in which aurelie nightshade's life is just a carousel spinning around after her sister willingly lets herself die
[annabeth chase x fem!oc]
[the titan's curse - the blood of olympus]
[started; 11/23/23] [finished; xx.xx.xxxx]
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🎀
"THIS WAY!" the redhead yelled.
"Why should we follow you?" Annabeth demanded. "We saved Ali, but you still led us straight into that death trap!"
"It was the way go needed to go," the redhead argued. "And so is this. Come on!"
Annabeth didn't look happy about it, but she ran along. The redhead seemed to know exactly where she was going. She whipped around corners and didn't even hesitate at crossroads. Once she said, "Duck!" and they all crouched as a huge axe swung over their heads. Then they kept going as if nothing had happened.
Aurelie lost track of how many turns they made. They didn't stop to rest until they came to a big room with old marble columns holding up the roof. Percy stood at the doorway, probably listening for sounds. But it seemed like they'd lost Luke and his minions.
The guy with the eye-patch collapsed on the floor. "You people are crazy." He pulled off his helmet, his face gleaming with sweat.
Annabeth gasped. "I remember you! You were one of the undetermined kids in the Hermes cabin, years ago. Ethan Nakamura, right?"
He glared at her. "Yeah, and you're Annabeth. I remember."
"What— what happened to your eye?"
Ethan looked away, and Aurelie got the feeling that he did not wanted to discuss that.
"You must be the half-blood from my dream," Percy said. "The one Luke's people cornered. It wasn't Nico after all."
"Who's Nico?"
"Never mind," Annabeth said quickly. "Why were you trying to join up with the wrong side?"
Ethan sneered. "There's no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn't I— "
"Sign up with an army that makes you fight to death just for entertainment?" Aurelie asked. "I wonder why."
He struggled to his feet. "I'm not going to argue with any of you. Thanks for the help, but I'm out of here."
"We're going to after Daedalus," Percy said. "Come with us. Once we get through, you'd be welcome back at camp."
"You really are crazy if you think Daedalus will help you," Ethan said.
"He has to," Annabeth insisted. "We'll make him listen."
Eye-patch-boy snorted. "Yeah, well. Good luck with that."
Percy grabbed his arm. "You're just going to head off alone into the maze? That's suicide."
Ethan looked at him with barely controlled anger. "You shouldn't have spared me, Jackson. Mercy has no place in this war."
Then he ran off into the darkness, taking the same way they'd come.
🎀
They were all so exhausted they made camp right there in the huge room. Percy found some scrap wood and they started fire. Shadows danced off the columns rising around them like trees. Annabeth and Percy introduced her to the redhead Rachel and filled her in about the quest.
