*****AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know it's a been a while. I know this a pathetic update given the time I've been gone. However, please understand that while I love each and every one of you who is still holding on and reading this, school, work, family and relationships have to come before a Wattpad fanfiction. I wanted to make this update longer, but I've been holding on to it for a while and figured it would be better to publish it. Hopefully you can enjoy it!*****

GROVER

After proposing to Juniper, Grover could have stayed there forever in that forest with her by his side (presuming they had a supply of tin cans to keep him up). While that wasn't a possibility, they did stay the night within the shelter of the trees so that Juniper could recover before they continued on their journey back to Camp. He fell asleep next to Juniper, hoping to dream of the two of them and the many years to come.

* * *

Grover had no such luck. Instead, he found himself watching a scene play out in the forest at Camp Demigod. It took him a moment to orient himself; there were figures all around him, running and brandishing their weapons of choice at something he couldn't see. As he adjusted to the chaos, he noticed that that the figures appeared to me demigods from camp, along with a few women he recognized as the Hunters of Artemis.

A gap cleared in the crowd and Grover was able to see through the mass. In the center, a few dryads and nymphs were trying to fight their way away from a strange figure in a robotic suit. He was brandishing a weapon that seemed to be hurting them, and although Grover was just dreaming, even he could feel something terrible about the weapon. It seemed to be emitting a harmful wave, something that was hurting the dryads and nymphs and would likely hurt him if he were there. He saw the figure strike down one of the demigods: Will Solace. Nico di Angelo appeared at his side, whisking him away from the battle.

The strikes from the demigods and Hunters seemed to be doing little more than denting the man's suit, and he didn't seem in a hurry to leave until eight more people appeared at the edge of the woods. He recognized them with a jolt: Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Hazel Grace, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez and a pretty girl with her hand on Leo's shoulder that Grover didn't know.

"What's going on here?" Percy asked.

Then, suddenly time stopped all around Grover. No one moved besides the man in the robotic suit in the middle of the mass of people, who was turning around slowly to face Grover.

"Grover Underwood," a deep, mechanical voice said. "I see you've woken up. I hadn't intended for that to happen, of course, as you always have been a bother. Nonetheless, your time in the cell served its purpose. You're too late now to undo what I've done."

Grover tried to say something, but this voice wouldn't work.

"Your god is dead. Pan is gone for good, and it's time for a new era. I'll be seeing you, I'm sure." His voice was as close to a sneer as an automated tone could get.

The chaos resumed in an instant, voices shouting, swords swinging, his friends yelling about what was wrong, but the strange man in the robotic suit was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Grover didn't wake up until the next morning, but the dream was still vivid in his mind. Suddenly a few things were clear to him.

For one, he knew who was behind everything that had been happening lately. He wasn't sure exactly who he was or what he was doing or why, but at least he had an image in his mind, an enemy to look for.

The other thing that came to him was an idea. He needed help, major help. He wasn't sure what was going on, but without his tools or any information, he didn't want to trust that he could get Juniper home safely. Clearly, whatever was going on in the forests of the Carolinas was also going on back at Camp Halfblood. Maybe his friends there would have some information.

He wasn't sure what Percy would think if he contacted him after this long. Did his friends think he'd abandoned them? Had anyone looked for him? Had they presumed him dead?

Regardless, he had to try; he just hoped the empathy link would still work after all these years.

PERCY

Percy's life had been easy, peaceful and relaxing, which naturally meant that something was about to happen to make it more complicated. There'd been a minor skirmish with some nymphs and dryads after a game of Capture the Flag between the campers and the Hunters, but they hadn't found anything out of the ordinary. He'd been training young demigods and adjusting to his newfound control over the waves by day, spending time with Annabeth and the baby in the evening. When she wasn't finishing up her architecture work on Olympus, Annabeth was designing a house for them to move into. While their housemates enjoyed having the young Goddess of Peace around to stop the frequent bickering, he and Annabeth wanted a little more privacy to raise Serenity and maybe, someday, more children to come.

Percy had almost expected his outlook on life to change when he became a god. He'd talked to Apollo for the time he was stuck as a mortal, seen his utter shock at how humans had to live. So far, Percy felt stronger, more powerful, more invincible, but he was still Percy Jackson (or to Mr. D, still Peter Johnson). He supposed after thousands of years and a cult worshipping stronger than the Kardashians', he might grow egotistical as well. But he didn't have anyone praying to him, any huge domains to rule over, any wars to win. For now he was happy as a loving father, a loyal husband and an adorable idiot (he had been dubbed all three by Annabeth).

