Heyo! How is everyone? 
I wanna try to set a goal for this chapter... Just to see how that goes. So let's see if we can get this to 2 likes and hopefully 1 comment? Not much, eh? SO LET'S DO THIS POO!
Please don't punish me for awful endings and cliffhangers! Like last chapter... I'm sorreh, my lovely people!

Now, I don't wanna keep you waiting so...

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!

*trumpets sound in the distance*

Chapter #2: Just Lost Control

PERCY POV

~I guess I'll just throw my thoughts away
Maybe pick them up another day
And I just lost control
I just needed you to know
When in front of you
I feel invincible
I want to write a song that makes you smile
One that keeps you around for a while
I wish for small things like losing this feeling
I've seen this coming, I've seen you leaving
I know I've said and done some things
That've made you feel a little empty
I've got a whole lot to learn
Every bridge I see, I seem to burn, so
Sick of saying sorry when I'm not
When in front of you
I feel invincible, invincible~

"Leo!" I groaned lazily. "Keep the fires under control, man! I was trying to sleep..."

The curly haired boy in front of me grimaced and shuffled on his feet anxiously and guiltily, while smoke plumed up from one of the camp cabins on the other side of the hill. Somehow Leo ended up here after the minor explosion and I just had to follow the trail of ash and charred grass to find him.

"Sorry, Perce..." He said sheepishly. "At least it wasn't your cabin, eh? Heheh..."

I rolled my eyes at the comedian and began walking away. I was still in my blue plaid pyjama pants, shirtless, after all. I ran my fingers through my knotted shaggy black hair. Man, I need a haircut... I guess you don't really think about those kind of things while saving the world. Again. From an army of giants. And Earth itself. But y'know, it's still nice to look the part of a superhero, too. I yawned sleepily. I need sleep... A nice soft bed and thick navy cotton blankets... A dark cosy room and peaceful silence, the only noise being the whooshing from my water fountain... A heavenly feather light pillow... A dreamless night... I desperately needed a good night's sleep-

"Hey, handsome!"

I turned my head around slowly and saw a blond head of hair come bobbing up to me. A nervous yet happy smile was plastered on the girl's face and her eyes were as bright a grey as rain clouds. Once close enough to me, she stood on her tiptoes and hugged the living daylights out of me. I was gonna return the gesture, but she quickly pulled away and placed a small kiss on my lips. She grinned at me and I smiled back halfheartedly, still thinking about sleep. Then I realised I was still half naked...

I cleared my throat. "What's up, Smarty Pants?"

Annabeth chuckled and shook her head. "Did you hear what happened with Leo? Or..."

"Yeah, I just spoke with His Charred Highness. He blew something up, then I find him practically halfway to the strawberry fields! I guess he finally got his wish of shooting himself across camp..."

The daughter of Athena laughed. I smiled at her, but she returned an uneasy expression. I sent her a confused look and raised an eyebrow. Was I missing something...?

"Um, well... You know what he blew up, right?" She asked while twiddling her thumbs.

I yawned and then groaned. Ugh, I really didn't care what Valdez managed to destroy this time (Grace can handle this one), I just wanted to return to my beloved bed! Not that I didn't love chatting with Annabeth, I just hadn't slept well at all lately. Most demigods get weird dreams, it's just how it is, but c'mon... I bet I looked like a sack of wrinkled potatoes with sagging purple bags under my eyes! Like the Furies! And those hags are just... Ugh. I'd say no offence, but I think they'd try to rip me to pieces and feed my bones to the hellhounds in the Underworld any chance they'd get.

"Not really, but hey, I'm really tired, Annabeth..." I mumbled drowsily. "See you later, okay? I'll find out what the mechanic broke eventually."

"Okay." She smirked. "I'll talk to you next time you're wearing a shirt, Perce. Little piece of advice? When you're running out of your cabin after hearing an explosion and you have no clue what's going on or who's out there waiting-- make sure you're wearing all your clothing before rushing out like a half conscious loon!"

"Got it." I winked and began my little trek back to my cabin.

On my way there, I passed all the other cabins and made my way down the line but stopped dead in my tracks. A group of demigods were gathered around one of the Big Three cabins, whispering and frowning at the big mushroom cloud rising out of the roof. I watched as I saw a couple naiads taming the fire. Gods, Leo... What the hell did you do? Wait... Who's cabin did he set fire to? I remembered Annabeth's face when she tried to tell me...

