Sailing Solo

14

Previously:
"Annabeth, don't do this!" He shouted over the wind. "Let him go!"

"I don't think so." Annabeth said cooley. She glanced at Zack and smirked as he whimpered. "Lord Pontus needs all the water affiliated spirits on his side. That includes the Nereids."

Realization dawned on Percy as he looked from Jack to Zack.

Everything was frozen for an unbearably long amount of time. Then: "Take me. I'm a bigger fish than that."

Everything went so quickly after that. Annabeth had smirked triumphantly at the monsters accompanying her and released Zack only after Percy handed over Riptide and let them put chains on his wrists.

The twins had refused almost violently until Percy stopped them by taking Jack by his hands and whispering reassuring words in his ear. Then he left, leaving a crumpled piece of paper in one of Jack's hands.

Grover had finally caught up with Jason, Reyna, Nico, and Will in tow but they were too late. Percy was already in the hands of a bear-like monster and was following them into the rising tide.

"Percy! No!" Grover shouted hopelessly.

"Chase, you bring him back or so help me!" Reyna shouted, her voice wavering.

But they were long gone.

- - -

Percy's hiding spot in the bushes just outside the forest was almost compromised by Juniper appearing out of nowhere.

"Hey, Percy, why are you watching Annabeth?" Percy's heart nearly leapt out through his throat.

"Juniper! Oh, my gods, don't sneak up on people like that!" Percy exclaimed as loudly as he dared.

"Sorry, I thought you heard me." She said. "But why are you watching Annabeth like a creep?"

Percy sighed heavily. "I didn't mean to." He said. "She's just avoiding me and I miss her. I thought if I came to her training spot, I could get the courage to ask her what's going on. But I chickened out and ended up watching her instead."

"Grover told me about what you said about the trip to save some of the new campers." Juniper said thoughtfully. "Do you know if he's tried to talk to her yet?"

Percy nodded. "Him and Chiron. They got nothing from her."

Juniper worried her lip with her teeth. "Do you want me to try?"

"That's alright, Juniper," Percy said sadly. "Maybe she's just in a mood. She might come back to normal if we leave her alone for now."

"If you're sure," Juniper said uncertainly before fading away to who knows where.

"Yeah," Percy said distractedly, not realizing she'd left already.

Percy stayed there for a while longer, admiring Annabeth's form until Juniper's words got to him and he realized how much of a creep he was being. Shuddering, he took one last glance at her before leaving to check on the twins who had been recently claimed as children of one of the Nerieds. That made them family and that caused him to feel some level of responsibility towards them.

As he trudged off, he couldn't get Annabeth's movements as she trained out of his head. She almost seemed...angry. It made him nervous.

Did he do something?

- - -

Now, as Percy observed the blonde demigod amongst the monsters she now associated with, he couldn't help but see the angry girl from that day in the forest. "What happened?" He muttered to himself.