I FOLLOWED LEO AND PERCY ACROSS THE CAMP, toward a small area that was fenced off. About ten kids and teens were in the dirt, digging on their hands and knees. Percy approached them and said, "Hey, guys, can I borrow Calypso, Piper and Hazel?"
Three of the girls stood up. One of them had auburn hair and caramel colored eyes, and wore jeans and a grass stained t-shirt.
Another had dark brown hair braided with feathers, and eyes that changed color each time I blinked. She was wearing denim cutoff shorts and an orange T-shirt like Percy's.
The third girl had bushy, brown hair and gold eyes. She wore a purple T-shirt and black pants, and had a tattoo on her arm.
Each girl wore a necklace with one bead on it.
"Okay, Demeter's cabin! We'll work on it later!" the blonde haired girl barked. The other kids stood up, brushed themselves off, and walked off. The three girls who stayed looked at Percy and Leo. "What's up, guys?" the girl with the braids said.
"Zeus," Leo said immediately.
"A lot," Percy replied grimly. "Annabeth has gone missing."
All three girls stared at Percy in shock. "What?" the gold eyed girl asked. "When?"
"This morning." Percy filled the girls in.
"I'm Sadie," I introduced myself.
"I'm Calypso," the girl with blonde hair said.
"My name's Piper," the girl with braided hair added.
"Hazel," said the girl with gold eyes.
"Nice to meet you."
"Where'd you come from?" Piper asked.
"I don't know!" I replied. "I woke up in Annabeth's bed without any memory. I don't even know my last name!"
Piper frowned. "That sounds a lot like--"
"Jason," Leo agreed. "You don't think it's Hera again, do you?"
"She hates Annabeth," Percy jumped in. "I wouldn't be surprised."
"The Fates have it in for you and Annabeth," Hazel muttered. "First you being sent to Camp Jupiter, then Tar--" Percy glared at her, and she faltered. "And now this."
"We've got to get the rest of the seven," Hazel said. "You've told Chiron?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go to the sword-fighting arena first," Leo suggested. "Then we can go to the archery range and get the others."
"Good idea," Percy said. "Let's go."
We reached the top of the hill. There was a huge pine tree at the top. Suddenly we were intercepted by two girls walking up the hill from the other direction. One had blonde pigtails and braces. The other was a pretty Asian girl with black curly hair. They seemed to be arguing.
I didn't stop myself fast enough. I bumped into the Asian girl and we both stumbled backwards.
"Sorry," I said quickly, regaining my balance.
The girl didn't answer. She was too busy staring at my face with bug eyes. She made a gagging noise. "Sadie?" she gasped.
I was taken aback. How did this girl know me?
"Why are you here?" the black haired girl snapped once she'd gotten over her surprise.
"I don't--"
"Oh my gods!" the blonde girl squealed. "Sadie! I haven't seen you in forever! Are you a demigod, then?"
"Who are you?" I stammered.
She looked offended. "You don't remember me?" she asked, pouting.
"I don't remember anything."
"I'm Lacy," the girl said. "Your friend from school. This is my half sister, Drew."
"My half sister, too," Piper volunteered.
"Wait, you guys know each other?" Leo asked.
"She knows me," I corrected.
"I went to school with her last year, in Brooklyn," Lacy explained. "Sadie, you don't remember?"
We gave her the short version of the story. She looked horrified. "Annabeth is missing? But how did Sadie get here?"
"We don't know," said Leo. "That's what we're trying to figure out. We're going to get the seven, Nico and Will and get them to help."
"Good idea," Lacy commented. "Drew, let's go."
"You can't tell me what to do!" Drew tossed her black curly hair over her shoulder.
I rolled my eyes. "I must have hated Drew," I muttered, and Piper laughed.
"So did I. She used to be the leader of the Aphrodite cabin, which is mine and Lacy's too, but I challenged her and she stepped down. So I became cabin leader."
"Wow," I said, impressed.
"Okay, guys," Percy said impatiently. "Let's go get the others, and then we can make a plan for how to find Annabeth."
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I just had to make Lacy and Drew meet Sadie again. One of Rick's tricks (hey, that rhymes!) for crossovers between stories.