The interruption, which turned out to be both good and bad news, occurred during dinner. Although they didn't need mortal food any longer, the former demigods carried on their tradition of dinner every night while they ate ambrosia and talked.

Percy was enjoying a chunk of ambrosia that tasted particularly like pizza when he was suddenly interrupted by a vision.

It wasn't clear at first, but Percy could see a figure in front of him. As it came into focus, he realized with a shock that the figure in front of him was none other than Grover.

Seven years ago, Grover had suddenly disappeared. At first, everyone had been in chaos trying to figure out what had happened. Disappearances had usually lead to something greater at Camp Demigod: more disappearances, a great prophecy, etc. But nothing happened except that Grover didn't come back.

Percy and Annabeth had quickly set out looking for Grover. They'd looked everywhere they could think of, checked nature reserve after national park after state forest with the help of Thalia and her Hunters. But even the Hunters of Artemis couldn't track his path.

Finally, Percy and Annabeth contacted the Council of Cloven Elders. Percy knew they didn't like to talk to beings other than their own kind, but perhaps they would make an exception in this case. An old satyr named Silenus had told them gravely that Grover had left them on an important journey in the wild, a journey that required him to cut out all ties with everyone so that he could "become one with nature." Percy was sure that Grover himself had never used the phrase "become one with nature," but he did know how important it all was to Grover.

There was still some suspicion in his mind, some lingering doubt that there was more to the story. Percy was the God of Loyalty, after all; he wanted to be loyal to his friends no matter what. But what was he supposed to do when a friend didn't even try to repay that loyalty?

Percy had continued to search for a while, but eventually he had nowhere left to look. He couldn't scour every inch of the planet that had grass growing on it, and with no leads or trails to track, Artemis had ordered the Hunters to move on to other business.

Now, Grover appeared before him in the vision.

"Percy," his familiar voice said with urgency. "Percy, I hope this is getting through. I don't know what's going on or what happened to me, but I need your help. I was in some kind of enchanted sleep for seven years, and Juniper finally found me. But she's so far from her tree, she's really in danger, and I'm not sure I can get her home safely. Something's been going, affecting nature and all the creatures, and I think it's been affecting Camp as well. I need to get home to help with that, and Juniper's life may depend on it. I found the nearest city and I'm in-"

With that, the vision broke off.

* * *

Percy found himself back at the dinner table, his friends staring at him in concern.

"Percy, are you okay?" Annabeth said in a voice that suggested she'd repeated herself multiple times.

"Yeah," he breathed.

"What happened?" Jason asked.

"I just... I had a vision." He was still in shock about what he had seen. After all these years: Grover.

Annabeth looked stricken. "Of what? Not another prophecy or something?"

"No," Percy said. "Grover."

* * *

Annabeth's eyes widened immediately, and the two rushed off to their room. The others hadn't known Grover as well, hadn't spent months searching for him, but Percy and Annabeth were still ready to help him at a second's notice, even if he had betrayed them. That was his inner God of Loyalty kicking in.

"I can't believe it," Annabeth muttered. "It's been so long. Are you sure it's not a trap or something?"

Percy shrugged. He had to admit the thought had crossed his mind. "Can we really risk it? Grover's obviously out there alive, so if it is a trap... then something's been keeping him for seven years, and we need to get him back safely."

"I just... don't want to get ourselves into anything again," Annabeth said hesitantly.

Percy understood. They had a child napping in the nursery, a peaceful life at last. If this was some kind of trap that would get them mixed up with another enemy, the whole peaceful thing would be ruined. But Grover had been one of Percy's best friends, had always been there for him, and Percy needed to do the same.

"If you want to stay," Percy offered, "I completely understand. You could take care of the baby and and keep her safe. But I'm going."

Annabeth sighed. "If you're going, so am I. We're gods now, anyway. What can hurt us, right?" She smiled a smile that Percy knew meant "Actually, I'm sure there's something out there that can hurt us, but let's do it anyways."

Annabeth began packing quickly, while Percy pulled aside Jason and Piper, asking the couple if they would be willing to take care of Serenity for a few days. Piper seemed to think it would be good practice for becoming a parent herself; Jason looked more concerned as to why Percy and Annabeth were rushing off. Percy brushed off his questions, still too dazed and shocked from the visions he had seen.

He back upstairs to find Annabeth. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, taking her hands.

"No," she admitted. "But are we ever sure of anything in this world?" Annabeth smiled and shrugged.

Percy kissed her, grabbed his bag and Annabeth's hand, and they left together.

* * *