The Exit - Luke Castellan

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: So I was confused about their age because Annabeth was 7 when she got to camp and Luke is 7 years older than her but ran away at 9 so if he's 12 (two years before camp Annabeth is only 5 when she ran away. I'm not sure how the canon is but year it's weird.

Flashback

It had been almost two years since they had run away from home. Luke, Thalia and Amara had grown closer, and they knew their way around the streets. Thalia the new girl had eventually warmed up to them since they helped her fight the monsters which seemed to have a special interest in her making their everyday life full of danger, but the three of them were a good team and worked together defeating them.

That night Amara was rummaging through the garbage in an alley while Luke was on watch out and Thalia was setting up a place for them to sleep when she noticed a little dark-haired girl crouching behind the trash. She seemed to be younger than them watching them with weary eyes. Judging by the backpack that she was clutching she seemed to have run away from her home as well. She was also much younger than them.

"Hey", Amara greeted her softly feeling bad for her, "Don't you have a home?".

The girl looked at her which wide eyes pressing her back against the wall to back up from her.

"Don't worry we are not going to hurt you", she told the girl reassuringly crouching down to be on her eyelevel, "What's your name?".

"Annabeth", the girl replied honestly, "I am not going home".

"It's ok my friends and I aren't going home either", she reassured her, "Nice to meet you Annabeth, do you want to stay with us? We have been out here for a while now".

"There's monsters following me", the young girl told her eyes terrified.

Amara froze. Could it be possible that they ran into another girl like them? How many of them were out there, she wondered.

"We see these monsters too, we fight them", she told the scared girl.

At this Annabeth seemed to relax seeming relieved that there were more kids like her. "Really?", she asked, and Amara nodded.

"Come on I'll introduce you to my friends", she offered Annabeth her hand which she accepted getting on her feet. Amara called Luke and Thalia over and the two came over to them. While Luke's expression was worried when he saw the young girl Thalia eyed the girl suspiciously.

Annabeth was slightly intimidated by them especially Thalia who looked her harshly, so she stepped slightly behind Amara clutching her arm seeming to be already attached to the older girl.

"Amara please don't tell me-", Thalia complained, "We can't keep her she's way to young to be out here it's dangerous and she is just another mouth to feed".

"I gotta agree Amara I feel bad for her but we'll just get her in danger", Luke agreed.

"Guys she can see them too", Amara tried, "We can't let her fight them off alone".

"She'll be better off without us", the other girl disagreed.

Amara looked back at Luke "Come on if she ran from home, she's probably like us".

Luke's gaze softened. "Mara-".

"I'm not leaving her, I'll give her my food and be the one taking care of her", she insisted.

Annabeth looked at the two her innocent eyes wide. She looked almost lost in life hoping for someone to want her. Amara held onto the girls' arms looking at Luke and Thalia with pleading eyes.