Prince beyond the Stars (Percy Jackson/Son of Chaos Fan-Fiction)

Chapter XII

-Phi-

My fight with Rho and the reopening of Tartarus weren’t the only weird things happening. One by one campers seemed to disappear. Out of fear, Chiron had put guards around the pit, to make sure no one who went looking for it would fall down. But it was no use. The pit was shut off, any camper who wanted to have a look at it was send away, and it still didn't seem to work

I sighed as the campers walked away when training had finished and turned around to see Annabeth smiling at me. She didn't say anything, just stood there, watching me.
'What's the matter?' I asked. Instead of answering, she turned around, walking away. I felt my eyebrows rise. I would have to ask her later. I walked out of the arena, to see Eta sitting in front of the Chaos cabin.
'Hey,' she said when I sat down next to her.
'Hi,' I replied. 'What are you up to?'
Eta closed her eyes. 'I really want to talk to him.. I just don't know what to say.., or what to do..'
'That's easy,' I said.
'You're right,' she answered, a little smile appearing. 'What about you?'
'I'm going into town, trying to find my mom and Paul.'
Eta nodded. 'You should. It's about time you would go there. It has been three weeks, and still the only thing you've been doing is training the campers.'
I nudged her arm with my elbow. 'Don't push your luck girl,' I said.
Eta laughed. 'I'm not. But you now, deep down, that I'm right.'
I embraced her and brought my mouth to her ear.
'Then you know I'm right too.'

We broke apart, and I saw Eta smile at me. It was a smile that said many things at once, but right now, it told me I was right, and I should be leaving. Eta and I walked away in opposite directions and I couldn't help but feel the hope again. To maybe finally see my mom, and Paul. I took a deep breath and in a moment, I had walked out of the borders 

I went into town, going straight to my mom’s old house, believing that, if she would still be around, she would still be living up there. I walked up to the house, letting the doorbell ring for a moment, and waited. My heart skipped a beat when the door opened, but the disappointment washed over me as I saw it wasn't my mom. Instead a young looking woman was standing in the doorway, eyeing me as if to decide whether or not to shut the door in my face. 'Can I help you?' she asked shortly.
'Ehr, yes.. I'm looking for Sally Jackson and Paul Blofis. I've been told they live here,' I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
'I don't know who you're talking about,' the women said.
'Please, I need to know,' I pleaded.

The women turned her head and pointed at two grey objects at the end of the road. 'You should take a look at that, if you're so eager to learn about their lives.' With that, the shut the door in my face, leaving me standing confused on the path.
I walked away from the house, towards the grey objects. I didn't know what I was going to find, but when I got there and saw the two stones, I threw up. Because it were memorial stones. I shut my eyes as I felt my stomach empty itself on the grass. Breathing heavily I turned to the stones slowly. My eyes filled with tears as I read what was written on them.

In Memorial of Sally Jackson, beloved mother and wife. I love you to infinity and beyond, mom.

In Memorial of Paul Blofis, beloved father and husband. I love you to infinity and beyond, dad.

I read those lines over and over again, hoping with each time I read them, the feeling of knowing they were dead would lessen. It didn't. I felt myself throw up a second time and closed my eyes. After a moment it was over, and I sat down on the ground. I cleaned the ground with a swipe of my hand and sat down, staring at the grey stones for what seemed like eternity.

I came back when I heard someone speak behind me. 'What are you doing here?' a voice asked me.
I turned around, startled, to see a red hair girl standing next to me.
'I could ask the same about you,' I said in a thick voice.
The girl sat down next to me. 'My parents knew them,' she said, nudging her head to the stones. 'I didn't know them really well, but enough to miss them.' She adjusted herself a little. 'I knew their daughter.'

My head snapped up. 'They had a child?' I asked her.
The girl nodded. 'It would be a year after the Giant War. Sally became pregnant, at the same time my mom got pregnant with me. When my parents and I were living here, she and I became really good friends during the years. I never would have imagined my life to be different from that. Going to school, spending my time with Ann.
'Was that her name?' I asked her.
The girl nodded. 'Ann Blofis. We were Linanne.'
'Linanne?'
'Lina and Ann. Our names combined, Linanne.'
I smiled a little at her words.
'Why has your life become different then?' I asked.
The girl, Lina, looked down. She winded the grass around her finger, and for a while, she did not answer. 'My life changed the day Percy Jackson got missing,' she started. 
'Percy Jackson?' 
Lina nodded. 'He was Sally's son, from before she met Paul. I didn't know back then, I wasn't even born, but the day he disappeared, is the day my life changed. Had he never disappeared, I might have still been friends with Ann.' 
I saw a tear fall down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. 
'When he disappeared, Sally became depressed. She tried to be a good mother, and Ann loved her the way she was, but when Ann turned sixteen, Sally couldn't take it anymore. By then she had tried several times to commit suicide. Each time she failed, due to Paul saving her. Until one night, Paul and Sally got into a car accident, and the car they were in tumbled of the cliff. They didn’t survive.’ 
Lina’s voice was barely audible. I swallowed, forcing the lump in my throat down. 
‘What happened to.. to Ann?’ I asked. 
Lina looked up to me. ‘A week after the funeral, she disappeared. She left without a note, never telling me why. She never called. Never texted. She has never given a sign of life the day she was gone.’ 
‘Is she still alive?’ I dared to ask. 
‘Honestly, I don’t know. My mom has been telling me over and over that one day, I will see her again, and I know everything she says is true, due to the fact she is an oracle, but still. Sometimes I have a really hard time believing her.’ 

I didn’t say anything for a while, absorbing everything she just told me. Lina knows about the Giant War. She knew my parents. Her mother is an oracle. ‘Who’s your mom?’ I asked, although I already knew.
‘My mother is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the host of the Oracle of Delphi.’

-----

Lina left quickly after she told me about her mother. I had taken another look at the Memorial Stones, and turned around, going back to camp. The walk back was Hell, and believe me, I know, because I’ve been there. My mom and Paul were dead. I had a sister. A sister who was missing. But according to Rachel, she would return. By the time I crossed the borders of Camp Half-Blood again, I was almost dead on my feet. I saw Eta come up to me, a big smile on her face, but I held up my hand, motioning for her not to follow me. The smile vanished, and a look of concern was visible in her eyes. I shook my head and walked up to the beach, hoping to find the one person who had always been there for me, and I could talk to.

-Annabeth-

I was sitting on the beach, when I heard someone approach. I looked around to see Phi walk up to me and I felt a warm feeling spread through my veins. I had wanted to be near him again. Just the feeling of finally feeling safe again was enough. I frowned as I looked at his exhausted expression and his swollen, red eyes.
‘You don’t look so good,’ I said.
Phi blew out a breath and sat down next to me.
‘I don’t feel so good either, and I felt like I could really use some company right now.’ I patted his knee softly.
‘You found yourself the right place, buddy.’
Phi had to smile a little at that and looked at the grey, clouded sky.
We were both silent for a long time.

‘You want to talk about it?’
Phi looked down at his hands. ‘There’s nothing to say about it. I know I’ve never had an easy life and I probably never will have, but for once, I just wish it was all over.’
I looked at him, while the shock washed over me because of what he had said.
‘Are you serious?’
‘Deadly.’
I swallowed. ‘Why would you think something like that?’
His head snapped up. ‘Because everything I came to know today, reminds me of every bad thing that happened in my life when I joined Chaos’ Army.’
‘Name one,’ I dared him.
Phi looked at me.
‘Becoming the Prince beyond the Stars.’