Betrayed But Never Forgotten

Percy, and Luke try to kill us

Pipers pov

                                  *60,000 years later*
     

  

I ducked inside Annabeth's room, my heart pounding against my ribs as Percy and Luke thundered past in the hallway. Their footsteps echoed ominously, growing louder as they slowed their pace.

"Where did they go?" Percy's voice was dangerously low. "I saw them turn down this hall."

"Let's check the rooms," Luke suggested, his tone promising retribution.

I pressed my back against the wall, holding my breath as I heard them methodically working their way down the corridor. The sound of doors being thrown open—splintering wood and creaking hinges—made me wince. They were getting closer.

You're probably wondering why Annabeth and I are running from Percy and Luke. What started as harmless fun had escalated into all-out war. We'd declared a prank war on our husbands—yes, Luke and I fell in love and got married years ago, while Percy proposed to Annabeth shortly after we arrived here. But our last prank may have crossed a line.

Annabeth had replaced all of Percy's blue food with neon pink versions—a direct attack on his sacred habit. His face had gone from confusion to betrayal to rage in seconds. The resulting power surge had obliterated an uninhabited galaxy two systems over.

As for Luke... I'd dyed his Assassin's cloak bright purple, ensuring he'd stand out like a beacon on his next stealth mission with Percy. The look in his eyes when he discovered it promised payback of epic proportions.

Annabeth and I huddled in the semi-darkness, whispering contingency plans, when the communication device embedded in our outfits crackled to life.

"Chaos needs you all in the throne room," Claire's voice announced, an edge of urgency cutting through the static.

I exchanged a glance with Annabeth, our momentary relief quickly replaced by concern. A summons from Chaos was never casual.

Steeling myself, I stepped into the hallway. Luke's face darkened when he saw where we'd been hiding, and Percy's exasperated facepalm would have been comical under different circumstances.

"Come on, boys," Annabeth said, her attempted lightness falling flat. "Chaos needs us."

The four of us raced through the corridors, an uneasy truce forming in the face of Chaos's summons. Percy took the lead, his black armor absorbing the light as we ran.

The throne room doors were already open when we arrived, revealing Chaos seated on his cosmic throne. My stomach tightened at his expression—something was wrong. Deeply wrong. The air felt thick with tension as we lined up, and one by one, the other warriors filed in behind us.

"Father, what's wrong?" Percy asked, his earlier anger subsumed by concern.I mentally cringed—even after all these years, hearing Percy call someone other than Poseidon "dad" felt jarring. Wait, focus. My ADHD was kicking in at the worst possible moment.

Chaos's eyes swirled with nebulae as he surveyed us. "I have a mission for you."

Charles voiced what we were all thinking: "Where are we going?"

A heavy silence fell as Chaos replied, "Earth."

The word hung in the air like a death sentence. I felt the blood drain from my face as the implications sank in. Percy's normally pitch-black eyes began swirling with crimson, a dangerous sign I'd learned to recognize. Annabeth's hand moved unconsciously to her dagger, her knuckles white around the hilt. The rest of us stood frozen in shock.

"You're. Joking. Right?" Percy's voice was deadly calm—the calm before a hurricane. Everyone except Chaos took an instinctive step back.

"There is a fatal mystery on Earth," Chaos explained, his voice heavy. "I need you to solve it."

"It's a mystery, and they can't solve it themselves?" I asked through gritted teeth, anger bubbling up inside me.

Chaos nodded sadly, his expression grave. "This goes beyond their capabilities."

"Bu—" Percy began, but Chaos raised his hand.

"No buts. You're all required to go. You leave tonight."

Percy's power flared visibly, darkness rolling off him in waves. With a guttural growl, he turned and stormed out, the massive throne room doors ripping from their hinges as he passed, crashing to the floor with a thunderous boom that made the entire chamber shudder.

"Percy!" Annabeth called, rushing after him.

The rest of us stood in stunned silence before slowly dispersing to our rooms to pack. The dread in my stomach grew with each step. This was no ordinary mission—this was forcing us to return to the place that had betrayed and discarded us.

As I packed my things, a shiver ran down my spine. How long would it take before Percy's control snapped? How many would die if he unleashed his full power on those who had wronged us?

At least, I thought bitterly, I wouldn't have to deal with Jason. But something told me this mission would test us in ways we couldn't imagine. Something on Earth was bad enough that Chaos himself looked worried—and that thought terrified me more than anything else.