The Demigod and The Robin

Chapter 66

————— Damian's POV: —————

I was sure I'd been searching for days, we had dogs, cops, even Goliath decided to help me, but unlike any case I'd ever covered we found not one thing. Not a hair, not a footprint, no scents, no blood. Percy had faded out of existence like she'd never even been here to begin with, and as much as I hated to admit any form of weakness, I was terrified. Petrified.

I stood beside Tim, just watching the woods with a bottle of water in hand. Father had forced me out of the search once he learned I'd not had a break in a while. I reassured him that my training ensured my longevity in endurance but he merely flattened his brows and had Tim escort me out. I was not too pleased to say the least.

I merely grasped the bottle of water with stern force, watching the woods for any movement, a head maybe that could pop up out of the brush, I could almost see it now. The dogs had smelled something wrong in these woods that distracted their nose away from a simply asleep Percy. Maybe she fell off the bike, or saw something and felt the need to jump. Now her hair had messied, her skin was speckled with dirt but I knew whatever had happened I'd hold her just the same, I'd definitely run to her and collapse to my knees as I held her. The relief would've been enough to send a man to heaven I'm sure, but unfortunately, Percy's head did not magically rise from a bush, she didn't look around frantically, and she definitely didn't wrap her arms back around me.

She was gone.

Tim placed a hand on my back as I watched the lights of the flashlights become brighter in the dimming lights. My stomach was pained with anxiety, an emotion I thought I'd rid myself of.

"It's okay, we'll find her." Tim said quietly, I didn't look over at him, afraid I'd miss a clue of some sort. When I didn't respond Tim started again. "If anyone could, it's us."

——————

"Hey."

I had been leaning against a pillar in the darker section of a party, my head hung a bit and a drink in my hand, the bubbles rose rapidly. My eyes only moved up when I heard the quiet voice, soon finding myself looking at the one person I hadn't expected to see.

"How're you holding up?" Piper asked, her eyes dimmed in the shadows. No one had seen Piper for a year. Her dad had banned parties, to my knowledge that ban was still in action but since today was the anniversary for...

I felt my throat dry as I quickly chugged the drink, feeling a slight burn as it rolled down my throat. No one cared what I drank, and personally I didn't either.

I lowered the now empty glass with a sigh. "I'm not sure." I replied. Piper's lips thinned as she nodded, her arms wrapped around herself. She still didn't look too comfortable at parties it seems.

"No new news?" She asked. "Dad and I have been trying to keep up but it's hard where we're at."

"Nothing. Not even a single footprint." I replied bitterly, the thought alone was egregious, a girl didn't leave any trace behind in the entire span of woods she'd need to get through.

Piper's face fell, her eyes going to the ground.

We sat in silence for a while before I decided I hated the quiet. The both of us sulking in a corner wasn't exactly productive, and Percy had always told me Piper and I should become friends.

I rolled the glass around in my hand as I looked over the crowd as the bright golden light shone down on the crowd, revealing all the jewelry and bedazzled dresses the women and men wore. My eyes stuck though on the massive pictures of Percy on the stage, the picture one of us, or had been at least. The photo had been cropped so you could only barely see my arm on her shoulder. My world almost spun as I stared at it. I blinked a bit when I ripped my eyes from the pictures, looking back to the crowd.