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Description
Sally Jackson was worried. She glanced at the clock for what must have been the fiftieth time that evening.

Percy was late.

Really late.

He'd gone into school that morning, all happy and smiling. He hadn't come home.

Sally stayed up for another hour, just waiting. Percy had definitely not gone to camp. He wasn't due to go for another four weeks! Plus, Chiron would've called if Percy was going in early.

He wasn't here.

After a few minutes of debating with herself, Sally called Annabeth. Luckily for her, it was Annabeth who picked up the phone. It would have been awkward trying to explain why she was calling the Chase household at two in the morning, even if Mr Chase did understand Greekology, as Percy had put it.

Percy... she thought. Where are you?

Suddenly Sally was aware of Annabeth's voice coming down the line.

"- and if this is a prank call this early in the morning, then I swear you will regret it when I-"

"Annabeth, have you seen Percy? Is he with you?"

"Sally? No, I haven't seen him since that date he took me on the other day..." Annabeth giggled quietly at the memory of that date. Percy was such an idiot sometimes...

Her brain woke up with a jolt. "You mean... he's not home?"

There was a sigh from the other end. Annabeth didn't blame Sally for sighing. Even to herself, she sounded panicky and scared, like she'd sounded when the spiders came to her before she put all her conkers and lemons out (A/N: Lemons are proven to repel spiders. Conkers are said to, but haven't been proven. Works for me though). Her stepmom had told her to "Zip it, brat! You're scaring my kids! Now stop yelling and screaming, go to sleep, and don't make a noise until morning!" when she'd fended off the spiders alone.

Alone.

Wisdom's daughter walks alone

Even after all the Gaia kerfuffle was dealt with, those four words still haunted her. After Percy had gone missing that time at camp, she'd gone up to Rachel's cave and asked for a prophecy, something to take her mind off Perry's absence, and something to help her find him again. Those words, coupled with the unavailability of her anchor in the flood of thoughts that represented her brain, had given her many an Oscar-worthy nightmare.

Annabeth dropped the phone. What if Percy was dead? What if she never saw him alive again? Was he okay? Was he fighting something? Someone?

What if they killed him?

What if he was dying, right now, while Annabeth was standing there like an idiot with her hands muffling a scream of terror?

Some sound from her scream must of reached the phone on the floor, because Annabeth could hear frantic squeaking coming from the receiver. She picked up he phone, her hands shaking.

"Sorry, Mrs Jackson. There was a huge spider on the floor. Before you ask, I'm OK. I think I accidentally killed it when I dropped the phone..." She lied smoothly. Kicking herself mentally, Annabeth berated herself for not getting the tone right.

"Uh-huh. Your tone's way off, Annabeth. I know you're lying. What's actually wrong- wait, I know! Come on over, sweetheart. Then we can share a nice big hug while you tell me, and we can look for Percy easier without me going bankrupt in the process. Do you want me to pick you up?"

Annabeth smiled happily. Sally always knew how to make her feel better. "Okay!" She agreed easily. "I'll walk over... that way I can look for Percy on the way there, and you can finish baking your cookies... and I can hear the wooden spoon clacking against the bowlside." She added, responding to the soft intake of breath, pause in clacking, and unanswered question.

"... okay then. See you in a few minutes!"

"Yeah. Bye, Sally."

The line went dead.

Writing a quick note to her father, Annabeth packed a rucksack with a change of clothes, her toothbrush, and other necessities.

She left the house, looking everywhere around for her wayward boyfriend as she did so.

There was no sign of him anywhere.

It was like he's never existed, or disappeared off the face of the earth.

Gone.

Just like that.

Description
Sally Jackson was worried. She glanced at the clock for what must have been the fiftieth time that evening.

Percy was late.

Really late.

He'd gone into school that morning, all happy and smiling. He hadn't come home.

Sally stayed up for another hour, just waiting. Percy had definitely not gone to camp. He wasn't due to go for another four weeks! Plus, Chiron would've called if Percy was going in early.

He wasn't here.

After a few minutes of debating with herself, Sally called Annabeth. Luckily for her, it was Annabeth who picked up the phone. It would have been awkward trying to explain why she was calling the Chase household at two in the morning, even if Mr Chase did understand Greekology, as Percy had put it.

Percy... she thought. Where are you?

Suddenly Sally was aware of Annabeth's voice coming down the line.

"- and if this is a prank call this early in the morning, then I swear you will regret it when I-"

"Annabeth, have you seen Percy? Is he with you?"

"Sally? No, I haven't seen him since that date he took me on the other day..." Annabeth giggled quietly at the memory of that date. Percy was such an idiot sometimes...

Her brain woke up with a jolt. "You mean... he's not home?"

There was a sigh from the other end. Annabeth didn't blame Sally for sighing. Even to herself, she sounded panicky and scared, like she'd sounded when the spiders came to her before she put all her conkers and lemons out (A/N: Lemons are proven to repel spiders. Conkers are said to, but haven't been proven. Works for me though). Her stepmom had told her to "Zip it, brat! You're scaring my kids! Now stop yelling and screaming, go to sleep, and don't make a noise until morning!" when she'd fended off the spiders alone.

Alone.

Wisdom's daughter walks alone

Even after all the Gaia kerfuffle was dealt with, those four words still haunted her. After Percy had gone missing that time at camp, she'd gone up to Rachel's cave and asked for a prophecy, something to take her mind off Perry's absence, and something to help her find him again. Those words, coupled with the unavailability of her anchor in the flood of thoughts that represented her brain, had given her many an Oscar-worthy nightmare.

Annabeth dropped the phone. What if Percy was dead? What if she never saw him alive again? Was he okay? Was he fighting something? Someone?

What if they killed him?

What if he was dying, right now, while Annabeth was standing there like an idiot with her hands muffling a scream of terror?

Some sound from her scream must of reached the phone on the floor, because Annabeth could hear frantic squeaking coming from the receiver. She picked up he phone, her hands shaking.

"Sorry, Mrs Jackson. There was a huge spider on the floor. Before you ask, I'm OK. I think I accidentally killed it when I dropped the phone..." She lied smoothly. Kicking herself mentally, Annabeth berated herself for not getting the tone right.

"Uh-huh. Your tone's way off, Annabeth. I know you're lying. What's actually wrong- wait, I know! Come on over, sweetheart. Then we can share a nice big hug while you tell me, and we can look for Percy easier without me going bankrupt in the process. Do you want me to pick you up?"

Annabeth smiled happily. Sally always knew how to make her feel better. "Okay!" She agreed easily. "I'll walk over... that way I can look for Percy on the way there, and you can finish baking your cookies... and I can hear the wooden spoon clacking against the bowlside." She added, responding to the soft intake of breath, pause in clacking, and unanswered question.

"... okay then. See you in a few minutes!"

"Yeah. Bye, Sally."

The line went dead.

Writing a quick note to her father, Annabeth packed a rucksack with a change of clothes, her toothbrush, and other necessities.

She left the house, looking everywhere around for her wayward boyfriend as she did so.

There was no sign of him anywhere.

It was like he's never existed, or disappeared off the face of the earth.

Gone.

Just like that.