Turning Tides | P. Jackson Books 1-5

I Promised You

"Grover," She smiled. "No, he brought me to him when we were separated." She explained. "I wanted to make sure you saw him and he gave you some kind of evidence for when we reappear at camp."

"You met Pan and you were making sure he saved me?" Grover asked. Ayden nodded as he leaned forward hugging her. "I do not deserve you."

"How are you guys navigating your way down here?" Ayden asked as she looked around. The flashlights went to Rachel as she put her hands over her eyes.

"Wow, way to blind your only seer," She joked. Several sorry's went across the group as the flashlights went to her feet instead.

"Oh yeah, you can see through the mist, so you can see through the maze. Who realized this?" Ayden looked at Annabeth and Percy.

"For once it wasn't me," Annabeth held her hands up in surrender. Ayden smiled at Percy at he nodded.

"Yeah, well I needed to make sure if you wouldn't find your way home, I would find my way to you."

"I love that we're all reuniting, but we have to get back," Annabeth explained.

"They're still going to attack." Ayden looked at each of them.

"Yeah, why?" She shook her head too embarrassed to explain she had them in her grasp.

"Do you all just normally fight?" Rachel asked.

"Most of the time, but nothing this big," Ayden explained as they started walking down the tunnels. Ayden turned around seeing a glow from the other hall. When she looked down the tunnel there was another butterfly. She wasn't where she was supposed to be.

"Ayden, come on!" Percy jogged back over to her seeing the butterfly. "What is that?"

"I can't go up there yet," Ayden whispered as he gripped her hand.

"Ayden-."

"Ayden, we need you for this," Annabeth walked back to the pair. "People are going to die." Another butterfly appeared by Tyson.

"Pretty?" Tyson swatted at it, but Grover pulled his hands down.

"You all have to go back up, but I'm not allowed to return just yet, I promise I will get there before the battle starts," Ayden promised Annabeth. "I promise I won't miss it." She hoped.

"They'll get to you before they get to the camp," Annabeth added. "We can't risk that, we need you on the surface." The butterfly flew from Tyson back to Ayden and down the tunnel joining the other one. She didn't understand, if Pan was gone where were the butterflies taking her? Who was spawning them?

"I can't go up there yet, you have Clarisse and the others. They are as ready as they can be." Ayden told both of them. She could see it in their faces they couldn't understand, she couldn't either. "I've got a feeling okay, just trust me. I'll be there."

"Fine, let's go," Annabeth turned away from her jogging back to the others. Rachel came forward.

"I'm glad we found you," She smiled. "Percy wouldn't leave me alone til we found you." Ayden blushed slightly as she looked at him. He just shook his head.

"I'll come with you."

"No," She cupped his face. "They need you up there Jackson. You are the son of Poseidon. A hero of Olympus. You have to be up there for the start. I will join you, just I need to do this first." She looked past him at the butterflies as they seemed to move farther and farther.

"Weren't you the one that just tried to say we need to stop splitting up," Percy gripped her arm. "Ayden where is that even leading you."

"It led me back to you," She breathed. "Just trust me. Get back to camp. I'll make it in time with help hopefully."