I ran out of the building and rushed to my car, fumbling for the keys with shaky hands on the way there. 15 missed calls from Annabeth was either a make or break deal. It could either be a really really good thing or a really really bad thing.

She would only call me that many times in a row if it was an emergency.

On the way home I called her back.

Ringing

Ringing.

Ringing.

"Seaweed brain?!" She said.

"It's me, I'm fine. I'm on my way home."

"No, don't go home. Go to the hospital."

"Why should I go to the hospital?"

"I'm already here. Will called. He said it was urgent and he needed us both here."

"What do you think it could be about?" I asked.

"Probably about Tony. The team is also here. Except Steve and Natasha. They are on their way, though. "

"I'm coming. Wait for me there. I will find you at Will's office."

"Hurry, Seaweed brain" and she hung up.

I took the highway to the hospital and parked my car at the nearest spot to the building. I ran inside, up the stairs and down the hall to Will's office, where Annabeth was waiting for me.

She looked at me with a sad look of hope. A tear was already trickling down her cheek. She was preparing herself for the worst.

I gave her a nod and she responded with one, before I knocked on the door.

Will opened up. His expression was unreadable. He gestured for us to come in and sit down. Then he gave us forms that needed to be signed. And pens.

I looked at him confusedly. "Uhm, sorry. Will, what is this?"

"It's a pen. I'm sure you know what a pen is. After all, your sword turns into one when it isn't uncapped..." he started.

"I'm not talking about the pens! I want to know what this is about. Why did you call us here?" I snapped.

"I think it would be better if I showed you. " he said and stood up, walked to the door and gestured for us to do the same. Then, he led is to Tony's room.

He opened the door and gestured for me to go in, but he held Annabeth back.

I saw the faint familiar brown eyes and dark hair. Lips moving in outrage and hand gestures.

My knees almost buckled beneath me. Tears welled up in my eyes and I choked, causing his attention to be drawn to me.

He looked tired and hungry. I doubt he could walk at all right now.

The nurse, realising that this was a family moment, quickly left, blushing when she passed me.

"T-Tony?" I stuttered.

"Percy, is that you?" He sounded close to tears.

I walked to him, didn't look where I was walking and fell over a chair.

Then I quickly got up again, brushed myself off and looked at him again. He was laughing.

I punched him on the shoulder.

"Asshole! You could've died!"

"Ahh, but I didn't. " he laughed.

"But you could've."

"But I didn't, did I?"

"No, but that doesn't make you any less of an asshole for getting knocked into a coma."

"No, I suppose it doesn't...." he looked down for a moment before looking back up. "I'm glad you didn't give up on me. I heard that you wanted to, but I'm glad you didn't. "

"Did Will tell you?"

"No. You did. And I agree. We did get a little to big for our shoes a little too fast. I shouldn't have pushed you away like I did, and I'm sorry. I'm an overprotective parent who didn't want to let you go. If you'll have me, I'd like to try to be your father again." He said.

"Who are you and what did you do to Tony?" I joked and he laughed. " I have never heard that kind of apology come from you. I think I need to call the doctor again, because that fractured scull must've done something weird to your brain!"

"Percy, I'm serious. What do you say?" He asked, rotating his head to the side. I sighed.

"I don't know. It would be great to have you, but as you know, I'm married and I have my own house. How about we just have dinner at your place every Thursday night? It's not 'moving back in', but at least it's a start." Tony grinned.

"Deal."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon the nurse had come in and shooed me out of the room, saying that Tony needed rest. She was a short Asian woman with green eyes which somehow reminded me of a cat.

I met up with Will.

"Hey, Will, where's Annabeth?" I asked.

"Hey Percy, she went to the cafeteria for a muffin and coffee about half an hour ago."

"Shouldn't she be back by now?" I frowned.

"Maybe, unless she got lost. It's very common for people to get lost here." Will shrugged.

"She's a daughter of Athena. She can't just get 'lost'. I'll call her." I said and whipped out my monster-proof phone.

I dialed her number.

Ringing.

Ringing.

Ringing.

Ringing.

Voice mail.

Weird. Annabeth never lft her phone where she couldn't hear it. So why wouldn't she pick up her phone?

"Will, can you do me a favor and call her over the intercom? I am getting worried." I asked worriedly. Where was my Wise Girl?

"Sure thing." Will hurried out of the hallway and to an elevator. How could he stand those things? I preferred stairs. It didn't remind me of Tartarus or the doors of Death or anything like that. It only reminded me of my old workout scedules I made for myself back when I lived at Tony's. I used to run up and down the stairs for twenty minutes every day for the entire semester.

On that particular summer, Annabeth had to threaten the Aphrodite girls to stay away from me -because they kept on looking at my legs- or else she would let crabs out into their cabin and spill their makeup and then rum it into the grass.

And I had to threaten every single boy in camp to stay away from Annabeth, because on that particular summer, she began wearing bikinis. And the guys were stairing at her whenever she went swimming. So I just gently wrote each and every one of them a letter that if they didn't leave her alone, I would flood their cabins with sea water and switch their shampoo with glue and bleach. And if they didn't stop, I would flood their cabins again and let a few sharks loose in there.

That seemed to scare them off.

But, enough of that. Annabeth was missing now. Why would anybody want to take away my Annabeth? It couldn't be CENTIPEDE, could it? No. Shield had arrested them and shut down the organisation just a few hours ago. Maybe one of the gods?

Why would they want to take Annabeth away from me?