ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

η.

η. Thanatophobia - fear of losing a loved one

The three girls hiked further up the hill, following a snaking dirt and cobble path that twisted and turned, forming sharp angles that would deter even the most determined of hikers. Bones and swords littered the ground of the cave, and torches flanked the entrance, casting an eerie shadow over the entrance, which was covered in a green velvet curtain embroidered with snakes, like some sort of demonic puppet show. Aza could never understand why Rachel decorated the outside of her cave the way she did - it looked like pure nightmare fuel. Her curly-haired, red-headed friend was so vibrant, yet the cave was so dark and melancholy.

"What's in there?" Piper questioned, eyes shifting to a deep blue as they narrowed warily, examining the mysterious outside of the cave; clearly, the girl had noted that nothing good could come from something that creepy. Annabeth said nothing, instead poking her head just inside the curtain, sighing, and closing the curtain.

"Nothing?" Aza asked, her brows furrowing in sympathy; she knew how much Annabeth was depending on their resident Oracle to gain even the slightest of insight on Percy's whereabouts. Annabeth nodded in confirmation, blonde curls bouncing in a way that almost appeared melancholy to Aza, confirming her thoughts that Annabeth Chase missed Perseus Jackson from her toes to the tips of her hair. "Nothing, right now. A friend's place. I've been expecting her for a few days, but so far - nothing."

Piper looked concerned, her eyes widening slightly. "Your friend lives in a cave?"

Annabeth managed a small smile, but couldn't move her face from its permanent position of extremely disappointed. "Actually, her family has a luxury condo in Queens, and she goes to a finishing school in Connecticut. But when she's here at camp, yeah, she lives in the cave. She's our oracle, tells the future. I was hoping she could help me—"

"Find Percy?" Piper guessed, shrugging her shoulders gently.

All the energy drained from Annabeth at his name, like she'd been holding it together for as long as she could, and everything just came crashing down. His name was the straw that broke the camel's back. She sat down on a rock, her face twisted into an expression that was so full of pain that Aza wanted to cry just from looking at it. The Daughter of Phobos sat beside Annabeth and wrapped her leather-clad arm around the girl, noting that Piper had forced herself to look away from the moment of vulnerability.

"We'll find him," Aza soothed Annabeth, giving the girl a soft smile. "You know we will - we have so many people looking for him that it'd be a challenge not to find that idiot. And he's safe, too; that boy may be a reckless idiot, but it'd take an entire army to bring him down - actually, maybe even more considering last summer."

"I'm going to kick his ass when I see him," Annabeth sighed, resting her head on Aza's shoulder. The weight was comforting and familiar as Annabeth nuzzled her head gently against the taller brunette. Her blonde curls spread across Aza's neck and chest, somehow managing to even get into Aza's mouth, the way on Annabeth's hair managed to.

"I know," Aza soothed with a nod, resting her head atop Annabeth's and allowing her deep brunette hair to spread over Annabeth, covering the girl like a blanket. "And I'll help you. That little shit's going down."

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed, her voice sounding ever-so choked up at the thought of her boyfriend. It made Aza's heart clench, and all she wanted to do was to wrap Annabeth into a hug and fix all of her problems. Aza tapped Annabeth's forehead with the knuckle of her index finger and asked, "Do you want me to..." She allowed her voice to trail off, leaving the offer lingering in the chilly air.