shouted.

"So what? That mean I'm not supposed to care about it?" Levi stood up, small thin thing that he was, and stood toe to toe with Connor, who towered four inches above him. "I didn't get chased by monsters all the way from Massachusetts to listen to attitude!" Yes Levi was short, but right now, he was also looking pretty scrappy.

"Guys!" Chris Rodriguez, a tall Hispanic camper, 17, years old stood up, and physically stepped in between Levi and Connor. "Come on, back off! This isn't about us. This is about Percy-"

"And about Gaia wanting to face plant us all into the earth and take over the world, Chris." Clarisse informed, holding her spear like a scepter in front of her.

"Okay fine, it is a little about us too," Chris offered to his girlfriend, watching her give him a 'you're welcome' look. "But, the point is, these stupid fights will only divide us. And we need all our ranks together if we're ever going to get Percy out. He went to the mat for us guys, time after time. We have to do this for him."

"For Percy!" Levi offered.

Levi wasn't met with a thunderous shouting wave of return 'For Percy!'s' like in the movies.

Everyone sat around, and stared at each other. Not, like kids who didn't know what to do. But, like battle weary demi gods. Demi gods only five months out from fighting a Titan War, who had lost dozens of friends in this war, who had just lost one of their own to something that death only seemed to rival. Demi god trying to build a massive warship, the likes of which hadn't been seen, let alone created in over 1,000 years, to sail to Greece to fight monsters that dated to the dawn of creation.

No one had energy to shout such an undertaking.

"What about Annabeth? I get it about Percy, but we have to help her too." It was Clarisse who spoke up. She and Annabeth didn't have the best of histories, but Clarisse didn't hate her. If she searched her deepest thoughts (and she didn't like to because it made her get feelings she would consider 'girly') she would even consider her a 'friend'.

"We have to find Percy," Will said coming up to stand beside Chris. "That's how we help Annabeth. We've all known for a long time how deeply connected those two are-"

"We've seen it too," Travis said. "Like full on tongue wrestling-"

"Thank you Travis," Will cut back into his own conversation. He looked around at all the campers sitting by the fire, all his friends who he had laughed with, grown up with, who had fought beside him. All minus one, who's absence he could feel like an open wound. "Finding Percy is the key. Annabeth didn't fall apart for nothing. And I for one am sick of seeing her like that, I'm sick of being a pawn in the games of the Gods!"

Thunder rumbled over head at Will's blasphemy. A fierce wind picked up and the air grew hot with electricity.

"Uh Will-" Chris said. Some of the other campers backed away from Will afraid of what would happen.

The gods hadn't spoken in weeks, not since Hera had been kidnapped. But, now that she was back, safe, on Olympus, Zeus had no problem with putting Will in his place, which would be into the ground, as a pile of smoldering ash.

Jason closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to his father: Dad don't! Who's gonna lead the archers in Greece if you melt him?

The thunder quieted and the winds died down. Jason opened his eyes and looked back to Will. "You're good man."

Will's eyes showed of relief that he would remain intact, but the fuel that had driven his words in the first place hadn't died down. "It's not about the gods guys," thunder rumbled again, but it was more muted, Zeus trying to keep his anger in check for the sake of his son. "It's about us, all of us. We're a family. Not because of who's kid we are, or what cabin we're from, because we chose to be one. Percy is a part of our family. And, he's gone, taken. And, my number one rule: You don't screw with the family."

A different kind of electricity rumbled through the air. Not from Zeus, but from the eyes of all the campers as they absorbed Will Solace's words, something that they already knew. They just needed someone to remind them.

"We're with you Solace!" Clarisse thumped her spear, nicked named 'Lamer' behind her back, on the ground. It echoed with a heavy sound. "Nobody messes with that pipsqueak Jackson but me!"

A volt of electricity accidentally shot off from the tip of the spear and rained sparks down on them, catching Katie's hair on fire.

"Sorry Katie!" Clarisse called after her as Katie screamed and ran down the hillside to a Dryad who quickly threw her into the lake to put out the flames.

