Percy Jackson and the Incarnate - 2: Who is the spy?

CHAPTER 3 POV: Annabeth Chase

It had been a year since Percy and Hari 'died'. Justin turned out to be just like Percy. He had nearly all the characteristics of Percy; kind, brave, and had loyalty as his fatal flaw. He was just a bit serious and hardly joked. He was more like a son of Neptune than Poseidon. Other than that, he was very much Percy's clone, except for his hairstyle which was more like Frank's.

The year went with a lot of monster attacks. A lot of monsters attacked us, and we defeated them. Justin was great. We found out his weapon, a sword (just like Percy) and with that, he could even give Percy a run for his money. But, knowing Percy, he would be more powerful now, for he is now training with the Hindu Pantheon. But he would be so happy when he finds out about his brother.

Justin had befriended all the campers, even the Ares campers. He rose through the ranks. The last battle just cemented his place as a camp leader. Don't get me wrong, everyone still loves and worships Percy; he was a legend. The newer campers now worshipped Justin too, and just like Percy, he started to blush and hate the attention.

In the last war, three more titans and a few tougher monsters like the hydra and manticore were present. The titans taunted how they had no Percy Jackson. The hope dropped, but Justin gave a rousing speech and started to attack the monsters with blinding rage. With the hunters present, Me, Justin, Thalia, and Nico fought the titans while the other campers fought the monsters. After about half an hour, Justin was injured, and the titan started to taunt him about his family. With newfound rage, he attacked viciously, just like Percy. I see him in Justin. The titan looked shocked, as if he didn't expect it. I helped him finish off the titan while Thalia and Nico finished off the second titan. Thalia retreated to help the hunters kill monsters as I, Justin and Nico killed off the last titan. We then wrapped up the battle quickly.

All the campers carried Justin like a hero and Chiron decreed him as a leader of the camp. All including me cheered. He blushed and hugged me. I hug him back. I was so happy for him.

But the last week, he had been distant towards me. He started to act awkward when I was around him. I wanted to know what the problem was. Even Nico, his other best friend noticed it. When we both confronted him, he snapped at us and went to his cabin. I was worried for him.

I was reading the books Hari gave me. This story was hell of big. Still, I had maybe seven chapters left in the last book. The war had ended and Bheeshma was going to die, after suffering the pain of laying on a bed of arrows. I loved the story. Tears were flowing down as Bheeshma finally died. More than the story, Hari knew how to write. He used words like Magic. I envied him. As I was reading, I heard a knock on the door and Justin was standing, awkwardly.

"What is the matter, Justin?", I asked concerned.

"Can I talk to you in private?", he asked.

"Sure!", I said. We walked to the same spot in the beach where me and Percy spent so much time together. He looked fidgety. He looked scared.

As we reached the sea, he felt calm. His body relaxed. He saw me eye-to eye. I was waiting for his response, but the silence was too long and awkward. I decided to break the silence.

"What is the matter, Justin? You look pale.", I asked concerned.

"Annabeth. Please do not leave me or kill me.", he said and took a deep breath.

"What are you talking Justin?", I asked.

"Annabeth. I need to confess.", he said but held back.

"Confess what?", I asked skeptically.

"I---I---I think I love you Annabeth. I had a crush at you since the first day. It only grew bigger with each passing day. I love you Annabeth. I love you with all my heart. I want to live with you for the rest of my life.", he said and looked at my eyes.