Lost

15

Grover fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. I, on the other hand, could not fall asleep to save my life.

The Chase guest room was quite lavish and the beds were very comfortable and the room smelled vaguely of cleaning supplies, but I still couldn't fall asleep.

I didn't like to sleep much. I always had dreams—nightmares. And without Annabeth there to calm me down, there was no way I could have a peaceful night of sleep again.

I found myself reading the note Annabeth had left to me over and over again.

'the war isn't over. It's her, Percy. It's A'

That just proposed the question of who A is again. Part of me wanted to believe it was her signing her name, but I couldn't believe that.

She didn't sign like that. She would always write sincerely, Annabeth Chase. Or love, Annabeth Chase.

But when she wrote the note she must've been in a hurry, right? Maybe she shortened it for a reason.

This wasn't a matter of her signing her name, I knew that, but the longer I racked my brain the more confused I got.

Who was this A? Was it a goddess? It was clearly a her, as she had told me 'it's her.'

It couldn't be Artemis as she was helping to look for Annabeth. Aphrodite, maybe, but I didn't think that Aphrodite had any issues large enough to try to kill Annabeth.

And for Athena, that was her own mother, even if she was a goddess. And she'd just pleased her by finding the Athena Pallas....

Maybe she was just signing her name. Maybe Gaia wasn't really gone. Maybe it was even Hera who took her, just like she'd taken me.

But Hera's agenda had already been fulfilled. She had no reason to take Annabeth, except her hatred for her. But I didn't even believe that as the other gods surely wouldn't allow it, right? After we'd fought in a war for them?

Our best move was to fly back to New York and demand a meeting with the gods and goddesses. And even if that didn't work, maybe we could slip in at the Winter Solstice.

After what seemed like hours going over the note I checked the clock, which alerted me it was nearly one in the morning.

I sighed as I slowly swung my legs over the side of the bed and slowly crept through the room and cautiously opened the door open.

The hallway was deserted and all the lights were off, so I assumed everyone was already in bed. I headed towards the room I knew to be Annabeth's from memory.

Her room sat still. All her stuff was still out and it was as if she never left. Her bed was made, of course, and she had several books poured open on her desk.

Her closet was wide open, drawing me to it. Inside were several camp shirts and old clothes. Most of it she'd taken with her aboard the Argo II.

I went through her closet, peering at all her clothes. It all smelled like her—lemon and fresh laundry.

At the end of her closet was a sweatshirt I knew to be mine. It was an old school one, and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at it.

After looking all around her room several times to try and find anything, I gave up hope. It and almost been an hour, and I didn't want Grover to worry, so I slowly made my way to her door.

Then I saw something, and it instantly clicked in my mind.

I knew who A was.