Katie emerged for air a few second later, coming out of the lake soaking wet, but with her head no longer on fire. "I'm good!" she said as she climbed back up the embankment and reclaimed her place next to Connor Stoll, lake water dripping off her clothes and hair.

"Percy would've loved that," Travis said, almost wistfully. "Remember when he Hurricaned Thalia on her butt during Capture the Flag?"

"That was wicked!" Lee Fletcher from Apollo said, "It disturbed the weather patterns in New Jersey for a week, it was awesome!" Lee's smile faded. "It's not the same without him," his eyes fell sad. Not haunted like Annabeth's, but still sad. "Will's right you guys. Percy is one of us," the sadness in his eyes was replaced with a heated anger. "And I have a Sonic arrow just itching to sail from my bow at the idiots who have him! I'll blast them like a Three Days Grace concert-"

"Lee," Jason said. "It was the Gods who dropped Percy into the Roman Camp. They didn't kidnap him. They probably didn't even know who he was. None of you knew who I was when I got here. Those Roman's may be bloodthirsty, but technically it isn't their fault."

"Ever hear of the expression 'don't quibble over technicalities' Grace?" Lee asked. He was a thin guy, dark brown hair, tall with lean muscled features. Normally, he was a little more reserved, more downplayed. But, now, his blue eyes burned like ice. "I don't quibble over them, I fight over them. No, this is personal, Those Roman's are going down!"

"We have to work together with them Lee!" Piper argued. "Remember the prophecy! It will take all demigods to defeat Gaia!"

"First we get our boy back, then I make friends with the Romans," Lee said.

No one could argue with that.

The fire crackled. It burned a different color depending on the mood of the campers seated around it. Tonight it started off bright orange as battle plans and missions were discussed, and the campers let off the tension that had slammed into them these past few weeks. Then died to an almost pale yellow when Annabeth had departed. Now, the fire wasn't as bright of an orange as before – but it was a honey yellow orange, with a flickering of blue in its center, the color that emerged from the hottest part of any flame.

Even as the fire spluttered and fizzled, under falling snow the blue remained strong, shining through the night, the collective energy of all of them keeping it alive.

xxxxxxxXxxxxxx

The night was filled with the soft hush of falling snow. A few birds called to each other, braving the cold to search for food. The night sky had been cloudy during the snow flurry, but once the clouds had cleared away, the blackness was suddenly hit with the lights of hundreds of stars, shining with the crystal clarity that only came from a winter night.

A trail of deep footprints stood in the snow at entrance of Cabin Three.

Cabin Three was built like a bunker, low lying with exterior walls made out of seashells. All the windows faced east towards the Atlantic Ocean. Bronze braziers hung from the roof, filled with sea salt and kelp that burned hot blue flames at the wooden door that led inside.

Cabin Three, Poseidon's Cabin. It had stood empty for many years, then it had become a home, had become alive again over the past five years. But, now it stood too quiet once more.

The doorway was pushed open, and the beach wood gave a heavy 'creak' as it swung inward. There were smaller braziers inside, as well as a few suspended electric globe lights on the roof, like the meeting of a modern and ancient world.

The braziers were lit, but the overhead lights remained off, as a figure emerged suddenly from the air like a ghost. A navy blue New York Yankees cap was pulled off a head of newly washed damp blonde hair.

Annabeth tucked the cap in the back pocket of her jeans. She turned in a slow circle to take in the whole cabin. The fountain that Poseidon had given Percy as a gift sat bubbling in the corner, and the air smelled of the sand and the ocean from the salt water inside the fountain. Algae had begun to grow around the edges of the fountain, and a scattering of clothes were strewn around the base.

Percy had never been a neat person. He left candy wrappers on the tables, only did laundry every other week, and left his armor in a filthy heap at the foot of a bed that he never made.

Annabeth approached this rumpled mattress, with a gray blanket half hanging off the bed, two Milky Way wrappers on the pillowcase beside a wrinkled dark blue 'NYPD' shirt. Annabeth picked up the shirt, fingering the fabric. She brought it up to her face, and let the soft cotton trail down her skin like water.

