"Fine," I agreed. While Thalia led the confused Luka away, Percy took my hand and began walking me towards the ocean. We didn't speak on the way over there. When we reached the sea, I sat down in the cool sand and rested my head in my hands. I could feel Percy hovering anxiously beside me. He wanted to make me feel better, but he didn't know how. So we both sat there in silence, listening to the waves lap up on the shore.
"I was just thinking about him, you know," I told Percy, my voice muffled. He looked at me, confused, but didn't say anything. "Luke. I felt horrible again. It's been happening lately. Whenever I try to enjoy myself, he pops into my mind, and I feel miserable. Why is that happening? Why now, six months after he was...killed?"
"I thought something was wrong," Percy told me, looking worried. I lifted my head to look at him. His green eyes were gazing at me, without any of the embarrassment they used to have, and I felt a shiver run the length of my body. He really did care. "Is there anything I can do?"
I grinned at him, even though my heart wasn't really in it. "Well, we haven't gone swimming in a while..." I winked at Percy, and he smiled back. He stood up, grabbed my hand, and we ran down to the surf, plunging into the waves. The water washed higher, past my waist up to my shoulders. Finally, when I couldn't feel the sandy bottom beneath my feet, we stopped. Percy called up a current that it kept us afloat. Some curious dolphins swam nearer and Percy encouraged them, talking to them with his mind, asking them for a ride. They obliged, and soon we were zipping through the water. I laughed from the sheer exhilaration of it.
Suddenly, three more dolphins jumped up in front of us. I grinned and nudged Percy, but he frowned. The other dolphins were chattering frantically, making short leaps but always swimming back to us. "What are they saying?" I asked Percy.
"A tanker...there's a huge oil spill. Some of the sea animals are trapped in it...including two hippocampi!" He shot me a look. We both knew how dangerous that was. If humans came to help with the spill, and found the mythological creatures, who knew what would happen?
"I have to help," he told me, just as I said, "Let's go."
He frowned at me. "Annabeth, go back and get help. Get Blackjack and some of the other pegasi, and tell Chiron!"
"No," I objected. "You'll need my help. You can't do everything, and we know you can't control oil, so I can do whatever you will."
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