Betrayed But Never Forgotten

The camp of Betrayal

Percy's pov

* 1 week later*

One week. That's all it took for my entire world to shatter. Seven days since Nick arrived at camp, seven days since Jason turned my life into a living Tartarus. The betrayals cut deeper than any monster's claws ever could.

Only Piper and Annabeth remained loyal. Piper, because her natural ability to sense deception let her see through Jason's web of lies. And Annabeth... well, we'd literally been through Tartarus together. Some bonds can't be broken, no matter how hard others try.

Everyone else at camp – even Chiron – looked at us like we were monsters worse than the Minotaur. I still don't know what they think Annabeth did wrong, but here we are, both of us marked as pariahs.

The daily torments became routine: "accidentally" dumped food at meals, whispered insults, glares that could rival Medusa's. Thalia's betrayal hit particularly hard. She stormed into camp three days ago, her silver lieutenant's circlet glinting in the sun.

"You broke my bow," she'd spat, her electric blue eyes crackling with rage. "The daggers Artemis gave me – destroyed. How could you?" Before I could even process her words, her hand cracked across my face. "You're no cousin of mine, Perseus Jackson."

Nico's rejection felt like a knife to the gut. "You're just like Luke," he'd said, shadows writhing around his feet. "I should have known you'd betray us all eventually." Then he'd melted into the darkness, leaving me alone with his words echoing in my head.

The rest fell like dominoes: Frank and the entire Camp Jupiter turned their backs. Hazel remained silent, which hurt almost as much as outright rejection. And Leo... Leo was gone, another name on the too-long list of people I'd failed to save.

I was sitting on my favorite rock by the beach, watching the waves crash against the shore, when I heard angry footsteps approaching. Grover's familiar silhouette appeared in the fading light.

"Hey, G-man," I called out, hope rising briefly in my chest. But he stormed past my greeting like it was nothing but wind.

As he got closer, I could see tears cutting tracks through the dirt on his face. His hands were trembling, but not with fear – with rage.

"Tell me it's not true," he demanded, his voice breaking. "Tell me Jason was lying."

"Whatever you think I did, Grover, I didn't—"

"Did you kill her?" His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Did you poison Juniper's tree?"The accusation hit me like a physical blow. "What? Grover, she's missing – you told me yourself she was missing! How could you even think—"

"Jason saw you!" Grover's fists clenched, his eyes wild with grief and anger. "He saw you pour poison on her tree! Nico was right – you're exactly like Luke!"

"First of all," I stood up, anger finally breaking through my hurt, "have we all collectively forgotten that Luke died a hero? That he sacrificed himself to save Olympus? And second – you're really going to believe Jason over me? Your best friend since we were twelve?"

"Best friend?" Grover laughed bitterly. "We're not friends anymore, Percy. Why would I believe you over the true leader of the Seven?"

"The true— Who said Jason was the leader of the Seven?"

"He warned me you'd say that." Grover jabbed a finger at my chest. "Said you'd try to twist everything around. Well, I'm done listening to your lies. We're through, Percy. Don't ever speak to me again."

He stormed off into the woods, leaving me alone with the waves and my tears. I wiped my eyes roughly and headed back to Cabin Three, where my packed bag was waiting under the bed.

The photos of Annabeth and me came down from the walls one by one. Each one felt like saying goodbye to a different happy memory: our first kiss at the dining pavilion, sword practice where she'd finally disarmed me, quiet moments by the lake. I tucked them carefully into my bag.

The clock struck nine, and right on cue – *thud, thud, thud* – came the knock we'd planned for.I opened the door to find Annabeth and Piper, both carrying backpacks, both wearing expressions of grim determination.

"Ready?" Annabeth asked softly, her gray eyes finding mine in the darkness.

I nodded, stepping out of the cabin that had been my home for so many years. "Ready.""Where are we going to go?" Piper asked as we made our way toward Thalia's pine tree.

"I have an idea," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

At the top of Half-Blood Hill, I turned for one last look at the place I'd once called home. The lights in the cabins glowed softly, the smell of strawberries drifted up from the fields, and for a moment, my resolve wavered.

Then I remembered Grover's words, Thalia's slap, Nico's accusations. I pulled out the note we'd written – explaining everything to anyone who might still care to know the truth – and pinned it to Thalia's pine.

"Let's go," I whispered, turning away from Camp Half-Blood for what might be the last time.As we descended the hill into the mortal world, I felt Annabeth's hand slip into mine, Piper's determined presence at my side. Maybe we were leaving our home behind, but we were starting something new together.

Our new life had begun, whether we were ready for it or not.