Annabeth had showered in the tiny bathroom of her own cabin, had dressed in a clean gray Henley and jeans, wearing different clothes for the first time in three days. She had then donned her Invisibility cap and had come here.

It was forbidden for campers to enter each other's cabins at night. Not just 'against the rules' like at other summer camps. Like 'Zeus will smite you into tinder' forbidden. But Annabeth, stood here not turning to smoking rubble, so she knew she was safe.

Annabeth set the shirt back down on the bed and slid her Henley up over her head, discarding on the bed. She then pulled Percy's shirt on. Percy was two inches taller than her so the shirt fell almost to her knees.

The soft blue cotton smelled like the sea, and toothpaste, and melted chocolate, and camp soap. Annabeth breathed in all these scents. The air was bitingly cold, and a breeze from the ocean blew in through the opened windows. Annabeth walked over to them and shut all but one of the old style crank windows, letting the salty air of the ocean still be able to enter the cabin.

She sat down slowly on the bed, having to get back up when she sat on something hard. She held a picture frame made of teak wood, that screamed 'Percy's mom got this for him.'

Inside the frame was an old picture, taken on the dock at Camp Half Blood. It showed a canoe being paddled on the lake by an 12-year-old Percy, and a 12-year-old Annabeth. Gods, did she really look like that back then? She looked like a blonde spider! And Percy was all gangly arms and legs, his face furiously set on paddling.

They looked so determined to win that race, Annabeth remembered that day. Percy had fallen into the lake when Clarisse had 'accidentally' ran into their canoe. But, being the newly claimed Son of Poseidon, he had simply climbed back into the canoe bone dry. They had won the race that day and Clarisse had spent a week on lava cleaning kitchen duty.

Someone had carved into the wood, a jagged abbreviation: 'PJAC' Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. Percy was dyslexic, all demigods were. It made them almost infallible in battle, but left them struggling with reading and writing.

Percy had carved this, into a frame his mother had bought him, for a picture of the two of them. 'PJAC' Who knows how long ago it had been carved into the wood, maybe that very day the picture was taken, maybe years later when Percy was alone in his cabin. There were no current pictures of her or the two of them in his cabin.

But, this picture, these initials – Annabeth ran her fingers into the scratched scrawled letters. Percy had carved them, he had wanted to remember that day. She sat down on the bed, the ring on her finger catching in the torchlight, glowing like the sea under moonlight.

[The fire was crackling like it was Christmas morning. Everyone was singing off-key songs about Zeus and Hera and Typhoon falling on his large bottomed butt. And about Percy sending Kronos back where it was nice and dark.

"Hey," Percy stood over Annabeth who was in the middle of reading Faust. He repressed a snort that would have no doubt had him knocked upside the head. Only Annabeth Chase would be reading Faust during a party. "Take a break Wise Girl, have some fun, we won a war."

Annabeth looked up from her book, and Percy couldn't help but admire how wonderfully gray her eyes were.

"I AM having fun Percy," Annabeth remarked. "Reading is fun for me."

Percy took the book from her hands. Faust? You are such a rebel Annabeth." He ducked when she took a mock swing at him.

"Go to Tartarus Percy!" Annabeth snapped, but she was laughing. "Gods, you're so stupid!"

"But you heart me and you know it!" Percy threw on a pouting face, his bottom lip sticking out just a bit in his smile.

Annabeth closed her book, and met his green eyes. "Gods help me, but I do—In spite of everything."

Percy pretended to be wounded. "You really know how to make a guy feel special, Daughter of Athena."

"I learn from the best, Son of Poseidon." Annabeth threw back.

Percy leaned down to kiss her without any formal invitation, and their lips met softly over her closed book.

"Yeah baby, hit that!" Connor Stoll shouted.

The campers laughed as Percy and Annabeth broke apart.

Percy turned to Connor. "Dude, you mind?"

"No I don't mind at all," Connor came back. "Continue kissing Annabeth in front of me."

