Thirteen Days

Chapter 4

There was a meeting happening at the big house. Unfortunately, this included Annabeth, who wasn't really paying any attention. She sat there silently, every now and again wiping a tear that fell onto her face, but nothing more.

"Percy is missing." Chiron was saying, "His cabin has been cleared and he was last seen on the beach." At that everyone not-so-subtly glanced in Annabeth's direction. She just glared at them, ignoring their looks of pity, until they finally looked away. "Yes, well," Chiron continued, "We've spoken to his mother, all she says is that he told her he was going on a quest, but no prophecy has been spoken. So-"

"Um...well..." That was when all eyes turned to Rachel Dare. "See, I know where he is." Everyone looked surprised, well everyone except Nico.

"Wha... What!?" Annabeth started to rise from her chair.

"Don't bite my head off! He told me not to tell anyone!"

"What do you mean Rachel?" Chiron asked clearly irritated.

"I...I know where he is. But I swore on the River Styx not to tell.

"Let me know if I got this right?" Annabeth said, her voice was level but you could feel the anger rolling off her tongue. "We've been sat here trying to figure out what happened, and you just thought you'd neglect to tell us that you just happened to know where my boyfrie-" The word caught in her throat and she held back a sob, "I mean, Percy is."

"Annabeth, please, sit down." Piper said gently, putting her hand on Annabeth's shoulders and turning up on the charmspeak.

"Right," Chiron said, trying to break the tension. "Does anyone else know anything that might help us find Percy?"

Everybody was shaking their heads or shrugging, Nico stayed perfectly still hoping to go unnoticed. However his plan failed.

"Nico?" Annabeth asked. He ignored her, started to melt into the shadows now that everyone was watching him. "Don't you dare even try to shadow travel!"

"Nothing, okay? I don't know anything! He didn't talk to me about this!"

She got up, dragging him by the shirt and shoving him against the wall, which earned her a few gasps from fellow campers. "NICO DI ANGELO I SWEAR TO EVERY SINGLE GOD UP THERE, THAT IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT PERCY I WILL LITERALLY END YOU!" She half screamed, half cried.

Nico pushed her off and, stayed silent.

"Please, Nico. Please." She cried. She knew he could explain this. Since Percy left she'd been wondering what she did, how to change it. Nico knew. He had the answer, she could tell, but he was refusing to say anything. "Please..."

"Percy, he didn't know that I knew." Nico sighed. Annabeth just stared at him with her watery eyes, waiting for a clear explanation. "I...I can't. I'm sorry. It's just not for me to tell." He watched her stifled sobs and he went back to his seat, everyone glaring at him.

Chiron shouted getting everybody's attention, getting ready to speak again. Piper, had a different idea.

"You know what? No! Just No! Ok!" Piper practically screamed, "Nico, Percy is your friend! Annabeth is your friend! Look at her! She is crying her eyes out, and you're the only one here that can help her! What are you doing? Nothing!" She got up to wrap an arm around a still crying Annabeth.

Nico got up guilty and saddened, about to come forward with what he knew when suddenly a younger camper ran into the meeting. He was only around ten, and was not supposed to be at this meeting.
He was out of breath and suddenly realized that he was walking in on something important.

"S-Sorry," He stuttered, "But, Percy Jackson's back."