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Until now there had been two parts in Percy Jackson's life. His life before learning that he was a Half-Blood, a son of Poseidon. And then there was his life after getting to Camp Half-Blood and learning exactly who his dad was. But now there was another part in his life.
There was before and there was after he watched one of his best friends fall off a cliff on a monster's back.
And as she did, it had felt like the whole world had gone silent.
He didn't even move.
Annabeth had fallen off the side of a cliff, down towards rocks and the water below. And he hadn't moved. He just stood there, like an idiot, and watched.
Even now, Percy couldn't even go after her, all because of the stupid Hunters and Artemis. And despite what certain Hunters whispered where he wasn't meant to hear, whispers that Annabeth was gone because of him. Because he didn't do anything. Just because he was a man. Even if the Hunters wanted to whisper about her, Percy knew that she wasn't. Annabeth wouldn't allow stupid Manticore to do it.
"Percy," Grover was still here, even if now he was very focused on the Hunters of Artemis. And even if he didn't seem to be as worried as Percy felt, Grover had been friends with Annabeth for over four more years than he'd known Percy. It wouldn't be possible for him to not care in the slightest that Annabeth had gone over the cliff and was, temporarily, missing. "Percy. Earth to Percy Jackson."
"What?" Percy asked.
Grover was hiding his worry far better than Percy was. "Annabeth, she's gonna be fine. You know."
"I know." Percy replied. He didn't like how Grover had sounded like he was trying to convince himself and Percy of such, not that he was as confident in her as Percy was. They were already working on a deadline needing to get Artemis back in time for the winter solstice, if they had any hopes of the Gods helping stop the rise of Kronos; but on top of that, some General was threatening to use Annabeth as a sacrifice to help the rise of Kronos. And even if Luke was, maybe, trying to keep the General from doing so, Percy knew that she wouldn't be safe until she was back with them. "I've just never done well with deadlines, you know?"
Just hearing the bleated laugh from Grover helped ease the smallest fragment of Percy's worries. "Percy I am well aware of that fact. In case you forgot, we did go through sixth grade together."
If it wasn't for the reason why they were currently sitting in the front seat of a Lamborghini, trying to get across the country to California in time to save Annabeth and Artemis from Luke and Kronos' rising army, then it would've been just like old times. The seldom good memories Percy had of his year at Yancy were only when he was with Grover, and just Grover. Some of them were with Chiron, who at the time he thought was Mr. Brunner, but mostly, he just had Grover at Yancy. Honestly, Percy missed having simpler, less confusing, less deadly life back when he thought he was a fully mortal boy, with a single mom and an absentee dad. The only thing he would miss from his life as a Half-Blood would be his friends at camp. Mostly Annabeth.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Grover asked, and Percy could hear how cautious he was being around him, "We wouldn't want you to overwork it up there right now. That's Annabeth's job anyway."
Annabeth. "Yeah, that's her job." Percy repeated. Maybe it was just because Grover was a satyr, or maybe it was because they had an empathy link from last summer's quest, only a few months ago, through the Sea of Monsters, but Percy could never hide anything from his best friend. "Well, there's a few things honestly, I don't want to bore you with everything."
"Whatever you want to talk about, I'm all ears." Grover replied, "And, I know it's not just about Annabeth. I know that's not the only thing that's bothering you, Percy."
"Well, it's uh, it's not just Annabeth, you're right." Percy started. As he spoke, he wasn't too sure if it was a good idea to even voice his concerns. Because, as Annabeth constantly was reminding him, names have power, so surely Percy voicing some of his worries about possible situations would possibly entice the fates to cause just that to happen. But not talking about them would only stress Percy out more, until he was sure that Annabeth would be alive and safe once they got there. "It's kind of about Luke, too."
The look his best friend gave him wasn't as surprised as Percy had been expecting. "Really? Luke?" Grover asked, "What about him?"
