Chapter Nine

Sometimes you just need toDistance yourself from peopleIf they care, they'll noticeIf they don't, you knowWhere you stand

-Ziad K Abdelnour

I wouldn't be able to tell you how long Annabeth stood with Riptide. The stillness might've lasted three minutes or three hours. Time isn't easy to track when thoughts are too busy running around one in your head.

What could she be thinking?

Anything really. Maybe she was contemplating melting down the bad memories for Celestial Bronze. Perhaps there were some good memories that came with Riptide that was replaying over and over again.

"Found the cap," I said as I pulled it from my pocket in attempt to break the undying silence.

Annabeth remained silent as she turned around and took the cap from me. She didn't dare look into my hood, but I couldn't sworn her eyes were glazed over.

She capped Riptide and watched as it morphed into a regular, 20 cent ballpoint pen before looking at me. "We never found this, got it?"

"What's the big deal?" I asked. "It's just a sword."

"Just a sword." Annabeth mocked in a very unfriendly way.  "It may just be a sword for you, but it has a long and tragic history with its owners."

"We never found this sword." Annabeth repeated.

"What's the big deal?" I countered. "So what if the damn thing has a history. It's a sword that was abandoned by its owner, and has been here ever since. Most likely for a reason."

"And it hasn't been moved ever since for a reason, either. Even though I discovered it years ago."

To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

She found it years ago? Why didn't she move the thing? Did she think I would come back to get it?

...No, not possible, part of me thought. She doesn't care about you! She had her lips on another guy even after you said you would come back!

But what if... the hopeful part of me started. Maybe she does care?

"If I had taken this abandoned sword back to Chiron, he would have forced me to completely stop my quests. No one would have any faith in the cause anymore seeing as it's near impossible to survive without a weapon as a half-blood."

Another silence.

"We never saw or discussed this."

With that, Annabeth made her way back to Camp Half-Blood. Riptide still in hand.

*** (Timeskip 5:45 am)

After I return to the Chaos cabin, I reached into my pocket out of habit. Only it wasn't empty as I expected. Riptide appeared.

Sighing, I pulled out my old sword and sat down on the couch in front of the TV. Instead of watching the current program, I found myself continuously uncapping and recapping Riptide. My mind kept Annabeth's words on repeat.

What did she mean by people would lose faith if Riptide was found? Why would she have to stop searching for whatever it is she's looking for?

"You still have Riptide?" a voice asked. I turned around to see Silena standing in the doorway.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" I asked.

"Aren't you?" Silena shot back. "I'm always awake at this time. You and the others, however, are not. What's on your mind? I would think you would go straight to bed after patrolling."

"It still appears in my pocket, even after I left."

"And?" I gave Silena a look. "What? That can't seriously be all you're thinking about. After over a century, I know you better than that."

I let a sigh, but decided to tell her, nonetheless. "It's something Annabeth said about Riptide and her quests."

"Go on."

"You're so pushy." I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, she told me that if people found out Riptide was found, then Chiron make her stop going on these quests. I just don't understand why."

Silena gave me that you're kidding right? look. "It doesn't take a daughter of Athena to figure this one out, Percy. If it wasn't obvious, she's looking for you."

"Yeah, right." I mumbled sarcastically.

Silena made herself comfy on the cushion next to mine. "Tell me, Percy. Why would Annabeth still be looking for you after fifteen years? Don't you think that's a little suspicious considering that you told us you were stabbed?"

I gulped. Stupid Annabeth and her stupid quests.

Silena's expression softened by a tenfold. "What really happened to you?"

I stood up and began to leave. However, before I left the room, I said; "You don't need a knife to stab someone in the back."

It wasn't too long -four hours to be exact- after Silena's and I's conversation that I found myself around the ping pong table. The one in the rec room where the demigods would hold their most important meetings with crackers and Cheese Whiz. It gave off a strange nostalgic feeling. One that I never thought I would feel again.

That nostalgia came with familiar faces.

All the members of the Great Prophecy of Seven stood around the table. Each of them had aged well with time.

Jason stood proudly across from me. He hadn't changed much except for having more muscle and the title of a father and husband. Piper, however, changed quite a bit. She carried herself with more confidence than before while still being the humble person I remembered from our quest. Small crinkles had formed around her kaleidoscopic eyes as a result of frequent smiles.

On the other side of Jason, Leo and Calypso bickered like there was no tomorrow. Something about crashing into a table on Ogygia? After seeing Calypso glare down Parker for watching, I found it in my best interest to look away.

(A/N: look away, look away. look away, look away. this show will wreck your evening, your whole life, and your day. every single episode is nothing but dismay. so look away, look away, look- Oh I need to stop now? Ok, sorry...

*whispers* away)

Hazel and Frank- dear gods. If it hadn't been for the gold eyes and curly hair, I would've never recognized Hazel. She wasn't the small fourteen-year-old that I met in New Rome. Instead, held herself as praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Standing next to her, Frank, the another praetor of the Twelfth Legion. He now had at least two inches on me, was somehow buffer, and confident in himself.

The two had taken over for Reyna, Jason, and me two years after my banishment. One year after I was apparently 'forgiven' by the gods.

Everyone wore the shirt from their representative camp (Jason in Camp Jupiter's shirt, Piper in a shirt for Camp Half-Blood, etc...)

Along the remaining Seven, familiar faces made appearances: Reyna, Will, Nico, Coach Hedge, Grover, Clarisse, Katie, Travis, and Connor.

Per Chiron's request, all members of my army were present. The demigods staying at Camp Jupiter gave us confused looks as I brooded from my corner.

"Let's get to business." Annabeth announced coming in with Chiron, Rachel, and Parker.