Annabeth cleared her throat and pressed her lips together, her eyes looking up to Percy with a 'and these are our friends' look.

Percy leaned closer to Annabeth again. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Where?" Annabeth asked. She didn't just act on impulse. She planned ahead like her ADD was on steroids.

"I know a place," Percy returned.

"Percy, I don't feel like jumping in the lake tonight; it took WEEKS to get that kelp smell out of my hair last time-"

"Annabeth," Percy placed a finger on her lips. "Have I ever led you wrong?-Wait, don't answer that- just trust me, okay?" He stood back up to his full height and held out his hand to her. His eyes were doing their 'I'm your favorite demigod' thing.

Annabeth finally caved, and placed her hand in his, letting him pull her to her feet. Faust dropped back against the concrete of the amphitheatre .

"Don't touch my book Travis." Annabeth warned, seeing Travis hovering over her fallen volume.

Travis read the cover with distaste. "Believe me Annabeth, that's one object that's completely safe in my presence."

Annabeth was about to say something in return sarcasm, but Percy tugged on her hand. "I'm trying to create ambiance here Annabeth."

Annabeth snapped her head up to him. "How do you know what that word means?" Percy had battle and street intelligence that would rival any demi god. But, when it came to book knowledge, he wasn't A student material.

Percy nudged her in the shoulder, and whispered "how do you think?" so close to her ear that she could feel his warm breath tickle her face.

She couldn't repress the smile as Percy continued to hold her hand as they wove through their friends.

Katie Gardner smiled hugely at them as they passed. "Goodnight you guys, don't stay up all night 'talking.'"

There was a round of a laughter. Annabeth blushed, but just for a moment, before she got it back under control.

Travis Stoll came up to them and bumped fists with Percy, then slapped Annabeth on the shoulder. "You two kids have fun, don't do anything you wouldn't want Zeus to see-"

"Goodnight Travis," Percy said.

"Hey man, I'm just saying-"

"GOODNIGHT Travis," Annabeth said, repeating Percy's words with much more insistence.

"Goodnight Annabeth," Connor said, winking at her from his seat by the fire with Katie, while Travis grinned on.

Percy and Annabeth walked away from the fire hand and hand, hearing a loud calling of wolf whistles behind them as they left the others. They walked through the silky night. Winter stars were just starting to break out, wearing the constellations of the upcoming Solstice. Their shoes soon hit the soft, yielding brown sand of the small beach by the Canoe Lake.

Annabeth shook her head, in disbelief. She turned to see the glow of the campfire up the hill, all the noise still audible behind them. "Gods, that wasn't fun. Who knows what they're talking about now that they can say it behind our backs-"

"Annabeth, relax," Percy said. "You're with one of the best looking demi gods at camp. Whatever they're saying, it's gotta be good."

Annabeth released his hand and jumped him, knocking him to the sand.

Percy hit the soft sand hard on his back, he tried to squirm away, but Annabeth had fistfuls of his gray jacket in her hands. "Hey, what's that for Wise Girl?"

"Just because you're invincible to injury Jackson doesn't meant that I can't take you down!" Annabeth's hair had shook loose of her pony tail and the long blonde locks hung over Percy's face.

Percy stared up into her deep gray eyes, felt the weight of her body, because she was basically straddling his waist, and smiled at her. "Does it look like I'm complaining?"

Annabeth threw a handful of sand at him, most of it hitting him in the mouth. She couldn't help but laugh at his look of disgust, because of what CRAWLED on the beach sand that he was currently spitting out. He spit out mouthfuls of sand amidst her still audible laugher.

Percy took this moment of her guard being lowered to tackle her, pinning her down.

"Percy!" Annabeth squirmed underneath him. "Get off me!" Ever since Percy had started 'bearing the curse of Achilles' his body had gotten HARD when he was fighting, even when he was just play sparring. Right now, it felt like she was lying under a heavy black rhinoceros.

Percy could sense her discomfort. And he knew she would rather have Hera kiss and hug her before she would admit that something bothered her.