I took a couple more steps and froze once more. When I realised who's cabin it was, my eyes shot wide open. Okay, I was awake now. I felt something twist in my gut, but I decided to push that away and find out what's going on. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and jogged down to Jason and Frank. They had hard looks on their faces. Once I reached them, I put my hand on Jason's shoulder, getting his attention.

"What in the name of Poseidon happened to the Hades cabin?" I asked him with a hint of bewilderment.

He sighed and shrugged. "Leo practically blew it up. By accident, of course."

"I know that, but was, you know, anyone inside?" I asked him as I looked back at the piles of flaming black wood in concern.

Frank shook his head. "No, he wasn't there, Percy. I don't know why, but..." He sighed. "He just wasn't there."

I frowned. "Oh, well, I guess that's a good thing then."

Jason was silent. Frank shrugged again and left to go back to bed. I pursed my lips. Why wasn't he there? Where could he have possibly gone? To make matters worse, Jason seemed to notice this, too, it seemed. His eyes flickered deep in thought and his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, but what confused me the most was his expression. He looked anxious, maybe even concerned.

I cleared my throat and shuffled on my feet. "Hey, Grace?"

"Yeah, Jackson?" He looked over at me.

"Do you know where Nico went or why he would have possibly disappeared overnight?" I said warily.

He took a deep breath, shifting his weight on his feet. He crossed his arms and frowned, lost in thought once more. He knew something. He must have known something. He glanced back over at me, although this time his expression was guarded, and sighed deeply.

"I don't know, Percy. He's an unpredictable guy, you know that. He could be gone for weeks and nobody would know where he is. Maybe he shadow-traveled somewhere in the Underworld or something. Or maybe he's somewhere in camp. I really don't know. He's tough, though, I'll give you that." He said honestly.

I nodded and left Jason to his thoughts. My eyes began to droop again. I needed sleep... As soon as I opened my cabin door, I shut it and clumsily made my way over to my bed. Deciding I wanted to be more comfortable, I slipped off my pyjama pants and jumped into my cozy navy blankets in my underwear. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I passed out, fast asleep... But who ever said that it would be a dreamless night?

*
"Hey, Jackson." A voice called behind me.

I turned around with a smile, knowing I was gonna see one of my good friend's faces. But when I turned around, the face looked desperate, miserable, pained, and covered in blood. Just plain broken. I frowned and stepped closer to the younger boy, reaching out to touch his strained pale face, but he turned away from me, wincing as if I'd hurt him.

"No, please don't... L-Leave me alone." The boy with brown eyes pleaded softly.

I stepped closer still, trying to comfort him. "But, Nico-"

"No!" He screamed, tears running down his face. "Go away! Please!"

I gasped. I haven't seen him cry in years. Why was he telling me to go away? I was trying to help him! He was covered in blood. The wound... The wound was from his chest. Oh my gods... The red stain covered the dark grey fabric above his heart. My eyes followed the trail of blood on the floor as Nico sobbed in front of me. The trail led to me. I looked down and noticed I had a dagger in my hands. I gasped again as my eyes grew wide in horror. The dagger was covered in blood. Nico's blood.

The dream shifted.

I was in a dark cave-like place. It was a cold and lifeless kind of place. Very lonely. I began walking further into it when I heard a noise: a thud followed by a low grunt. My heartbeat picked up as I crept forward. A cry. I quickened my pace, trying to find the source of these noises. Another cry of pain. I sped forward and rounded the corned. My stomach dropped at what I discovered.

A pale skinny boy, tightly bound by his wrists and feet, was being swarmed by dark figures. His helpless body was covered in cuts and bruises and blood. As the assaults continued, the poor guy grew weaker and weaker. His body was battered and bruised, yet he still seemed like he was trying to fight them off. But then he began shaking as a tear finally slipped from his right eye and ran down his cheek. As I watched, seemingly unable to move or try to help the boy, a single soft female voice could be heard.

"Those who run away, shall be punished."

The boy let out a last tortured gargle of a cry as he crumpled to the ground in a heap. The boy was none other than Nico di Angelo himself.
*

"NICO!"

