Forever Together | Heroes of Olympus

Percy's POV

Percy was going insane. Annabeth's father called and said she had gone missing along with the other girls. Almost everyone was worried, especially Jason. Since he and Piper were having... Problems, he had been trying to repair the damage made, but with no success. Percy felt bad for him, but at the same time, Jason did this to himself. Rule number one Percy had learned from past experience, never give your girlfriend a reason to be jealous. Never.

Jason had been frantically searching for Piper and the others, along with Leo, Frank, and Nico. Percy didn't see the use in it; they were practically dead now. Why spend all of your time and effort on a lost cause? Lately, he had been feeling like Annabeth wasn't the one for him. She was so controlling over him, making him feel insignificant compared to her. It was probably true, but he didn't need to know of it. Shelli had made him realize how much more enjoyable life was without having any strings attached to anyone. Percy could finally live for himself and not have any loyalties to anyone else. He never knew how much of a fault is was of his until Shelli came along.

Shelli had been giving him more and more of that miracle-working powder, and he had a stash to last him as long as he needed. It felt so good to not be tied down to a girlfriend, or the whole savior-of-Olympus role. So why not embrace a lifestyle like this? Percy could run away, with Shelli, and not have to worry about a single thing. And he would've, if he didn't care so much for Jason. He hated seeing him so upset over a girl, and this had been going on for weeks.

Just because Percy didn't see the use in helping, doesn't mean he wouldn't help. Sure, he might pitch in every now and then. But the girls were perfectly capable human beings who could handle themselves. Plus, they had no clues or anything as to their whereabouts. So basically, this was hopeless. Just as Percy had thought since the beginning.

Percy was at the home, alone. He refused to go without any leads, and he knew they wouldn't find one unless they were meant to. He went to his closet, opened his secret compartment and took out the powder. He was so stressed he just stuffed his head in the bag and snuffed it all at once. One. Two. Three. After the fourth he had to stop himself, knowing that the others would be back soon. Normally he would snort at least five or six times, but he needed to be semi-alert for the others arrival back. Over time he had developed a tolerance for the powder; he bumped up his amount almost every time. Percy knew that this stuff could make all of this crap he called his life go away, and he wanted to share it with the others. Part of him was all for it when the other part opposed, knowing there would be more for him if he kept to himself. It was tough, but he decided to let go of the idea and care for only himself, his new life motto.

Percy laid down, staring at all of the wonderful colors of his ceiling. Every time he had some of the powder, the ceiling was never the same. Sometimes it was blue with gray speckles here and there. Other times it was a rainbow of all different shades of colors. And each time, he was mesmerized by them all.

He was taken out of his illusion when he heard a door slam shut. Not a light slam, no. This was a frustrated slam, a slam of anger. Percy got up, angered as well, and stormed downstairs to see what the cause was. Jason was pacing around, clenching his fists. A vein was bulging on his forehead. If Percy had to guess, they had come back empty-handed.

"I can't believe they just disappeared. It doesn't make sense. There would have to be some kind of a trail, something to track them with-" Nico started but got cut off by Jason.

"So you're saying we should be able to find them, huh? And we just somehow can't? This happened for a reason, Nico! We should've been there to protect them. I should've been there for her..." He trailed off, tears glistening in his eyes. Jason quickly regained himself as Percy saw a... Shimmering light? By this time, the powder had sadly worn off on him and he knew that it was real.

He pushed past Jason and saw a man. Just sitting there. Staring. The others seemed to pick up on this and turned with him. The man had a grin plastered to his face, showing off his rotten yellow teeth. He was tall and muscular, and had a merciless expression.

"Greetings, young demigods. I'm sure you're in a state of... Confusion. You're scared. Worried. Yes?" He looked to the others for an answer but didn't get one. He chuckled, somehow amused by this. He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Ahh, teenagers. So 'rebellious.' Now, let's cut to the chase. Bring her out!" The man signaled whoever was with them. They brought out a hooded girl who had been beaten badly. It was obvious. She had blood stains everywhere, cuts and bruises of all sorts. Her slim figure was even slimmer; she looked almost anorexic. She was trying to kick them off, but she was apparently weaker than she thought. The man went up to her and knelt by her.

"Aw. What a beautiful sight it is when someone fights for their pitiful life." He took off the hood, revealing the identity of the girl. It was... It was Hazel. Sweet, kind, innocent Hazel. She was trembling, still bleeding out. Her face had various cuts and she had a black eye. Her curly hair was slicked back with matted blood and her eyes a vibrant red. Frank immediately tensed, though for no use. Frank tried to say something but couldn't find the right words.

"You see, we have plans for your girlfriends. Take my dear Hazel here, for instance." The man lightly stroked her cheek with his index finger.

"She happens to be a soft spot for our... Bigger target, so to speak. Takes her in as a little sister. It's truly touching. But, I'm here to warn you. I'm sure you want to come rescue them like the heroes you are, but you'll be too late. I could tell you the exact location of them right now and you'd still leave with less than you originally had. Now if you haven't already, take in my surroundings while you can." Percy looked around, looking for something that stood out. It looked like they were in a cell-type thing, dark walls, dark lighting. He saw a glimpse of a window where there was a desert atmosphere outside. Now, there are deserts everywhere. But this one was... More distinct. There was a canyon that was red and orange, leading far down. Percy knew where they were, but were they really too late? The man had said they'd leave with less than they had... That couldn't be good. He was probably just trying to get inside of their heads. Hopefully.

"You've had a long enough look. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more tortures to perform." He picked up a rope that was formed in the shape of a whip; it looked like it was leather. He backed up and before anybody could say anything, he whipped Hazel directly on her back. She was in a thin tank top so it had to have hurt even more. She yelped but obviously tried to contain it. Frank started to shake with rage, but the message immediately ended, and so did their only lead.

Hey hey hey, I actually updated regularly! I feel like it could've been better but you know... I'm getting there(:
I have several announcements to make though!
1. I'm back on INSTA! I started another fan acc which is @/leosdead ( don't argue with it, just let it sink in ) I'll update there when I'm going to or am close to updating my story!(:
2. I'm thinking about writing another book! *cue fireworks* it might be a sequel to this, or completely different. It would be more about Piper since she's my queen! I have ideas for what it could be about and it could be either a sequel or completely different, but what would y'all want? Please comment your thoughts/ opinions on this chapter and my announcements! And I'm so close to 2k reads oml I'm screaming😱 thank you guys so much I love you and have a nice day!!