So I didn't talk about it. I drove Tony back home and then left. I didn't see him for the next few weeks

He would probably try to talk some sense into me, and I knew that he would probably succeed.

I tried to avoid Tony's calls and I didn't want to go to camp Half-Blood, because Chiron would definitely talk some sense into me.

I meant what I said. I won't lift a single finger to help, before I find Annabeth.

The gods were desperate. They sent my dad to come talk to me. They sent some of the campers, some of my friends and even the avengers.

I stubbornly turned them all down.

I didn't need someone to try to convince me of anything.

I needed Annabeth.

I walked around the streets for two weeks and then I started to vapour travel all around.

I went to Italy, Greece, Rome, New Rome, Alaska even. She was nowhere. It was like she dissappeared off the face of the earth.

As I walked around, people gave me strange looks and walked away hurriedly, some whispering about ' oh that poor man' and, some to their children, 'don't stare Sweetie'.

I didn't care.

I knew that I looked bad. I knew that my hair was messier than usual and there were dark bags under my eyes.

Each and every day, I looked more like a zombie.

But who could blame me?

The last time I really ate or slept was last week. The rest of the time it was tossing and turning and just eating when I am genuinely starved.

I lost my appetite and I keep having nightmares.

My dad came again today. He appeared outside my front door and knocked.

I opened up, but as soon as I saw him I closed the door.

"Son please. I need to speak to you. I don't blame you for not helping. If it was my true love, I wouldn't forgive either."

"Go away, Poseidon! " I yelled through the other side of the door, having sunken into a crouch against the door.

"I didn't come here to try to manipulate you into helping us in this war. I am on your side. I know where Annabeth is. " those words got me to my feet. I opened the door a crack and peeked through.

"Where is she?" I asked calmly, but a scowl was still imprinted on my face.

Poseidon flinched, but it was so quick, that if I wasn't a demigod, I wouldn't have seen it.

"She's in Washington DC." He said. I cocked my head backward in bewilderment.

Let me explain. When I was nine, my mom had to go to some kitchen tea in Dc. The woman who invited her, gave her a plane ticket and she was to stay in Washington for the weekend. My mom trusted me to take care of myself. She said that if there was trouble with anything, I should call Pepper, aka Tony's wife. But there shouldn't be much trouble before she got back.

But things didn't go her way.

Her plane crashed because of an engine failure in a hurricane. Coincidentally, the plane crashed right before it landed. It had just started to descend, but then a hurricane struck and thee was a huge engine failure. I was watching news that night and I saw the plane crash. That was the night Tony adopted me.

Ok. Understand now?

Good.

Lets go on.

I closed my eyes in frustration and sighed. "So you are telling me that Hera decided to put my wife in the only place I can't go without having a mental breakdown?"

"Very much so. Not that she knew about Sally...." Poseidon shrugged.

"You don't need to remind me." I sighed again. "I guess you can come in." I opened the door wide and stepped aside.

After a while, my dad was standing in the corner of the living room, staring at the empty fish tank on the counter, while I sat on the couch, rubbing my temples and drinking a cup of sweet coffee.

"Why did Hera decide to take Annabeth to Washington DC? What good would she do there? I mean, sure, she can do amazing things no matter where she is, but still. " I said still rubbing my temples with closed eyes.

"Percy. The wars you've been in are not the worst ones yet. This one is going to be big. Bigger than anything you have ever faced. The real war is coming. We need you and Annabeth to fight. You are two of the strongest demigods on the face of the earth. We are outnumbered. We need all the help we can get. Washington is our first stepping stone. Besides, Annabeth won't be the only person you find there."

"What do you mean?"

Poseidon looked troubled for a moment. He seemed to be considering his options. "Alright, this is hard to explain, so, I'm just going to say it."

He paused and then he said, " Your mother's alive"