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“What do you mean he’s gone?”
“Percy,” Annabeth tried, placing a soothing hand on his shoulder. “Calm down.”
It seemed like he didn’t even notice her. He shook her hand off when he stepped closer to the two satyrs, green eyes blazing like a stormy ocean. “What do you mean,” he asked again, every word more curt than the one before, “that Grover is gone?”
Silenus took a step back, his eyes roaming desperately over the assembled demigods. It was useless as no one was bold enough to try to stop Percy. Especially not when even Annabeth couldn’t do it. “He disappeared on his way to Camp Jupiter. No one had heard from him for three days.”
When Annabeth winced, Clarisse just barely managed to restrain herself from snorting. Her suspicion was confirmed moment later when Percy stilled. The air filled with the scent of salt water and a small tremble went through the ground beneath them. She looked in the direction of the beach and, sure enough, there was a storm forming on the ocean. Humans won’t be pleased with the huriccane and neither will be the gods.
Maybe except Poseidon. She looked back at Percy, took notice of how tense he was, and nodded to herself. Definitely except Poseidon.
“He’s been missing for three days?!” Percy shrieked. “None of you thought to, I don’t know, tell me?”
The second tremble made the campers look at each other in concern and some hints of panic. Clarisse couldn’t blame them. The quake was strong enough to make their teeth rattle and the trees shake. Dryads appeared, looking just as scared as some of the demigods.
Maron shifted his weight. “We didn’t realize,” he said nervously, as if that wouldn’t make it worse. “We thought he arrived safely but Juniper told us he didn’t let her know. We tried Iris Message but it didn’t go through, and the wild is silent.”
The campers were aware of the last part. It was how they ended up here, after all. Juniper appeared out of nowhere, begging Percy to come to the forest because something had happened to Grover, and he instantly left the beach, the half-blood that were there with him hot on his heels.
Percy stared at the duo, the anger morphing into fury. “You didn’t realize,” he repeated slowly.
Even though they were hidden between the trees, the crashing of waves was audible. Piper and Annabeth exchanged a look, then the child of Athena looked at Clarisse and she nodded, knowing what was she asking of her. Very few people were willing to fight Percy Jackson, but Clarisse wasn’t Ares’s daughter for nothing. She was never afraid of Percy, never will be.
It was funny, in the not at all funny way. This scene was exactly the same as the one not even that long ago, when Grover found out that Percy was missing. The shouting and disbelief and worry were the same but this time, the reaction was much more destructive and dangerous.
Someone on her left cleared their throat and then Dionysus came into view. “I’m sure everyone here understands your concern,” the god started, coming to stand in front of the two members of the Council to block them from the demigod’s wrath, “but please calm down, Percy. I’m sure you don’t want to explain Zeus why there’s a category three hurricane destroying Long Island.”
Clarrise wasn’t sure what was more alarming, if the way Mr. D.said Zeus’s name, of the fact that he called Percy the right name. Probably both.
The son of Poseidon glared at the god, completely unfazed by his presence, if not a little bit more angrier. “How can I calm down when Grover is nowhere to be found? What if something happened to him? What if he’s hurt? What if he’s –” He cut himself off, unable to say the worst possibility out loud.
He didn’t need to. They understood.
It was time to step in before things get out of hands. Clarisse didn’t doubt that Percy would be willing to go through Dionysus if he had to. “You’re right, Prissy.” She clasped his arm, the gesture much more pressing that what Annabeth did. Her grip on the boy was strong, easily matching his own strength. “We don’t know what happened to Grover. But I don’t think that causing damage and problems will help him. You need to tone it down if you want to actually start looking for him.”
He turned his head at her, furious green eyes met unyielding brown. Silence fell over them, streching out for a minute and eventually, the sound of the raging hurricane quieted down. She didn’t know whether he called it off completely, but Mr. D let out a silent breath, and that one sound was more than telling. The danger had been staved off. They didn’t need to worry about the King of the gods.
“I’ll go look for him,” Percy announced, firm and determined. It wasn’t a question, not by a long shot. There was no one who could stop him from doing so. “I know he isn’t dead. I know it, and I’ll find him.”
Dionysus nodded. “Great. I count on you, Perry. We can’t have the Lord of the Wild gone.” He turned to the two satyrs. “Go gather the rest and prompt them to search for Grover. The rest of you – I’m sure you have some more interesting activities than just stand here and stare, or am I mistaken?”
The campers took it as the warning it was and instantly scattered. Even Annabeth went with the others, sensing that now wasn’t the right time. Soon, the only one who stayed were her, Percy and the god, though not even he stayed long. “Be careful, Johnson,” Dionysus warned him, voice heavy with the double-meaning. Then he was gone, leaving behind a strong scent of grapes.
“You can let go of me now, you know?”
Clarisse raised her eyebrown. She didn’t even realize she’d been still gripping his arm until he pointed it out. She let go after a second or two. “Well, someone had to make sure you won’t attack a god.”
Percy snorted, but there was nothing happy in it. “Thanks,” he muttered.
There was a sarcastic remark at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Surprisingly, she didn’t even want to. Instead, she pressed her lips together. “Don’t mention it.”
She understood. She understood what it was like when your worry meant a destruction. Understood what if was like when your anger got the best of you, when you lost control and stopped caring about the consequences.
“Are you…” She hesitated, which was something she didn’t do often. “Are you sure he’s still alive?”
“He is.” There was no hesitation. Percy didn’t look at her. Instead, he looked at the trees, his eyes, cold as the depth of the ocean, growing distant. “I would have felt it if he died. At least I hope so.”
“You hope so?”
“I didn’t realize he was gone.” He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Clarisse noticed that his hands were slightly shaking. “The empathy link didn’t tell me that something was off. Still doesn’t. Last time something like this happened was when Hera took my memories and I don’t… I can’t…”
She froze. His reaction suddenly made more sense. And if she were honest, she was surprised it wasn’t worse. It was worry and fear mixed with his own trauma and pain. That was a dangerous combination, especially for someone like Percy.
Percy shook his head. “The only comfort is that this time, the gods have nothing to do with it. But Grover wouldn’t disappear like that and that means someone took him. Either way, the options are endless.”
“You will find him either way. I mean, you found him in the Sea of Monsters, and that was years ago.”
She was bad at this. Clarisse never excelled at emotional speeches, she prefered actions over words. But Percy seemed to understood what she was trying to say, for he gave her a look that was far to similar to her own for her liking; a half-smile that hurt the pain and eyes gleaming with promised revenge.
“Don’t waste your time, then,” she urged him. “You need to bring him back.”
They looked at each other, a silent understanding forming between them. Gods, sometimes it scared her how similar they were in certain aspects. They had certainly came a long way since their first meeting.
He set out, probably to talk with Juniper or Annabeth. He didn’t make it more than ten steps before she called out, “And Jackson?”
He paused, turning over his shoulder to look at her. “Yeah?”
“Don’t let the anger consume you. Let it guide you. Use it as a weapon, not as weakness.”
This time, his smile was sincere. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She hoped so, just like she hoped that he wasn’t mistaken and Grover was still alive.
Because if the gods feared the anger born from Percy Jackson’s worry, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the anger born of his grief.