ELAPSE | PJO

ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ

[𝘌𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦] 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘣.
To pass or go by.

Annabeth sighed as Percy paced in front of her.

"It's no use. If I can't think of anything, we might as well give up."

Percy mock scowled at her. "Ha-ha, very funny." He slumped down beside her on the bed. "I don't get it. I turn up at camp, get claimed, and then things start going wrong. What did I do?"

The door creaked open as Chiron rolled in. "It is not your fault, Percy. The life of a halfblood isn't easy, and none of us asked for it."

Percy blew a strand of his unruly hair from his face. "No kidding," he muttered.

It was Annabeth's turn to pace. "But we can fix this, right Chiron? We'll send some demigods on a quest, and they'll--"

"I know you're eager for a quest, my child, but I don't think it's the right time. At least--not until we know more. The gods might provide the trouble, but they're not entirely dense. We may be sent some help."

Annabeth massaged her temples. "Well, they better hurry up. We need to fix this, and fast."

"I agree," Chiron mumbled, and he suddenly looked worn out and tired. He dismissed himself, rolling his wheelchair away from the two demigods and easing the door shut behind him.

Percy looked at Annabeth. "You think he's right?"

She stared at the spot he'd been sitting. "I've got nothing else to believe."

Percy held his gaze. "Hey, don't worry. They're gods, right? They'll fix this."

Annabeth had never heard anything more wrong. She turned to him, and he flinched slightly. "You really have no idea, do you?" She asked quietly.

Percy shook his head slowly. "No, Annabeth, I don't. I just got here, and it already feels like the world is ending."

Annabeth couldn't help but feel pity. Welcome to the demigod life, she thought, but didn't voice it.

She simply mumbled, "You're such a Seaweed Brain."

But Annabeth barely had the words out of her mouth when she realized something was wrong.

"Whoa," Percy said. "You just, like, echoed, or something."

He was right. Well, not right, but it definitely sounded like her voice had been amplified, as if the same channel was playing on two different TV's.

A shiver crawled up her spine, and she unsheathed her dagger. "Something's not right," she agreed, and Percy got to his feet.

Before Annabeth could call for help, a bright flash of light burned her eyes, and she squeezed them shut. It seared her eyelids, and both she and Percy were forced to look away.

When it finally died down, five all too familiar words rang in their ears.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain."

And it hadn't come from Annabeth's mouth.

Only...it had.