He took his weight off of her, transferring it to his arms, staring down at her. "No way; You're mine now Chase. Spoils of war."

"It wasn't a war Percy," Annabeth said. "You still fight like you're 12 years-old."

She laughed when Percy poured handfuls of sand in her hair. "Percy Aaron Jackson!"

Percy stared at her innocently. "Yes mother?" her tone was so stern, complete with the 'three name call' that he couldn't help but say that.

"You really want to picture your mom whenever you're with me?" she countered.

Percy's weight suddenly came off of her, allowing Annabeth to sit up and shake sand from her long blond main; and him to shoot her a look of repulsion. "Gods Annabeth, that's disgusting!"

"You said it not me," Annabeth said laughing.

"Yeah, but now I can't get it out of my head!" Percy returned, trying to scrub horrible images from his eyes that wanted to burn themselves there.

Annabeth shook her head at him. "You're so lame Jackson."

She inched closer to him. And, a minute later Percy felt a shiver travel up his body, like he was slowly submerging in the cold ocean on a hot summer day. He looked down to see Annabeth's hand under his shirt, fingers lightly touching the Achilles Spot on his lower back.

"Still thinking about your mom Percy?" Annabeth asked.

Percy couldn't hide it as the shivers increased at where her hand was. "My what?" Most teenage boys his age, got riled when their girlfriend touched OTHER places. But, this wasn't just about physical reaction.

Annabeth had been the ONE thing that he had focused on when he plunged into the Styx, his link to the mortal world, that kept him from melting like he had been in a vat of acid. To have her touch the spot that bound him too her- It was like she had peeled back their skins, to touch his soul to hers.

In other words, it didn't feel like anything he could ever completely describe, because he was too busy FEELING it.

Annabeth removed her hand, with a small smile, bringing it up to her knees as she pulled them up to her chest.

Percy turned her, seeing her dusting the last bits of sand from her hair, calling him: 'Vlacas' (an idiot) in Greek under her breath, but she was still smiling.

And, Percy couldn't help but stare at her. Annabeth had sand all over her clothes, beating MORE sand out of her hair, wearing jeans and a gray long sleeved t-shirt with the words 'Smithsonian' printed in black across it. (Gods, she was such a nerd.)

He thought she looked amazingly beautiful.

Annabeth turned to him, and caught him staring at her. "Percy, what? Is there still sand on my face?" She started batting at her chin with one hand.

Percy just shrugged a laugh at her.

This made her look at him harder. "What?"

He got to his feet, grinning. "Nothing." Once again he held out his hand to her. "Come on."

Annabeth looked at him in confusion. "I thought you wanted to come here."

"This was just a side trip," he waved the hand he was holding out to her. "Come on."

Annabeth eyed his hand, like she was trying to decide whether to tackle him down again for being so elusive. But, in the end, her hand was back in his as he pulled her on her feet.

"Can I at least ask where we're going?" She said as she trailed after him from where his hand was linked with hers.

He winked at her. "It's a surprise."

"Percy I hate surprises." she told him.

"Hey, those are YOUR issues," he returned, stumbling slightly when Annabeth bumped him in the shoulder.

They climbed up the hillside, until they were standing beside of Thalia's Tree, giving them a panoramic view of whole camp, the strawberry fields, the Big House, the nine original cabins, the newer ones to the minor gods, and the construction for the rest of them. It was a huge project, but it made Percy proud to see that more demigods wouldn't just be left abandoned to monsters, wouldn't be ignored by their Godly parents.

Percy took a cursory glance at all off this, but tugged Annabeth's hand again. "C'mon."

"Percy, where in gods name are we GOING?" Annabeth demanded. The air was turning colder, and even with her long sleeves, she shivered.

Percy felt the shiver, travel up to his hand. "Are you cold?"

"I'm fine Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said.

Percy released her hand and slid out of his gray corduroy jacket, draping it across her shoulders.

"Percy, it's 60 degrees out here!" Annabeth said.

"Yeah, and I have that whole 'Invincible Achilles' thing going on ," Percy said back. "So save it."