There were only two people at camp who'd known Luke longer than Grover had. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. And for the past two summers, all summer long, Percy heard nothing but great things about Luke. Most of them were from Annabeth too. But it felt like people at Camp Half-Blood were constantly comparing him to Luke in some way. Or they were expecting him to fill in Luke's place that he abandoned, and betrayed.
"It's just, I know you guys didn't mean to but like, between you and Thalia and Chiron and Annabeth and just everyone else at camp, I just," He was never too good at expressing himself like this. "It just feels like everyone is expecting me to replace Luke around camp. And, and I know that Annabeth had feelings for Luke-"
"Old feelings, Percy." Grover cut in, "She told me about that. But that was years ago, when she was still just a little kid. It's not like that anymore, I promise, Percy."
That was nice to know. Even if Percy didn't really get that same feeling from Annabeth, just about anytime anyone brought up Luke. He'd trust Grover no matter what. "Thanks, Grover." Percy told him, seeing the sun setting quickly over the horizon as the trailer the Lamborghini they were sitting in was chained onto charged forward, "It's also just, even if she doesn't like him like that, anymore, I still, she, Annabeth still talks about him in a good light. Like he didn't betray camp, twice, already. And that he's not willingly working with Kronos to kill us all in like two years."
"This is about more than just Annabeth's feelings for Luke, isn't it?" Grover asked, "What are you actually worried about? It's weird seeing you this stressed about anything."
Even if he didn't want to put it out there for the fates to think about, Percy wondered, "What if she, she goes with him?" And when Grover didn't have an immediate answer, or response at all, Percy just continued on, "Like what if this whole time, while we're busy traveling around with the Hunters and Thalia, hopelessly searching for where Luke left Artemis, and where he took Annabeth, what if he does convince her to abandon us, a-abandon camp like he did."
Grover's wide-eyed look told Percy well enough that, just maybe, his worries were nothing more than some insane idea his brain made up. "Percy, she, Annabeth wouldn't." Grover stammered, "Listen, as much as she might like Luke, now or before or anything, I know that she wouldn't leave us, or camp, or Chiron, or Thalia like that. Luke, he felt like he had nothing keeping him at camp anymore, nothing against Annabeth or anything. But that's the difference, Percy. Between you and him, and Annabeth, and Thalia for that matter. You guys all have things, other people, keeping you at camp, and not on Kronos's side. Luke didn't think he did."
"He's an idiot." Was the first thing that came to Percy's mind. "Even, even if I didn't have you and Annabeth, and even Thalia, I don't think I could ever betray camp like he did." There were far too many people at camp that needed him, or just needed a friend, that just the thought of even hurting them, it just wasn't a possibility in his head.
As he replied, Grover stifled a yawn, the sun well past the horizon by then, "That's what I'm saying, Percy. Luke's, he's not the same he was a few years ago, the scared, angry fourteen year old who was mad at me and the Gods for Thalia's, for what happened, he's changed. Even with Thalia being back now, I, I don't know if there's any way he can redeem himself."
"We just need to keep him from hurting anyone else." Percy agreed, relieved that Grover wasn't singing Luke's praises constantly. Tartarus, Grover was even ripping on Luke right now. "Even if he's decided to be a, a bad guy and side with Kornos, and go against the Gods, and camp, he doesn't get to hurt anyone else on his way."
Although Grover had fallen asleep in the past minute, while Percy had been between his thoughts and replying to his best friend, Percy still felt a bit enlightened from their conversation. Even if Annabeth was still a bit willingly oblivious about him, and Thalia didn't want to admit it quite yet, it was good to know that Grover at least would talk about Luke in a realistic, honest way.
Luke wasn't some untouchable, perfect hero who'd fallen from grace. Luke was a hurt kid who'd been abandoned by his dad, and was allowed to grow into a bitter adult, and took it out on other half-blood teenagers, who were forced into situations much like his.
Luke wasn't a hero, he was the villain. He'd chosen his own path. And Percy was going to make sure that he got what was coming to him for it.