"Annabeth? Is that you?"

Annabeth squinted at the teens by the white horse. "Hazel? Frank?"

Hazel's face light up. "You're okay!" She smiled softly from her placed next to Frank.

Annabeth stepped under and around Perseus, walking out of the house. "What are you guys doing here?" She asked, her sharp grey eyes going from one person to the next, silently demanding an answer from one of the six teenagers present.

Her eyes stopped on a black haired-dark brown eyed demigod who was hiding in the shadows slightly. "Nico?" Annabeth was confused on why he would be here.

"You know my brother?"

"Brother?"

"Wait," The other girl that was by the bronze dragon interrupted. "Are you Annabeth Chase?"

"Yes." Annabeth answered, reaching towards her belt for her knife.

The brown haired girl saw the movement and continued. "We were told that you haven't been heard from for a month. Everyone at camp is worried."

"The other camp that you were talking about?" Frank asked.

"The one Jason was taken to?" Hazel was staring at a blond haired-

"Jason, Thalia's brother, was taken to Camp Half-Blood?" Annabeth came back into the conversation.

Jason stared at Annabeth in confusion. "You know me too?"

Annabeth shared his confusion. "You don't remember? I came to Camp Jupiter a month ago."

Jason shook his head. The curly brown haired boy next to him was about to say something, but someone beat him to it.

"You were given a quest to save Lady Hera, correct?" Perseus spoke up suddenly from his spot leaning against the front door frame.

"Yeah, how did you-"

"And you three," He looked at the three by the horse, cutting off the brown haired boy again. "Are here to rescue Death, correct?" Perseus asked in a statement. Again.

"How did you-"

"You will find Thanatos at Hubbard Glacier here in Alaska. He's being held prisoner by Alcyoneus. You should be able to finish your quest today, that is if you hurry and leave now." After that Perseus pushed off from the door frame, spinning around, and walking back into his house.

Annabeth was going to go after him, but decided it against it when there was six demigods outside. She sighed, turning back to the others. "All of you are on a quest and it lead you to Alaska?"

"We're on two separate quests that intersected here." The brown haired girl who looked a year younger than Annabeth answered. "I'm Piper, by the way, Daughter of Aphrodite."

"Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena."

Jason stepped forward. "Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter."

The other boy by the bronze dragon spoke next. "Leo Valdez, Son of Hephaestus. Bad Boy Supreme."

"Repair Boy." Piper added.

He pouted at Piper then patted the bronze dragon's head. "And this is Festus." He finished proudly.

"Happy?" Hazel asked, uncertainty shown in her eyes.

Leo grinned at her. "Happy the Dragon!"

"Frank Zhang, Son of Mars." He set a glare at Leo.

"Hazel Levesque, Daughter of Pluto." She sent everyone a smile.

"Nico Di Angelo, Son of Hades." Everyone jumped at the sudden voice that belong to the shadowed Son of Hades.

"Great, you've all met, now leave."

Annabeth looked behind her to see Perseus back in the doorway. "Why are you so against them being here?"

Perseus only frowned at her. "It's bad enough I had one demigod with me for a month, I now have six more. And three of them children of the big three."

"Bad enough?" Annabeth repeated with narrowed eyes.

"Oooh." Leo snickered. "Ow, Beauty Queen."

"Shut up!" Piper hissed in the background.

Perseus continued to stare at Annabeth. "Yes, Annabeth, bad enough. You were sent on a quest, and for the past month, you have done next to nothing for your so called important quest!"

"Something else is going on! There has to be! You would always avoid-" Annabeth stopped, realizing something. "You know something about the Lost Legend." She started.

"Annabeth Chase..." Perseus shook his head. "You...you never did get it, you could never realize that the Lost Legend is a myth. A myth about a minor god who broke the ancient laws. Someone who Lord Apollo and Lord Hermes brought up because of a joke. A prank. You demigods fell for it. Whatever Chiron told you, he's right. The Lost Legend is a joke and was a pathetic excuse that someone was better than Heracles. That another demigod did stupid things while a Son of Zeus got all the glory." He scoffed. "You want to know why the Lost Legend is known as lost? Because a Son of Zeus came along and was more than happy to take the credit. The Lost Legend, Annabeth, is dead. Has been for a long time. You will never find him. Just go home. All of you."

He looked towards Jason, Piper, and Leo. "You finished your quest. You saved Hera. Go home. Celebrate and bask in the glory. Your quest wasn't easy. Remember to not let that fame go to your head." The three nodded after a few moments of silence.

He moved to the other group of three quest mates. "You three have to get to Thanatos before it's too late. Save Death. You still have a ways to go. I believe you three will get through it with bravery. Get home safe afterwards." More nods. The three were determined to finish their quest.

Finally he turned to back to Annabeth. "You didn't fail your quest. If anything, the Lost Legend failed you. Go home, Annabeth. This is my life, you belong in the city. You belong in Camp Half-Blood." Perseus turned around, walked a few steps into the house, then came back with a back backpack. Her backpack.

He threw it at her. She caught it perfectly. "Go with the Son of Jupiter. You will fly back on Festus to Camp Half-Blood." He nodded to her backpack. "I put all my notes and maps that are important to this war in there." Perseus turned to head back inside.

Annabeth was too shock to comprehend what was happening. Did that mean Perseus wasn't helping in the war anymore?

"You're not going to fight in the war against Gaea?" Piper asked. "We need all the help we can get."

"Piper's right. If you're a demigod-"

"I am not helping in this war." Perseus glared at Jason. "Not because of selfish reasons, but because I can't help you. If I go, bad things will happen."

"So you're saying you're not a demigod. Are you a god?" Leo asked, grinning at the idea of meeting a god that wasn't like Hera. That would be great. "One that isn't all-"

Perseus turned his glare towards Leo. "I am not a god. I am a washed up demigod who has stories. Stories of untold horrors and death. Passed down from generation to generation. I am done. I came here for peace. Leave."

Annabeth walked forward. "But-"

Perseus didn't wait to listen, he slammed the door shut behind him. The all could hear the unmistakable sound of the door locking.

"Come on, Annabeth. We should get Camp Half-Blood ready for the war that's coming." Annabeth was too much of a shock to understand that Piper used charmspeak.

She couldn't believe that Perseus...knew. He knew about the Lost Legend. He knew of stories? She felt so betrayed, she didn't complain when the two quests went their separate ways.

One went to Hubbard Glacier to save Death. One went back to Camp Half-Blood to give news of the finished quest. 

And another one being Annabeth's. Her failed quest. Running back to Camp Half-Blood with nothing to show for her efforts. She was such a disgrace to children of Athena.

Annabeth was so Lost in thoughts of misery, she didn't notice the others talking.

After a few minutes, Piper guided Annabeth to Festus, helping her up with the help of Jason, and then they were off.

From her spot behind Piper, Annabeth took one last glance at the house that Perseus was in. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the curtain that was placed on the window over the sink in the kitchen moved.

Perseus had watched them take off, and Annabeth didn't know what to think of that.

~MsPenguingirl1234.

Published: January 9, 2018.