I woke up in a cold sweat. Half of my body was hanging out of my bed. Mother of Poseidon... That was, um... Intense. I took a deep, shaky breath and got out of bed, deciding to take a shower. Once I hopped in, I let the scalding hot water loosen my tensed muscles. The only thing the water didn't do was smooth the frown on my face. I couldn't help but let that dream haunt me. It was terrible. But... What did it mean?

I shook my head as I stepped out of the shower, dried myself, and walked back into my room to put my camp clothes on. That voice in the dream, though... It sounded awfully familiar, too. But why was Nico-

"Jackson! You awake?" A voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I called back as I pulled the orange shirt over my head.

"Then hurry up and get out here! We're having a talk with the group at breakfast this morning. Jason's words." The voice was Annabeth's.

"Mmkay, I'll be right out!" I replied.

I walked with Annabeth to the Pavilion, already smelling breakfast in the air. I couldn't help but fidget a bit and Annabeth noticed. She grabbed my hand in hers and ran gentle circles over my knuckles with her thumb. It helped sooth my nerves a little, but not as much as I'd hoped. Once we walked in and grabbed our food, the others ushered us over to a table in the far right hand corner. There sat Jason, Piper, Frank, Leo, and Annabeth and I. I wondered where Hazel was? Last time I heard, she was visiting Rachel Elizabth Dare (the new Oracle of Delphi) for a little girl time. Which was another relief, considering her cabin was blown up overnight while she was out.

I noticed Jason seemed tense again.

He suddenly looked up at me, his icy blue eyes staring at me with a sudden seriousness. "He's still not here today. And he's not at camp; the nymphs checked, and the harpies scouted about for a bit after hours. Percy, what-"

Hazel interrupted him as she came rushing to the table with her plate of food, sitting down beside me.

"Percy." She said quietly so only I could hear. "I need to speak with you later. Alone, if that's alright."

I nodded my head, curious.

When I shifted my gaze back to Jason, he was distracted, speaking with Piper in a low tone that only they could hear. I bit my lip as I saw Piper frown and nod her head, speaking fast and urgently to Jason as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. I wondered what they were talking about? Seemed like everyone was a little edgy today and it wasn't just me.

After breakfast, Hazel pulled me aside, walking out to the lake where no one followed. She seemed very distracted while we were eating earlier. A million questions were swarming my head then, but I kept my mouth shut, waiting to speak privately. Once we reached the shore, I watched as the curly haired girl paced in the sand, her arms crossed and a worried frown on her face. She all of a sudden threw her arms up in the air with a frustrated huff.

"You alright, Hazel?" I asked her.

She walked up to me and shook her head. "I'm just worried... When I found out what happened this morning, and that the cabin was destroyed, and that Nico disappeared, and what Rachel had told me earlier, and then I come back into camp to find everyone in a miserable and worried state-- it's just-" She groaned as she pulled at her hair.

I put my hand on my friend's shoulder comfortingly. "I know... I'm kinda curious about it all, too... Um, wait, what did you say about Rachel telling you something?"

She noticeably tensed and hesitated. "Well, her eyes went all weird and green- you know, all Oracle of Delphi green -and she blurted out that someone was snatched by jealousy and taken somewhere dark so that they can suffer or something... It wasn't as detailed as the prophecies she usually gives, but it was definitely something..." She trailed off and I got the feeling she wasn't telling me everything. "Anyways, I'm worried because Nico suddenly disappeared without a word and didn't show up, and then Rachel told me that, and... Please tell me you've got a hint of what's going on, Percy. I just need to know that my brother isn't hurt."

I flinched. Should I tell her about the dream I had last night? I probably shouldn't... I decided I'd tell Jason later and spare Hazel the thoughts of Nico being in possible danger, because something was definitely going on. My stomach swirled like a miniature whirlpool as a sudden thought dawned on me. It just sunk in that maybe Nico was actually hurt. Maybe he did need help. Maybe he was in danger.

I groaned in frustration. "I don't know, Hazel... Something is definitely wrong. I think we should speak with the others. We need to find your brother. I... I think Nico's in trouble."

~~~

End of Chapter

Nico's in trouble? NOOO WAYYY, PERCY! HA, we already knew that...
DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!
So how was it, hm? Do you think some action is gonna take place after this? You're probably screaming at your computer screen"JUST GO SAVE HIM, YOU... YOU... SEAWEED BRAIN!"
Yup... I'm not funny, I know- LOVE YOU- BYE!

~Percy's Cluelessness