Annabeth sighed, but finally gave in, sliding her arms into the sleeves of the jacket. They hung over her hands, and she felt like a kid wearing her dad's clothes. But, it smelled like Percy, and it was still warm from his body, so she didn't complain to herself much.

(Amazingly beautiful) Percy tugged her hand again. "Just a bit futher Wise Girl, promise. And if I'm lying you can kick my butt back to my dad's palace."

"Deal," Annabeth said.

Percy walked with her hand in his again, down the hill, past the campfire. They ducked behind some pine trees so that Connor and Travis couldn't see them. Finally they emerged in the clearing of cabin's. Percy stopping them at Cabin Six, Athena's cabin.

Annabeth eyed him incredulously. "You did all THAT just to walk me to my door Seaweed Brain?"

"Gods you're so cute when you insult me," Percy said. "I thought you might enjoy the view that's all."

"Percy I've seen camp before," Annabeth reminded.

"Annabeth, would you STOP being cute for one second, I'm nervous enough as it is!" Percy said, his voice was unusually shrill.

"Percy, is something wrong?" Annabeth eyed him critically, like maybe his Achilles curse had an expiration date after all. She was half ready to feel his forehead, when she saw his hand come over to her waist.

Percy was reaching into the pocket of the jacket he had given her, pulling something out if it. It hadn't been the best of moves to forget to take it out BEFORE he had given her the jacket. But, he was new at this chiviliary thing, so sue him.

"Annabeth-" the tiny thing fell out of his hand, and into the dirt. Percy cursed in Ancient Greek. "One second." he bent down to loot around in the darkness of the grass. There were a few more curses from him.

Annabeth looked down at him in amusement, her hand on his shoulder. "Need some help Seaweed Brain?"

"Shut up," Percy retorted. Okay, so it wasn't the most romantic thing to tell his girlfriend to 'shut up. But, gods, he WAS nervous.

He finally stood back up to his full height, holding something out to her in his hand.

Annabeth stared at the thing resting in his left palm. "Percy, what?-" In his hand was a silver ring with a turquoise stone as it's setting. It caught the torchlight outside her cabin door, making it look like the waves of the oceans, deep cobalt's, sea foam greens, sky blues, all combined together.

"Tyson and I- we made this-" Percy had the urge to scrub the back of his neck, something he did when he was nervous. But, he repressed it. "Actually, Tyson MADE it, I just got dad's permission to pluck a stone from the creator of this dormant volcano-There's some pretty cool stuff down there. I met a seahorse who's 1,000 years old, he told me all about his racing days-"

"It's beautiful," Annabeth cut him off. She knew Percy rambled when he was nervous.

Percy picked the ring up from his palm. "It's for you-" he almost dropped it again, but his fingers closed around it at the last minute and it didn't fall.

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Me?" She hadn't been expecting that. She thought Percy was showing her something that Poseidon had taught him how to make, or maybe even something for his mom (her birthday was coming up next month). She stared at him dumfounded. "You MADE this for ME?"

Percy gently grasped her left wrist, and slid on her second finger, without a word. She could feel his hands shaking as he did it.

"Annabeth-" Percy was still grasping her wrist, and she could feel his thumb tracing the pulse point there, it made her shiver. "You, you're my best friend, you've been that for a LONG time – and now, it's so much more, YOU'RE so much more-"

Annabeth eyed the ring, it felt cold on her finger, but a good kind of cold. Her eyes met his. "Percy?"

"I love you."

Percy said this so fast, like he was letting out a breath of air, his thumb still tracing her wrist, his green eyes blinking only once, like if he did it anymore he would lose this moment. "I love you Annabeth."

Annabeth felt the corners of her eyes begin to tear. She wasn't a girl who loved romantic, mushy TV movie moments. But, this didn't feel like that. This felt like Percy, who had fought beside her to defeat Kronos, who had held her so close as she mourned the loss of Luke in the immediate days after the war, who laughed at her jokes, who liked to spar with her, who snuck kisses while she was studying blueprints, just to make her yell and laugh at him at the same time.

