Lovesick

Chapter Nine

Leo shuddered, looking around at the rotting vegetation, regretting his protest to come alone. Just find Percy and get out of here, he thought, but found himself slamming his eyes shut to avoid having to look at his surroundings. Up ahead, he saw the thing he was there for, the cave. It stood out like a sore thumb amongst the corrupted land around it. As Leo approached it, he noticed something odd. The boulder that blocked the entrance was ajar, just enough for a person to squeeze through. Surely, the kidnapper wouldn't leave the door open, would they?

No, no they wouldn't. And Leo knew that all to well. Fearing the worst, he slipped past the boulder and into the warm, dimly lit cave. Various decorations were neatly placed around the room, if you could call it that. Leo only looked at them for a second, before getting back to his task.

"Percy?" His voice quivered, "Percy where are yo-" He looked down at a chair, dried blood clinging to a rope that looked to have snapped, freeing whoever was imprisoned. Leo gasped.

Percy was gone.

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Jasmine smiled cruely as she glanced back and forth between Drew Tanaka and Nico Di Angelo, who were both seated on the floor of the Artemis cabin. The hunters weren't going to visit anytime soon, and who was going to look for them there?

"Now, where shall we begin?" Jasmine said.

"How about telling me why I'm here?" 'Nico' asked suspiciously, stiffening his position next to Drew, raising an eyebrow. "That doesn't matter," Jasmine waved her hand around, dismissing his question, "All that matters is you fell right into my trap," her smirk grew larger.

"What are you talking about?" Nico flickered his gaze over at Jasmine, before turning back to Drew, like he was afraid of letting her out of his sight. Jasmine didn't blame him, though. Drew was staring at something no one else could see, beyond their sight. Her eyes were dull and emotionless, like a part of her wasn't there. In a way, there wasn't. She was being manipulated by Jasmine.

"Oh, nothing you'll have to worry about anymore," Jasmine said. Before Nico could respond, Jasmine snapped her fingers. "Bring me Aphrodite's Scarf."

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  The hours only seemed longer after Percy's memory. At this point, he didn't know if he was going in the right direction, and began to wonder if it was best he stayed at the cave. At least Jasmine brought him food there. His right eardrum suddenly decided an alarm went off, and in a lazy attempt to stop the ringing, he slowly placed one hand over it, shutting his eyes. To Percy's relief, the ringing stopped. The light blinded him as he opened his eyes. It wasn't this bright before, was it? he thought. Still squinting, a golden flash of light caught his eye. What is that? He stepped closer, using his hands to shield his face from the blinding light.

  As he opened his eyes fully, he realized the light was a golden fleece, draped around a large pinetree. Half Blood Hill.

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  Aphrodite's Scarf was beyond beautiful, and smelled indescribably good, like some sort of flower. It was hot pink and shimmering, almost glowing in the moonlight shining beams through the windows. Jasmine resisted to urge to bring it closer to her face, solemnly placing it in her lap. She sat up, stuffing the scarf in her back pocket. Tightening her ponytail, she cracked the door open and slid out, careful not to get caught. Not careful enough, apparently.

  "You...!" A voice called shakily, just as Jasmine made sure the door was closed properly.

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  Percy's eyes lit up, feeling a sudden rush of energy, seeing his home for the first time in almost a week. "YES!" Without missing a beat, he ran as fast as he could to the boraders of Camp Half Blood. He rapidly glazed his eyes over the campers, looking for someone he knew and trusted. Finally, he locked eyes with Nico Di Angelo. Out of breath, the sprinted as fast as his body would allow him. "NICO!" He yelled, catching his breath for a few seconds before continuing, "It's me, Percy, if you couldn't tell. Jasmine, the new girl, is is evil and took me to some cave, but I escaped and came here." Nico just stared at him for awile, making Percy wonder if he should've slowed down, or started from the beginning. Instead, he said something that made Percy widen his eyes in astonishment and fear.

  "Who are you?"

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  "Percy?!" Leo called again, more distressed than before, but he knew it wasn't any use. Taking a step back, he heard a crinkle and the rustle of paper brushing together. He looked down the see three pieces of paper, Leo's muddy footprint disarranging the once-clean sheets. Not wanting to ruin it before taking a look at the messy crayon scribbles, he took another step.

  Kneeling down to pick it up, he realized it wasn't just scribbles, but a picture drawn in a rush. Whatever it was, Leo had no doubt it  was drawn by Percy. He rushed over to a white dresser, tossing decorations aside, including a pencil holder already knocked over, crayons spilling out, and watched as the drawings drifted down onto the hard polished surface.

  C'mon, this has to mean something! Leo thought as he sorted through them. Side by side, he noticed they all looked pretty similar. They featured an African American girl with a long black ponytail, and what he assumed was Percy himself, but they didn't tell a story. That's it! Leo rearranged the papers.
Now, they did tell a story.

   The first one had the girl and Percy standing next to eachother, smiling. In the second, the girl was hugging Percy, lifting him into the air. The last had the girl shoving Percy into a messy circle of grey crayon, presumably, the cave. The expressions of that one weren't as uplifting as the rest. Realization struck Leo; she wasn't hugging him. She was taking him. She was the one who'd locked him in here. But who was it? Leo didn't recognize the girl. He collected the drawings, gathering the papers under his arm, and started torwards the exit. Something in the air somehow made him feel weaker, even though he got there perfectly fine. Quickening his pace, he took a closer look at the corrupted trees. They were all purple and shriveled, infecting the grass around them.

  He looked down at the grass below him. It wasn't purple like the rest, but brown and dead. Above him, a storm cloud rumbled, threatening to rain. A tiny drop of water landed on Leo's arm, making him tense up a little. Realizing it was only a raindrop, he brushed it off, pulling his sleeves down to protect himself from the cold. Soon enough, more rain came pouring down, creating puddles in some of the drier areas, increasing the smell of petrichor. Leo looked ahead, trying to convince himself he was going in the right direction. The mist was so thick, the only way he knew was because of the other demigods calling his name. Raindrops dripped down the side of the papers he forgot he was holding, and before he knew it, the soaked drawings clug themselves to his arm and dripped down onto the wet earth, splashing water on Leo's jeans. He groaned in frustration, realizing it was too late to save them now. The biggest clue they've had so far, ruined.

"OW!" Leo grunted as he ran into something that felt like cement, taking several steps back before catching his balance, clutching his nose, which had started to bleed. "What the hell was that?" He sounded sharp and harsh compared to his usual, happy tone. "Leo!" Annabeth called from the other side, "Did you find Percy?" Leo would've shaken his head, but he couldn't see five feet ahead of him, and neither could Annabeth. "No, but it was obvious he was there at some point. Whoever took him probably doesn't know he's gone now," Leo said solemnly. "How do you know someone took him?" A sudden rise of panic rose in Annabeth's voice. A part of Leo wanted to tell her the full truth about the pictures, but he kept his mouth shut. "Just a guess." He told her instead, extending an arm out to the barrier. It didn't feel like it was meant to be touched, like putting the wrong side of the magnets together. Slowly, fire arose from Leo's hand. He didn't expect it to work, but his arm burned right through the force. "I'll be with you guys in a second!" He called louder than he should've, carving himself an exit and stepping through.