𝐛𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 | Thalia Grace

005. I Place An Underwater Phone Call

The Big House was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didnt seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate. Mr. D, the camp director, and Chiron were playing a quiet game of cards in the parlor.

Chirons brown beard was definitely more shaggier since I last saw him, his curly hair had grown a bit longer. He wasnt posing as a teacher this year, so i guess he could afford to be casual. He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoof print design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely.

He smiled when he saw us. "Percy! Thalia! Evelyn! Ah, and this must be—"

"Nico di Angelo," Percy butted in. "He and his sister are half-bloods."

Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."

"Well . . ."

His smile melted. "Whats wrong? And wheres Annabeth?"

"Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a bored tone. "Not another one lost."

"Im sorry?" I stepped up, confusingly.

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked. "Who else is lost?"

Just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. He had a black eye and red lines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters are all moved in!"

"They moved something around." I said, talking about how rough his face looked, I heard Thalia laugh behind me, I made Thalia laugh?

Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about." He glanced at Nico. "Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."

"But . . . Oh, right. Yes, sir."

"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG? 'Cause Bianca is kinda strict—"

"Its PG-13," Grover said.

"Cool!" Nico happily followed him out of the room.

"Now," Chiron said to me, Thalia, and Percy, "perhaps you three should sit down and tell us the whole story."

When we were done, Chiron turned to Mr. D. "We should launch a search party for Annabeth immediately."

"I'll go," Thalia, me, and Percy said at the same time.

Mr. D sniffed. "Certainly not!"

We all started complaining, but Mr. D held up his hand. He had that purplish angry fire in his eyes that usually meant something bad and godly was gonna happen if we didnt shut up.

"From what you have told me," Mr. D said, "We have broken even on this escapade. We have, ah, regrettably lost Annie Bell—"

"Annabeth," Percy snapped, I put a hand on his shoulder to attempt to reassure him.

"Yes, yes," he said. "And you procured a small annoying boy to replace her. So I see no point in risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead."

"Okay, this is stupid. Why am i here?" I butted in, annoyed with Mr. D. "Whats the point?"

I began to walk out the big house but Thalia grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I rolled my eyes and slouched in the chair behind me, crossing my arms.

"Annabeth may be alive," Chiron said, but I could tell he was having trouble sounding upbeat. He'd practically raised her all those years she was a year-round camper, before she'd given living with her dad and stepmom a second try. "If . . . if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."