This felt like him, holding her hand outside her cabin, after he gave her a ring that he dropped, and then told her he loved her.

This felt real.

Annabeth twirled her wrist around in his grip so that she was holding to his hand, the band of her new ring pressing into his palm. She started right through the color of his eyes, right into the parts that made him, the little boy she met a long time ago, and the person he had become.

"Me too," She watched him smile at her words. She didn't repeat them, but she knew he got it.

When their lips met this time, it was to a long slow kiss, that felt of cold winter air, and warm breath, and his life and her life meeting in the middle. Her hands were on the back of his neck, and his was low on her back, and nothing else was felt but them.

When they finally broke apart they were both gasping for breath. Even, Percy with his invulnerability was panting. "So I take it you like the ring?"

Annabeth laughed and punched him in the shoulder, leaning over to steal another kiss, shorter, but still intense. She shrugged out of his jacket, handing it back to him "You should get out of here Seaweed Brain before the my mother sees you outside my door. I don't think she cares about your Invincibility; she'd still try to blast you."

"Good point," Percy agreed, taking back his jacket. He held out his hand. "Goodnight Chase."

"Goodnight Jackson," Annabeth's eyes were as bright as her smile, laughing as she shook his hand.

Percy started to walk down the path to his cabin, but ten steps into it, he turned and walked back up to her, kissing her for one last time, leaving her breathless.

"Percy, get out of here!" Annabeth pushed him away, but she was still smiling.

He winked at her as he walked down the path, and she watched him go for a ways before going inside her cabin.

The next morning she awoke to the Warning Alarm blaring and screaming. She bolted upright and ran outside. A cluster of campers, and Chiron stood outside the door to Cabin Three in the half light of dawn.

Oh Gods!

Annabeth ran down the sand packed path, in her white tank top and pj bottoms and bare feet, her unkempt hair flying past her as she ran.

Annabeth made it down to Cabin Three in ten seconds flat. "What happened?"

Her voice made the campers heads turn. Chiron's as well. He was still in Centaur form, pink rollers in his beard. He clip clopped to where Annabeth was standing. "Annabeth-"

The tone in Chiron's voice made panic come to Annabeth's eyes. "Is he hurt?" Even though she KNEW he was invincible it was the first question she asked, because he COULD be hurt, he just couldn't DIE.

Chiron laid his hands down on her shoulders. "Child-"

Annabeth broke from his grip and pushed past the campers. Some of them managing to get out her way before she knocked them over, except for one skinny 12-year-old Demeter boy who was sent sprawling on his back as she bulldozed by him.

Annabeth didn't stop to apologize as she finally reached the door to the cabin, which stood open. She pushed past Connor and Travis Stoll standing in matching blue pajamas, and stepped inside.

Cabin Three looked messy, like it had been hit with a bomb. But, that wasn't unusual. Annabeth had SEEN Percy's mess before, and this was par for the course. Clothes in heaps, overflowing waist basket, trash not IN the waist basket, and all over the furniture.

But what WASN'T the norm, was the two foot diameter black scorch mark that was burned into the floor. It had flung the mess lying there outward, so homework papers and textbooks and gym socks were ringed around the outside like a blast site.

Annabeth approached the burn mark with wide eyes, she knelt down next to it, collecting a finger full of scorched floorboard that had burned to ash.

Connor Stoll stepped into the room. "Percy's not hurt Annabeth; he's GONE."

The air hung with the lingering smell of acrid black smoke. Annabeth whipped her head up to Connor. "What do you mean he's GONE?" She stood back up, eyes murderous on Connor, because he had picked himself as a conduit for her anger by talking. "Gone WHERE? Connor!"

"Annabeth," Chiron had to duck his head down two feet to be able to get inside the cabin. He stepped heavily on black hooves over to her.

"I want to know where he is Chiron!" Annabeth shouted up to the Centaur's face. "Who took him, WHO?" Annabeth's eyes were blazing, murderous.

