𝑨𝑪𝑻 𝑻𝑾𝑶 ━ 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑬𝑬

𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐍 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐃, 𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 her heart beating out of her chest, she could feel the sweat dripping from her forehead, the voices around her were blurred out and vision was focused, focused on the only spot she could see, the spot where Annabeth had just been two seconds ago. 

Her mind raced through a whirlwind of almost every single memory she had with Annabeth. She saw the two of them laughing uncontrollably, their faces smeared with dirt and triumph as they stumbled back to their friends after winning capture the flag. 

She remembered the quiet moments, sitting by the lake, discussing their dreams, hopes and fears. Annabeth had always been the brave one, the one who never backed down from a challenge. But Iris had been her anchor, the steady hand that kept her grounded.

She saw the time where they'd sneaked out of their cabin to watch a meteor shower. Annabeth had pointed out constellations, her eyes shining with excitement and knowledge. Iris had listened, content to soak in her friend's passion and brilliance.

Now, that brilliance was slipping away. The manticore, with Annabeth clinging desperately to its back, was plunging over the cliff. Iris felt a scream building in her throat, but it seemed caught, unable to escape as the world moved in agonizing slow motion.

   "Annabeth!" Percy yelled. 

Her body moved on instinct. She ran toward the cliff's edge, her legs carrying her faster than she thought possible. She had to do something, anything, to save Annabeth. But she didn't even get to the cliff's edge, someone was holding her back, and so she fought back. "Let me fucking go!" 

Percy held Iris by her arms, preventing her from moving any closer to the cliff. It was hard to say the least, Iris was trying to get out of his grip, but he was stronger, and so she stopped moving and stayed still. 

   "Annie?" whispered Iris with tears in her eyes. "Annabeth!"

Percy had started to run after her, but there was a snap-snap-snap from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire. Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter. 

   "Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."

She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust. Well not really. The black metal dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night. The Hunters advanced on them. 

The one called Zoe stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with distaste.

   "Zoe Nightshade." Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual." Zoe scanned the rest of them. "Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."

   "Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."

   "Annabeth!" Percy yelled, still holding onto Iris so she wouldn't fling herself off the cliff. "You have to let us save her!" At this, Iris shot up and got out of Percy's grip as she stood up, she had anger on her face.

The auburn-haired girl turned toward him. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."

Iris stood nearby, as she tried to hold back tears, and shook her head, she knew who this was, and she knew that she couldn't do anything against the words of goddess, Artemis. Gods, she wished she could. 

Percy tried to struggle to his feet after Iris, but a couple of the girls had run up and held him down. "You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said.

   "Let me go!" Percy demanded. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

   "Percy." said Iris, her voice cracking and her tears streaming down her face, "Stop it." Percy looked at her like she was crazy, but she knew he didn't know who the girl was. He struggled for a bit more regardless.

Zoe stepped forward as if to smack him, but Iris caught her hand, Zoe turned sharply towards the distraught girl, to hit her. "No," the goddess ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoe. He is simply distraught. He does not understand. Although, she does."

The young girl looked at Percy, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."

   "Um... okay." said Percy, if Iris could, she would've smacked him herself this time. Though, that was nothing compared to Grover, who gasped, then knelt in the snow and spoke, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so... you're so... Wow!"

   "Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"

Iris felt a fresh wave of pain hearing Thalia's words, she winced and turned away. She could see her falling all over again and looked away towards the cliff. Though, she was brought back by the sound of Bianca's voice.

   "Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out."

Everybody looked at her as she pointed her finger at all of them in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "Who. . . who are you people?"

Artemis's expression softened. "It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who you are! Who are your parents?"

Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis like it was his first time seeing a unicorn or something. "Our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but. . ."

She faltered. Iris could see the confusion and fear in her eyes, and she felt a pang of sympathy. It was a lot to take in for anyone, let alone someone so young. But with the faces everyone was making, she thought they didn't believe her.

   "What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."

   "You are a half-blood," Zoe Nightshade said. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

   "An Olympian...like athlete?"

   "No," Zoe said. "One of the gods. Olympic Gods"

   "Cool!" said Nico.

   "No!" Bianca's voice quavered. "This is not cool!"

Nico danced around and rambled. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for—"

   "Nico, shut up!" Bianca put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!"

   "Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well... our lives are dangerous." said Thalia.

   "Dangerous," Bianca said, "like the girl who fell."

