Apollo's Hunt

1: A Drastic Change

Some things just aren't meant to be. Percy had tried to defy them but in the end it was futile. In the end, all of those he loved left him. All but a select few.

It had been a normal Friday night, Percy was going around to check on everything to make sure that all was all right before he and Annabeth took off on their first date since the Second Giant War. The both of them had been working non-stop to make sure both camps would land on their feet as they stepped into a new age. An age where both the Greeks and the Romans would get along and flourish.

The war was not something which they had gotten off lightly. Leo, Nico, and Will had died, all in the most gruesome ways possible. Nico died trying to get Will to safety using shadow travel; Leo had died saving Jason; and Will died of heartbreak. Their statues, along with all the others who had died stood proudly on Mount Olympus, designed by the official architect of Olympus herself.

He had just finished helping the Stoll brothers with a prank that was being played on the Ares and Aphrodite cabins. It would take effect right after he left so that he was not on the suspect list. It had been part of their deal after Conner and Travis helped him get the promise ring he wanted to get for Annabeth. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry he had ever seen; silver with an engraving on the inside saying, "As long as we're together," and an emerald and a diamond next to each other as the centerpiece.

As Percy made his way over to Thalia's tree, where he should be meeting Annabeth, he passed the sword arena and the archery range. The Apollo campers were having a shooting competition with the Ares campers and Jason was helping Piper give hand to hand combat lessons to her cabin. All was right for now...except for the fact that people are giving him strange looks. Like they were nervous...or didn't recognize him. Those he knew well even had anger in their eyes, albeit, Percy felt as though it wasn't directed at him. Which was strange. He had been getting looks like this for a while, so unfortunately, he was getting used to it.

Reaching the hill, Percy realized that Annabeth wasn't there. This being the first time that he was the first one anywhere in a long time, he mentally prepared to hold it over Annabeth's head when next he saw her. Deciding to look for her, he started back the other way, a triumphant smile on his face.

Looking around, he smirked as he saw Piper beat an Ares kid that had strayed over to where she was teaching. The poor guy probably had challenged her, believing that since she was a daughter of Aphrodite, she didn't know how to fight. He was pretty sure that he had taught her that move.

Once he reached the Athena cabin, he knocked on the door. Little MJ opened it. She was around seven, the same age as Annabeth when she ran away. "Hey, MJ, is Annabeth here?" Percy asked, a huge smile on his face.

Suddenly, MJ's bright face turned dark. "No, she's not," she said in a foreboding tone. "And I wouldn't go looking for her right now if I were you."

Percy's face twisted in confusion. "Why?" He asked.

"You don't want to know," MJ said sadly, now she looked ashamed.

Percy shrugged and said, "Thanks anyway."

MJ nodded, closing the door, looking down.

Percy thought for a minute before he decided to go to the beach. Maybe he would see her there. He set off, a slight pep in his step as he walked down to the shore. On his way there, he saw Conner and Travis. They both had dangerous scowls on their faces; something Percy had never seen before.