"We don't know child," Chiron said, his voice both frustrated and angry at the same time. "It happened just after your brother Malcolm said he saw Percy walking you to your cabin last night."

Annabeth's eyes shot over to her half brother Malcolm, who had the decency to shrink back into the crowd from the withering look in her eyes.

"I've already organized search parties," Chiron said. "Grover has the satyrs combing the woods, and I've requested Artemis pull a squadron of her hunters as well. But, it's only been a few hours girl-they haven't reported back to me yet."

Annabeth felt like she was dreaming, all the noises around her buzzed loud and overbearing. She looked down at the ring in her hand, still hearing Percy's amused laugher, seeing his smile, feeling his kiss. Then she blinked and saw the ugly black scorch mark.

"You're lying!" she spat at Chiron, she pushed past him again, hearing him call her name.

She ran down to the lake, feeling her bare feet being cut on twigs and shells.

She stopped at the beach, turning a complete revolution, her eyes frantic.

"PERCY!" Her scream echoed off the lake and was so loud a dozen nyads popped their heads from the water in alarm.

She screamed his name a second time, then over and over again.]

The scorch mark had been scrubbed away as best it could. but whoever made it was powerful enough to burn down through three inches of the wood, so it still sat there like an ugly wound. Besides the scorch mark, no one had bothered to clean up Percy's things, it wouldn't be natural to have the cabin so clean, so they left it the way it was. If they cleaned it, it would be like a sign that he wasn't coming back.

Annabeth's eyes fell to the black spot on the ground. She played with the ring on her finger as she stared so hard at the spot where Percy had last stood that she could have caught it on fire if she had Leo Valdez's ability.

A tear fell from her eye, then two, then five. She pulled her feet up on the bed and hugged to her knees, clawing at Percy's shirt on her body and pressing it to her face, to inhale his scent.

Her tears fell faster, then became full on sobs jagged sobbing that tore through her and whiplashed her body.

Annabeth was rational, she rationalized everything. She wanted to know, when, where, and how, things happened. And if she didn't, then she refused to believe it made sense.

Which was why she didn't get this, because it didn't make sense.

Because she didn't understand why this was happening.

Her crying was beginning to choke her, but she couldn't stop it. She dry heaved once, but nothing came out. She curled up on the bed on her side, sending trash and clothes falling to the floor.

She gripped his pillow to her chest looking almost like a distraught teenage girl who had just fought with her boyfriend.

But, the sobs coming from her were so aching, so torn to pieces, that all she really looked like – was a wounded thing.

"Percy," she spoke his name out loud to his silent cabin, wanting so desperately for him to answer, to hear the sound of his voice. Gods, what if he were- no, she couldn't think about that, if she thought about that she'd lose her mind completely.

The cabin answered her with the silence she expected.

"Percy – please," it hurt to talk, it hurt to think. It was so quiet, and so empty here.

"I love you too." Annabeth hadn't repeated Percy's words to when he said them last week, and they echoed torn and lonely around the cabin, because they had no one to rebound off of, because they didn't have their home. "I love you Percy-I need you-" She choked on a sob again, then swallowed it like a hard pill.

"Please, come back."

Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Hero of the Titan War, sobbed in a still cabin at Camp Half Blood that smelled like the sea –for what she had lost.

I am not my own,

For I have been made new,

Please don't let me go

I desperately need you.

xxxxxxXxxxxx

End.

Yes I know it's sad. But, when I read the TLH, I was upset that we didn't see hardly any focus on Annabeth's feelings towards Percy being gone. I understand that it was about Jason, Leo and Piper, and that Percy was going to have a whole book, next time. But, I felt Annabeth and Percy deserved their moment.

This, like all my stories, was longer than I planned, but I don't limit myself when I write. I let the story take me wherever it takes me.

And finally the lyrics at the end are from "Meotor Shower" by Owl City. I first got into this band when I read the first PJ series, and I've always associated Annabeth and Percy with their lyrics.

Thanks for reading my first venture into Percy Jackson's world.

R/R please.

Peace,

Mystic.