Thalia turned away. Even Artemis looked pained. But Iris felt a surge of anger run through her, she knew it was wrong, but the way Bianca spoke about Annabeth so nonchalantly felt painful, she knew that everything that just happened was new to her.

   "She has a name." said Iris walking closer to her, and when Bianca faced her, she faltered and quickly nodded sadly at Iris, muttering a quick apology. 

   "Do not despair for Annabeth," the goddess said. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."

   "Then why won't you let us go look for her?" Percy asked. 

Iris sighed and added her voice cracking as she spoke, "Please, Lady Artemis."

   "She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon and Daughter of Aphrodite? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."

   "Oo!" Nico raised his hand as if he were in a class. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?"

   "He was a manticore," Artemis said. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear."

   "Or they'll hunt us," Thalia said.

Bianca di Angelo shivered. "That explains. . . Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in DC?"

   "And that bus driver," Nico said. "The one with the ram's horns. I told you that was real."

   "That's why Grover has been watching you," Percy said calmly. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be half-bloods."

   "Grover?" Bianca stared at him. "You're a demigod?"

   "Well, a satyr, actually." He kicked off his shoes and show off his goat hooves. Bianca looked like she was going to faint, so Iris calmly walked over and whispered, "It's okay."

Bianca immediately felt better, she turned to her and smiled again, Bianca could tell that Iris was nice and even if she wasn't, right now, her words made her feel safe, safer than before. Nico felt it too, the sense of peace. 

   "Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia and Iris said in unison. Thalia added, "You're freaking her out."

   "Hey, my hooves are clean!" Grover protested, putting a hand on his chest to show how hurt he was. 

   "Bianca," Percy said, "We came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."

   "Camp?" she asked.

   "Camp Half-Blood," Percy explained. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year-round if you like."

   "Sweet, let's go!" said Nico, almost too quickly. 

   "Wait," Bianca shook her head. "I don't—"

   "There is another option," Zoe said.

   "No, there isn't!" Thalia snapped. Iris turned to Zoe, and tilted her head, her arms now crossed, "What did you just say?"

Thalia and Zoe glared at each other while Iris just turned back to the others, she really couldn't think about this right now. Percy didn't know what they were talking about, but he could tell there was bad history between them. 

Percy then turned to glance at Iris and involuntarily, he stepped closer to her, making her turn to him. Her eyes were almost blood shot red, tears stained her face, and she had bruises from the fight forming on her arms and neck.  

He was brought back to the conversation as Artemis spoke. "We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced. "Zoe, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."

   "Yes, my lady," Zoe replied.

   "And, Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you."

   "What about me?" Nico asked.

Artemis considered the boy. "Perhaps you can show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy. I'm sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while. . . as a favour to me?"

Grover tripped over himself as he got up excitedly, "You bet! Come on, Nico!" Nico and Grover were off toward the woods, talking about hit points and armour ratings. 

Iris felt like she could finally breathe, though what Zoe said made her think, would Zoe actually join the Hunters? would she leave her brother?

The Hunters began unpacking their knapsacks and making camp, some were nice and some were more on the safe side. 

As soon as Zoe was gone, Thalia stamped her foot in frustration. "The nerve of those fucking Hunters! They think they're so... Argh!"

   "Thalia!" Iris whisper-yelled, glancing nervously around.

   "No, I'm with her," Percy said. "I don't trust—"

   "Oh, you're with me?" Thalia turned on him furiously. "What were you thinking back there in the gym, Percy? You'd take on Dr. Thorn all by yourself? You knew he was a monster! If we'd stuck together, we could've taken him without the Hunters getting involved. Annabeth might still be here. Did you think of that?"

Percy's jaw clenched, but then he looked down and saw something navy blue lying in the snow at his feet. Annabeth's New York Yankees baseball cap. Thalia was already walking away from them when Percy looked back.

Iris shook her head and said, "You should've waited."

   "Really, you too, Iris?" Percy asked, looking up at her in disbelief.

Iris sighed, "Yeah, Percy. Thalia's right. We need to stick together."

   "But—" Percy started to argue, but Iris shook her head again and turned to follow Thalia.

   "We'll find her, Percy," Iris said softly, more to herself than to him. "We have to."

Percy watched as Iris caught up with Thalia, the two of them walking away together. He picked up Annabeth's cap and held it tightly, vowing silently to himself that he would do whatever it took to bring her back. . .

𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍, 𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆, she knew it wasn't her fault, she was sure of it, or so she thought? So why was her heart shrinking into a feeling of void every second she wasn't looking for Annie, why was her mind burning with the same gruesome question. What if. . .?

Iris watched as the Hunters set up their camp in a matter of minutes with seven large tents, all made of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire. 

One of the girls blew a silver dog whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared out of the woods, silently taking their positions around the camp like guard dogs. 

Percy, on the other hand, decided to keep his distance and stick close to the tents.

Above them, falcons watched from the trees, their eyes flashing in the firelight, as if they, too, were on guard duty. Even the weather seemed to bend to the goddess's will. The air was still cold, but the wind had died down and the snow had stopped falling, making it almost pleasant to sit by the fire.

He knew Iris was just as upset as he was, but she had chosen to side with Thalia, and that stung more than he wanted to admit. Iris caught him watching her and gave a small, uncertain smile before turning back to Thalia, her posture tense as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how.

Iris could tell he was blaming himself. But she couldn't help him, not when she was also blaming herself. 

Percy couldn't believe Annabeth was gone. And as much as he wanted to blame Thalia for what had happened, he had a sinking feeling she was right—it was his fault. 

Grover and Nico came back from their walk, and Grover immediately set to work on Percy's wounded arm. "It's green!" Nico said with delight, pointing at the slightly glowing salve Grover was applying.

   "Hold still," Grover told Percy, his voice gentle but firm. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."

Percy winced as Grover dressed the wound, but the ambrosia square helped. Nico, meanwhile, was rummaging through his own bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for him. Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes. 

Percy recognized Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, and Apollo with his sun chariot. He was about to talk when someone's voice made him look up. 

   "Hey," whispered Iris as she approached the boys, her voice soft but curious.

Percy nodded to her, not wanting to speak to her but still wanted her to stick around.

   "Big collection," Percy said, nodding at the array of figurines.

Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones."

   "You've been playing this game a long time?" Percy asked.

   "Just this year. Before that. . ." Nico paused, knitting his eyebrows together in thought.

   "What?" Percy asked, noticing the strange look on Nico's face.

   "I forget. That's weird." Nico looked unsettled, but the feeling didn't last long. "Hey, can I see that sword you were using?"

Percy showed him Riptide and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it. As he spoke, Iris listened closely, her eyes flickering between the sword and Percy. She didn't say much, but her presence was a quiet comfort, even if things were still tense between them.

   "Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?" Nico asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

   "Um, well, I don't actually write with it," Percy replied, glancing at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh.

   "Are you really the son of Poseidon?" Nico continued, undeterred, then turned to Iris. "And you're the daughter of Aphrodite?"

   "Well, yeah," Percy answered, unsure where this was going. Iris only nodded as an answer. She didn't want to speak. 

   "Can you surf really well, then?"

Percy looked at Grover again, who was now barely containing his laughter. "Jeez, Nico," Percy said, "I've never really tried."

Nico's questions kept coming, one after another. Percy braced himself for the next round of questions—fully expecting Nico to ask how many hit points he had—he felt Iris shift awkwardly beside him. She had been listening quietly, her expression a mix of discomfort and somewhat sympathy for Percy.

Just as Percy was about to lose his cool, Zoe Nightshade approached them. "Percy Jackson."

Percy looked up to see Zoe's dark brown eyes and slightly upturned nose. With her silver circlet and proud expression, she looked so much like royalty that Percy had to resist the urge to sit up straight.

Iris took a small step back, her gaze shifting between Zoe and Percy. She seemed unsure whether to stay or leave.

Zoe studied Percy distastefully, like he was a bag of dirty laundry she'd been sent to fetch. "Come with me," she said. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."

Iris hesitated for a moment, then decided to stay back, giving Percy a small, understanding nod as if to say she would wait for him. 

As Percy got up to follow Zoe, he glanced at Iris, feeling a strange mix of frustration and gratitude. At least she wasn't asking him about his "hit points."

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❪ ៸ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ━━━━━ ! ﹆◞ ❫
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❪ . . . the 3rd chapter for act 2 of LOVE STORY everyone,love this chapter. Iris and Annabeth have my heart 😭😭 ❫
❪ . . . This is about 3.1k words ❫
❪ . . . PLEASE tell me how you guys feel about it ??❫
❪ . . .PLEASE don't be a ghost reader, comment and vote, I love to reply to everyone and interact with my readers, love all of you darlings <33 ❫